Proprietor	Survey Number.	Acres
Robert Draffen Abraham Hite Clement Read Joseph Eggleston Clement Biddle Cadwallader Wallace Alexander Balmain Robert Kirk Carter Page Carter Page Samuel B. Greene Duncan Cameron (heir to Hugh) Thomas Ray Thomas Bailey David Maron Henry Tatum Richard J. Waters Simpson Foster (representative) James Galloway, Jr. William Henry Dangerfield E. P. Kendrick and Henry Warner Clement Biddle George Carrington Edward Carrington	850 836 925 936 and 951 1228 1273 1274 1336 1729 1732 2387 4887 4905 5491 5977 5981 6620 7021 13290 13378 13623 and 13663 868 872 841	1,000 1,000 1,333 2,333 1/3 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,000 1,000 1,000 666 2/3 100 100 105 400 296 540 250 150 1,333 75 1,000 1,000 1,000

GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 353 TOPOGRAPHY. The surface of Jefferson township is uniformly level, with just enough variation in the surface to make it susceptible of easy natural drainage. The general altitude of the township is something more than one thousand feet above sea level, the government survey giving the altitude as ranging from 1,028 to 1,049 feet. Practically all Of the township is drained to the west, its surplus water finding its way into Caesars creek through a number of small streams, known as runs, namely : Love, Grog and Painters. Love run is the small stream which passes through Bowersville on its way southwest to Caesars creek. The extreme eastern portion of the township drains to the east into Rattlesnake creek. EARLY SETTLERS. The honor of being the first permanent settler in what finally came to be organized as Jefferson township is credited to Christopher Hussey, who came from his native state of Tennessee in 1806, and located near the present village of Bowersville. Hussey married Margaret Haughey sometime after coming here and they reared a family of nine children. After the death of his first wife he married Catharine Lockard, the second marriage resulting in eleven more children. This first settler in the township died in March, 1873. Many of his descendants are living in the township today. Probably the second settler was John Mickle, also a native of Tennessee, who became a son-in-law of Hussey. Mickle taught the first school in that settlement and was the only teacher thereabout for a number of years. Following close after these first two settlers came Robert Stewart from Washington county, Virginia, with his wife and five children. He arrived in the township and located about a mile northwest of Bowersville on March 11, 1810. The family came in a wagon all the way from their native state, not taking the Ohio river route as did so many of the early settlers who came from the East. It is not possible to follow the succeeding settlers in the order of their arrival. A number were here in 1811 when the territory now within the township became a part of the newly organized Silvercreek township of that year. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell from the poll-books where the settlers lived, but it is certain that there must have been nearly a hundred families living in the township by the close of the War of 1812. To enumerate a number of the other early settlers. The Klines, Hammers, Arys—three brothers, Charles, William and John—Rumbaughs, (23) 354 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO Blanes,. Haugheys and some others were here at the opening of the War of 1812. Kline settled in the western part of the township; the Rumbaughs located south of Bowersville, about half way between the village and Port William. Asher Reeves built his rude cabin near what later became known as Blanetown. The Blanes once had a store three miles due north of Bowersville. John Haughey, a native of Virginia, had married Patience Studivan before coming to the township in 1810 or 1811. They were a very youthful couple when they set out after their marriage, he being twenty-one and she eighteen, and it must have been an interesting honeymoon trip that brought them to the wilderness of Jefferson township. But they lived through all the hardships of those pioneer days and reared a family of twelve children, ten of whom grew to manhood and womanhood and married and reared families of their own. There is not a Haughey left in the township. John Bales was another of the first arrivals, he having come early enough to represent his settlement in the War of 1812. He was married during the progress of the war to Sarah Lucas. He bought land, reared a family and became a substantial citizen of the township. He died on March 11, 1864, and his widow survived him ten years, her death occurring on June 8, 1874. One of the young unmarried. men to come to the township after the War of 1812 was Benjamin Vanniman, who was born in Pennsylvania, September 17, 1795. It is not known just when he came to the township, but the records show that he was married to Sophia Hussey, the daughter of Pioneer Hussey, in 1817. They became the parents of thirteen children. The mother died in November, 1846. Vanniman died on August 9, 1879. Other early settlers of whom a record has been left include William Bragg, who was especially famed as a hunter; Herbert Hargrave, a noted traveler, who was always proud of the fact that on one occasion he was shown through the White House by President Andrew Johnson; Aquilla Dorsey, who at the time of his death in the '80s was the oldest resident of the township, being well past his ninetieth year. Among other settlers of ante-bellum days were David L. Reeves and Andrew D. White, 1820; Gilbert F. Bentley, 1830 ; Cargil Chitty, Stephen Barber and William Sheeley, 1840 ; Daniel Early, William Johnston, John Brakefield and William H. Burr, 1860. While these pioneers constituted only a small portion of the early settlers of the community, yet they represent the most active and influential of those who were identified with its pioneer days. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 355 MILLS AND OTHER INDUSTRIES. The fact that there are no streams of sufficient size in the township is responsible for the fact that there has never been a mill within its limits operated by waterpower. There were probably a few horsepower mills in the early history of the township, but the settlers either had their hand-mills, or took their grist to the mills at Xenia, Oldtown or Port William. The first steam saw-mill made its appearance in Bowersville about 1845, and since that time there have been a number of steam-mills in the township. The steam saw-mill of 1845, erected by Joseph Smith and Christopher Hussey, was one of the old-fashioned upright saw-mills, where the sawing was done by a straight or "whip" saw, running up and down. It was the first steam-mill in the section of the country and did a big business for years. Four years after it was opened, the owners sold it to Christopher Hussey, Jr., and Elijah Hussey for two thousand two hundred dollars; this price also including thirty-two acres of timber land adjoining the mill. The new firm operated the mill at full capacity the year round and sawed an immense amount of lumber. They did a large amount of custom sawing, and also sawed considerable for the open market, much of their surplus being hauled to Xenia and other nearby towns. In 1859 the mill passed into the hands of J. C. Irvin and Andrew Jackson, who purchased the mill and three-quarters of an acre of land for two thousand one hundred dollars. The firm of Irvin & Jackson sold the mill after operating it a short time, and during the next few years it passed through a number of hands, but in 1876 it came into possession of an owner who held and operated it for several years. This was Charles Wilson, who completely remodeled the mill, tearing out the old whip saw and installing modern machinery. He also improved the corn-cracker which previous owners had. attached to the mill and this feature was heavily patronized by the farmers of the community. The mill was dismantled in the '80s. AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS. The farmers of Jefferson township have every reason to congratulate themselves on the quality of the land which they have, and the easy manner of draining it so as to insure the best crops. There is practically no waste land in the township, the last report giving only 376 acres of waste land out of a total of 12,623 acres. The following statistics are those of March 1, 1917, and show that the township is well to the front in comparison with the other townships in the county. The chief farm crops made the following reports : Wheat, 29,172 356 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO bushels; rye, 316 bushels; oats, 41,107 bushels; corn, 227,110 bushels ; Irish potatoes, 220 bushels; timothy hay, 916 tons; clover hay, 648 tons; clover seed, 36 bushels; acres of alfalfa, 409; alfalfa hay, 930 tons; ensilage, 412 tons ; peaches, 60 bushels. The township reported 32 silos. There were 9,480 acres cultivated; 1,648 acres in pasture land; 940 acres of woodland; 376 acres of waste land; total acreage of township, 12,623. The live stock of the township showed up as follows : Horses, 860; cattle, 1,134; sheep, 668 ; wool clip, 160 pounds; hogs, 6,209; hogs died from cholera, 410; cholera-infected farms, 14. The chickens of the township produced 57,880 dozen eggs; the cows yielded 14,200 gallons of cream sold, 58,360 gallons of milk sold, and 36,150 pounds of home-made butter. In order to keep up the fertility of the soil the farmers of the township bought 361,420 pounds of commercial fertilizer during the year 1916, and also plowed under 249 acres of clover sod. There was also lime used to the extent of 4,000 pounds. Incidentally, it might be mentioned that the farmers put in 740 rods of drain tile during 1916. The assessor's reports show that there were only thirteen farms rented in the township in 1916, a statement which is probably open to amendment; it is also stated that there were eleven renters working for wages. BOWERSVILLE. The village of Bowersville is ten years older than the township in which it is located, the town having been officially created in 1848, while Jefferson township did not come into. existence until ten years later. The town was surveyed on April 6 and 7, 1848, by Samuel T. Owens, surveyor of Greene county, on a part of Military Survey No. 4389, the entire townsite covering a fraction less than ten acres. The site was owned by Christopher Hussey, probably the first settler in the township, and as platted contained twenty-six lots. The additions to the original plat have substantially increased the size of the town, the various additions, the number of lots therein, the name of the proprietor of the additions and the date of the recording of the same, being indicated in the appended table :

Proprietor	Lots	Date of Recording.
Benjamin Vanniman Benjamin Vanniman Elias Vanniman E. R. Mills	40 18 20 62	October 9, 1872 June 20, 1873 November 21, 1881 April 29, 1913

.  The addition of 1881 contained the tile-mill, which was located on lots 19, 20 and 21. The 1913 addition was admitted by the town council on GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 357 April 26, 1913, and certified at that time by Frank M. Kennedy, surveyor. The sixty-two lots of 1913 lay south of the railroad, but most of them never have been included in the corporation. EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES. The village was named after its first business man, Peter Bowermaster, who had a store in the place before it was platted and was serving as postmaster when the town plat was recorded. There were some three or four houses on the town site in 1848, and the residents of the village in. that year were Bowermaster, Christopher Hussey, Benjamin Vanniman and Reason A. Bowermaster. Hussey lived about forty rods north of the site at the time. The first lots sold in the infant village brought the proprietor from forty to sixty dollars each, and he seemed to have had a considerable sale. Several who bought did not, however, erect buildings on their lots, probably holding the same for speculative purposes. Bowermaster applied for a commission as postmaster on December 23, 1847, and on February 12, 1848, received his commission, serving continuously until his death. in 1859. It is not certain whether Bowermaster or Albert Bryant opened the first store in the village, but the latter had a store in operation in a small log cabin which was later occupied by L. H. Starbuck as a residence. Merchants from various places came to the new town to try their fortunes, but most of them left without becoming burdened with wealth. Samuel Lockhart and John White were there before the Civil War and remained a number of years. It is not profitable to follow the succession of merchants of one kind and another who vended goods of all sorts in the village. Some came only to remain a short time, while others continued in the town for a long period of years. It is recalled that I. C. Stewart was the first blacksmith, and a man by the name of Strong was the second. Reason A. Bowermaster and Lemuel Cottrell were both woodworkers. Bower-master had a shop where he made wheels, chairs, tables, dressers, closets and any kind of furniture which one might want. Cottrell devoted most of his time to wagon-making. The '70s saw the town on a boom, due largely to the prospects of having a railroad, a direct line from Columbus to Cincinnati. As it finally turned out, the town did get a railroad, but it never reached either Columbus or Cincinnati. It runs from Sedalia, in Madison county, to Kingman, in Clinton county, but the road nevertheless gives the town of Bowersville an outlet for its grain, and furnishes it communication with the outside world. The road was built through Bowersville in the latter part of the '70s and it is not too much to say that several of the business firms listed below came to 358 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO the town about this time as a result of the railroad reaching the town. The year of 1880 saw the following business and professional interests in the town : General stores, L. H. Starbuck, G. L. Gerard & Son, R. H. Wolfe ; dry goods, D. W. Carpenter, Thomas Donaldson; hardware, G. L. Gerard & Son, L. H. Starbuck ; drugs, A. F. Plummer ; undertaking and furniture, Reason A. Bowermaster, D, W. Carpenter ; carriage- and wagon-making, Johnson & Bentley ; blacksmith, I. C. Stewart & Co.; saw-mill, C. M. Wilson, Hussey & White; attorneys, Thomas P. Browder, C. S. Perkins ; physicians., J. M. Hussey, F. W. Rose. Only one of these men is in business in the town in 1918, Albert White still operating a saw-mill. ELEVATORS OF BOWERSVILLE. The history of the elevators of Bowersville makes an interesting chapter in the life of the village. The railroad of course is responsible for the coming of the elevators. As before stated, the old narrow-gauge railroad was dismantled in the fore part of the '80s and from that time until 1894 the town of Bowersville was without railroad connection with the outside world. When the standard-gauge track was laid in 1894 and the railroad resumed operation the village began to have hopes of better days coming. And they came. The elevators now made their appearance, a bank was established, and in general the whole town took on new life. The firm of Harrison & Snyder, both men coming from Cedarville, erected the first elevator in 1894, having it ready for operation .by June. They continued to operate it until the following November, when George N. Perrill and D. C. Lewis leased it. The firm of Perrill & Lewis had not had charge of it quite two months when it burned to the ground, leaving the owners with a loss of twelve hundred dollars. On January 1, 1895, Perrill & Lewis began the construction of the second elevator in the town, and had it completed by the following May. This firm continued to operate it until 1900, when D. C. Lewis sold his interest in the business to his brother, W. H. Lewis, the firm therefore continuing as Perrill & Lewis. This latter firm remained together only until January 1, 1901, at which time the firm of George N. Perrill & Son became owners of the business. The next step in the history of this elevator came on November 1, 1903, on which date the local elevator was merged with the Miami Grain Company. This company was headed by George N. Perrill during its existence from 1903 until he became the president of the Xenia Grain Company on November 1, 1910. The Miami Grain Company had a number of elevators under its management, but Mr. Perrill continued as manager of the one at Bowersville. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 359 Business continued good and it seemed that the company was going to avoid the disasters that meet so many concerns of this sort, when another calamity was met. On August 2, 1906, the elevator at Bowersville for a second time was completely destroyed by fire. The loss in addition to the insurance amounted to five thousand dollars. But the company was not discouraged and immediately laid plans for the erection of a larger and still more modern elevator than the one just destroyed. The new elevator was not completed in time for the 1906 season, but was opened for the following year's harvest. The local elevator continued to be managed by George N. Perrill during all these years, the next change in mana1910.910.ming on November 1, 191o. At that time George N. Perrill was instrumental in organizing the Xenia Grain Company, and at the same time Foss Zortman, of the Miami Grain Company, disposed of his interests in the company to the Xenia Grain Company. Mr. Perrill became the president of the new company, a position which he still holds. Mr. Perrill continued to manage the Bowersville elevator in conjunction wit1,his son until November I, 1917. He had been elected county commissioner and he felt that he could not give the proper attention to the business and give the county the best service, so the company leased the elevator to D. L. Early, the manager of the other elevator of Bowersville. The story of the other elevator in Bowersville is short. It was erected in 1895 by Hussey & White who operated it until 1897. W. H. Lewis then became the sale owner, but disposed of it three years later to S. A. Hussey, one of the original owners. Hussey operated the business until 1915, when he sold it to D. L. Early, who now manages it along with the other elevator, which, as before stated, is owned by the Xenia Grain Company. CHURCHES, LODGES, SCHOOLS, BANKS, ETC. There are three churches in the village of Bowersville : Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Protestant and Christian. The secret societies represented are the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs. The village has had a school building since 1866, and today boasts of one of the finest school buildings in the state, completed in 1916. The Bowersville Bank was established in 1895 and has been a valuable asset to the community. A complete history of these various factors in the life of the village is given in separate chapters elsewhere in the volume. POSTOFFICE. Peter Bowermaster, the first postmaster, was commissioned on February 12, 1848, and held the office until his death on November 3, 1859. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1787 and had been a res18101810,Greene county since 181o, serving in the War of 1812 with one of thr at 360 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO companies organized in the county. While he was postmaster the office was on a star route running between Jamestown and Reeseville, the mail being carried between the two towns once a week on horseback—or sometimes on foot—by Christopher H. Stewart. On the death of Bowermaster, his son, Reason A., applied for the office and was granted a commission on December 12, 1859. He held it a number of years, and gave way to John Haughey shortly after the Civil War. The succession since Haughey has been as follows : Christopher H. Stewart, Samuel Lockhart, R. H. Wolf, Chester Ervin, Clayton Perkins and Ethel Christy, the present incumbent. Perkins committed suicide and Miss Christy, the daughter of Milton Christy, was appointed as his successor, and has since filled the office. She also handles a line of stationery in the postoffice room. The mail is now delivered to the local office by rural carriers from Jamestown on the north and Sabina on the south. The railroad no longer carries mail to the town, although for a number of years after it was opened in the latter part of the seventies it carried the mail. BOWERSVILLE IN 1918. The town of Bowersville presents an attractive appearance. With an abundance of shade trees, macadamized streets, cement guttering and cement sidewalks, with neat and well-painted houses, the town is altogether a desirable place in which to live. It has electric lights, the telephone, and in other ways has kept pace with the changing years. It does not pretend to be anything more than a small town, but it does believe in being a good small town—and it is succeeding admirably. The business and professional interests are similar to those of other towns of the same size. The oldest merchant in point of years, and in service as well, is N. J. Bowermaster, who is still in business with his son. John Gardner had a drug store for some years, but he sold out in 1916 and since then the town has been without a drug store. A bakery operated by P. M. Palmer closed down in February, 1918. The railroad service is not all that it should be. The road runs about three trains a week, hauling only freight. Most of the merchandise for the different stores of the town is hauled by auto truck from Washington Court House. The town hall is a one-story brick building, with a lock-up in the rear. The present mayor is Edward Story ; Abner White is marshal, and Frank Huffman is the village constable. BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY FOR 1918. Automobile dealer, Dr. C. E. Ream ; bank, Bowersville Bank, A. L. Fisher, cashier ; George N. Perrill, president ; barbers, White & Reed ; blacksmiths, I. F. & F. A. Stewart, Charles Ellis; cabinet-maker, George Hussey ; GREENS COUNTY, OHIO - 361 carpenter, Edward Story & Sons ; coal, lime and cement, Wilbur Ross ; creamery, Delma Oliver, local manager; dentist, Doctor Teeters; dressmakers, Audrey Hollingsworth, Fannie Bowermaster; electricity, secured from Wilmington; elevators, D. C. Early, Xenia Grain Company, George N. Perrill, president; garage, F. A. Stewart; grocery, J. A. Smith, Ora McColaugh; general stores, N. J. Bowermaster & Son, Ross Store Company ; hardware, L. W. Linton ; hotel, Milton Christy ; livery, auto service, Sherman Lewis; meat market, C. L. Thomas ; millinery, Chedister Sisters; painters and decorators, Granville Jackson & Son ; physician, Dr. C. E. Ream; pool room, Fred Love, O. C. Hollingsworth ; postmaster, Ethel Christy ; restaurant, 0. C. Hollingsworth ; saw-mill, Abner White ; shoe cobbler, Fred Jackson; station agent, Delma Oliver ; telephone exchange, branch of Springfield-Xenia Telephone Company ; undertakers, Stewart & Burr ; veterinary, Stephen Bowermaster; well diggers, Lewis Hargrave. CHAPTER XXIII. THE TOWN OF CEDARVILLE. The town of Cedarville has an honorable history extending back more than one hundred years, a history replete with the incidents which cluster about any community that has been in existence for a century. Here have lived hundreds and thousands of people, who have been glad to call it home; here have lived scores of business men, scores of tradesmen of many callings, and other hundreds of citizens who have trodden quiet and uneventful lives, doing their duty as they saw it from year to year. Cedarville claims at least two men of national renown, one of whom became a man of international reputation. High on the roll of American journalists and diplomats stands the name of Whitelaw Reid, and this little town of Cedarville claims him as its own. Another illustrious son of the town, who has achieved fame as a journalist and poet, is the versatile Wilbur Dick Nesbit. Appreciative sketches of both of these men may be seen in another chapter. But these two men are only a part of the contribution of this little town to the world, albeit they have brought it more fame than anyone else. The history of any town of this size is very much like that of thousands of other places of our country. It began in a humble way, with its rude log cabins, unkempt streets, meager business enterprises and general air of humility, but with the passing years it kept pace with the development of other towns, until today it presents the appearance of a thriving little city. In order to trace its history it is necessary to get back to its beginning. THE BEGINNING OF CEDARVILLE. On the 29th day of June, 1816, there walked into the court house at Xenia two substantial citizens, Jesse Newport and William Newport by name, and immediately found their way into the office of the county recorder, Josiah Grover, where they recorded the following document : State of Ohio Greene County Personally came before me, Samuel Kyle, one of the associate judges for the county aforesaid, Jesse Newport and William Newport, and acknowledged the within plat of the Village of Milford to be their act and deed for the purpose therein expressed. Given under my hand and seal, this 29th day of June, 1816. Recorded on 29th June, 1816. SAMUEL KYLE, A. J. JOSIAH GROVER, R. G. C. for Greene County. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 363 Here, then, is the first official notice that such a place as Cedarville was on the map of the world. It should be stated in the beginning that from its platting in 1816 until 1834 it was known by the name of Milford. In the latter year the town was given a postoffice and since there was another office of the same name already in the state it was necessary for the citizens to find another name for it. After careful consideration the name of Cedarville was chosen—this was sixteen years before Cedarville township came into existence—and it has since been known by that name. The banks of Massies creek were lined with cedar trees and it was this fact which was responsible for the name of Cedarville. The original plat shows that the proprietors had a very modest opinion of the future possibilities of the town, since they only platted twenty-four lots, each eighty-two and a half by one hundred and fifty feet. Fifteen of these lots were south of Chillicothe street and nine lots north of it. It was twenty years before the town had grown to a point rendering it necessary to make an addition to the original plat. Since 1836 there have been seventeen additions to the town, which, with the name of the proprietor, the number of lots, and the date of recording, are set forth in the appended table:

Joseph Y. Alexander John Orr, et al Mitchell & Dell Samuel Nesbit, et al John Orr John Orr Mitchell & Dunlap Jacob Miller Walker, Osborn & Nesbit Harrison Insley John Orr M. M. Gaunce Kyle's Addition S. K. Mitchell James Orr and Benoni Creswell Cedarville Realty Company Edgmont Subdivision

8 32 18 23 9 12 26 14 8 4 3 5 17 8 18 22 43

January 23, 1836 June 3, 1845 May 21, 1850 April 25, 1851 August 9, 1851 October 1, 1853 May 6, 1854 July 1, 1854 October 13, 1854 1854 March 20, 1855 July 1, 1876 May 10, 1880 April 13, 1889 May 18, 1896 May 11, 1905 May 13, 1916

EARLY BUSINESS INTERESTS. With no written records to trace the path from the beginning of the mercantile interests of Cedarville it is impossible to tell who should be credited with being the first vender of salt and sugar in the town. One authority states that Espy Mitchell was the first, another gives the honor 364 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO to John Orr, still another sets forth the claims of one Hanna. Most of the local authorities state that either Mitchell or Orr was the first, but the fact that Hanna, whoever he may have been, was there at an early date is vouchsafed by the fact that the infant village was often called "Hanna's Store" by the old pioneers. This pioneer merchant came from parts unknown and seems to have left for parts equally indefinite; no one can undertake to say at the present time when he came to Cedarville,. when he left, whether he died in the place, or what became of him. His connection with the village is given here for the reason that a shadowy tradition places him here; he may be a fact, or he may be a fiction—the historian does not attempt to say. It is difficult to trace the many business men who have come and gone in Cedarville for the past century. The following paragraphs attempt to list some of the merchants and other business and professional men who have been identified with the town during the first half century of its career. The town was hardly deserving of being so called until the railroad reached it in the fore part of the '50s. A reference to the additions to the town plat shows that the town was enjoying a boom in the '50s and it was the coming of the railroad that was responsible for it. While there is so much uncertainty concerning the Hanna above referred to, the next two merchants of the village were there many years and left indisputable evidences of their presence. It is not certain which one of the two, John Paris or Espy Mitchell, next appeared on the scene with a store, but both were evidently located here about 1830. Paris was here in 1834 when the first postoffice was established and it was in his small log cabin that the settlers of this community received their first letters, but how long he had been here before 1834 is a matter of conjecture. He seems to have been a man of more than usual ability, a fact attested by reason of his being, at one and the same time, the village postmaster, storekeeper, shoemaker and watch and clock repairer. All of these duties were carried on in one small room. John Paris is remembered as a great temperance worker, and his was one of the very few early stores that did not retail spirituous liquors. He continued to hold the office of postmaster until the middle of the '40s, and continued to reside in the village until his death on July 22, 1853. E. Mitchell is credited with establishing a store in the village in 1830, and he may have been the first merchant in the town. He remained in business here until his death in 1855, at which time his store was purchased by B. McClellan. The new proprietor was in the town only three years, removing his stock of goods to Kansas in 1858, where he continued in business until in the '80s. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 365 Another merchant of the '30s was John Orr, who opened a store in the spring of 1834, and continued in business in the town until his death on January 9, 1882. Orr was one of the leaders in the life of the town for half a. century. Born in South Carolina on April 6, 1795, he located in Xenia in 1831 and two years later settled in Cedarville where he lived the remainder of his days. He built the first frame house in the town in 1836, and in 1840 he built the business room which he occupied from that year until he retired from active business a short time before his death. FIRST FACTORY 1N THE TOWN. The year which saw Orr opening his store, 1834, also witnessed the establishment of the first factory in the town, although it could hardly have been called a factory at that time. The industry was that of furniture-making, or cabinet-making, as it was usually called in those days, and the proprietor of this first industry was one Uriah Jeffries. He started out with nothing but a hand lathe, but in the course of time he added more machinery and introduced horsepower. When he decided to make these improvements he moved his little shop to the west side of the town, near the site of the later furniture factory. Business was good and by 1845 he felt the need of enlarging his little shop. Accordingly, he associated James Jeffries with him as partner, and the new firm at once began the erection of a new plant, the same which was in use as long as the business was maintained. Uriah Jeffries sold his interest to his partner in 1855 and tried farming for a couple of years, but in 1857 he was again back in the firm, remaining until his death in 1870. James Jeffries continued alone until 1873, when Mason, the son of Uriah Jeffries, became associated with his father's former partner. In the following year, 1874, the firm installed steam power and made other extensive improvements. In the early part of the '80s the firm was employing fifteen men and doing a good business. They had established a retail store in Xenia in 1876, which, with the one they maintained in Cedarville, furnished a good outlet for their product. The factory continued in operation until in the later '80s, when it -was closed down forever. The year 1847 brought to Cedarville one of its leading merchants for a long period of years in the person of John F. Frazer. Born in Pennsylvania in 1813, he came to Ohio when a youth and learned the tanner's trade, operating a tannery at Decatur, Ohio, from 1836 to 1847, when he located in Cedarville. He at once embarked in the mercantile business and continued to manage a store in the town from that year until he retired from active pursuits a short time before his death on August 12, 1890. 366 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO CEDARVILLE BUSINESS INTERESTS IN 1874 One of the Xenia newspapers published in 1874 a summary of the business interests of the various towns of Greene county and summarized Cedarville up as follows : Three dry goods stores, seven groceries, two hardware stores, one bakery, two drug stores, one tin shop, five blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, three shoe and boot shops, one steam grist-mill, two hotels, one undertaker, two barber shops, one saddlery shop, two milliners, three butcher shops, two livery stables, one saloon, five firms operating lime kilns, and three physicians. At that time there were five churches : Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Reformed Presbyterian (Old Style), Reformed Presbyterian (New Style) and United Presbyterian. There was also a graded school with seven teachers The names of the different business firms are not given. THE TOWN IN 1881. In 1881 the business interests of the town were reported as follows: Eight groceries, four dry-goods stores, two hotels, two drug stores, three shoe shops, three blacksmith shops, one hardware store, one grain store, one butcher shop, one wagon shop, one furniture store, one bakery, one undertaker, one merchant tailor, two barber shops, two milliners, one tin shop, four physicians—and no saloon. INDUSTRIES OF CEDARVILLE. Practically all the industries of Cedarville township have been located in or in close proximity to the village of Cedarville, and may be found treated in this connection. The succession of owners of the various saw-and grist-mills and other factories of one kind or another is difficult to trace, but sufficient data has been preserved concerning these early industries to present a fair picture. The first saw-mill in the township was erected in 1811 along Massies creek in Cedarville, just below Main street, and the proprietor of this first saw-mill was no other than the man who laid out the town five years later. Newport was a good business man and seized the opportunity to locate a town around his mill site. He threw a dam across the creek to divert sufficient water to turn a water wheel, and in this way derived sufficient power to run his mill practically the year around. He built the first bridge across the Greek in Cedarville and for several years it was the only bridge across the creek in the township. Newport operated the mill for several years and then disposed of it to John Townsley, who in turn sold it to Fred Beamer in 1835. Beamer had charge of it a number of years and then disposed of it to W. M. Barber, who operated it until the dam was washed out by a freshet GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 367 in 1868. The mill was later used for general storage by Barber, who was in the hardware business. It should be mentioned in this connection that there were no fewer than four other saw-mills along Massies creek within a distance of two miles from the village of Cedarville, and all of them did a flourishing business for several years. There was so much timber to be cut, and since the mills could not operate in the middle of the winter season, they found plenty of work to do during that part of the year when they could operate. After the old Newport mill disappeared in 1868, there was a time when the village was without a mill, but a portable affair was started up and was operated for a number of years. Isaac and Jacob McFarland opened a combined saw-mill, carding and fulling factory in 1818 along the creek, and they did an extensive business for a number of years The brothers eventually discontinued the 'carding and fulling end of the business and devoted all of their attention to the sawing of lumber. This mill continued to operate until about the time of the opening of the Mexican war, 1846 or 1847. The old mill started by the McFarlands eventually became the property of Samuel N. Tarbox and the Tarbox family has been identified with the lumber industry of the town from that day down to the present time. For many years it was the only water-power mill in the township. J. M. Tarbox, the head of the Tarbox Lumber Company, now has the only saw-mill in the township. He is ninety-six years of age. Peter Mowdy seems to have started the first grist-mill in the township about 1836, operating a distillery in connection with the mill for a number of years. The mill passed through a number of hands and finally became the property of Samuel Charlton about the time of the opening of the Civil War. The war with its attendant high tax on whisky put nearly all the distilleries in the county out of business, and the Cedarville distilleries went along with several others. Charlton improved the mill and gained an enviable reputation for the flour he made. It was a water-power mill, as had been all the mills up to this time. The first flour-mill to be operated by steam power was opened for business about 1855 by George Shigley and Hamilton Clemans. Its proprietors sold in 1858 and the new owners thought they saw a better opening at South Charleston, up in Clark county, and dismantled the mill and removed it to that place. DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIME INDUSTRY. W. M. Harbison began the milling business shortly after the close of the Civil War and continued until 1878, when he sold his mill to D. S. and Robert Ervin. D. S. Ervin had located at Cedarville in 1869 and began 368 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO the manufacture of lime in partnership with S. M. Foster, buying out his partner's interest in 1871. He soon built up a lime business of considerable proportions and in the latter part of the '70s was making six hundred bushels—two carloads—of lime daily. At that time he was making three times as much lime as all of the rest of the lime manufacturers of the township combined. When D. S. and Robert Ervin began the milling business in 1878 they had the capital to go into the business on the most extensive scale that had thus far been attempted in the township. In 1881 they completed a grain elevator of twenty-five thousand bushels capacity. In 1879 they bought and sold thirty thousand bushels of wheat, an item of no inconsiderable importance to the farmers of the community. D. S. Ervin was the most energetic manufacturer in the town for a number of years. His lime and flour industries have been mentioned, but he was engaged in a third industry which was a valuable acquisition to the town. This was the manufacture of brick, which he started in 1879, and in his first year he made about two hundred thousand brick. This was the first brick factory in Cedarville township and was operated until in the '90s. In this connection the one tile factory of the township should be mentioned, that of J. W. Strouse and B. W. Northup, which was opened for business in 1871. Their first drying room, ninety-two by forty feet, was burned in 1873, but was immediately replaced by another of equal size. They employed from three to six men during the working season and turned out about fifteen kilns a year, averaging about four hundred and fifty rods each. This factory closed down in the middle of the '80s. OTHER INDUSTRIES GRADUALLY DEVELOPED. The seventies seemed to be prolific of industries of all kinds in Cedarville township. The first and only fruit evaporating plant in the county made its appearance in the township in the fall of 1879, being the property of the Tarbox brothers. They had established a cider press in 1876, and they later conceived the idea of branching out into the drying of apples, peaches and other fruits. They erected a frame building, twenty by thirty feet, in which to dry the fruit and in season employed as many as fourteen hands. During the year when apples were plentiful they often made as high as a thousand barrels of cider annually, and dried more than half a ton of apples each week. But this industry has long since handled its last apple. One other remarkable industry remains to be considered of the early ones of the township. This was the lime industry, which, from the earliest history of the township, has been maintained on a more or less extensive GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 369 scale. As early as the '40s the burning of lime was the most important industry in the township outside of farming, and some seven or eight families were supported by the industry. Just who was the first to begin burning lime on an extensive scale is not known, but Wesley Iliff was in the business in 1843 with an extensive plant for those days. He was in business yet in the '80s, and just before he closed down he was making about one hundred and fifty carloads of lime annually. John Orr started in the lime business in 1845 and he and his son continued to operate kilns for about half a century. His output was about the same as that of Iliff. W.. G. Shroads opened a quarry and began burning lime about 1860 and continued in business until in the '80s, making about the same amount as Iliff and the Orrs. The part that D. S. Ervin took in the lime industry has already been mentioned. He was in the business longer than any of his predecessors or successors, not retiring until 1917. In that year the Cedarville Lime Company was organized and took over the quarry formerly controlled by Ervin, and it now appears that the industry will soon become more important than ever before. The largest industry in the town is the manufacture of strawboard, an industry which has been in operation in the town for more than a quarter of a century. In 1892 the Hagar Straw Board and Paper Company was organized and in the same year a plant was erected at Cedarville which today represents an investment of at least a quarter of a million dollars. The Hagar family are the largest stockholders in the company, although George Little, of Xenia, is heavily interested in the company. The foreman in active charge of the plant is A. Z. Smith. SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, LODGES, BANKS, ETC. The first school building in the village of Cedarville was erected in 1850 by James Turnbull to be used by him for his own private school. He was very successful as a teacher, but soon thereafter he died. After a number of other teachers had tried subscription schools with indifferent success, the township took over the building and opened the first free public school in the village. In 1866 the town built a seven-room brick school house, which was in use until the fall of 1916, when the present eighty thousand-dollar structure was ready for occupancy. For many years after Cedarville was established in 1816 there were no churches in the little village. It appears that the Methodists were the first to erect a building, but no local historian affixes a date for its erection. Most of the early settlers were Presbyterians of one or the other of the three branches which were then in existence, but it does not appear that a Pres- (24) 370 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO byterian church of any kind was erected in the village until in the '30s. There are now six churches in the village, each doing its part toward making the town a better place in which to live. The local historian in 1916 made the statement that the churches of this community had sent forth fifty-five preachers, and interesting to state, it is affirmed that no fewer than forty-five girls of Cedarville township have become the wives of preachers. In former years Cedarville was not what might be called a "lodge" town, a fact due to the preponderance of the Presbyterian sentiment of the community. There is a Masonic lodge, a lodge of Knights of Pythias and a lodge of Odd Fellows. The town has one bank, the Exchange Bank, established in 1892. The first newspaper appeared in 1877 under the name of the Enterprise, and since that date the village has had a paper under various names and with many and sundry editors in charge. The present paper, the Cedarville Herald, is in its forty-first year. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. Back in the days before the Civil War Cedarville boasted of a volunteer fire department that was the pride of the village. In those days there were state contests among fire companies, competitive contests of all sorts calculated to exhibit the speed and accuracy with which they could handle their apparatus. It was largely because of the desire to compete in such contests that practically every town of any size in the state organized volunteer companies in the '50s. Some of them wore gaudy uniforms, an outfit which was much more ornamental than useful, and which would never be put on to fight fires. Cedarville took the field with one of these volunteer fire companies in 1853, the captain being James Bogle, with A. S. Frazer as chief nozzleman. This company trained with all the enthusiasm of a modern football team and went out over the state and captured prizes everywhere. They first bought a second-hand engine, which, by the way, was a hand affair, and a hose reel. With this meager outfit they were prepared to put their skill against the world, more particularly the state of Ohio. Their first public appearance in a contest was at Springfield, Ohio, on July 4, 1854, and, so the ancient chronicler states, when they left for that place at four o'clock on the morning of that day it was so cold that they had to wear their overcoats. It must be remembered that the water was thrown then by power derived from the strong arms of the men themselves wielding the handle of their small engine. On this first public appearance they outdistanced all competitors by at least fifteen feet. The record on this, their maiden appearance has not been preserved, but later in a contest at Zanes- GREENE COUNTY; OHIO - 371 ville, the Cedarville company won first prize, a silver trumpet, with a spurt of two hundred and forty feet. It is unfortunate that some member of the company did not keep a record of their winnings. It is recalled that they appeared at Springfield, Sandusky, Tiffin, Zanesville and Dayton, at each of which places they won a silver trumpet for the best work. All of these evidences of the prowess of the company were lost when the local opera house burned in 1887. Among the brawny "fire laddies" who were members of this famous company were the Kyles, Turnbulls, Jacksons, James Bogle, A. S. Frazer, Edward Van-horn and a number of others. The present fire department is housed in the town hall. The equipment consists of a steam engine and hose carts, with hooks and ladders. The town is supplied with fire cisterns so disposed that water may be pumped on to any building within the corporation. In case of emergency the creek which flows through the town furnishes an ample supply of water. The firemen are volunteers and are paid for actual attendance upon fires. The town has been very fortunate in the way of fires, no serious fire having occurred since the one of October 29, 1887, which destroyed the town hall and a few adjoining buildings. STREETS, SIDEWALKS, SEWERAGE, GAS, ELECTRICITY. ETC. One of the earmarks of a progressive town is to be found in its streets and sidewalks. Cedarville possesses one paved street, Main street from the railroad station to the creek, this street having been paved with brick in 1916. There are cement sidewalks all over the town, while several of the streets are macadamized, and those not improved in this way are well graveled. The town has no waterworks and consequently no sewerage system as yet. There is a sewage disposal plant in connection with the new school building, but it has no connection with the town proper. This plant cost the township $6,000 and is located about three-fourths of a mile from the school building. It is said to be one of the best plants in the state considering its cost. The town has an abundance of natural gas, being on the main line of the Ohio Fuel Supply Company which passes through the county, furnishing Cedarville, Wilberforce and Xenia. This line was put through the county in the spring of 1905 and has been in continuous operation since that year. There are two hundred sixty-five consumers of gas in Cedarville according to the last report of the company. Electricity for the town is furnished by the Dayton Light and Power Company, the same company which furnishes Xenia, Yellow Springs, Clifton, South Charleston and a number of other towns in this section of the state. The town is well supplied with electric 372 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO street lights, this service costing the town one hundred fifty-seven dollars and fifty cents a month, or one thousand eight hundred ninety dollars per year. TOWN AND TOWNSHIP HOUSE. The one public building of Cedarville is owned jointly by the town and township, although it is usually referred to locally as the opera house. The present building was erected in 1888 and represents an outlay of sixteen thousand dollars. Most of the expense was borne by the township, the town bearing the expense of the rear part of the building, which contains the town clerk's offices, the council chamber and mayor's office, and the lock-up. The two lower rooms in front are occupied by the postoffice and township clerk, respectively, the government paying the township three hundred sixty dollars annual rental for its quarters. For several years the Exchange Bank was located in the room now used by the township clerk. The auditorium of the building is one of the largest in the county and has a seating capacity of nearly six hundred. The stage is the largest in the county and is equipped with all the necessary machinery for the presentation of modern plays. The present building was erected immediately following the destruction by fire of the hall which stood on the same site. The building had been built in 1884 and was approximately as large as the present one, but it was destined to stand only three years, the fire of October 29, 1887, completely destroying the building, as well as a building adjoining. This was the most destructive fire the town has ever witnessed. PUBLIC LIBRARY. The public library of Cedarville is one of the many thousands of libraries of the United States which have come into existence through the generosity of Andrew Carnegie. Cedarville College united with the town and township in a joint appeal for the donation, and as a result Carnegie made a gift, contingent, as all his gifts of a similar nature are, upon the recipients of the donation guaranteeing a maintenance fund of ten per cent. of the amount given. The township bought the lot and the title to it, as well as to the building, was subsequently vested in the college. However, the township owns the books and pays for all additions to the library. The township also maintains the library by a direct tax amounting to about fourteen hundred dollars annually, this about paying the librarian and janitor, and heating the building. The township also pays one hundred and fifty dollars a year toward the upkeep of the building and grounds. The library was opened in 1908 with appropriate ceremonies. The GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 373 present librarian is Mrs. Lucile Gray. The township trustees appoint the library board, the present board consisting of Dr. W. R. McChesney, W. H. Barker and W. B. Stevenson. THE POSTOFFICE. The first postmaster has already been mentioned. John Paris, the first incumbent, attended to the little mail that came to the village from the time the office was established in 1834 until he retired in 1844 in favor of A. W. Osborn. The first mail was brought from Xenia once each week, and it was not until 1845 that the mail was received daily. In that year the stagecoach line was inaugurated between Columbus and Cincinnati and from that time down to the coining of the railroad in the fore part of the '50s the mail was brought to the village by the stage. Osborn held the office until 1848, when he was succeeded by James Small for a six-month period. Colonel Torrence followed Small, but gave way in about two years to Josiah Mitchell. The next incumbent, William S. Bratton, took up the burden in Taylor's administration, but served only a short time. When President Pierce came into office in 1853, A. W. Osborn was again appointed and served during this administration. The Buchanan administration (1857-61) saw John Gibney, Jr., in charge of the local office, he, in turn, being followed in 1861 by A. W. Osborn. John G. Winter succeeded Osborn, but resigned after six months of service. This brings the history of the office up to 1867, in which year H. M. Boyd became postmaster. Boyd served two years, being followed in 1869 by H. D. Cline, a soldier of the Civil War. Cline held the office longer than any of his predecessors, remaining in charge until he was displaced by James A. McMillan in 1885. The succession since McMillan has been as follows : John McLean, James A. McMillan, Thomas N. Tarbox, Stephen C. Wright and William A. Turnbull. Mr. Turnbull has been in charge of the local office since July 1, 1914. Rural free delivery from the Cedarville office was established in October, 1902, with three carriers, and the same three carriers are still serving. They are Oscar Satterfield, William A. Spencer and Hugh Stormont. All three use automobiles when the roads will permit. The postoffice has been located in the town hall since 1888. MUNICIPAL HISTORY. The municipal history of the town prior to 1887 is difficult to trace owing to the fact that all the village records up to that date were lost when the fire of that year destroyed the opera house. The town, however, was a part of the township until it was incorporated on January 21, 1848, and 374 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO its citizens shared with the farmers of the township the officials elected for the township. The records for the next thirty-eight years, or up to 1887, were lost in the fire of that year. The officials for 1918 are as follows : Mayor, D. H. McFarland ; clerk, J. W. Johnson; treasurer, J. C. Barber ; marshal, H. A. McLean ; councilmen, J. W. Ross, B. E. McFarland, J. O. Stewart, H. Z. Smith, J. E. Mitchell and E. G Lowry. CEDARVILLE IN 1918. The Cedarville of 1918 is a typical flourishing town of fifteen hundred, with a group of wide-awake business men, with keen professional men, with substantial artisans of many trades, and with a representative number of retired farmers who have located in the town to spend the remainder of their days. Such a town may be duplicated all over the United States. It does not aspire to metropolitan honors, but contents itself with being a good country town with all the qualities which such a town should possess. It has the finest school building in the state for a town of its size, a college of good reputation, strong churches, paved streets, electric lights and plenty of natural gas, a fine opera house and public library, two industries of importance—paper-mill and lime works—a substantial banking institution and a progressive building and loan association, a wide-awake newspaper, good stores of all kinds, good railroad service and fine highways in every direction, and finally, a spirit of communism which pervades the whole community and is responsible for the pride its fifteen hundred inhabitants take in their town. A business directory is not ordinarily a fascinating part of a town history, but fifty years from now there will probably not be a one of the men here listed who will be in business. It will have descended to their sons or their grandsons, or passed into new hands altogether. In fact, of the men who were in business in 1880 there is not one who is in active business today. D. S. Ervin is probably the oldest business man in the town, but he practically retired in 1917, his lime and stone business now being in charge of a younger group of men. The following list of the business and professional men of the town as they appear in April, 1918, represents about sixty different occupations. It does not include those who are classed as day laborers, and of course does not include the scores of retired farmers who now make the town their home. The list follows : Automobile dealers, Ralph Murdock, Owens & Son; automobile livery, M. C. Nagley; bakery, Jacob Siegler, Jacob E. Post ; barbers, Charles Smith, William McCoy, A. C. Russell ; bank, The Exchange Bank, O. L. Smith, cashier ; blacksmiths, Ralph Wolford, George Barlow,