350 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY capable and respected of the pioneers were hotel keepers. Michael Handy, who lived in Pike Township, near Ottokee, was a justice of the peace, a pioneer teacher, was county school examiner, and prosecuting attorney of Fulton county, was a man of distinct capability and high character; yet, for more than a decade he kept a hotel. His son, Judge Wm. H. Handy, a few years ago wrote: "I can remember when my father kept tavern on the old home farm, and Uncle Bot Howard kept tavern east of him. (It was in Robert A. Howard’s house that the first court of Fulton county was held.) And of all the emigrants and teamsters between Maumee and the west who so frequently stopped with us, men who were compelled to travel through that new country on roads that nature built, and did all of their milling and their trading in Lucas county,s first capital. I have not forgotten when a three-cent piece would buy a drink of whisky out of the bottle, kept in the always-locked cupboard. And when business was dull, the landlord would sit in the bar-room, and mend shoes for his neighbors." Judge Handy referred to his father as a shoemaker, perhaps to describe the simple life of the typical landlord. His father was a very capable educator, and taught school each winter for twenty-one years, twelve of them in Fulton county. Michael Handy himself, in the Wauseon "Republican" of March 29, 1884, stated that he "succeeded well" at hotel-keeping, adding however that "hotel bills were not so high as now." In amplification he wrote: "Then, we charged a man six cents for a bed, one shilling for a meal ; kept a team to hay overnight and the man his supper, breakfast and lodging for four shillings. When we had county conventions, and other large public gatherings on special occasions, bill was, two shillings for dinner." Judge W. H. Handy, in one of his reminiscences made reference to two Ottokee hotels, of the fifties, one on the north side, possessing a sign "Hotel by H. Taylor," and Stow,s Hotel on the south side. The north side hotel was that opened by William Jones; Henry Taylor succeeded him as landlord. The other hotel was first opened in 1853, by Ezra Wilcox, and according to Verity successive landlords were David Fairchilds, Lewis Breese, and Dr. W. C. Robinson. It was closed in, about, the year 1859. Regarding Stow’s show, which advertised Ottokee in many parts of Ohio, if not in other states in the fifties, Wm. H. Handy wrote : "I spoke of Stow’s show a while ago. Oh ! There was where we had it on Delta and Wauseon, although Wauseon was not much at that time—just a little burg in the woods .. Stow,s show, that great moral and intellectual combination of unparalled genius, costing I don,t remember how many thousand dollars for materials. It was indeed a great institution. In the spring, it would start out in all the glory of new painted wagons, and in the fall would come back to winter in old Ottokee. If the season had been prosperous, old Ottokee was prosperous. If the season had been a hard one, Ottokee would be less prosperous. But Stows would work hard all winter to get enough for next spring,s start, and they always made it in some way. They had a good show, too. There were the Indians many of you will remember, Kim and Osceola; and then West Stow, the old clown, and Hat Stow, the limber man, and HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 351 John Stow and wife, singers; Minerva, with the famous highland fling, and that famous song of her,s `Roy's wife, ; and Like, the boss. They gave us a great show for a small admittance, and they showed all they advertised. And when they wintered in old Ottokee, at Stow,s tavern with some of their performers, don,t you remember that they all behaved themeslves like respectable citizens. They also had a magician . . . . And Currier's band ; wasn't it really great? "Many will recall the time when the Indians were in the tent, giving their part of the performance, and Uncle Dres. Howard sat on one of the back seats, and gave a war whoop, which he could give as well as the Sioux. How it even scared the Indians They had a great war song, those Indians, which we boys all learned. It ran something like this: "Unonda! Unonda! Unonda! Unonda! Wa-hoo-yah! Wa-hoo-yah! Unonda! Unonda! "When they sang that we kids had all we could do to keep our hair on our heads." The early physicians of Dover Township, who, when Ottokee became the' county seat, centered their practice from that place were Drs. Blaker, Hyde, McCann, Gurley, Worden, DeLano, Herriman and Robinson. Dr. Blaker was the pioneer physician. Ottokee during the last four decades has been the home of an important county institution, the Fulton County Infirmary, latterly designated the Fulton County Home. It uses the ground formerly occupied by the Court House, the Infirmary being organized soon after the removal of the seat of justice from Ottokee to Wauseon, and the consequent vacating of the Court House buildings at Ottokee. These were used to house the personnel and inmates of the Infirmary. Later, about three hundred acres of contiguous land were purchased, so that by its tillage by the inmates of the Infirmary that institution might be made self-sustaining, or partly so. The history of the Fulton County Home is reviewed in the Institutional chapter of this volume. Ottokee is essentially one of the historic spots of Fulton county, and in recollection is very dear to many of its older residents. Periodically, the former residents gather in the old place to renew pleasurable memories of long ago. It is the center of a conference of teachers year after year, -and latterly each year has brought a reunion of teachers and pupils of Ottokee School. of 1850-70. For one such reunion, that of 1913, 'Mrs. Roxea (familiarly shortened to "Rock") Handy Rice, a daughter of Michael Handy, wrote some entertaining verse, entitled "Old Times in Ottokee." In part it reads: "While we are gathered here today, I, in a vision, see Some things which happened long ago, in good old Ottokee. * * * * * * * Now, as I look back to those days, when we were young and gay, So many scenes flit through my thoughts, I know not what to say, * * * * * * * Protracted meetings, spelling school, and circus had their day, And picnics for the Sunday School, there was a grand array 352 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY Of seeded cakes and pyramids, all made by our mothers— I doubt if ever; since that time there's been their like in others— And then the dances, where the bunch were pretty sure to go, To try 'the light fantastic' to music made by Stow; I now remember well a time when 'Shakers' were in style, And we all wore them up to church, and marched in single file. Dame Fashion never beat us out, no matter on what line, Even when she came in great hoops made from yes, the wild grape vine. Although throughout the summer days, we all with pleasure flirted When revivals opened in the fall we were there to be converted; The young folks now think we were green, and badly out of date, But our fun was of a cleaner grade than that we read of late— The 'Bear Dance' and the 'Turkey Trot,' and all that sort of slime So popular among the young, to us would seem a crime— Few scandals grew from out our ranks; through some good cause or other, ‘White slavery' was an unknown term, and 'dope fiend' was another. Ah, well ! those days have long since gone; grim death has claimed his share, And now the few who may remain are scattered everywhere; Left from the crowd of gay young hearts, so happy in that day, Are many bent and withered forms, toothless and bald, and gray, Who await the final "summons, and whenever it shall be, May the future yield the happiness we enjoyed in Ottokee." SPRING HILL The village of Spring Hill had its inception, perhaps, in the meeting, at the house of Mortimer D. Hibbard, on February 1, 1844, "of gentlemen from Maumee and Angola and along the road,'! to consider "the expediency of putting a line of stages on this road, between the two places." The quoted words are those extracted from the diary of Mrs. Mortimer D. Hibbard, who also recorded the decision of the gentlemen to establish such a line. Spring Hill was presumably to be a stopping place, and apparently the projectors of the stage route sought to interest the people of the western settlement of Dover in the project so that travellers might be sure of accommodation at Spring Hill, while en route west, or east. That the Hibbard family planned to establish a village, or expected that a village would develop at Spring Hill, is clear, from a diary entry of April 20, 1844, when Mrs. Hibbard wrote: "Took a walk to the village of Spring Hill that is to be;" and on July 4th the settlers in the vicinity evidently gathered there for Fourth of July exercises, Mrs. Hibbard recording on July 5th: "Had a pleasant celebration here yesterday. They raised a liberty pole, seventy-five feet high, with stars and stripes." Nothing further in the matter of town planning, or of intention to plan, is on record, regarding Spring Rill, until the organization of Fulton county, in 1850, when the claims of Spring Hill, as a site for the county seat, were considered by the locating commissioners. Ottokee was decided upon, and Mortimer D. Hibbard was elected county auditor. At the next election, however, he was succeeded by Judge A. C. Hough. When the next spring opened, Mr. Hibbard seems to have decided to carry out his original intention, Mrs. Hibbard HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 353 recording on March 18, 1851 : "Mortimer had his village of Spring Hill surveyed. today." Their daughter, Miss Marie A. Hibbard, who has resided in Spring Hill all her life, is perhaps the person best fitted to tell the history of Spring Hill. She writes. "The little unincorporated village was surveyed and platted March 25, 1851. It occupies a part of the large tract of land willed by Ambrose Rice to his two grand-nephews, Oscar and Jason Rice Hibbard "In addition to the plat of the main village, north of the so-called Maumee and Angola road a row of lots, on the south side, was taken from the farm of T. B. Walters, the farm now occupied by Mr. Everett Spring. "The original plat gives names of first purchasers of lots, as follows: Justus Wright, J. C. Hoffmire, Dr. N. W. Jewell, Jesse and John Struble, Michael Maloney, R. C. Shepherd, David Ely, and David Davis. The four central lots on which the brick schoolhouse now stands were given by Mr. Hibbard for a. public square. He also gave the lot for the frame schoolhouse, now used as a residence, at the southwest corner of the village "In the first years of the village a brown frame building on the south side was kept as a tavern by Daniel Struble, Mr. Stevens, Garrett Rittenhouse, James Ronk, and others in succession. "T. B. Walters, Jason Hibbard, and later Augustus and Edwin Howard were the first merchants. Michael Maloney had his blacksmith shop at the southwest corner of the village. "William Harris, and later James Gillett, had wagon shops on the south side. James Way had a carding and grist mill on the north side of the village. It /burned, and R. C. Shepard built another, farther to the west. The old tannery, southeast of the village, was run by the Struble brothers, Jacob and Henry. Mr. Wickham had a tailor shop on the north side. "Dr. Hyde, Dr. Jewell, and later Dr. R. C. Ely cared for the sick . . . . . . . Mr. William Jewell built the house now used as a Methodist parsonage. Rev. Ralph Carter, brother of Mrs. J. C. Aldrich, built the little house used many years as a 'parsonage, west of the Christian Church. The house south of the school ground was begun by David Ely, and finished by M. D. Hibbard, who occupied it many 'years. A part of it only remains. The house directly south of it was built by T. B. Walters, and the one to the west by R. C. Shepherd. Of all the first houses, built in the early fifties, but one remains in possession of the man who built it. The large house built by Milton Spring, at the extreme end of the village, is still owned by his daughter, Mrs. Ellen Anderson, the only remaining one of his children. The oldest daughter died in early womanhood. The three sons all served in the Civil War. Mrs. Anderson has the love and gratitude of many of her old pupils and Sunday School scholars . . . . . . . . "Of the patriotism of the people one need not speak. Dover Township was one of very few where no draft was necessary during the Civil War. Her young men, many of them mere boys, came thronging into the ranks. Good soldiers they were, too; none braver or better. " The above-quoted historical narrative was written by Miss Hibbard in 1916, or 1917, and published in the "Fulton County Tribune." With a desire only to supplement it, data collected from other sources is given. Mrs. Maddox, daughter of C. M. Spring, states that: 354 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY "Mr. Hibbard laid out the town of Spring Hill, with a public square which was intended for the Court House Square. There the schoolhouse is now located, and to that square Mr. Hibbard, by means of a hydraulic ram, forced water from the spring at the foot of the hill just east of the village. "From these springs and small hills the town received its name. One large spring,, which later was made into a fish pond by C. M. Spring, furnished water for the family washings of the early settlers, who came to the same on washday, and hung a kettle, in which they heated water. On the farm almost one mile east of Spring Hill, where Rev. Elisha Hibbard lived, was the site of an Indian village." Judge Verity, in his history of Dover Township, states that Mortimer Hibbard was the first merchant at Spring Hill, he "opened the first store of goods, upon a small scale, at a very early day," adding that "he was followed by Thomas Walters, and afterwards by William Jewell, Robert Shepherd, Francis Laudersdale and Son," whose store was "burned out" in 1860. The only saw mill in the township was built about one mile west of Spring Hill, in 1853, by Burdick Burtch, who a few years later sold to Daniel Kahle. His son, James Kahle, added a cane crusher and evaporator to the plant. The grist mill at Spring Hill was established in 1857 or 1858, and destroyed by fire in 1860. It was rebuilt, but eventually removed. The Spring family was associated with Spring Hill almost from its establishment. "It was in 1853 that Milton Spring and family drove into Spring Hill. At that time there were in the village three thriving stores and a hotel. The Spring family had visited an uncle in Chesterfield Township, and were on their way west, they knew not where. Reaching Spring Hill, the people of the town gathered around the wagons, and urged them to settle in their thriving new town," states a family record, which continues: "Uncle Tommie Walters, who was keeping store in the building standing on the northeast corner of the main corners of the town, offered them two upstairs HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 355 front rooms, free of charge, the use of which they accepted. Later Milton Spring bought lots in Morenci, and planned to build there, but sold his lots and bought in Spring Hill, where he built the home in which he died," in 1888, at the age of eighty-two years. Milton Spring "was a man of unusual strength, and indomitable energy"; he was also a man of strong moral character. For fifty years he was prominent in church work, being one of the leading members of the Spring Hill M. E. Church. His wife, a worthy woman, reached the age of ninety-four years. All of their male children (3) served in the Union army during the Civil war, an enviable family record. Of the three sons, Cornelius M. was probably the most prominent in public affairs. He died in 1916, sixty-three of his seventy-three years having been lived in Fulton county. He lived a busy public-spirited and high-minded life; was treasurer of Dover Township for twelve years; and for many years was on the School Board. But most noteworthy of his public service was that in connection with the Methodist church at Spring Hill. He was superintendent of the Sunday school for forty years, and even after he took up residence in Wauseon, he would drive to Spring Hill Sunday after Sunday for that purpose. In early manhood, he was a school teacher, but he became a successful farmer and a cheese manufacturer on a large scale. His younger brother, N. C., died in 1917, at Tedrow, aged sixty-five years. SCHOOLS Mrs. Hibbard's diaries record much of pioneer school history. Entries made in June, 1839, refer to the sending of her two older children to school "for the first time"; and one would infer that there were no school facilities in the western part of Dover (then Clinton) Township earlier than that. It appears that Caroline Seamans was the teacher, and that the school was held in a room in the Ferguson house just north of the site of the present village. Miss Hibbard is of the opinion that "it was the first school in the township of Dover, not then formed, and was probably a subscription school. Under date of December 19, 1840, a diary entry reads: "There is a new schoolhouse built half a mile south of here. Mortimer (Hibbard) commenced teaching today." Describing .that schoolhouse, Miss Hibbard writes: "This log schoolhouse was probably the first in what is now Dover Township. It stood on a hill, now much worn down, on what is now Lot No.. 1, in Spring Hill, owned by Mr. Everett Spring. It is described as having low windows, a slab floor, a wide fireplace on the west side, opposite the door, benches made of slabs, with pegs for legs, and desks made by driving boards across pegs driven into the wall. The pens were fashioned by the master's pen knife, from goose quills brought by the 'children. The lead pencils for ruling the writing paper were made by hammering a piece of lead into the required shape. These were usually attached to a string worn about the neck for convenience. The books were a varied assortment, the blue-covered 'Elementary Speller' figuring predominantly." "The teachers who taught in that schoolhouse, as fax as mentioned in the journal, were Michael Handy, William Jewell, Henry 356 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY Tiffany, Andros Canfield, Huldah Howe, Sophronia Deming, Amelia, Randolph and Mortimer Hibbard." Verity, stated, also, that the Hibbards, Canfield, and Handy, "and many others, taught as good common schools as was generally found at that day." Male teachers received a salary of from $10 to $13 a month, and women teachers from $6 to $8 a week. In addition they received free board and lodging, being "boarded around," as was termed the practice of the residents to receive into their homes, for a week or two of free entertainment, the teacher of the district school, who would pass similar periods, as non-paying guest, in other houses until the school term ended. The school term was customarily only for three winter months, the greater number of the male teachers pursuing agriculture during the growing season, when also the older pupils spent part of their time in the fields, assisting in the work of the home farm. Soon after the organization of Dover Township, in 1843, two school districts were formed, one in the western part, which would be Spring I-Till, and the other in the eastern settlement, which was at the Center, or near to where Ottokee eventually developed. In April, 1846, the township trustees divided the township into four school districts: No. 1, at what became Ottokee; No. 2, at Ohatfield's Corners, where the "Emery" postoffice was established "at a very early date, with Lucius N. Chatfield, postmaster" ; No. 3, in the northwestern corner of the township, later known as Union School District; and No. 4, at Spring Hill. No. 2 District became the Waid District. It was not long before No. 5 District became necessary, and this being central, was used for township elections for one or two decades. No. 6 District, in the northeastern part of the township was organized in 1864. In 1876, the Spring Hill District, No. 4, by a special act of the State Legislature was set apart as a separate district, and a brick schoolhouse was built. The log schoolhouse at Spring Hill was replaced in 1851 by a frame schoolhouse, which was located at the southwest corner of the village, that house being still occupied, as a residence. The site was donated by Mortimer D. Hibbard, who also gave the four lots upon which the brick schoolhouse was eventually built. At one time a "large square frame building, originally erected on the farm of William Culbertson, a mile or so south of the village," and used by the Christian Church society for many years, was eventually adapted to the requirements of a high school. Dover Township has not since increased the number of school districts, but it has of course progressed, in the same ratio as has been the advancement in education, in length of session and extent of curricula, in other like schools of 'Fulton county. As at present constituted, the school facilities of Dover Township consist of five one-room elementary schools. Tedrow (or Spring Hill) is a separate rural district, serving about fifty pupils, and having a two-room schoolhouse. The other five schoolhouses, with furnishings and equipment, are valued at $8,950, and, have an enrollment of about 160 scholars. The 1920 ‘Board of Education of Dover Township is: William Windisch, president: J. H. Bailey, clerk; Fred Clark, Frank Bowers, V. S. Spring, and C. F. Bell, directors. The Board of Education of the Tedrow Special District is: H. J. Grimes, president; Dr. Evers, clerk ; O. M. Eldredge and M. L. Ernst, directors. HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 357 CEMETERIES The cemeteries of Dover are administered by the township trustees. The oldest cemetery probably is the Ayers Cemetery, which is supposed to have been "laid off for burial purposes at the very beginning of its settlement, or as soon as 1838." Ottokee Cemetery comes next, having been laid out in 1846. Betsy Knapp, wife of Archie W. Knapp, was buried in it in June, 1846, and in 1853 it was organized as the Ottokee Cemetery. Spring Hill Cemetery was organized in, about, 1860; and it is believed that Oscar A. Hibbard, son of Mortimer D. Hibbard, was the first person interred in it. CHURCHES The early settlers of Dover Township, and for that matter of Fulton county, were fundamentally religious ; and undoubtedly as settlements grew, religious gatherings formed in the log cabin of one of the settlers who were of the same sect. Because William Jones was the first settler in that part of York, later Clinton Township, which came within the bounds of Dover eventually, and because it is on record that he sometimes preached "for the Disciples, there then being a few of that faith in Clinton Township on the south," we may perhaps give the Disciples of Christ society the distinction of having been the first to form an organization in Dover Township, although the United Brethren, under Alonzo H. Butler and John Bowser, formed an organization "at a very early date" ; and the Methodist Episcopal society at Spring Hill dates back to 1.842, in which year also services conducted by members of the New Church, or Swedenborgian society, were held in Dover. The Disciples, .or the Church of Christ society, in Dover, beginning with the activities of William Jones, were brought to a concrete state of definite church organization in 1841, through the efforts of Moses Ayers, as has been stated earlier in this chapter. The Rev. Benjamin Alton, of DeKalb county, Indiana, came at his invitation, and preached to settlers gathered in the home of Moses Ayers. It resulted in the formation of the Disciples at "Brush Creek, Lucas county, now Spring Hill, Fulton county," on March 1, 1841, that society having at organization seventeen members. Miss Hibbard writes: "Services were held regularly, though they had no settled pastor for some years. In the spring of 1853, they erected a frame building on the farm of William Culbertson, in Clinton Township. In the spring of 1855, that building was removed to a lot given them by M. D. Hibbard, in the northern part of Spring Hill, being the first church building in that village, and, as I believe, the first in Dover Township. The wooden building removed to Spring Hill in 1855 had, as its first settled incumbent, Reverend Topliffe, who was followed later by Rev. L. L. Carpenter, Zephaniah W. Shepherd, L. B. Smith, and others. In the winter of 1881-82, the old church gave place to a new one of brick, Rev. E. T. Hayes being pastor at that time. In both Christian and Methodist churches of Spring Hill, regular services and Sunday schools are now held." Miss Hibbard, wrote in 1916, of Spring Hill churches and Sunday schools, stating that "Spring Hill was favored with many fine teachers in its early days. Tradition will keep alive the names of Thomas Williams, Gavari. Burtch, David Ayers, Sarah Guilford, John 358 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY R. Deming, Joseph D. Aldrich, and many others." Of them, Miss Hibbard wrote : "Did they realize the influence they were exerting on the lives of some of their pupils? Faithful, competent, conscientious teachers ! May the sod rest lightly over their true hearts." Verity records that, in 1847, Elder Hosea Day organized a Christian church at Ottokee, "with a fair membership, which in later years, for want of pastoral service, lost their identity, and finally consolidated with the Disciples, who were quite prominent over the whole township." Verity adds that in 1858, the Disciples, under the labors of Elder It. L. Carpenter, formed an organization at Ottokee, which in after years, like the Christian denomination, became disintegrated and was merged into the Wauseon and Spring Hill societies." The Disciples churches at Wauseon and Spring Hill are now known as Churches of Christ, or Christian churches. What difference there was between the original Christian society of Ottokee and the Disciples organization headed by L. L. Carpenter has not been defined. L. L. Carpenter was, perhaps, one of the most powerful and effective pioneer ministers of the Disciple, or Christian,, church in Fulton county. Miss Olive Roos, formerly of Chesterfield Township, and now of Wauseon, wrote a review of the Christian churches some years ago, and regarding L. L. Carpenter she stated "Perhaps no other one person who had to do with the establishment. of the Churches of Christ in this section was more widely known, or more highly esteemed, than L. L. Carpenter. . . . . . In 1857 he commenced preaching in Fulton and Williams counties . . . . . baptized a great many and organized many churches .. . . .. and in 1862 he was county treasurer . . . . . . During all the time he lived in Ottokee, he preached nearly every Sunday, and as he kept no horse, he was obliged to walk to all his appointments. The country was very new and the roads afforded better walking than driving over the logs and swales, although he sometimes went on horseback. On one Lord's Day he had three appointments (morning, aternoon, and night, in far distant meeting houses). As the roads were very rough, he started on foot at 6 o'clock, in the morning, and walked to the first place, a distance of twelve miles; after preaching there, he walked to his second appointment, a distance of two miles, and after preaching there he walked a distance of six miles, preaching at 7 o'clock in the evening (in Chesterfield), and walking home the next morning, reaching his office at Ottokee by 9 o'clock." The lot of the pioneer preacher was perhaps even more arduous than that of the pioneer teacher; but they both lived in a tame, and district, when and where.life in general was arduous, mode of living simple, and money scarce. Zephaniah W. Shepherd, came with his parents to Spring Hill in 1852, being then fourteen years old. In 1858, when twenty years old, he was preaching the gospel, and had mastered the German language so that he was able to teach and preach in German in German Township. He eventually went into Chesterfield Township, and from there to Michigan, organizing many churches. At one time, there was a prospect of a new church, or Swedenborgian, society being organized in Dover. Rev. Elisha Hibbard, and his son, John Randolph Hibbard, D. D., were of that sect. Mrs. Hibbard, in her diary, records having attended one such meeting on August 22, HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 359 1841. The meeting place was in the home of her father-in-law, Rev. Elisha Hibbard, one mile east of Spring Hill. The sermon was preached by her brother-in-law, J. R. Hibbard. Mrs. Hibbard wrote : "Heard a sermon by brother Randolph, the first New Chuch sermon I ever heard." Dr. Hibbard later removed to Chicago, where for many years he was pastor of the Swedenborgian Church Society. Miss Hibbard writes: do not know that any New Church society was organized in Fulton county, though there were a number of that faith, and both John Randolph Hibbard and his father, Rev. Elisha Hibbard, officiated at marriages, christenings, and funerals, and frequently held services in the homes of different families." The activities of the United Brethren Church seems to have begun, so far as Dover Township territory is concerned, in the endeavors of John Bowser and Alonzo H. Butler. Miss Hibbard, by research in her mother's diaries, has been enabled to state that "The members of the United Brethren Church, of Dover, first held their services in schoolhouses, as did also the Methodists and Baptists. In the spring of 1861, the Brethren had a frame building erected on a lot given them for that purpose, in the northeastern part of the village of 'Spring Hill. M. D. Hibbard gave this lot. The church was used by the Methodists, as well as by the Brethren, after its dedication by Rev. C. Briggs, June 30, 1861." She adds: "That old frame church long since was destroyed, and there is now one Brethren church. in the township, that of North Dover, some miles northeast of the village. Among the residents who had charge of the old Spring Hill church were Rev. John Fiske and Rev. T. Osmun." The United Brethren Society at North Dover was organized in, about, 1882, by the Reverend Bartlett, and during his period in charge a small church building was erected, which presumably is the one still used for worship. The Methodist Episcopal Society, at Spring Hill had its inception, probably, in 1842, and for a while held meetings in the log schoolhouse just east of Spring Hill. Prominent early members were James Gay, Mr. and Mrs. Newell Warren, Mr. and Mrs. Ebenezer Fuller, Mr. and Mrs. Newell Newton, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Tedrow, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lott. In the '60s, the Methodists used the U. B. church for most of their services. In 1887, a frame church building was erected at Spring Hill, the dedicatory services being held on August 7th, by Reverends Belt. Fitzwater, and Gordon. The Methodist Episcopal Society in the Ottokee neighborhood was organized in 1857. In 1863, it had only eight members. In 1868, the membership was twenty-seven ; yet, soon afterwards the members considered the erection of achurch building. On April 24, 1875, the following trustees were elected "to 'hold the church property at Ottokee" : John Hoffman, T. Todd, Joseph Shadle, J. M. Gillett, Joseph Shaffer, S. Eldridge, A. Lathrop, and C. F. Handy. It is understood that the church was opened in 1876, and that at the dedicatory services the presiding elder made the announcement that, although at all times the Methodist Episcopal society would reserve for itself priority of title to use the church building, when it was needed 'for their own services, the church might be used at other times by other church societies and denominations of Ottokee, it being recognized that all residents of Ottokee, irrespective of church affiliations, had subscribed to the building fund with that object in view. There should have been 360 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY good public need of such a building, yet, in May, 1882, it was decided to give the trustees of the Ottokee church authority to enter into negotiations to sell the church building "as they might deem advisable, just and right"; and three months later, the church records show that the trustees had filed report stating that they wished the amounts assumed by them to be refunded "provided the church property at Ottokee shall ever be sold" all of which pointed to an undercurrent of religious differences in Ottokee. This was more evident two years later when the trustees were instructed "to take such action as they deemed necessary to prevent the use of the M. E. church at Ottokee by the Spiritualists, or anything that is detrimental to Christianity." There were quite a few Spiritualists living in and near Ottokee at that time, and bearing in mind the circumstances attending the building of the M. E. church, to which they had subscribed, they had claimed the right to hold services in it. The church building has never been sold, and, as a matter of .fact, it has since been used by most of the denominations of the Ottokee district, although it is recognized in this day as the Methodist Episcopal Church, the present pastor of which is L. D. Burgoon. The most prominent church workers of the Methodist society in Dover Township during the latter half of the nineteenth century were probably Milton Spring, and his son, Cornelius M. Spring. Their noteworthy connection with the church 'has elsewhere in this chapter been referred to. Others prominent during the same period, as stewards, class-leaders, local preachers, trustees, superintendents, and the like, in the district covered by the Ottokee circuit of the M. E. Church, which circuit included societies at Ottokee, Spring Hill, Pettisville, McCaskey's, Chesterfield, Etna, Ai,. Archbold, Pike's Center, and Burlington, were: Michael Handy, Amos Hill, R. C. Ely, Stephen Eldridge, M. Caskey, Moses Jay, Orville Disbrow, J. N. Marsh, I. Jones, Wesley Denison, Joshua Shaffer, Wm. H. Stevens, J. Murphy, James Birch, John Van Arsdale, Stillman Colman, A. Lathrop, J. Hoffman, J. Shadle, T. Todd, O. B. Verity, J. M. Gillett, C. F. Handy, Griffin Cole, Curtis Stoddard, C. Norton, Hiram Clark, J. Johnson, Robert Fowler, Wm. Conklin, Benjamin Skeeles, Jacob Bartlett, Lyman Cook, H. I,. Aldrich, Philander Crane, James Howard, Jeff Cole, Wm. Skeels, Geo. Kesler, James Bayes, S. C. Brainard, John Wise, and J. M. Morrison. Preachers in charge were: Revs. W. H. Taylor, V. Pond, Charles Haag, H. Vangurdy, A. M. Cory, M. E. Blizzard, E. A. Berry, D. Bowers, A. D. Newell, A. S. Van Buskirk, II. C. Gavitt, T. H. Hines, W. G. Waters, W. F. Maltbie, E. H Snow, A. Barker, B. T. Gordon. Presiding elders: Elnathan C. Gavitt, Samuel Lynch, T. H. Wilson, T. N. Barkdull, L. A. Belt, P. 8. Donaldson, W. G. Waters, and S. L. Roberts. These names are extracted from the official circuit records of the period, 1863-87. Rev. Elnathan Gavitt agreed, at the first conference, in 1863, "to accept the public collection for his support on this circuit," after the meeting of delegates from Spring Hill, Chesterfield, North Chesterfield, Ottokee, McCaskey's, Etna, and Ai, had resolved "that the brethren will try and support preaching among us." Mr. Gavitt was presiding elder, and the preacher-in-charge was to be Wm. H. Taylor, who for serving those small and scattered societies was to receive $230 a year. On September 10, 1864, it was reported that "There is no Sabbath school within the limits of the Ottokee HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 361 Circuit, but such as are in a union connection with other denominations." In 1867 there were four union schools. In 1867, a Methodist Sunday school was formed at Ottokee, and a report shortly afterwards noted that there were seven teachers and forty scholars, and that "the school is in a prosperous condition, with a good degree of punctuality of teachers and scholars. The latter do well in reciting Scripture committed to memory." In 1868, the strength of the societies of the circuit were: Spring Hill, 43 members; Chesterfield, 20 members; Morey's Corners, 8 members; Ai, 8 members; Ottokee, 27 members; Etna, 6 members. In 1869 the preacher-in-charge received $375 salary; and the presiding elder, $60. In 1872, the pastor's report to the conference read: "We found the charge in a very discouraging state; everywhere on the work the conversation was of a discouraging nature. The heart becomes sick. We have been exhorting the friends to trust in God, and expect better times; that the Great Head of the Church would hear and answer the cries of the people." Despite discouragements, the Methodist Church went forward, built churches at Spring Hill, Ottokee, and other places after that. C. M. Spring was recording secretary of the Ottokee Circuit for many years. SOCIETIES There appears to be only one fraternal organization at present in Dover Township, namely, the Ottokee Lodge, No. 851, of the Ancient Order of Gleaners of the World. It was organized on August 22, 1904, with barely enough members to fill the chairs, the first chief gleaner being Alfred Savage. Its present strength is about 180, and Roland Frazier is chief gleaner. The Gleaners own their own substantial concrete building at Ottokee. The charter members were Alfred Savage, Frank Shadle, Wm. A. Wentz, William C. Tew, Royal Sturdevant, Elizabeth Savage, Francis A. Mock, Ervin F. Pennington. MISCELLANEOUS The first Justice of the Peace elected after the organization of Dover Township, in 1843 (a special election being held for that purpose on August 16th) was Alonzo Knapp, who "entered upon the duties of his office at this place, which was afterwards called Ottokee." Pottery was made by Eben French, at Chatfield's Corners, in the '40s. He peddled his pottery through the county, and is claimed to have made the first tile manufactured in Fulton county. Joseph Shadle later burned brick, supplying all the brick for the last Ottokee Court House. The first brick made in Dover Township was supposed to have been by "Long Bill" Jones, in 1839. POPULATION The statistics for the first decades of Dover Township, are not available, but from 1870, the figures are: 1870, 930; 1880, 1055 ; 1890, 1049; 1900, 1171 ; 1910, 1145 ; 1920, 990. The last figures are subject to correction, as they are those of the "Preliminary Announcement of Population," as taken in the 1920 census. CHAPTER XVII HISTORY OF PIKE TOWNSHIP Pike Township was one of the first to be settled, notwithstanding that it was not organized under the present township name until 1841. As a matter of fact it was the first township in which white men settled, if one can consider the residence within it, from 1824 to 1833, of John Grey, the Indian trader, legitimate settlement. Still, long before white men came to other parts of the land now within the present bounds of Fulton county, members of the Howard family, which became one of the most prominent in the county, were in the territory trading with the Indians. And .in Indian associations, Pike is probably the most historic of the townships of Fulton county. "Pioneer days in Pike Township" was the subject of an authentic historical review written some years ago by Mrs. Agnes Howard McClarren, of Winameg, daughter of the late Colonel Dresden W. H. Howard. Her sources were so original and the research so carefully undertaken that the review should have place in this chapter,, in full. lit begins: "The present limits of Pike Township were, until 1833, north of the Fulton line, under the jurisdiction of the Territory of Michigan. The surveys were made by the authority of Michigan, as early as 1819 or 1820. The county seat was established at Adrian, Lenawee county, Michigan, in December, 1826. "By a compromise, brought about by the Ohio and Michigan war, which at one time looked serious, but was accompanied by so much of the ludicrous as to lose its seriousness. "When Michigan became a territory, the people living between the two lines of Michigan and Ohio, known as the Fulton and Harris lines, found it more convenient to be attached to Michigan. The territorial lines were extended over the disputed territory. "In 1833, it become important that the boundary lines be settled The matter was brought before the legislature, which passed a resolution asking Congress to act upon the subject. In 1835, the matter came before Congress, and J. Q. Adams made an elaborate report against the claims of Ohio, through a committee consisting of A. Palmer, I. W. Comstock, and others. Mr. Palmer was despatched to Columbus with a petition, signed by most of the inhabitants, asking the extension of the laws of Ohio. over the disputed territory. An act was soon passed, and the territory was attached to the counties of Wood, Henry, and Williams. This aroused the ire of Michigan, a double set of officers were created, troops were organized under the Monroe county sheriff, and would-be citizens of Ohio were carried off as prisoners of war. Ohio then levied troops, under Governor Lucas. "Early in 1835, while Governor Lucas was camped at Fort Miami, eight miles above Toledo, Mason (General of the Michigan army) - 362 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 363 marched into Toledo, overran the melon patches, devasted the poultry yards, burst in the door of Major Stickney's residence, and carried him off in triumph, a prisoner of war, to Monroe, Michigan. At that time arrived from Washington two ambassadors, with power to negotiate between the belligerents. These were Richard Rush, of Pennsylvani, and Col. Howard, of Maryland. They were successful in their mission, chiefly because Michigan was satisfied with her laurels won, and Ohio was willing to stand on her dignity. "At the next session of Congress the matter was taken up, and Michigan received as her portion the large peninsular between lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior, now so well known for its rich deposits of copper and other minerals. Ohio received the harbor at Toledo, and a narrow strip of land, extending westward. The importance of this harbor is well-known, for Toledo has become the largest and most prosperous commercial center in northwestern Ohio. "The existing territory then became the property of Ohio. Lucas county, which adjoined a large portion of the land transferred, was by an act of the Legislature of Ohio, June, 1836, given jurisdiction of same on north limit, and organized the township of Royalton from South Fairfield Township to northern line. All the territory south of Fulton Line included in Pike Township was of Ohio survey, and was for a long time included in the township of York. "Erection of Pike Township. In March, 1841, the township of Pike was officially organized, by taking from Royalton all of T. 10 south, range 3 east, of Michigan survey, and all of fractional T. 8 north, range 7 east, and one tier of sections off of the north side T. 7 north, range 7 east, and so remained until 1846, when an addition was made by taking from Royalton the south tier of sections of T. 9 south, range 3 east. "Pike Township, as' t now exists, contains about 28 full sections of land, or an area of 17,839 acres. The township's average elevation is 200 feet above Lake Erie. Much of it is an elevated plateau, portions of which are prairie. "There are no rivers in the township, but a system of ditching and tiling began in 1859, and today about a hundred miles of ditching is done every year, thus converting the soil into a garden susceptible of a high state of cultivation. The soil is well adapted to agriculture, producing wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, and clover in abundance, raising horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, especially cattle for dairy purposes. There need not be a foot of waste land in Pike Township. The real and personal value of property in 1904 was $294,840 and $61,430, respectively. The number of horses 404; cattle, 1350; sheep, 809; hogs, 1352. "The eastern portion of the township was originally covered with a heavy growth of timber, including white and burr oak, elm, hickory, black walnut, cotton wood, and ocassionally a buckeye may be found along the watercourses. In the western portion, upon which is known in geology as the second beach, has grown, since the land was under-drained, an immense forest of oaks, so that if the present generation will allow it to grow, the oncoming race will not suffer for timber, as in many other localities where the timber has been cut to the last tree. "Prehistoric Pike. The first inhabitants of this region, many years before the 'Paleface' came, or Pike Township existed, were the 364 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY Indians, and presumably their more ancient brethren, the mound builders, whose camping ground was on the bank of Bad Creek, near what is known as Aetna, or Winameg, on the home farm of the late Dresden W. H. Howard. Its fine springs furnished an abundance of pure water, in its mellow soil they could raise their corn ; to its creek banks came the beautiful deer and other game; and upon the high ridge was a suitable place for their dead to rest. Here, it might be mentioned that, Chief Winameg, the last of the Pottawatomies, was buried, in this historic soil, near the gigantic Council Oak, at the foot of the hill. "Archeologically, this locality is of much interest, as the researches by Judge Wm. Handy, in 1892, proved beyond a doubt. There are mounds located on the farm containing the house, orchard, and immediate grounds of Dresden W. H. Howard, in extent about five acres; and these mounds when opened showed evidences in their construction and material of a race long since passed out of existence. The Indians told my father: 'No man knew when they were built, or by whom ;’ and they used the ground as a burial place, because of its dry and elevated location. "The First Trading Post. The first trading post was built for the protection of the fur trader, and his goods, against drunken Indians, for even then whisky was used as an element of destruction by renegade whites, or half-breed outlaws. These posts were usually built very strongly, of hewn logs of large size, with puncheon floors and roof and heavy doors. This one was built in 1831, or 1832, by Edwin Howard, father of Dresden W. H. Howard, and was located near the Indian village of Winameg. It was furnished with a stock of goods of British manufacture, consisting of red and green blankets, with black stripes across the ends, Turkey red calico, with merrimac blues, large cotton handkerchiefs of gay colors, guns, tomahawks, butcher knives, powder, shot, lead balls, brass trinkets, rings, wampum, beads, silver brooches, nose and ear rings, Turkish vermilion, to paint their faces, fine saddles, and silver ornamented bridles. These were the chief articles of HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 365 exchange for the beautiful furs of deer, bear, wolf, otter, muskrat, raccoon, red and silver-gray fox and an occasional beaver, these last-named having nearly all disappeared, the last one being caught by a Pottawatomie chief, on the banks of the little St. Joseph, in 1837, and for which he was paid twenty dollars in goods. "The prices paid for these furs were: bear, $4.00; otter, $4.00; deer, $1.50; silver fox, 25 to 75 cents ; raccoon, fox and mink, from 30 to 50 cents. "For several years the post carried on a flourishing business, but when the government began to agitate the removal of the Indians westward, trade fell off, and the old house became a tavern, for the. ac- commodation of the traveller on his westward journey, and was one of the best-known land-marks of northwestern Ohio until it was destroyed by fire, in 1879. "Another store was kept at the home of Robert A. Howard, by one Jennings, in 1835, afterwards sold to 'Jack, Hobart, and run in connection with an ashery. This was abandoned in 1850. Dan Knowles also had a store and ashery at an early date. A store was established at Winameg in 1861, and has continued until the present time (1904), although run by different parties, viz: Hinkle and Downer, of Lyons; Frank Knosco, who at one time had a stock valued at $7,000; W. L. Campbell; and LaSalle Brothers. "The First Settlers. The first settlers were Valentine Winslow, Eli Phillips, and David Hobart, who came in the spring and summer of 1.833. Valentine Winslow located on what was known as the Chet Herrick farm, later owned by Fred. Knapp, where he lived about two years. He then moved about two miles farther east, where his son, Valentine, still lives. He died in 1858. Valentine is supposed to have 366 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY built the first log house, located on the Chet Herrick farm. It was a double log house with roofed driveway between, and was afterwards used a short time as a schoolhouse. "In conversation with an old settler, I find there is quite a difference of opinion as to name and date of first white settler, in what is now Pike Township. The first white man who settled in the, then, wilderness was John Grey, who came in 1824, and built a log cabin on what is now the Herman Tappan farm. It is not known whether he had a family, but he built the cabin, and traded whisky to the Indians for their furs as is usual in such cases, and it brought about it own punishment. He got into trouble with the Indians, who threatened his life, and he left the country in 1833. It is doubtful if he was anything more than an adventurer, who in order to live in disregard to all law and order, wandered into the, then, wilderness, without any desire to make a home, or becoming a law-abiding citizen. A drawing of the log cabin is owned by Jacob H. Tappan, of Toledo, and is quite picturesque as being the first log cabin in Pike Township. "David Hobart is said to be the next settler, coming in the fall of 1833, or the spring of 1834. In 1834 came A. Knight, Nathan Wilson, Daniel Knowles, John Sindel, George Wiers, and Whitefield Tappan. "In 1835 Peter Scott, William Griffin, Sewel Gunn, Thomas Silsby, the 'village blacksmith,' Robert Howard, and Jack Hobart. "In 1836, Peter Salsbury located a large tract of land in the southeast part of the township, where many of his descendants still live. "In 1837 came a still larger immigration, Alva Wilson, Henry Slagle, Joseph Walters, Emery and Martin Wilson, Peola Allwood, Ephraim K. and Joseph Allwood, Thomas Cole, George Megarah, Andrew Faylor, George and Jacob McQuillin, David and Joseph Salsbury, James Viers, Adam Klein, Wm. Cox, Samuel Allen, one Graham and one Thompson, with quite large families. This addition soon began to take interest in the welfare of the young township, by establishing churches, schools, and roads. "From 1837 to 1840 came David McQuilling, George Gallagher, David Zimmerman, John Miller, Lucius Taylor, Chester Herrick. William Fewless, Thomas Hoxie, David Pelton, Boyd and Robert Dunbar, Michael Handy, Moses Tappan, Andrew and Samuel Dennis. "In 1843 came Dr. William Holland, the first physician, Simeon Elliott, ,first Protestant Methodist minister, William Mullen, Joseph Shaffer, and John Whittaker. "These are among the principal pioneers who endured dangers and privations and made for themselves and families homes of comfort and luxury. "The Court House in Pike. In 1850, the county was organized, with dip seat of justice at Robert A. Howard's. Many were the ludicrous and pathetic scenes enacted there until 1851, when the county seat was established in Ottokee. Robert A. Howard was the first justice of the peace, holding the office for fifteen years. "Township Records. The township was organized in 1841, but the first record of officers of which we can get a list is as follows: The annual election of Pike Township was held at the house of William Mullen, April 4, 1853. The judges of election were Andrew Faylor, Valentine Winslow, and Whitefield Tappan. Election clerks were A. A. Howard and Wm. Graham. Township trustees were Andrew Fay- HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 367 lor, Whitefield Tappan, and Erastus Cowles. William Critz was elected clerk ; Daniel Knowles, treasurer; David Salsbury, assessor; David Fairchilds and James Viers, constables. "The First Frame House. The first frame house in the township was built by Dr. Holland in 1837, or 1838. It is still standing, although it has been somewhat remodelled. The second and third frame houses were built in 1840 by J. Sindel and Dresden Howard, respectively, also the house on the Isbell farm, by Jacob Cox. "Church History. In the third farm house built were held the first religious gatherings in the township, conducted by the Rev. Johnson, a Presbyterian. These meetings were held in different houses of the neighborhood, as most convenient, the homes of Thomas Silsby and of Widow Graham being oftenest used. Primitive indeed were these meetings, but true Christian hearts beat beneath the coarse homespun ; surely, 'where a few are gathered together in My name, there will I be also.' Ministerial work in those early days was pursued under much difficulty and small salary, if any. They were circuit ministers, at a salary of perhaps a hundred dollars a year, travelling on horseback under all conditions of weather, blinding storms, and fording swollen streams, without road or guide but they 'blazed trees' through an unbroken wilderness. They preached in the log cabins, often carrying a package of quinine or other medicine, and a log salt, to relieve the ague-shaking' sufferers on their journey. "As new settlers came, the need of a church grew greater, so the first church in the township was built in 1846, on the farm of William Mullen, near Winameg, now owned by Estell L. Sindel. It was a neat frame structure, quite commodious, only without seats, except as boards were laid across poles. Later, Dresden Howard furnished the lumber, Jesse Taylor the paint; and Theodore Johnson, a carpenter of early date, was employed to construct good high-backed seats, much more comfortable than the first. All through the winter, I can well remember, as a little girl, searching in vain for a soft spot in which to go to sleep during the long preaching hours. This church, dedicated as a Presbyterian, was for many years used as a Union church until it was destroyed by fire in 1868, or 1869. Many were those weary with life's long journey, or those whose tiny feet grew tired by the wayside, carried through its wellworn doorway. There was but one wedding which ever gladdened the hearts in the old church. This was the marriage of Edward Sindel and Miss Nancy Tappan, January 17, 1864, Elder L. L. Carpenter performing, in his impressive manner, the solemn ceremony. "The first trustees of the church were James Dickson and Whitefield Tappan, long since passed away, and Lucius Taylor still living, although quite aged. "School History. The schoolhouse and church go hand in hand, The first school was taught in 1835, in the log but located on the Thomas 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 Salsbury cemetery now is, afterwards returned to Thomas Silsby's Corners, where it now remains, under the name of the Pike Center school. 368 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY "The first winter school was taught by Michael Handy, a young and rising attorney. He had been admitted to the bar in 1850, and was a lawyer of good standing until his death, in 1886. He was at one time prosecuting attorney of the county. "The first frame schoolhouse in Pike Township was built in 1850, by Jacob Tappan. It was situated a quarter of a mile east of Winameg, and many of the grey-haired men of today remember it as the place where they first imbibed the 'rule of three' and 'hickory oil,' within its ink-stained and whittle-marked precincts. It was destroyed by fire sometime in the 70's. "The schoolhouses of today are neat and commodious, fitted with every convenience for the instruction of the descendants of those hardy pioneers. But there is still room for advancement. There are six schoolhouses in the township, but it is to be hoped that the enactment of new laws, and the development of the county will bring within the next five years to the the youth of the country schools, the advantages of the graded school. "Transportation. The oldest established roads in the county were the Toledo and Angola, the Maumee and Angola, each running west- ward. They were the most direct emigrant roads leading to the undeveloped country farther west. The 'automobilist who glides through our 'beautiful country in his electric machine, over roads smooth as a floor, little thinks that not many years ago these delightful highways were miles upon miles of impassable roads, over which the pioneer wended his weary way with white-covered wagons which sank with every turn 'of the wheel to the hubs. Then, years afterwards, came the improvement known as the 'Corduroy' road, formed of logs laid side by side, which soon left their alignment, and sank into the mud, in places making the road as uneven as before, although somewhat more passable. Afterwards came the improved 'plank road,' which for a number of years was considered sufficient. As the country improved, and the demand for better roads became' necessary, it was thought best to call a meeting in the court house, at Wauseon (about 1877 or 1882), for the discussion of the subject. The call was answered by a large and enthusiastic gathering of the best and most influential farmers in the county. The discussion was very long, heated, and many-sided. At last, one of the active farmers, and one who always held the best interests of the county at heart, arose quietly, and said: `Gentlemen, you may not live to see it; I may not live to see it; but your children and your children's children will live to see in Fulton county, every roadway and every byway gravelled, from north to south, and east to west.' Like many others, he was only a few years in advance of his time. We of today know the results of the prophesy. Pike Township is not behind the rest; within her borders are fine gravel pits, and as a result her roads are smooth and solid, suitable for the finest phaeton, or rushing automobile. "Early Taverns of Pike. There are no taverns in Pike, nor never as yet a. saloon; but the necessity in those early days for a stopping place for the weary emigrant, in his long and tiresome journey westward, was supplied by the genial and warmhearted Robert A. Howard, and his ever-willing wife, some time in the 'thirties. At times, it, was necessary for the traveller to spend several days resting and repairing. The 'latch string' was ever out, and a bountiful table and needed HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 369 rest were ever. to be found beneath that hospitable roof. Later, George Wier kept 'open house', followed by Michael Handy in 1840, who fed the hungry and thirsty until about 1851. After the trading post at Winameg was abandoned as a store, William Mullen opened it as a hotel ; then necessity ceased, and it was abandoned in 1853 or '54. "Early Postoffices. As the township became settled, the demand for. a postoffice and mail route became more necessary. The first office was established at Lyman Parcher's, known as 'Parcher's Corners' (about 1837), but was later removed to the Shute farm, where it remained some years. The mail route was from Toledo to Angola, by horseback over almost impassable roads, and through an unbroken wilderness, of miles upon miles, without a cabin, through storm and flood, freezing cold and blinding snow, "Another office was established at Robert Howard's called Essex. It was abandoned in 1851, when the county seat was established at Ottokee. This office was on the line from Maumee to Angola, and accommodated Ottokee, Spring Hill, West Unity and other settlements. When not prevented by storm or flood, the mail was delivered. weekly. "In 1848 an office was established at Daniel Knowles' house and named by Dresden W. H. Howard ‘Winameg', in memory of an Indian chief of the Ottawa tribe, whose village was near the place. In 1861 it was removed about three-fourths of a mile north, where it remained until abolished, in 1902, in favor of the system of rural delivery. In all these years, which included the exciting period of the war and events following, the office only had two postmasters, namely Edward Sindel, appointed by Abraham Lincoln, in 1861, serving till only lacking one month of thirty years, the longest period of any postmaster in the United States. He was succeeded by Frank Knosco, who served until the office was abolished in 1902. "The mail, from being weekly, was changed to a tri-weekly, and in 1861 a new route was established, from Adrian to Wauseon. But the old stage coach, which brought the mail daily, is gone, and in its place is the new and shiny mail wagon of Uncle Sam's, which daily deposits the mail at our door: Thus are the foreign news, or the happenings in our nearby towns, brought to the farmers nearly as soon as it is flashed from city to city, over the telegraph wire. "The First Fourth of July Celebration in Pike. Another circumstance of interest to the lover of historical events in Pike is how the first Fourth of July was celebrated by our grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. The first Fourth of July ever celebrated in Pike Township was held under the massive white oak at the foot of the hill near the homestead of the late Dresden W. H. Howard. Could this old monarch of the forest open its silent lips to our listening ears what bits of history it could relate, of years when, perhaps, the mound builder lived his uneventful life within sound of its waving branches, or, later, the redman, in his wild carefree life, hunting and feasting, and performing his war-dance upon the hilltop ; or how they carved upon its trunk the figure of a human being, then fastening their unwilling victim to its body, stood on the hilltop and shot their arrows and bullets around their defenceless heads. Again, of that eventful Independence Day, so many moons ago (probably 1848 or 1849) when 370 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY the patriotic spirits of the new settlement gathered together under its spreading branches, and ate the first Fourth of July dinner. There could not have been more than forty or fifty people, all told, but their hearts were filled with the spirit of the day. There were no grand speeches, or cannonading; but it is recorded that Lucius Taylor read the Declaration of Independence, and one large firecracker, brought from some unknown region, was exploded. The best and largest part of the day was the dinner. Should we ask of what it consisted? An abundance of deer, bear, or wild turkey, corn bread and wild fruits prepared by careful hands. Lemonade? Iced tea? Oh, no! Plenty of clear cool sparkling water, from the nearby springs. This accompanied by a cordiality and hospitality growing less as the years pass by. All were neighbors; all were friends, although living twenty miles, perhaps, apart. We cannot help but feel that the, then, large tree waved its branches and rustled its leaves in happiness, upon so peaceful a gathering, that strife and contention were in its past, and that the 'paleface' was enjoying a happy laughter beneath its boughs. It has locked the events of the day within its giant breast, and as we of a later generation listen to its rustling branches, we can but conjecture the story they would tell. "An Indian Reminiscence. Another interesting incident, recently related by a pioneer resident, was the burial of the last Indian of this section. After the removal of the Indians westward, a few stragglers, who had hidden away at the time in the vain hope of being allowed to die in peace in their beloved haunts, gathered together in a small camp in the woods, near Winameg. Among the number was Wyoxie, Pottawatomie chief,, the last successor of Chief Winameg, "He died in 1840, and a rough hewn box (sawmills were unknown) was made by John Sindel and Moses Tappan, in which the chief with his blanket, gun, ammunition, and hunting acquirements, with a little gourd, to aid him in his journey to the 'happy hunting grounds.' By the request of the Indians, no nails were used in the cover lest, according to their belief, when he came forth from the grave to continue his journey, he would have great difficulty in getting out, if the cover were nailed fast. He was carried in an ox cart, driven by oxen; to the grave, and buried in what is now Aetna cemetery. For many years his grave was visible to residents of the locality. "The Telephone. It does not seem inappropriate to mention the coming of the telephone, as one of the great elements of change and civilization. It is one of the inventions that write pages of history very rapidly, and one whose influence is felt by a community; and its introduction into Pike Township came with its advancement into other localities, bringing with it attendant changes. "The first lines were placed in position by the Northwestern Telephone Company, of Wauseon, Ohio, in the summer of 1897. The line was run north from Wauseon to Ottokee, thence east to Winameg, following the principal highways. This was called a "toll" line. These lines were carried all over the county and state. The following year, the 'party' line, as it is called, was established. Today, all the principal homes in Pike Township are connected with Wauseon, Delta, and other towns by telephone. "Thus the years brought to the early settlers the twenty-five cent HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 371 postage, letters once or twice a year. The writers of those letters have been long years in dust, but their children, and children's children, can step across the room to a neat little phone, and in a twinkling of.an eye can talk to his neighbor a mile away, or converse with a friend in New York, or Chicago, as easily as if in the same room. "Early Marriages, Births and Deaths. The first marriage occurring in the township was that of a nephew of Lyman Parcher to a daughter of A retus Knight, Daniel Knowles, justice of the peace, officiating. "Joseph Salsbury and Magdalena Schlappi were married in 1836, Winfield Tappan and Amanda Woodford were married in Royalton Township in 1835. "The first male child born in Pike Township was Will. D., son of John Sindel, October, 1834. The first female was to John Hobert, September, 1835. "The first death occurring in the township was that of a child of Joseph Salsbury's, November 16, 1837, and buried in the Salsbury cemetery. The first burial in the Aetna cemetery was Catherine, a sister of Martin and Emery Wilson, 1837. "The Pioneer Physician. Dr. William Holland was the first physician in Pike Township, a Christian gentleman of refinement and education. He studied medicine at Oakham, Mass., and at the age, of twenty-six years began the practice of medicine. He came to Pike Township in 1837 or 1838, and for years rode from one part of the country, to another, a ministering angel to suffering humanity. He died in 1857, at the advanced age of ninety-one years. "The 'Prairie Schooner' Befits its Name. Sewell Gunn was the first white man to traverse the mysterious bottomless windings of the Black Swamp. He came with his family, in a heavy-moving wagon, travelling for days with scarcely a sight of dry land. "Thus they came: 'Men and boys and white-covered wagon train Women moving in sunshine and rain, `Men and boys and white-covered wagon train Women, fair as Maumee's rippling wave; Through primeval forests these pioneers came, Necking for freedom, homes, and not for fame; The pioneer train rests beneath hillsides green.' "And we, the descendants are enjoying in luxury and comfort the fruits of their toil and self-sacrifice." Shortly after the publication in the Wauseon newspaper of the above-quoted article by Mrs. McLaren, it prompted Judge Wm. H. Handy, a worthy former resident of Pike Township, to set down for publication his recollections of early days in Pike Township. He wrote : "The names in McClarren's article carry me back, and I can see very many of these persons as plainly as if they were before me now. D. W. H. Howard, Whit Tappan, Dan Knowles, David Salsbury, Dave Fairchild, Jennie Viers, Robt. A. Howard, Chet Herrick, Val Winslow, Wm. Mullen, the Sindels, Fewless, Alwoods, McQuillens, Pei-tons, Dunbars, Dennis's. What a flood of recollections they bring to 372 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY one! Hearty pioneers, good citizens all of them, men—the memory of them is a delight. They were the making of old Pike, and they builded well . . . . . . . "The old schoolhouse, just two miles east of Ottokee. How many remember it now? It was on the corner of the road running north, from the east line of what is known as the Harvey Aldrich place. It was of logs, and the benches were made of logs split in two, and stakes for legs, in auger holes bored in the logs. It was a. long way for us little fellows to walk—a full mile from any home—but I rather think we enjoyed it, after all. "This was in the days before even the tallow candle was known to us, for I well remember the light at home was made by lard in a saucer, with a wick immersed in the lard, one end exposed just enough to burn. "Deer were plentiful then, as was all game . . . . . . And snakes? Gracious! What a country for snakes, rattle-snakes, racers, and copperheads. They were so plentiful that we cared very little for them ; and I remember of but one man ever having been bitten by a rattlesnake in Pike. He was our next door neighbor, Aaron Ayers, who, while standing on .a log chopping in front of his house, was bitten ; but it did not seem to do him much harm . . . . . . . "And the roads. They ran in every direction then, very few of them on section lines; but now those old highways are forgotten." William H. Handy, of Ottawa, Ohio, had a noteworthy record, as a member of the legal fraternity of Fulton county. He "was a HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY - 373 good counselor, and a good trial lawyer, and he eventually was advanced to the judiciary of the court of common pleas; and, as a judge, he "presided with becoming dignity." His brother, Charles F., who died in Ottokee, January 15, 1917, was resident in Fulton county for more than seventy years, and was a justice of the peace for nearly a generation. Both William H. and Charles F. had meritorious service records during the Civil War, being veterans. Their father, the Hon. Michael Handy was a conspicuous figure in early Pike, and in Ottokee, when that was the county seat. Michael Handy was undoubtedly a man of strong character. He was well educated, and capable as an educator; was a teacher for twenty-one winters; yet, did not hesitate to work industriously as a cobbler, or shoemaker and mender, recorded Verity, during the decade 1840-50. He had an increasing family, and the small stipend he received for teaching covered the needs of only three months. He was also justice of the peace, but his services as such were rare in that law-abiding community; He eked out something toward the family need by hotel-keeping, on his farm, but the revenue from that cannot have been very much, for he charged a man only six cents for a bed, and only 12 cents (one shilling) for a meal, while whisky retailed at three cents a portion. Yet, Michael Handy reared his family well, and while engaged in the diversified occupations of teacher, hotel-keeper, farmer, justice of the peace, he found time to study law, and eventually became a member of the legal bar of Fulton county. He typified the capable pioneer, a man of initiative and capability, one who was able to go into the profitless places, and "carry on" until he had turned it into a place of plentiful yield. As he himself stated, in a letter, headed "Pioneer Reminiscences," to the editor of the Wauseon "Republican" in 1884, most of the pioneers of Pike Township "came here young, strong, and ambitious, able and willing to face the hardships of a new country, to make homes for ourselves and children." Continuing, he explained that they "must go about 20 miles or more to mill, and as the conditions of the roads and prairies were thin, it would take two or three days to go, and must stop in the wagon or mill all night, and carry our provisions." Nowadays, a farmer would begrudge the spending of a day, in taking a load of hay to market. Michael Handy was the first clerk of Pike Township. He narrates an interesting incident of his first. year, as such, stating: "In 1841 Pike Township was made, and township officers had to be elected; and as I was willing to serve the dear people I was taken up and elected township clerk for the new township. As such clerk it became my duty to take the enumeration of all the scholars of the township, of school age. Hence, I went at it as a township officer should. When completed, I must return the same to the county seat, which was Toledo, about thirty miles distant with good roads. The only way I could make the trip was on foot. Now, the question of vast importance to me was: where can I stay overnight? No money, and township clerk at that. But good luck seemed to be on my side, for I remembered that the young lady who was then teaching our school resided on the prairie a little this side of Toledo. Hence, I called on her, informing her I was going into the neighborhood of her folks. She was quite anxious that I should call on them that night, and I, being township clerk and school examiner for this part of the county 374 - HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY of Lucas, seemed to her all right. So I went to Toledo, made my report; came back, and stayed overnight; next day returning home all right. It had not cost me a cent, for the reason that I had not one; but I made up my mind that on the first Monday in March, when I settled with the trustees, I should be allowed for my time and all expenses out; and I looked forward to that time with great interest. The first Monday in March came around, and I, with my township record under my arm, went to the place of holding elections, to meet the trustees, and settle with all township officers. After we had completed all, we concluded we had a new township now out of debt, and that we would keep it so; we passed a resolution that no township officer should charge, or receive, anything for the year's work. I said: Amen! but I thought how vain are all things here below; how false, and yet how fair." Michael Handy was also reminiscent regarding his first term as a school teacher, in Pike Township: "In the fall of 1841, I was employed to teach school in the district in which Mr. Cheadle resided. The schoolhouse, was near his house. I finished my school ; they paid me the public money, which amount was small ; the balance they collected promptly on a Rate Bill made, and paid me; and old Father Wright made me a present of a nice set of chairs of his own make." While upon Pike Township school history, reference must be made to the notable service of William P. Cowan. V He began to teach school in Pike Township in 1854. He died in 1913, but his school record embraced fifty-four winter terms, a record only exceeded by James F. Burroughs, of Royalton, who taught for fifty-nine terms. "Bill" Cowan, however, probably did more to improve the standard of education in Fulton county than did any other man. For many years he conducted, in Pike Township, a private training school for teachers, and for those studying to enter that profession. One hundred and eighty-seven teachers passed through his normal school, and some of them became conspicuously capable as teachers. A further review of Mr. Cowan's school 'activities is embodied in the schools chapter of this work. He also took some part in public administration, being a director of the County Infirmary for some years. It seems well-nigh incredible that, of the men who were in Pike Township during the first years of its existence, there should still be one living representative. Lucius P. Taylor settled in Pike Township seventy-seven years ago, and he was then twenty-five years old. He is now one hundred and three years old, and although of course not now vigorous, he is at times remarkably alert in remembrance of pioneer days and incidents. As befits the record of the man who has lived longest in the township, and also in the county, his life story is fully reviewed in the biographical section of this current historical work ; but some matter not embodied in that sketch may be written here. Lucius P. Taylor came in 1843, and settled on 240 acres of wild timber land. He erected his log cabin, and made provision for the coming of his parents and brothers and sisters, who settled just east of him. He and his family for some years were twenty miles away from the nearest doctor, and thus depended almost wholly upon home-brewed herb medicines, except in cases of grave sickness. The mill