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JEFFERSON - 531 CHAPTER XXVII. JEFFERSON. ERECTION OF THE TOWNSHIP - ORIGINALLY INCLUDED IN ENOCH AND AURELIUS TOWNSHIPS - PIONEER SETTLERS - DAVID ALES' TAVERN-THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC - REMINISCENCES OF AN OLD SETTLER - FAMILY SKETCHES - DEXTER CITY-ITS ORIGIN AND GROWTH - A NEAT AND ENTERPRISING TOWN-BUSINESS MEN, SOCIETIES, CHURCHES, ETC. - MIDDLEBURG - ACCOUNT OF ITS EARLY INDUSTRIES - SITE OF THE VILLAGE IN 1834 - MIDDLEBURG SCHOOLS. JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP was erected by the commissioners of Noble County, May 1, 1851, with boundaries described as follows : " Commencing on the seventh range line, at the southeast corner of section 24, in township number 5, of range 8 ; thence north along the seventh range line to the northeast corner of section 24, in township number 6, of range 8 ; thence south along section lines to the northwest corner of section 23, in township 6, range 8; thence south along the section line to the northeast corner of section 34, in township 6, range 8 ; thence west to the northwest corner of said section 34; thence south to the southwest corner of said section 34; thence west along the township line to the northwest corner of township No. 5, range 8 ; thence along said township line to the southwest corner of section 6 in said township number 5 of range 8; thence east to the southeast corner of said section 6; thence south to the southwest corner of section 8, in township number 5, range 8 ; thence east to the southeast corner of section 9, in thence south to the southwest corner of section 15, in township number 5, of range 8 ; thence east to the southeast corner of said section ; thence south to the southwest corner of section 23 in township number 5, range 8 ; thence east to the place of beginning—containing 23 sections." Before Noble County was formed the northern portion of Jefferson Township belonged to Enoch Township, Monroe County, and the southern portion to Aurelius Township, Washington County. The ragged outline of the western part of the township is a result of a compromise between those who favored and those who opposed the formation of Noble County, the zig-zag line leaving some of the prominent dissatisfied ones in Washington County. Jefferson is one of the hilliest and most uneven townships of the county. The surface is chiefly drained by the Middle and East Forks of Duck Creek and numerous small tributaries. The streams of the western part of the township flow into the West Fork of Duck Creek. township number 5, of range 8 ; Of late years Jefferson Township 532 - HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO. has proved one of the most prolific petroleum fields in this part of Ohio. Coal is abundant and of fair quality. David Ales was probably the first settler within the territory now forming Jefferson Township. He lived on the East Fork on the present Joseph Stevens farm. A stream known as Ales' Run, is still called after his name. Ales came from New England. His house was a favorite stopping place for travelers on the old Barnesville and Marietta State Road, and was the only house of entertainment for many miles. He died here. None of the name are now left, but some of his descendants of the third and fourth generations still live in the township. The inhabitants along the creek were visited with the cholera epidemic, some time between 1830 and 1840. David Ales, who had been down the Ohio River on a boat, was the first victim, dying before he reached home. His wife died soon after, and her death was followed by that of Henry Lowe, Ales' son-in law, and all his family, Henry Murduck, Charles Clark, William Gray's wife, and others living in the same neighborhood. A few had the disease and recovered. Samuel S. Neptune, one of the oldest residents on Middle Fork, came to his present farm in 1836. The settlers of the township were then very few and most of them lived near the creek. On a farm below Middleburg lived Amos Spencer, who came from Monroe County, and took up land which had previously been occupied by Henry, son of Francis Hupp. Hiram Hupp owned a tract adjoining. The Hupps were once numerous. A few of the same name still remain in the township. Henry and Hiram Hupp lived on farms below Middleburg in 1833 and had small improvements. Henry Hupp sold out to Amos Spencer. Baxton Wells was an early settler and died here. His farm was on the creek below Middleburg. He was large and very strong and of good intelligence. He had several sons and a large number of daughters who were noted for their good looks and lady-like manners. The girls received such names as Lucinda, Dorinda, Malinda, etc., until the supply of " Rindas" gave out, and the last two daughters received less unusual names. Next below Wells' farm lived a German named Christian Huffman. On the west side of the creek was John Miller, who was a blacksmith by trade. These were Mr. Neptune's neighbors in 1836. To get enough men to assist him in raising a cabin he had to go five miles. There were no early settlers among the hills in the northeastern part of the township where several thrifty Germans now have good farms. The old settlers on the creek were good-natured, but improvident and unprogressive. They did not want the country to become thickly settled and predicted that it never would be. The wish was father to the thought, as they desired to have the hills for a range for the little stock which they kept ; and by allowing the cattle to run at large, they were spared JEFFERSON - 533 the trouble of building fences and keeping them in repair. All the early settlers did more or less hunting. Deer and wild turkeys were abundant, and wolves were occasionally seen. The land along the creek was timbered with a heavy, dense growth of large trees. Henry Enochs, son of Elisha Enochs, one of the pioneers of the East Fork, was an early settler south of Middleburg. He died in Lawrence County in 1886. His son, William H. Enochs, a brigadier-general in the late war, and now a prominent lawyer of Ironton, Ohio, was born on the farm south of Middleburg. John Hall, from New England. settled on the East Fork soon after the War of 1812. He had served as a teamster in that war. He married a daughter of David Ales and lived in the same neighborhood. James S. Hall, his son, is among the oldest residents, having lived on his present farm since 1836. At that date there were very few settlers on the ridges. Mr. Hall, in his younger years used to go to mill in Marietta and Lowell. Marietta was the nearest trading point for all the early settlers, and there they traded maple sugar, deer skins, venison, etc., for salt and groceries. Most of the travel was on horseback. Pack-saddles were used in place of wagons for carrying goods. Except the State Road from Barnesville to Marietta which led via Carlisle, Middleburg and Salem, there were no early roads through the township. George Hupp, of Pennsylvania, of German origin, came to the township among the very first settlers. His wife was Rachel Archer, one of the Archer family who settled in the vicinity of Carlisle about 1810. They had two children when they moved to this locality. One of the characters who frequented this part of the country in early years was an old hunter know as Mull Ryan. Indians had not entirely left the country when Hupp came, and on one occasion Ryan terrified the family by approaching the cabin in the night and giving a loud war-whoop. Hupp seized his gun, and would have soon ended the fun had not Ryan made himself known and begged him not to shoot. George Hupp died early. His children were Nancy, John, Philip and Elizabeth, deceased ; Mary, Cynthia, Henry, Rachel and George, living; Daniel, deceased. Henry and George still live in this township. Mrs. Hupp married Peter Karns after the decease of Mr. Hupp, and had several children. George Hupp was born in 1821 and brought up amid the scenes of pioneer life. He was married in 1543 and located on his present farm in the same year. His wife's maiden name was Elizabeth Grove, and she was born in West Virginia. They have reared eight children, six of whom are living: Susannah C., George W., Harriet J. (deceased), Alfred 0., Nancy E., Daniel D. (deceased), John B. and Rachel A. Mr. Hupp has served as township trustee. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which his father was an exhorter. William Heiddleston is the oldest 534 - HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO. man in the township, and one of the few early settlers who are still living. He was born in Scotland, January 1, 1793. After coming to Summerfield and living some years in that vicinity, he came to his present farm about 1832. Mr. Heiddleston says this was then the most thinly settled region between Summerfield and Marietta. In early years he drove a team to Zanesville, Wheeling and Marietta, hauling goods for the merchants of this section of country. The roads were very bad, and he always took an ax along in order to cut out fallen trees from the track, and frequently found a use for it. He married Martha McClintock, whose father, William McClintock, was an early settler near Summerfield. For his second wife he married Miss Cowles. He is the father of fifteen children, ten of whom his first wife bore. Mr. Reiddleston is a remarkably well preserved old man and is still strong both mentally and physically. An old log school-house stood on the present William Heiddleston farm about fifty years ago, and was the earliest in the neighborhood. Alfred Ogle was an early teacher. The early schools were few, owing to the scattered condition of the settlement, and the children of the pioneers generally grew up with limited educational advantages. Hezekiah Cousins, who lived to be upward of ninety years of age, was an early settler on the creek. Wesley Luke lived in the southern part of the township. James Clark came quite early. The western part of the town- ship had few early settlers. There were many transient squatters, who abandoned their locations after a year or two, and left in search of more promising fields. Thomas Morris and family came from England in 1830, and settled on the farm which John F. Morris, Esq., now OWns. Here he had one of the early grist-mills run by horse-power. Andrew Morris, a brother of Thomas, came a little later. Humphrey Pedicord was quite an early settler on the farm now occupied by W. Warren. James Mitchell is one of the old residents, He has been living in the vicinity of his present home since 1837. John Hesson, who now lives in Lawrence County, settled in this township quite early. Benjamin Hinton lived north of George Hupp, in 1843. Peter Gray was an early resident upon the present Shafer place. James Whitmore and Thomas Turner settled about 1840 on the farms where they died. George Hupp, Sr., was one of the early hunters. He killed several elk, many deer, and once shot a panther. He also tanned and made powder, which he sold to the early settlers. Philip Craig, an easy-going, honest man, somewhat peculiar in his ways, was among the early settlers. He was something of a hunter, and left the county after it became too thickly settled to suit him. In the same neighborhood lived two early settlers, each by the name of Samuel Dugan, David Ward lived and JEFFERSON - 535 died south of the Heiddleston farm. George Gillespie lived near. Philip Kitts cleared the Watson farm above Middleburg. He owned the land on which the village is, and sold it to Church Tuttle and Liberty Curtis. Henry Woods, an Englishman, was the first blacksmith of the township; and was an unusually good workman. He lived on Ales' Run, in the southern part of the township. Church Tuttle, the founder of Middleburg, was a Yankee and a most excellent man. He was shrewd, intelligent and possessed excellent judgment. He was an early abolitionist, and was identified with the Underground Railroad, being one of its most active agents in this section. He served as justice of the peace a number of years. From here he went to Washington County, and recently died in Marietta. Wesley Neptune came to Middleburg in 1845. For over forty years Mr. Neptune has been a resident of this section, and has been one of its prominent and progressive citizens. Samuel S. Neptune was one of the pioneers of this part of the township. He located a farm near Middleburg, obtaining his deed from the government. He was a worthy citizen. He married Miss Mary Pickering, a Quakeress, and reared a family of eight children, six of whom are living. Elias P. Neptune, a son, was born in Monroe County, and is one of the thrifty farmers of the township; he owns the Andrew Morris homestead. Thomas Morris, whose name is prominently mentioned elsewhere in this chapter, was a native of England, and came to this country with his family, which consisted of his wife and four children : Andrew, Margaret, John F. and Jane, in the early part of 1830. For a few months they stopped in Virginia, where a daughter, Ann, was born to them. Christmas day, 1830, witnessed their arrival in Jefferson Township, then a new and sparsely settled region. Mr. Morris had entered a quarter section of land, the deed of which, signed by Andrew Jackson, is now in possession of his son, John F. On this farm the elder Morris lived until his decease in 1864. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence and a leader in all matters. He served in many minor official positions, and was very generally esteemed. His wife, whose maiden name was Jane Fairbrother, was the mother of ten children, six boys and four girls. John F. was born in England ih 1826. He and a brother, Arius, are the only sons residing in the county. John F. resides in the old homestead. He is thought to be one of the oracles. of the township, having been a resident for over a half century. He married Miss Cynthia Carmichael, a native of the township. They have eight children living. Andrew Morris was born in Lancashire, England, in 1797 and emigrated to this country in 1829, and first settled near Germantown, Pa., where he found employment at his trade, that of a weaver. He came to Jefferson Township in 1836, and settled on the farm now owned by Elias Neptune, on which he was the first 536 - HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO. settler, and where he, lived until his decease. He married, in 1827, Miss Jane Hampson. She was born in Lancashire in 1807. They reared a family of five children, three sons : John, William and Thomas, and two daughters: Mary A. and Elizabeth. The pioneer life of Mr. and Mrs. Morris was replete with privations and hardships. About 1833 Christian Huffman, a native of Germany, settled on Middle Creek, where he died. His children were Henry, Charles, John, William, Louisa and Lovina. Charles, William and Louisa (Pryor) are still living in the county. Mr. Huffman was the first of the native German settlers in Jefferson and Enoch Townships. The immigration to the latter township did not begin until 1836. T. B. Tarleton is one of the old soldiers of Noble County. He was a member of Company I, One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served with credit until his muster out. He is one of the reputable citizens of Middleburg and a worthy man. A. A. Clymer, one of the prominent business men of Dexter City, was a native of Muskingum County, and came to Noble County when a young man, settling near Caldwell. In 1876 he removed to Dexter City, and in company with Mr. McKee opened a store of general merchandise. In 1878 the co-partnership was dissolved, Mr. Clymer continuing the business until his decease in 1884. Since this time his sons, Charles and G. W. Clymer, have successfully conducted the business and are consid ered to be among the most extensive and prosperous merchants in this section of the county. Charles, the senior member of the firm, was born in Washington County, Ohio, and is a young man highly esteemed as a correct and successful business man. One of the conspicuous and familiar names in this section of the county is that of Samuel Hussey, who for many years was known as one of the most successful farmers and stock growers in the valley. He was born in Maine, in 1803, and came to Washington. County with his parents when a lad. The elder Hussey was a small farmer and Samuel remained with him, as was the custom in those days, until he had attained his majority, when he commenced life for himself as a farm hand. For a time he was engaged in boating on the Ohio between Marietta and New Orleans. After he abandoned the river he came to Jefferson Township, and bought the farm on which he died. He was a worthy citizen and a successful farmer. He was twice married; his first wife, Miss Elmira Warren, died in 1843. In 1844 he married Miss Marrilla, a sister of his first wife. By the first marriage there were two children, Joseph and Elmira, by the second a son and daughter, Oscar and Jane, both of whom are deceased. John J. Corp was one of the pioneers of this region. He was of English parentage and birth, and came to this State with his parents when a lad of nine years, and settled in Marietta. In 1835 he came to what is now Jefferson Township. While he was not the pioneer on the JEFFERSON - 537 farm on which he lived so many years, he was in reality the first settler. A man by the name of Doan had entered the land and made some slight improvements, but being unable to "pay out," Mr. Corp purchased his interest and improved the property. Mr. Corp was a reputable citizen and a man of strong religious proclivities. For over a half century he was a local preacher; he died in 1884. A daughter, Mrs. Hutchinson, resides on the homestead. Dexter W. Sullivan, whose identification with Dexter City is given in this chapter, and after whom the place takes its name, was one of the first settlers and a conspicuous person in its history. He is one of those brave, self-sacrificing men who periled their lives to preserve what the pioneers had won. In 1862 he became a member of Company H, One Hundred and Sixteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At the battle of Winchester he was taken prisoner and confined at Libby and Belle Isle for two months, where he contracted disease which rendered necessary his discharge on June 13, 1863. The life of Richard S. Deal presents an excellent illustration of what can be accomplished by perseverance and economy under adverse circumstances. In 1834 he came to Barnesville, found employment on a farm, where he worked for three years, his compensation for the time being $20 per year. From Barnesville he came to Summerfield, where he ultimately became a dealer in tobacco. Thence he removed to Colorado, Noble County, where he engaged in merchandising and tobacco. In 1869 he came to Dexter City, where he built the first mill, which he operated for ten years. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for forty years ; has officiated as class-leader and steward. The Morgareidge family were among the early pioneers of the county. They came from the State of Maine and settled on a farm adjoining the present site of Dexter City, in 1814. Burnham Morgareidge, who was four years of age at the time the family came to Ohio, died on the farm where he settled. His widow is still living. Their family consisted of nine sons and four daughters. Parley C. Morgareidge was born November 18, 1837, and has followed railroading and other occupations. He first married Elizabeth Davis, who died, in 1874, leaving five sons and two daughters. His second wife was Charlotte B. Magee, who died in 1885, leaving one child, Flora Belle, who died in infancy. January 19, 1887, he was again married to Mrs. Maria Yoemans, of Washington County. In 1861 Mr. Morgareidge entered the service in Company K, Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; was mustered ,,at as sergeant at Atlanta, Ga., September 20, 1864. Among other battles, he was in the following noted engagements: Second Manassas, South Mountain, Antietam, Vicksburg and Jackson, Miss. At the latter place he was detailed as sergeant, in charge of Divi- 538 - HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO. sion Commissary, where he remained until mustered out. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, Masonic and Independent Order Odd Fellows organizations, also the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a Republican, and assistant inspector- general of the Grand Army of the Republic in Noble County. S. S. Morgareidge, son of Burnham Morgareidge, was born in Noble County, in 1847, and has followed various occupations. In 1876 he married Cora M., daughter of E. P. Sullivan. They have one child, Mary A. Mrs. Morgareidge is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Morgareidge is an Odd Fellow, a Mason and a Democrat. Frederick N. Morgareidge, son of Burnham Morgareidge, was born in Noble County, October 18, 1831. He followed farming until 1862, and in February of that year entered the service in Company K, Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in the second battle of Bull Run. October 25, 1863, he was discharged on account of physical disability, occasioned by sickness. He is a Republican, and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is at present a tinsmith in Dexter City; was postmaster eight years and nine months. Mr. Morgareidge married Rachael Cunningham. Children : Robert M., Salome A., Maggie P., and George W., (deceased), Ohio C., William A., Rosilla C., Rece F., Charles H. and Mary R., living. Henry S. Williams, a native of Maryland, and a machinist by trade, removed from his native State to Cincinnati, and eventually to Noble County, where he engaged in oil production. He enlisted in Company I; Sixty-second Ohio Volunteer. Infantry, was chosen second lieutenant and promoted to captain. He was shot in battle, and died five days later. Halsee Williams, born April 3, 1848, is a machinist by trade. In 1871 he married Asenath Webber, who died in 1878, leaving one child —Henry Burton. He married for his second wife Emma Farley. Children : Julia A., J. W. and Frank Howard. Mr. Williams is class- leader in the Methodist Episcopal church, is a Republican and an Odd Fellow. In 1827 I. F. Wilson, a native of Virginia, settled near Summerfield. He died March 6, 1883. His son, W. M. Wilson, was born in Noble County, September 16, 1843, and has followed farming and milling. In 1862 he joined Company B, Ninth Ohio Cavalry, in which he served until the close of the war. He served under Burnside at Knoxville, and under Kilpatrick from the battles of Atlanta and Savannah until the close of the war. He married, in 1866, Mary F., daughter of Judge Jonathan Dilley. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Wilson has been marshal of Dexter City, and is now a member of the town council. Josiah A. Bower, son of John and Sarah (McPeek) Bower, was born in Guernsey County, January 26, 1836, and removed with his parents JEFFERSON - 539 to Washington County when nine years of age. He worked at farming and also taught vocal music until August 16, 1862, when he enlisted in .Company K, Ninety-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry; was discharged on account of physical disability January 10, 1865, after participating in the battles of Chickamauga, Mission Ridge and other engagements. In 1858 he married Rachel A., daughter of Vincent Worstell, of Elk Township. They have three children: William Irwin, Edward Orville and Agnes Loella. The elder son is a teacher, and the younger, the agent of the Standard Oil Company at Macksburg. Mr. Bower is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He and his wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. They keep the well-known and popular hotel at Dexter City. S. J. Donaldson, of Dexter City, was born in Washington County, Pa., in 1831 His parents, John H. and Delilah (Johnson) Donaldson, both natives of Pennsylvania, removed to Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1836, and to Noble, in 1866. Came to Dexter City in 1875. Mr. Donaldson enlisted in August, 1862, in Company A, Seventy-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served till the close of the war. He was in the battles of Port Gibson and Raymond, and in several skirmishes. At Raymond he was wounded and taken prisoner ; was removed to Libby Prison, and after his release therefrom was never fit for full service. He is a Republican, a mem ber of the Grand Army of the Republic, and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has served as tOWn marshal. In 1851 he married Nancy. Callendine, who died in 1884. .For his second wife he married Nan Dyer. Three boys and three girls were born to the first wife, and one boy and one girl to the second.. Minor M. Dye was born in Lawrence Township,Washington. County, in 1844, and is a stock dealer by occupation. He enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Seventy- fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, September 6, 1864, and was discharged July 10, 1865. Daniel N. Brown, merchant at Dexter City, was born in Washington County in 1838. He enlisted in September, 1861, in Company L, First ,Ohio Cavalry, and was honorably discharged in March, 1863. He married Phebe Cay wood in 1864, and is the father of two children. DEXTER CITY. The town site of Dexter City was laid off into lots August. 5, 1870, by R. W. St. John, surveyor, for Hiram Flanders, proprietor. David McKee's first addition (lots 20 to 33), was surveyed by George Bell, February 11, 1871; his second addition (lots 33 to 41), March 12, 1875; John Smith- son's addition (lots 41 to 49), April 18, 1876 ; J. J. Shriver's addition (seven lots), surveyed by William Lowe, December 29, 1877; U. J. Cheshire's addition, surveyed April 20, 1882, by R. W. St. John. A part of the land on which the town 540 - HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO. is built lies 1n Jackson Township, but the greater portion is in Jefferson. The town was named after one of its well-known residents, Dexter W. Sullivan. Prior to the location of the town there were two houses here—the residences of R. S. Deal and Dr. T. M. McVay, and a steam grist-mill owned by R. S. Deal. The mill was built by James Rowland, Sr., about 1853. The first building was a dwelling erected by Dexter W. Sullivan, in 1871. Mr. Sullivan afterward built another house and in it kept hotel for several years. He was the first hotel-keeper in the place. The first store was opened by David McKee, in 1871, in the building now E. P. Sullivan's store. The second store was Campbell & Brown's, and the third, Thomas La Mott's hardware store. The first postmaster was Oscar W. Hussey. The office was established in 1872. The town was built up by the railroad, which was completed to this point in the summer of 1871. Dexter had a rapid growth, attaining nearly to its present size within three years of its origin. The town is now an incorporated village, having one church, a good school building and a population of about 350. It is pleasantly situated, well built, and is a good business place. In the fall of 1886, the principal establishments of the town were as follows : E. P. Sullivan, Stallings Bros., Clymer Bros., general stores. Mugrage Bros., tinsmiths. J. W. Kraps, druggist. J. W. Danford, furniture dealer and undertaker. D. N. Brown, M. Rucker, grocers. William Barber, saddle and harness-maker. S. J. Donaldson, barber. J. W. Bower, hotel. Wm. Wilson, C. Rice, steam gristmills. Chas. Ramsey, blacksmith and livery stable keeper. Dr. J. W. Kraps, Dr. S. G. Wishard, physicians. The town was incorporated in 1882. SOCIETIES. Odd Fellows.—Dexter City Lodge No. 496, Independent Order Odd Fellows, was instituted August 22, 1871, with the following charter members: G. J. Lund, Albert Tilton, Aaron Haines, L. D. Webber, W. P. Warren, James Burton, O. W. Hussey and John B. Sammons. The lodge now has a good membership and is prosperous. It owns a good hall and the building in which it is located, the whole being worth at least $1,500. The present officers are R. B. Warren, Noble Grand ; J. H. Renard, Vice-Grand ; E. M. Johnson, recording secretary ; E. A. Davis, permanent secretary ; G. W. Clymer, treasurer. Grand Army.—John M. Moseley Post, No. 470, Grand Army Republic, at Dexter City, was instituted July 8, 1884, by R. B. Brown, S. V. C., Department of Ohio, with the following charter members : W. L. Moseley, P. C.; J. M. Baker, S.V. C. ; P. C. Mugrage, J. V. C. ; J. W. Kraps, Surg. ; Aaron Haines, Chap. ; S. J. JEFFERSON - 541 Donaldson, 0. D.; M. M. Dye, 0. G. ; S. G. Wishard, Q. M.; J. D. Newton, Adjt.; D. W. Sullivan, S. M.; J. A. Bower, Q. M. S. ; W. R. Stewart, B. Ogle, E. Bramhall, Daniel Ross, D. A. Brown, Samuel Barber, F. G. Cunningham, John Carroll, James Collield, Hebron Dyer, J. F. Fairhurst, W. J. King, F. N. Mugrage, 1. F. Shuman, B. B. Tilton, J. W. Webber, Nathan B. Wharton, Jonathan Wheeler, E. F. Webber. The Post is now in good condition with forty-seven active members. The present officers are. F. G. Cunningham, P. C, ; Jonathan Wheeler, S.V. C. ; George Wiley, J. V. C.; William McElfresh, Q. M.; B. B. Tilton, Adjt. ; S. G. Wishard, Surg. ; P. C. Mugrage, Chap.; S. J. Donaldson, 0. D.; John Green, 0. G. CHURCHES. Dexter Methodist Episcopal Church,. —The Methodist Episcopal church at Dexter City was organized in 1872. The first service was conduct ed by Rev. Luther Timberlake in the school-house. The first class was small and Nathan B. Wharton was its leader. The church edifice, a frame building 30x45 feet, was erect ed about the year 1874, at a cost of about $1,200, during the pastorate of Rev. A. D. McCormick, and dedicated under Rev. N. C. Worthington. The church now has ninety-eight members. Its present officers are Rev. B. F. Forsythe, pastor; T. D. Mooney and H. D. Williams, leaders ; E. P. Sullivan, steward; Adam Shriver, E. P. Sullivan and Naaman Archer, trustees. Middleburg Methodist Episcopal Church,.—As early as 1840 the Methodists erected a hewed log meetinghouse, where the old cemetery is, south of Middleburg. Prior to that time a class had been formed which met in private houses and schoolhouses. Henry Enochs was the first class-leader. Other early members were Samuel Dugan and wife, Amos Spencer and wife, McCaffrey and wife, Alfred Ogle and wife, and Samuel S. Neptune and wife. Mr. and Mrs. Neptune are now the oldest members. The first ministers were Jacob Miller and Ludwell Petty. In 1861 a frame church was built in Middleburg and the log church abandoned. There are now about fifty members. Middleburg Christian Church. — A meeting-house was erected by the Christian denomination near Middleburg in 1879. Meetings were held in the neighborhood some years earlier. The church is now without a pastor. Owing to the removal of its leading members, the church has now only a small membership. The house was erected during the ministerial labors of Revs. Cash and Singer. The Morrison family were among the most active in organizing the church. MIDDLEBURG. Middleburg, a small but enterprising village, is situated on Middle Creek, in the northern part of Jefferson Township. It was laid out about 1844, by Church Tuttle. The southern part of the village was laid out by Joseph Moredick. Church Tut- 542 - HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO. tle was a native of Vermont, and came to Middleburg from the vicinity of Carlisle, where his parents were early settlers. Among the early settlers of the village were Jesse Reinard, who worked for Tuttle : Irvin McKinney, who erected one of the first houses, and worked at Shoemaking ; William Miller, also a shoemaker ; Eli Pickering, a carpenter, and others. Reinard afterward worked at blacksmithing, and was Succeeded by Samuel Marshall. Church Tuttle was the first merchant and the first postmaster, a post- office being established soon after the village was founded. He was justice of the peace for several years. Tuttle engaged quite extensively in tobacco packing, which finally resulted unprofitably. Charles Heidlebach was alSo a tobacco merchant for several years, and after him Alfred and Felix Ogle. Over four hundred hogsheads per year were once packed in Middleburg. Alfred Ogle, who represented Monroe County in the legislature in 1856-8, in partnership with Felix Ogle, succeeded Church Tuttle in the mercantile business. Alfred Ogie was a very prominent citizen and a local preacher of the Methodist church. He waS also one of the early school-teachers in this vicinity. He and his brother Felix died in Middleburg. Middleburg has been a good trading point from its earliest years. In 1846 Wesley Neptune started a tannery here, which was continued by him and his sons until 1885. He did a good business. Shoemaking was carried on quite extensively by Edward P. Sullivan, who employed several hands, working up the products of the tannery. The present business interests of the place are as follows : C. H. Laws, Young & Lanam, merchants. F. M. Shaklee, steam flouring-mill. Mrs. Ahrendts, hotel. A. S. Sullivan and George Eichhorn, blacksmiths. Thomas Tarleton and William Gregory, shoemakers. Dr. A. Andrus, physician. E. B. Moseley, dentist. Wesley Neptune, an old resident, first visited the site of Middleburg in 1834. A sugar grove then covered the ground on which the village now stands, and all the surroundings were of the wildest sort. Settlers in the adjoining country were few and the improvements small. Middleburg has long been noted for the excellence of its schools. It has a fine large two-story school- building, erected in 1873, which would do credit to a much larger place. The first school-house, also a two-story building, was erected about 1858 and was then the best in the county. It was destroyed by fire and replaced by the present house. William H. Pickett, now a minister of the Methodist church, organized the graded school and taught very successfully for several years, both in the public and in a select school. Leroy D. Brown, present State commissioner of schools, also taught in PICTURE OF E. P. SULLIVAN JEFFERSON - 543 Middleburg schools, both select and public. The select schools were well attended. BIOGRAPHICAL. EDWARD P. SULLIVAN, one of the representative business men of the county, was born near Clarksburg, Harrison County, Va., September 22, 1829. His father, Strawther Sullivan, was an industrious mechanic. By two marriages he had a family of ten children, whom he supported by daily labor. At the age of eleven years Edward met with that irreparable loss, the death of his mother. After her death he was apprenticed, to a shoemaker. His master was exacting and severe, and the apprenticeship of the boy was attended with many hardships and struggles. At the age of sixteen, having acquired his trade, he began life as a journeyman shoemaker in his native town. About 1848 his father died, and the support of the family devolved upon him, and for four years he was their entire support. his stepmother marrying again, he was relieved from his position as head of the family. Up to this time his life had been replete with poverty and privation, without education, except what he received in the school of observation and experience, and with little prospect of either social or business preferment, life seemed to be shorn of its pleasures, but despite the obstacles which beset his way, he was determined to better his condition in life and to conquer success at any cost. Soon an opportunity was offered to engage in business. A 543 gentleman by the name of Joseph L. Robinson, an uncle of John W. Robinson, of Louisville, Ky., proposed to furnish the capital ($100) for the establishment of a shoe store, Edward to take charge of the business. The offer was eagerly accepted, and from this time he began to prosper. The co-partnership existed for about three years, in which time he accumulated $750, a sum that seemed to him a competency. With his little fortune he came to Middleburg, where a brother, Dexter W., had already settled. Deeming it a good location he returned to Virginia, closed up his business and returned to Middleburg, where he remained for seventeen years. By industry and close attention to business he soon became forehanded, and he began to take a conspicuous position among the business men of the county. In 1872 he came to Dexter City, where he engaged in merchandising, in which he has since been successfully engaged. The life of Mr. Sullivan can justly be termed a successful one. Reared in poverty, without education, his way was so obstructed that one less resolute would have given up in despair. His career evidences the inevitable result of perseverance, industry and. integrity. While Mr: Sullivan has obtained a well-won competency he has also been successful in the building of an enviable reputation, and it is but just to say that but few, if any, stand higher in the public esteem. He has been called at different times to the occupancy of positions of trust and responsibility. In 544 - HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO. 1861 he was elected county commissioner and upon the expiration of his term was re-elected. For over twenty years he has been the village magistrate. In his political convictions he is a Republican ; originally, however, he was a Democrat, but the issues involved in the war placed him in the Republican ranks. He is a Methodist in religious belief, and a patron of all charitable and religious enterprises. During the war he took an active part in forwarding any war measures, and his time and money were always at command. Four of his brothers, Dexter W., Isaac, Ebenezer and William A., were Union soldiers. The last three gave up their lives in defense of the cause. Mr. Sullivan has been twice married. His first wife, Miss Martha Ogle, whom he married in 1858, died in 1871. In 1873 he was again married, to Miss Amanda Humiston, of Washington County, Ohio. By the first union there was one child, Cora M. (Mugrage); by the second, two : Mattie C. and Ernest E. |