HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 175 Mrs. Eliza (Ham) Edgar is the present regent, and Mrs. Orpha (Darby) Dimke, vice regent. The chapter came distinctly into favorable notice by its Red Cross work, in particular, during the recent war; in fact, it has been stated that the day next following that upon which President Wilson declared the nation to be in a state of war with Germany, the Wauseon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution initiated Red Cross work in Wauseon. The Women's Club, of Wauseon, Ohio, was organized in 1895, and became federated in the same year. Its purpose is mainly literary, and much credit is due to its members, and to the club as a whole, for the appreciable help they have afforded to the Wauseon Library Association during its period of instability. But the activities of the Women's Club have not been wholly literary its functioning has had connection with the general and well-recognized range of women's work, in social, benevolent, and neighborly spheres. It will be of interest to name the charter members. They were: Florence R. Howe, Pauline K. Stotzer, Lizzie L. Brigham, Mary R. Touvelle, Cora E. M. Gelzer, Helen M. Eager, Dora Myers, Prussia J. Brailey, Eva B. Struble, Nellie Eager, Harriet B. Sohn, Mary S. Greenleaf, Libbie D. Lyon, Dora A. Eager, Mattie Jameson, Jennie L. Grey, Mary S. Hunt, Laura H. Grabiel, Kate E. Ham, Connie Smallman, Emma W. Knapp, Lottie A. Ham, Retta Williams, Lucille Hunt, Esther S. Brown, Ellen E. Brigham. The present officers are: Mrs. Frank Kenyon, president; Mrs. C. W. Struble, vice president; Mrs. W. H. Maddox and Mrs. M. L. Altstetter, secretaries; Mrs. F. H. Reighard, treasurer. There has been a county medical society for very many years, and information regarding it will be found in the medical chapter. One other association which calls for a review is the Fulton County Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and Monument Association. It was organized in 1912, but its history goes back, really, for more than fifty years, to 1867, when, mainly through the efforts of that neverto-be-forgotten pioneer and patriot, D. W. H. Howard, the citizens of Fulton county began to erect, in Wauseon, a soldiers' monument, in memory and honor of those sons of the county who had served in the Civil war. The monument was never finished, and the project remained dormant until early in 1912, when Mr. Allen Shadle sought to revive interest in the matter. Soon afterwards a meeting of citizens took place, and the Fulton County Memorial and Monumental Association was formed, to carry on the work to completion. J. M. Longneeker, of Delta, was elected president, and Frank H. Reighard, of Wauseon, secretary. During the next few years the public subscribed satisfactorily, school children throughout the county figuring creditably in the work. The fund stood at about $3,300 in 1915. In February, 1920, the amount available was $4,116.14, and the Monumental Bronze Company, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, with which firm the contract for the erection of the monument had been placed, was urged to hurry the work to completion. The long delay has been regrettable, yet, it is gratifying now to realize that when erected, the monument will symbolize the people's respect for those who served and suffered in the great war just ended, as well as for those patriots 176 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY who gave themselves to the nation during the stress of the Civil and Spanish wars. It is noteworthy in this connection to record that while Col. D. W. H. Howard, "that patriot, statesman, and progressive citizen," spent more than $1,000 from his personal means in a praiseworthy attempt to erect the monument "to perpetuate the sacred memory of the brave soldiers of Fulton county who risked all to keep the Stars and Stripes from trailing in the dust, and to save the sacred Union established and preserved by our noble ancestors," a worthy soldier of Civil war service, Allan Shadle, and his wife, have volunteered to contribute more than $1,000 if necessary "to crown the failure with success." Their contribution is part of the $4,116.14 now available to complete the erection of the monument. CHAPTER X THE PRESS OF FULTON COUNTY In the early days of the settlement of the county the pioneers rarely saw a newspaper; in fact they rarely had any news at all of the outside world. They were of course conversant with the daily trend of affairs in their own little community, living practically as one family; and to some extent they had news of and from contiguous settlements; but little did they hear of the county in general, or, rather, of the territory in general, for until 1850, when Fulton county was organized, the territory now embraced in it was within the borders of three counties, Lucas, Henry, and Williams. Happenings in distant parts of the county came to the knowledge of the pioneer settlers mainly by hearsay. Indeed, some of the pioneers were altogether isolated, and saw little of even their "nextdoor" neighbors. ,"Uncle John" Butler, who came with the family of A.lanson Briggs to section 12 of Chesterfield Township in 1835, explained how, six months after they had arrived, they first became aware that a neighbor was within two sections of them, and had been there for twelve months. He stated: "When I first came here we knew of no white person living in the country, nor did I see a white person until in the fall. One October day some Indians came into the store (a trading post), and told Mr. Briggs that they had seen a white man.......... A few days later Chief Winameg ....... came to the store ........ and when I asked him if the 'Whiteman' was a trader or not, he shook his head and said: 'Whiteman build wigwam' .......... I asked the chief to tell me where to find him........ The question seemed to bother him. He walked away and sat on the stump, and seemed to be lost in thought. In a little while he came up to me, and taking me by the arm led me to a section corner stone, which the government surveyors had planted a few years before. Pointing at the stone, and then in a certain direction, he made a certain number of motions with his arm, then stopped, and pointing in another direction ....... made two motions .......... and said: 'There, Whiteman.' We knew that each motion ......... meant a mile, and the next day Mr. Briggs and I started out ........ We followed the courses given us by the Indian, and as we came to the last mile, as marked by the Indian, we looked off to our right and saw a settlement. We received a hearty welcome into this home for we were the first white people they had seen in over a year. This was the home of Chesterfield Clemons ......... after whom Chesterfield Township was named. Mr. Clemons had moved his family into this wilderness the fall before ....... in an emigrant wagon ........ and stopped in the woods ......where he had bought a farm ........ There was not a stick of timber cut on the place. The family lived in this wagon until a log house could be built." This narrated ex- - 177 - 178 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY perience will make it readily imaginable that news of other parts, and of the world in general, came to the pioneer families rarely. Travel was venturesome and difficult and a journey from one end of the county to the other would not be lightly undertaken. After 1836, mail came in by mounted carrier over the Star mail route with fair regularity ; but the mail would consist mainly of personal letters, folded and sealed, but not enveloped. A newspaper from the East would rarely find its way into the mail carrier's valise or pouch. The mail route established in 1836 between Toledo and Lima, Indiana, covered a distance of 110 miles, with only one postoffice between the terminal points, and there was a continuous stretch of unbroken forest for thirty-three miles, from four miles west of Morenci, Michigan, through what is now Fulton county. For several years John S. Butler, the same "Uncle John" referred to above, and at that time a boy in his early teens, traversed the route on horseback twice weekly, carrying the mail. And one experience he had while travelling the route will show how perilous was travel in those wild parts in that early days. He said: "About as badly scared as I ever was in my life was in the spring of 1838, while I was carrying the United States mails from Sylvania, a town north of Toledo, to Lima, Lagrange county, Indiana, a distance of ninety miles. I was a lad then of fourteen summers, and had carried the mail for more than a year over this trail, which was one almost unbroken forest. Along the route would be a settlement or a tavern here and there, where a traveller could stay all night had travelled this route more than a year, and I knew every turn it made through the forest as well as I now (1907) know the public highways of my own township, where I have lived for more than seventy-two years. Travellers wishing to go West would- wait at Sylvania for the 'mail boy' to pilot them over this route. The old Territorial road, now known as the 'Old Plank Road,' was cut out at this time as far as Morenci, but from there to the westward, for a distance of thirty miles, it was one unbroken forest, without a sign of civilization, and the only roads to travel were the Indian trails. It was in March, 1838, when a traveller, whom .I was piloting through the woods, and myself left the old Territorial road and set out to the westward over these Indian trails, which I had travelled many times. To me it was the same old story over again, but the fellow with me seemed to dread starting into the 'thirty-mile woods.' It was a fine March day. The sun shone warm, and the snow began to melt, and by two or three o'clock it was difficult for the horses to travel As we were riding along the trail on the bank of the St. Joe River, near the Indiana line, the man remarked that we must be near a settlement, for he has seen a dog down in the river bottom. I told him that the nearest settlement was five or six miles ahead of us, and that the dog he had seen was a wolf Along about sundown he called my attention to another wolf trotting through the woods some distance from us. I knew those wolves meant trouble for us before we reached the tavern. As the shades of night began to draw upon us, the traveller stopped his horse and asked what made that noise which sounded like the howl of a dog. I told him it was a pack of wolves, and that they were on our trail. We each cut a good club, sprang onto our tired horses, and pushed them forward as fast HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY -179 as they could go. These clubs were the only weapons we had ........ Nearer and nearer came the sound, until we knew that they were almost upon us. I had told the man with me not to try to run from the wolves when they came upon us, but to pull up to a big tree, and fight them off with his club. If he could kill one the rest of the pack would stop and eat it, and that would give us time to go a little further. Looking back, I could see the forms on the snow of a dozen or more wolves close to us. I directed the traveller to pull up to one side of a big tree, and I took the other. For half an hour we fought off those vicious beasts. Finally, they retreated, and we knew that one of them had fallen a victim to our clubs, and that it was now our chance to push on. It was only a short time before we could hear those wolves coming on again, and I knew that this fight would be harder than the other, for the taste of blood had added to the fury of those wild beasts. We were still two and a half miles from our tavern when we were compelled to pull up to a big oak, to make another fight. The fellow with me partially lost heart, and wished many times that he had not started on this journey. But we were in it, and an attempt now to run or turn back meant certain death. The wolves bore down upon us, and how long we fought them off I don't know. We shouted for help, and in the fierce fight our horses became frightened, and threatened to break away, which we knew meant certain death to us. When we were almost exhausted and overpowered, I heard the report of a gun, and knew that the tavern keeper had heard our shouts and ........ was coming to our relief ........ finally, after what seemed hours of waiting and fighting, we could see the light of a torch. It was our tavern keeper....... A few well-directed shots from his gun and the light from his hickory 180 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY bark torch turned the wolves back, and we, half dead, proceeded to the tavern, where the good landlady did everything that she could to cheer us up and make us comfortable. Mr. and Mrs. Fowler (tavern keepers) were brave, kind, good-hearted people. They had learned to watch for me on my trips, and when I was late that night, they were listening to catch some sound of me ........ when they heard the howl of the wolves, and our cry for help." With such possibilities ever before the mail carrier he would probably not venture forth on a journey heavily encumbered with mail. He probably had no facilities for carrying much of other than first-class mail. And newspaper post, with its penny a pound rate, would hardly have been in the dreams of the most imaginative publisher of that day. In fact, conditions in general, and particularly in transportation, were distinctly disadvantageous for the publisher and journalist of that period. With the coming of the cable, telegraphic and railway systems, however, came the era of the newspapers; and in matters of journalism Fulton county has a record of progress as creditable as that of any other northwestern Ohio county. The people of Fulton county have been quite as ready to support good journals as have been the readers of other territories; and they have been quite as willing to recognize and appreciate in a practical way the efforts of capable editors. There are ten weekly, or semi-weekly, newspapers now being issued regularly in Fulton county, and some have been long established. While most of the, publishers have to avail themselves to some extent of the ready print of the national newspaper services, only one newspaper is printed entirely outside of Fulton county. Most of the publishing houses have good printing plants, and all with two exceptions have in their equipment modern linotype machines. The county has developed many capable journalists and editors, and the newspaper has probably been the most important factor in the public life of the county. The light of the conscientious print has done much to illumine the darkness that formerly obscured political maneuverings; has lent its power to light the way through the hazy dawn of many a worthy public project; has given its columns freely to pass, from friend to friend, news of the daily happenings of communal life; and generally the newspaper has been that bond which has bound the people of Fulton county, pioneers and children of pioneers, in loyal co-operative comradeship, all working to maintain in fertility and profitable yield the territory they, or their fathers before them, won to fertility from the waste lands—from the wilderness and the swamp. And all of them proud and gratified to realize that the co-operative labors of themselves, and their forebears, have wrought such a wonderful change in the, at one time, uninhabitable region. The newspapermen have been pioneers; have had part in the pioneer work; have spread the news of pioneer efforts, and thus have stimulated others in the work. And although their hands have more often been black with printer's ink than with the soil of the Black Swamp, their part in the pioneer building of Fulton county has nevertheless been meritorious, self-sacrificing, and in most cases arduous. The earnest and capable newspapermen of Fulton county of today are well-known, and the subscription lists give good indication of their respective personal standing with the people of the county. Therefore, it HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 181 is not the purpose of this chapter to, in particular, eulogize the several worthy editors of Fulton county of today. But no historical review of journalism in Fulton county would be complete that made no reference to the notable record of the late James Hunter Sherwood, who for nearly fifty years was an editor and newspaper publisher in Fulton county. From 1861 until his death in 1913, James H. Sherwood was connected with the Wauseon "Republican" and for the greater part of that period was its editor and owner. A local newspaper wrote of him, shortly after his decease: "Since 1865, he has    wielded an influence in the political and social life of the community and the county. Firm in his convictions, yet kindly and tolerant in his attitude toward those who differed from him, he was highly esteemed and there was no one man in the county better known than was Mr. Sherwood. During the past twenty years he has rarely, if ever, been absent from the town; and every day his has been a familiar figure on the streets, or at his place of business Another of the old guard of pioneers who have put their lives into the building of our community has gone." His brother, General Isaac R. Sherwood, gained greater national prominence, but James Hunter Sherwood has a more notable place among the pioneers of Fulton county. He lived among them practically throughout his life; disliked to leave home on any pretext; and "in season and out lauded the beauty and worth of the people and soil and products of Fulton county." He came into the county at a time when newspaper enterprises were few and of brief continuance; and his was the hand that stabilized the press of Fulton county. He was particularly active; ran a printing plant for his brother at Bryan at the same time as he was building a good Fulton county newspaper; and also found time for the duties of the Probate office at Bryan during his brother's absence in military service. He was active to the end, the apoplectic seizure which ended his life being probably attributable to his activity in superintending the unloading of a truckload of wood into his barn. His wife, Matilda (Yates) Sherwood, who died in Wauseon, in 1918, might also be included in the Press record, for during her sixty years of residence in Wauseon, during which time her husband and her sons owned the "Republican," she must have had close connection with, and perhaps to some extent guided, the newspaper policy of her husband. She "was loved and respected by all who knew her"; was a charter member of the Woman's Relief Corps, and an ardent church worker, member of Wauseon Methodist Episcopal Church. Chronologically, the history of the newspapers of Fulton county begins with the "Fulton County Democrat," a six-column folio paper, established in the winter of 1851-52, in Delta by Lewis W. Stum, the enterprise passing twelve months later to Frank Rosenberg. The county seat was at Ottokee then, and to that centre Mr. Rosenberg transferred the office of the paper soon after it came into his possession. A few months later, however, he disposed of his interest in it to J. W. Carter and H. B. Bayes. Within six months H. B. Bayes was sole owner and editor of the "Democrat," but apparently he did not long continue as editor, for records show that a Mr. Topliff had 182 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY held the newspaper under lease, from Mr. Bayes, for some time prior to the spring of 1856, when the paper and plant was removed from Ottokee to Morenci, Michigan. Twelve months or so after the founding of the "Fulton County Democrat," another Delta newspaper came into being. Lewis W. Stum founded in 1852-53 the "Delta Independent Press." A few months later, however it passed from him, being acquired by Martin H. Butler, who was one of the first school examiners of the county. Not long afterwards he sold the paper to William Stum and James K. Newcomer, who remained in partnership for several years. Eventually Peter James bought Stum's interest. The paper had belied its name for several years prior to the outbreak of the Civil war, and instead of being non-partisan, or independent, it had been strongly Democratic in its editorial policy. And although the paper was issued regularly until the early 60s, its circulaiton bad dwindled; so much so that its subscription list became insignificant, and the owners eventually had to suspend publication. The material and stock passed into the hands of a former owner, Martin H. Butler, who removed the plant to Wauseon, shortly afterwards using it in the publication of a weekly paper, named the "Fulton County Democrat," which journal however had no connection with the former publication of like name. The "Fulton County Democrat" soon passed from Martin H. Butler to William Aultman, but its life was brief, for within a few weeks soldiers, home on furlough, took umbrage at its attitude on the great and vital national question of that trying period, when the feelings and opinions of loyal citizens were abnormally sensative and emphatic, and they vented their displeasure by wrecking the plant, strewing the roadway with its material. Next in order of establishment must be placed the Wauseon "Republican," which has continued in circulation for sixty-five years. Strictly, it was the third newspaper to be established in the county; but it may be claimed for it that it was the first newspaper of consequence to be established; and its continuance in regular publication, in high moral and literary standard, and in its aim to give direct home news and county happenings prior place in its columns instead of featuring national or international news, now gains the "Republican" distinctive place as the oldest and foremost home journal of the county. The personality of the editor is generally clearly reflected in the columns of the paper. And those who have followed Mr. Reighard, present editor and owner of the "Republican," in his editorial direction of the "Tribune" and latterly of the "Republican," must have noted the marked respect, almost reverence, Mr. Reighard has for the pioneers of the county; for the men who gave their lives to hard discouraging labor in unhealthy surroundings and precarious living, and eventually made for their sons and their posterity a rich productive area of what once was swamp and wilderness. The pioneers have given statesmen, legislators, jurists, and many able educators to the state and nation, but predominately the pioneers of Fulton county have been home builders. And a motor trip through the county must convince an observer that the farm homes of Fulton county are homes of comfort and prosperity. The paper now edited and owned by HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 183 Mr. Frank H. Reighard may be said to have had its inception in 1855, when, as the "Sentinel," it first came into being. The "Sentinel" was established by H. B. Bayes and John J. Hunter. It was the pioneer Republican paper, and soon took front rank among the newspapers of the county. Not along after it was established H. B. Bayes became sole owner and editor. Two years later he sold to A. E. Ball, who soon afterwards disposed of his interests to E. W. Fuller, who twelve months later took John D. Devor, of Elkhart, Indiana, into partnership. Within a few months however the paper reverted to Mr. Fuller. On January 1, 1858, the name of the paper became "North-Western Republican," and it was increased in size from a six to a seven column folio. About six months later J. D. French acquired- a part-interest in the "Republican," and early in 1859 the Fuller interest was pur- chased by Isaac R. Sherwood, of Bryan, Williams county, Ohio. Although at that time only twenty-four years old, Isaac R. Sherwood had had quite a notable career. V Orphaned in early boyhood; he, a farmer's son, somehow struggled through school; became a teacher; attended a law course, qualifying as an attorney ; took up printing in Youngstown, setting type for the Mahoning County Register; became editor and owner of the Williams County Leader, at Bryan when twenty-two years old; was elected probate judge when twenty-four; and a year later became mayor of Bryan. So that much was expected of the "Northwestern Republican" when he became identified with it. The co-partnership of French and Sherwood continued until early in 1861, when Mr. Sherwood became sole owner. Very shortly afterwards however came the national event which so greatly changed the career of so many men throughout the country, north and south. A newspaper article, written in 1915, stated that Isaac R. Sherwood, in 1861, when mayor of Bryan, was the first man in northwestern Ohio to enlist in the Union Army. He enlisted in the grade of private. He closed his military career as a brigadier-general, brevetted by Lincoln for repeated distinguished service. He took part in forty-two battles and engagements. And the subsequent career of General Sherwood has also been notable. He served two terms as Secretary of State of Ohio (1868 and 1870) ; was elected to United States Congress from the Toledo District in 1872 ; became probate judge in 1878, and again in 1881; and many times since he has been a member of Congress; in fact, although now eighty-five years old, he is still in office, and still active. Although his hair is snow-white, his carriage is erect; "he carries his six feet straight as a young hickory, and his 220 pounds like a man of forty-five." Truly a worth-while life has been that of Gem, Isaac R. Sherwood, who is entitled to place, as an early editor, in Fulton County Press records. Upon the enlistment of Isaac R. Sherwood in the Union Army in 1861, his brother, James, assumed the management and editorial control of the "Northwestern Republican." In 1862, James H. Sherwood, acting for his brother, bought the "Fulton County Union," which paper had been established in Wauseon early in that year by Mr. French, a, former associate of Isaac R. Sherwood. The papers were merged, and took the name of the longer-established journal, the "Northwestern Republican," which throughout that year, or for the greater part thereof, continued to advocate forcefully the ideals of 184 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY the republican party: In the latter part of 1862, or early in 1863, the paper was leased to Joseph Cable. The leasing proved somewhat unfortunate, for by tactless writing or indifferent support, Mr. Cable lost the confidence of the republican party leaders, and the official printing of the party in the county was taken from him, and placed with the Ottokee "Monitor," a journal established in June, 1863, by H. B. Bayes. Therefore, the Sherwood family was glad when Mr. Cable's lease expired, and the paper again came under their control. That probably was early in 1864, for it was in that year that James H. Sherwood purchased the Ottokee "Monitor," and consolidated it with the "Northwestern Republican." In 1865, James II. Sherwood became sole owner, having purchased the office and material from his brother, Isaac R., who was still in military service; and under his able management the paper was re-established in official favor, and the circulation gradually rebuilt. In 1867, Gen. Isaac R. Sherwood again became owner of the paper. A year later, he took Col. Albert B. Smith, a printer, the partnership continuing until 1869. Colonel Smith was well-known in Fulton county, and was destined to have connection with the •county Press for about thirty years. In 1859 he had entered the employ of Fuller and French, who then owned the "Northwestern Republican." He responded to the first call for troops in 1861, and in 1865 closed his military career with a brevet-lieutenant-colonelcy. For eleven years from 1867, he was part-owner of the "Northwestern Republican," in 1878 being elected Clerk of the Courts, which office he held for nine years. In 1883 he, with J. H. Fluhart, founded the "Fulton County Tribune," with which paper he was identified until within a few months of his death, in 1890. Colonel Smith "was a man of genial nature, endowed with agreeable traits that won him many friends." He became a partner of James H. Sherwood in 1869, the latter having purchased Gen. Isaac R. Sherwood's interest in the "Northwestern Republican." The paper had a wide circulation through the county, and an extensive exchange list, and was undoubtedly the leading weekly journal of the county, and was recognized by the republican party, as a factor of much influence, in its steadfast adherence to the highest principles of the party. In 1877, Mr. Sherwood purchased Colonel Smith's interest, and for four years thereafter was sole owner. In 1881, a part interest was acquired by E. M. Ogle. The latter, a. few months later sold to W. C. Williams, who held co-partnership with Mr. Sherwood for fifteen years. In 1896, James H. Sherwood again became sole owner, soon afterwards however admitting his sons into partnership. As James H. Sherwood and Sons, the publishing house continued to regularly issue the paper, the. name of which had become the "Wauseon Republican," until December 10, 1917, when Frank H. Reighard, who for three terms had been state representative., and formerly was for seven years owner and editor of the "Fulton County Tribune," purchased the Sherwood interests. Since that date, Mr. Reighard has given his whole time and effort to the rendering of a good newspaper service in the "Republican." That he has succeeded is evident in the growth of the mailing list of the paper. In two years Mr. Reighard more than doubled the number of suhscribers to the "Republican," and the list is continually being added to. A some- HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 185 what similar. experience followed Mr. Reighard's advent as editor of the "Tribune" in 1903. Undoubtedly the "Wauseon Republican," under Mr. Reighard's editorial control and management is a live home journal, aiming to render, chiefly, news of home, village, township, and county, and not seeking to cover the state, national and world events recorded by the daily newspapers, which of course also in these days find their way into most Fulton county homes. The second newspaper to be established in Ottokee, which was then the county seat, was the "Signal," the first issue of which was in the summer of 1856. It only ran however for about six ,months, its editor-owner, T. D. Montgomery, being a Williams county man, editor of the "Star of the West," of Montpelier. He perhaps was not sufficiently interested in Fulton county to make his paper forceful. At all events, at the end of six months, he removed his printing material to Montpelier, Williams county. In the following year, 1857, another Ottokee paper was founded. It was named the "Democrat," and was owned by Henry McElhiney, who 'conducted it from spring to autumn, when H. Day became owner. Formerly its policy had been independent, but under Mr. Day it became a democratic paper, and its name became the "Fulton County. Mirror." About twelve months later, the plant and paper were purchased by the owners of the Wauseon "Sentinel," the material being taken to Wauseon, and the paper merged in the "Sentinel." The representative democratic paper of Fulton county is the "Democratic Expositor" of Wauseon. It was founded in January, 1875, by William H. Handy, later a prominent jurist of Fulton county. In April, 1877, the paper passed to John C. Bollmeyer. Until his death, twenty-one years later, Mr. Bollmeyer held editorial control of the "Expositor," and adhered faithfully to the best principles of the democratic party. He had very many friends in Fulton county, and under his management the paper was a success, financially and as a news journal. It was continued in publication by his estate for some months after his demise, passing eventually, by purchase, to W. W. Croninger, a former county auditor. He carried forward the paper satisfactorily until 1910, when he sold it to E. L. Burgoon. On April 26, 1912, the "Expositor" came into the possession of its present editor, H. T. Meister, of a pioneer German Township family. Mr. Meister still retains the editorship, but early in 1920 admitted into junior partnership, C. M. Gibbs and H. M. Jay, the latter being prominent in educational matters, at present holding the position of superintendent of Supervision District No. 2, under the Fulton County Board of Education, and also being president of the Fulton County Board of School Examiners. The "Democratic Expositor" is a well-established weekly newspaper, having almost an exclusive field. The "Delta Avalanche," an independent paper, made its appearance in 1876, the first number being' issued on February 22nd of that year by E. L. Waltz, who thus began a creditable connection with Fulton county journalism which did not terminate until more than thirty years later. In 1879, Mr. Waltz sold the "Avalanche" to Col. Albert B. Smith, under whom its policy became distinctly republican. Colonel Smith a year later sold to E. J. Patch, who after about a similar period sold to W. 0. Knapp, under whom the paper again 186 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY became non-partisan in tone. It again became partisan, and republican, in 1884, when Mr. J. H. Fluhart exchanged his half-interest in the "Fulton County Tribune" for Mr. Knapp's ownership of the "Avalanche." About three years later, Mr. Fluhart disposed of the paper to its original owner, E. L. Waltz, who merged it with the "Delta Atlas," which he had established in 1885. The first issue of the "Delta Atlas" was on June 6th, 18S5, the partners, E. L: Waltz, editor, and C. R. P. Waltz, manager, father and son respectively, trading as the Atlas Printing Company, and rapidly building a large subscription list for their paper, which was of independent tone, and high standard. Fire destroyed the plant early in 1887, but the publication was only temporarily suspended, resuming as soon as new material had been procured. In that year the "Delta Atlas" absorbed the "Avalanche," and from that time until the present the Delta "Atlas" has been in the forefront of Fulton county newspapers. The principals, father and son, both gained enviable repute as public servants and citizens, and although the father, E. L. Waltz, has not been directly interested in the publishing since 1906, when the son, C. R. P. Waltz, became editor and sole owner, he is still indirectly connected with the paper, contributing occasionally to its columns. Both father and son have had prominent part in the affairs of Delta during the last three or four decades.. The paper is an eight page one, sixty-four columns, mostly home print; and the principals have the confidence of both readers and advertisers ; so much so in fact that local advertisers have for many years been in the habit, it has been stated, of leaving the matter of advertising space to the discretion and judgment of Mr. Waltz, the editor, confident that he would not give a half-page or more to an advertisement that merited in importance only four or five inches. It is understood that the present circulation of the "Delta Atlas" is 2,100. In January, 1876, a weekly newspaper was established at Fayette, under the name of the "Fayette Record." W. A. Baker was the founder, but within a month the publication was acquired by 0. M. Holcomb and M. Lewis, who were its owners until May, 1878, and G. W. Griffin purchased the Holcomb interest. Fire destroyed the plant on May 8, 1880, but two months later publication of the "Record" was resumed, and the printing plant re-established. The owners of the "Record" were enterprising, and gained the distinction of being the first publishers in the county to introduce a cylinder press. In 1882, the publishers erected a substantial two-story frame building in which to house their printing plant, but that building also, within a year, was gutted by fire. The "Record" was then of course suspended but publication was resumed a month later. A few years later John Young, of Wauseon, purchased the paper and plant, and continued to publish it until 1903. John S. Young was another of the worth while newspaper men who graduated from the "Republican." He was connected with Fulton county newspapers and printing plants for thirty years; was in the "Sentinel" plant in 1853. He died in Fayette in 1905, two years after he had passed the "Record" over to his son, Frank C., who continued to regularly issue the paper until 1907, when it was absorbed by the Fayette "Review," which paper had been established six years earlier by C. E. Yost and E. W. Balch. In 1901 Balch sold his interest to his partner, and Editor Yost has HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 187 since that time faithfully labored to provide for his subscribers a worth-while weekly. The acquirement of the "Record" in 1907 added considerably to the circulation of the "Review," which has since been the recognized organ of the people of the Fayette section of the county. Mr. Yost is a forceful writer, and the "Fayette Review" is perhaps chiefly distinctive among the newspapers of the county because of the length and strength of its editorials, which reflect the editor's sincerity, ability, and broad-mindedness. The "Fulton County Tribune," which was established on May 18, 1883, was, it is stated, the outgrowth of a divided sentiment in the ranks of the republican party. Its founders were Col. A. B. Smith and J. H. Fluhart, the latter disposing of his interest in the paper, in June, 1884, to W. 0. Knapp, who owned the Delta "Avalanche," as hereinbefore stated. In 1889 Walter J. Sherwood purchased the Knapp interest, and within a year became sole owner. Two years later, on August 29, 1892, the paper became the property of Levi S. Jameson, who for fourteen prior years had been editor-owner of the "Observer," at Celina, Ohio. He owned the "Tribune" until 1902, and for the remainder of his life, which ended in 1911, lived in Wauseon, in the affairs of which community he took interested part. During his ownership of the "Tribune," he built the Tribune Building, and in many ways was an active useful citizen. He sold his paper and printing plant in March, 1902, to James L. Shinnabarger, who managed the business until January 1, 1903, when it passed into the possession of Frank H. Reighard, who was editor-owner until August, 1910, during which period the subscription list grew considerably; in fact the circulation of the "Tribune" was more than doubled during Mr. Reighard's regime as editor. He gave the people of the county a good news service in the "Tribune," and when they sought to send him as their representative to the State Legislature, he aimed to give them equally good service as a legislator. Thus he was influenced to sell the "Tribune" paper and plant in August, 1910, to Frank B. Kenyon and Catherine B. Weir. Mr. Kenyon, who was formerly pastor of the Congregational Church in Wauseon, and still is one of its most prominent members and workers, has since 1910 been editor of the "Tribune," and he has well maintained its former high standard. On October 6, 1919, Miss Weir sold her part interest in the publishing house to Robert J. Bissonette, upon his return from overseas service with the American Expeditionary Forces. First Sergeant Robert J. Bissonette, a printer, was formerly on the "Tribune" staff, and was a member of the first detachment that left Fulton county, in 1917, for service in the national army. He saw most of the strenuous fighting in which the American forces participated in France; was with the Thirty-eighth Infantry, of Third Division, at Chateau Thierry, passed through the terrible Argonne fighting, and on almost to Metz, before the signing of the Armistice ended hostilities. Later for eight months he was with the Army of Occupation in Germany, during the greater part of that time being foreman in the plant of an Army of Occupation organ, "The Watch on the Rhine," a creditable publication. Next to the "Fulton County Tribune" in date of establishment comes the "Archbold Herald," which was founded by W. O. and J. M. 188 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY Taylor, in 1885. A year later W. O. Taylor bought the interest held by his brother, J. M., and thereafter until 1893 was editor-owner. He then sold the paper and plant to George 0. Dix, who some time later sold to E. W. Ames. In about 1898, the paper was suspended for a brief period, during change of ownership, but resumed publication, and continued as the "Archbold Herald" until May, 1898, when it was consolidated with the "Archbold Advocate," then owned by J. E. Hutchinson and E. E. Hallett, and founded by them a year prior to the consolidation. The merged papers took the name of the "Archbold Advocate," Mr. Hallett taking the editorship. Two years later he became sole owner, and has since held the paper in successful circulation. The circulation is now almost a thousand copies weekly, and the paper gets its proper proportion of advertisements of business houses in its territory. The "Advocate" was originally non-partisan; later it was democratic in tone; but since 1916 it has been what might be termed American in its policy, Editor Hallett believing that such a political party will eventually be formed. Mr. Hallett has been connected with journalism in Fulton county for almost a generation, is a practical printer, and a conscientious editor. In 1886 a foreign-language newspaper was established in Fulton county. It, "Der Deutsche Gazette," circulated among residents of German antecedents or birth; but its life was brief. In 1886 also the "Swanton Enterprise" was founded. A year later its owner, H. S. Bassett, took as partner Charles H. Rowland. After several changes of ownership, the paper passed, in 1916, from A. Hochstrasser to Cooney and Cullis, its present owners. They are .young aggressive men, and are issuing a good local weekly, a seven-column eight-page paper, non-partisan in tone. The partners also have a well-equipped job plant. The "Metamora Record" was established in February, 1900, by E. A. Brooks, who about three years later sold to J. J. A. Parker, of Sylvania, Ohio. J. J. Malone was local representative and editor for several years, and the paper was eventually sold to Thomas Daly, of Adrian, Michigan. Two years ago Mr. Daly removed the printing plant from Adrian to Metamora, and in July, 1919, Clyde H. McComb became owner of the paper and plant. The present circulation is about six hundred copies. Mr. W. O. Taylor, who in 1885 founded the Archbold "Herald," began to issue the "Archbold Buckeye," in 1905. He, is still its owner and editor, and the paper has the distinction of being the only semiweekly now published in the county. At one time the "Democratic Expositor," of Wauseon, was published twice weekly, but when shortage of news print during the World war made the lot of newspaper publishers somewhat worrysome the "Expositor" became a weekly, and has so remained. The "Buckeye" however has maintained its semiweekly issuing, and Mr. Taylor has a good following. The paper is non-partisan in politics, and strives to keep its home town well to the front. Mr. Taylor is among the capable editors of the county. At one time there was a "Lyons Herald," and in 1913 the "Lyons Journal" was established by two newspaper men of Toledo. They, however, only issued the paper for three weeks, then selling to H. D. Meister, editor of the "Democratic Expositor" of Wauseon. He has HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 189 maintained the "Lyons Journal" in regular issue to the present, the paper being printed on the press of the "Expositor." It is non-partisan in policy. From a reading of this chapter it will be realized that Fulton county, peopled by less than thirty thousand, is well supplied with newspapers; and it is somewhat surprising that the majority of them are profitable business enterprises; that is to say, comparatively so, for a newspaper publisher and editor rarely gets a properly adequate return for the long hours of manual and mental labor he has to give weekly to conscientiously cover the news needs of his subscribers. As a matter of fact, the average country newspaper is sold at a lower rate than the production costs justify, and the papers published would be fewer, were it not possible for the publisher to glean some additional revenue from the outside job work that he is usually able to handle in his printing plant. The newspaper editor is, as a rule, not one of the wealthiest men of the community, but he certainly has it in his power to become one of its most useful members; and if he conscientiously works for what he considers to be the good of his community he is generally accorded a substantial degree of respect by his fellow-citizens. With such a possession the earnest editor is content to labor on. CHAPTER XI THE HISTORY OF CLINTON TOWNSHIP INCLUDING THAT OF WAUSEON, THE COUNTY SEAT Prior to 1820, Clinton ,Township area was recognized as Indian Territory. On April 1, 1820, by enactment of the Legislature of the State of Ohio, it became part of Wood county, which status it held until July, 1835, when Lucas county was organized, part of which it then became. It was unorganized territory, however, until March 5, 1838, when the commissioners, in session at. Toledo, established it as Clinton Township. It is bounded north, east, and west by the townships of Dover, York and German, of Fulton county, respectively, and on the south by Henry county ; and it has become the principal township of the county, in that it includes the incorporated village of Wauseon, the county seat. One good authority, who was then living in the vicinity, and is still alive, states that the organization did not take place until 1841, and the first election was consequently not held in 1838; but his version is not substantiated by any other record. Three historians have recorded the date of organization as March 5, 1838, and Clark Waggoner, in his "History of Toledo and Lucas County" (1888), in the chapter on "County Affairs," page 314, states: "March 5, 1838. The Townships of Gorham and Clinton (now in Fulton county) were established." Although the township early records are not now in existence, at least one official document is available to bear out the general understanding that Clinton Township was organized prior to 1841. The instrument referred to is a copy of a receipt, now in the possession of the Bayes family. It reads : Clinton Township School Fund. Received Jan. 1840, by E. Huntington for Isaac Tedrow - $31,217 Township poor fund - 1,832 Township road fund - 3,666 $36,715 Isaac Tedrow, Dr. to E. Huntington, for settling with Auditor and bringing the money from Toledo, 0. - $3.50 As the territory was laid out, as Clinton Township, by the Lucas County Commissioners, on March 5, 1838, it may be assumed that the settlers took early opportunity to effect the formal organization, and that the statement that the first election in the township was held on the first Monday of April, 1838, is correct. It is not possible to state, confidently, who was the first white settler in the territory, but it is, clear that 1835 was the first year in which - 190 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 191 settlers came into it to establish homes therein. Some historians have given Elisha Williams, who came in October, 1835, the distinctive place as the pioneer settler, but it seems that Thomas Bayes was also in the township in 1835; and that Thomas Lingle, a bachelor, came into it at about the same time as Elisha Williams; and Rufus Briggs, writing in 1903, of "Pioneer Days," stated that "Elisha Huntington and family came from the state of New York by wagon, and drove the first pair of horses and wagon, into the township in 1835," adding incidentally that "while clearing away a place for the foundation of his log house, he killed forty-one blue racers and black snakes." Elisha Williams, and his son John H., came in the. early fall, and built a log but in what was designated the "Six Mile Woods." That accomplished, father and son returned to Seneca county, Ohio, but two months later, in December of 1835, Elisha, Williams was again in the "ELISHA HUNTINGTON KILLED 41 BLUE RACERS, AND BLACK SNAKES" IN CLEARING GROUND FOR HIS LOG CABIN. Six Mile Woods, accompanied this time by his whole family, consisting of his wife, at least four adult children, and at least one younger child. The adult sons were John H., Jerry, and Burt; there was a daughter, who in 1838 married Thomas Lingle ; the younger child was William F., then a boy of six years. He, who later became known throughout the county by the military title of Captain, and honored as a veteran of worthy record during the Civil War, wrote his "Experiences in the Days of Long Ago," in 1908, his narrative, in part reading: "I was only six years old when I came with my father, Elisha Williams, in the fall of 1835, and settled on a farm one and a half miles west of here (Wauseon). That was nearly seventy-five years ago, and in what is now Clinton Township there was not then another white man living. It was a dreary place then, and nothing but woods and water, and the only company. we had were the friendly Indians, and the howling wolves. I can well remember how, along about sun-down on a cold winter's day, we could hear those wolves set up their yelp. 192 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY First, you would hear one in one direction, then one in another, and so on, until our home was surrounded by packs of these howling beasts. Fortunately for the early settler, the wolf was naturally a coward, and a firebrand or a light has saved many a flock of sheep for the pioneer. You know in those days every settler had to have his own sheep, from which to get wool that our dear old mothers could make into clothes for us. Every stitch of clothing that us children had was made from cloth that mother first wove from wool from the sheep. And in those days we had our high pens into which we drove our flock every night, to protect them from the wolves. The black bear was common here then, but they gave us very little trouble, and about the only time I ever remember of one attacking stock was a year or two after we came here. Father had a drove of hogs running at large in the woods, and, when they were about where George Brown's house now stands, a large bear that had crept into the drove attacked one of the largest, and while the hog got away it was so injured that it died a few days later. "In 1835, and 1836, many Indians roamed over this county. In those days there was a small Indian town on what was generally known as the Zina Eager Farm, one and a half miles east of here, and a large town on what is now the Sam Foncannon Farm, while the chief lived on a little hill, in the west part of what is now Wauseon. This last statement is disputed by some of the early settlers, who claim that the chief lived in the north-east part of town, on a hill where the residence of the late Col. D. W. H. Howard now stands, but I am positive that when I first saw the chief's home it was in the west part of what is now Wauseon. The Indians were very friendly to. us, in fact too friendly, as they often hindered us in our work. If you offended one Indian HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 193 you offended the whole tribe, while if you did one a favor it was never forgotten by any member of the tribe, and they always stood ready to defend and protect you. "One morning, in the spring of 1.836, father came into the house, and addressing mother said : 'I hear a white man chopping, over north of us.' Mother went to the door of our log cabin and listened, and said that she thought it was an Indian. Father said : 'No. Listen closely, and you can tell it is a white man. chopping.' Father started in the direction from which the sound came, and after going about a mile to the north of our home came upon Avery Lamb, who was getting out timber to build a cabin. At that time father and Avery Lamb were the only white settlers in this township, but that fall and the next year settlers began to arrive quite rapidly." The land upon which Elisha Williams and his family settled in 1835 was later acquired by Jacob Biddle, and was immediately south of the forty-acre farm owned eventually by Elijah Burr. In substantiation of the claim that Elisha Williams was the first white settler in Clinton Township, it may be stated that although the "History of Henry and Fulton Counties' (1888) states that "Thomas Bayes and his wife, Lamenta, settled in Clinton Township in 1835, and resided on section twenty-two" and adds in further comment, that "Mr. Bayes and his wife still live to recount the experiences of those days," which comment would lead one to suppose that the compiler had obtained his information direct from Mr. Bayes, yet Elliot Bayes, grandson of Thomas and son of William W., but almost in the pioneer class himself, having been born in Clinton Township in 1840, is responsible for the assertion that "Thomas Bayes lived in York Township several years before moving to Clinton Township." Another chronicler stated that Elisha Huntington did not arrive until March of 1836. Rufus Briggs, who spent much time in collecting historical data of Clinton Township, and was aided in such endeavors by Captain William F. Williams, son of Elisha, gives the last-named credit for having erected the first "house," built of logs, in the township, which house he states was erected on October 23, 1835, and was occupied by Elisha Williams and his family on December 22, 1835, this establishing Elisha Williams in first place among the "permanent" settlers of Clinton Township, yet Rufus Briggs makes the following statement regarding the coming of Avery Lamb: "In the fall of 1835 Avery Lamb built a log cabin, about six by twelve feet, on land that he had bought of the government the previous July. and his cabin was situated on the west side of the township line between York and Clinton Townships, in which he wintered. and chopped off a small piece of land for spring crops. In the spring of 1836 Mr. Lamb returned to his home in Onondaga county, N. Y., and arrived with his family in June, 1836. . . . During this spring, '36, Mr. Lamb erected a hewed log house, which when chinked and daubed and whitewashed, presented a very comfortable and cheerful appearance, and was for many years a pleasant and hospitable home." Presumably, therefore, the chopping Elisha Williams had heard in the spring of 1836 was that of timber for Avery Lamb's second log home. Regarding Avery Lamb's property, Rufus Briggs continued : "Previous to 1847, all of Mr. Lamb's buildings were in Clinton 194 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY Township, and although after 1847 he built a home in York Town. ship where he lived, his interests were closely identified with Clinton Township. Mr. Lamb built the first frame barn forty by sixty erected in this township. The whitewood lumber for the barn was procured from the McQuillin saw mill, near Delta, at $6.00 per 1,000 feet; nails cost $8.00 per 100 lbs ; total cost of barn, as taken from memorandum, $143." Between the coming of the first white settler in 1835, and the holding of the first township election, in 1838, many settlers had taken up land, nearly all of them purchasing from the government at $1.25 or $1.50 an acre. Besides those hereinbefore named, the pioneers who had settled in Clinton Township in or before 1838 were: William W. Bayes, Isaac Tedrow, Adam, William, James, and George Mikesell, Mary (Mikesell) Case, and her son, Thomas J. Case, then a boy of nine years, Meek Bayes, Horace Pease, John Losure, Sr., Erastus Briggs, Sr., Cyrus Coy, William Jones, Thomas McKibben, Jonathan Barnes, Asa Young, Samuel Beck, William Dye, Henry Krontz, St. B. Geer, S. B. Willey, Isaac Dowell, Holmes Bishop, Samuel Gould, Lewis and Samuel Eckhart, John Lillick, Jonathan Inman, Ebenezer Keiser, Philip Krontz, James Cornell. The first election was held in the home of John Losure, Sr., and fifteen votes were cast, resulting in the election of officers as follows: Elisha Williams, justice of the peace; Thomas Bayes and Jonathan Barnes, trustees; and William Jones, Sr., clerk. Life in the wilderness was necessarily of the Spartan order, with much privation, and comparative isolation. Still, the settlers were, withal, happy. Rufus Briggs wrote: "There has been a good deal' written on the hardships and privations of the early pioneers. There were a great many pleasures and enjoyments. At log house and barn raisings, logging bees, husking bees, when a new pioneer arrived, every one was ready and willing to lend a helping hand. The young people also had their enjoyments, such as coon hunting, spelling schools, and sometimes a dance; and for the music an old squeaky fiddle was the only fiddle used." Of the subsequent activities of some of those pioneers of Clinton Township not much information is available. The Williams family, as a whole, has a creditable record, having cleared much of the acreage of Clinton and York Townships. John H. Williams, son of Elisha, bought from Henry Leist, in 1842, a tract of eighty acres of timber land, about two miles east of Wauseon. Not a foot had been cleared, and he cleared it, and lived his whole life upon it, the farm remaining in the family for seventy-six years, during which it had never been encumbered by mortgage. John H. Williams paid $215 for the land, which, when sold recently to H. R. Bonnell, realized more than $12,000. Elisha Williams became a prominent man of the township; Jerry Williams was one of the township’s prosperous farmers and raised a worthy 'family, including Judge Ed. E. Williams, who died in 1913, and was for two terms probate judge of Fulton county; and Captain William F. Williams, whit) died in September, 1914, was during his last years an honored member of Losure Post, No. 35, of the G. A. R. He had to his credit a worthy Civil War record, as a commissioned officer of the Sixty-Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry from 1861 until the end of the war. Just prior to his death, he was elected president of the Fulton County Pioneer and Historical Society. HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 195 Elisha Huntington cleared a substantial acreage, and was an active citizen. One of his sons, William R., was later prominent in York Township. He was postmaster in Delta in 1887 and met a tragic death during the Fourth of July celebrations of that year. A sham battle was in process in the main street of Delta, the opposing forces, Confederate and Union, of course using blank cartridges. But a bullet struck Postmaster Huntington, as he stood near the post-office, viewing the encounter. He died within an hour. Avery Lamb, who brought his family into Clinton Township, in June of 1836, and with them settled in section 24, upon which he had previously erected a cabin (in the previous winter, stated Mikesell) lived a long life in the township. His end came suddenly, in April, 1874. He 'dropped dead, while on the cars, at Broadwood Station, Illinois, about fifty miles west of Chicago." His remains were brought back to Wauseon, "in a beautiful casket and appropriate burial apparel" furnished by the Masonic fraternity. He was a charter member of the Wauseon Lodge, and had been interestedly active in much Of the communal affairs of Wauseon and the township. He left a large family. His daughter Permelia, who was scarcely three years old when the family came to live in the wilderness, became the wife of Wauseon's pioneer doctor, Dr. D. W. Hollister, and she and her husband took up their abode in Wauseon es soon as its settlement began. She died in October, 1909, of typhoid fever. Her sister, Lucy, born in Clinton Township on June 11, 1837, and probably the third child to be born in the settlement, "developed a very social and genial disposition, and all her ways and manner were exemplary. She was the reigning belle in the community" averred Rufus Briggs. She married Harvey J. Eager, in 1866, and thereafter, until his death in 1898, lived in Wauseon. For some time afterwards she lived with her son in California and Washington. She was in San Francisco at the time of the great earthquake. She however died in Wauseon, where she was loved and fondly known as "Aunt Lucy Eager." Another daughter, Helen M., born in 1844, married Zina Eager in 1863, who later owned the Eager House at Wauseon. She died in 1898. Thomas Bayes, Sr., was born in 17M, in Pennsylvania, and in 1820, came with his wife, Ann McMillen, into Ohio, settling in Holmes county. His wife died in 1836, and he then, according to one account, sold his farm and in 1837 came into Clinton Township. His son, Thomas, Jr., was however, seemingly, in Clinton Township in 1836, or before, in company with William Mikesell, his brother-in-law, these two young men making "entry of fourteen eighty-acre tracts, for themselves and certain friends, travelling much of the time on foot, as they had but one horse, which they rode alternately." Thomas Bayes, Sr., did the first blacksmithing in the township in 1838, in a little log shop about forty rods distant from the spot where eventually the residence of Elliot Bayes stood, and on the west side of the road. Thomas Bayes, Sr., was one of the first trustees of Clinton Township. The Losure family had prominent part in the early administration of Clinton Township, and members of it were later honorably placed in Civil War records. Five brothers served the nation during that war, one giving his life. Mary Jane Losure was the first white female child born in the township, that event taking place on November 6, 196 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY 1836. She lived in the township until 1888, then going to the home of her married daughter in Montana. Isaac and Elizabeth Tedrow, with their many children, came from Holmes county, Ohio, in 1836, and settled on section nine., When the log schoolhouse, on section fifteen was opened for its first term, which was in 1839, there were six scholars on the register. Five were of the Tedrow family, Rachel, Catherine, Jeremiah, Isaiah and William, the sixth pupil being Christopher H. Losure. One of these children, Jeremiah Tedrow, was destined to become "one of Clinton Township's most prominent farmers," and to meet a violent death in old age. In 1906, when seventy-seven years old, he was kicked by a colt, the injuries proving fatal. "GEORGE MIKESELL BUILT A SUBSTANTIAL FIREPLACE FOR HIS LOG HOUSE." In September, 1837, George Mikesell came from Holmes county, Ohio, and settled in Clinton Township. He was a brick mason by trade, and in 1838 put up a small kiln of brick, and eventually built a substantial fireplace and chimney for his log house. Thus, he may be given the credit of having been the first to manufacture brick in Clinton Township. George Mikesell died in 1840, on October 9th, and his wife, Mary Bayes, a week later. Their son, William, born 1810, married Mary, a daughter of Thomas Bayes, Sr., and although he was in the territory earlier, the time of the settling in Clinton Town- HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 197 ship of William Mikesell may be definitely placed as April, 1837, when he came with his parents, and the family, and took up the development of his land on section fourteen. The experience of the average family in the first year of settlement was probably somewhat similar to that of the Mikesell family. It appears that the father and sons within a few; days after their arrival erected a log cabin, and cleared about two acres of land in time for corn planting that season. By the fall, another five acres had been cleared, and sown to wheat, which in time gave them a satisfactory crop. Meanwhile they had lived on the flour they had brought with them in the ptevious year. And it must not be supposed that their diet lacked variety; there was rarely a scarcity of meat, deer, wild turkey and game being plentiful, and costing nothing but shot, while sugar, in the form of wild honey and fruits, was present in abundance. Which was fortunate, for a journey to the nearest market town, Maumee City, twenty-six to thirty miles distant, was an arduous undertaking, vehicles with difficulty travelling over the marshy roads through the county in those days. It took the Mikesells three weeks to make the journey in an ox-wagon, through the mud, from Holmes county to Fulton, or rather, as it then was, Lucas. Grain had to be hauled from Maumee City, where was the nearest mill. The Mikesells made some money by the curing of deer hams, and by the sale of furs, deer, mink and coon. In 1840, William Mikesell had enough skins to pay the purchase price of a horse. John. and Thomas Mikesell, sons of William, both saw service during the Civil War, John dying in the service in 1862. Thomas, in later life, developed a remarkably studious, methodical, and pains-taking 198 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY mode of life. For more than forty years he faithfully and extensively kept a meteorological record, and eventually was commended for his work by the national bureau. He was also a close student of ornithology, and his reports of bird migration eventually brought him associate membership of the American Ornithologists Union. He also was responsible for the publication of a history of Fulton county, published in volume form in 1905. He died in 1917, aged seventy-six years, having lived an active, useful, and diversified life. It is not possible here to give extensive mention to all the pioneer families of Clinton Township. No history can possibly be complete, no matter how voluminous; and the historian must be governed in his narration by the space at his command. William W. Bayes, who married Mary Tedrow in 1834, came into Clinton Township in September, 1837. He died in 1885, aged seventy-six years. His log cabin "was the home of the pioneer preachers, and was for a time the church building. He was throughout his life a prominent worker for the Methodist Episcopal church. His son Isaac E., was born in the log cabin in 1843, about a mile west of the house in which he died in 1916, became a veteran of the Civil War. He had a rugged upbringing, but in a good Christian home. When the family first came into Ohio, they raised flax, from which Mrs. Bayes spun garments for her children. Later, when a little more prosperous, they reared sheep for the same purpose. Another son, well-known in Wauseon and vicinity practically throughout his life of sixty-five years, was Meek Bayes, who died in 1915. The other son, Elliot, lived a useful and industrious life. He was in the Union army during the war, and for the rest of his life farmed part of his father,s original homestead. Mary Tedrow Bayes, wife of William W., died in 1869. Erastus Briggs, a man of superior education, and by profession a surveyor, was born in Maine, in 1814, and in 1835, came to Maumee City, where he resided until April 1, 1837, then coming to Clinton HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 199 Township. He purchased land from Elijah Huntington, and that transfer was probably the first recorded in the township. In the winter of 1838 Erastus Briggs taught school, the first opened in the township. In the next year, however, he returned to Maumee City, and there died in that year, being then forty-four years old. His widow returned to Clinton Township, and lived on the farm for almost fifty years, her death coming in 1898. Her son Rufus went to Kentucky, in 1847, and did not return until 1855, coming into Wauseon on the first passenger train that passed over the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. Rufus Briggs was later a successful business man of Wauseon. Although the first transfer of land was that by Elisha Huntington, in 1837, when, on April 23d, for a consideration of $100, forty acres passed into the possession of Alanson Briggs, there had been some earlier handlings of land for speculation. The first entry of land in Clinton Township was made by David Andrews, on November 15, 1834. He entered the northwestern quarter of section thirty-five later known as the Abram Faulkner Farm. Elisha Huntington sold a further fifty acres of his land in section 25, receiving $100 for it, from Emulas Burdick, but he still had sufficient land in that section for his purpose. He cleared it and lived upon it until 1870, when death came to him at the age of seventy-four years. -It seems that in October, 1836, the Rev. Uriel Spencer, an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, preached a sermon in the cabin of Elisha ,Huntington. It was probably the first religious service held by a minister in Clinton Township. Uriel Spencer had been in ministerial charge in New York State, and had been forced to come "west" in search of health, and to recover the full volume of his voice, which had failed. But for many years he stayed in Fulton county, making his home in York Township, until he was elected auditor of Lucas county, when he moved to Maumee City. He married Mary Mikesell, widow of Mr. Case. Henry Krontz settled in Clinton Township in 1836. Henry and