TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.

WILMINGTON--UNION TOWNSHIP

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THE town of Wilmington is situated a short distance northwest of the center of Clinton County, of which it is the seat of justice. Up to the year 1810, the site of the place was covered with a dense growth of timber, but in that year it became necessary, the county having been organized, to locate a county seat. Consequently, land having been donated for the purpose, and James McManis having been appointed Director to act for the Commissioners, the town of Clinton was laid out on a part of T. Posey's Survey, No. 1057. The history of the steps leading to the location of the county seat is fully given in Chapters 6 and 7 in this volume. The name Clinton was not found to be satisfactory, and, in September, 1810, an order was issued by the Court of Common Pleas changing it to Armenia. This gave as great dissatisfaction, and, on the 31st of December in the same year, the court, by request of the donors, ordered that the name be changed to Mt. Pleasant. Still the matter was not satisfactory, and, on the 20th of February, 1811, another order from the court changed the name to Wilmington, decreeing also that no further change should be made unless authorized by an act of the Legislature.

The original town as laid out consisted of sixteen squares of eight lots each, the lots numbered consecutively from 1 to 128. For the benefit of the readers the subjoined plat and description are inserted:

STATE OF OHIO,

SS.

CLINTON COUNTY,

[IL. s.] Be it remembered that before me, the subscriber, one of the Justices of the Peace in and for the county of Clinton, personally appeared James McManis, Director for Clinton County, and proprietor of the land contained within the bounds of the town of Clinton, as conveyed to said James McManis in trust for the use and behoof of said county, and produced the within plat, which he acknowledged to be an accurate plat of said town of Clinton, and that Nos. 58 and 79 (as marked on said plat), are particularly set apart for public grounds. The plat is on a scale of ten poles to an inch*; the streets are four poles wide, and the alleys one pole wide; the courses of the same are north eighty-nine degrees east, by south one degree east; the sizes of the lots five and a half poles in front and ten and a half back, except those those fronting South street, which are, five and a quarter poles in front, and eleven poles back. All the other lots, as numbered on said plat, are for sale for the use and behoof of said County of Clinton, wherein said town lies, except two lots reserved by Joseph Doan (one of the donators). Said James McManis doth voluntarily acknowledge the land contained in said plat to be for public uses for the county of Clinton and town aforesaid within said county, in trust to and for the uses and purposes herein named, expressed or intended, agreeable to said plat, and for no other use or purpose whatever. Given under my hand and seal, August 2, 1810.

ROBERT EACHUS, J. Peace.

[No. 22.] Received for record on the 2d day of August, 1810, and recorded on the 25th clay of August, 1810, in Book A, pages 25 and 28. Examined by

ROBERT EACHUS, R.C. C.

* Referring to the recorded plat; the one here given is on a scale of 400 feet to an inch.

476 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

TOWN OF CLINTON, PLATTED AUGUST 2,1810

(PLATT PLAN IS NOT INCLUDED)

The following is a list of those persons who were original purchasers of lots in the town plat of Clinton, afterward Wilmington, as shown by the records of the county:

Joseph Doan, one of the original proprietors of the land on which Wilmington was platted, had made his purchase in the spring of 1805. He lived in a log house northwest of the then newly surveyed village, on land which is now inside the corporate limits of Wilmington. He could not at first see the cluster of houses forming the settlement from his place, but after a time the timber was cut away, and a view was afforded of the aspiring county seat. Mr. Doan appears to have been a man of genial presence and one who enjoyed life well.

William Hobson (or Hobsin) is said to have erected the first cabin in the limits of what is now Wilmington. He lived northeast from the present business center, and, on the 5th of December, 1810, purchased Lot No. 12, paying therefor the sum of $12.* This lot is on the north side of Main street, west of Mulberry. Hobson was a gunsmith and worked here at his trade with some

* Hobson had lived In the neighborhood probably a year or two before that time.

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profit. According to the recollection of William Hale, Mr. Hobson died not long after he moved here, and the same gentleman says that when he and his father and John (son of Joseph) Doan were at work building the old court house, in 1812, they took their meals with the Widow Hobson and her daughter Debby, and roomed in the upper part of the jail building, furnishing their own bedding. The bricks for that court house were made on the lot where it was built, at the south end. Jacob Hale, the contractor for the work, was a brick and stone mason by trade, and the son (William) was then learning, his work at laying brick on the court house being about the first he had ever done in that line. William Hale says his father paid Mrs. Hobson about $1.50 per week for cooking for the men at the time named.

The first permanent settler in Wilmington, after the town was laid out, is generally admitted to have been Warren Sabin, who was a brother-in-law of William Hale. He was not one of the purchasers at the first sale of lots in the town,* but was here in 1810, and, in 1811, kept a tavern and liquor shop in a log building which stood on a lot next north of the one now occupied by the court house, extending to the alley.( His first license to keep tavern in the place was issued by the Court of Common Pleas October 10, 1811, his being the " second establishment of the kind licensed in the place. Dr. Jones, in writing upon the subjects says: " In a part of this small hotel a bar was soon erected for the purpose of retailing whisky, which was then the only alcoholic drink used. * * * Early in the spring months, in the year 1811, Mr. Sabin hoisted his sign, marked Warren Sabin, 1811. This old sign swung to and fro for nearly forty years. Sabin's tavern became known from East to West, and was a common resting-place for the early survey hunter. The travel and the great number then seeking for new homes in this rich and productive valley made it necessary that Mr. Sabin should add more room to his hotel. Four or five one-story log houses were added to the main building, making it, in truth, a strange-looking hotel. Mr. Sabin, like many other business men, had the organ of hope very largely developed. Anxious to make money, he tried many ways and means and failed in all In 1811, his hotel was the head quarters for the military organizations of Clinton County. For a third of a century the officers presiding over the courts held in Clinton County made Sabin's hotel their headquarters during the sittings of the courts."

Although Mr. Sabin opened the first permanent tavern in the place, he had been preceded in the business by Larkin Reynolds, to whom a tavern license was issued June 4, 1811. He built a small frame structure on the lot west of the court house, and furnished entertainment principally in the liquor line. In those days it was customary for everybody to drink whisky, and members of the clergy were not loath to accept of a proffered dram in common with their neighbors It would have been considered inhospitable if the bottle had not been placed before guests almost immediately upon their entering the domiciles of acquaintances and friends-or even those of strangers-and it was simply impolite to get drunk. That much drunkenness resulted from the too free use of liquor is not questioned, and Saturday usually witnessed a half dozen or more street broils. Larkin Reynolds was by trade a tailor, and joined' that business with that of tavern-keeping. He did the cutting and his wife most of the sewing. Reynolds was not here many years, and finally removed to Wayne County, Ind. (2t)

During the winter of 1810-11, numerous families located in Wilmington,

* It is said that Sabin did purchase the lot on which his building stood In the fall of 1810, at the regular sale of Wilmington town lots, but the record shown that It was sold to John Co: on the 3d of September, 1810, for $84.

(t) A daughter of Warren Sabin was the first white child born in Wilmington.

(2t) The name of Larkin Reynolds appears to a bond furnished by him and twenty others, In 1817, binding them to furnish Wayne County, Ind., a court house at Centerville, equal in value and convenience to the one at Saulsbury.

482 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

generally building small log cabins on their lots. A few rough frame buildings were erected, about 12x15 feet in dimensions, hardly affording decent shelter. A better class of dwellings and business edifices was not long in coming, however, and brick was used to some extent quite early, the clay in the vicinity affording excellent material for their manufacture.

East of Walnut street, on the small branch which flows through the town, and near the high bank below South street, was a famous deer lick, and those animals would resort to the spot at night in large numbers. Old settlers remark that " the tracks of their hoofs were so thick in the morning that it looked as if a drove of cattle had been there."

David Sewell, in 1811, built a small house at the northeast corner of Main and Mulberry streets, where he kept notions for sale subsequently, and also furnished entertainment for travelers and others, principally whisky.

John McGregor, a native of Scotland, and for some time a resident of Londonderry, in the North of Ireland, came to America with six of his brothers, subsequent to the rebellion of 1794, in which he had been engaged, and settled in Frederick County, Va., on what is known as Apple Pie Ridge, where he engaged in keeping a house of entertainment. He was by trade a weaver, having learned the business in Scotland. In company with his wife and family, he came to Ohio in 1802, settling in the spring of 1803 at Deerfield, Warren County. In 1803, he purchased 200 acres of land in Murray's Survey, No. 1632, in Vernon Township, Clinton County, and settled upon it in 1808 or 1809. In the spring of 1812,* he removed to Wilmington, and as early as the 2d of June, in that year, opened a tavern on the lot at the southeast corner of Main and Mulberry streets. The first court held in Wilmington convened at McGregor's in October, 1812. Mr. McGregor died in 1813, having ruptured a blood vessel in attempting to lift a barrel of whisky, and lived only an hour after the occurrence.

"Eli McGregor, son of John McGregor, was born in Berkeley County, Va., January 1, 1798. He came with his parents to Ohio in 1802. In 1812, he came to Wilmington, and, in 1813, went to Lebanon to learn the cabinet maker's trade; he remained there a few years, then went to Paris and Bowling Green, Ky.; then he returned to Ohio, spending a time in genii. In 1821, he returned to Wilmington, where he resided up to the time of his death, in 1876. In May, 1822, he was married to Maria Sexton, daughter of Col. Joseph Sexton, of Frederick County, Va. ; they spent fifty-four years of happy married life together; they had seven children, six of whom lived to maturity. Mr. McGregor was a strong Anti-slavery man, and attended the Hamilton Convention, that, in 1840, organized the Liberty party." (t) Mr. McGregor, after his return from Lebanon, about 1821 or 1822, opened a cabinet shop at his father's old corner. His death, on the authority of his son John, occurred in July, 1877, instead of in 1876, as above stated.

Samuel H. Hale was one of the most prominent men among the early settlers of Wilmington. Before coming here, he had been assisting for a time in the publication of the Western Star, at Lebanon, Warren County. A number of the subscribers lived in the Todd's Fork settlements in Clinton County, and the bundle of papers intended for them was sent to the residence of Mr. HaWs father, Jacob Hale, in Vernon Township, and William Hale carried them to their respective places. S. H. Hale, upon his arrival in Wilmington, in 1812, purchased the building on Main street, west of the court house, for-

* So given by Judge Harlan. Dr. Jones says 1811, and Mr. McGregor's grandson, John McGregor, says about 1813.

(t) Harlan.

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merly owned by Larkin Reynolds,* and opened a small store in it. About 1814, he caused a brick building to be erected on the same site, forty-six feet front and thirty-six feet back, with a kitchen at the back part near the west end. In that building he lived and carried on his business and kept a public house. His father and brother built the house for him, William making the brick and the two laying them up. William Hale was married to Mariah Sabin, January 15, 1817, and his brother Samuel gave the couple a grand reception at his house on that occasion. On the evening of the 4th of March, 1829, the building and contents were destroyed by fire, and, in the summer of the same year, Mr. Hale built the east part of the hotel, now known as the West House, opposite his first location. The walls of this building were also laid up by Jacob Hale and his son William, and the latter dressed the stone for the foundation and window-sills. An alley was left immediately west of the building, through which teams could pass to the stables in the rear. The space has since been covered by an addition to the hotel. Samuel H. Hale kept the place a number of years. In 1850, the proprietor was M. M. Hale, and the hotel became known as the Hale House. Numerous persons were proprietors of this establishment. In the fall of 1864, it was repaired and refitted, and, in the latter part of December, taken possession of by J. J. Stagg, formerly of the Buckeye House. At that time and for several years, it was ' known as the Gates House, the name West House having been applied in more recent years. William Thompson was its landlord for a time after Mr. Stagg left it, and, in 1877, the present proprietors, J. J. Stagg and H. H. Abell, leased it and have continued to operate it to the present time.

Samuel H. Hale is now deceased. His brother, William Hale, now ninety-two years of age (born September 27, 1790), settled in Wilmington in 1817, after his marriage, and built the brick house on the north side of Main street, west of Mulberry, now occupied by Stephen Eldred for a boarding-house. There he lived over twenty years; be then moved to the farm near town now owned by John Hale, and twenty years afterward, moved to the place he now occupies, on West Main street, near the corporation limits, where he has resided a little over twenty-two years. He is a remarkably preserved specimen of the pioneer, having been seventeen years of age when he settled with his father on Todd's Fork, in what is now Vernon Township, above Clarksville.

James Massie, a son-in-law of Jacob Hale, and a saddler and harnessmaker by trade, settled in Wilmington in 1814, on the west side of Mulberry street, south of Main. About that time, he set out the elm tree on his lot, next south of the alley, which has since grown to such large dimensions. A large branch of this tree was blown off in a severe storm about the 1st of July, 1882. Massie was an excellent workman and had plenty of custom, but he was of a somewhat restless disposition, and, in various schemes to increase his property, he lost the most of that he possessed. It is many years since his death occurred.

The following items are furnished by Dr. Jones:

"John Hobson and Silas Hobson, brothers of William Hobson, settled in Wilmington in 1811. They were hatters by trade, and worked for many years in the village.

"Samuel Gaskill, Sr., settled in Wilmington in 1811. He was a harness maker by trade. Near the present site of the Union Schoolhouse, he built his

* William Hale thinks it was in this same building that Asa Holcomb had a liquor shop and variety store. Dr. Jones says Holcomb's store was "on the lot lately owned by David Sanders." The date at which he opened his establishment is fixed at 1811. Holcomb owned a violin, and was a fair performer upon it, and his place was well patronized. After a short time he removed to Cincinnati. when he was here, It la said there were four distilleries in town, owned by Hate, McKinsey, Ireland and Cox, and all flourished. It was said as a partial excuse for drinking liquor that It "kept off the shakes!"

484 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

log house. This old cabin stood for half a century and was one of the last monuments of a pioneer building.

"Burgoyne Purcell settled in 1812, and erected his log house and shop on the lot now owned by the Misses Jenkins. He was by trade a cabinet maker. He remained at that location for nearly half a century, until death removed him. He was industrious, moral and upright, and a worthy and good citizen.

"John Pennington, shoemaker by trade, settled in 1812 on the lot where James Cleaver now lives.

" Jack Cassada, by birth a Canadian, located in Wilmington in the year 1812; in the war of 1812. served as a substitute. At the close of the war, he engaged in the whisky trade here, and for ten years did a large business in retailing intoxicating drinks. In 1823, he died of bilious remittent fever. At the close of his life, he gave his property to kind and benevolent strangers and to those who had takon care of him in his last illness.

"George Whisanan, in the year 1811, built on part of the lot where the Baptist Church now stands. He was a hatter by trade, and was assisted by the brothers, John and Silas Hobson.

" Thomas Gaskill built his log cabin on the western part of the promises now occupied by H. W. Hale. He was by trade a tanner, and moved from Warren County, Ohio, to the newly laid-off town of Wilmington to engage in the manufacture of leather. In the early spring of 1811. he sunk his vats and commenced to tan rawhides and make leather. It was in the small log house erected by him, and without floor or dour, that his son Milton was added to the family. Milton was the first male child born in the village." Gaskill sold his tannery to Thomas Thatcher, who had learned the business in his employ and who conducted it for a time. Thatcher came from near Port William, having lived on the edge of Greene County, and located at Wilmington soon after it was laid out. About 1823-24, he sold his tannery to Thomas Palmer, who carried on the business until the 8th of January, 1835, when he leased the tannery and stock to Isaac Palmer and James Bruce, who continued the business. Thomas Palmer had advertised extensively in the Democrat and Herald, published at Wilmington, and commanded a good trade. While the establishment had belonged to Thomas Gaskill, there were three others in the place, owned by William Stockdale, David F. Walker and another man whose name is not remembered. The business of tanning has long since ceased to be remunerative in this locality.

Among other early settlers in the place were the following, mentioned by Dr. Jones:

"Eli Gaskill, brother of Thomas Gaskill, settled in Wilmington in 1811, and built his house on the corner now occupied by Dr. A. Junes, southwest corner of Main and Mulberry streets. He erected a small office, which he used as a notion store and grocery. Soon after taking possession of his house, he was appointed one of the Justices of the Peace for Clinton County, and for a great number of years he served in that capacity in the township of Union. He served several terms as County Commissioner; represented Clinton County in the Legislature; possessed large brain power and had just and correct views of the rights of men." Mr. Gaskill interested himself largely in the furtherance of agricultural interests in his county, and it was through his instrumentality that the act was passed authorizing the organization of agricultural societies in the counties of Ohio.

As early as 1811-12, Thomas and Arthur McCann came to Wilmington and built and operated a pottery near the middle of the block, between South and Mulberry streets, and north of Locust street. They manufactured a dark

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colored, finely-polished ware, which was in great demand in the place, as that previously in use had been mostly pewter. The Delft ware was next introduced. The McCanns. who were natives of the Emerald Isle, were energetic men and good citizens. In February 1815, when the news of Jackson's victory Cory at New Orleans reached Wilmington, a month after the battle, the McCanns headed a movement toward netting up a celebration in honor of the event. They were successful in the attempt and a " good time" was indulged in. Holes were bored in trees, and after powder had been placed in them, they were plugged up, the fuses lighted, and the trees were blown to pied. Other things were done to make the day a memorable one. The McCanns left the place previous to 1819.

Isaac Cochran, shoemaker, settled in 1811. Adin Clevenger, a blacksmith by trade, settled in 1811 near the present railway station, building his log house on the ground now occupied by the stone house which was erected some years later by Jesse Thatcher. Clevenger carne up from the Cowan's Creek settlements, and returned there after a time.

Peter Burr, long Clerk of the Courts of this county, built a large two-story house in 1811, on the lot at the northwest corner of Main and Mulberry streets where Dr. Joshua Moore now lives, Larkin Reynolds having previously built a log house on the same ground. He sold the premises immediately after to Mr. Burr, and moved to his location near the court house. Burr was a native Virginian, with all the characteristics of the members of the "first families."

Isaac Garretson located in 1811, on a lot on the south side of Main street, since owned by John Dillon. He was by profession a school teacher, and taught an early school in the place. He also built a small grist-mill on the back part of his lot and operated it by horse-power. When a grist of corn was being ground, the mill could be heard a mile away, making a harsh, grating sound It was the first institution of the kind in the town. Garretson also built a powder-mill, which, in the natural course of events, blew up and put a stop to the business. Warren Sabin, who is also said to have kept a small stock of notions in his old tavern, built a horse-power mill about 1817 or 1818, on the ground where the Methodist Episcopal Church now stands, and traded it immediately to Joseph Wright for a piece of land* In that mill, Abraham E. Strickle, then a buy, while playing with some other buys, pushing the large wheel around, caught his hands in the cogs and crushed off several of his fingers. The mill was in use but a short time and was purchased by the Methodist society, who converted it into a meeting-house.

Jacob Strickle settled at the corner of South and Locust streets in 1811, and worked at blacksmithing for many years. (t) Charles Swayne located here in 1812 and engaged in tailoring. Ellis Pugh, in 1814, opened a wagon shop in the place, but as wagons were not in great demand at that day, his business was not very prosperous. John McElwaine, a blacksmith, settled about the same time on Main street. Ebenezer Seamans, a printer, was foreman of the True American office, beginning in the spring of 1815. Israel Johns settled in 1813, on the southeast corner of Main and Walnut streets, and his place was long a home for itinerant Methodist preachers. He was a builder by trade, and assisted in raising and finishing many of the pioneers' houses in the place.

Levi Sheppard, who was born near Winchester, Va., was married in 1816 and settled at Wilmington soon after, uniting with the Methodist Episcopal Church in this place in 1819. By trade he was a plasterer. He lived on the lot near the present site of the Christian Church, and was a valuable citizen. His name

* This from the recollection of William Hale.

(t) Mr. Strickle, who was the father of Abraham E. Strickle, was probably the first blacksmith in Wilmington.

486 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

appears prominently in other connections in this work. He died October 20, 1870, aged eighty-one years. His son, Dr. William W. Sheppard, has resided for many years in Sligo. Adams Township.

John Patterson, in 1813, carried on the blacksmithing business in Wilmington. Jonah Seamans was engaged in the same business the next year, and built his house on the northeast corner of Spring and Sugartree streets. Reuben Adams, a tailor, settled in, 1816, and carried on a considerable business in his line at the house of Joseph Seamans. Joseph Whinery located here about 1812. He was a sash maker by trade, and, from his propensity for writing rhymes, became known among the people as "the Todd's Fork Poet."

Joel Austin settled in 1811 on a part of the lot now occupied by C. M. Bosworth, on Locust street. He was slow in speech and action, but his wife, Hannah, was the opposite. She read and talked very much. One day at the hotel of Warren Sabin, she met Isom Good, a Tennesseean, who had some reputation as a maker of rhymes, and, wishing a test of his power, she asked him to give an extemporaneous rhyme for her benefit. He rose from his chair and delivered the following:

"The children of Israel wanted bread,

And the Lord sent them manna,

Joel Austin wanted a wife,

And the devil gave him Hannah."

This, the poet said, was not very good rhyming, but it was a self-evident truth. He was asked for no more. Good was an eccentric individual, and from his genial nature made a desirable companion.

Daniel Radcliffe* settled here about 1814, and read law with William R. Cole, but did not practice in the courts. He served several years as Justice of the Peace and also as County Treasurer. It is said while filling the latter office he kept the funds in a common bureau drawer, where it was perfectly safe, as robberies were hardly known at that day. Samuel McCune, a hatter, located here about 1818, and lived and conducted his business on Main street. John McFall, a native of Terre Haute, Ind., also a hatter, settled the same year on Main street, east of the present site of the First National Bank.

"The first hatter in Wilmington," says Mrs. Harlan, "is supposed to have been Richard Peirce. He came to the town December 1, 1813; to Ohio in 1811." His shop was at first on the spot now occupied by the Baptist Church, but he subsequently moved it to the south side of East Main street, upon the lot where the Peirce House now stands, as the location was nearer to water. In the spring of 1833, he built the hotel which bears his name, and conducted it for many years. He is now deceased. Mr. Peirce was a man of more than ordinary culture for his time, and among other accomplishments, wrote very good verses. He is remembered by many of the citizens of Wilmington. Mrs. Henry B. Morgan, whose husband is the present proprietor of the Peirce House, is a daughter of Richard Peirce.

The business of making hats was quite extensively engaged in during the early years of the settlements in this region, both wool and fur being used in their manufacture. Nearly every hamlet had its hatter, who furnished hats of his own make to order. The storekeepers occasionally sold a few, but they were only those they had taken from the village hatter in exchange for store goods. Hats for every day, for men and boys, were made of wool, while those for Sunday wear were made of finer material, and have been known to last from ten to twenty years. Other men who carried on the hatting business in

* Mr. Radcliffe was a native of Virginia. and served in the war of 1818 under Harrison. His father had settled in Kentucky in 1788, when his son was but two years of age, and was an acquaintance of Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton, and served with George Rogers Clark in 1777. The son died at Princeton, Bureau Co., Ill., in 1879, aged nearly eighty-nine years.

PAGE 487 - PICTURE OF JOHN F. MILLER

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Wilmington, besides those already mentioned, were William Stanton, Micajah Bailey, Thomas L. Carothers and Henry D. Sayres.

John A. Hays, a stone mason by trade, settled in Wilmington in 1815, on the lot now occupied by W. J. Marble. He met misfortune upon investing his money in dry goods and groceries. James Birdsall, an early settler at Oakland, where be built and conducted a hotel for a number of years, beginning about 1804, moved to Wilmington soon after it was laid out and settled on what is known as the Samuel Smith farm, within the limits of the present corporation. He engaged in farming and hat-making. Dr. Jones says of him: "At the organization of the militia forces in the year 1812, he was appointed Paymaster of the First Regiment of Volunteer Infantry. He gave his attention and aid to the military organization until the close of the war, in 1815. Mr. Birdsall was one of the members of the M. E. Church first organized in Wilmington."

"Col. Samuel Cox settled in the village of Wilmington in the year 1811, and erected his log cabin on part of the lot where the new town hall now stands. The southeast corner of the hall stands over the well used for house hold purposes in the dwelling of Cox. Col. Cox was a man possessing a great deal of driving power. He early engaged in the manufacture of whisky, which in early pioneer times was an article in very common use. He was a strong advocate for the education of the people. As early as the beginning of the year 1816, he aided in organizing a literary society in the town of Wilmington. In the years 1811 and 1812, he gave his attention to organizing the militia and preparing them to meet the aggressions of the Indians in the war of 1811, and the Indians and their allies, the English, in the war of 1812. Col. Cox and Col. Thomas Hinkson were the active and efficient agents in getting up military companies and in organizing the first regiment of pioneer soldiers. Amidst the stumps, brush and other obstructions in and around the 3 new village of Wilmington, the regiment was frequently drilled. It was an r awkward squad and uncouth, but their rifles when pointed at the enemy seldom missed."

Joel Woodruff settled in Wilmington in the summer of 1811, and began housekeeping in a log dwelling on South street, adjoining Warren Sabin's hotel. By trade a carpenter, he found employment in assisting to build the rough log houses of the settlers, and continued to work at his trade until the close of the war, in 1815. He was then appointed Collector of taxes in and for the county of Clinton. In 1822, he was elected Sheriff, and held the office four years. He assisted, in 1818, in remodeling Wright's horse-mill into a church building for the Methodists. Soon after coming here, he built a log cabin on the lot where the Friends' Meeting-House now stands, and lived there many years. His son Samuel was born in that house.

Haines Moore settled in Wilmington in 1814 or 1815, having some time previous removed to Ohio from Pennsylvania. He was a worker in wood, and by trade a cabinet-maker. He purchased the property on Main street formerly built and owned by William Hobson. This house and lot were occupied for a number of years by David Marble, successor to Moore in the manufacture of cabinet furniture. In his line Mr. Moore did a large business. He finally sold his shop to Daniel Marble, and removed to a farm on Lytle's Creek."

Joel Dillon, a wagon-maker by trade, located in Wilmington in 1812, and opened his shop near the north end of South street, on the east side. All wagons then in use by the settlers were made by local workmen, and Dillon prospered. He finally, however, sold out his business and engaged in liquor selling, and from that time his fortunes waned.

* Dr. Jones,

490 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

William Millikan, a saddler, settled in Wilmington between the years 1812 and 1815. He served for some years as Justice of the Peace, and finally removed to Indiana. Amos T. Sewell settled about 1814. His vocation was that of a school-teacher, and be sometimes worked at shoemaking. He was for some years a Justice of the Peace, and was County Recorder by appoint. ment until the office became elective, being afterward elected to the same office. Mrs. Ruth Thatcher, mother of Thomas and Jesse, was an early settler in the village, and for some years lived on a part of the lot formerly owned by S. H. Hale. She aided her son Jesse in building the stone house now standing on South street, south of the railroad. "Uncle Jesse Thatcher" was a member of the Society of Friends, and exceedingly plain in features.

Joshua Moore, a native of Pennsylvania, settled in Wilmington in 1813, and built his dwelling on the lot since occupied by Zimri Haines. He was a carpenter by trade, and was capable of making almost anything which could be manufactured of wood. Two or three years after his settlement here, he moved to a farm west of town, on Lytle's Creek. He died at the age of eighty-one years. His son, Dr. Joshua Moore, resides in Wilmington on the lot formerly occupied by Peter Burr, northwest corner of Main and Mulberry streets. William McMillan settled in Clinton County about 1803, afterward locating in Wilmington. About 1830, he engaged in business with Warren Sabin, and settled permanently in the place in 1837. He was a mason by trade, and built many of the brick houses now standing in the place. He died February 26, 1872, aged seventy-three years.

Archibald Haynes, a native of Dutchess County, N. Y.', was brought by his parents to Ohio in 1808 when but six months old, the family settling at Oakland in what is now Chester Township. His father, William Haynes, not long after died of malarial fever, and the child was placed by his guardian under the care of Warren Sabin, of Wilmington. At fifteen years of age, he was possessed of a limited education, and had for some time worked with James Massie at the harness-maker's trade. He was then placed in a hat shop and set at "bowing wool " for hats, but the business was so injurious to his health that he was forced to abandon it. He was employed by Samuel H. Hale in the latter's store, and subsequently found employment in the establishment of Samuel Smith, on the east side of South street. Smith finally gave him a partnership, which relation continued for some time. He subsequently removed to Oakland and became quite wealthy.

"Aunt Rachel Eaton" was an early settler on Columbus street, and her two sons, James and William Eaton, became worthy citizens of the place. James How settled here in 1815, and kept a public house on the northeast corner of Main and Mulberry streets. He shortly after removed from town, and the property was purchased in 1818 by Samuel Welch, Sr., for his son, Dr. Turner Welch, who boarded with Mr. How. Palmer and Samuel Adsit, house builders, located here in 1814. Palmer Adsit died not long afterward, and after some :years his brother removed farther West.

During the winter of 1815-16, a lyceum was held in Wilmington, and the following is a record of one of its meetings: "January 16, 1816, the members of the lyceum met, Joel Woodruff, President. Meeting called to order. Question of discussion, Is the infidel more injurious to the cause of religion than the hypocrite?' Affirmative,. James Wilkinson, Peter Burr, Charles Paist, Robert Way, John A. Hays, Thomas Gaskill, John Eachus and Thomas Ballow. Negative, Eli Gaskill, S. H. Hale, Richard Peirce, James How, Samuel Adsit, David Sewell and John Whinery. The question was decided in the affirmative, and the society adjourned to meet again at the residence of Peter Burr." Samuel H. Hale was the last survivor of those mentioned, and died on the day he was ninety-two years of age.

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 491

William Jones, a native of North Carolina. grew to manhood in South Carolina, married in the former State, and, in 1795 or 1796, removed to Granger County, Tenn., and settled at Bean Station, where he followed the business of a tavern-keeper and traded with the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians, at Muscle Shoals, in Alabama. He acquired considerable wealth, and, in 1810, removed to Ohio, and, on the 4th of March, settled on Todd's Fork, in the northwest part of what is now Union Township. He was accompanied to this State by his wife and nine children, including Dr. A. Jones, now of Wilmington, who was born at the old home in Tennessee in 1807. Another son, Charles, was born in Clinton County, in August, 1811. William Jones had in his earlier years learned the house-building trade, and built a number of houses in Wilmington for persons residing in the place. He could never be induced to settle in a town, however, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits during the greater part of his residence in this county. His son, Daniel Jones, ' a shoemaker by trade, settled in Wilmington in 1817, and built a log house on the lot now occupied by the residence of the late Judge R. B. Harlan. He had first worked here in 1811. He was a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and was a member of the first class organized in Wilmington. He manufactured boots and shoes quite extensively, having at times as many as six men in his employ, and buying his stock from the tanneries in the place. He owned several lots in the village. He died in St. Louis in the eightieth year of his age, and was brought to Wilmington and interred in Sugar Grove Cemetery.

David Faulkner, one of the original proprietors of the land on which Wilmington was laid out, never lived here. His son Thomas was an early settler in the northeast part of the town. People at that day were not wont to stay long in the place, and many removed to other localities within a short time after locating hera

The following are the dates at which licenses were granted to other early tavern-keepers in Wilmington:* John McGregor, May 7, 1812; Asa Holcomb, July 20, 1812; David Sewell, September 21, 1813; Nathaniel Cunningham, December 23, 1813: Joel Woodruff, February 9, 1815; Samuel Cox, November 10, 1815; Lewis Rees, December 2, 1815; Samuel Ruble, Jr., September 16, 1818; Samuel H. Hale, March 8, 1818; David Smart, September 20, 1821; Jonathan K. Beekman, August 4, 1823.

Following is a sketch of Abraham E. Strickle, a former prominent citizen of Wilmington, contributed by his son-in-law, Maj. W. D. Bickham, of Dayton, Ohio:

"Abraham Ellis Strickle, son of Jacob and Ann Strickle, was born in Wilmington, Clinton Co., Ohio, October 4, 1807.(t) His parents, who were of German extraction, emigrated to Ohio from old Virginia. Abraham Strickle was the first white child born in the new settlement subsequently named Wilmington. (2t) In early manhood he was fond of athletic sports, in which he excelled. His cotemporaries to this day remember his triumphs in running, leaping, lifting weights, wrestling and shooting. He was afterward crippled by rheumatism so that he walked very lame, and besides suffered a mangling of both hands in agricultural machinery, but his resolution largely overcame these misfortunes, and he continued until his death a marvel of energy and activity. He compensated for his physical misfortunes by application of his mind to the development of the resources of his native county. From early manhood until the beginning of the war, he was conspicuous in all enterprises tending

* Harlan.

(t) He was horn near the subsequent site of Wilmington. The place was not laid out until August l, 1810.

(2t) Warren Sabin's daughter was the first white child born strictly within the limits of the place.

492 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

to promote the moral and material welfare of the community. He was a director of the first turnpike company in Clinton County, and pushed the road to completion, giving the farmers an outlet for their produce to Cincinnati. Being naturally inclined to farming, he was among the first to adopt improved methods of agriculture. He bought the first reaping machine used in the county. There was a clamor against it and he was threatened with dire calamities to himself and his property if he attempted to use it. The manufacturer in Springfield from whom he purchased it guaranteed to replace it if it was destroyed. Mr. Strickle took his rifle, together with his machine, into his fields and was not interrupted, although hard words were as abundant as bushels of wheat reaped by his machine. He was President of the Clinton County Agricultural Society, and was also a member of the State Board of Agriculture for a number of years. He was also a member of the Clinton County Live Stock Company, which imported Durham cattle, Southdown, Saxony and Cotswold sheep, which placed Clinton County in the van of this interest, which has proved of such immense importance to the country. Under his administration of the Clinton County Agricultural Society, the first county agricultural fair was held,* and they have been held annually to this date without interruption. He was among the most energetic and influential in securing the railroad-now called the Muskingum Valley road through Wil. mington and Clinton County, and was for some years a director of the company. He was also elected Clerk of the Courts of Clinton County several terms, and one of his last public benefits was active co-operation in the organization and establishment of the Wilmington Cemetery Association, of which he was President. The result of his labor is seen in the beautiful Sugar Grove Cemetery, near Wilmington, where he now quietly sleeps with his wife, several children and other kindred and the friends of his lifetime. In politics, he was an ardent Whig, and devoted himself to that cause with characteristic zeal and energy. When the Republican party was organized, in 1856, he threw himself into that organization with customary devotion, and the political joy of his life was the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency. When the war of the rebellion began, being debarred from active field service by his physical disabilities, he. accepted a commission as commissary of subsistence, with rank of Captain, and, joining Gen. Grant's army immediately after the battle of Fort Donelson, served with that army until fatally stricken with malarial fever in front of Vicksburg. He was taken to Cincinnati and died at the residence of his son-in-law, Maj. William D. Bickham, July 9, 1863. His wife was Caroline Goodwin, of Cincinnati, whom he married December 22, 1830. Together with three daughters, she accompanied him in the field during the Vicksburg campaign. She survived him only two or three years. In many respects, Abraham E. Strickle was a notable man, remarkable for his energy, his inflexible resolution and his devotion to all things which engaged his attention. He was a devoted member of the Christian Church in Wil mington all his manly life. He had ten children, of whom seven accomplished and noble daughters survive him"

From the Harlan Notes is taken this sketch of W. H P. Denny: "His father was George Denny, publisher of the Scioto Gazette, at Chillicothe, the Galaxy, at Wilmington, and the Ohio Interior Gazette, at Xenia. At the latter place, his son learned to set type. In 1829, at the age of eighteen, he started the Clintonian at Wilmington. Two pears later, he sold the paper and worked as a journeyman in Cincinnati. He was next foreman for George D. Prentice, at Louisville. In 1834, he returned to Cincinnati, and, in 1836, he bought the Western Star, at Lebanon, which he conducted until 1858. Thence he

* See general chapter.

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 493

went to Dayton, where he published the daily and weekly Gazette, until 1861, when he bought out the Circleville Herald and changed its name to the Circleville Union. In 1865, he sold the paper to become Postmaster of Circleville. He held the office six years, but was anxious to return to his profession." Mr. Denny subsequently published the Wilmington Journal, and is now engaged in the newspaper publishing business at Georgetown, Brown Co., Ohio.

In April, 1838, Wilmington contained 728 inhabitants, of whom fifty-two were colored. This item appears in the Democrat and Herald, of April 27, 1838. Public improvements were then rapidly being made. The editors of the paper besought those in search of a good location to come to Wilmington, s upon which an era of prosperity was dawning.

Another early settler of Wilmington and Clinton County, and long a prominent citizen, was George D. Haworth, of whom we find the following: sketch among the Harlan Notes:

"George D. Haworth, late of Wilmington, was an early citizen and pioneer of Clinton County. He was brought here by his parents, Mahlon and Phobe (Fraizer) Haworth, in the autumn of 1804, when he was a youth of but seven years. He was born in Greene County, Tenn., May 29, 1797, and died in Wilmington on the 27th of June, 1881, aged eighty-four years and twenty-nine days. His early years were spent in assisting his father to clear away the forests and open to cultivation the lands upon which he had settled on Todd's Fork, two miles north of where Wilmington is now located. His grandfather, George Haworth, had preceded his father's family something more than a year, and settled some distance farther down upon Todd's Fork The youthful George was a great favorite with his grandfather, and much of the time his constant companion. He also assisted his grandfather, who was engaged in stock-raising. In 1811, the year before the war with Great Britain began, the grandfather took a drove of hogs to Detroit, it being the principal market center in that day. He was compelled to sell on credit, and, in 1815, he went, accompanied by his grandson, George D., to collect the money. The first day out they reached Seth Smith's mill, in Green Plains; the next day, they reached Thomas Stanford's, fifteen miles north of Urbana; both these men were emigrants from Tennessee. Most of the way they were obliged to camp out or lodge in the bluck-houses that had been erected during the war for army purposes. This same perilous journey the then young George had made twice before, once alone, and once in company with the army Paymaster, Vance. In 1812, George D. Haworth, then in his sixteenth year, while working in the harvest field of their neighbor, John McWhorter, was served with a notice that he had been drafted to go into the army. Lots had been drawn for two men to fill a quota, and it fell upon Thomas Babb and himself. He had been very much disabled by rheumatism in his limbs, and was therefore excused from going into the field, but he and his younger brother, Ezekiel, took charge of the pack-horses for six months under Capt. James Spencer, who was Captain of the pack- horse transportation of army supplies. The condition of the country and the lack of roads rendered it impossible to transport supplies by wagon in many places a great portion of the time.

"With the limited means within his reach for obtaining school education, yet, having a great fondness for mathematical studies and an aptness for figures (it is said that he was never known to err in a calculation), he managed to acquire sufficient education to qualify him to teach, and he taught several terms of school in the adjoining neighborhoods. Some that were his pupils in these schools still survive. In 1817, he was married to Edith, daughter of James and Anne Hadley, of Newberry, Clinton County, and settled on a farm adjoining his father's on the east. In 1822, he was elected Collector of the

494 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

State revenue and county levy as it was then called, and for the first year received for his compensation $54, and visited every taxpayer at his residence, receiving a good portion of the taxes collected in wolf scalps. The next year he received $70 compensation. With but a few years' intermission from this time, he continued to discharge the duties of Collector and Treasurer until he had served the people of the county over twenty years. In that day, there was no office for the County Treasurer, nor burglar proof safe, but the money was kept in a bureau drawer in Mr. Haworth's house. In 1823, Mr. Haworth was clerking for James Fife, of Wilmington, in his dry goods store, at $15 per month. Early in the spring of 1824, he sold his farm and settled his family in Wilmington, and entered into partnership with Mr. Fife in the mercantile business, under the firm name of Fife & Haworth. He continued in this firm some time, then entered into the business on his own responsibility. In 1826, be was joined by his brother-in-law, Jeremiah Hadley, under the firm name of Haworth & Hadley. After some years, he gave up the dry goods trade, the business of the Treasurer's office having become much greater, and as he had acquired lands and property that required his attention. For a number of years, he was for that day extensively engaged in farming and grazing, turning off one or more hundred of cattle each year at one time for market. In this connection a circumstance somewhat peculiar might be alluded to, which pleased and amused some of his friends while it tried others, viz.: He always made his calculations as to about how much profit he wished to make on these droves of cattle, and when he came to sell them, if opportunity offered for him to make a good deal more, he would not avail himself of it. He took great delight in raising cattle, and was the first to import into the county the Short. Horn or Durham cattle, about 1835; it may be a little later. There are those still living who remember the beautiful animals-Chieftain, Army Jane and Cora-bought at great expense for that day from one of the finest Kentucky herds. Mr. Haworth also dealt considerably in land. He and his friend, Isaiah Morris, bought and sold much land in partnership, each, from the position he held, having excellent opportunities of becoming acquainted with the condition and situation of lands in the county. George D. Haworth at one time by appointment viewed and appraised all the lands in the county. He owned and sold at different times over 9,000 acres of land in this county, and many of the citizens of the county say that it was by his forbearing kindness and liberality that they were enabled to obtain homes for themselves. During the great financial crisis, from 1837 to 1840, he lost many thousands of dollars by having indorsed extensively for his friends. There was a general failure of men engaged in the pork business, and some in most other lines of business, not one of whom perhaps in the county but that he had indorsed more or less for. One of his special characteristics was that he could never refuse a favor that a friend asked of him. At this period, he thought that financial rain had certainly overtaken him, but the clouds parted, and a way opened where there seemed none, and he was enabled to meet the heavy responsibility and still have something for himself. In April, 1851, his moat excellent companion, the wife of his youth, departed this life.

"In 1857, he again became a member of a mercantile firm, under the firm name of Haworth, Glass & Co., and so continued for three or four years. In 1858, he was married to Sarah Clark, of Richmond, Ind., daughter of Samuel Stubbs, an early pioneer from the State of Georgia. Mr. Haworth was remarkable for his jocular and social disposition. He greeted every one who approached him with a smile and words of cheer. He retained his interest in the public good keenly to the end of his life, and all that related to the county or its inhabitants; but in his declining years he devoted himself very much to

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 495

the cause of religion, and watched over the branch of the church of his adoption (at the head of which he had sat for more than thirty years) with as much care and tenderness as a fond father over an idolized child. George D. and Edith Haworth were the parents of eight children, the eldest three of whom died in early childhood. Five still survive, viz., Mary, wife of Samuel R. Glass; Caroline E., who married Robert B. Harlan; George D. Haworth, Jr., who resides one and three-fourths miles northeast of Wilmington; James Mahlon Haworth, at present Government Inspector of Indian affairs, and Edith Emma Moody, wife of Laming R. Moody, who resides in the eastern suburb of Wilmington. George D. Haworth survived his second wife but two days. After four days' illness, be departed this life in great peace, and, upon the 29th of June, 1881, his remains were laid to rest in Dover Churchyard, with his wife, children, parents and numerous other relatives and friends."

MERCHANTS OF WILMINGTON.

The following items of importance are furnished from the notes left by Judge R. B. Harlan:

"Asa Holcomb was the first merchant located in Wilmington. He came to Cincinnati in 1792 and from there to Wilmington in 1810. His storeroom was on Lot 110, once the residence of William R. Cole, and afterward of Dr. Turner Welch, and for many years owned and resided on by R. B. Harlan. Mr. Holcomb kept a tavern at the same place. His first license to sell goods was issued April 3, 1811, lacking only one day of three months earlier than that of Isaiah Morris & Co. His first license to keep a tavern, out of several of the same kind, was dated July 20, 1812. Mr. Holcomb was a drummer and Daniel Jones blew upon the fife; the two furnished the martial music during the war of 1812 at musters and on other patriotic occasions. He purchased of Paul Way Lot No. 125, on which the late Richard Peirce so long resided He sold the lot to Peirce September 12, 1816. After a residence of about three years, on October 4, 1813, he sold his possessions to Solomon Cole, father of William R. Cole, and returned to Cincinnati. His last license to sell goods was for one year, and was taken out February 3, 1813.

"The second licensed merchant in Wilmington was Warren Sabin. His permit was dated May 28, 1811.

"William Ferguson and Isaiah Morris opened a small stock of foreign merchandise early in July, 1811, on South street, where the Clinton County National Bank now stands. The building used by them for the sale of goods was also used as the post office and as the office of the Clerk of the Court of the county."

Isaiah Morris "was born in Greene County, Penn., in 1786. His mother's maiden name was Corbly. His parents moved in the humble walks of life, having neither poverty nor riches. His grandfather, on the mother's side, was a Baptist minister of great worth and usefulness. His father owned a small farm, with personal property such as small farmers generally possess. The family were what were called Radical Baptists. There were eight children, three of whom, besides the subject of this sketch, emigrated to the West. Two sisters settled in Ohio and lived there to an advanced age. A brother acquired by industry and economy a valuable farm in one of the best agricultural counties of Indiana. His parents lived to an advanced age, his father dying at the age of ninety-eight years, and his mother at eighty-five.

"Young Morris descended the Ohio River with his uncle, Mr. Huston, in a flat-boat, to Columbia, near Cincinnati, where they landed in the spring of 1803. The uncle opened a store at Columbia with goods he had brought with him. This the nephew conducted for him until the fall of that same year, when the

496 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

stock of goods was removed to Lebanon. The uncle soon died, leaving Isaiah, now seventeen years of age, far from home, entirely without friends, business or money. In 1803, Warren County was organized and David Sutton, afterward Gen. Sutton, was appointed Clerk of the Courts. Young Morris was given employment in his office, where he wrote till 1811. He also wrote in Judge McLean's office, and, between the two, he had by this time saved about $300. In 1811, he came to Wilmington and entered into mercantile business with William Ferguson, of Lebanon. At the first sale of lots in Wilmington, in September, 1810, Mr. Ferguson had bought the lot on which the First National Bank now stands, and there he and Mr. Morris built a small frame house in which they opened their stock of goods. Here their business prospered so that in a few years Mr. Morris was able to buy out Mr. Ferguson's interest and continue the business alone. In this day, the roads were mere traces, so that their goods were brought to Wilmington on pack-horses. Mr. Morris soon after began trading in real estate, and, as the county and town were rapidly being settled, he realized large profits and his capital increased rapidly. In 1812, he married Rachel Carpenter, step-daughter to Judge Francis Dunlavy, at Lebanon. To them two daughters were born-Maria, who married Robert B. Harlan, and Rebecca, who married Rev. Stephen Holland. Mrs. Morris died in 1819. In March, 1822, Mr. Morris married Catharine Trimble, of Hillsboro, cousin of Allen Trimble. To them a son and two daughters were born. Two of these children, the son and one daughter, died in infancy. The remaining daughter, Sarah Ann, married Grafton B. White. Catharine Morris died in October, 1828. Mr. Morris afterward, in 1840, married Rhoda Corwin, sister of Hon Thomas Corwin, of Lebanon. A son and daughter were born to them-Thomas Corwin and Mary Catharine, who married Robert M. Wickersham. On the 3d of June, 1816, Mr. Morris was appointed Clerk to the commissioners. This officer, until 1820, performed the duties of Auditor. He held this office one year. Upon the death of Peter Burr, in 1816, Mr. Morris was appointed to fill the vacancy, thus occurring, as Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for Clinton County. He served in this office until the close of the third term, in 1837. He was also Postmaster from 1812 to 1815. The post office and Clerk's office were both in Mr. Morris' store. He was the first Representative from this county in the Legislature, in 1812. He again represented the county in 1815. In 1837, he was chosen by Clinton and Highland Counties as their State Senator for two years. In 1851, he was elected the delegate for Clinton and Highland to the second Constitutional Convention of Ohio. The convention met in Columbus, and, after organizing, adjourned to Cincinnati and held their session there in the summer of 1851, during which time they formed a new constitution for Ohio, which was approved by the people at the October election following. Mr. Morris was the first Mayor of Wilmington, serving from 1828 to 1830. Isaiah Morris was not a member of any religious sect, but bad a warm feeling for all. He gave to the Ba Baptist society the lot on which their church is built, and, in addition, about $800. $is health had declined for about two years before his death, which took place July 18, 1858, when he had reached the age of seventy-two years. Although Mr. Morris began life without any property of his own, he was at the time of his death a wealthy man."

David Stratton * began the dry goods and grocery trade at the southwest corner of Main and Mulberry streets, where Dr. A. Jones now lives, in n 1814 or 1815. His license is dated October 4, 1815, but it is thought he was in business the previous year. On the 14th of October, 1816, he deeded the premises to William Hibben, from Payette County, Penn. On the 22d of the

* David Stratton dIed at west Liberty, Iowa, June 11, 1867, in the seventy -fourth year of his age.

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PAGE 498 - BLANK

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 499

same month, he was granted a permit to keep a store in Wilmington until the neat court; and on the 30th of November, in the same year, the court granted him a license. The store was in the west part of the present building, that part now used by Dr. Jones as an office having been erected in 1841 by Mr. Hibben. This portion of the town then contained considerable of the business. About 1819, Mr. Hibben's son, Thomas Hibben, engaged in business on the north side of Main street, in the frame building now used as a boarding-horse, a few steps east of Mulberry street, and built about 1811, probably by Thomas Gaskill.

James Fife came to Wilmington in 1819, and opened and conducted a store for a Mr. Wood, of Lebanon, in a frame building which stood neat west of the site now occupied by the West House, on the south side of Main street. He was by birth an Irishman. The building had besn erected by Jonathan Harlan. Mr. Fife had great natural ability for business, and, by his tact, accumulated wealth rapidly. Within one year after his arrival here, he had purchased the stock of goods and paid for them. He became one of the wealthiest and -most prominent men in the county, and died leaving a large amount of property. The present First National Bank Building in Wilmington is a monument to the taste and enterprise of Mr. Fife, and his associate in business, Mr. Bosworth.

The following-merchants were licensed in Wilmington between 1813 and 1829:

Samuel H. Hale, June 19, 1813; David L. Sewell, December 14, 1814; S. R Hale and Jacob Strickle, July 4, 1815; David Stratton, October 4,1815; Sattathwaite, McGee & Co., October 4, 1815; Jacob Strickle, October 5, 1815; Col. Samuel Cox, December 12,1815; William Brooks, December 19,1815; Charles Faist, January 4, 1818; John Elam, January 9, 1818; James How, March 26, 1818; William Hibben, October 22, 1818; William Brooks & Co., July 14, 1817; David H. Birdsall, November 13, 1817; Isaiah Morris, December 1, 1817; Hugh Smart and Eli Gaskill, March 18,1818; Joseph Wright, June 5, 1818; Stephen Bosworth and Arnold Truesdell, July 10, 1818; S. H. Hale & John Hadley, ---; John Cassada, April 9, 1823; Samuel Smith, May 9, 1823; James Shepperd, December 11, 1823; Samuel Hale and Eli Hale, April 12, 1824; James Fife and George D. Haworth, May 18, 1824; George; D. Haworth, August term, 1823; Levi Douglas, November 27, 1824; Joseph H. Coburn, May 3, 1825; Carpenter & Fallis, May 13, 1825; Robert Reese, July 25, 1825; Cyrus Farquhar, October 14, 1825; Mark Thatcher, March 7, 1827; Warren Sabin & Co., November 28, 1828; Joseph Hale and Carter'B. Harlan, April 1, 1829.

At the sale of lots in Wilmington in 1810, Mahlon Haworth purchased at the northwest corner of Locust and South streets, and improved the lot, but never lived upon it. It afterward belonged to Jacob Strickle, who built a stone house upon it and occupied it. George D. Haworth neat purchased it, and finally sold it to Mr. Strickle's son, Jacob, Jr. During the exciting political campaign of 1840, it seemed to be necessary to have a Whig hotel in Wilmington, as hotels were then considerably dependent upon patronage according to the drift of their politics. George D. Haworth, therefore, who owned ' the building mentioned, erected a brick addition thereto, and converted the . whole into a " Whig hotel," renting it to Jabez Harlan and Jabez Walker, who became its first landlords. Gen. W. H. Harrison had stopped with Mr. Haworth in 1840, before the new hotel was started. The building became one of the prominent institutions of the place, and was widely known as the " Buckeye House." It was conducted by several different persons during its existence, and was finally destroyed by fire but a few years ago.

500 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

The hotels were patronized largely in the early years by teamsters hauling goods from Cincinnati, and later were headquarters for numerous lines of stages, the latter carrying the mails and also passengers. May 10, 1850, Conklin & Ross advertised in the Wilmington papers that from that date a daily line of omnibases would ply between Wilmington and Cincinnati, via Milford, touching at Clarksville, Middelboro, Osceola and Goshen, and connecting at Milford with trains on the Little Miami Railroad. Through fare, $1.75.

A post office was established at Wilmington in 1812, and Isaiah Morris was appointed Postmaster, a position which he held until 1815. A list of letters advertised by him as remaining in the post office at Wilmington July 1, 1815, is as follows: Joseph Abanathy, David Atkinson, Joseph Anthony, Joseph Ballard, Thomas Babb (son of Sampson Babb), Nathan Dillon, Jacob Garrison, John Gray, David Hixton, William Hale, Joseph Haines, Stephen M. Irwin, Jonathan Lawrence, Joel Lewis, Peter Lieurance, Eli Millikan, Anthony Morgan, Robert Morgan, William Moon, Charles Paist, Robert Pennery, George Rinard, Thomas Reese, Amos Smith, John Stout. This list appears in a scrap of one of the numbers of the True American, published sometime in July, 1815. The same scrap contained an advertisement for Joseph Whinery, who wanted a journeyman in the cabinet-making business, offering good wages and steady, employment. Whinery was then living four miles north of Wilmington.

The following is thought to be a nearly complete list of the Postmasters at Wilmington since Isaiah Morris: James Magee, George Bruce, Joseph Hale, James E. Johnson, James Fallis (the latter appointed in May, 1853, to succeed Johnson), Thomas Van Tress, W. J. Marble, eight years, John C. Moon, two years, and the present incumbent, W. P. Wolf, who was appointed May 25, 1871. During the terms of Johnson and Fallis, the office was in the building at the northeast corner of Main and Mulberry streets, now occupied by George Brindle.* When Van Tress assumed the duties of the office, he moved it to a room on South street, near the present site of the St. Nicholas Hotel. The office is now in the building next north of the court house, on the west side of South street.

Wilmington is situated at an elevation of 551 feet above low water mark in the Ohio River at Cincinnati, 417 feet above Lake Erie, and 992 feet above the level of the sea

SCHOOLS.

Isaac Garretson was the first school-teacher who imparted knowledge to the youth of Wilmington, but there is a difference of opinion as to the year in which he began his work here, some placing it in 1810, and others in 1812. A log schoolhouse was built by Joseph Doan at the corner of Sugartree and Spring streets, and Garretson taught in that structure. It was finally destroyed by fire, and Garretson continued the school in a room at his own residence. Other subscription schools were taught in 1817, by Arnold Treusdell; (t) in 1818-19, 'by William Millikan and A. T. Sewell, and by William Crumley; in 1822-23, by Beebe Treusdell; in 1820-21, by J. N. Reynolds, in the old court house, and by others, among whom was Alanson Jones, afterward Sheriff of the county. About 1834, a family named Mabie began a select school in the east end of the building now occupied by Stephen Eldred, on Main street, the

* George Brindle came to Wilmington in 1834, from Westmoreland County, Penn., and, up to 1873, was engaged in business in the place-tinware, drugs, etc. His brother Jacob settled the same year.

(t) Trensdell was a native of Hillsdale. N. Y., and came to Wilmington In 1818. He taught at Wilmington and Oakland, and, subsequent to his marriage to 1820 or 1821, bath he and his wife were successful teachers. He had been s student in 18i9-20, in the Ohio University, at Athens. Mr. Treusdell and his wife flnill, removed to Cincinnati and engaged jointly as proprietors of a ladies' academy. He also preached in the Methodist Church until 1835, in which hick year be died.

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west end of which was then occupied by 'William Hale. The last term of this school was taught about 1840. At an early day, a Mr. Taylor taught a Latin school in the place. He was a Presbyterian minister, and boarded with the family of Eli McGregor. A small building for the use of the schools was erected early in the Northeast part of the town, and about 1839-40, the building at the southeast corner of Mulberry and Locust streets, now used as a meeting house by the Friends, was opened as a public school building. The present fine union school building was dedicated January 18, 1870, at which time the Board of Education consisted of Jacob Beard, C. N. Osborn and A. C. Diboll. The building is eighty feet square at the foundation, and stands 124 feet in height above the ground. It is three stories high above the basement, the first two being fifteen feet each, and the third nineteen feet, the whole surmounted by a large and high belfry. The halls, in which are the stairways, extend east and west, and are fourteen feet wide. Each story, including the basement, is divided into four rooms, except that the portion of the third story south of the hall is in one large room, making fifteen rooms in the building. The doors all open outward The following amount of material was used: Perches of stone, 1,800; brick, including pavement and outhouses, 835,134; yards of plastering, 5,697; squares of roof (tin), 115; lot contains five acres; building heated by furnaces; total cost, exclusive of interest on bonds, less than $33,000.

"In the schools in the pioneer settlements," says Dr. Jones, " there was no surplus of books. Old Thomas Dilworth was the text-book used in teaching orthography. This old work was succeeded by Webster's spelling-book. In teaching reading, the English reader and the sequel thereto were used. The Testament and the Psalms were in all the schools in the early settlements. Then the study of the meaning of words was thought to be a necessary part of an elementary education. In teaching arithmetic, Bennett's, Pike's and Adams' commercial works were used.* Lindley Murray was the text-book used in teaching grammar. In teaching penmanship, the quill of the goose was used. At that time the arts had not progressed so as to make machinery to rule white paper as it was being manufactured. To make the lines of the white paper, metallic lead was used. The writing fluid was manufactured from nut-galls and walnut and maple bark, fixing the color with sulphate of iron or copperas. This process made a very good ink. "To acquire an education at that time was an extensive task, but the people made the most of their facilities.

CHURCHES.

Many of the early settlers of Wilmington and vicinity were of the Baptist persuasion, and soun formed themselves into a society, and, until the building of a meeting-house, held services in each other's dwellings, and subsequently in the court house. From Dr. A. Jones we learn that this denomination was the first to erect a house of worship in the village. This was about the year 1817. The building was of brick, in size about 20x30 feet, and stood on Columbus street, near the junction of that street with the Prairie road. The ground on which it was built was given to the society by Isaiah Morris. The church edifice is described as being similar to the one now used by the Presbyterians. The records of this church cannot be found; hence, only what can be gathered from the recollections of the oldest citizens can be given. From Dr. Jones we learn that the following-named families were among the early members: The Strickles, Wilsons, Mills, Hughes, McManis, Gaddis, Rannells, Lewis, Rigdons, McGees, Morris, Crihfields and Howes. The Rev. Amos Wil-

* We have seen a copy of " The Scholar's Arithmetic, or Federal Accountant," which Is now in the possession of Dr. D. B. Mory, of Wilmington, and was the property of Platt B. Mory in 1819. Its author was Daniel Adams, M. B., and the book was printed at Keene, N. H., in 1814.

502 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

son was Pastor of the church for many years, who, it is said, had a massive brain, with strong will power, but was devoid of artificial adornments. He frequently preached from the text, "Philip and the eunuch went down into the water," which seemed to be a favorite one. In 1828 or 1829, when the doctrines of Alexander Campbell were being preached, the greater part of the membership became fascinated with it, and the old Baptist Church of Wilmington became virtually a church after that doctrine, only a few members refusing to stay. Thus ended the old Baptist Church, and from it came the Christian Church of Wilmington.

First Baptist Church.-This church was organized at a meeting held August 6, 1853. Delegates from the following churches were present: Caesar's Creek, Jonah's Run, Port William, Spring Valley, Washington, Cedarville, Centerville and Cowan's Creek. The original membership comprised the following named: James S. Hoblett, Joseph K. Sparks, Robert Wood, William Williams, James Phillips, J. C. C. Dowden, Sterling Bartlett, Rhoda Morris, Mary Hoblett, Mary Wood, Elizabeth Darbyshire, Olive Bartlett and Hannah Griffith. The first Board of Trustees consisted of James S. Hoblett, J. K. Sparks, Robert Wood and William Williams. Elder S. Marshall was the first Pastor of the church. At a meeting of the Trustees held September 13, 1853, it was agreed to advertise for sealed proposals for building a meeting. house. The edifice now occupied by this society was the result of this movement, yet it has since undergone several changes. The dedicatory services took place on the last Sabbath in July, 1854. The building is a neat, one-story structure, built of brick, and in size is about 66 x 44 feet. In front is a square tower extending a short distance above the roof, which was added in 1865, at a cost of about $1,500. In 1871, the church was remodeled, and it now presents a very handsome appearance. Across the rear end of the auditorium is a gallery, which, with the ceiling, were constructed by William Cleveland. The ceiling is quite handsomely finished. The pews and pulpit are from Richmond, Ind., and of excellent workmanship and finish. The papering of the walls in fresco by Morton & Co., of Cincinnati, is in excellent style, and the stained glass windows set the room off in good colors. The floor is well carpeted, and the room is a very comfortable one in which to assemble for worship. It is lighted by gas and heated by hot air. The improvements of 1871 cost about $4,000. The re-opening of the church took place on Sabbath, June 4, 1871; sermon by Dr. Jeffrey, of Cincinnati, who preached from the following words: " Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works." Found in the 2d chapter of Titus and 14th verse.

The ministers who have served the church as pastors are given below:

Rev. S. Marshall, August 6, 1853, to February 11,1854; Rev. J. N. Chapman, April 8, 1854, to May 12, 1855; Rev. B. B. Bedell, October 8, 1856, to December 9, 1866; Rev. B. G. Siegfried, December 9, 1866, to May 31,1868; Rev. A. E. Anderson. February 13, 1869, to -,1869; Rev. W. Kidder, July 9, 1870, to February 28, 1871; Rev. B. G. Siegfried, June 4, 1871, to June 23, 1872; Rev. B. H. Gardner, January 1.0, 1873, to June 7, 1873; Rev. W. E. Prichard, October 1, 1874, to May 10, 1876; Rev. B. G. Siegfried, May 8, 1878, to 1881; Rev. A. K. Sargent, September 3, 1881; present membership about one hundred; present Board of Trustees, Dr. G. M. Ireland, Jesse H. Woods, W. J. Struble.

Methodist Episcopal Church.-The history of this organization in Wilmington begins with the year 1814, at which time the village belonged to White Oak Circuit, Miami district. It was subsequently assigned to Cincinnati Circuit, to Milford, Lebanon, etc., and, in 1849, was detached from Wil-

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 503

mington Circuit and made a station. The early ministers of the denomination had wide circuits over which to travel, and their congregations were never large. In 1814, Rev. Samuel Parker was Presiding Elder of the district, and William Burke and David Sharpe were preachers on the circuit, which extended from some distance north of Wilmington (which was one of its appointments), southward to the Ohio River. Following came Rev. John Sale, Presiding Elder, and R. W. Finley, J. Oglesby and J. Waterman, A. Cummins and R. Bigelow, A. Goddard, William Finley, preachers. In 1817, Moses Crume was appointed Presiding Elder, and Samuel Brown and Francis Landrum, preachers. In 1819, John Sale, Presiding Elder, B. Westlake and H. Brown, preachers. In 1821, J. B. Finley, Presiding Elder, J. C. Brooke and T. S. Helt, preachers. In 1823, John Helt, Presiding Elder, B. Lawrence, N. Walker, E. Wells, N. B. Griffith, preachers. In 1825, G. R. Jones, Presiding Elder, John Sale, preacher (Wilmington Circuit), followed by A. F. Baxter, John P. Taylor, R. Brandreth, G. W. Maley, James Quinn, J. M. Goshorn. Between this time and 1835, J. B. Finley and Thomas A. Morris were Presiding Elders, and William D. Barrett, J. Martin, C. W. Swain, J. . W. Clark and R. Cheney, preachers. In 1835, William B. Christie, Presiding Elder, F. Butler, Z. Wharton, preachers, followed by James Quinn, Presiding Elder, I. A. Reeder and J. Alexander, preachers; also J. B. Finley, Presiding Elder, James Laws, S. H. Holland, Werter R. Davis and S. F. Conroy, preachers. In 1839-40, G. W. Walker, Presiding Elder, James Quinn, J. W. Steele, preachers, followed by Z. Conrell, Presiding Elder, and J. M. Howland, E. B. Chase, J. M. Ellsworth, Martin Wolf, L. P. Miller, I. N. Marks, William Parish, D. W. C. Johnston, J. J. Hill, O. L. Williams, J. W. Kelly, E. G. Meredith, James F. Challant and Stephen Morrell, preachers. In 1848, J. F. Wright, Presiding Elder, A. W. Tibbitts, W. B. Jackson, preachers. In 1849, Cyrus Brooks, Presiding Elder, J. W. Fowble, preacher at Wilmington station. In 1850, J. F. Conrey, pastor; 1851, W. L Ellsworth, Presiding Elder, J. F. Conrey, pastor; 1852, W. S. Morrow, pastor; 1853-54, C. H. Lawton, pastor; 1855, G. W. Walker, Presiding Elder, T. Collett, pastor. July 31, 1856, Rev. G. W. Walker died at Wilmington, at the house of J. P. Brindle, having come here to attend Quarterly Meeting. He was fifty-two years of age, and was in the thirtieth year of his ministry. He was succeeded by G. C. Crum as Presiding Elder. In 1857, Dr. H. Baker was pastor, and J. W. Cassatt in 1858; 1859, M. Kauffman, Presiding Elder, T. S. Dunn, pastor; 1860-61, S. A. Brewster, pastor; entered the army in 1861 as Chaplain in the Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and G. H. Dart was appointed to the pastorate, and served through 1862; 1863, M. Dustin, Presiding Elder, A. Meharry, pastor; latter re-appointed in 1864-1865. M. Dustin was Presiding Elder in 1865-66, and S. D. Clayton was appointed to the Wilmington pastorate in 1866. Sylvester Weeks, pastor in 1868; H. M. Keck, 1869; A. II.. Beall, 1870; William Runyan, 1871-73; Lafayette F. Van Clove, 1874-75; James P. Porter, 1876-78; Charles Ferguson, 1879-81; John H. Lease, September, 1881. The Presiding Elders have been James Kendall, 1866 to 1870; Samuel D. Clayton, 1870 to 1874; and Lafayette F. Van Cleve since 1878.

Daniel Jones and Levi Sheppard were among the most active of the early members of this church, Mr. Jones being one of the number forming the first class. The first house of worship used by this society was a building formerly used as a grist-mill operated by horse-power. It was fitted up for the use of the congregation in 1818, and was used for several years. In 1833, a brick chapel was built, which was then the largest and best of its kind in this portion of Ohio. Among those who were then members were Levi Sheppard, Bebee Treusdell, Charles Russell, William E. Ashcraft and Elizabeth Kelly.

504 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

Mr. Sheppard was the mason who laid the walls, and Mr. Russell finished the carpenter work. In July, 1865, this building was demolished, and its materials used in the construction of a new church -that which is now (.1882) in use on an adjoining lot. The foundation of the new structure was begun on the same day with the work of tearing down the old chapel, and the cornerstone was laid with appropriate ceremonies July 27. 1865. the services being conducted by Rev. Dr. Wiley, editor of the Ladies' Repository. The building was dedicated by Bishop Clark July 29, 1866, up to which time it had cost $12,000. The lecture-room was finished first and the building was not finally completed until February 12. 1871. Its total cost was about $18,000. The society became incorporated in 1824, under a general law authorizing the step, and, on the 29th of March in that year, seven Trustees of " The Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington," as it was named, were elected as follows: William Millikan, Thomas Gaskill, Daniel Jones, Israel Johns, Levi Sheppard, Abraham Dever and Henry Wolary.

Society of Friends.-The first church of this society in Wilmington was established about the year 1824, with a large and prosperous membership. In 1825, they built a small, one-story brick church on West Main street where they worshiped about three years. In 1826, Elias Hicks, after whom a branch of the society is now named, paid a visit to the church at Wilmington, remaining with them a few days. In 1828, a division of the church took place, one faction calling themselves Orthodox Friends, and the other adopting the name of Hicksites. The latter being the most numerous, retained possession of the church building, The Orthodox branch attended meetings at Dover and Center Meeting-Houses until 1839, when they purchased a small, round-topped, octagon-shaped brick building, formerly used as a district schoolhouse. In 1854, they sold the octagon-shaped building, and took possession of the old church, then held by the Hicksites, who had discontinued their meetings. After repairing and renovating the old church, they occupied it as a place of worship until 1870, when they purchased the building now occupied by them, on the corner of Locust and Mulberry streets. This building was erected and for many years used as a public school building. After leaving the old church, it was again taken by the Hicksites, who have since continued to hold their meetings there. In the fall of 1879, another division of the Orthodox branch took place, the members adhering to the old doctrine calling themselves "old line" Friends, while the others were called "progressive" Friends. The former retained possession of the church, in which they have since continued to hold meetings. The " progressive " Friends worshiped at the residence of Cornelius Douglass, on North South street, for a time, after which they purchased the lot where the church now stands, of Mr. Douglass, and built thereon the church they now occupy, which is a small, one-story frame building. There are now in Wilmington about four hundred members of the society.

First Presbyterian. Church.-This church was organized in 1825, with the following members, viz.: William Walter and wife, Isaac Collett, Samuel Miller, William Bloom, John Laughead, Thomas Hibben, Charles P. Gallaher and Caleb Smith. Services were held at private houses for some time, when the society procured the Baptist Church, in which they worshiped until 1829, when the present church was erected. David Monfort organized the society, and served as minister for the congregation for two or three years. He was succeeded by William Worrell, who was the pastor for a few months; but, be ing in bad health, he was taken sick and died before the expiration of a year. His place was filled by Joseph Irwin, and subsequently by C. A. Hoyt. From 1850 until within a year, the congregation was without a regular pastor, the pulpit being supplied from time to time by ministers sent from Presbytery.

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 505

On December 13, 1881, Rev. J. Straus was called and became the regular pastor of the church, which now has a membership of about fifty-six. In 1882, the church erected a two-story frame parsonage of seven rooms, upon the church lot, at a cost of $1,800.

Christian Church.--The Church of Christ at this place is an offshoot from the Regular Baptist Church, which worshiped on the south side of Columbus, between Walnut and Lincoln streets. The separation occurred in. 1828 or 1829, and almost the entire membership went with this sect. For a time, services were continued in the old church; but, inasmuch as the ground upon which the house stood was donated for the use of the Baptist Church, other. wise to revert to the donor, they removed the material to a lot on Mulberry street, between Columbus and Locust streets, and there built a one-story brick church, which building they occupied until the erection of the present beautiful church edifice. The house on Mulberry street was built about the year 1833 or 1834. The records of the church are very incomplete, and the pioneer preachers are not named. The first pastor of the church of whom there is any record is Rev. Thomas J. Melish, who assumed the pastorate in 1851. The membership at this time was 105. We are told, however, that preceding the year just mentioned, and, in fact, about the time of the church's organization, more credit should be given the memory of Rev. George McManis than any other man, for to him is the church indebted for the spirit of truth and righteousness in this locality. . Among those who have labored for the church may, be mentioned Revs. Aylett Rains, William Pinkerton, E. H. Hawley, and those grand old pioneers of the reformation, Walter Scott and D. S. Burnett. Later pastors have been Rev. S. H. Bingaman, 1874-75; Rev. W. S. Tingley, , 1876; Rev. A. A. Knight, 1877, 1878 and 1879; Rev. Carroll Ghent, 1880-81; and Rev. C. J. Bartholomew, the present incumbent The present church officers are: Elder-C. D. Hughes; Deacons-Dr. N. H. Bidwell, F. M. Moore, William Bentley, Wilson McFarland, John Carroll and Jerome Penn. The church edifice now occupied by this congregation is located on the corner of South and Columbus streets. It is an imposing structure, one story high, with a basement built of brick, with freestone trimmings. The basement was completed in the spring of 1874, and first occupied in May of that year. The main auditorium remained in an unfinished state for more than five years, and was completed and formally dedicated Sunday, April 16, 1882, by the Rev. Isaac Errett D. D., of Cincinnati. The building cost $10,000. On one corner of the front of the building is a large tower surmounted by a tall spire. The bell of the old church was suspended in the tower, but inattention was paid to the iron fastenings, and, on a Sunday in January, 1875, while the sexton was ringing it for Sunday school, the bell broke loose and fell to the pavement, breaking it into pieces. In the following June, the new bell was received and suspended. Its weight is 714 pounds, and, with hanging attachments, is about 1,000 pounds.

African Methodist Episcopal Church.-The African M. E. Church was organized in 1833, by Wiley Runnels, of Cincinnati, at the house of William Brown, on the corner of South and Sugartree streets. Among the members at that time were John Thompson, David Ladd and wife, Abraham Henson and wife, Mary Bosworth, William Brown and wife, James Wheeler and wife, and Willis Crane and wife. The meetings were held at private houses until 1838, when a log church was built on Lincoln street, which served them until 1852, when the present church building was erected. It is a one-story brick building, capable of seating about three hundred people, and cost $800. Among the preachers who have ministered to this church were Revs. Wells, Steward, Epps, Wadkins and William J. Johnston, the latter being the

506 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

present incumbent of the pastorate. In 1879-80, $980 were expended in remodeling and improving the church building, and in May, 1880, it was dedicated by Rev. E. Cumberland, of Greenfield, Ohio, and Rev. Dr. Mortimer, of Cincinnati, Ohio, the latter conducting the afternoon services, which were the principal ones. A collection of $150 was taken up after the services ended to go toward liquidating the church debt. The society now numbers 120 members.

Zion Baptist Church (colored).- This church was organized on the third Saturday of October, 1854, at the residence of Jacob Emmons, in the southeastern part of the town, by Elder R. Bowes and Elder Roberds, of Xenia, and Rev. Moreton. The original members were Jacob Emmons and Nancy, his wife, and Mrs. Webster. Services were held at the house of Mr. Emmons for six or eight years, when they rented a house of the Wesleyan Methodists, where they worshiped some time, after which they returned to Mr. Emmons' house. They then rented a round-topped house, formerly occupied by the Friends, after which they worshiped in the colored schoolhouse, remaining in the latter until they built the present brick church, four years ago. Mr. Emmons served the congregation as Pastor for about eleven years. He was followed by Henry Davis, of Kentucky, William Rickman, Asa Pratt, Elder Gee and Elder Charles Clark, the latter being the present Pastor. The ground upon which their church was built was purchased of Robert Wickersham. The cost of the church was about $1,400. There are now 114 members.

Previous to the organization of this church, the members of the OldSchool Baptist Church used to meet and have occasional services at private houses, but no regular church organization was effected.

The Catholic Church.*-In speaking of the history of Catholicism in Clinton County, it seems to be the prevailing impression that the Catholic Church dates its history from the time the first public services were held; but this is a mistake. About the year 1807, James Trimble, John Bark and Edward Powers, with their families, settled near the present village of Cuba. All were natives of Ireland, and members of the Catholic Church, who left their native land on account of persecution, to seek an asylum where liberty of conscience prevailed. In the humble log cabins of these exiles, family worship was held and prayers offered to the Most High, and from this dates the history of Catholicism in Clinton County, as Christ has promised, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The names of the heads of these families may be found in the list of patriots who assembled at the monthly musters from the beginning of the Indian war until the close of the war of 1812, to learn the art of handling the musket, and prepare for the defense of their country. How long these families remained in Clinton is not now known, but all left the county at an early day. James Trimble was a man of good education, and a school-teacher, while the balance were tillers of the soil.

The next Catholics to locate in this county were Thomas and Arthur McCann, also natives of Ireland. In the summer of 1811, they opened a pottery on South street, in Wilmington, and, for many years, did a large business, as nearly all of the early pioneers used their ware, which was very beautifully and skillfully made. They remained about seven years, and, during the war of 1812, were prominent in upholding the patriot cause against English oppression. They took a leading part in celebrating the victory of Gen. Jackson over the English at New Orleans, in 1815, which celebration was held in a grove on the present site of the West House. That in many other persons professing "the faith of the fathers " came to Clinton County during its early

* Prepared by R. C. Brown.

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PAGE 508 - PICTURE OF D. S. KING

PAGE 509 - PICTURE OF MRS. N. E. KING

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history there can be little doubt; but we have no authenticated record of any until the coming of Patrick Denver, Patrick Dolan, William Rankin, and two brothers named Clement, the latter of whom were natives of France, and the first three of Ireland. All have left descendants, some of whom yet adhere to the church. Matthew Rombach, a native of Germany, came some years afterward, and is yet a communicant of the Wilmington Church.

The first mass celebrated in Clinton County was at the house of Michael Devany, of Wilmington, by the Rev. Thomas Blake, in August, 1852. Father Blake was born and educated in Ireland; came to Cincinnati about 1850, and was soon afterward ordained. He was stationed at Xenia, and was brought from Corwin Station, where he was holding divine service, by Michael Devany, Timothy Coakley and Patrick Creedon. Ten persons were present at this mass, viz., Michael Devany, wife and daughter, Timothy Coakley, Patrick Creedon, Jeremiah Coakley and wife, and Catharine Knaughton, and two young men whose names are now forgotten. At the second service celebrated in the same house a mouth later, eleven persons were present. For about two years mass was regularly held once a month in the houses of Michael Devany and Jeremiah Coakley; but at the end of this time, the Catholics had so increased that Father Blake found it necessary to rent Clinton Hall to accommodate his growing congregation. Thus things remained under Father Blake's charge, with an occasional visit from Rev. Philip Foley and Rev. Cornelius Daly, until October, 1882, when he was relieved of the care of the Wilmington congregation.

Rev. John B. O'Donughue was appointed to succeed Father Blake, and has ever since ministered to the spiritual wants of this church. Father O'Donoghue was born in the County Clare, Ireland, and there studied classics and humanities. In 1848, he came to Cincinnati, where he studied theology, and was ordained in 1853, by the Most Rev. John B. Purcell. He first went to Fayetteville, Brown Co., Ohio, where he was assistant Pastor for three years, having charge of the congregations of Hillsboro, Greenfield, Loveland and Mil ford. At the end of this time, he removed his residence to Hillsboro, where he remained two years, and then removed to Milford, taking charge of the Catholics of Milford, Loveland, Morrow and Lebanon, and subsequently of Washington Court House and Wilmington. In 1888, he removed to Morrow, his present place of residence, and now has charge of Morrow, Lebanon and Wilmington. Since his ordination to the priesthood, Father O'Donoghue has built or acquired churches at Greenfield, Loveland, Milford, Morrow, Wilmington and Washington Court House, beside the pastoral residence at Hillsboro, and other church property elsewhere.

In the spring of 1883, Father O'Donoghue partially contracted for the old nursery lot in the southwest part of Wilmington, upon which to erect a church. Services were still being held in Clinton Hall, which was subsequently vacated for Preston's Hall, which the church was allowed the use of rent free. This lot did not suit the congregation, and it was changed for the one upon which the church now stands. This lot cost $1,300, and was paid for in full ere the erection of the building. Ground was broken June 6, 1888, and the cornerstone laid by the Right Rev. Sylvester H. Rosecrans, Bishop of Columbus, June 24, of that year, a large concourse of people being present to witness the ceremonies. The building was soon completed and ready for divine services, which have since been regularly held therein. It was not, however, dedicated until October 5, 1870, by the Most Rev. John B. Purcell, Archbishop of Cincinnati, receiving the name of St. Columbkille.

It is a neat brick structure, 35x80, with a symmetrical spire, surmounted by a large gilt cross, the emblem of Christ crucified. On the tower, at the

512 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

base of the spire, are four similar symbols of Catholicism, but smaller in size, giving to the front a handsome appearance. The interior is modest, yet well finished, possessing a beautiful main altar for so small a church. There is also one side altar and a gallery for the choir, and, as a whole, this church is a credit to the Catholics of Clinton County. The congregation now numbers about two hundred souls, and the church, which cost them about $4,000, is free from debt. Services are held twice per month in Wilmington, and four times per year at Sabina, in a hall which Father O'Donoghue obtains for that purpose.

There is also a Catholic Church in Vienna, of about one hundred souls, under the pastoral care of Rev. Michael Hayes, of Hillsboro. The building, which is a brick structure, was erected by Rev. Michael O'Donoghue, now of Washington Court House. Services wore first held at Vienna in 1854, by Rev. John B. O'Donoghue, in a private house, since which time the Catholics of that vicinity have had services at irregular intervals.

In 1873, Rev. Michael O'Donoghue built a brick church at Blanchester, in Marion Township, which cost about $1,500. It was dedicated under the title of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and is under the charge of Father Hayes; but the congregation is small, consisting of a few families living in that vicinity. The church at New Vienna, already spoken of, was erected in 1875, and dedicated September 29, of that year, by the Most Rev. Archbishop Purcell. It cost about $1,500, and received the name of Saint Michaers, in honor of the Archangel.

The Catholics of Clinton County are not blessed with riches; therefore, their struggle to obtain their present places of worship has been a hard one, and their success in this direction deserves the highest praise. They have always seconded the efforts of their worthy Pastor in his labor of duty and love, and God has blessed the work and crowned his efforts with success. A few years after the church in Wilmington was erected, the roof was blown off in a storm; but with undaunted faith they went bravely to work and soon repaired the damage. The Catholics of this county, like those throughout the State and Nation, have ever been true to the starry flag, and from the time the first shot was fired at Lexington down to the end of the late civil war, Catholic blood has been freely shed on every battle-field that freedom and liberty might live; yet with all this as undisputed historical record, the members of this church in this free country have at times in the past felt the heavy hand of persecution on account of their faith. Education and enlightenment have destroyed, we trust forever, this unwarranted fanaticism against Catholicism, and the members of ' ° the mother church " are as highly respected to-day by the intelligence of the land as any citizens of the Union. Their growth in Clinton County has been marked, and from the congregation of ten members who came together to worship God, in 1852, have developed two churches with an aggregate membership of about three hundred.

INCORPORATION-TOWN OFFICERS, ETC.

An act was passed by the Legislature of Ohio on the 15th of January, 1828, incorporating the town of Wilmington, and the original limits have been extended by subsequent acts, the last having been passed February 4, 1867, which described the corporation boundaries as follows: "Beginning at the center of the Xenia road, at the northeast corner of Lewis M. Walker's land, thence running outwardly across the Port William road, and along the line of Samuel Smith's land until it strikes the Prairie road opposite Sarah Haworth's barn; thence in a straight line to and along William Applegate's old line to a point on the turnpike; thence up the road to John Dillon's cor-

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ner; thence with his west line to the Snow Hill road, at the east line of Jacob Patton's farm; thence with Patton's lines, James Fife's line, and the line of Jonathan Doan, to Lytle's Creek; thence down the creek, across the Cuba road, and across the old Cincinnati road, to the southeast corner of Leo Waltz's nrrsery lands; thence to the southeast corner of Nancy Lair's lands; thence northwardly across the Goshen & Waynesville Turnpike to the place of beginning.

The first election in the newly incorporated town was held March 3, 1828, at which the following officers were chosen: Isaiah Morris, Mayor; Bebee Treusdell, Recorder; Benjamin Hinkson, John McManis, Turner Welch, John McElwaine, William Stockdale, Trustees. Levi Sheppard was Marshal in 1828.

"The above elected officers, within the time specified in said act, took the oath of office required by law, and filed the same with the Recorder. At a special meeting of the Council November 7, 1828, the Council proceeded to appoint a Trustee of the corporation to fill the vacancy caused by the removal of John McManis, Esq., whereupon, George D. Haworth was appointed. The Council proceeded to appoint a Recorder for the corporation to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Bebee Treusdell, whereupon, William Hibben was ap appointed.

"March 2, 1829, the second election took place, viz., Isaiah Morris, Mayor; Calvin B. Woodruff, Recorder; Benjamin Hinkson, John McElwain, Dr. Uriah Farquhar, Dr. Turner Welch, William Stockdale, Trustees.

"March 1, 1830, election held. viz., David Stratton, Mayor; Philip F. Crihfield, Recorder; Lewis Wright, William Hibben, Thomas Hibben, George. Bruce, Jacob Strickle, Trustees.

"March 7, 1831, election held; Warren Sabin, Mayor; George Meyer, Recorder; George Bruce, John Carman, Charles L. Kelley, Carter B. Harlan, George Fallis, Trustees.

"March 5, 1832, election held, viz., Amos T. Sewell, Mayor; William W. Woodraff, Recorder; James Fife, James Christy, Haines Moore, Israel Johns, Richard Peirce, Trustees.

"March 4, 1833, election held, viz., Thomas Hibben, Mayor; Jesse Green, Recorder; William Hibben, Benjamin Hinkson, Levi Sheppard, Laurence Fitzhugh, John B. Posey, Trustees.

"March 1, 1834; Samuel McCune, Mayor; Jesse Green, Recorder; Peter P. Nickerbocker, John C. Work, John McFall, Lewis Wright, George D. Haworth, Trustees.

"March 2, 1835, election held, viz., Daniel Kelley, Mayor, Asa H. Hoge, Recorder; Isaac Strickle, Dr. Amos T. Davis, Samuel McCune, Amos T. Sewell, Micajah Bailey, Trustees.

"November 6, 1835, Daniel Kelley having removed without the corporate limits of the town, an election was held to fill the vacancy occasioned by his resignation. Eli McGregor was elected Mayor.

"March 7, 1838, an election was held, viz., Griffith Foos, Mayor; Daniel C. Hinman, Recorder.

"March 6, 1837, election held, viz., Robert B. Harlan, Mayor; Daniel C. Hinman, Recorder.

"March 5, 1838, election, viz., George S. Jenkins, Mayor; Abraham E. Strickle, Recorder. David F. Walker was appointed Mayor December 21, 1838, in the place of G. S. Jenkins, resigned September 18, 1838.

"March 6, 1839, election held, viz., Robert B. Harlan, Mayor; John M. Harlan, Recorder; December 25, 1839, Noah S. Haines succeeded as Recorder, John M. Harlan, resigned.

514 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

"March 10, 1840, an election held, viz., Abraham E. Strickle, Mayor; Robert Beeson, Recorder.

"1841, an election held, viz., Thomas Hibben, Mayor; Charles M. Bosworth, Recorder. Elijah Sabin, Jr., succeeding the latter as Recorder July 10, 1841.

"March 7, 1842, election, viz., Franklin Corwin, Mayor: William B. Magee, Recorder.

"March, 1843; Franklin Corwin, Mayor; Webb Broomhall, Recorder. F. Corwin resigned November 29, 1843; William Fuller appointed to till the vacancy.

"March, 1844; William Fuller, Mayor; Webb Broomhall, Recorder; succeeded by Daniel C. Hinman, August 26, 1844.

"March, 1845, election held, viz., Robert B. Harlan, Mayor; Joel C. Woodruff, Recorder.

"March 2, 1846; Amos T. Sewell, Mayor; Roger B. Morey, Recorder.

"From 1846 to 1853, the record has not been found.

"James E. Johnson, elected Mayor in March, 1853; Benajah W. Fuller, April, 1854, resigned May 24, 1854; Grafton B. White appointed to fill the vacancy.

"Alonzo C. Diboll, elected. April 2, 1855; continued until March 6, 1857; resigned; B. W. Fuller appointed to fill the vacancy. April 6, 1857, William B. Fisher elected Mayor. Joshua D. Hadley, elected April 14, 1858. April 17, 1859, C. C. Harris elected Mayor. April 2, 1860, L. F. Austin elected Mayor. April 9, 1861, Andrew H. Chapman, Mayor; resigned and went into the army July 26, 1861; William B. Fisher appointed to fill the vacancy; served until April 6, 1863, Lewis C. Walker elected. April 4, 1864, William B. Fisher elected; April 6, 1865, LeRoy Pope elected; April 10, 1866, John C. Moon elected Mayor; April 9, 1867, Le Roy Pope elected Mayor; April 6, 1868, A. C. Diboll elected; April 9, 1869, Nathan M. Linton elected; April, 1870, Milton L. Ent elected Mayor; April, 1871, Levi Mills elected Mayor; April, 1872, David T. White elected Mayor; April, 1873, David T. White elected Mayor; April, 1874, A. C. Diboll elected Mayor; April, 1875, A. C. Diboll elected Mayor; April, 1876, Melville Hayes elected Mayor; April, 1877, Melville Hayes elected Mayor; April, 1878, Melville Hayes elected Mayor; April, 1879, Melville Hayes elected Mayor; April, 1880, L. J. Walker elected Mayor; April,- 1881, L. J. Walker elected Mayor; April, 1882, Lewis J. Walker elected Mayor.'

This list of officers is from notes furnished by Mrs. Harlan.

ADDITIONS.

The following additions have been made to the original plat of Wilmington:

Joseph' Doan's Addition, eight lots, June 22, 1814; surveyed by Peter Burr; David Faulkner's Addition, twenty lots, October 25, 1814; Nathaniel Carpenter's outlots, twelve in number, October 26, 1837; subdivision of part of Gen. Edward Stevens, survey, No. 2693, by Jesse Hughes, Isaiah Morris and John Woolman, in December, 1826; Dillon's Heirs' survey of outlots in Hawkins' survey, No. 2690, in January, 1850; Mark Thatcher's Addition, eight lots, August 31, 1830; Isaiah Morris' Addition, fifteen lots, February 11, 1842; Walker & Fife's Addition, twenty-two lots, January 7, 1853; Benjamin S. Strickle's plat of outlots, October 14, 1865; Benjamin S. Strickle's second Addition, six lots, no date given; Cadwallader's Addition, twenty-nine lots, May 18, 1866; African (or Wickersham's) Addition, twenty-one lots, September, 1868; James' Addition, fourteen '; lots, September 22, 1868; Hib-

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ben's Heirs' Addition, seven lots, November 5, 1869; Fitzhugh's Addition, ten lots, April 27, 1870; Alfred Johnson's Addition, forty-three lots, no date; J. & J. Doan's Addition, twenty lots, March 7, 1871; Keith's Addition, thirty-nine lots, April 5 and 8, 1871; J. S. C. Newham and wife's Addition, twenty-six lots, May 31, 1871; R. E. Doan's First Addition, forty-two lots, July 24, 1871; same, Second Addition, fort -four lots, no date given; Patrick Murphy's Addition, six lots, September 2, 1871; Boswell & Madden's Addition, seventeen lots, September 4, 1871; L. F. Van Clove's Addition, thirty-four lots, April 23, 1875; Brackney's Addition, eighteen lots, April 17, 1880.

FRANKLIN COLLEGE.

In the fall of 1865, having been encouraged to believe that they would meet with success, the Garvin brothers, Thomas D., James H. and $ Carson Garvin, came to Wilmington and opened the first term of Franklin College in the old county building on the southeast corner of Main and South streets. They proposed, if a sufficient sum of money could be raised, i. e., $20,000, for a building and grounds, to remove Franklin College permanently from Athens, Ohio, and locate it in Wilmington.

The subject of subscriptions was agitated during the fall, but the required amount was not all subscribed until January 6, 1866, when a meeting for that purpose was held at the court house. At that meeting, Mr. T. D. Garvin, the President of the college, reported the amount already subscribed to be $18,000, leaving $2,000 yet to be raised before any action could be taken by the Board of Directors. A committee was then appointed to procure the necessary subscriptions to the fund. The meeting made up all but $800, and six ladies of the Christian Church assumed the payment of $500 if they could have guar anteed to them the exclusive right of the fair ground at the coming agricultural fair, for refreshment purposes. This left but $300 to be made up, and twenty-five persons then assumed the payment of this sum. These subscriptions were made on the condition that the whole amount be raised.

The necessary funda being duly subscribed and accepted by the Trustees, a committee was appointed to select a site. After some delay, the beautiful site of our former fair grounds, east of the village, was unanimously selected, and preparations were at once made for erecting a principal college building. They purchased also sixteen acres of T. C. Morris, so that in all they then had thirty three and one-fourth acres. Part of this was afterward sold, leaving fifteen acres in the college grounds.

The Building Committee of the College contracted with an architect from Cincinnati to erect the main college building during the summer of 1866, and to finish the lower story ready for occupancy by Christmas.

Until the college building was ready for use, the college terms were continued in the old county building two years, and in the old Christian Church one year.

The cornerstone of Franklin College was laid July 4,1866, and the building was formally opened for the reception of students September 22, 1868. On that occasion, an able address was delivered by Rev. J. W. Hall, D. D., late President of Miami University.

Franklin College is located in the eastern portion of the town, on the most eligible ground to be found in the vicinity. It fronts northward toward the railroad and turnpike seventy feet, running back fifty-six feet, where it is joined by another portion of the building 50x60 feet. The whole structure is three stories high. The main entrance is on the north side through a tower twenty feet square, forming a spacious vestibule. The main building is

516 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

divided into four rooms by two spacious halls running north and south, and east and west, the rear building forming but a single room.

The second story is divided in the same way as the first. The third story forms but one spacious college hall.

The building was only inclosed, the floor laid, and the ceilings and walls of the lower story rough coated, without stairways to the second and third stories, at the time of its dedication in 1868.

For some reason, the Trustees were unable to collect the necessary funds to pay for the college building, and it was sold on a judgment in favor of the workmen who built it, on August 11. 1870, and was bought by the Society of Friends, who still own it and continue to use it for college purposes.

Under the management of the Friends, the building was completed, and, by the 1st of April following, was ready for use. They changed the name from Franklin to Wilmington College.

The dedication of Wilmington College took place April 11, 1871, Barnsbas C. Hobbs, Superintendent of Public Instruction in the State of Indiana, delivering the address of the occasion.

The first President of the college, under the new management, was Lewis Estes, of Indiana, who entered upon the duties of that position in the spring of 1871.

In 1874, he was succeeded by Benjamin Trueblood. In 1879, David W. Denis became President, which office he held until 1881, when he in turn was succeeded by James B. Unthank.

LODGES.

Wilmington Lodge, No. 52, F. & A. M.-In 1817, the Lebanon Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons recommended to the Grand Lodge of the State that a dispensation be granted to Wilmington to hold a Masonic Lodge. The dispensation was granted and the lodge denominated No. 52, the following being the officers appointed by the charter: Arnold Treusdell, Master; Reuben Adams, S. W.; John Baptist Demond, J. W., and Nathaniel Harris, Secretary. The transactions of this lodge were regular and harmonious for about three years, and the number of members increased gradually to sixteen, who were as follows:, Stephen Bosworth, William R. Cole, James How, Charles Paist, William Brooks, Thomas Bellows, James Williams, Henry Vandeburg, Maj. Samuel Cox, J. N. Reynolds, Dr. Magee, James Birdaall, Robert Way and the four officers named above. The lodge was held in an upper room of Samuel H. Hale's hotel, on the north side of Main street near the court house. The lodge continued its sessions until some time in 1820, when Treusdell left Wilmington and became a student in the Ohio University at Athens, and John Baptist Demond returned to his friends in New York. The lodge, before their departure, had adjourned sine die, and the dispensation charter was given up. After this no meetings of the Masons were held until 1842, when a new charter was obtained from the Grand Lodge, in session at Lancaster, and the lodge, No. 52, was re-organized. The charter states that permission to hold lodge meetings "is granted to Bebee Treusdell, Benjamin Hinkson, Levi Gustin, George E. Hibben, J. S. Wright, Jabez Harlan and others who have heretofore assembled under a dispensation from the Grand Master," etc., and that the " lodge shall be known as No. 52, and its rank and precedence shall date from the 18th of October, 1842." The officers appointed were Levi Gustin, Master; J. S. Wright, S. .W. ; and Jabez Harlan, J. W. The lodge as reorganized first met in a room on the second floor of the building at the southwest corner of Main and South streets, from which they moved to a room on the second floor of a building on the west side of South street, on the southern corner of the alley north of Main street. They next moved into a room on

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 517

the third floor of the Clinton Hall building, corner of South and Locust streets, where they remained until 1880, when they took possession of the present quarters, in the third story of the Carothers building. The lodge now numbers about seventy-five members. It is on a firm financial basis, free from debt and with money out at interest.

Wilmington Chapter, No. 63, R. A. M.-The charter for the organization of this chapter bears the date of October 22, 1855, the dispensation having been presented on the let of January preceding. The charter members were J. C. Ellis, J. Harlan, J. D. Haines, William Smith, William J. Morgan, B. Hinkson, Levi Gustin and D. Medsker. The officers appointed by the charter were Levi Gustin, High Priest; Benjamin Hinkson, King; J C. Ellis, Scribe. The chapter is a branch of Masonry in which the higher or Royal Arch degrees of the order are conferred. Wilmington Chapter was instituted in the room occupied by the order, and meets in the same room with the subordinate lodge. It now numbers about fifty members in good standing, and is in a prosperous condition.

Rose Craix Lodge, No. 28, F. & A. M.-The charter for this lodge was granted by the Grand Lodge in its session at Cleveland, Ohio, August 21, 1872. The lodge was instituted in Clinton Hall with five members, and William Scott was appointed first Master. They changed their place of meeting to Hawley's block, where they continued until they returned to Clinton Hall, where they now occupy a room in connection with the Odd Fellows. The lodge now numbers about fifteen members and is in a prosperous condition.

Hiram Chapter, No. 16, R. A. M. (Colored).-The dispensation for this chapter was granted by the Deputy Grand High Priest August 9, 1873. The charter was granted by the Grand Chapter, in session at Xenia, Ohio, August 14, 1877. The chapter was instituted by Deputy Grand Master Thomas Conrad, of Urbana, assisted by Jefferson Williams, of Yellow Springs, and others. The first officers were William Scott, H. P.; William Bass, King; Henry Seebery, Scribe; William Mallory, Secretary; J. R. Hawley, Treasurer, and Perry McGilvers, Guard. The chapter now numbers about fourteen members.

Star of Hope Lodge, No. 127, 1. O. O. F.-The charter of this lodge was granted January 18,1849. The charter members were Isaac B. Thomas, Hiram McFinley, George S. Hill, John W. Pidgeon, Isaac L. Coats and Jacob S. Nisewander. Of these the latter was the only one that was a member of the order prior to the organization of this lodge, and Hiram McFinley is the only one of the charter members now living in the county. The lodge was instituted March 1, 1849, by M. W. Grand Master Alexander Glenn, in Daniel Marble's building, on the north side of Main street, where the meetings were. held until the lodge moved into Martin's building, on the south side of the same Street, east of their first locality. They afterward moved into the building on the corner of South and Locust streets, and from there into a building that stood where the one they now occupy is situated. In 1875, the building was burned and all the regalia, desks and other effects of the lodge were consumed. The lodge-room is now on the second floor of Farquhar's block, on the west side of South Street, north of Locust. The first officers of the lodge were Isaac B. Thomas, N. G.; George S. Hill, Secretary, and Hiram McFinley, Warden. The membership is at present about ninety.

Hiawatha Encampment, No. 70, 1. O. O. F.-The encampment is a branch of the Odd Fellows' fraternity, in which higher degrees than those of the subordinate lodges are conferred. Hiawatha Encampment was chartered October 23, 1856, and instituted on the same day by Most Worthy E. M. Finch, Grand Patriarch. The institution took place in the Odd Fellows' lodge-

518 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

room, with the following charter members; James Henry, Thomas R. Wraith, S. S. Boyd, L. B. Welch, Justus Taylor, Franklin Bayham and J. M Haworth. There are now about sixty members.

Fredonia Temple, No. 12, I. O. O. F. -This is a branch of Odd Fellowship in which the highest degrees of the order are conferred The temple was instituted in Wilmington May 19, 1882, by Deputy Supreme Oracle H. M In nis, of Columbus, assisted by Patriarchs Van Deman, of Washington C. H., and Sherwood, of Columbus. There were twenty-one members at the time of institution.

Ohio Valley Lodge, No. 1877, I. O. O. F. (Colored) .-A dispensation for the formation of this lodge was granted by the Committee of Management, in England, to the sub-committee in America, March 4, 1878, and a charter granted by the latter June 10 of the same year. The first officers were J. R. Hawley, N. F.; John Hart, N. G.; Wyatt Smith, V. G.; A. R. G. Guy, P. S.; Phillip Chapman, E. S.; John Bland, Treasurer. The lodge was instituted by Silas Weaver, Alexander Anderson and Lindqey Cash, of Washington C. H., and others from neighboring lodges, in a room of the frame building that stood where the St. Nicholas Hotel now is. They next moved to the third story of Hawley's block, and from there to the Clinton Hall building, where they are now located. The lodge now numbers about eighteen members.

Wilmington Council, Royal Arcanum. This council was constituted in Wilmington on Thursday, January 8, 1880, with twenty-three charter members. The first officers were Hon. J. S. Savage, Regent; E. J. West, V. R.; Hon. Madison Betts, Past R. ; M R. Higgins, Secretary ; J. Q. March, Treasurer; W. P. Wolf, Chaplain; George W. Brown, L. D. Sayres and S. Q. Fulton, Trustees.

PORK PACKING.

For a period of ten or twelve years closing with 1877, Wilmington was a field of extensive pork operations, which, however, resulted anything but profitably to those concerned The firms that engaged largely in the business were Messrs. Brackney & Haynes and Thorne, McMillan & Co., with the several changes the firms underwent. About the year 1869, the latter firm erected a . large slaughter house and packing establishment on the C. & M. V. R. R., a little west of town. During the winter of 1871-72, there were killed and packed at the house about 4,500 hogs. Brackney & Haynes, the same season slaughtered 2,500, making in all 7,000 hogs, the largest number to that time killed in Wilmington in any one year.

The Brackney & Haynes pork-house, along the same railroad, opposite the residence of Samuel Hale, was erected in 1874 at a cost of $8,000. This was the packing-house only, their slaughter house being situated in another part of town. The packing establishment is 40x70 feet. It has a double cellar, 'he walls of which are atone; the lower cellar is seven feet deep, without windows, but ventilated, and is drained for keeping meats through the summer; the next cellar is eight feet deep, and has four small windows on a side and two at each end; the building is two stories high, with an iron roof. This firm preceded by a number of years that of Thorne, McMillan & Co., storing their meats before the erection of the establishment described in other quarters. In the winter of 1874-75, Messrs. Thorne, Stingly & Co., the old firm having previously undergone a change, slaughtered 8,336 hogs and the firm of Brackney, Haynes & Co. (it likewise having been changed) slaughtered 6,000, aggregating 14,336 hogs. Those killed by the latter firm averaged 330 pounds gross; taking the average of the whole number at 330 pounds, they would aggregate 4,740,780 pounds, which, at 7 cents, the price at which they were then selling, gave as the amount put into the farmers' hands by these enterprising firms

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$331,854.60. There were several consecutive seasons that the business was as extensive as that of 1874-75. Men engaged in the business were S. M. Thorne, Isaac and J. McMillan, G. E. Stingly, J. N. Linkhart and C. M. Walker, of the firm of Thorne, McMillan & Co., and Thorne, Stingly & Co. and M. H. Brackney, J. M. Haynes, Israel Terrell, R. M. Haworth and T. B. Glass, of Brackney, Haynes & Co.

PRESENT MANUFACTURES.

The Champion Bridge Company.-This extensive enterprise began opera. tious in Wilmington in the year 1876. The business was inaugurated one year prior to this in the city of Hamilton, Ohio, by Messrs. Jonathan and Zimri Wall and L Bailey. These gentlemen came to the village, and, in consideration of the assistance they received, at the hands of some of the public spirited and enterprising citizens, erected their shops on the corner of Main and Wall streets, near the C. & M. Y. R. R. track, and commenced business in the line of repairing all kinds of farm implements and machinery generally, besides constructing the Champion iron bridge, of which the firm owned the patent. In August, 1878, the concern became a stock company, with a capital of $50,000, under the following officers: President, Peter Clevenger; Secretary and Treasurer, S. I. Bailey; Directors, Elisha Wall, A: I. Bailey, W. R. Bow man, L. J. Walker and Peter Clevenger. In the construction of bridges the company has done a large and successful business, extending throughout the States of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The amount of their present business is about $25,000 a year. The main building of the works is two stories high, and has a basement; in size, it is 40x125 feet, and is constructed of brick. The foundry is a frame building, 58x35, and warehouse, 26x40 feet. In the beginning, the number of men employed was twenty-five. There are now thirty-five. The original name was the Iron Bridge Manufacturing Company, which was changed in 1881. Present officers, Peter Clevenger, President; A. I. Bailey, Treasurer and Superintendent, and W. J. Struble, Secretary.

The Schofield Woolen Mill.-This mill is located on North South street, and was built about 1834-35, by Charles Russell (father of Hon. A. P. Russell), who had started in the business here about 1825 or 1826, having at first a small mill a short distance south of the present one. The old mill was operated by horse and cattle power, and its proprietor had a large business. The son, A. P. Russell, was for some time a workman in his father's factory. Mr. Russell continued in business until 1842. The present business was established in 1862 by Messrs. Wickersham & King, and subsequently purchased by the present proprietor-William Schofield, who handles great quantities of wool and manufactures all kinds of woolen goods, yarns, blankets, etc. Mr. Schofield ships much wool to the Eastern cities. From ten to twenty men are' employed at different periods in the year, and the sales aggregate about $25,000 a year. The building is about 40 x 60 feet, and is three stories high with a basement.

Gallup's Planing-Mill and Lumber Yard.-About the year 1854, Sampson & Babb erected the building now occupied and operated as a planing-mill and owned by Horace Gallup, for a flouring-mill, and as such it served until about the year 1865, when H. N. Fisher & Co. put into the building planing machinery. Two years later, it was purchased by Horace Gallup & Bros., who operated it until the fall of 1881, since which period the business has been carried on by Horace Gallup. The mills are located on the corner of Sugartree and Mulberry streets. The main building, which is of frame, is 40x60 feet, and is three stories high, with a basement; on either side is a wing about half the site of the main house. It is used as a planing-mill, sash, door and

522 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

blind factory. In busy times this establishment gives employment to eight men. The lumber yard was established in 1872 by George B. Talbert, who carried on that business until 1880, when it was purchased by A, Gallup, the present proprietor.

The Carriage Manufactory of Charles A. Taylor.-This establishment commenced business on Walnut, between Columbus and Locust streets, in the year 1854, under the firm name of J. & C. A. Taylor, and so continued for two years, when Justus Taylor assumed control and remained the proprietor for a number of years, when the business was purchased by E. C. Gregg and C. A. Taylor, who remained partners three years, when Gregg went out and Mr. Taylor carried on the business himself, from January, 1875. In May following, the shops were destroyed by fire, resulting in the total loss of everything. He again commenced work just in the rear of the Nordyke Livery Stable, and later, built a new shop opposite the site of the old Christian Church, where he carried on the same business until April, 1880, when he removed to his present place, on Locust street. These shops were erected in 1875; the main building is a two-story brick, 24x40 feet; the blacksmith shop in the rear is also a two story building, 20x30 feet. Mr. Taylor has in the past done an extensive business, but of late years has manufactured but few vehicles. He sells mostly work manufactured elsewhere, and pays particular attention to carriage trimming, painting and general repairing.

Fisher & Hughes' Planing-Mill. - On East Main street is located the planing-mill and lumber yard of Fisher & Hughes, where is manufactured all kinds of sash, doors and blinds. The business was begun in 1871 by James Guinn, Charles Hughes and J. A. Fisher, under the firm name of Guinn, Hughes & Fisher. They erected a one-story brick building, 36x85 feet, and have since increased their facilities for conducting the business. A year later, the firm became Lynn, Fisher & Hughes, which remained as such for three years, when Mr. Lynn retired, leaving the present proprietors in charge.

The Grist-Mill of Fulton, Crane & Peters.-On Sugartree street, east of the depot, and on the C. & M. V. R. R., will be found this mill, which was built by the firm in 1881. The mill proper is 40x70 feet, with a north wing 10x25 feet. It is a frame building, four stories high, including the basement. The mill is well equipped for rapid and thorough work, having five run of buhr stones, one roll, two purifiers, two smut-mills, five cloths, one packer, eleven strand of elevators, five conveyers and four sets of scales. The capacity of the mill is thirty barrels of flour per day. Capacity of elevator, 5,000 bushels of corn. In connection with the mill is a corn-shelter. The cost of the mill was $15,000. These gentlemen do an extensive business in the wheat and corn line, and ship large quantities of grain to Cincinnati, Baltimore and other cities, the average shipment amounting to about twelve car loads per week. They give employment to six men about the mill. They make three grades of flour, which is sold principally to local trade.

The Carroll Saw-Mill. - This mill was erected in the year 1872 by Webster Carroll, the present proprietor. It was framed for Uriah Carroll as early as 1854, and operated until the breaking-out of the war of the rebellion. The building, 24x50 feet, and two stories in height, is located at the foot of North Mulberry street. The mill is operated by John K. Carroll, a son of the proprietor. In busy times four men are employed. The amount of business done annually amounts to about $8,000.

The Brick-yards of McMillan Bros. and Thomas Darbyshire.-Over twenty years ago, William McMillan, the father of the present firm, began manufacturing brick in Wilmington, since which time the business has been continued in the McMillan name. The large yard of these gentlemen is situ-

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ated in what is known as Clarktown, in the southeastern part of the village. They employ a force of from ten to fifteen hands, and make on an average 500,000 brick a season. The Darbyshire yard, located in the same vicinity, was opened about the year 1871, by James and Thomas Darbyshire, but carried on since 1874 by the latter gentleman, who manufactures probably in the neighborhood of 300,000 brick annually.

THE ST. NICHOLAS HOTEL.

The St. Nicholas Hotel was built in the spring of 1882 by J. R. Hawley and opened for public entertainment on the evening of the 1st of July, with Messrs. Terrell & Johnson as proprietors. It is a large three-story brick building, located on South street, nearly opposite the county jail.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

There is nothing of record to show that any provision was made by the village for protection from fire prior to the passage of the following ordinance, entitled

AN ORDINANCE TO PREVENT DAMAGE BY FIRE.

SECTION 1. Be it ordained by the Town Council of the Town of Wilmington, That James Fife and Warren Sabin be and theyare hereby appointed to examine the fire-places attached to such tenements within the limits of the corporation as may be situated within such distance of each other as may render it possible in burning to communicate fire to each other (at least once a month, from the 1st of November to the 1st of April in each and every year). And the examiners, on discovering any fireplace or chimney which may be in such a condition as, in their opinion, might communicate tire to the building to which it is attached, or to any othef building, shall immediately report the same to the Marshal, whose duty it shall be forthwith to notify the owner or occupier of such building, in writing, to repair such fire-place or chimney in such manner as he shall prescribe in his aforesaid notification.

SEC:. 2. Be it further ordained, that if the person or persons so notified shall fail to repair his, her or their fire-place or fire-places, agreeably to the notice of the Marshal, within ten days after he, she or they shall have received such notice, such person or persons shall, for every such offense, on conviction before the Mayor, be fined in a sum not exceeding $20, nor less than $2.

SEC. 3. Be it farther ordained, that it shall be deemed an offense against said corporation for any person or persons to burn powder in balls, or otherwise burn or set on fire any tar barrel, or throw any fire-balls, sky-rockets, or any other combustible material on fire whatever, within tfe limits of the corporation; and every person or persons so offending shall, on conviction before the Mayor, be fined in any sum not exceeding $5, nor less than 25 cents.

SEC. 4. Be it further ordained, that the Marshal shall be hereby authorized to procure four fire-hooks and six ladders for the use of the corporation; to erect a suitable shelter on the court house lot to preserve them; and to place them under such shelter in good order, so as to be ready on any emergency, and present his account for settlement to the Town Council.

SEC. 5. Be it further ordained, that if any person or persons shall remove from their place of deposit any of the aforementioned hooks or ladders, for any purpose other than the prevention or extinction of fire within the corporation, such person or persons shah on conviction before the Mayor, for every such offense be fined in any sum not exceeding $5 nor less than $1.

SEC. 6. Be it further ordained, that John B. Posey, Samuel McCune, George Bruce, Edward Kelly and Warren Sabin be.and they are hereby appointed to have the care and management of the aforesaid hooks and ladders, and to have the exclusive direction and management of the whole operation of extinguishing fire where it shall break out within the corporation; and in case of the absence of John B. Posey, then Samuel McCune shall take the command; and in his absence, George Bruce, and so on, agreeably to the order in which their names are set down in this ordinance.

This ordinance to take effect and be in force from the 15th day of January instant.

January 2, 1830.

ISAIAH MORRIS, Mayor.

C. B. WOODRUFF, Recorder.

March 14, 1840, provision was made by an ordinance of the Town Council

524 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

for the oganization of tell able-Ixxlied white male inhabitants residing within the corporate limits of the village into two fire companies, one of which was to be known and designated as the Hook and Ladder Company, and the other the Bucket Company. the former to consist of forty able-bodied young men, and the latter of all the other able-bodied white male inhabitants over the age of seventeen years.

The Town Council was to elect a Superintendent, who, with the assistance of that body. was to select the forty young men that were to compose the Hook and Ladder Company. The Superintendent thus elected to serve only until the regular spring election, when the Superintendent of the fire department should be elected in the same way and manner as other corporation officers. It was made the duty of every owner of a dwelling-house, storehouse, shop and office within the corporate limits of the village to procure or cause to be procured a fire bucket for each and every such shop or dwelling to be made of leather, to be approved of by the Superintendent, to hold three gallons of water, and to cause his or her name to be legibly written, printed or painted on the same, and to be kept in a convenient place in each dwelling-house, storehouse or office belonging to him or her.

It was further made the duty of the owner or occupier of the buildings to convey or cause to be conveyed such buckets in case of fire to the place of danger.

Pursuant to certain sections of the ordinance referred to, John Bush Posey was appointed Superintendent of the fire companies, and James Fife was appointed the keeper of the hooks and ladders.

The village was without a fire engine of any description until the purchase of the steamer now in use by the fire department. During the winter of 1874-75, and the spring of the latter year, Wilmington was the scene of a number of incendiary fires of an alarming nature, which led to the prompt action of the citizens in securing a more efficient means for extinguishing fires than those then in use. On the 12th of May, 1875, the citizens assembled at the court house and organized a volunteer fire company, known as the "Clinton Fire Engine, Hook and Ladder and Hose Company of Wilmington, Ohio." The original members were as follows:

Charles Hughes, J. L. Hackney, S. Q. Fulton, H. C. Taylor, Jr., J. J. Barlow, I. W. Quinby, S. S. Linton, B. J. Whinery, G. L. Barlow, H. E. G. Girard, Wesley Brindle, William Schofield, W. A. Bogan, Charles Mathews, Robert McMillan, Robert Hazard. Lou Fisher, Levi Pike, N. H. Sidwell, J. A. Schofield, Henry Miller, J. B. Allen, Samuel Richards, J. McDermott, George R. Achor, M. R. Gaskill, W. H. Rannells, J. M. Kirk, E. W. Shepherd, E. S. Hadley, M. W. Moon, C. B. Dwiggins, D. A. Lamb, G. W. Green, Eli Hadley, E. K. Peters, David Babb, Charles Curl, P. S. Brindle, Charles Welch, Josiah Sparks, Chartes McMillan, Frank Vantress, Jacob Burst, H. H. Barlow, George W. Brown, William M. Babb. Alf Clark, C. W. Bronson, Luther Watkins, J. N. Lloyd, M. F. Crustin, Madison Betts, D. T. White, C. J. Hockett, S. W. Robinson, W. T. Crossley, L. H. Baldwin, John Reed, Preston Irvin, Will I. Denny, F. B. Mills, Clint C. Harlan.

Among the number are some of the best and most influential men of the town. The officers elected were J. L. Hackney, Captain; Joseph Peters, First Lieutenant of Engine Department; L. N. Pike, Second Lieutenant Engine Department;. Madison Botts, First Lieutenant Hose Department; Jacob Burst, Second Lieutenant Hose Department; Robert Hazard, First Engineer; Lou Fisher, Second Engineer; Robert McMillan, First Lieutenant Hook and Ladder Department; E. W. Shepherd, Second Lieutenant Hook and Ladder De-

UNION TOWNSHIP - 525.

partment; D. T. White, Secretary Fire Department, and W. H. Rannolls, Treasurer.

The Council acted promptly and purchased a complete set. of hooks and ladders, with a well-arranged truck for their removal, which were taken in charge by the Hook and Ladder Company. A committee was at once appointed by the same body to purchase, a steam fire engine, which resulted in securing one of the Clapp & Jones make of Toledo, Ohio, at a cost of $6,000, in eluding two hose-reels and 1,00 feet of hose. The engine arrived Wednesday morning, May 2(i, and was tested on the 30th of June. It was fired up for the first time in the morning, and when in full play, threw water over the spire of the M. E. Church, which is 144 feet in height. In the afternoon, at 3 o'clock, the fire brigade was called out and proceeded with the engine and two hose reels to Mr. Bentley's pond. just east of town, where the engine was located.

The hose was then run north to the pike, where a one and one-eighth inch nozzle was attached to the end of the first section of 100 feet. In about fifteen minutes after fire had been kindled, the engine began pumping, and soon threw water to a distance of 340 feet. The nozzle was then detached and the hose run up the pike to the college building and beyond, making 1,000 feet of hose in all. The nozzle was attached, the signal given and the engine again began pumping. The experiment was a beautiful one and gave great satisfaction to all who saw it; the jet of water played with terrible force against the cornice of the college building, which is three stories high, and then clear over the edifice, cupola and all and a long way beyond. After this a double hose was attached to the engine, and a nozzle at the end of each 500 feet of hose. Through each of these two hose a stream of water was thrown of volume and force to answer any purpose that might ever be demanded of it in Wilmington. With these two streams the old flouring-mill, located near the railroad, was deluged with water, shingles and weather-boarding were knocked off, doors and blinds forced open, all going to show the great force of the water. The demonstration was attended by a large number of people from the town and country.

By an amendment to the constitution, September 14, 1880, the name of the company was changed to that of the Wilmington Fire Company, and its different departments to the Clinton Engine Company, the Clinton Hook and Ladder and the Clinton Hose Company.

The officers of the company, in 1882, are D. A. Lamb, Chief; D. Peebles, Captain; C. R. Fisher, Secretary; W. H. Rannells, Treasurer; J. N. Tucker, Engineer; H. H. Barlow, First Lieutenant Engine Department; O. W. Brown, First Lieutenant Hose Department; H. O. Vandewort, Second Lieutenant Hose Department; R. S. Fulton, First Lieutenant Hook and Ladder Department; W. W. Bangbam, Second Lieutenant Hook and Ladder Department; Charles Curl, Fireman; George Barlow. Assistant Engineer. Membership, seventy-five.

The fire department is now supplied with one steam engine, three hose-reels, with 1, 500 feet of serviceable hose and one hook and ladder truck fully equipped, and eleven public cisterns, with an average capacity of over 250 barrels, located as follows: One at the court house corner, on South street; one on South; one half way between Main and Locust streets: one on the corner of Locust and South streets; one on the Baptist Church corner; one at the junction of Walnut with Columbus; one at Main and Mulberry street crossing; one at the crossing of Wood and Maple streets; one in front of the Friends' Church, on Mulberry street; one south of the railroad on South street, and one on Locust street near Prairie avenue. The first-named eight were constructed in 1870, and the others in 1875.

526 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.

Wilmington Library Company - Early in February, 1816, the leading citizens of the now town of Wilmington assembled to form a library association, that they themselves and their children might enjoy the advantages of a circulating library. All the prominent men of the community-the lawyers, physicians, merchants, teachers and farmers, united their energies to make the new enterprise a success. In their constitution, which bears date February 19, 1816, they provided that "no books which should tend to discredit the Christian religion, or bring into disrepute any religious society or denomination, nor any books which tend to corrupt the morals of youth or others," should be admitted into said library. On this ground they excluded all novels and plays, the Vicar of Wakefield alone being admitted. But their catalogue embraced many biographies of great men, such as the Life of Washington, Life of Franklin, Robertson's Charles the Fifth; many histories, as Robertson's America, Irish Robellion, Rollin's Ancient History, Goldsmith's England, History of New England, Josephus' works, French Revolution, Naval Biography, History of China, Milford's Greece; poems, as Homer's Iliad, Pope's Essay on Man, Cowper's poems, Young's Night Thoughts, and many miscellaneous works, such as Nicholson's Encyclopedia, Park's Travels, Keets' Elements, Debates in the Virginia Convention, Washington's Letters, Jefferson's Notes on Virginia, Lewis & Clarke's Expedition, Fergusson's Astronomy and Atlas, Columbus' Vision, Fox's Journal, Tour to Morocco, Paley's Philosophy and Theology, Watt's Logic, Morse's Universal Geography. Rushe's Lectures, Curran's speeches, Modern Chivalry, Botanic Garden, Cox on Fruit Trees, Goldsmith's Animated Nature, Volney's View, etc. In all, more than 108 volumes. And not only were these books in the library, but they were in constant use by the members, as the weekly record of the librarian shows. It is interesting to note that Curran's Speeches were read by nearly every member of the association.

Foremost among the members of the worthy company, our attention is attracted by the name of Mary Fallis, afterward Mary Peirce, who was known among us so moony years, as the only lady member whose name appears on the records. Those whose names, some of them for years, appear as active members are Peter Burr, Loammi Rigdon. Charles Paist, Isaiah Morris, George McManis, Mahlon Haworth, Eli Gaskill, Rice Gaddis, Jesse Hughes, Sr., and Jr., David Hughes, Thomas Kersey, William Brooks. Eli McGregor, Uriah Farqubar, William R. Cole, Nathan Linton, William Millikan, J. B. Seaman, John McManis, John A. Hays, Samuel T. Loudon, William Hibben, Samuel Wilson, Isaac Wright, James Birdsall, Richard Fallis, Henry and Peter Babb, John Stout, George Carter, Robert Way, John Eachus, James Gallaher, Aaron Sewell, Samuel H. Hale, James Dakin, James Harris, Arnold Treusdell, John Hadley, Joseph Doan, Richard Peirce, John McFall, George D. Haworth, Rockefeller and Perry Dakin, Amos T. Davis, P. F. Crihfield. Those most conspicuous as official members were Eli Gaskill, James McManis. William Millikan, Uriah Farquhar, Eli McGregor, Philip F. Crihfield, J. B. Seaman, John McManis, Librarians and Treasurers; Mahlon Haworth, Isaiah Morris, Uriah Farquhar, William Hibben, Eli McGregor, William Millikan, Nathan Linton, John McManis, Thomas Gaskill, Peter Burr, Loammi Rigdon, John A. Hays, George McManis, Charles Paist, Directors.

Eighty-one names are enrolled on the books as members, some continuing from the beginning until the end. In 1839, the entire library was sold out. Most of the books were bought by former members. Among other sales, we

* From the manuscript of the late Judge Harlan.

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 527

notice that of Pope's Essay on :flan to Richard Peirce, who, it is said, could repeat every word of that poem from memory.

Looking over the records of this association, and seeing how faithfully the members introduced into their families for years the works constituting this library, leads us to the belief that our fathers thought a love for good books would keep their children from falling into many temptations to which the young are subjected.

Wilmington Reading Roon.-In December, 1866, a number of the pubic-spirited citizens of Wilmington formed themselves into a society called the " Wilmington Reading Club," for the purpose of the establishment of a public reading and lecture room. In the neighborhood of $700 was at once sub scribed, and the club organized with the following-officers: Amos Hockett, President; Madison Betts, Secretary; C. C. Nichols, 'treasurer; Dr. H. C. Wire, Madison Betts, Cyrus Linton, J A. Smith and R. M. Wickersham, Directors. Brackney's Hall was secured and furnished, and all the leading newspapers, periodicals and magazines were duly provided. All these advantages were offered to the public generally, under proper rules and restrictions. Ladies were especially invited to take an interest in the enterprise, and all the privileges of the reading-room were tendered them without pecuniary consideration. The papers numbered forty odd, and the magazines and journals upward of twenty. The reading-room was open from 2 to 5 o'clock every afternoon, and from 6 to 10 o'clock every evening, except Sunday. Ministers of the Gospel were admitted. without pecuniary consideration.

This reading-room club continued as above stated until July 10, 1868, when all the furniture of the room and the papers and magazines on file were sold out at public sale.

Wilmington Library Association.-This association was organized early in the yeai 1880. The present officers are as follows: President, J. M. Kirk; Vice President, Dr. A. T. Quinn; Secretary, J. B, Unthank; Treasurer, D. A. Lamb; Librarian, A. E. Clevenger. The library consists of miscellaneous works numbering 452 volumes.

WILMINGTON PUBLIC HALL.

On the 17th day of March, 187 6, ths Council authorized an election to decide the question of levying a tax for the purpose of erecting a public hall and engine }rouse. The election was held April 3, 1876, and resulted in a vote of 383 to 146 in favor of the enterprise. A special act of the Legislature was passed March 17, 1877, authorizing the Council to issue bonds not exceeding. in amount $15,000, and to levy a tax not to exceed 2 1/2 mills on the dollar valuation of the taxable property of the village. The first stone in the hall was laid on Friday, May 25, 1877, by Robert McMillan, and the building was completed in the spring of 1878. It is an imposing structure two stories high, with a mansard slate roof. The front is formed of three towers extending to the roof. The middle tower is surmounted with a small belfry, beautiful in design and finish, and in each roof of the other towers are two dormer windows. The front presents a number of ornaments of freestone and galvanized iron. On the outside walls on either side, are five buttresses extending from the ground to near the top of the building, four of which culminate, after making two offsets, in as many chimneys. On the first floor of the building are eight rooms as follows: East half, front room, Mayor's office; middle room, for township purposes; rear room, Council chamber, west half occupied by the Fire Department; large room in front, engine room; three rooms in the rear occupied as a residence by the engineer. The second story entire com-

528 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

prises the auditorium. Across the rear end of the auditorium is a gallery. The building is lighted by gas and heated by hot air.

The contract for building the hall was awarded to Messrs. Fisher & Hughes for $16,980, and they sublet the brick and stone work to McMillan Bros. ; the galvanized iron and slating to Farquhar & Sparks, and the paint ing to Griffin & Gustin: The plastering was clone by P. J. Murphy, under employment of the contractors. The plans and specifications were drawn up by William M. Cleveland, architect; but in the course of the construction of the building, some changes were rendered necessary, and the cost of the building was increased to $18,399.49. The scenery, chandeliers, etc., increased the above sum, and the total cost of the building as it stood at its completion was $20,006.52. There are chairs in the auditorium for over six hundred persons, and sufficient seats in the gallery for 250 more; but 1,200 persons can be accommodated without much crowding. The stage scenery is attractive, the chandeliers of a new and beautiful pattern, and the whole audience room is commodious and beautiful. Taking it all in all, the hall is a model one. For outside show, the building is an imposing one, not overdone in the way of decorations, but tasteful and attractive. The hall was formally opened and dedicated tinder the direction of the Town Council on the evening of Thursday, April 18, 1878, with the following programme:

Music, by Wilmington orchestra.

Anthem, by choir.

Music, by orchestra.

Address. Presentation of the hall by Mayor Hayes.

Address. Reception of hall by W. B. Telfair, Esq.

Music by orchestra.

In consideration of $2,000 paid by the Trustees of Union Township to the village of Wilmington, the latter granted them a perpetual lease on the room heretofore described as occupied by them for township purposes.

BANKS.

The first bank in Wilmington was established February 22, 1853, by W. C. Fife and T. L. Carothers. It was a private bank, and was opened in the building on the east side of South street second door north of Main, and did business under the name of the Clinton County Bank. In 1855, Mr. Carothers retired, and Albert Hockett became a partner; in 1862, C. M. Bosworth became a partner. Mr. Fife died in 1863, and left the firm Bosworth & Hockett, who continued a successful business until 1864, when the Clinton County Bank merged into a National bank, witli C. M. Bosworth, President, and Albert Hockett, Cashier. The first Board of Directors of this, the First National Bank of Wilmington, was C. M. Bosworth, Albert Hockett, James Fife, E. L. Lacy and D. Sanders, and the capital stock $50,000. In 1865, Mr. Hockett died, and William Lang was elected Cashier. A year later, C. C. Nichols became the Cashier, filling the vacancy occasioned by the death of Mr. Lang. In September, 1871, the capital was increased $50,000, making the total $100,000, at which it has remained, having now a surplus of $31,000.

The present officers are as follows: C. M. Bosworth, President; C. A. Bosworth, Vice President; C. C. Nichols, Cashier; T. Q. March, Teller. Directors: C. M. Bosworth, C, A.. Bosworth, C. C. Nichols, T. S. Lang and A. J. Wilson.

The building occupied by this bank is located on the northeast corner of Main and South streets, and is one of the finest in Wilmington; but it is not the property of the bank. It was built in 1872, by the President of the bank, in connection with James Fife, and cost $30,000, and, with the basement, is

PAGE 529 - PICTURE OF GEO. W. FISHER

PAGE 530 - BLANK

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 531

four stories high. In size it is about 21x7'3 feet, and is built of brick, with the entire front of freestone, ornamented.

In the fall of 1850 a private bank was opened and carried on in the building still standing on the southeast corner of South and Locust streets. The parties interested were Thomas W. McMillan, Abel Walker, Isaac C. McMillan, R. E. Doan, Jedediah McMillan and William Harlan, of which Jedediah McMilIan was the Cashier. The capital stock of the bank was $50,000. This bank was operated under the name of the Clinton County Bank, and existed until the year 1872.

Another private bank had its beginning about the same year as the Clinton County Bank, and, in Septembar, 1859, the proprietors, Blaser & Masters, carried on the business of the bank, which was called the Farmers' Bank, on South street, one door north of the court house. This continued in operation until sometime after the close of the war of the rebellion.

The Clinton County National Bank was organized in 1872; chartered June 11 of that year. The first President was R. E. Doan, and the Cashier J. H. McMillan. Directors: R. E. Doan, J. H. McMillan, Thomas W. McMillan, Abel Walker and Isaac McMillan. On the 2d of August, of the following year, Mr. Doan retired from the Presidency of the bank, and F. M. Moore became his successor, and has since continued in that position. The same year, Mr. McMillan resigned on account of ill health, and Madison Betts was elected to succeed him as Cashier, in March, 1873, which position he has since occupied. The bank opened with a capital of $100,000. This is the amount of the capital stock now, with a surplus of $12,000. Present Directors are F. M. Moore, T. M. McMillan, M. Rombach, Abel Walker and Madison Betts. The business of the bank was transacted in the corner referred to as occupied by the Clinton County Bank, until their removal to the building they now occupy, located on the east side of South, between Main and Locust streets, in the spring of 1873. The building was erected in 1872. It is built of brick, with freestone front, and is two stories high. The banking room, with the office of the Directors, are furnished up in a style creditable to all concerned. The ceiling is high and beautifully adorned. the counters of fine woodwork, covered with beautiful white marble, and the business desks of excellent workmanship. The entire edifice, which, with the furnishings, cost in the neighborhood of $20,000, is a credit to Wilmington, and the officers of the bank are to be congratulated on the handsome addition they have made to the appearance of South street.

GAS.

In 1872, the question of erecting gas works in the village was agitated by the citizens who had received propositions from R. T. Coverdale, of Cincinnati. By the authority of its Council, an election was held on the 4th of November, 1872, to decide whether the citizens were willing to be taxed for the purpose of supplying the village with gas, and resulted in a vote of 245 yeas and 46 nays. The proposition accepted was that the village should not take less than forty lamps at a cost of $3.50 per thousand cubic feet, and other consumers to pay $4 per thousand cubic feet. Ground was purchased adjoining the railroad, of H. W. Hale, by Mr. Coverdale, and gas works erected. On the 10th of April, 1873, the Wilmington Gas Light & Coke Company was organized and the following officers elected: D. Sanders, President; T. Q. Hildebrant, Secretary; Dr. L. B. Welch, Treasurer; D. Sanders, T. Q. Hildebrant, Dr. Welch, J. S. Foster and Joseph Kirkup, Directors. The capital stock of the company was $30,000, and the contracted price with Mr. Coverdale for the erection of the works was $22,600. The organization of the above company was a mere matter of form, inasmuch as none of the men were stock

532 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

holders, and had no pecuniary interest in the enterprise, it belonging solely to Mr. Coverdale. Later in the spring, fifty-three lamps were located as follows: Ten on Columbus street, extending from Prairie avenue to South street; fourtoon on Locust street, extending from High street to Mulberry; thirteen on Main street, extending from Wood to Walnut; nine on Sugartree street, extending from Walnut to R. Way's property; one at the alley on Mulberry, between Main and Locust; one on South street, at Owen's grocery; one at each of the following places on South: alleys between Sugartree and Main; Main and Locust, and Locust and Columbus, and one at Webster Carroll's sawmill alley; one on Walnut, at the bridge near D. Sanders' residence.

The works were completed in the summer of 1873, and Wilmington for the first time appeared under gas light on the evening of Saturday, August 8, 1873, when the citizens turned out en masse to see the village under the new regime. Monday evening was the point of culmination, and, during the day, there arrived gentlemen and ladies from Cincinnati, Circleville and Washington Courthouse to be present at the inauguration. The citizens generally entered into the spirit of preparation, and South and Main streets never looked more pleasing than they did after that day's cleaning. As the shades of evening drew on, those of the citizens who had gas fixtures put into their residences and business houses began lighting up, and by nightfall the streets made a beautiful appearance. Several of the business houses attracted general attention, and, without desiring to discriminate, we would mention the Clinton County National Bank, R. M. Wickersham's dry goods store, Irons & Crane, and Peter's hardware stores, Sanders' drug store, Marble's jewelry store, and the Gates House. In front of Sanders' drug store, and in front of the Gates House ornamental arches had been arranged with large numbers of burners, and underneath the arch in front of the drug store were S and F, and in front of the Gates House were R. T. C. in letters of fire, the first signifying Sanders & Fulton, dealers in gas fixtures and fittings, and the second the initials of Mr. Coverdale, the builder of the works. On the posts in front of the two banks, the two lamps had been removed, and temporary fixtures in the form of stars had been arranged, which added much to the beauty and brilliancy of the street. At 8 o'clock in the evening, a delegation of the Town Council of Washington Court House, accompanied by the Wilmington Council, and the officers of the company, visited the gas works, and, under the guidance of Mr. Coverdale, the visitors were shown the works and the method of gas making. But the principal point of attraction for the evening was the banquet at the Gates House, given by Mr. Coverdale to the officers of the company, the Council of Wilmington, and that of Washington Court House, with some invited guests from Cincinnati, Circleville and Wilmington. Mr. Stagg ("mine host" of the Gates House), had prepared supper for about fifty guests; and about 9 o'clock the doors to the dining-hall were thrown open and the guests were ushered in, where was spread a table loaded with the luxuries of life. After ample justice had been done to the delicious viands, T. Q. Hildebrant, Esq., acting as Master of Ceremonies, called for speeches, which was responded to by a number of different persons, all congratulating Wilmington on the successful completion of a long-cherished object. All who were so fortunate as to be present at this part of the entertainment, testified that it was highly enjoyable.

In the earlier part of the evening, Clark's Cornet Band was on the streets adding interest to the occasion bytheir fine music; and later, the Wilmington String Band made their appearance in front of the Gates House, and entertained the company with some excellent music, after which the band was

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 533

shown the way to the dining-hall, where they, with a few belated guests, had an excellent supper served to them.

The gas works passed from the hands of Mr. Coverdale to Samuel Coyington, and from him to E. W. Hamlin, the present proprietor, all Cincinnati eon. They were several times leased to other parties. P. J. Wood is the present Superintendent. There are now about six miles of main pipe, and seventy-six public lamps in the village.

CEMETERIES.

The burial-place long known as the old Methodist Graveyard, located in the northeastern part of the village, had its origin in the family buryingground of Isaiah Morris. Mr. Morris, prior to 1820, set apart a small lot for burial purposes. Ellis Pugh, Levi Sheppard and James Fife, owned land adjoining this, and each made additions to it. On the 23d of April, 1832, Levi Sheppard conveyed one-half acre of ground adjoining the lots already mentioned, to Amos T. Sewell, Charles Russell, E. Kelly, Israel Jones, James Christy, Daniel Jones and Thomas Gaskill, as Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilmington, in consideration of $25, and the several lots were thrown together and the graveyard in question formed. Interments were here made as early as the year 1820, and it is quite likely that were the facts known, earlier burials took place, inasmuch as it is the oldest graveyard in Wilmington. The remains of many of the old citizens were interred here, but long since have been removed to Sugar Grove Cemetery. Among the removals we mention the following well-known families of Clinton County: Morris, White, Holland, Gustin, Cartis, Treusdell, Sheppard, Hughes and Barrett.

The first burial of which we were able to find any record, was Rachel Morris, whose remains were interred on the 22d of January, 1820. As a place of burial it was abandoned years ago, and the grounds have since been sadly neglected, and now present to the passer-by a thicket where weeds and briers have been permitted to grow, until even the marble slabs themselves are buried and hidden from view.

Those yet residing in the narrow cells of this yard awaiting the final summons, who were born in the proceeding century, are given in the. following list, which was obtained by the writer from the tombstones: Ellis Pugh, died in 1823, aged thirty-eight years; Mary Burr, died in 1833, aged thirty-five; John Shewalter, died in 1850, aged sixty-one; Elizabeth Shewalter, died in 1858, aged sixty-seven; Mary Ashcroft, died in 1842, aged thirty-one; Benjamin Jennings, died in 1843, aged seventy-three; Sarah Jennings, died in 1831, aged fifty-three; Mary Skumming, died in 1855, aged sixty, Hannah Green, died in 1847, aged sixty-nine; Sarah Halliday, died in 1853, aged eighty-two; Letiche Jennings, died in 1853, aged seventy-four; Thomas Riddell, died in 1840, aged seventy; Thomas Darbyshire, died in 1831, aged eighty-one; Ann Darbyshire, died in 1847, aged sixty-one; Jane A. Harlan, died in 1840, aged forty-three; Bargoon Parsell, died in 1833, aged fifty; Isaac Dewitt, died in 1835, aged forty; Francina Dowdell, died in 1852, aged sixty-four; James Fleming, died in 1836, aged fifty-two; Mary Hinman, died in 1833, aged fifty-six.

The old graveyard at the western end of Sugartree street, adjoining the Hicksite Friends' Church, was deeded by Mark Thatcher and wife to William Adams, Azel Walker and Jesse Doan, Trustees of the Society of Friends, for burial purposes, in the year 1830. The grounds have been abandoned as a place of burial for a number of years, and sadly neglected. There is no fence around portions of the yard, which has been allowed to grow up with weeds, and remain open to the mercy of stock that may be at large. The lot has recently been given to the corporation, who are to extend the street stopping at the

534 - HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY.

yard, and remove the remains to other graveyards. Many bodies were removed to other places some years ago. Among the early graves still remaining, and marked by marble slabs, are the following:

Henry Whitson, born 10th month 10th clay, 1773, and died 12th month. 1852; Elizabeth Fallis, died Februarv 11, 1836; M. M. Livey, M. D., died March 15, 1850, aged fifty-seven years eleven months and twelve days; Joseph Smith. died 27th of 8th month, 1832, aged seventy-nine years; Lydia Smith, died 10th of 5th month, 1845; Sarah Stout died 19th of 3d month, 1843, aged seventy-three years ten months and eighteen days; Elizabeth Harlan, died Oc tober 15, 1835: Joshua Antrim, born 12th month, 30th day, 1802, and died 7th month, 18th day, 1836; Daniel Kelly, died August 17, 1838, aged twenty-nine years four months and eight days; Olive, wife of George W. Morey, died August 18, 1844, in her fifty-second year; Martha J., daughter of John and Sarah Hendrick, died December 21, 1827; Pricilla, consort of Thomas Birdsall, died January 13, 18'36, aged seventy-three years; Mary E. Birdsall, died May 6, 1825; Lydia, consort of James Birdsall, died December 27, 1838, aged fifty-three years; James Birdsall, died August 30, 1834, aged fifty-five years six months and ten days; Cynthia Jane, wife of R. P. Finley, died January 30, 1837, aged twenty-four years nine months and twenty-eight days; Mary E. Smart, died January 16, 1842, aged eighteen years eleven months and sixteen days.

Pursuant to an act of the General Assembly of Ohio, passed February 24, 1848, providing for the incorporation of Cemetery Associations, a number of the citizens of Clinton County met at the court house in Wilmington on the 11th of April, 1857, and organized Sugar Grove Cemetery Association. The first officers were E. L. Lacy, President; Matthew Romback, W. C. Fife, J. E. Hibben, A. E. Strickle, J. W. Chaffin, L. B. Welch and E. L. Lacy, Trustees; Albert Hockett, Clerk and Treasurer. Nearly twenty-three acres of ground, situated southwest of the village, were purchased of William Hibben for $100 an acre, which were tastefully and beautifully laid out by Leo Weltz. Additions have since been made to the grounds, until they now contain nearly fifty acres. The first interment made in the cemetery was that of Catharine Kline, who was buried on the 4^th of July, 1858. On the 20th of the same month and year was buried the pioneer, Isaiah Morris, and the marble shaft marking his grave was the first erected in the cemetery.

November 6, 1851, Mr. Lacy resigned the Presidency of the Association, and A. E. Strickle became his successor, and served in that capacity until 1869, when be was succeeded by Leo Weltz. In 1882, Mr. Weltz was succeeded by Dr. L. B. Welch. Other officers of the Association elected in 1882 are: L. B. Welch, J. W. Farren, A. J. Wilson, Obediah Stephens and Joshua Lacy, Trustees; D. B. Van Pelt, Clerk. Up to July 2,1882, there have been here interred 2,090 bodies, of which 171 were the remains of persons removed from the older burying-grounds. During the year ending June 5, 1882, there were buried in the cemetery fifty white and seventeen colored persons, and four removals made, making a total of seventy-one.

The natural beauty of Sugar Grove Cemetery is rarely excelled by the cemeteries of any locality. The name is suggestive to the reader of the timber once covering the grounds. and from this fact it was so styled. Many of these stately representatives of the forest were spared by the woodman, which gives to the Wilmington Cemetery that majestic appearance not possessed by many of the most pretentious places of burial in the United States. The presence of these trees and the broken and rolling ground, presenting knolls and valleys, and a quiet stream meandering through its narrow channel, make a picturesque and lovely resting-place for the (lead.

UNION TOWNSHIP. - 535

The grounds contain many beautiful and costly monuments, which with the evergreens and flowers, present a seene most pleasing to the senses, and soothing to the feelings of the lover of art and nature.

LITERARY SOCIETY.

The Literary Association of Wilmington, known as the T. & T. Literary Society, was organized January 21, 1879. Twelve members composed the body whose names were as follows: Eva McKenzie, Fannie Marble, Jennie Harlan, Lydia Linton, Lydia Greer and Ella Greer, and S. S. Smith, M. J. Grady, E. E. Moon, C. W. Swaim, F. B. Mills, and O. J. Thatcher. The officers chosen were: M. J. Grady, President; Lydia Linton, Vice President; O. J. Thatcher, Critic; S. G. Smith; Treasurer; and Ella Greer, Secretary. The present officers of the society are: Lydia Linton, President; Allan Rannells, Vice President; Frank Martin, Critic; Frank Mills, Treasurer; and Elvis L. Aikin, Secretary, with the following members: Eva McKinzie, Estelle Cleveland, Jennie Harlan, Belle Walker, Rebecca Daniel, Frankie Shrieves, Reynold Janney, Edwin Perfect and C. W. Swaim. This society, which is the chief literary association of Wilmington, is composed of a number of the principal society ladies and gentlemen of the city. The object of the society is to derive mutual benefit in choice literature, and in composition. It has used a number of works by eminent authors, and thus far the society has proved highly profitable in social culture and literary advancement.