Agsten, Charles C. Brehm, Harvey Becker, August Bixler, William Buehrer, Clayton O. Camp, Ignatius Cook, Edward Lane Curtis, Clifton Dale, John DeHavens, John Dickerson, Vern Dunn, Russell Durant, William Eckhart, Wm. Elmwood, Lawrence D Elton, Clifford Flory, Leo. E.

Gardiner, H. Graham, Ross Gibbs, Clifford Hall, Geo. W. Hine, Homer Howard, Walter Hoover, George Hurd, James Kleupfel, Fred H. Knight, Arthur E. Kaulkins, Earl Keller, Clyde Lenahan, John Lauber, Clarence C. McLaughlin, Ralph Mastin, Ray Michael, Elmer A.

Murbach, Herbert C. Nofziger, Lloyd Pearney, Alfonzo Robinson, McKinley Richardson, A. D. Rupp, Moses Schwyn, Albert Sharpe, Walter Siefert, Fred Skeels, Walter Skeels, Sheldon Stratton, Odell Steinbrecker, Henry Weckesser, Albert A. Wright, Frank

The first Wauseon boy to give his life was Walter M. Howard, son of former County Treasurer George W. Howard, and nephew of HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 127 Colonel D. W. H. Howard, of Winameg. He died of pneumonia, at Camp Pike, Little Rock, Ark., on January 14, 1918. Probably the first to make the supreme sacrifice on the battlefields of France was McKinley Robinson. Regarding some of Fulton County's heroes who were killed, or who died in the service, there is much biographical material available, while of others there is little or no information, unfortunately. In consequence, it will be impossible to give them the notice here that their service merits. CHARLES C. AGSTEN, of Delta, son of John E. Agsten, was in the army in the earliest days of the war. He was a member of Company A, of the Twenty-Eighth Infantry; and was buried in France. HARVEY BREHM, son of Michael Brehm, of Fayette, died on the Field of Glory, in France. AUGUST BECKER, "a kind and loving boy," only son of Mr. and Mrs. August Becker, Sr., of Dover Township, died of pneumonia, following influenza, at Camp Sherman, Ohio, on October 9, 1918, aged 21 years. He was buried at Norwalk, Ohio. "He was a farmer lad, and had spent his life with his parents, aiding them in their farm work." WILLIAM NICHOLAS BIXLER, son of S. H. and Lizzie Bixler, was born near Swanton, in 1890. Entering the service in 1918, he had infantry training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis, Indiana, and was subsequently transferred to an Artillery unit, at Camp Custer, Michigan. He had received overseas equipment and expected to sail overseas shortly, when he was stricken with influenza, which developed into pneumonia, from which he died on October 19, 1918, at Camp Custer. He was buried in Centreville Cemetery, Swanton. CLAYTON O. BUEHRER, son of Mrs. Conrad Ziegler, by her first marriage, was well-known and much respected in Archbold. He was mortally wounded in action in France. IGNATIUS CAMP, of Swanton, was probably the first in the County to die while in the service of his country in this war. He died of spinal meningitis at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, on November 11, 1917. Two of his brothers went to the camp immediately, and returned with his body, and funeral services were held at St. Richard's Roman Catholic Church, Swanton, "the village flag flying at half-mast in his honor." He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Camp, formerly of, near, Sandusky, but since 1915 of Swanton. EDWARD LANE COOK was a patriot who left home and wife voluntarily to fight for his country. He crossed the seas, and his body lies in consecrated ground in France. CLIFTON CURTIS, of the well-known pioneer Swanton family, also lies "somewhere in France ;" paying with his life some of the debt this country owed to Lafayette. JOHN DALE, of Fayette, died, facing the enemy in a front-line trench in France. JOHN DEHAVENS, of Delta, was also killed in action on the French front. VERN DICKERSON, son of James and Hattie Dickerson, of near Wauseon, died at the Base Hospital, Camp Sherman, Ohio, on October 9, 1918. Influenza was the cause. Vern was a worthy son , a young man "of upright life and exemplary habits." He was buried in Wauseon Cemetery. RUSSELL DUNN, of Fayette, husband of Mildred Dunn, died while 128 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY in training in this country, at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio. WILLIAM E. DURANT, son of Elizabeth and Elisha Durant, and husband of Opal May Emmerling, of Wauseon, went into service in August, 1918, and at the time of his death, October 15, 1918, was a member of Headquarters Company, Sixty-Seventh Field Artillery, at Camp Knox, West Point, Ky. He was buried in Wauseon Cemetery. WILLIAM ECKHART, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Eckhart, of York township. He died in training camp, and was buried at Dutch Ridge. LAWRENCE D. ELMWOOD was in one of the most dangerous and glorious arms of the service. He was a member of Company A., of the Fourth Auto Air Craft Battalion. CLIFFORD ELTON, of Delta, and of a well-known family long resident in Fulton County, died while in Vancouver Barracks, Washington, an American camp. His body was brought home, and interred eventually in Raker Cemetery. LEO E. FLORY, "one of the Wauseon boys who, from the moment that the United States declared war on Germany was anxious to get into the service," died of pneumonia, at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, October 24, 1918. He volunteered for service five times, but each time was rejected. He passed the sixth examination however, and left for camp happy. He was the son of Bert and Mary Flory was a popular student of Wauseon schools, and as a youth belonged to the Boy Scout troop. His remains were placed in the Catholic Cemetery, north of Archbold. H. GARDNER, son of Mrs. Alice Gardner, of Delta, was a member of Company E., One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Infantry, one of the regiments early sent to France. His body lies in sacred ground in that country. ROSS GRAHAM, a promising young mechanical engineer, for nine years connected with the Pilliod Company, at Swanton, died of spinal 'meningitis in France. He held a commission, in the grade of lieutenant, and "was a fine young man in every respect." He married, in 1914, Maybelle, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frogley, of Swanton. CLIFFORD GIBBS, of Wauseon, son of Jay W. Gibbs, was reported "Missing in action" in France, and his father eventually received the Memorial Certificate sent from France by the French Government, for presentation to him. GEORGE W. HALL, son of William Hall, of Lyons, was in Battery C., of the 341st Field Artillery, and was buried in France. HOMER CARL HINE, son of C. B. and Mary I. Hine, and grandson of M. N. Worley, of Clinton Township, died at Base Hospital, Camp Sherman, Ohio, October 7, 1918, aged 21 years. "He died as a soldier on duty, faithful to his country." He was "universally liked" in Wauseon. He was buried in Wauseon Cemetery, mourned by his wife, Elizabeth Shelt, of Napoleon, by his mother, Mrs. Irving Eck, of Wauseon, and by very many friends . WALTER M. HOWARD, of the pioneer Fulton County family, and the first Wauseon boy to succumb to the rigors of military training, had very many friends in Wauseon, and throughout the county. GEORGE HOOVER, son of J. E. Hoover, of Archbold, was one of those who helped with his body, to block the road to Paris. He was killed in action in France, and the French Government Memorial Certificate was eventually tendered to his father. HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 129 JAMES HURD, of Fayette, was another of those who sought to stem the tide ; to stop the onward rush of the Germans toward World domination. He was killed in the attempt. FREDERICK H. KLEUPFEL, of an Archbold family, died as the result of the rigors of military service in war time. He died after he had returned from France. ARTHUR E. KNIGHT, of Wauseon, died in France of wounds received in action. Ibis wife proudly treasures the French Government Memorial Certificate. EARL KAULKINS, of Fayette, died in service of his country. He was buried in Franklin Cemtery, mourned by his wife, Nellie, and many friends. CLYDE KELLER, an upstanding popular boy of Wauseon, was only ninteen years old when he died at Ohio State University, in October, 1918. He had enlisted in the Student Army Training Corps, and in due .course would have entered the major branch of the United States Army. He was buried in Wauseon Cemetery mourned by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Keller, and by his innumerable friends in WaUseon. CLARENCE C. LAUBER, of one of the earliest German Township families, was killed in action in France, where his body now lies. His brother, Christian S. Lauber was presented the French Certificate, to commemorate his brother's service to the French nation. RALPH MCLAUGHLIN, of. Archbold, died while in military service in this country. RAY MASTIN, son of John Mastin, of Fayette, died on French soil, where he was buried. His father holds the French Government Memorial Certificate. ELMER A. MICHAEL, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael, of Swanton, was a member of 62nd Infantry, and was early in the service. His body lies in France, his mother, Rebecca, duly being presented with the French Government certificate written in his honor. HERBERT C. MURBACH, son of Jacob R. Murbach, of Swanton, died of wounds received in action in France. He belonged to the One Hundred and First Infantry.. LLOYD NOFZIGER, was in the Air Service student corps and died in Washington, D. C. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Nofziger, of Pettisville. ALFONZO PEARNEY, of Archbold, died in the service, while stationed at Chicago, Illinois. ARTHUR D. RICHARDSON, son of Clark Richardson, of Lyons, was in Company I, of the Ninth Infantry, which saw some of the hardest fighting in France. He was first reported "Missing in Action," but subsequently found to have been killed in battle. His father holds the French Government Memorial Certificate. MCKINLEY ROBINSON, a lad scarcely eighteen years old, was one of the first Fulton County boys to volunteer. He enlisted at Toledo, Ohio, on May 12, 1917, and was assigned to the Twelfth Ambulance Company, which was one of the first American units to cross the ocean. He was serving with the 1st Division when mortally wounded by shell fire, dying on August 3, 1918. He was the son of Wallace and Jennie Robinson, the former a veteran of the Civil War. A "large concourse 130 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY of people" gathered in Monumental Park, Wauseon, on Sunday afternoon, September 2, 1918, when memorial services in his honor and memory were held. MOSES RUPP, of Archbold, and of the German Township family of that name, died of pneumonia at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio. He was a steady young farmer, well-liked and respected and his parents, Mr. and Mrs Moses Rupp, of Burlington, were tendered sympathy from many quarters. He was buried at Lauber Hill Cemetery. ALBERT SCHWYN, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Schwyn, was born on the farm, three miles north of Swanton, on March 12, 1895. After very brief training at Camp Jackson, he was sent to France and was killed in action there, on October 30, 1918, eleven days before the close of hostilities. WALTER SHARP, only child of Mr. and Mrs. G. M. Sharp, of Wauseon, died of pneumonia at sea, on September 29, 1918, while en route to France. He was a member of Company 5, Auto Repair Corps. His body was brought back to America, and ultimately interred in Wauseon Cemetery. FRED SEIFERT, of Swanton, was a corporal in the Fifth Marines, and saw service in France. WALTER D. SKEELS, was a member of Company D., 308th Machine Gun Battalion, and his body now lies in France. His father is Alfred Skeels, of Wauseon. SHELDON SKEELS (or Skees), of Archbold, died of pneumonia at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio. ODELL STRATTON, of Swanton, or as he entered in official records Perry Odell Stratton, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Elliot Stratton, former residents of South Swanton. Odell enlisted in August, 1917, in the Thirteenth Machine Gun Battalion, and was stationed at Camp Houston, San Antonio, Texas, where he died in February, 1918, of pneumonia. His body was brought to Swanton, and interred in Centreville Cemetery. Odell was the second of his family to die in the service, his brother, Cecil, having enlisted during the Spanish war, and eventually met his death in Manila. HENRY STEINBRECKER, of Wauseon, was in Company C., of the Sixty-Fourth Infantry, and with that regiment went to France, where his body now lies buried. His wife, Rosa, received from the French Government, eventually a memorial certificate written in his honor and memory. ALBERT A . WECKESSER, son of John H. Weckesser, of Archbold, and German Township, was missing in action in France, according to the first report. Later he was reported to have died of wounds. An acknowledgment and appreciation came, ultimately, from the French Government to his father, the French Memorial Certificate commemorating fullest possible service by a stout-hearted patriot. FRANK WRIGHT, who died at the Great Lakes Training Station of the United States Navy, on September 29, 1918, had a somewhat unusual military career. He had enlisted in the early days of the war, had attended training camp, and had secured a commission. Later, physical disabilities brought about his discharge from the United States Army; whereupon, he enlisted in the Navy, and was undergoing a 132 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY naval course of training when he died. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Wright, of Delta, where his remains were interred. WAR ACTIVITIES IN HOME SECTOR Her soldier sons did not of course represent Fulton County's only contribution to the nation, for the purposes of the nation, in the prosecution of the war. In this World War, conducted as it was, literally by nations, not by armies only, much essential, and essentially patriotic work was possible of accomplishment by people of all ages. Within two or three weeks of the declaration of a state of war, the Ohio Council of National Defense was formed, its purpose, in particular, being to endeavor to systemize crop work, so that every possible acre of agricultural land might be cultivated, to yield abnormal quantities of foodstuffs, to stave off the threatened world famine. On April 27, 1917, the Wauseon "Republican" made public the names of the Fulton County men appointed, as Township. Food and Crop Commissioners. They were: Amboy, Fred Broadbeck ; Chesterfield, W. E. Patterson ; Clinton, Harmon Gasche ; Dover, J. L. Verity ; Fulton, 0. 0. Walters ; German, Lan. J. Wyse; Gorham, L. E. Connell ; Pike, W. B. McClarren ; Royalton, Albert Edgar; Swan Creek, Dell Gill; and York, E. G. Dailey; with C. H. Waid, special agent. The war was only a few days old when the Wauseon Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution, on April 6, 1917, "voted to cooperate with the National Red Cross organziation" stating that "an effort is being made to secure a registry of women, who are ready to volunteer their services in time of emergency." A month later some active citizens began to pave the way for a campaign for funds in aid of the War Work Council of the Young Men's Christian Association, a temporary executive committee being appointed, with the following-named men as officers, C. P. Griser, chairman ; J. M. Longnecker, vice chairman : F. H. Reighard, sePretary ; and W. H. Edgar, treasurer. On July 9, 1917, the Fulton County Chapter of the Red Cross was organized, and branches organized at Metamora, Archbold, Swanton, Delta, and Fayette, the establishment of Lyons and Winameg branches following within a week, or two, all other parts of the county coming directly under the jurisdiction of the County Chapter. Eventually there were Red Cross Auxiliary organizations formed at Tedrow, 'Ambrose, West Barre, Northwest York, Pettisville, and Ottokee. Meanwhile committees had been appointed to undertake the exhaustive work of bringing the Selective Service system into operation in the county. And soon came the necessity to organize the territory for the purpose of the stupendous national loans ,that would become necessary, as the national administration proceeded with its extraordinary and comprehensive war plans. The home record of Fulton county during the period of national stress is one of distinct honor. It was marred by one or two regrettable incidents but, generally, the county was whole-heartedly loyal, and almost unanimous for the continuance of the war until victory had been won. As the loan campaigns proceeded, it was found that some did not measure up to the standard expected of them, and a Wauseon newspaper of May, 1918, carried an announcement, by Government representatives in Fulton county, that "a review of allotment and fin- HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 133 ancial ability of certain small subscribers to Liberty Loan" had made it necessary for them to "certify" names to the Federal Authorities, "to be placed on the Yellow Roll." In the course of a flag raising at Fayette, on April 13, 1918, it was announced that the teaching of German having been discontinued in the public schools, the books would be burned. "All the German text books were gathered and burned, on the public square" at Fayette, "signifying that henceforth America must be for Americans." Another instance of the temper of the people during that momentous time was contained in certain proceedings at the Court House, at Wauseon, on June 1, 1918, when, at a public hearing, the League of American Patriots decided to place a certain man, who had said: "Damn the Red Cross" on the "On American" list. When the man stated that he had offered the Executive Committee a contribution of five dollars, and a further one dollar monthly, the League decided that it could not be "a collecting agency," neither could it be "a whitewash society," averring that "it must stand for true Americanism, if it is to be of any good to the country," also that it could be "no respector of persons, but that after the names of rich or poor, high or low, who are not honestly and faithfully serving their country, in whatever capacity they are able to serve it, it must write the words: Un-American." However, there must have been an almost unanimously loyal populace in Fulton county during the years of war, for little has been published regarding denouncement proceedings by the League of American Patriots in Fulton county. The subscriptions to the various war funds demonstrate that the people, as a whole, were prepared to give "till it hurt." To the five Liberty Loans, the people of Fulton county contributed $3,575,200, that sum being represented in the 16,122 subscriptions filed. They contributed $69,811.07 to the Fulton County War Chest Fund; they bought $800,000 of War Savings Stamps' and went "well into five figures in Red Cross support." What the actual contribution to the Red Cross organization was cannot be ascertained, so much of the contribution being in kind—in the labor of love, for, and in remembrance of, the home boys who were in the field, and stood possibly in need of sweaters, helmets, mittens, and the like. Of these the home folk who labored, and gave, mention can here only be made of a few. As Judge Wolf, county chairman of the Red Cross in Fulton County, in reviewing Red Cross activities over the years 1917-18, stated: "Hundreds of workers all over the county practically abandoned all their other duties, and gave unsparingly of their time to help win the war, and it is to be regretted that within the confines of this brief history the names of these workers and the valuable work performed by them, cannot be set forth in detail, but their reward shall be the knowledge and consciousness of duty well performed." The statement applies to workers in all phases of war activity. The workers for the Liberty Loan campaigns were like "busy bees—in swarms," but mention here can only be made to a few of the chief executives. Wayne B. Harris, of the First National Bank, Wauseon, was the capable chairman of the Liberty Loan Committee, and the following were members of the Executive Committee: C. L. Mathews, chairman ; F. H. Reighard, C. P. Grisier, R. S. Campbell, C. D. Perry, M. L. Allstetter, speakers; A. B. Eby, director of Publicity. Members 134 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY of the Publicity Committee, of which A. B. Eby was chairman, were Emil Weber, W. W. Caddell, and Chas. Prichard. Then there were town and township committees, speakers, canvassers, and supervisors, in such numbers that it would not be possible to here name them. The report covering the Second Liberty Loan campaign, October, 1917, made reference to good assistance rendered by the Boy Scout organization and the Betsy Ross Girls, of Wauseon. The Boy Scouts secured one hundred and thirty subscriptions, amounting to $36,350, and the Betsy Ross Girls fifty-six subscriptions totaling to $14,700. Among the Boy Scout workers were Charles Cole, Donald Grisier, Rolland Mad- dox, Louis Jodry, Niel McIntosh, Donald Porter, Lowell Perry, and John Outcalt. The Betsy Ross Girls were Dorothy Waldron, Helen Fink, Ruth Ziegler, and Eugenia Harrison. Embodied in the County Chairman's report of the Fourth Liberty Loan campaign was the following statement: "One of the notable features of this. campaign was the co-operation by the conscientious objectors. The members of the Reformed Mennonite and the Defenseless Mennonite churches contributed to the Third Liberty Loan, and at the beginning of this campaign they again asked their share. This amount was raised by solicitation by the members of the church. The Amish Mennonites, who did not accept this plan in time for the third loan were asked to raise an amount of money equal to five and one-half per cent of their assessed valuation, and this was done, satisactorily to the Committee. The amount of money contributed by the Amish Church was $98,200; the Reformed Mennonites, $1,650; and the Defenseless Mennonites, $2,600. The valuation of the members of the conscientious objectors religion in German Township represents, approximately, one-third of the valuation of the township." The tax valuation of German Township, in 1918, was a little more than five million dollars. The Fulton County War Chest Association was under the chairmanship of Judge Fred H. Wolf, with M. E. Read, treasurer, and L. H. Deyo, secretary. Members of the Executive Committee were : C. P. Grisier, F. H. Reighard, F. H. Wolf, L. H. Deyo, C. D. Perry, Ed. Scott, L. M. MacDonald, J. L. Socie, Fred Perry, C. A. Cole, O. C. Standish, and C. L. Mathews. Members of the Disbursing Committee were : H. M. Jay, Wm. Mohr, Chas. A. Hayes, Jacob Ehrat, D. B. Simpson, Jay C. Burr, D. S. Knight, Geo. K. Russell, Sam Berkebile, Frank Dielman, Geo. R. Ackerman, L. E. Connell, R. N. Belding, N. F. Carmon, Jacob Mossing, H. H. Tredway, H. F. Dimke, W. H. Standish. and D. C. DeGroat. The War Savings Committee of Fulton County was, in 1917, under the chairmanship of Professor C. D. Perry, when strenuous work was undertaken and successfully accomplished. In 1918 R. S. Campbell was the county chairman, and Florence H. Bennett, woman's chairman. The Executive Committee, for the greater part of the time, was constituted as follows: L. Mathews, F. H. Reighard, C. P. Grisier, C. D. Perry, W. B. Harris, Emil Weber, and W. E. Disbrow. The chief executives of the Fulton County chapter of the American Red Cross were, in addition to Judge Fred H. Wolf, its chairman : Mrs. W. T. Campbell, vice chairman ; Davis B. Johnson, secretary. There have been two treasurers, O. C. Standish eventually resigning, HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 135 because of ill-health, whereupon Edward Scott was appointed treasurer. Other reponsible workers at County headquarters were: Mrs. W. H. Maddox, Mrs, F. J. Spencer, Mrs. Robert Sweeney, Mrs. O. C. Standish, Mrs. Fred Croninger, Mrs. J. E. Merrill, Mrs. Sam Rowe. Mrs. Ed Scott, Mrs. Howard Lyon, Mrs. F. S. Ham, Mrs. William Domitio, Mrs. Geo. Blizzard, Mrs. C. E. Rossman, Mrs. H. J. Schlatter, Mrs. Luther Shadle, Mrs. Kolb, Mrs. Ed. Taft, Mrs. Nellie Dill, Mrs. Lindley Hann, Mrs. Chas. Humphrey, Mrs. Anna Ruppert, and Mrs. Crawford Blair. If newspaper headlines were "conspicuous by their absence" from local papers when America went to war, they were certainly conspicuously present in the second week of November, 1918, after the signing of the Armistice, on November 11th. The front-page captions in themselves took up the space of almost a column, of the Wauseon "Republican," of November 15, 1918. Reporting local happenings of the great day when the Armistice was signed, the "Republican" stated: "Joining with the rest of the nation in celebrating the ending of the war, the people of Fulton 'county set apart Monday as a great holiday. Business was suspended in every town commencing as early as nine o'clock in Metamora, and by noon every place of business in the county was closed. "The people were wild with enthusiasm and patriotic ardor. Flags were unfurled to the breeze. and 'Old Glory' meant more than it had for half a century. "Every town in the county held its celebration and jollification, and every road in the country lead to the nearest town that the rural population might have a part in fittingly observing the day. Country folks and town folks were all wild with enthusiasm. Bands played, cannons boomed, guns roared, and every conceivable noise was resorted to, to given vent to the pent-up enthusiasm. "In Wauseon a great parade was given at three o'clock, all the pupils of the public schools joining." It was a fitting climax of a glorious phase in the history of Fulton county. During 1920, the organization of American Legion posts in Fulton county was actively pursued. Dr. William H. Maddox was appointed chairman of the American Legion Committee in Fulton county, and his work, in association with that of other energetic ex-service men, has resulted in the formation of six posts in the county. They are: The John Dale Post, No. 143, Fayette, the commander of which is Dr. Ralph Reynolds, and the adjutant, F. E. Stevens; the Robinson-Gibbs Post, No. 265, of Wauseon, Dr. C. F. Hartman, commander, and Ernest Gorsuch, adjutant; the (or Buehrer-Lauber-Weckesser) Post, No. 311, Archbold, with Dr. C. F. Murbach, commander, and C. H. Hoffmire, adjutant; the Agsten-Elton-Eckhart Post, No. 373, of Delta, the commander of which is Dr. A. M. Wilkins; the Swanton Post, Dr. L. C. Cosgrove, commander; and the Pettisville Post, No. 1445, Pettisville. The Swanton land Pettismille Posts are still more or less in the formative stage, and full data concerning them cannot yet be recorded., CHAPTER VI FARM AND FARM INDUSTRIES Fulton is distinctly an agricultural county, and as such it has a worthy place among the counties of Ohio. There was a time when hog raisers in the county could only obtain 11/4 cents a pound for pork ; and to take corn to the mill for grinding cost almost as much as the corn was worth. In those days the people of the county were poor; some wore buckskin breeches, for economy's sake. Some had only wooden table knives and forks; and some. would walk barefooted for miles, rather than wear out shoe leather. There is about as great a difference in the general condition, as to worldly possessions, between the pioneer settlers, and their Children, or their children's children, who have inherited the landed estate the pioneers hewed from the forest, or reclaimed from the swamp, as there is between the pioneer log cabin, and the fine brick farm residences one sees in so many places when passing through the county today. Fulton county is rich. Its wealth has come, too, almost wholly from industrious tillage, and the development of profitable dairy farming. Each township chapter will record all that is essential regarding its industries, but it may said that, apart from agriculture, the county's industries are insignificant. Swanton shows indications of industrial growth; and, with improved water facilities, Wauseon might at some time in the future become - 136 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 137 a factory town, although at present it is, in reality, a town of homes; but, viewing the county as a whole, 'industrial effort of consequence runs in but one direction—agriculture. The development in that direction has been very substantial, and lucrative. It is very doubtful whether the majority of the "amilies of Fulton county would have more comfortable homes, or be possessed of a greater measure of material wealth, had the bread-winners bent their energies to other industries. The "Ohio Annual Crop Report," for 1919 is illuminative. The statistics of principal crop yield of that year in Fulton county are: Corn, 49,101 acres, 2,013,141 bushels; oats, 24,506 acres, 808,698 bushels; winter wheat, 34,207 acres, 321,545 bushels; spring wheat, 1200 acres, 20,900 bushels; buckwheat, 460 acres, 8,740 bushels; white potatoes, 1,057 acres, 52,850 bushels; tame hay, 32,063 acres, 41,300 tons. In many cases, the yield per acre in Fulton county was above the average of that in other counties of Ohio; and in one instance, was much above, the potato yield in Fulton county being fifty bushels an acre, whereas the state average was 40.2 bushels. Farming methods have undergone material change during the last fifteen years, or so, the establishment of large milk-evaporating plants within reach of Fulton county farmers having wrought a wonderful change. The editor of the Delta "Atlas" referred to it, in a special "Dairy and Farm Edition" of that paper, February 27, 1919, stating that "For many years prior to the establishment of the plant (that of the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company, now the main industry of Delta) Fulton county was the centre of a considerable cheese industry. Almost every township boasted its cheese factory. The factories operated only during the summer months, and were run on a cooperative plan. If the cheese-maker made a good cheese, and the market stayed up long enough to market the cheese at a profit, then HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 139 the farmer, who was not then a dairyman, would receive a chunk of dividend. If the cheese spoiled, or the market slumped, then there. was no profit sharing. "Marking the contrast between conditions then and now, a report of the Swanton Dairy Association, for May, 1903, showed as follows: "Milk received, 196,396 pounds. "Cheese made, 17,783 pounds. "Cash paid to patrons, for month, $1,608.01. "(Less than a cent a pound for the milk). "A cow previous to 1903 was worth about $35 to $40; her calf would be worth a dollar. "The Helvetia Milk Condensing Company, the home office of which is Highland, Illinois, selected Delta for a branch plant; on September 8, 1903, the president came, and soon afterwards a plant was established. Upwards of $350,000, in cash, is paid each month to dairymen of Fulton county, and every day from 300,000 to 400,000 pounds of milk is produced and marketed. One of the results of the growth of the dairy business here (Delta) is seen in the handsome homes of Fulton county farmers. Fine residences, well-kept lawns, automobiles, and bulging bank accounts; the land itself, great broad acres, tiled and clean and fenced, has increased in value from $50 to $75 to a selling value of $200 to $250 an acre." The Helvetia plant at Delta is only one of the large milk condensing plants within easy reach of Fulton county dairymen. The nationally-known Van Camp Packing Company has a large milk-evaporating plant at Wauseon, and more than 1400 dairymen are upon its Wauseon books; while the farmers of the northern townships of Fulton county carry milk daily over the county line into Michigan, where, at Morenci, is another large milk station. To be conservative, one might estimate the value of the milk product of Fulton county within recent years at three million dollars yearly. Undoubtedly, the establishment of the milk-evaporating plants has revolutionized farming in Fulton county. It has encouraged the farmers to give closer attention to stock raising, 140 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY and stock improvement. Today there is a strong dairy association in the county. The Fulton County Holstein-Friesian Association which was organized in August, 1914, with thirty-two charter members. In 1916, that association was instrumental in establishing a noteworthy precedent, exhibiting, through its members 132 head of Holstein cattle at the County Fair. Succeeding years, to the present, have brought an equally high standard of cattle exhibit at the fair, making the Fulton County Fair probably the most important, in exhibits of Holstein stock, of all the county fairs of the state. Fulton county is known throughout Ohio and neighboring states, as as area in which can be found a high grade of Holstein cattle. Forty years ago, W. H. Standish introduced the pure breed into the county, having purchased a registered bull, named Prince Edward. Other enterprising and progressive farmers in course of time became interested in the breed, and as the years passed possessed fine herds. Among the pioneer Holstein-Friesian cattle owners were Calvin Biddle, S. B. McLain Byron Brink, L. E. Connell, H. B. Smith, and H. H. Prickett. Some Fulton County cattle have held world records, notably, Lindewood Hone. Crown Princess Maxie DeKol II, Irma Gilt Edge Queen II. These three cows had outstanding records in milk production and butter fat. The history of the Fulton County Agriculture Society, which is such a. factor in the life of the county, is extensively reviewed in the chapter, of this work, devoted to the institutional history of Fulton County. In that chapter also the growth of the granges is reviewed. CHAPTER VII THE SCHOOLS, 1835-1920 Some years ago, in a reminiscent article published in a local newspaper, James Grisier, of Fayette, stated that in 1844, in which year he settled in German Township, "there were not a dozen schools in the county." There were probably more than twelve, for some townships had two or three schools, if not schoolhouses, at that time. Some of the schoolhouses were frame, but most were log. The log houses cost little to erect, labor being freely given by the pioneers, and logs being readily obtainable, for the cutting. And the cost of a frame house, such as would serve the purpose of a district school, would be not more than $200. A frame schoolhouse was built for $175, in 1839, by Jame Dean, to supply the needs of School District No. 1 (Swanton), Wing Township, Lucas county; and School District No. 2, of Swan Creek Township, on April 23, 1843, voted, "on motion of Mr. Thresher" that "a frame schoolhouse he built, the size of the one in District No. 1, in this town, near the house of L. Dodge"; and further voted "that Two Hundred Dollars be assessed to erect said Schoolhouse," nine residents voting, six in favor of the motion. If there were, say, twenty schoolhouses in the county in 1844; if all were of frame construction ; and entailed an outlay of $200 for each, the aggregate value of school property then would be $4,000. In 1919, the estimated value of Fulton county school property was $428,- 525. Other equally striking comparisons might be cited, but are unnecessary, for this will sufficiently indicate the degree of educational progress in Fulton county during the period of eighty-five years from 1835 to the present. And those worthy pioneers who had part in early school administration, and still live, must be pleased in realizing how substantial is the educational system that has been builded upon their own self-sacrificing pioneer efforts. Like all pioneer efforts, the school system was brought to success only by the self-denial and resolute purpose of strong men and women. Directors, teachers, tax-payers—all who had part in the initial effort may share in the gratification. Some of them, alas, have not lived to see the culmination of their efforts, in the splendidly equipped and staffed centralized schools of today. But they will not be forgotten. The pioneer school teacher will certainly ever be remembered. He or she, in himself or herself, comprised the whole faculty of the humble uncomfortable little school; was the principal, assistant principal, teacher of all the grades down to the primary—was all in one; and often was janitor also; for which complete service, he or she would receive a dollar a day, or less. Some of the early summer-school teachers were content with a salary of one dollar a week, securing the appointment only after very careful deliberation • - 141 - 142 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY by the school directors, who were loath to commit the taxpayers to such a liability, without proper safeguards. An entry under date of April 28, 1849, records an agreement entered into by the directors of School District No. 4, of Fulton Township, Lucas county, and one Fanny Wood, "who made application to be employed as a school teacher, producing to the board a certificate of qualification from the school examiners of the county." It was agreed to employ her at five dollars a month, from the 7th of May, "to teach a school for the term of two months, providing she keeps a good school, if not said school is to stop," stated the record, attested by Chas. Gunn, district clerk. The pioneer settlers had their days filled with hard, and, generally, discouraging efforts to win even a livelihood from the swamp and forest; yet they loyally supported the school directors in their endeavor to establish satisfactory schools. The directors are deserving of special credit. Hard-working settlers as they were, and with just as many perplexities in their general life as their neighbors, they nevertheless entered thoughtfully and earnestly into educational work, some of them giving very much of their time to the work. "Jeff" Lutz, who is now eighty-six years old, and was for forty years connected with the school board of Swan Creek Township, and for the greater part of that time was its president, came to Swanton, then known as Centreville, when it consisted of only three houses: that of Joe Miller; a little shoe shop; and a little shack, not more than sixteen feet by twenty, upon the site of which is now the brick structure owned by the Gordon Lumber Company. Swan Creek Township was then practically a swamp, much of it actually and wholly under water. Yet, in forty years, he and others, including "Quill" Price, members of the Templeton family, Theodore Knight, and Wesley Watkins, organized good schools in almost every four sections of the township; planted them so thickly, in fact, that at times it seemed that they were incurring unnecessary expense. In one district, No. 12, there were only three voters at the first election, and the authorities were at a loss to know how to appoint three school directors, one of the three voters, a colored man, being an ex-convict, and as such not eligible. He had been brought in by Dyer Matthews, who formerly had been a guard at the State Penitentiary. Yet those far-sighted pioneers knew that progress came by education ; that education was the first essential ; HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 143 and they have lived to see the tutored generation grow to useful manhood and womanhood, and take hold of the affairs of the township, better fitted than they themselves were to carry it forward to ever-increasing prosperity. In place of the frame schoolhouse that cost $175, they have lived to see in Swanton a splendid schoolhouse, valued at $43,300, adequately staffed, and affording graded and high school education to more than three hundred pupils each year; and to appreciate how great has been the educational advancement, as evidenced by the fine centralized school within a short distance of them—the Fulton Township Centralized School, at Ai, the first to be established in northwest Ohio. A somewhat similar record could be shown in the educational development that has come to other townships, through the praise. worthy efforts of the early pioneers; and in appropriate place in the township chapters will be found as complete a review of the school history as it has been possible to gather. In the various sectional reviews will be found many descriptions of the early log schoolhouses, but perhaps it might not be inappropriate to here give Historian Aldrich's description of one, presumably in Fulton Township: "It was finished and furnished without taxing the land—all contributed. It was chinked and plastered with mud from the adjoining soil. It had a fireplace made of clay, and sticks built up, `cob-house style,' and cropping up just above the ridge of the roof, and plastered upon the inside with clay mortar. This formed a safe as well as a comfortable heating apparatus. The seats were made of logs, about ten inches in diameter, and ten or twelve feet in length; and split into halves and hewed, to smooth them upon the split side. They were then mounted, the split side up, on wooden.pegs of proper height 144 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY for the scholars. For writing desks they bored holes into the logs, about three feet from the floor, into which they drove pins, projecting in the room far enough to support a board, or slab, placed on the pins. For windows they would cut out one log the whole length of the building, and stop the opening with oiled paper. This would admit light, and keep out the cold. Some were finished with glass, 7 by 9, and when this schoolhouse was completed, with a good fire nearly the entire length of one end of the building, it furnished a good and comfortable institution for training the young minds." Interesting and illuminative, as to early school conditons, is "A Book of Records; for School District No. (apparently for more than one district, three being crossed out) Four, in the Township of Swan Creek, Lucas county, Ohio," covering the period 1838-1886. The first entry records the meeting, on July 28, 1838, at the house of Hiram Clark, of the directors, of District No. 3, George Black, Charles Gunn, and Hiram Clark, appointed "for the ensewing year" by the town clerk. The directors "organized according to law," and voted "that a site for a Schoolhouse in said district be as near a geographical Center as Suitable Ground Could be had." On August 7th, at 8 A. M., the board of directors met and "proceeded to view the ground, and stuck a stake for said site on a piece of ground near the quarter post on the north line of Section.Five, Township Seven." On November 24, 1838, householders met, according to appointment, "for the purpose of building a Schoolhouse," and Commenced Chopping the logs." On the "29 of Nov. the district met and raised a Schoolhouse." The next entry in the book records a meeting, at the house of George Black, of the "householders of School District No. 3, Swan Creek, Lucas County," who voted "that we have three month School, to commence during the month of August next, to be taught by a female." Whether school was held in August of 1839 cannot be determined. Later it was the practice of the clerk to enter in the book the name of teacher and the amount paid, or agreed to be paid, the teacher for his, or her services. The first such entry was under date of December 2, 1840, the record stating that "Gideon W. Raymon(d) was employed to teach school for three months, in District No. 3, for forty-five Dollars." This, after meeting of November 14th had passed a resolution "that the school be kept three months the ensuing winter by a male teacher," another motion providing "that the windows be furnished with glass." Apparently, if school was held during the previous year, the window spaces were open, or were covered with oil paper. During the winter of 1841, Harriet O'Brien opened the school on November 15th, for three months, the directors agreeing to pay her $1.50 a week. Part of her term, because of sickness, was taken by Miss Huldah Merrill. ' The financial statement for that year showed: Public money received - $15.84 Money collected from the district - 2.16 - $18.00 which is somewhat less than would be necessary to cover the require- HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 145 ments of even a small school district of today, small as is the remuneration of present-day teachers. The $200 necessary to meet the cost of erection of new frame schoolhouse, which. the houesholders of the district resolved, on April 23, 1843, to be caused to be built, was to be raised by assessment, collectable on November 15, 1843. This apparently was not accomplished, for it was not until 1846 that the contractor was paid, an entry March 18, 1846, reading: "This day Settled with Bradly Wood, & paid him fifty-one dollars, by giving order on the treasurer, which being all that remained his due for building School house." On October 20, 1844, B. Wood "was employed as School teacher two months at $12.50 per month." A summer school was conducted in 1845 by Mary M. Barnett, a certificated teacher, who taught for three months, from April 21st, at a weekly salary of $1.25. Charles Thompson taught the winter school of that year for $12 a month. Jane (or James) Templeton taught the summer school of 1846 and on September 16th the directors met, and resolved "that a tax of sixteen dollars be levied for the purpose of paying the District debt, and repairs and furnishing the schoolhouse. On May 3rd of the next year, the directors resolved "to call for an abstract, and collect the tax of Sixteen Dollars." Pay of teacher, Bethulia Day, properly certificated, for the winter term of three months, 1849-50, cost the district, in all, $18, which was paid to her at the end of the school term. Forty-four students were enrolled for the summer school of 1851, taught by Hannah Morel (or Merel, maybe Merrill). J. W. Taft conducted the winter school of 1851-52, in District No. 4, which apparently served District No. 3 also, for a monthly salary of sixteen dollars. At the end of the term, he was "paid $29.96 cents out of District No. 4, and $18.04 cents out of District No. 3" and his quarterly report, "ending with the sixth day of March, 1852" showed that "the hole number of schoollars enroled for the Quarter was thirty fur male and twenty females," of whom nine females and eleven males were from District No. 3. The report further stated that "The branches taught were Reading, Spelling, Writing, Geography, Grammar, and Arithmatick." There were eight voters, at the school board election in District No. 4, Fulton Township, April 12, 1852. One entry in 1852 reads: "A Contract between Teacher and Directors. it is agreed between Thomas Martin and Benjamin Fleming, School Directors in District No. 4, Fulton Township, Ohio, and Esther Merrill Teacher in said District that the said Directors Shall pay to the said Teacher the sum of (14) fourteen shillings a week for the term of twelve weeks." In the abnormal times during and immediately succeeding the Civil war, when prices and costs advanced almost beyond credence, the school directors were careful in the placing of contracts. Lisa Lucas taught the winter school of 1864, the directors to secure her services being forced to agree to pay her a salary of one dollar a day, she meeting them to the extent of agreeing, states the record, "to stop any time we think she dont earn her money." A somewhat similar understanding was that of April 11, 1865, when Miss Mary Fraker was "hired to teach a common school, in Dist. No. 4 for three 146 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY dollars per week, subject to quit the schooll at any time she dont give satisfaction   She teaches twenty-two days for .a month." In the early years, the heating of the school was borne by the householders, who were expected to contribute wood in proportion to the number of children sent for tuition. What that contribution should be was decided by the school directors on April 14, 1851, when they. resolved "that a quarter of a cord of wood, or twelve and a half cents to the scholar" be assessed householders, the amount presumably covering one winter term of school. This practice seems to have been discontinued, for the book records that, on November 26, 1864, the directors net "for the purpose of selling wood for school purpose," the entry stating that "John Watkins being the lowest bidder at one dollar & 23 cts per cord is to get ten cords of wood at a cost of $12.30." It is clear, however, that the directors met to buy wood, not to sell it, for on March 18, 1865, John Wesley Watkins was paid $12.33 for ten cords of wood." In 1867, the directors bought wood for the school at $1.19 a cord; in 1868 at $1.14; in 1871 at $1.00; in 1873 at 87 cents ; in 1877 at 75 cents; and in 1879 at 60 cents, which is the lowest rate recorded. Quite a story precedes the ultimate purchase of a stove for the school Probably, there was an open fireplace in the log schoolhouse, but evidently a stove must have been lent, for "a meeting of the voters held pursuant to Law and public notice, at the house of Hiram Clark" on September 15, .1843, had to consider compensation that should be paid to the owner of stove, for damage done to it. It was resolved "that a tax of three Dollars be levied on the district and collected, for the purpose of paying George Black for the damage on his stove in the old schoolhouse. ' Next, came an entry : "January 20, 1845, School District No. 2, Dr. to Charles Gunn, for drawing and setting the stove up in the Schoolhouse, thirty-seven cents." Having a new frame schoolhouse, the school directors apparently soon became HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 147 of the opinion that they might legitimately expect the householders to agree to the expending of the sum necessary to provide the school with a stove of its own. Therefore, a special meeting of the voters was called, and in due course, on March 8, 1845, they met at the schoolhouse. Isaac Day, states the minute, "Submitted the following resolution for a tax of fifty Dollars, on putting. the vote it was Carried five voting for the tax and three against it Said tax to be levied for the purpose of paying for a Stove and pipe, and School Directors, and brick for a hearth, a well & Cobbles." Another meeting of the voters was held soon afterwards, on April 10, 1845, at which meeting it was decided "by a unanamos vote" to rescind the vote taken on the 8th of March, 1845, for a "fifty dollar tax," which was declared to be illegal; which decision ended for some years the chance of the school possessing a stove of its own. However on April 14, 1851, the _subject was again broached at a meeting of directors, and Charles Gunn, district clerk, recorded the following in the minutes of the meeting: "James Watkins submitted the following resolution that a tax of ten doslar.i be leved to purchase a stove and other nesaserses for the .School house and was carried by a unanamous vote." Again, however, the directors were to be disappointed, for across that minute the incoming chairman of the board, in the following month wrote, in a bold hand, "illegal procedings on the 14 of April 1851.'' However, such a state of affairs could not continue for long, and at a special meeting of the voters, held on the 19th of May, of that year, "thare wase a tax voted of Seventeen dollars, for the purpose of bying a Stove and brick for a hearth, bucket, and dipper & repairs for the Schoolhouse, and other purposes." The end of the story came on "November 22, A. D. 1851" when "An order ishued for twelve dollars, for to get a stove by William Critzer and James Watkins. Signed by me, John Watkins, Clark, and handed to Thomas Martin and William Critzer to purchase the stove, and they said they paid ten dollars for the stove." So that instead of paying fifty dollars, they eventually purchased one for ten, and, during the years of negotiation, apparently had the free use of a stove of fairly presentable appearance. Conditions in general seemed to be getting back to normal in the '70s, for there is one entry recording the hiring of one teacher, Martha Herrick, "to teach summer school, for three months, at $18, and board herself." Formerly, the teachers used to "board around"; e. g., would stay a week or two in the home of one householder, a week or two in another, and so on until the end of the term, the householders giving the pedagogue free board and lodging. One final extract from the book. In 1878, the schoolhouse underwent repairs. apparently somewhat extensive interior repairs. Yet, the cost of window lights, door lock, paint brushes, lath, digging and hauling two loads of sand, four barrels of lime, and the labor of four men, painting, plastering and what not, for three days, totalled only to $23.08. It will therefore be seen, in a reading of the foregoing excerpts from the actual record of a school district of Fulton county, how econ omically the early school administrators sought to carry on the school 148 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY development. Economy was necessary. Schools also were necessary, indeed vital. And the directors, although some were men of little academic knowledge, were earnest and determined to build the school system safely. And although this particular book, because of its accessibility, has been. reviewed somewhat extensively, a similar history probably could be written of the pioneer period of most of the school districts of the county. Reference to individual districts will have appropriate place in the township.chapters, consequently it will suffice here to give only the general history of the school system. A graphic picture of early school life, at least of one of its phases, is seen in some reminiscent verse, entitled "Old Times in Ottokee," contributed to one of the local papers, in June, 1913, by "Rock" Handy Rice, a well-known and popular member of an old Fulton county family. In part, the rhyme reads: "Of course there was the old schoolhouse—I will use that as a starter— Presided O'er with dignity, by the then ' Miss Julia Carter; Let me right here record a scene, which happened at that time; It should be told in terms of grief, and not in jingling rhyme. First, spelling class were up in line—toes even with a crack, When a mysterious sound was heard, at the poor teacher's back. A sudden turn revealed the truth (it often happens so) She caught Rock Handy in the act of spitting at George Monroe: `Just take your place upon that desk, and stand with folded arms' Came forth the words from Julia, in tones like war's alarms; And then she brought a hickory switch, and, calling for my hand, She played a tune upon it—the tune would beat the band. Back to the class again she turned, I will ne'er forget the day When I stood upon that darned old desk—Mad! Not a word dare say And the worst of all came after, ere I had a chance to dodge: `Roxea Handy's laughing' spake out Cordelia Hodge. Again the switch was brought in play, this time with warmer sting. And even now, at this late day, its echo seems to ring. HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 149 The old schoolhouse, with its two rooms, through some unlucky stroke, Caught fire in an unknown way, and all went up in smoke." Human nature was very much the same then as now, only in the Fulton county schools of today the teacher may not use the switch. The first school to be established in Fulton county was probably that organized in Pike Township, in 1835. In "Pioneer Days in Pike Township," Mrs. Agnes Howard McClarren, of Winameg, states: "The first school was taught in 1835. in a log but located on the Silsby farm, by Elizabeth Trowbridge, who afterwards became the wife of William Fewless. She is remembered as a woman of strong character. She believed in social advancement, and the influence of religious living. The schoolhouse was later removed to where the Salisbury Cemetery now is, afterwards returned to Thomas Silsby's Corners, where it now remains under the name of "Pike Centre School." Other townships quickly followed, organizing school districts almost simultaneously with the organization of the township. In the '40s and '50s, schoolhouses were abundant; seemed to blossom wherever a little community had taken root. And in later years, it seemed to those connected with the school system that such multiplication of schools was not only an extravagance, but a detriment. The early directors were however governed by the general conditions of the time, the most important factor in determining their policy being the manner and means of travel. In a practically roadless country, even adults did not care to go far from home. As the years passed, and conditions of travel improved, the school directors seemed to veer gradually to consolidation of schools. J. W. Roseborough, writing in 1876, stated: