AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 225 Loan Associations will be found mentioned in Chapter XXIII. The Pleasant Hill Banking Company, above referred to, one of the stable financial institutions on the West Side, was incorporated under the laws of Ohio. Its authorized capital is $25,000, average deposits, $100,000, average loans, $80,000. Officers : David M. Coppack, president C. E. Perkins, cashier. All the banking institutions of the county are conducted on a sound monetary basis and are carefully and intelligently managed by those in charge. Never to my knowledge has a single defalcation occurred. From the earliest dawn of Miami County banking our financial institutions have had the entire confidence of the community they have passed through a number of panics with their attendant depressions of business, but have emerged with their confidence unimpaired, which speaks well for their management and stability. The celebrated panic of 1857, the Civil War of 1861-65, the panics of 1873 and 1893 failed to shake the foundations of the banks of this country and the safe and conservative management that has always been one of their most prominent features has merited and held the confidence of the entire county. H. W. Allen and Jacob Rohrer, two of the oldest pioneers in the banking business, still survive. The former is still president of the First National Bank of Troy, while the latter has but recently retired from active business on account of age and physical infirmity. While our banks of the present day have adopted a new system from that of the old regime, with a currency sound and good the world over, they have lost none of the integrity which was a noted feature of the first banks. All of them stand today among the trusted institutions of the financial world and with this showing, the banks of Miami County can safely face the people, secure in the reputation they enjoy. CHAPTER XVII. ThE MEDICAL PROFESSION, PAST AND PRESENT The Pioneer Doctor—Crude Methods of a Century Ago—Home Remedies—Charm Doctors—Bleeding the Main Reliance of the Old-Time "Regular"—Devotion of the Pioneer Physicians—Diseases Prevalent in Early Days—The Charlatan of Former Days—Some Early Physicians—The Medical Profession of the Present Day—The Miami County Medical Society. The first disciples of Esculapius and Hippocrates to practice within the present limits of Miami County did not have the advantages enjoyed by their brethren of the present day. The practice of medicine one hundred years ago was crude and unsatisfactory. It was the day of the lancet, calomel and jalap. These, with the murderous "turn-key," formed the stock-in-trade of the old doctor. Without them he would have been as helpless as a rudderless ship in a typhoon. People then were afflicted with many diseases arising largely from the climate and exposure. Doctors were few and far between. Sometimes they were half a day's ride from the isolated cabin and not infrequently a swollen river intervened. Drug stores were unknown and the patent medicine shelf with its cure-alls and exploited nostrums had not come into existence to make poor humanity believe that it was afflicted with all the ills that belong to the human race. Every family was largely its own doctor. Each household had various remedies compounded from herbs and roots which were supposed and fondly believed to be efficacious. Tansy was a favorite remedy, and poccoon, snakeroot and poke had their advocates. In an old book on the Miami Country published in 1815 I find a catalogue of the roots, herbs, etc., which were taken from Nature's garden for the healing of the sick. Among the stimulants are found prickly ash, Indian turnip, sassafras, ginseng, and the flower of the wild hop. The list of tonics included the bark and flowers of the dogwood, the rose willow, yellow poplar, the cucumber tree and the Spanish oak, while the red maple, wild cherry, and crowfoot were regarded as astringents and so used. The early settler had a long list of Nature's remedies to choose from and when sickness visited his family he became his own diagnostician and prescribed accordingly. Almost every neighborhood had its "charm doctor." Old - 226 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 227 women claimed to be experts in the removal of ringworms, tetter, felons and the like, and were frequently called upon to exercise their potent influence. They were said to be able to remove a bone felon by holding a hot coal over it and accompanying the operation with a lot of cabalistic words which awed the patient as well as the spectators. If the wart, ringworm or tetter disappeared well and good and the "doctoress" received the praise. Of course the old practitioner discounted the virtues of the charm doctors and held them in contempt. He laughed at the testimonials which were presented and went on with his bleeding and dosing just the same. It mattered little how weak a patient might be, he had to be bled. The very thing he needed most, blood, was taken from him. It is affirmed that Washington was bled to death by Dr. Craik and others. This bleeding process obtained in this county till long after the birth of the nineteenth century. As late as 1828 Cooper, in a work on surgery, advised that the patient be bled to fainting and said that during the swoon strangulated hernia could be reduced within a quarter of an hour. Sometimes, when they could be obtained, leeches were used in the practice of medicine, and as late as 1830 Coster advised the application of twenty or thirty leeches in inflammation of the ear. Diphtheria was known as croup in the early dawn of the county's career and for this disease the old doctors gave tartar emetic, and bled. Bleeding was also considered efficacious in pneumonia. The pioneer doctor with his saddle-bags and well-known horse was a character those days. He was filled with the milk of human kindness, refused no calls and often rode miles through the unbroken forest to the bedside of his patient. At one time Dr. Asa Coleman swam the Miami at flood-tide to obey a summons and imperiled his life to give medical aid to the afflicted one. Night rides through wintry forests and over snowy barrens were as nothing to the first doctors of Miami. The howl of the wolf sometimes resounded on every side. The only roads were blazed ones and often not even such traces guided the old practitioner. His materia medica was small. His surgical outfit was limited and crude, but with it he often performed marvels. There were broken limbs then as now, gunshot wounds, fractures of every kind, and some of the adjustments were as well done as those of the present day. The trees of the forest furnished him with excellent splints and his amputations nearly always redounded to his credit. It was long before the day of anesthetics and the patient either suffered in silence or roared out his pain till exhausted. When the torturing turnkey fastened itself on a refractory tooth the stubborn molar was sure to come if the pioneer doctor had the proper strength, and he was generally a man of muscle. He has been known to spend a week at a house watching with the tenderest solicitude over the bed of a sick child and to weep with the sorrowing family, and often charged nothing for his services. The old doctors of Miami were faithful to their trust and did their duty under the most difficult circumstances without a murmur. Whatever may be the verdict of this or coming generations concerning them, their merit will be none the less. They had no nostrums and no specious advertisements and while the nightwinds sing their requiem where they 228 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY rest, many of them in the forgotten little cemeteries, the world is better for their having lived, better for any note of joy which they helped to beat out of the harsh discords of the times. They deserve a greater monument than has been raised to them. The prevailing diseases of the early days of county history were many. The winters were cold. One of the coldest days was that of January 8, 1797, when the mercury dropped to eighteen degrees below zero. Consumption was practically unknown among the pioneers, croup was the terror of the little household and at times it was depopulated of its children. Weather changes produced rheumatism and along the water courses remitting and intermitting fevers, including ague, prevailed. In 1809, '10 and '11, typhoid fever was prevalent, but after those years this dread scourge abated. Typhus fever prevailed among the immigrants from New England and New York. These people came here in the wrong season and were not proof against the changes of climate. Dysentery occurred every summer in this locality, jaundice was common, and measles and whooping-cough frequently became epidemic. Occasionally the scourge of small-pox visited the infant settlements and on two occasions there was an invasion of cholera which took off many people. Many settlers on Lost Creek died of this terrible disease in the early forties. A disease known locally as the "cold plague" visited this part of the country in 1812-13. It generally attacked those who were most exposed to cold and moisture, and, despite the skill of the old doctors, it proved alarmingly fataL Among the other diseases with which the first physicians had to contend were scrofula, rickets, scurvy, dropsy, and apoplexy. Cancers were hardly known in the county then and insanity was very rare. It is said that the first suicide in the county is buried in the old Knoop cemetery in Staunton Township. While venomous serpents were numerous along the streams and among the rock piles, snake bites were infrequent and the few were generally successfully treated. No bills of mortality were kept in the early days, there were no boards of health and the old doctors were not called upon to furnish mortuary statistics. They kept, however, a careful account of their practice and some of their notes and observations are decidedly interesting. Some of the first county physicians held to tenacious opinions peculiarly their own. It is said that John Mote, the first doctor in Union Township, could hardly be convinced that there was such a thing as sick stomach or vegetable poison. He treated such cases as bilious fever and the patient generally succumbed. At last he contracted the disease himself and would not believe it till a neighbor told him that he (the neighbor) could smell it. Then the old doctor dosed himself properly and recovered. The old-time medical profession of the county had an intense hatred of the charlatan or quack doctor. This individual came to the surface now and then to the detriment of the regular profession and found his dupes as he finds them at the present day. In 1829 Dr. N. Jackson of Piqua in the Piqua Gazette sounds a note of warning against the charlatan in the following postscript to his "Medical Notice." AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 231 "Any person who may require medical aid who applies to one of these empyrics known as patent doctors will please omit calling on me during the continuance of that disease. I have determined to attend no such case if known to me. If I should be called on, when I ascertain the fact above alluded to my charge will be six times what it otherwise would have been." Dr. Jackson "informs the citizens of Piqua that he has removed from town to the opposite bank of the Miami River about a half mile east of Piqua and a convenient water craft will be kept opposite his dwelling to accommodate foot passengers persons on horseback will have a good ford at the same place except in time of high water." He warrants his medicines to be of the first quality and sold at the lowest rate. As there were few bridges across the various county streams those days more than one doctor provided boats for the accommodation of his patrons and some exciting trips were made. It is narrated that upon one occasion when the river was high, a messenger h4- rying for the doctor reached the river only to discover that the boat was missing. Upon a tree at the mooring hung a horn capable of sounding a blast that would rouse the dead. The excited man took down the horn and blew upon it a blast that rivaled Don Rhoderick's. The night was dark and the water a dangerous torrent. Presently across the stream came the voice of the old doctor. "What's wanted?" asked the disciple of Esculapius. "Johnny's swallered something, doctor. It's stuck in his throat and he's going to die!" yelled the troubled father. "Oh, is that all?" was the reply, "Go home. stand Johnny on his head and give him a good spanking. Good night !" As there was no further call on the old doctor it is supposed that "Johnny" had an uninterrupted though somewhat exciting recovery. The celebrated Indian agent, Col. John Johnston, though not a practitioner, was known to be a good "bone setter," as the term went in the early days. He was frequently called on to show his skill in this direction. He used what was called a "shocking machine" by the neighbors. It was really the old-fashioned and now out-of date electrifying machine and was looked upon as the marvel of the age. Those who underwent its tortures were loud in its praises and wonders were ascribed to it. People came from far and near to be "shocked," and the Colonel came to be regarded as a man of more than celebrated ability. No one knows today the modus operandi of this wonderful invention, though it is likely that Johnston was not the pioneer in this particular direction. It must not be thought for a moment that the pioneer doctor was a man of little education. He was a man much beyond his profession. He kept abreast of the times in everything and especially in the therapeutics of the day. His skill was well known and his willingness to respond to every call was known the country over. His stock of medicines came generally from the east, though in later years pharmacopoeias were established at Cincinnati and Columbus. For the remedies which he did not manufacture himself he drew on the nearest medical depot, and, aside from jalap and calomel, he was dependent on his own resources. Among the early doctors on the west side of the county, besides Dr. Mote al- 232 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY ready mentioned, was Dr. Robert Crew, the first physician to practice in West Milton. I have no data concerning him. Dr. Lat Patty practiced in Union Township from 1826 to 1836. He was a pioneer of Kansas and died there just before the outbreak of the Civil War. Some of the other doctors in this township were Dr. Bolisky, a Pole of good family (1838), Dr. Dulon (1840). Dr. Dulon was a strong anti-slavery man and was known as a station agent on the "Underground Railroad." Dr. McReynolds practiced there from 1836 to '46 and Dr. Henry Davis from 1842 to '56. He was a brother to Probate Judge Samuel Davis of the county. Dr. Davis had for a partner Dr. Riply. Dr. J. S. Panabaker practiced in Union from 1846 to '50, and Dr. Eli Tenney, afterward county auditor, from 1848 to '68. Dr. S. Jennings of West Milton began his practice there in 1862 and is still in active practice at the same place. Dr. William Patty began practice in Newton Township many years ago and he is still living and actively engaged in his profession, although he may be classed as a pioneer physician. Dr. Asa. Coleman, of Troy, was among the first of the pioneer physicians. He came from Glastonbury, Conn., where he was born in 1788. Dr. Coleman was identified with church, state, and Masonic affairs as well as with medicine and surgery. He received his medical diploma in 1810 and set up practice in Troy the following year. During the War of 1812 he attended the sick and wounded in the various block-houses and passed through grades of military promotion until he reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1818. He also filled the office of representative from Miami and was an associate judge. For many years his figure was a prominent one on the streets of Troy, tall, erect, and white-haired. He died February 23, 1870, and was the father of Colonel A. H. Coleman, who was killed at the battle of Antietam, 1862. Dr. DeJoncourt was another of Troy's early physicians, so was Dr. Abbott. Dr. Telford was another and Dr. Sabin (there were two Drs. Sabin, father and son) for a long time had a large share of Troy's practice many years ago. Dr. Horace Coleman, son of Dr. Asa, opened an office in Troy about 1850, moved later to Indiana, where he entered the army as surgeon, serving throughout the Civil War. He afterward resumed practice in _Troy, but at present is an examining surgeon in the United States Pension Office at Washington, I). C. Dr. Isaac S. Meeks, one of the old style doctors, practiced for many years in the county, first in Lost Creek Township and later in Troy. He was contemporaneous with Drs. Walkley, Keifer, Green and Bowers, all doctors of ability. These doctors may be said to have been pioneers in the profession, though some of them lived until recently. All were well read and careful practitioners and stood in the foremost ranks of the profession. Piqua has to her credit quite an army of old-time physicians. Some of these became noted outside the profession of medicine. Probably the most noted of these was Dr. G. Volney Dorsey, referred to several times in this volume. He was probably the most erudite of the past physicians of the county, a fine scholar and a deep thinker. Dr. Henry Chapeze came to Piqua from Kentucky about 1814. He erected a brick office on the southwest corner of Wayne and Water Streets, the first AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 233 brick building to be built within the village limits. In 1820 Dr. John O'Ferrall settled in Piqua, where he practiced medicine till his death many years later. Drs. Chapeze and O'Ferrall rode the county when much of it was a vast unbroken forest, sleeping and eating in the uncouth homes of the early settlers, but always having in mind the health of the community. Dr. Chapeze died in 1828, but his colleague, Dr. O'Ferrall, lived to see the county take its place among the first commonwealths within the state. Among the other doctors of Piqua in early days were Drs. Jackson, Teller, Jordon, Hendershott and Worrall. All these have passed away, but their faithful ministrations are remembered where they lived and worked. Dr. Alfred Potter was one of the early doctors of Casstown, a homely, rough featured man, given over at times to mild mannered profanity, but withal a capable friend of the sick, kind hearted and always ready to respond to the most arduous call. It would be next to impossible to catalogue the old physicians of the county. Many are entirely forgotten and the record of them is but the slightest. They lived in the day of poor fees and hard work, but this did not daunt them. They were the pioneers in medicine among us and blazed the way for the present day practitioner. The Medical Profession of Miami County at the present day stands high. It is composed of representatives who have attained deserved recognition in their calling. The advancement in medical science during the past thirty years has been welcomed by the physicians of Miami County and all keep pace with the latest discoveries in that branch. The smallest communities are now supplied with capable doctors, whereas not many years ago they were devoid of this convenience. There was established within the county a few years ago "The Miami County Medical Society." It is now one of the most progressive medical bodies in the State and is officered as follows : President, Dr. S. S. Hartman, Tippecanoe City ; vice-president, Dr. L. A. Ruhl, Covington; secretary and treasurer, Dr. R. L. Kunkle, Piqua. Members of the Legislative Committee—Dr. A. B. Frame, Piqua; Dr. Van S. Deaton, Alcony ; Censors : Dr. R. M. O'Ferrall, Piqua, and Dr. W. R. Thompson, Troy. Following is a complete list of the resident physicians of the county: PIQUA. A. B. Frame, A. S. Ashton, J. B. Baker, J. H. Baker, R. H. O'Farrall. R. M. Shannon, W. J. Prince, R. L. Kunkle, J. E. Murray. J. H. Lowe, L. E. Reck, W. J. Kelly, J. B. Tennell. F. E. Kitsmiller, C. R. Coffeen, F. M. Hunt. M. E. McManes. C. E. Hetherington, R. D. Burnham, F. E. Adams, J. C. Fahnesteck, R. L. Hyde, P. L. Snorf, Ada L. Malick. J. R. Caywood, L. Alf, J. Funderberg, H. H. Gravatt, L. D. Trowbridge, W. N. Unkefer. TROY. W. R. Thompson, T. M. Wright, G. E. McCollough, J. S. Shinn, H. E. Shilling. Warren Coleman. C. A. Hartley, W. W. Baker, E. B. Davis. P. F. Eagle, L. M. Lindenberger, J. W. Means. R. C. Wolcott, M. G. Wright. TIPPECANOE CITY. S. D. Hartman. J. D. Miller, H. H. Havens, W. E. Widener, B. J. Kendall, C. B. Benson. COVINGTON. H. W. Kendall, C. E. Gaines, S. A. Rosenberger. A. C. Miller, M. M. Brubaker, L. A. Ruhl, W. M. Gaines. WEST MILTON. G. Jennings, S. Jennings, E. W. Spitler, G. C. Tillery. BRADFORD. C. W. Bailsman, W. H. Minton. J. Ballinger, A. Minton, H. AI. Foreman. PLEASANT HILL. A. J. Bausman, S. N. Bausman, J. Teeter, W. Patty. FLETCHER. I. C. Kiser, J. E. Shellbarger. LAURA. S. S. Hoover, C. R. Coate, S. P. Neff, Anson Troy. 234 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY BRANDT. J. C. Walton. POTSDAM. W. Shellabarger. LENA. H. B. Denman. LUDLOW FALLS. W. E. Durr. ALCONY. Van S. Deaton. CASSTOWN. R. L. Brown. CONOVER. J. L. Lauer. Not all the above physicians are members of the Miami County Medical Society, but it is believed that before long this active organization will embrace the whole local profession. The medical corps of the county, as listed above, is well known throughout the state and is noted for its progressiveness in the art of healing. During the past century medical advance in the county has been great. The old system of practice has passed away and there remains of it at the present day nothing but a memory. It may be said in conclusion that the medical profession of the county has a record to be proud of and that it keeps in the foremost rank of research and discovery in its particular domain. CHAPTER XVIII. THE PIONEER PREACHER Charles Frederick Post, the Missionary—The Presbyterians, Baptists and Catholics Early Represented—Con troversialism—Salary of the Backwoods Preacher—Hardships Endured—His Devotion—Stories of the Itinerant Preachers—The Results They Accomplished. But when the Sabbath gatherings press Like armies from the wilderness. 'Tis then the dim old woods afford The sanctuary of the Lord; The Holy Spirit breathes around— The forest glade is sacred ground. Mrs. Hemans. Of the pioneer preachers of Miami County a volume might be written. They were the first to bring the word of truth into the wilderness, though the Bible came with the first settlers who crossed the barrier of the Alleghenies, or brought their little families from the plantations of the South. When the first circuit rider lifted his voice in this region, exhorting all to "flee from the wrath to come," this county was indeed a wilderness. Along its streams roamed the predatory wolf and the restless red man parted the waters with the prow of his birchen canoe. The sweet and sacred story of the Cross was told and retold beneath the sturdy oaks of the Miami forests and the four-footed denizens of the wild paused and listened to the first hymns that soared heavenward from the lips of the little bands of worshippers. The scented groves of that day were truly "God's first temples." One of the first, if not the first, minister to enter the forest of Ohio was Charles Frederick Post, a Moravian missionary, a calm, simple-hearted and intrepid man. He was sent into Ohio after the defeat of Braddock to preach the gospel, as well as to win the Indians over to the cause of the English and he zealously did both. At the close of the Pontiac War, in 1761, Post returned to the valley of the Muskingum and settled among the Delawares. He was assisted in his labors by the celebrated Heckenwelder and afterward by David Zeisberger, another devoted servant of God, and the three founded the town of Gnadenhutten, which was afterward destroyed by a lot of fanatical white settlers, and its Indian converts massacred. It was not until after the close of the Revolutionary War that the tide of pioneer preaching reached the real valley of the Ohio. It swept northward from Kentucky, headed by the good old itinerant - 235 - 236 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY who rode from settlement to settlement with Bible and saddlebags, preaching wherever he could find a congregation, however small. He did as much to civilize the wilderness as those who wielded the axe, and built towns where naught but the unbroken forest had been. Strong and powerful men were the backwoods preachers, and their mentality was equal to their physical strength. They knew no fear. Imbued with the Holy Spirit, they set up the altar of the Most High God in the most remote localities, undaunted by adverse circumstances, and surrounded by dangers, seen and unseen. These heroic men of different denominations came from different localities. The first Presbyterians emigrated from Kentucky, the Baptists from Virginia, where they had suffered much persecution, and John Haw and Benjamin Odgen were the first followers of John Wesley to cross the Alleghanies. The Roman Catholics sought the new West from Maryland and, loyal to their church, they grouped themselves in neighborhoods where they could enjoy its first instruction and offices. And now after the lapse of a century these classes are walking in the faith of their fathers. For some time there was much antagonism, a sort of pugnacious rivalry-or "free fight" between denominations in this region. They were great controversialists, and there was an immense din about Baptism and Pedo-Baptism, Free Grace and Predestination, Falling from Grace and the Perseverance of the Saints, but at no time did the pioneer preachers forget the holiness of their mission. The ministry of the church of the wilderness assumed the position and responsibility of their calling under the confident belief that each man of them was specially called and sent forth by the Holy Spirit of peace and power as the ambassador of Christ. The office of the backwoods preacher was no sinecure. His field of labor was the world. His salary rarely exceeded seventy dollars and in later times he considered himself "Passing rich at forty pounds a year." Nothing more was allowed a man with a wife than without one, for it was understood by the ministers of the old church that a preacher had no business with a wife and that he was a great deal better without. Francis Asbury, the pioneer Methodist, discountenanced matrimony, and Bishop McKendree, after whom McKendree Chapel was named, remained a bachelor. It was Asbury who said, upon hearing that one of his preachers had married : "I fear the women and the devil will get all my preachers." The early ministers of Miami County had small encouragement, indeed, in the way of pecuniary support to which they could look forward. They came to the wilderness to face perils, want, weariness, unkindness, cold and hunger. The bare earth in winter and summer was three-fourths of the time their bed, a saddle their pillow and the sky their coverlet. They studied the hymn-book nearly as devotedly and constantly as the Bible, and with these two they had an arsenal from which they could bring forth weapons adapted to every emergency. When some obstreperous sinner disturbed their meetings they strode down from the backwoods pulpit and ejected the offender by main force, after which the sermon was resumed as if nothing had happened. On one occasion a Spring Creek disturber was seized AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 239 by the stalwart preacher and carried to the nearest water, where he received an immersion not at all to his liking. What of the preaching of these, our pioneer men of God? They not only knew the Bible, but they knew other books as well. Young and Milton were intimate companions of these old wayfarers. Miltonic descriptions of perdition abounded in their preaching, and the Judgment with all the solemn array of the Last Assize was vividly delineated by them. Their rather topographical descriptions of the good and bad worlds met with favor by their audiences. The earnest lives of the settlers, filled with necessities and arduous struggles to supply them, must have appropriate religious food ; and these simple-hearted, firmly believing crusaders of the wilderness were just the men to give it to them. There was an immense deal of force and stamina in the method of the first preachers of the country. They spoke loud and with the whole body ; their feet and hands were put in requisition as well as their tongues and head. They had to make their sermons as they were traveling along the way, and a hard, rugged way it was. An interesting anecdote is told of one of our old itinerants who invaded the Stillwater Valley in the early days. He had spent one night out in the cold and there was a prospect of spending another in the same cheerless manner. He thought of his lonely journey and of the perils that compassed it. Then his faith lifted him to a better, brighter world, its rest and reward for the wayfarer, and he thought of the good Father and of the angels that are sent to succor and to minister, and his heart presently filled with overflowing gladness, and he struck up a hymn, for he was a famous. singer : "Peace, troubled soul; thou needst not fear, Thy great Provider still is near; Who fed thee last will feed thee still, Be calm and sink into His will." He went on with the song and looking about him, saw that he was near a house, for its woman and the children were crowding about him with tears in their eyes. As he concluded, the old lady shouted : "Pete, put up the gentleman's horse. Girls, have a good supper for the preacher." And thus he was fed and lodged for a song. Another story pertaining to the pioneer preachers who brought the gospel into this locality may also be told here. The old gospel wayfarer, after preaching in Indiana, came to try for the saving of souls among the growing settlements along the Miami. Himself and family had barely enough to keep body and soul together. The wolf was constantly at the door. They had borne their poverty without a murmur. The preacher was much beloved, tall, slender, graceful, with a winning countenance, a kindly eye where flashed the fire of genius, a voice silvery and powerful in speech, sweet as a wind-harp in song. As this country began to settle more a large land-holder, much attached to the preacher, knowing his poverty, wished to make an expression of his grateful regard and affection. Therefore he presented him with a title-deed to a quarter section of land. The man of God went his way with a glad and humble heart, that there was provision made for his own advancing age and the wants of his rising family. In three months he returned. Alighting at the gate, he removed his saddle bags and 240 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY began to fumble in their capacious pockets. As he reached the door where stood his friendly host to welcome him he drew out the parchment, saying: "Here, sir, I want to give you back your title-deed." "What's the matter?" asked his friend, "Any flaw in it?" "No." "Isn't it good land ?" "Good as any in the State." "Sickly situation'?" "Healthy as any other." "Do you think I repent the gift?" "I haven't the slightest reason to doubt your generosity." "Why don't you keep it, then?" "Well, sir," said the preacher, "you know I am very fond of singing and there's one hymn in the book, the singing of which is one of the greatest comforts of my life. I haven't been able to sing it with my whole heart since I was here. A part of it runs this way : "No foot of land do I possess, No cottage in the wilderness; A poor wayfaring man, I lodge awhile in tents below And gladly wander to and fro Till I my Canaan gain. There is my home and portion fair! My treasure and my heart are there, And my abiding home." "Take your title-deed," he added, "I had rather sing that hymn with a clear conscience than own America." Such were the men of God who preached Christ and him crucified in the wilderness of the Miami. The old circuit riders who journeyed from Stillwater to the Miami and along the banks of Spring Creek, Honey Creek and Lost Creek were giants in their day. As yet there were few places that might be dignified by the name of houses of worship. The brick church was yet in the womb of time. The backwoods minister was always outspoken. When he chided frivolity or uncleanness it was in no un certain language. He "struck out from the shoulder," as it were. Very often "the fool who came to jibe remained to pray." On one occasion one of these old preachers noticed that one of his congregation, an influential member of the community and a lover of tobacco, was expectorating freely on the floor. The minister had been discoursing very pointedly on uncleanliness in general, but at last he broke out with : "Now I reckon you want to know who I mean ? I mean that dirty, filthy tobacco chewer sitting on the end of that front seat. See what he has been about. Look at the puddles on the floor. A frog wouldn't get into them. Think of the tails of the sisters' dresses being draged through that muck." The crestfallen user of the weed, who died many years ago in the county, declared that he never chewed any more tobacco in church. There were many camp meetings in the dawn of church history in this county. They were conducted by preachers like Peter Cartwright and others. These were famous gatherings to which the whole neighborhood turned out and they lasted for days. There were some wonderful conversions during these meetings. The powerful convincing eloquence of the backwoods preacher was the moving force. The "mourners' bench," often erected in the forest, always had its complement of sinners seeking grace. Everybody joined in singing the old-fashioned hymns, which now, alas ! are seldom heard. Under the inspiration of these hymns, frequently interspersed with fervent "Amens," hundreds professed the new life and went on their way rejoicing. Oliver Goldsmith, in his matchless "Deserted Village," thus beautifully describes AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 241 the old preacher, one of the kind under whose benign ministrations sat the pioneer fathers and mothers of our county : "Remote from towns, he ran his goodly race, Nor e'er had changed, nor wished to change his place, Unskilled he to fawn or seek for power By doctrines fashioned to the varying hour; Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride, And e'en his failings leaned to Virtue's side, But in his duty, prompt at every call, He watched and wept, he prayed and felt for all. He tried each art, reproved each dull delay, Allured to brighter worlds and led the way, To them his heart, his love, his griefs were given, But all his serious thoughts had rest in heaven." The true worth of the pioneer preacher cannot be computed. He did a great work among the settlements along the Miami. Poverty had no terrors for him. He builded up little congregations which in time became the foremost ones of the county. His whole soul was in his mission. He visited the sick, comforted the mourner, prayed with the dying and often read the burial service to the howl of the sneaking wolf. He carried his saddle bags through the snows of winter, forded the Miami amid the howlings of the tempest and appeared an angel of light to the little family around the pioneer hearth. And when his sacred work was ended he "folded the drapery of his couch about him" and, secure in the great reward which was to be his, bowed to the will of God and passed from the stage of action. I have written this description of the backwoods evangels in order to let the present generation know what sort of men carried the Cross through our county in the days of its formation. They had the zeal of the Crusader without his fanaticism, the perseverance of Napoleon without his ambition. They seemed to see the grandeur which was to come when they were gone, the building of a populous commonwealth where their forest altars were erected. They preached not for the present alone, but for the future. They endured the pangs of hunger and slept on the flowerless couch of poverty that coming generations, seeing their good work, might take it up and carry it to full fruition. From the tireless efforts of these earnest ministers of God arose the present state of religion which the county enjoys. There is nothing so interesting in our history as the labors of the little band of men who carried the Word up and down the Miami. The rains and snows of a century have blotted out their footsteps, their graves are hidden in out-of-the-way places, the modest tombstones erected over them have crumbled away and their very names are in many instances, forgotten, but the work they did is written on the imperishable tablets of the Most High. Miami County owes to her first "sowers of the seed of righteousness" a debt of gratitude beyond her power to fully pay. There are no living duplicates of these men, for the times have changed and the wilderness has disappeared. They were the men for the times, they came forth when they were needed, did their work nobly and, passing, left the infant church to the care of the earnest believers who were to come after them. Peace to their ashes ! CHAPTER XIX. PRESENT RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS OF THE COUNTY Local History of the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Friends or Quakers, Episcopalians—German Baptists—Christians, Roman Catholics, Etc. With the passing of the pioneer preacher the religious development of the county was rapid. Houses of worship sprang up in every direction. These were suited to the times, for congregations as yet were small, and the beginnings were meager but gave promise of better things. In order to intelligently trace the rise of the different denominations in the county I shall take them up one by one, giving in a nutshell the history of each. THE BAPTISTS. Not long after the formation of the county in 1807 this denomination organized a church at Troy. Its first preacher was Stephen Riddle, a boastful man who had spent much of his life among the Indians. He is said to have had his ears pierced for leaden pendants and he frequently boasted that during his sojourn with the tribes he had killed white people. Whether his statements caused his stay with the Troy brethren to be brief, I do not know, but at any rate he didn't remain long. About 1813 a log church was built. This edifice was heated by a tin-plate stove which proved obstreperous on several occasions. A man named Stapleton now had the care of the flock. Later on the log church disappeared and a better house of God arose on the corner of Franklin and Cherry Streets. In 1834 a meeting was held in this edifice and regular articles of incorporation were prepared. The organization was completed the same year and J. L. Moore was chosen pastor. In 1838 E. French preached for the congregation and during the same year Samuel Hervey and Z. Eaton were pastors. This denomination continued to prosper at Troy and today the Baptists have a large membership. The present pastor is Rev. D. W. Holt. In 1830 the Baptists erected their first church in Piqua. It was an inadequate structure, but services continued to be held in it till 1848, when a new church was built on the corner of High and Wayne Streets. Among the noted divines who oc- cupied this pulpit are Rev. John L. Moore, John E. Thomas, David E. Thomas, Dr. Shephardson and Lyman Fisher. The founders of the Piqua Baptist Church were the Mannings, Hilliards, Blues, Mc-Campbells, Garveys, Drakes and Cavins. - 242 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 243 Piqua now has three commodious Baptist churches with the following pastors : Parke Avenue Baptist, Dr. Wilson Calvary Baptist, Rev. J. W. Beck; First Baptist, I. M. Lloyd. The first meetings of the Tippecanoe Baptists were held in the old schoolhouse in 1851, at which time the congregation comprised but twelve persons. The first pastor was L. C. Carr. A new church was erected in 1878 and at the present time William Pieffer is the resident pastor. This church has risen from small beginnings to be one of the pillars of this particular faith in the county. East of the river the Baptists have several congregations. The Baptist church at Fletcher was organized in 1861, from which year till 1864 David E. Thomas was pastor. He was succeeded by E. D. Thomas, who was followed by Elder Daniel Bryant, J. W. Weatherby, G. W. Taylor, W. S. Kent and Joseph N. Scott. Many revivals have been held in the Fletcher Baptist Church, which today has no regular pastor. In 1855 a Baptist church, which up to that time had been a branch of the Honey Creek denomi- nation, was organized at Lena. Its first minister was David Scott, who became somewhat noted as a debater and divine. This little church is in a flourishing condition. Its present pastor is Rev. Alby Kite. The Lost Creek Baptist congregation, which was an off-shoot of the old Staunton Church, long ago demolished, was organized in 1816. The first minister in charge was Samuel. Deweese. In 1821 a church building was erected of hewn logs. The following queer entry is to be found on the books of this church : "Agreed to employ Brother Abia B. Martin to lay two floors in the meeting-house, to plough and groove both floors, to plane one side of the upper floor and to make two doors and casings, for which the church agree to pay Brother Martin $20 in work at Mr. Fordyce's if said Martin should want it there if not, to be paid in wheat, corn or young cattle." In 1837 there was a secession from this church and another, a log affair, was erected in the same township on the Casstown-Addison Turnpike. The new church was called Providence, but it disappeared long ago and no other was built. The Lost Creek Baptist Church of 1816 was succeeded by a brick edifice, but within the last few years this has been torn down and nothing remains to mark its site but the Baptist burying ground. The Casstown Baptist Church was organized about 1851, with Willis Hance, Sr., as pastor. It remained in a flourishing condition for a number of years, but at present no regular services are held. Among its old ministers I find the names of Robert Stapleton, Samuel Deweese, William Sutton, Moses Frazee, L. C. Carr, David Bryant, T. P. Childs, John Blodgett, J. G. Trunison, J. B. Weatherby and J. W. Miller. Just before the outbreak of the Civil War the Lost Creek Baptists held a number of public debates with the Lutherans on the subject of baptism. These disputations waxed warm for a considerable period and noted ministers from a distance took part. Nothing, however, was settled by the controversy for "He that complies against his will, Is of his own opinion still." THE METHODISTS. Since many of the pioneer preachers professed the faith of John Wesley, it was natural that the Methodists should obtain 244 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY a strong foothold in the county. This church has always been aggressive, and to this fact, no doubt, it owes much of its present prosperity. The Methodists or Wesleyites, as they were called in an early day, were among our first pioneers, though the Quakers or Friends arrived here about the same time. The first Methodist churches in the county were supplied by traveling ministers who came at stated intervals and held services. The congregations at first were very small, but increased in numbers, owing, no doubt, to the numerous camp meetings which were held by that persuasion. Before the first Methodist church was established here, meetings were held at Mr. Winan's house, where Raper Chapel now stands. Later on Mr. Gahagan donated a lot in Troy and a log church was erected thereon. Among the early divines who preached to the Methodists of Troy were such noted ones as Revs. Bascom, Finney, Raper and Elliott. The log church remained where it was built for out ten years. Another edifice succeeded and in 1840 a still better one was built. This church went through a remodeling process, but very recently the Troy Methodists erected the beautiful church which they now occupy. This church is one of the handsomest structures in the state. The pastor in charge is Rev. W. H. Werhly. Dr. Dorsey in his published account of Piqua has well said that "it has long been noted for the number and excellence of its churches." Few cities of its size in the Union can compete with it in this direction. It has two flourishing Methodist churches at the present time. The Greene Street Methodist Church, Dr. W. A. Deaton in charge; is the outgrowth of the first Methodist congregation which worshipped in the old Seminary. A real church was erected in 1825 on Spring Street, but this gave way for the present Greene Street Church in 1836, since which time regular services have been held in this noted structure. Grace Methodist Church is an outgrowth of the Greene Street congregation. For a while the new addition worshipped south of the railroad, but finding that their numbers were constantly increasing it was determined to erect a commodious edifice and Grace Church sprang into existence. It has well maintained itself for many years and has a large membership. H. E. Armacost is the present minister. The Methodists of Tippecanoe, needing a house of worship, erected one in Hyattsville, which has since become a part of the larger town. This church was very primitive, built of logs, with a great old-fashioned fireplace which diffused ample heat during the coldest winters. In 1840 the first church disappeared, giving way for one more in keeping with the times and the wealth of the members. Revs. McPherson and Rutledge held pulpits in this church in the dawn of its history. In 1860 a new church was built and this accommodated the increasing membership. Owen M. Sellers is the present pastor in charge. The Covington Methodists built their first church in 1836, but a. year later it was demolished by a severe storm. This misfortune seems to have discouraged the Newberry brethren, for a number of years elapsed before they again had an organization in Covington. At present the Methodist Episcopal church of that town is presided over by W. H. Spybey and the church is in a flourishing condition. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 247 In Union Township the Methodists had hard work in establishing a church. The Friends seemed to flourish there above all others and other denominations labored under many difficulties. At last about 1833, the Methodists saw their way clear to build a church in West Milton, which flourished for a season and then declined. Today the Methodists of that township are represented by a Methodist Episcopal Church in West Milton over which R. O. Matthews presides. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Pleasant Hill is of comparatively recent growth, therefore its history belongs to the history of Methodism in Union Township. This church, which stands on South Church Street, is in the charge of the same pastor who looks after the Methodist congregation of West Milton, Rev. Matthews. Fletcher witnessed the coming of Methodism in 1820 when Andrew Oliver donated land for the first church there. This structure was torn down in later years and another built, which is occupied by the Methodists of that flourishing little town. Rev. S. Bowersox is the present minister. He also fills the pulpit in the Lena Methodist Church. The Casstown Methodist Church dates its organization some years back. I have no authentic records concerning the year of its institution. Its first services were held in an old-fashioned brick church on the Troy-Casstown Pike, but this edifice was torn away and a new church built on Center Street. Of late this church building has been remodeled and is now the finest of the smaller Methodist churches of the county. Rev. D. S. Ferguson of the Troy Circuit is the pastor in charge. Brandt has been productive of Methodism. It has at least one flourishing church of this denomination, the organization of which was effected in 1839. It was dedicated by the celebrated Granville Moody. The Pisgah Methodist Episcopal Church was also erected in Bethel Township in 1825 and was among the first churches built in the county. McKendree Chapel was erected in Elizabeth Township in 1832. From 1812 to the year of erection of McKendree Chapel the people worshiped in a log cabin, but in 1845 the present church edifice of brick was erected and formally dedicated. In 1811 McKendree was attached to the Mad River District and John Collins was its pastor. This church has long been among the famous churches of the county and today holds a unique place in local Methodism. Rev. John Neer is the present minister at McKendree and the church will soon celebrate its centennial with appropriate ceremonies. Raper Chapel, which is supplied by Rev. D. S. Ferguson, is about four miles North of Troy. As a country church it has long been noted for its zeal in the cause of the Master. Its history dates back to the earliest times and its beginnings were really in the wilderness. Such has been the progress of Methodism within the limits of our county. In some of the remoter portions other congregations have flourished for a time, but the ones mentioned above are the most noted. There stands on the Staunton and Spring Creek Pike, but in Spring Creek Township, a little Methodist church locally known as Beech Bethel. It was erected many years ago and was largely attended by the people of its immediate neighbor- 248 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY hood. As one of the rural churches of the county it has acquired more than local fame and some quite eminent ministers have filled its pulpit since its erection. THE PRESBYTERIANS. In 1830 the old school Presbyterians erected the first church of that denomination in Piqua. It stood on Wayne Street, south of Sycamore and served the purpose of the congregation till about 1844, when a new church was built. Rev. James Coe was the first officiating minister. He was an earnest, able man. Today this church, known as the First Presbyterian, is one of the pillars of religious faith in Piqua. Its present pastor is Rev. D. M. Davis. The Second Presbyterian Church of the same city succeeded the one above mentioned by a few years. Rev. Graves was its first minister and he was followed by a number of excellent pastors who kept burning the fires of Presbyterianism in the Border City. When the two bodies of the Presbyterian Church united Rev. J. Thompson was pastor of the Second Church. This union took place in 1876. The Second Church has a large membership of earnest people, who are ministered to by John Montgomery, the present pastor. An old brick schoolhouse furnished the Presbyterians of Troy with their first house of worship. This was in 1818 and George Burgess ministered to the little flock of earnest believers in the faith of Calvin. In 1837 the congregation built a house of worship on Franklin Street. This church was sold soon afterward and another erected. A new brick was finished in 1863 and after the union of the two church bodies Daniel Tenney became the pastor. The Presbyterian pulpit of Troy is filled today by Joseph W. Clokey. The Covington Presbyterian Church came into existence in 1842. It was built in conjunction with the Cumberland Presbyterians. This church has a brief local history, though it is noted for its excellent discipline. The regular pastor in charge is Rev. H. N. Barbee. The village of Fletcher contains a Presbyterian church whose pastor is Rev. M. M. May. This congregation was organized in 1837. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. Cleland from Romans VIII, and I. At the time of the institution of the Fletcher Church but twenty members of that faith were to be found in the village, but the little roll increased under the ministrations of succeeding elders until now the Fletcher Presbyterians are quite numerous. Many of the Scotch-Irish settlers of the county were members of the Presbyterian Church and brought their faith with them not only over the mountain barrier but from across the sea. These people were noted for their earnestness, a trait which characterizes their descendants to this day. While the growth of Presbyterianism in the county has not been as rapid as that of other faiths, it has been none the less steady, marked by an earnestness which has brought the church to its present high standing. THE LUTHERANS. Lutheranism in Miami County has a brief history. It has never flourished here like the other faiths. There are very few Lutheran churches in the county at the present day. The Lutheran Church of Troy, C. U. Larrick pastor, was built within the last few decades. The congregation AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 249 today is not large. The Lutheran Church of Tippecanoe City is much older. As early as 1826 a Lutheran congregation existed in Monroe Township and in 1839 a church of this faith was built in Tippecanoe. The dedicatory sermon was preached by the noted Ezra Keller, president of Wittenberg College and a powerful minister of his day. One of the most prominent pastors of the Tippecanoe Lutheran Church was Rev. Link, who died in 1862. Revs. Weills, Welsh, Lilly and Bauslin succeeded Mr. Link. Within the past few years the Lutherans of Tippecanoe have worshipped in a handsome church over which Rev. B. W. Zeigler presides as pastor. The Lutherans of Covington worship in St. John's Lutheran Church, over which Rev. W. H. Brown presides as pastor. This congregation is very earnest in the faith of the Fathers and hold regular services in their church building. Of the Lutheran Church of Pleasant Hill I have been unable to obtain any history. It is a body of recent growth, but bids fair to take its place among the religious denominations of the western part of the county. Its pastor is Rev. R. O. Matthews. The Lutheran Church at Brandt dates from 1862, when twenty people of that faith organized themselves into a congregation. In a few years this number had increased to 150 and the congregation at Brandt is today in a flourishing condition. The Lutherans of Casstown established themselves there about 1838. For some time they possessed no regular house of worship, but later on a stone church was built on South Main Street. This edifice was abandoned for church purposes when the new brick temple was dedicated in 1867. Many of the divines who filled the Cass-town Lutheran pulpit preached also at Tippecanoe, so that a list of them would necessarily stand for both congregations with a few notable exceptions. At present the Casstown Lutherans have no regular pastor but are supplied from Springfield. THE FRIENDS OR QUAKERS. Among the first white people to enter the county for settlement were the followers of George Fox, the celebrated Quaker, of England. Fox in early youth was apprenticed to a shoemaker and while in this situation he devoted himself with great diligence to the perusal of the Scriptures. Later on Fox went from place to place preaching and boldly entered into disputes with divines and ministers, trusting solely to and being guided only by what he considered to be that divine voice which interiorly speaks to the heart and draws men as it pleases. Fox was much persecuted for his belief, but his followers increased and today they number many thousands in the United States. These people are known as Friends. They have never formed a. creed after the manner of other religious bodies. They accept the divinity of Jesus Christ and of His atonement for the sins of men. They believe that Christ is the true light which enlightens all mankind, that the source of inspiration is the Holy Spirit who interiorly teaches us and the Scripture is a rule given by and subordinate to that Spirit. The Friends believe that outward baptism is not an ordinance of Christ, that the baptism enjoyed by Christ is a baptism of the spirit and not of water. They are opposed to war and deny the propriety of all oaths, in accordance with Christ's com-