GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 625 JUNIOR ORDER OF UNITED AMERICAN MECHANICS. Xenia Council No. 67, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, was organized on July 3, 1897, and holds its meetings in Kingsbury Hall on South Detroit street. The charter members of this council were F. P. Baldure, A. C. Messenger, G. M. Bickett, C. E. Wright, William Scott, George H. Smith, Ed Lighthiser, O. M. Rowe, O. Parker, James Scott, F. R. Voris, W. A. Soos, Charles Casad, George Swartz, Ben Chambliss, Henry Fenker, Richard Anderson, James Wead, T. C. Owens, Frank Poland and George Bodecker. Following is a list of the first officers of this council : Past councilor, Charles Casad ; councilor, F. P. Baldure ; vice-councilor, William Scott ; recording secretary, Frank Zartman ; assistant recording secretary, C. E. Wright ; financial secretary, Richard Anderson ; treasurer, F. R. Voris ; conductor, Ed Lighthiser ; warder, George H. Smith ; inside sentinel,. George Swartz ; outside sentinel, George M. Beckett ; trustees, C. E. Wright, James W. Scott and J. B. Wead; representative to the state council, Charles Casad. The present officers of the council are : Past councilor, Albert Tucker; councilor, William Oran; vice-councilor, Wilbur Chambliss ; recording secretary, George H. Smith ; assistant recording secretary, Frank Sheets ; financial secretary, George P. Tiffany ; treasurer, Theron A. White ; conductor, William Bath; warder, Frank Chambliss ; inside sentinel, Clarence Bath; outside sentinel, Elmer Brewer ; trustees, Frank Sheets, John Kester and M. E. Coulter ; representative to the state council, George H. Smith. COUNCIL OF THE JUNIOR ORDER AT BELLBROOK. Magnetic Council No. 231, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, at Bellbrook, owns its own building, in which it holds its meetings, at the northeast corner of Main and Franklin streets, the property being valued at twenty-five hundred dollars. This council was instituted on May 16, 1896, the charter carrying the names of the following original members : A. R. Howland, G. C. Hook, G. H. Lamb, J. H. Racer, T. H. Swaney, James Crowl, C. E. Belt, E. T. Buckles, G. W. Miller, Harry Myers,. T. L. Myers, Ellis Rosel, Charles Myers, W. Lansinger, Walt Whitacre, Charles T. Moore, M. R. Stover, S. J. Detrick, A. S. Rosel, F. W. Dinwiddie, Henry Weller, A. H. Davis, John Wilson, J. F. Newland, C. C. Schulz, Charles Wilson, J. A. Spitler, B. M. Spitler, J. H. Lansinger, J. T. Finley, Wilford Elliott, C. F. Gibbons, J. P. Snyder, J. A. Carey, E. W. Hopkins, John Billett, J. B. Taylor, H. E. Hurley, C. F. Mills, A. L. Swallow, Harry McGinnis, W. C. Morris and W. Berryhill. The first officers of this council were the following : Councilor, A. R. Howland; vice-councilor, G. W. Miller ; recording secretary, J. H. Lansinger ; financial secretary, F. W. Dinwiddie ; treasurer, James Crowe; junior past councillor, M. R. Stover; trustees, A. R. Howland, G. W. Miller (40) 626 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO and John. Gillett. The present trustees of the council are J. H. Wright, J. R. Weaver and F. Wardlow, the other officers being as follows : Junior past councilor, Wilford Swigart ; councilor, Joseph Guenther; vice-councilor, William Jobe; recording secretary, A. R. Howland ; financial secretary, F. W. Dinwiddie ; treasurer, James Crowl ; chaplain, Jesse Folkerth. THE JUNIOR ORDER COUNCIL AT YELLOW SPRINGS. Bright Star Council No. 97, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, at Yellow Springs, holds its meetings in a rented room in the DeNormandie building on Xenia avenue, in that village. This council was organized on April 25, 1900, with the following charter membership : D. A. Brewer, E. M. Young, John Esterline, W. C. Michaels, J. P. Funderberg, I. K. Warner, J. C. Boolman, J. E. Bailey, A. F. Pultz, E. T. Bailey, O. C. Wike, William Shafer, Lewis Shafer, J. C. Sparrow, Leander Wike, C. M. Layton, Harry Rupert, D. A. Rupert, C. A. Layton, William A. Boolman, Ed Esterline, James Hamilton, Joseph Cowden, George Kershner, Henry Kershner, Goldie Wike, Oscar Wike, J. P. Confer, Cliff Ginnevin, George Albin, Perry M. Stewart, Howard Confer, William Jolley, Emerson Shaw, George Shaw, Noah Harter, Homer Anderson, George Sparrow, J. H. Brewer, Riley McGrath, Warren McGrath, Frank Shaw, Cicero Holsapple, S. C. Willett, W. E. Davis, Ed Linkhart, Frank Carlisle, Charles Shaw, C. E. Bailey, G. A. Horney, Paul Weiss, Howard Sparrow, W. G. Printz, W. Coultice, C. E. Cyphers, R. C. Brown, George Hill, Leslie E. Rice, Frank Hamilton, Arthur Hill, R. B. Galvin, Andrew Donaker, C. S. Sheldon, P. E. Wike and S. A. Rahn. The first officers of Bright Star council were the following : Councilor, I. K. Warner ; vice-councilor, William Shafer; recording secretary, E. M. Young; assistant recording secretary, J. E. Hamilton ; financial secretary, 0. C. Wike ; treasurer, J. P. Funderberg; conductor, D. A. Brewer; warden, Howard Confer; inside sentinel, John Boolman ; junior past councilor, W. A. Jolley ; chaplain, John Esterline ; trustees, J. P. Confer, D. A. Rupert and W. C. Michaels ; representative to the state council, W. A. Jolley. The present officers of the council, in the order just indicated, are Edward C. Bowser, J. H. Brewer, Earl W. Dunevant, Glen Ragan, C. R. Baldwin, John Esterline, Fred Esterline, L. J. Crist, J. P. Confer, C. S. Sheldon, Robert Hill, C. D. Clayton, C. D. Clayton (trustee), J. P. Confer, Glen Ragan and L. J. Crist. COUNCIL OF THE JUNIOR ORDER AT JAMESTOWN. Jamestown Council No. 31, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, at Jamestown, was organized on November 29, 1899, and holds its meetings in a rented hall on West Washington street. The charter members of the council were Jesse Taylor, George R. Spahr, Al Zeiner, H. H. Woolpert, George Cross, W. H. Church, J. W. Zeiner, J. I. McClain, Lou Brads, J. H. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 627 Davis, William Lieurance, Albert Conrey, H. C. Lieurance, John Jenks, W. M. Barefoot, Abner Johnson, W. B. Ford, C. B. Wilkinson, M. G. Ford,, C. C. Moon, Clarence Flowers, C. W. Sharp, M. W. Ballard, Moody Collett, C. C. Bargdill, A. W. McKinley, O. C. Wilkinson, C. E. Iliff, Lester Smith and J. E. Lout. Following were the first officers of the council : Councilor, William Lieurance ; vice-councilor, C. C. Bargdill ; recording secretary, C. W. Sharp; assistant recording secretary, A. W. McKinley ; financial secretary, Al Zeiner ; treasurer, George Spahr ; conductor, J. H. Davis ; warden, M. G. Ford ; inside sentinel, George Cross; outside sentinel, Lester Smith ; junior past councilor, Jesse Taylor ; trustees, C. B. Wilkinson, C. C. Moon and Lester Small ; representative to the state council, Jesse Taylor ; chaplain, Charles Iliff. The present (1918) officers of the Jamestown council are as follows : Councilor, Roscoe Tidd; vice-councilor, R. M. Trout ; recording-secretary, C. W. Sharp ; financial secretary, David Venard ; treasurer, J. W. Shigley ; conductor, George Douglass ; inside sentinel, C. E. Moorman ; outside sentinel, Charles Haney ; trustees, Clyde Bullock, Roscoe Tidd and Ansel Wilts; chaplain, Lewis Glass. SUNSHINE COUNCIL OF THE JUNIOR ORDER. The village of Osborn has a council of the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics, the same having been instituted on April 21, 1896, as Sunshine Council No. 344, with the following charter members : H. R. Kendig, J. H. Kissinger, J. 0. Stoup, William McMullen, S. C. Koogler, J. R. Kissinger, J. A. Pieffer, Sr., Jacob Yowler, J. F. Esterline, F. M. Capenhefer, Joe Capenhefer, Harry McCleary, John Smith, C. H. Coy, M. G. McCleary, William Semler, George Gheen, Everett Horner, C. H. Bagford, R. H. Kline, W. H. Kendig, John Ashbaugh, H. W. Ginnevan, M. W. Seliman, Abe Lewis, Horton Tippy, George Shellebarger, William Yowler, John Beasley and M. E. Overton. The council holds its meetings in a hall in the Barkman building and its present officers are the following : Councilor, Howard Styer; vice-councilor, John Morris ; recording secretary, John Williams ; assistant recording secretary, Howard Burgeman ; financial secretary, Henry Rathfon ; treasurer, Amos Schaber ; conductor, Russell Yowler ; warden, Carl Sheover ; inside sentinel, William Yowler; outside sentinel, William Damaker; junior past councilor, Ralph Miltman; trustee, G. E. Bagley, H. C. Sheetz and F. M. Capenhefer; chaplain, Leonard Kollefroth ; representatives to the state council, Ira Kneisley and F. M. Capenhafer ; alternate delegates to the state council, John Williams, Henry Rathfon and Ira Kneisley. DAUGHTERS OF AMERICA. There are two chapters, or lodges, of the Daughters of America in Xenia, the first of which, Pride of Xenia Chapter No. 140, was organized on March 16, 1907, with the following charter membership: G. W. Morri- 628 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO son, Thomas C. Owens, Ada Zimmerman, Sarah Crossley, Sarah Shelly, Carrie Witham, Edith Shelly, Mary Clark, Jennie Disbrow, Mattie Humston, Emma Randall, Ella Cook, Eugenia Critten, Della Berry, Opal Owens, A. C. Messenger, Hector Osborn, M. E. Coulter, Melissa Fackler, Anna Schull, William McFadden, Forest Greene, Ona Cleaver, Ona Hellrigle, Ella Thomas, Mary West, Della Humston, Grace Stoops, Mary Nann and Margaret Pickett. The chapter now has a membership of one hundred and eighty-four and its meetings, which are held on Thursday evenings of each week in the hall of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics in South Detroit street, show an average attendance of thirty-five. The first officers of the chapter were the following : Councilor, Ada Zimmerman ; vice-councilor, Sarah Crossley ; assistant councilor, Edith Shelly; assistant vice-councilor, Ona Cleaver ; recording secretary, Emma Randall ; assistant recording secretary, Mattie Humston ; financial secretary, Anna Schull ; treasurer, M. E. Coulter ; conductor, Melissa Fackler ; warden, Thomas Owens ; inside sentinel, Ona Hellrigle ; outside sentinel, Sarah Shelly ; junior past councilor, William McFadden ; assistant junior past councilor, William Morrison ; trustees, William Hellrigle, Thomas Owens and A. C. Messinger; representative to the state council, William McFadden. Following are the present officers of the lodge : Councilor, Opal Owens ; assistant councilor, Mary Davis ; vice-councilor, Alice Robinson ; assistant vice-councilor, Barbara Smith ; recording secretary, Rosa Reese ; assistant recording secretary, Ethel Miller ; financial secretary, Emma Randall ; treasurer, Ada Weller ; conductor, Mary Shaw ; warden, Ruth Owens ; inside sentinel, J. P. Keiter ; outside sentinel, William Oran ; junior past councilor, Louise Greene; assistant junior past councilor, Clara Ary ; representative to the state council, Laura Mellage ; trustees, Ella Blake, Flora Horner and Alice Smith. OBEDIENT CHAPTER NO. 160, DAUGHTERS OF AMERICA. Obedient Chapter No. 16o, Daughters of America, at Xenia, was organized on September 30, 1913, with the following charter membership : Curtis Jeffries, Emma Dean, Ralph Dean, A. W. Tullis, Norma Tullis, Charles Beavers, C. F. McCoy, Allie McCoy, George H. Smith, Edith Thompson, Goldie Green, Sarah Carnes, Anna Hudson, Bessie McDermitt, Maud Rankin, Cora Bridgman, Goldie Buckles, Howard S. Spahr, John Cyphers, J. E. Sutton, C. S. Mock, J. C. McCoy, Maud P. Mock, H. L. Hupman, Jessie McKinney, Della McKinney, Homer Chambliss, Callie White, Cora McCoy, Ida Thompson and Iva Farnshell. The first officers of this organization were the following : Councilor, Mrs. A. W. Tullis ; assistant councilor, Mrs. A. Hudson ; vice-councilor, Mrs. J. C. McCoy ; assistant vice-councilor, GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 629 Mrs. C. F. McCoy; junior past councilor, Mrs. I. Farnshell ; assistant junior past councilor, Miss B. McDermitt ; recording secretary, Charles Beavers ; financial secretary, Edward Sutton; assistant recording secretary, George H. Smith ; warden, Miss D. McKinney ; conductor, Goldie M. Buckles ; treasurer, A. W. Tullis; outside sentinel, Curtis Jeffries ; inside sentinel, Cora Bridgman ; representative to the state council, Mrs. I. Farnshell ; alternate representative to the state council, Mrs. B. McDermitt ; trustees, Mrs. J. C. McCoy, Ralph Dean and J. C. McCoy. This lodge holds its meetings in the hall in the Kingsbury building in South Detroit street, renting the same from the Xenia lodge of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. Following are the present officers of the lodge : Councilor, Cora Bridgman ; assistant councilor, Rachel Curlett ; vice-councilor, Florence Hitchcock ; assistant vice-councilor, Nelle Corwin ; junior past councilor, Richard McClelland ; assistant past councilor, Allora McCoy ; recording secretary, Myrtle M. Coulter ; financial secretary, George H. Smith ; assistant recording secretary, Amy Spellman; warden, Charlotte Price ; conductor; Ona Cleaver; treasurer, Mrs. Harry Karch; outside sentinel, Grace Mobley; inside sentinel, M. E. Coulter; trustees, J. C. McCoy, Mary West and Rosa Lewis; representative to the state council, T. M. Karch ; alternate representative to the state council, Maud Doughett. LOYAL ORDER OF MOOSE. There is a lodge of the Loyal Order of Moose at Xenia, the same having been instituted on August 11, 1915, under the name of Xenia Lodge No. 1629, with the following charter 'members : W. S. Odenkirk, Ed. J. Wilkins, D. A. Smith, C. E. Beaver, R. M. Neeld, George W. Sheets, Roy Barnes, B. F. Eckerle, George Adams, Rufus Mullen, William Foglesong, B. F. Thomas, P. L. Robinett, John Daly, T. G. Rayburn, Raymond Reeves, G. C. Mendenhall, W. J. Moore, F. E. Dill, Elmer Yeakley, William Foley, J. R. Rhubert, J. R. Ayres, Charles E. Waite and Dan McNealis. The lodge occupies the M. H. Schmidt building on the corner of West and Main streets and the present officers of the same are as follow : Past dictator, Frank L. Bath ; dictator, Roy E. Barnes ; vice-dictator, B. F. Eckerle ; prelate, William Devoe; secretary, William Foley ; treasurer, George W. Sheets; inner guard, 0. H. Stephens; outer guard, Floyd Dill; trustees, Orville Tucker, Ed. Burtis and Charles Tindall. The first officers elected by the Xenia lodge of the Loyal Order of Moose were the following : Past dictator, W. S. Odenkirk ; dictator, E. T. Wilkins ; vice-dictator, D. A. Smith ; prelate, C. E. Dowdell ; secretary, R. M. Neeld ; treasurer, George W. Sheets ; inner guard, B. F. Eckerle ; outer guard, George Adams; trustees, Rufus Mullen, William Foglesong and B. F. Thomas. 630 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES. Xenia Aerie No. 1689, Fraternal Order of Eagles, was organized on September 19, 1907, the following officers being installed when the aerie was instituted : Hal Humston, Will Purdom, Jack Martin, Dan Donovan, Dr. A. L. Brundige, Joe Toohey, Charles Carroll, H. L. Karch, . McIntosh and M. J. Dugan. The aerie owns its own building, where its meetings are held, on West Main street, the property being valued at four thousand dollars. The present officers of the aerie are Clyde Smith, George Weddle, Elmer Yeakley, James McCabe, Dr. A. DeHaven, Harry Jordan, Will Bath, H. L. Clark, Joe Wood and Russell Stephens, the three last named being the trustees. COLORED LODGES. There are several lodges of secret societies representing the colored population of the county, the membership of which is chiefly found in Xenia, Wilberforce and Jamestown. There are also some other lodges in Greene county not included in the foregoing, but requests for information regarding the same have met with no response. CHAPTER XXXV. LITERARY, SOCIAL, TEMPERANCE AND PATRIOTIC ORGANIZATIONS. Xenia claims the honor of having established the first woman's club in the United States, the organization of the Woman's Club in the spring of 1867 antedating the beginning of Sorosis by about one year. Among the charter members of the Woman's Club were the following, all of whom are deceased : Mrs. Charles Merrick, Mrs. Moses Barlow, Mrs. Samuel Newton, Mrs. M. C. Allison., Mrs. George S. Ormsby, Mrs. Downey, Mrs. Henrietta Monroe, Kate Edwards and Helen M. Walker. The first president was Mrs. Monroe, the second, Mrs. Barlow. The club was organized as a purely literary club and has always confined itself to literary work. For some years it maintained a lecture course during the winter season, bringing such people to Xenia as Theodore Tilton, Anna Dickinson, George Kennan and Paul DuChaillu. The temperance crusade of the '70s caused a temporary cessation of the club's activities, but it soon resumed its work and there has been no break in its organization since that time. Mrs. Henrietta Monroe was the last of the charter members to pass away. The president for the year 1918 is Mrs. Mary A. Kinney. Its membership is limited to twenty-five. The club is a member of the state and national federations of women's clubs. JUNIOR WOMAN'S CLUB. The Junior Woman's Club was organized in 1901 by. the younger women of the town, it being felt that in a city the size of Xenia there was plenty of room for two literary clubs. It has always been a pure literary club and has outlined its work from year to year so as to make its work of real benefit to its members. During 1917-18 the club has made an intensive study of South America, the fifteen meetings of the year being given over to the study of the various countries of that continent, as well as to a comprehensive study of the continent as a whole. The membership is limited to thirty. The officers for the current year are as follow : Mrs. F. L. Smith, president ; Julia McCormick, vice-president; Mrs. Graham Bryson. The executive committee is composed of Mrs. A. C. Messenger, Mrs. C. C. Shearer and Helen Jobe. GREENE COUNTY WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. The Greene County Woman's Christian Temperance Union was organized in Xenia on February 13, 1875, with Mrs. Henrietta L. Monroe as president and Ellen Ewing, secretary. For forty-three years the organiza- 632 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO tion has been an active factor in the temperance movement in the county, during which time it has seen the county freed of a saloon for periods of varying length. In the early days of the Union there were only three departments of work, while in 1918 there are thirty-one departments with a superintendent over each department. The work of the organization has been sometimes carried on under great difficulties, especially in its earlier years. Forty years ago there were a number of distilleries yet in operation in the county and some of the most prominent people of the county were identified with the business. When the famous temperance crusades of the '70s were being carried on the Union was fought with an intensity that is hard to comprehend at the present time. Yet during the entire existence of the local organization it has remained true to the underlying principles which led to its founding, never bowing to those who sought to keep the organization from doing its duty as it saw it. Its members have been loyal to their trust, loyal to the cause for which they stand, and it should be a cause for gratification to them to know that their years of hard work have not been in vain. As this article is being written there is pending an amendment to the federal constitution prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors, and it is the consensus of opinion that it will be adopted by the required number of states. There are now twenty-eight states of the Union which are "dry" under constitutional or statutory provisions, all of which will undoubtedly ratify the federal amendment, while in April, 1918, there were five "wet" states which had already ratified the amendment. And the Woman's Christian Temperance Union should be given a large amount of credit for bringing about this very much to be desired result. It has been awakening the minds and consciences of the people of America to the evils of the liquor traffic and future generations will undoubtedly give no small share of the credit to the faithful women who have labored all these years through the medium of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. There are some things which can not be measured with the foot rule or gauged by the scale, and one of these things is the work of the women who have fought so nobly for temperance. There is no particular event standing forth in the history of the local organization in Greene county. They have gone on their way for these three and forty years, doing their duty as they saw it, not being swerved from their duty because of any opposition, and yet carrying on their work in an unostentatious manner. They have seen their first president called to the head of the state organization and other members called upon to fill other state offices in the Union. Mrs. Monroe was followed by Mrs. Campbell, of Clifton, who in turn gave way to Mrs. Hopkins, of Xenia. Mrs. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 633 Monroe was then again called to the presidency and held the office until she resigned on July 15, i886, to accept the presidency of the Ohio Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Mrs. Martha Morton, of Cedarville, wife of Doctor Morton of that town, was elected to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mrs. Monroe. Mrs. Morton was followed on August 2, 1888, by Mrs. Mary E. B. Dodds, of Xenia, the latter continuing in office until April 14, 1891. When Mrs. Dodds assumed the presidency there were only six local unions in the county, the total membership of the county then being one hundred and eighty. There were at that time only three departments, namely : Literature, railroad work and scientific temperance instruction, each department being presided over by a superintendent. On August 2, 1888, the following officers were elected: Mrs. Mary E. B. Dodds, president ; Mellie Marks, Yellow Springs, recording secretary ; Mary Murdock, Cedarville, corresponding secretary ; Mrs. Lou Shigley. Jamestown, treasurer. The local unions at this time were located in Xenia, Cedarville, Yellow Springs, Jamestown and Spring Valley. There were two unions at Xenia, this making six for the entire county. Mrs. Dodds remained at the head of the Union until 1891, when she was succeeded by Mary Murdock, of Cedarville. The presidents since 1891, with the years of their service, are as follow : Mary Murdock, 1891-94; Mrs M. Z. Bargdill, Jamestown, 1894-96 ; Mrs. K. M. Judy, Yellow Springs, 1896-98 ; Mrs. Fannie B. Dean, Jamestown, 1898-1901 ; Mary Murdock, Cedarville, 190104 ; Mrs. Carrie L. Flatter, Goes Station, 1904-15 ; Mrs. Mary L. Collins, since 1915. The other officers in 1918 are as follow : Mrs. W. C. Lacey, vice-president ; Mrs. W. J. Boots, corresponding secretary; Mrs S. T. Baker, treasurer; Mary Murdock and Mrs. Carrie L. Flatter, honorary presidents. While all of these presidents have been capable women, the county organization is free to acknowledge that Mrs. Flatter has been the most efficient president the county has had since the days of Mrs. Monroe. Mrs. Flatter is one of the strongest temperance speakers the county has ever produced and has been frequently called into other states to make temperance speeches. A woman of magnetic personality, of rare executive ability, and with unbounded zeal for the cause, she was the recognized leader of the temperance forces of the county as long as she was at the head of the county union. She served for eleven years as its head, and then resigned against the wishes of all the members. In 1900 there were five local unions in the county with only seventy paid-up members. In 1903 the membership was seventy-eight ; in 1904 there were eight unions and one hundred and fifty-one members ; in 1905 there were one hundred and eighty-six members ; in 1906 there were eleven 634 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO unions and two hundred and fifteen members; in 1907 the number of unions had increased to nineteen with a total membership of nine hundred and seventy-one. The greatest growth of the county organization was in 1907, that year being the banner year in the whole history of the local county Union. In fact, in 1907 the county received a banner for having made the largest gain of any county in the United States. In 1918 there are in active operation nineteen local unions in the county : A. C. Turrell, Mrs. Lizzie Burrell, president ; Aley, Mrs. L. H. Bailey, president; Anne W. Clark, Mrs. Charles S. Dean, president ; Bellbrook, I. M. James, president ; Bowersville, Mrs. S. T. Carpenter, president ; Cedarville, Lulu Henderson, president ; Clifton, Mrs. Ross, president ; Effie Carter, Mrs. Alice Rountree, president ; Jamestown, Mrs. J. H. Lackey, president ; Jamestown Willard, Mrs. Arnetta Hough, president ; McClellan, Mrs. J. S. Van Eaton, president; Osborn, Anna T. Morris, president ; Ross Township, Mrs. Charles Ritenour ; South Side, Mrs. Harry Siefert, president ; Spring Valley, Mrs. Colvin, president ; Wilberforce, Hallie Q. Brown, president ; Xenia, Elizabeth Thomas, president ; Yellow Springs, Mrs. W. C. Lacey, president ; Bramlett (Yellow Springs), Mrs. Bertha Hall, president. Each of these nineteen local unions of the county has a full quota of officers and is fully organized for work under the direction of the county organization. The oldest local union of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in the county with a record of continuous activity is Xenia Union, which dates from December 3, 1874. It was the pioneer organization of the town and one of the very first in the United States. It is a matter of history that the national organization of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union came into being in the fall of 1874. It is said that the first local union in the world was established in Osborn, Greene county, Ohio, by "Mother" Stewart in September, 1873. The winter of 1873-74 witnessed the beginning of a spectacular temperance crusade, the like of which the country had never before seen and one which has not been duplicated since that time. It was the first local union of Xenia which bore such a conspicuous part in this crusade, a crusade which resulted in the closing of thirteen saloons in the town in the course of three weeks. So many years have elapsed since this famous crusade that most of the participants in it have passed away. Elizabeth E. Thomas, now the president of the local Xenia union, was then teaching in the city schools and has a very vivid recollection of the striking events of the months of February and March, 1874, during which time the crusade was at its height in Xenia. The opening of the formal crusade was on February 19, 1874. On this clay, a cold blustery day, the ground being heavily covered with GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 635 snow, seven bands of women devoted to the cause of temperance, began their unique effort to rid Xenia of saloons. It is probable that this day will stand forth as one of the most exciting the town has ever known. The leaders of these seven groups of women were Mrs. J. G. Carson, Mrs. George Watt, Mrs. John Shearer, Mrs. John Carey, Mrs. Henrietta L. Monroe and Mrs. Connable. Each group consisted of from twenty-five to forty women, each one of whom had pledged herself to follow their leader. Their plan was to gather on the sidewalk in front of a saloon and conduct a service of song, prayer and speaking with the hope of being able to induce the keeper of the saloon to agree to close his doors. It appears that the first saloon chosen for their efforts in the morning of this eventful day was that of Stephen Phillips at the corner of Whiteman and Second streets, his saloon being for some reason known at that time as the "Shades of Death." The groups worked in relays on the sidewalk in front of the saloon, a friendly blacksmith up Whiteman street allowing the women to remain in his shop to keep warm while not on duty. After several hours of work on their part, Phillips capitulated and told the women that he was ready to quit the business. He invited them to come inside and help to carry the liquor out and pour it into the street, an invitation which was eagerly accepted, and which soon resulted in the complete destruction of his entire stock of liquors. Later, to tell the rest of the story concerning Phillips, the women raised enough money to establish him in a meat market, appropriately called the "Dawn of Day." Following their initial success with Phillips the women proceeded with the other saloons in the town. It is not necessary to follow the story of the next three weeks in detail. The women met with success far beyond their expectations; one saloon keeper after -another succumbed to their attack, until by the end of the third week no fewer than thirteen saloons voluntarily closed their doors. Not all of these capitulated as easily as the first one, but the women kept faithfully. at their work, beginning early in the morning with their service on the sidewalk in front of the saloon and keeping it up throughout the day and evening, their voices being raised every minute of this time in song, prayer or pleading for the saloon keeper to come forth and declare he was ready to quit the business. It is not too much to say that Xenia has never seen such an exciting three weeks as these weeks of February and March, 1874. The campaign lasted about six months in Xenia, during which time the women worked unceasingly, but there were still some saloonkeepers who refused to close their doors. Thus it was that the first local union of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union received its baptism and was dedicated to the cause of temperance. While there has never since been such 636 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO a concentrated effort to drive the saloons out of the city, yet this local union has never relaxed its efforts to free the city from them. It would be difficult to pick out the women who are deserving of the most credit for the work which this local union has done. Probably the greatest of the early leaders in the work was Mrs. Henrietta L. Monroe, a woman of great strength of character, a splendid executive, an effective organizer, a forceful speaker, and a woman withal who was able to inspire her followers with an unconquerable zeal for the cause of temperance. Mrs.. W. A. Shappee was another great worker, a woman who was not afraid to talk to any one on the subject of temperance, and who talked with such conviction that her work was crowned with remarkable success. She was a typical temperance evangelist and let no obstacles stand in her path. For nearly a quarter of a century she was a power in the Xenia union. Other giants of those early days in the temperance cause were Mrs. James J. Winans, Mrs. George Dodds, Mrs. C. C. Shearer and Mrs. J. G. Winans. Mrs. Cooley is remembered for her work among the colored people of the county. The great temperance work done in Xenia in 1874 was duplicated in several other towns in Ohio at the same time, and it was undoubtedly due to work of these women at this time that the Woman's Christian Temperance Union was born at Cleveland, Ohio, November 18-20, 1874. Pursuant to a call sent forth from the Chautauqua platform at Chautauqua, New York, in June, 1874, a meeting of women was called at Cleveland in November of that year, at which the first national temperance organization was effected. It was only two weeks from the time that the national organization of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union was brought about that a number of Xenia women met and organized what has since been known as the Xenia union. They adopted a constitution on December 3, 1874, with seventeen charter members, including all of the women who had borne the brunt of the crusade against the saloons of Xenia in February and March of that year, a brave band of women who endured the indifference of good, well-meaning people and the scorn of their enemies. They bore uncomplainingly the discouragement of defeats, laboring under difficulties which are hard to comprehend today, but all the time keeping the temperance sentiment alive, and at a time when it took a brave woman to ally herself openly with the cause. But their faith in the ultimate triumph of prohibition never wavered, and if those courageous women of the '70s were living today they would have the satisfaction of seeing that their work was not in vain. The Xenia union entertained Frances Willard in Xenia on June 15, 1885. On that day Miss Willard gave an inspiring talk in the Trinity Methodist church, and when she concluded her talk of an hour the audience GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 637 begged her to continue. The union has also brought other noted temperance speakers to the town in the course of the past forty-four years. In December, 1888, Miss Willard sent the local union a motto, which has since been a guide to them in their work. The records of the Xenia union are not very clear as to the succession of its presidents. Mrs. Caroline Winans appears to have been the president nearly all of the time from 1874 to 1888, although Mrs. George Dodds was at the head for a time during this period. Mrs. Dodds was treasurer for several years, and in those days the treasurer probably had a more difficult office to fill than that of president. Mrs. Winans was president again from 1900 to 1908. Since the latter year there have been three presidents : Mrs. Frances Sanderson, 1908-10; Mrs. Samuel Galloway, 1910-12; Elizabeth E. Thomas, since 1912. The Xenia union now has about sixty active members. It is divided into a number of departments for more effective work, each department being in charge of a superintendent. The officers of this local union in 1918 are as follow : President, Elizabeth E. Thomas; vice-president, Mrs. Homer G. Biddlecum ; corresponding secretary, Jennie Thomas ; recording secretary, Mrs. Edith Norckauer ; treasurer, Mrs. Ella Nisonger. While the local union at Xenia is the oldest in the county seat, and blazed the way for all of the local unions of the county, yet there has been another local in the city for the past eight years which has been very active. In fact, the A. C. Turrell Union, organized in 1910, named in honor of the Rev. A. C. Turrell, the pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Xenia for six years, is now the largest local union in the county. It was formed for the immediate purpose of making a determined effort to drive the saloon out of Xenia, and so successful was its work that every saloon in the city was closed by April 15, 1911. The Turrell Union was organized in September, 191o, with thirty charter members and now has a membership of about one hundred. Its first president was Mrs. Eber Reynolds, who was followed in 1911 by Mrs. Walter Dean for a three-year period. Mrs. Eli Burrell, the present head of this local union, followed Mrs. Dean in 1914. Its other officers include the following : Mrs. Anna Bull, vice-president ; Mrs. M. C. Bailey, corresponding secretary ; Mrs. Maud Smith, recording secretary ; Mrs. Henry Dunkle, treasurer. The A. C. Turrell Union is active in flower-mission work, evangelistic social service, law enforcement and war work. It had charge of the Christmas boxes which the county sent to all the Greene county boys in war service at holiday time, and is doing a great and good work in keeping in touch with all the boys of the county who are now in some branch of the military service. It must not be understood that the Xenia and Turrell Unions deserve more credit than the other local unions of the county, but the fact that they are 638 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO located in the county seat and have the largest membership gives them the opportunity to do more. All the other unions of the county are doing their part commensurate with the size of their local organizations. These unions of Xenia have, however, been acting in a sense as a clearing h0use for the other unions of the county, especially in connection with all the war work of the women of the county. The county organization now has thirty-one departments fully officered and organized for effective work. These various departments are as follows : Flower mission, evangelistic,. Sabbath observance, Sunday school work, temperance and labor, mothers meetings, Christian citizenship, literature, periodicals, scientific temperance instruction, social and red-letter days, anti-narcotic, parliamentary, franchise, press, fair and open meetings, health and heredity, juvenile courts, medical temperance, medical contests, purity and purity in literature and art, institute, work among colored people, young people's branch, musical director, mercy and humane work, peace, railroad, Bible in public schools and finally, the department recently organized to work in behalf of the soldiers and sailors who have gone forth from the county. The title of the organization does not in any way indicate the wide scope of its activities, which, as may be seen, comprehend a varied program of work along widely different lines. But there is no one thing which they are doing which is not done for the good of the community. Everything which comes under their purview makes for better citizenship, for better men and women, and for a better county in which to live. They are doing a great and noble work, a self-sacrificing work, for it must be understood that not a woman engaged in this work receives any compensation for what she does. Their services are given free and unstintedly for the good of the county which they call their home; not a woman of the organization expects to receive a monetary reward for her services, but is content if she can contribute in any way to the betterment of her home county. A word should be added concerning the part the women of Greene county have taken in the state organization. It has been mentioned that Mrs. Henrietta L. Monroe was at one time president of the state organization, and that Mrs. Carrie L. Flatter has a national reputation for her work in the temperance cause. Mary Ervin, of Cedarville, is now a national lecturer and organizer for the Loyal Temperance Legion and is doing a great work. The year 1918 finds the following Greene county women on the state organization : Mrs. Carrie L. Flatter, member of board of trustees; Mrs. Fannie B. Custis, superintendent 0f Sabbath school work ; Mrs. Della Snodgrass, lecturer on purity ; Mrs. Olive K. Dean, superintendent .51 department of Christian citizenship. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 639 DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. The Daughters of the American Revolution is a patriotic organization of women. The eligibility for membership in this organization is confined to those who can establish a lineal descent from some ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. The primary objects of the organization are to foster patriotism and love of country, to encourage historical research and the protection of historical sites, to preserve Revolutionary relics, to maintain and defend all institutions of American freedom, and to promote all agencies for the diffusion of historical knowledge, but it has added other features to the original plan under which it was organized. Probably the most important feature which has been added to the work of the society is that of helping organized charitable and benevolent movements. Beginning with the Spanish-American War, the society has given particular attention to the work of the Red Cross and renewed its work with that organization in the summer of 1916 when the American army went to the Mexican front. Its work along this line during the last two years needs no comment. The society has also been taking a more or less active part in civic improvements during the past few years, a work which was not planned for it by its promoters. The character of the work in different chapters varies widely ; some chapters, adhere closely to the original plan of operation, while others have made radical departures and branched out in work never dreamed of by the women who started the organization. But this much should be said—all of the work done by the Daughters is of an historical or public-spirited nature and does not in any way conflict with the original plan of the organization. Catherine Greene Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, was organized on December 16, 1894, at the home of Mrs. B. K. King. The credit for the organization of the chapter was largely due to the efforts of Miss Emma C. King, and she became the first regent of the chapter upon its organization. Mrs. A. Howard Hinkle, state regent, effected the organization and Started the chapter with twenty charter members, namely : Mrs. Robert D. Adair, Mrs. S. M. Allison, Mrs. George F. Cooper, Mrs. Charles Darlington, Mrs. Henry H. Eavey, Mrs. William A. Galloway, Mrs. Charles S. Johnson, Mrs. James A. Johnston, Emma C. King, Isadora F. King, Mrs. Edwin Meredith, Sarah Belle Williams, Mrs. William M. Wilson, Mrs. Sarah E. Harbine, Mary McCurdy, Mrs. Charles Walkley, Virginia Lauman, Mrs. Vanderveer Taylor, Mrs. Betsy K. King and Mrs. Cora Day Young. For a number of years after the chapter was organized members were added slowly, but there are now eighty on the roll of the chapter. During the past year eight regular monthly programs were given, while a number of special meetings were held. The regular monthly meetings are featured by one special paper, followed by a discussion and a social hour. 640 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO It would be difficult to describe in detail what the local chapter has accomplished during the twenty-four years of its existence. Its work has not been of a kind to attract attention, much of it being of the quiet, unostentatious kind which never reached the public eye. The public at large has never known of the innumerable contributions which the chapter has made for all kinds of charitable and benevolent purposes. During the Spanish-American War it furnished clothes and in many ways performed the same work which is now in charge of the Red Cross. At that time there was no national Red Cross in the sense that there is in 1918, and the Daughters of the American Revolution took it upon themselves to do much of the work which is now done by the Red Cross. Since the present war began the local chapter has raised a war fund of one thousand dollars and has also contributed liberally to the Daughters of the American Revolution lodge at Chillicothe. In other ways the chapter has contributed to the welfare of the soldiers in the service, as well as to their families left behind. There are a few events which stand forth in the history of the chapter. One of these was the loan exhibit in 1897. This was held in the room at the corner of Market and Greene streets now occupied by W. A. Kelley, the exhibit consisting of all kinds of Indian and pioneer relics. A considerable amount was realized from the exhibit, and this money was used by the chapter in a variety of ways. Part of it was used to entertain the state conference of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1907, and part of it was still on hand in 1917 and was then invested in Liberty bonds. In 1906 the chapter erected a handsome monument at Oldtown marking the approximate site of the birth of Tecumseh and also the point where Simon Kenton finished his famous gantlet run. The monument bears the following inscription : THIS STONE MARKS THE SITE OF OLD CHILLICOTHE, THE PRINCIPAL TOWN OF THE SHAWANEE INDIANS TECUMSEH, CHIEF THE FAMOUS GAUNTLET, RUN BY SIMON KENTON IN 1778, WAS FROM SEXTON'S HILL TO THE COUNCIL HOUSE, WHICH STOOD 30 RODS WEST OF THIS SITE. The present members of the club include all of the original charter members except two non-resident members, Mrs. Sarah E. Harbine and Mary McCurdy, and those lost by death : Mrs. S. M. Allison, Miss Virginia Lauman and Mrs. Betsy Kendall King. The remaining members are Mrs. Dilver Belden, Frances Bigger, Mrs. Karl R. Babb, Mrs. James P. Chew, Madge B. Cooley, Mrs. Myra K. A. von Hoveln Carpe, Mrs. L. F. Creamer, Catherine Corrine Creamer, Emma Davidson, Mrs. John M. Davidson, Mrs. Frank GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 641 DuBois, Elizabeth Ewing, Mrs. Charles E. Fisher, Mr's. Andrew S. Frazer, Mrs. Charles W. Figgins, Evelyn Helen Galloway, Mary Belle Gatch, Sarah B. Hagar, M. Gertrude Hagar, Mary B. Hawkins, Mrs. Chester Hinkle, Mrs. Robert S. Kingsbury, Mrs. Robert H. Kingsbury, Mrs. Harry S. LeSourd, Mrs. Thomas L. Magruder, Opal Mallow, Mrs. John M. McCalmont, Mrs. William H. McGervey, Mrs. Milton S. McKay, Mrs. Asa C. Messenger, Mrs. Harold C. Messenger, Mrs. Austin M. Patterson, Mrs. John W. Peterson, Mrs. Charlie A. Santmyer, Mrs. Fred J. H. Schell, Ada Stormont, Mrs. Nelle E. Schuster, Margaret Elinor Steele, Florence Miriam Steele, Mrs. J. D. Steele, 'Pauline Torrence, Mrs. George Tiffany, Mrs. Stephen F. Weston, Mrs. Charles A. Weaver, Anna Weaver and Mrs. Kenneth Williamson. The non-resident members, with their addresses, are : Mrs. Richard H. Ahlers, Chicago; Mrs. William A. Aiken, New York City ; Charlotte Luella Baker, Cleveland ; Frances Baker, Cleveland; Mrs. William H. Batson, Fort Worth, Texas ; Emma C. Combs, Buenos Ayres ; Mrs. Charles W. Drees, Buenos Ayres ; Mrs. 'William L. Ekin, Decatur, Illinois; Mrs. Charles E. Galloway, Chicago ; Mrs. George F. Hardy, Whitestone, Long Island; Mrs. John H. Herding, Duluth ; Mrs. Sarah E. Harbine, Tucson, Arizona; Amelia. I. Harbine, Tucson, Arizona ; Mrs. Paul E. Hawkins, Troy, Ohio ; Mrs. Charles M. Kelso, Dayton; Mrs. Walter Koch, Millersburg, Ohio ; Mary McCurdy, Akron; Mrs. Korah S. Shambaugh, Oakland, California; Mrs. Henry C. Stark, Columbus, Ohio; Lucy Stewart, Akron; Mrs. H. A. Thompson, Cherry Ridge, Ohio. Following are deceased members : Mrs. Betsy Kendall King, Mrs. Jennie Norton Bevridge, Mrs. Evelyn Spitzer Lyon, Mrs. Georgia Sinks Brown, Mrs. Fannie Metcalf Bagnall, Mrs. Mary Luella Stewart Hagar, Sarah Connable Bontecou, Mrs. Jennie Stevenson Knowles, Virginia Lauman, Mrs. Laura Carpenter Finley, Mrs. Louisa Myers Allison, Mrs. Sarah D. Nesbitt. The regents of the chapter since its establishment are the following : Emma C. King, 1894; Mrs. Betsy Kendall King, 1895 ; Virginia Lauman, 1896; Mrs. Henry H. Eavey, 1897; Mrs. John A. Beveridge, 1898 ; Mrs. S. M. Allison, 1899; Mrs. William M. Wilson, 1900; Mrs. James A. Johnston, 1902; Mrs. Asa C. Messenger, 1904 ; Mrs. Robert D. Adair, 19o8 ; Mrs. James P. Chew, 1910; Mrs. T. L. Magruder, 1912 ; Mrs. William H. McGervey, 1915 ; Mrs. William M. Wilson, since 1917. The present officers of the chapter are the following : Regent, Mrs. William M. Wilson ; vice-regent, Mrs. Asa C. Messenger ; secretary, Evelyn H. Galloway; treasurer, Mrs. Charles S. Johnson ; historian, Frances Bigger; registrar, Mrs. Karl R. Babb. Since the chapter was organized it has been making a constant effort to locate all of the graves of the Revolutionary soldiers buried in the county. Thus far the following graves have been located and suitably marked with headstones furnished by the government : James Small, born in York county, (41) 642 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO Pennsylvania, February, 1757, and died in Greene county, Ohio, April 23, 1842, Massies Creek cemetery ; Wm. Stewart, born in County Derry, Ireland, August 4, 1739, and died at Xenia, Ohio, August 4, 1830, Woodland cemetery, Xenia ; George Wright, born February 4, 1756, and died in Xenia, Ohio, in 1829, Woodland cemetery, Xenia ; John Torrence, born in Ireland, October 6, 1757, and died at Xenia, July 29, 1840, Woodland cemetery, Xenia; James Galloway, born May 1, 1750, and died August 6, 1838, Stevenson cemetery ; Robert Jackson, born in Ireland in 1758, and died one mile west of Cedarville, September 26, 1826, Massies Creek cemetery; Launcelot Junkin, born in Ireland in 1753, and died near Jamestown, June Jo, 1833, Stevenson cemetery. These seven Revolutionary soldiers have had their graves marked with the headstones furnished by the government. There is no way of ascertaining definitely the exact number of Revolutionary soldiers who died in the county, as most of those who died during the early days of the county were buried in obscure country graveyards and their graves were never marked. GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. The Grand Army of the Republic includes the veterans of the Civil War and such veterans of the Mexican War as fought in the Civil War, although there are very few of the latter now living. Lewis Post of Xenia has had .at least two Mexican War veterans on its roster, William Huston and Joshua Simmons, the latter still being on the roll. Huston now makes his home in the Soldiers Home at Dayton. Lewis Post No. 347 was organized on February 22, 1884, and has had a continuous history since the day of its organization. It appears that there was another post or probably two, organized in Xenia prior to the Lewis post, but neither organization was permanent. Scott Post No. 45 was organized on September 14, 1869, with twenty-two charter members, but for various reasons it surrendered its charter and was disbanded before 1884. Some of the old soldiers also recall a post known as the Steele post, but no definite data seems to have been preserved concerning it. However, it may be said that practically all of the members of these two first organizations later became identified with Lewis post. The charter members of Lewis post were as follows : H. McQuiston, L. H. Whiteman, W. R. Baker, Joseph C. Stewart, S. N. Adams, John A. Hivling, S. M. Stark, A. H. Brundage, R. M. Stewart, Robert Lytle, W. P. Holtzapple, F. D. Torrence, John G. McPherson, John B. Gowdy, Martin V. Lucas, J. H. Kyle, R. C. Strong, W. H. Harry, H. H. Eavey, John P. Kellogg, William H. Glotfelter, J. H. Matthews, T. E. Scroggy, J. H. McPherson, William Harner and W. W. Brock. These twenty-six charter members formed the nucleus of one of the strongest organizations of the Grand Army of the Republic in the GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 643 state for a city the size of Xenia. Members have been added year by year, and about three hundred and forty have been on the roster of the post at one time or another. Deaths, removals and non-payment of dues have decreased the former large membership until on April 20, 1918, there were only fifty-seven members remaining. During the year closing April 1, 1918, there were ten deaths. H. H. Eavey, one of the charter members, died on April 19, 1918. The post was named in honor of John Lewis, captain of two different companies in two different regiments. He was commissioned captain of Company E, Twelfth Ohio Volunteer infantry, on June 20, 1862, and resigned his command on December 2, 1862. His second commission as captain was dated December 23, 1863, at which time he took command of Company K, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.. He served as captain of this company until he was mustered out on July 13, 1865. Two important dates stand out in the history of the local post. One was the year of the centennial celebration, 1908, the other being in 1910, the year the local post entertained the state encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. During the centennial week of 1908 one day was set aside as military day, and on that day Lewis Post had. a grand parade which included practically all of the old soldiers of the county. While this occasion was a memorable one, it was left for the state encampment to give the veterans an opportunity to make the grandest showing of any year since the Civil War. The encampment was held in June, 1910, .and the celebration extended over five days. One of the biggest problems connected with the celebration was the matter of raising the m0ney to defray the expenses. When it is stated that it took five thousand dollars to finance the celebration, and that this was raised without a cent of expense to the post or the citizens of the city it will be seen that the affair was well managed. The citizens at the outset pledged nineteen hundred dollars, while the post itself guaranteed one hundred and seventy-five dollars, but this was estimated to be not more than half the sum required. It was at this juncture that Earl Eavey, as chairman of the finance committee, prepared a letter which he proposed that each merchant and business man of the city should send out to all the firms with which they did business, the letter to be signed by the local merchant or business man, setting forth the fact that the local post wads going to entertain the state encampment. These hundreds of letters went to all corners of the United States, and although no one firm was asked to contribute more than five dollars, the response was so generous that more than five thousand dollars was raised in this manner. When all the expenses were met at the close of the encampment there was sufficient money on hands to redeem every pledge made by the business men of the 644 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO town and also the guarantee of the local post. It was estimated that more than three thousand Civil War and Mexican War veterans were present during the week. In the spring of 1910 the Sons of Veterans secured the large cannon which now adorns the corner of the court house yard, the coming state encampment being responsible for the cannon being secured in that year. The post met in various places prior to the completion of the present court house, but since it has been opened the post has had commodious quarters in a room in the basement. Here the regular meetings are held on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month in the year. The present membership (April 20, 1918) includes the following : Harmon Anderson, Henry Anderson, David F. Baker, John I. Barrows, Albert Burrell, Edward S. Barnett, J. C. Bratton, D. R. Brewer, George H. Burch, C. C. Buckles, D. Calhoun, D. F. Conklin, H. H. Conklin, J. M. Cooper, I. T. Cummins, James M. Collins, D. M. Doggett, Dr. J. P. Dice, William Ellsberry, Henry Eichman, Samuel N. Ellis, Josiah Espey, Joseph Gerard, Jacob Gnaga, John W. Hedges, J. A. Humston, John N. Haynes, George Harner, William B. Holtzapple, George Jenkins, William H. King, Charles Ledbetter, N. C. Litler, J. H. McPherson, William A. Manor, George M. Moore, Thomas M. Moore, James H. Matthews, Samuel Newton, Stephen Pennington, Jacob Persinger, John W. Peterson, Samuel R. Poland, Levi Rader, John W. Rhoades, Joseph Robinett, Robert S. Spahr, William I. Smith, Daniel M. Stewart, Joshua Simmons (Mexican and Civil Wars)., Charles Thompson, S. K. Williamson, E. J. Williamson, William Wheeler, Oliver Whitson, C. W. Wilson and H. B. Williams—total, fifty-seven. The officers for the year 1918 are the following : W. I. Smith, commander ; H. H. Conklin, senior vice-commander ; S. P. Pennington, junior vice-commander ; D. M. Doggett, chaplain ; J. H. McPherson, adjutant ; T. M. Moore, sergeant major ; J. W. Hedges, quartermaster sergeant ; C. W. Wilson, surgeon ; C. C. Buckles, officer of the day; N. C. Litler, officer of the guard. There is no record of the colored soldiers which Greene county furnished during the Civil War, the records of the state adjutant general not indicating the color of the volunteers. The same year that the white soldiers of the county organized Lewis Post, the colored soldiers of the county applied for a charter for a post and it was granted in the fall of 1884. Daniels Post No. S00 was organized on September 18, 1884, with the following charter members : John Jackson, Levi Moore, Charles E. Nichols, Thomas A. Conrad, John A. Kirk, John W. Clifton, Charles Page, Richard Hubanks, John A. Evans, Moses Swisher, Abner Bizzell, Greenville Hem, GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 645 Buel Murphy, Jethro Hurst, Robert Leach, George Porter, George Hunter, Oscar Fairfax, Robert Cameron, William Steele, John Cosby, Willis Moxty, James N. Dotch, George Washington, William Jamison, Sterling Evans, Weston Lewis, Douglass Gilbert, Henry Haley, Buford Beatty, James Glass, Nathaniel Holton, Samuel Jackson, James Collins, Richard Lamb, John Bass, John Payne, Joseph Craig and Thomas Robinson. The post added new members from year to year until it had about one hundred and fifty on its roll, but deaths, removals and suspension for non-payment of; dues have so reduced the membership that it has not had regular meetings for some time. Enough of the members still pay their dues to give the post a legal existence. CHAPTER XXXVI. MILITARY HISTORY. Greene county has had participants in every war which the United States has waged from the Revolutionary War down to the present great world struggle. It will never be known how many soldiers of the Revolutionary War settled in Greene county, but the number is considerable. The fact that two-thirds of the county falls within the Virginia Military Survey is responsible for several of them, but there were a number who located on congress land. The various expeditions against the Indians between the close of the Revolution and the War 0f 1812 also included men who became residents of Greene county, while the War of 1812 enrolled at one time or another practically every available man of military age within the county. Not all of these saw service at the front, but they were mobilized for service and most of them were called out for duty at some time during the progress of the war. The Mexican War found Greene county again furnishing men for various Ohio regiments, but the state kept no record of enlistments by counties at that time, and hence it is impossible to tell how many actually went from the county. Two Mexican War veterans are still living in the county, William Huston and Joshua Simmons. The Civil War witnessed hundreds of Greene county boys going to the front—in fact, Greene county is credited with furnishing more soldiers for the Civil War in proportion to .its population than any other county in the state. To this day there is a dispute between some of the townships of the county as to which furnished the most troops in proportion to its population. The Spanish-American War found Greene county again at the front, and doing its duty as nobly as it had always done in the past. As this volume is being written the county is furnishing men day by day and week by week for the greatest war the world has ever known. Already hundreds of men have enlisted and the end is not yet in sight, but it can be said that Greene county is fully doing its share to make the world safe for democracy. The next history of the c0unty will have to tell 0f the part it took in this fearful struggle, but when it is written the names of hundreds of Greene county boys will be found to have been enrolled for service under the Stars and Stripes. Little definite information has been preserved concerning the part the early settlers of the county played in the Indian struggles prior to the open- GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 647 ing of the War of 1812. It must be remembered that there was n0 Greene county before the spring of 1803, although scores of the first settlers of the county saw some kind of military service prior to 1812. The expeditions which were waged by St. Clair, Harmar, Wayne, Wilkinson, Clark and other leaders against the Indians included men who later located in Greene county, many of whom saw service in the War of 1812. In the history of Greene county published in 1902, George F. Robinson enumerated all of the soldiers of the War of 1812 which he had been able to identify as belonging to the county. He arranges them alphabetically and as nearly as possible identifies them with the township where they settled. His list includes eight hundred and sixty men, who, according to his investigations, took part in the War of 1812 and were then or later settlers in Greene county. When he could locate the company to which they were attached, along with the captain of the company, he includes this fact with their name. He also gives the date of death wherever known, as well as the place of burial. The county certainly is indebted to Robinson for his indefatigable labor in collecting all this invaluable data. In view of the fact that his record has been published it seems unnecessary to repeat it in this connection, and the historian of this volume wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to him for some of the facts here presented concerning Greene county's part in that war. THE WAR OF 1812. Congress declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812, and since the early events of the war took place around Lake Erie the state of Ohio furnished more troops at the outset than any other state in the Union. During the fall and winter of that year the local militia companies of all the counties in' Ohio were getting ready for service and many of them were sent north to the lake, the settlers of Greene county frequently being called on for companies for short expeditions. Among the captains of local companies during the progress of the war were Robert Gowdy, James Steele, J. Shingledecker, Robert McClellan, Joseph Lucas, Samuel Stewart, Thomas Constant, Rees Baldwin, John Clarke, Peter Price, William Stevenson, George Logan, William Harpole, Samuel Herod, John Watson, Zachariah Ferguson, George Jenkins, Robert Buckles, Thomas Gillespie and John Smith: Benjamin Whiteman was a lieutenant colonel; William Maxwell, William Buckles and William Beatty were majors. General Hull, former governor 0f Michigan Territory, was appointed commander of the Army of the West and arrived at Dayton to take charge of the three regiments of Ohio troops on May 25, 1812, about three weeks before war was actually declared. General Hull was seventy years of age at this time, an old man in his dotage, and although he made a fine record 648 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO in the Revolutionary War, yet it was a fearful mistake to put him in command of such a body of troops as he faced on May 25, 1812. He left Dayton on June I, 1812, for Detroit, passing through the northwestern corner of Greene county on his way through to Urbana where he was to await further orders. He arrived at Urbana on June 8 and left there one week later, arriving in Detroit about the middle of July. He went into camp and remained on the defensive until August 16, 1812, when he surrendered to the British forces without firing a shot. The news of the surrender did not reach Xenia until more than a month later, all of the authorities uniting in declaring that it was not until September 22 that it was known in the town. It threw the entire state into consternation ; no one knew what to expect from the Indians; many imagined that they would descend on the frontier counties and massacre the settlers by the thousands. Another cause for apprehension was the fact that the government had collected stores of war material at Piqua and there seemed imminent danger that the savages would seize them. The news, therefore, that Detroit had fallen, that the American army, the only one in the West, were prisoners, was certainly enough to excite the settlers to a frenzy of excitement. September 22, 1812, fell on Saturday and it is probable that Xenia has never experienced a more exciting night in its whole career than that night. Riders were sent out all over the county, informing the captains of the militia companies in the various townships of the county that they should immediately get their men together and be ready to move to Piqua on Sunday morning. Seven o'clock, Sunday morning, September 23, 1812, saw seventy sturdy pioneers drawn up before the little court house in Xenia ready to depart for Piqua. The captain was James Steele, then a resident of Sugarcreek township. The company was hurried overland by forced march to Piqua where there were stored stores of war material to the value of forty thousand dollars. There were hundreds of Indians in the immediate neighborhood and there was no way of telling when they aright attack the town and seize the goods. All day Sunday Greene county was in a state of excitement ; horsemen were to be seen up and down all the roads ordering out every citizen of military age ; a rendezvous was appointed and the men were told to be there on Monday morning. And they were there--seven more companies of pioneers. On this eventful Monday of September 24, 1812, they marched across the country to Piqua, being joined by other companies from other counties. The net result of this sudden display of armed men was sufficient to convince the Indians that they had no chance of taking the stores at Piqua, even had they entertained such an idea. The supplies were removed to Dayton at once and placed under a strong guard, GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 649 and the local companies returned -to their several homes to await further call. During the progress of the war the local companies were called out on a number of occasions. When Ft. Meigs was being besieged in May, 1813, Greene county was called upon for troops and furnished all that were called for—about seven hundred. Most of the men were mounted. They were out only a short time. In August, 1813, another call was made on the county and this time a company was furnished to guard a "train of provisions which was to be taken from Ft. McArthur to Ft. Finley. The fifty-two men from the county on this third call performed the duty assigned them and later voted to join a detachment at Upper Sandusky. This is the last call on record for troops from Greene county in the war. One feature of the War of 1812 which deserves notice is the fact that it undoubtedly was the means of bringing hundreds of settlers to the county. Thousands of men from Kentucky and Tennessee passed up and down the valley of the Little Miami from 1812 to 1815, and it is known that large numbers of them afterward settled in this section. Of this number, Greene county received a goodly share. Again, it should be stated that the war brought to an end any fear of an Indian uprising, a fear which had no doubt kept many settlers from venturing into this section of the state prior to that time. On the whole, it may be said that the war was a good thing for. Greene county. The descendants of the old soldiers of the War of 1812 are living in the county today by the hundreds and they should be proud .of the service which their forefathers rendered their country. THE CIVIL WAR. It will never be possible to write the complete history of the Civil War. The enumeration of all the men who went to the front, d list of all those who died in the service and the number of those who returned may be compiled with a fair degree of accuracy. It is possible to ascertain how much money the county commissioners appropriated for relief, or for bounties, and how much the various townships raised for war purposes. In other words, it is possible to set down the number of men and the amount of money expended on account of the war—these things are tangible. But who can measure the heartaches, the sleepless nights, the days of longing and nights of waiting? Who can describe the anguish suffered by the women who waited for husbands who never returned, or measure the grief of the children who waited in vain for the father who was left on a Southern battlefield? There are some things which cannot be measured by a foot-rule or weighed by a scale—and these are some of them. Three thousand five hundred and fifty-four men from Greene county—and most of these were under twenty-five—went to the front, and they left at least that many hearts