HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 275 tempted to make a grand gyration and cut a pigeon-wing, as it was called, supposing it to be an easy thing done. The ice flew up and took me on the head, and I felt unwell for a month succeeding. "On the lot now occupied by B. Whitmer's residence, and some distance back from the street, stood the old Academy. This was the High School of Somerset. The building was a large one, but was never fully completed. It had been imperfectly constructed, and after standing for many years, being part of the time in use, the lot was purchased by Thomas J. Maginnis, and the building was taken down. Immediately north of the Academy, extending from the road at Mrs. McNutt's residence, westward, there was an eight-acre wood lot that was cleared about the year 1839." After a suitable breathing spell, " Senex " continues his old-time recollections, as follows : " My earliest recollections come in before either of the brick buildings on the southeast and southwest corners of the Public Square were built. On the lot where stands the building in which the Press is published, Joseph Brown had a hat manufactory, and, on the opposite corner, where stands the storehouse now owned by Isaac Yost, there stood a one story hewed log house, that was used by Benjamin Ream as a hat factory. Hatting business was good in those days, as there were none imported from the East, as now, to compete with the home manufacturers. This house gave way before 183o, and the present brick building was erected in its place by Henry Dittoe. One story frames lined the street south of the square to the bridge and bond, with here and there an unoccupied lot. Benjamin Huff had a chair manufactory in a one story hewed log house, that stood on the spot where Dittoe & Hull's grocery now stands. Some of the first Protestant services ever held in Somerset were held in that building. William D. Harper had his residence on the hill where the Nunnery was located. He had his carpenter shop in a small building that stood nearly opposite the old residence of Patrick McDonald. In still earlier days, Lawrence Curran. one of the first butchers of Somerset, had his slaughter-house about the same spot. A few of your readers may remember Old Larry,' the Irishman. He had his peculiarities, like other men, one of which may be worth relating. In disposing of his meats he had to trust a good deal, but always made it a duty to set apart a special day for collections, and he did it so adroitly that it rather pleased his delinquent customers than annoyed them. lie would place himself on some corner of the Public Square, in the morning, and watch for his delinquents. When he saw one of them, he would hasten in advance of him and remark, in his good natured Irish brogue, 'An' is it me ye are huntin' afther!' The customer always knew what Larry was after, and never failed, if he had the money, to shell it right out. And so he would continue till his collections were made. " Of course, many of your readers remember the old jail, situated nearly opposite the residence of Dr. Magruder. The first story was built of dressed sandstone, and the second story was carried up with brick. The courts were held in this house for many years, and until the new Court House upon the Public Square was erected. On the sonth side of this building there was a ball alley, where the young men used to 276 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. while away many hours in playing what is termed alley ball. Indeed, for years, the place was a daily resort for all classes of middle-aged men, young men, and boys. If the men were not there, the boys were sure to be. Afterwards the ball alley was removed to the Academy building, in the north end of the village. " The ground covered by Dr. Magruder's residence was where George Beckwith had his dwelling, when he occupied the tanyard afterwards run by Law & Moeller, and later by John Law. The old brick Methodist Episcopal church stood on South street, nearly opposite the residence of Colonel Spencer. On the corner of the alley, next west, stands a small brick, where John H. Binckley used to reside in an early day. The Methodists used to be a little noisy occasionally, and Binckley, living so near the church, felt himself annoyed somewhat, and so gave to this thoroughfare the name of Happy Alley,' a name by which it is known to this clay. Between the church and the corner brick was a two story hewed log house, in which John II. Binckley and Samuel Binckley had a paint shop and chair factory. Samuel Binckley was one cif the pioneer young men of Somerset, but left, shortly after his marriage, and located at Xenia, Ohio. He is still at Troy, Ohio, hearty and hale, at the age of seventy-six years." In a subsequent letter, " Senex " discourses further of old-time Somerset and vicinity : "As early as 1805, thirteen years before Perry county was organized, the reader may well imagine there was no Somerset, and no other town, in the county. New Reading antedates Somerset by a few years, and was called, by the Pennsylvania Germans, • Overmverstettle,' and by those who preferred to speak it in English, Overmyertown.' I recollect hearing an old lady, who but recently departed this life, often relating an incident of her getting l0st on the ground near the heart of the town, in 1807. She lived with her father in a new cabin, a mile or so north of the town, and was sent after the cows toward the close of the day. When she arrived at about the place where the Public Square is located, she became entangled in the underbrush, which was grown over so densely with wild pea vines that she could not see a rod before her. When she had extricated herself, she found that she had lost her bearing, and it was only by a fortunate circumstance that she was enabled to reach her home that evening. " The old men who are in the county, and are able to recollect back forty-five to sixty years ago, cannot help to bring to mind one of the singular changes that has taken place in the streams. At that time they were all running full of water, at least nine- months in the year. Now they are nearly all dry most of the year, and not enough water running in them at any time, except in times of flood, to water a drove of cattle. Many will remember that, half a mile north of Somerset, was situated Grandfather Parkinson's ' saw-mill, afterwards run by Billy Larue. The water that was gathered from the ravine starting on the summit in the town, with that gathered by a race from the west branch, run this sawmill, fifty years ago, nine months in the year. It cut a great deal of timber, and, being so near the then growing village, it furnished much of the lumber that was called for. The clam in which the water was collected was the swimming hole' for the boys of the HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 277 village, and for many years it was a favorite resort. Below this, about half a mile, Judge Hood had a gristmill—' corn-cracker,' it was called in that day—at which he accommodated his neighbors with corn meal, and also furnished a fair article of flour. This mill was a two story log building, situated on the south bank of the creek, near where the road now crosses above the railroad trestle. The Judge also run a stillhouse in connection with the mill. The water for turning the mill was collected by races. The race for conducting the water, on the south branch, started in some four or five hundred yards below the steam mill, following the west bank of the hill ; and the one on the west branch started just below Parkinson's saw-mill, and run along the south bank of the creek. The faint outlines of these races may be seen in places yet, but they have been mostly defaced. At the confluence of the Somerset branch and the Berkey run, there was, at one time, a sawmill, the water likewise being conducted by races. About half a mile below this there was a grist-mill, and farther down, Darsham's grist and saw-mill. So that, from 1814 to 183o, there were no less than five mills on that little stream, between Somerset and Jonathan's Creek, all running by water nearly through the entire year. The stream used to run a large volume of bright, clear water, and it used to abound in fish of pretty good size. It was a great resort for the ' town boys, even so late as 1840. Many a time did the boys of that day—Dan and John Parkinson, P. H. 'Binckley, Walter C. Wood, and others—pull out chubs' and suckers ' that weighed a pound. “If I were to undertake to trace out all the old landmarks ;' or, in other words, to give the early settlers of lands around Somerset, I should never get through with these letters. But I will mark out, say, a mile square, on either side of Somerset, and give the occupiers of land from about the year 1820 to 1830. " On the north side, Judge Hood was, at that time, a permanent fixture on the farm he so long occupied. The next farm north, now owned by Andy Leach, was entered by a man named Miller. The next farm north of that was the Stoker farm,' and the farm still north of that was the Funderburg farm. We will go beck, now, and take another tier. The farm west of Judge Hood, afterwards constituting part of the Gongloff farm, was occupied by John Deal, on the north side of which stood a stillhouse, run, from 1812 to about 1820, by a man named Shunk. Next east, the farm of Conrad Snider, was owned by his father, one of the first settlers. Next east, the farm long owned and occupied by David Church, was owned by David Boyce. On the south side of town, about the year 1825, the farm of John. Moore was tilled by Joshua Green, afterwards purchased by John F. Moeller. The Thomas Scallan farm was owned by John Trout. The farm farther south—afterwards the Caywood farm—was owned by James McDonald, and a little before that time by Leonard Ream. The farm west of this was the farm of Michael McKinney. The tract of land east of the Scallan farm, on which Mrs. Scallan now resides, was owned by John Beckwith. There were still earlier proprietors of most all of these lands, but my recollection cannot reach them." The foregoing extracts from the highly interesting articles of " Senex " give a good description of Somerset and surroundings, from 182o 278 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. to 1830, and also contain a number of facts of interest, both earlier and lattr than these dates. As early as 1844 Somerset was compactly and neatly built up, in a great measure of brick, and was one of the handsomest towns of its size in Ohio. It just about held its own, in population and business, from 1844 to 1857, when the Seat of Justice was removed to New. Lexington. This did not prove as much of a calamity as was feared, though it had a depressing effect for several years. When the railroad was built, in 1871, the old town revived to a great extent, and quite a number of new and costly buildings have been erected, among them several fine private residences. Somerset was visited by a destructive tire in the latter part of the year 1873, which is thus described by the Somerset Press: "About one o'clock on Wednesday morning, the cry of tire was raised on our streets, and by the time those of our citizens living in the vicinity of the conflagration had reached the scene, the long roof of the building on the northeast side of the square was enveloped in flames, and the contents of the rooms were being rapidly destroyed. Such headway had the flames made that by the time even a few of our citizens got upon the ground, it was impossible to enter the more extensive business rooms of the block, for the purpose of removing the stock, and all that could be done was to exert every effort to confine the fire to the block in which it had originated. For a time this seemed to be a hopeless work, as the wind was blowing briskly to the eastward, and in the direction of some greatly exposed buildings. Hard work was required to prevent the fire from communicating with Gallagher's building, and this being the 'key' to the whole situation, our citizens labored with admirable success to stop the progress of the flames at that point. Had the fire got under headway in that building it is likely that all that part of Somerset lying east of the square would be in ashes to-day. From the drug store building, the flames spread rapidly into the large frame building on the north, and adjoining the three-story brick residence of D. M. Mathews. From this building the flames soon reached the roof of Mr. Mathews' residence, and that too would have soon been destroyed, but for the indomitable energy of that portion of the volunteer brigade, who held this part of the field. Long ladders were placed against the building, and a number of daring men soon took position upon the roof and ladders, and gave the devouring elements the best licks they had in the shop. And their efforts were crowned with success. Mr. Mathews' residence was saved, and the fire was confined to the block in which it had broken out. This was totally destroyed, entailing losses about to the amount of $15,000. This block was owned by D. M. Mathews,Dr. C. J. Skinner and Dr. E. R. Magruder and was valued at .something like $8,000. The block was occupied by the following firms : Skinner & Brother, stock destroyed valued at $3,000 ; M. Bowman, grocer, stock destroyed valued at $1,800 ; J. W. Graves, boot and shoe dealer, stock saved ; Mrs. Burns, milliner, stock destroyed valued at $300 ; H. A. Schwartz, photographer, stock destroyed valued at $1,000 ; Snow Fork Coal and Mining Company, loss in books, maps, plats, stationery, etc., valued at $500 ; T. Spencer Stillman, notary, etc., loss in books, stationery. etc., about $200; George Price, Justice of the Peace, H. P. Lentz, HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 279 real estate and insurance agent, N. L. Brunner, boot and shoe maker —effects removed without damage. "There are various opinions about the origin of the fire. Those who were first on the grounds, say that the fire originated in the office of the Snow Fork Coal and Mining Company." Again in 1875, the town was scourged by the fire fiend, a number of houses burned, and the whole eastern part of the village narrowly escaped destruction. The following account of the fire is from the Somerset Press: "Our village has again been scourged by fire, this time entailing a loss of property to the amount of $25,000 or $30,000, and rendering homeless a number of families, and throwing out of employment a number of workmen. The story is briefly told. About eleven o'clock, Monday night, Mr. Russell, proprietor of the Russell House, discovered that that part of the planing mill of Bowman, Johnson & Mautz, where the boiler was located, was on fire, and at once gave the alarm. But owing to the vast amount of highly combustible material in the immediate vicinity of the furnace, the flames had made such frightful headway by the time of the arrival of persons upon the scene, that such a thing as extinguishing them, with the means at hand, was at once an apparent impossibility. An entrance was forced into the show-room of the establishment, where there was a large amount of finished work, , buggies, wagons, carriages, etc., and an ineffectual effort to save it from destruction. But the moment the entrance was made, a fiery column swept from about the furnace through the building, driving the rescuers from the room. Repeated efforts were made to re-enter the building, but the intense heat rendered them all futile, and it became plain to all that the large planing mill and carriage factory, with all its contents, was doomed. As the fire spread, and'got fairly under way in the large and higher part of the building, the flames roared with a fierceness and rose to a height that appalled the powerless spectators, and at once created fears for the safety of the town. That the fire originated from the furnace, there seems to be little doubt. "The flames rapidly spread to the buildings immediately east and west of the factory, and the scene became alarming in the extreme. Then presently Mrs. Filler's house, an the opposite side of the street, took fire, and the unorganized and excited people hardly knew how or where to commence the fight ; but that a commencement must be made somewhere, and quickly, too, if the town was to be saved from total destruction, was very manifest to all, and keenly appreciated by all. Determined bands of men therefore bent their energies at four different points, to arrest the progress of the fire. One point was Coolman's frame building across the alley west from the Russell House ; another was the frame house owned by O. T. Mohler, and occupied by George Nichols, on the south side of the street ; the third was the German Reform Church, on the same side, and the fourth was Mrs. Chilcote's house, on the north side, and across the alley west from the large frame structure known as the O'Keefe House. "In the area bounded by the buildings named, the devouring element had things pretty much its own way, and in that space, and with- 280 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY in an hour or so, it laid in ashes eleven buildings, and caused a greater loss of property than was ever before felt in Somerset. "At the points named a desperate effort was made to master the fire, and, though it proved successful in the end, there were times during the progress of the struggle,when it seemed that all efforts would prove unavailing. “The women came to the rescue, when assistance was greatly needed, and rendered noble service in the matter of carrying water, etc. Their determined labors had also the effect to cheer the men who were standing up manfully to the work, and shaming, just a little, the few who were 'too feeble to do more than stand byand gaze upon the frightful scene and the determined workers it had called forth. "The houses destroyed were the planing mill, the dry house, the old exchange, the Russell House, Mrs. Filler's and Mrs. Cody's residences—both the latter on the south side of the street—Mr. John Mautz's residence, Mr. Shower's residence and Mrs. Chilcote's residence, and Bowman & Johnson's blacksmith shop, and Mr. Shower's stable. The occupants of most of the dwellings saved only a portion of their household effects, and some lost about all they possessed of that kind of property." Nearly all the space made vacant by these fires has been built upon, and most of the buildings destroyed have been replaced by better ones. With these two exceptions, Somerset, during its entire existence, has been very fortunate regarding fires. Somerset is very pleasantly situated on the high grounds that separate the waters of Muskingum from those of the Hocking. The rain that falls on the north and east end of the town flows into the Muskingum, while that which falls on the south and west parts finds its way into the Hocking. The site of the town is elevated, broad and commanding, and much of it affords a good view of the surrounding country. Somerset, at present, has a postoffice, one telegraph office, one railroad depot, one newspaper, one union school house, one female academy, four churches, one convent, one hotel, one music hall, four dry goods stores, two hardware stores, two jewelry stores, two drug stores, two furniture stores, two shoe stores, one photograph gallery, one carriage and buggy shop, one planing mill, one tannery, two harness and saddle shops, two tailor shops, one clothing store, one coverlet weaver, seven groceries, four physicians, five lawyers, one job printing office, three Millinery stores, two meat shops and two tin shops. The Hippodrome war, the trial and execution of David Work, the Centennial Celebration, and many other notable events connected with the history of Somerset, will be found in other appropriate chapters of this volume. In view of the immense strides which the iron business is making in Perry county, and its probable future, it is worth while to contemplate the initial workers and the small beginnings of the industry. Somerset had the first foundry in the county. It was established by Joseph Simpson, who, in his lifetime, was well known to many of the people of Perry county. The reader of this volume would naturally like to know HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 281 something of the original foundry and iron man of the county, therefore the following sketch is inserted : Joseph Simpson settled in Somerset in 1843, having come direct from Newark, Licking county, but from Halifax, Yorkshire, England, two years previous. He purchased a large tobacco warehouse on Happy alley, about midway between C0lumbus street and the Logan road, and converted it into a foundry. For many years he conducted a successful business. Mr. Simpson spent much of his time in exploring the great mineral region of Monday and Sunday Creeks, and often predicted its future wealth and greatness. He was well known throughout the county, and became somewhat famous for his plows. He will be well remembered by the old settlers. He may be ranked as the pioneer of the iron interest of Perry county. Mr. Simpson died in Newark, in 1856. NEW READING.—New Reading, for a long time better known as Overmyertown, situated three miles from Somerset, in the western part of Reading township. was laid out in 1805, by Peter Overmyer, father of the venerable Peter Overmyer, who now resides in the vicinity of New Reading. This village is the oldest in the county, antedating Somerset, Rehoboth, Thornville, New Lexington, and all the other villages of the county. When the county of Perry was formed, New Reading was a candidate for the seat of justice, and its citizens were disappointed and displeased when they failed to secure the location. The village has just about held its own for sixty years and more. It contains two churches, a schoolhouse, store, physician, a few shops, and several neat and comfortable private residences, and had, in June, 1880, one hundred and eighteen inhabitants. The town is handsomely situated, and is surrounded by a country not only fertile and healthy, but one of the loveliest to be found anywhere in the State, and capable of being made almost a second paradise. To this country, then a wilderness, came Peter Overmyer, the pioneer, from Northumberland county, Pennsylvania. Peter was a son of John George Obermayer, as the name was written in German, who came from Germany to the United States in 1751. When Peter Overmyer came to what is now Perry county, Ohio, he brought with him some of the old heirlooms and keepsakes of his father's family, but nothing which he could prize more highly than the original of the following "passport," written in German, which his father procured when about to leave the Fatherland for the New World : "Passport of John George Obermayer.—In Blankenloch, of the Magistracy of Durlach, lying within the bounds of the highly exalted dominion, the Nagraviate of Baden, was born, on October 27, 1727, and baptized on the day following, October 28, John George, legitimate son of his father, John George Obermayer, citizen and weaver, and of his mother, Anna. "Witnesses of his baptism were John George Bane, citizen and weaver ; Henry Bane, citizen of Buechig ; also, Susanna, wife of Jacob Werners, citizen and weaver ; also, Anna Mary, wife of John Storken, citizen of Hagsfeld. This has been copied from the 'Register of Baptisms' and the 'Church Record,' of this parish. "In testimony of his honest service and praiseworthy conduct while 282 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. in our midst, especially of his knowledge and confession of the Evangelical Religion (Lutheran), I cheerfully subscribe with my own hand, and stamp with official seal. [OFFICIAL SEAL.] "JOHN CHRISTIAN EBERSOLD, "Pastor of Blankenloch and Buechig. "Blankenloch, May 4th, 1751. "Inasmuch as the above-mentioned John George Obermayer, native of Blankenloch, has resolved, by the Grace of God, to leave this province to go to the New Country, the Colony of Pennsylvania, and has most respectfully besought and petitioned us, as the representatives of this Court. for an honorable dismissal and certificate of good character, and we cannot justly refuse, but, on the other hand, we cheerfully testify, upon the ground of truth, that he has, in his service in our midst, conducted himself as a Christian, honest, trustworthy, and industrious. We, therefore, wish Mr. Obermayer not only all temporal, but, also, all eternal blessings. We, therefore, beseech all respective persons, whether of high or low estate, with this charge of duty, not only to permit him to pass free and unmolested wherever he may choose to go, but, also, without suspicion, kindly to receive and entertain said Obermayer, in whatsoever place or locality he may announce himself, for which we shall ever be the indebtors. "In the name of this Court of Justice, we still remain the humble servants.  JUDGE BIERICH, "Attorney, Kimtzma. "SCHOOL SUP'T FIEGLER, "Clerk of the Court. "Blankenloch, May 12th, 1751." What follows is from the personal diary of John George Obermayer, in his own handwriting : "On May 9th, 1751, we went for the last time to church in Blankenloch. There we sang once more, 'There are none whom God has forsaken,' Bless the Lord, 0, my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name,' and 'Lord Jesus Christ to us attend.' It was the fourth Sunday after Easter, 'Cantate,' when we heard the Gospel lesson for the day, John xvi :5-15, which begins : 'But now I go my way to Him that sent me ; and none of you ask me 'Whither goest thou?' ' "On May 14, we left Blankenloch, for Rheinhausen. On the 19th, we sailed from Rheinhausen, toward Mannheim. On the 20th, we went to Worms, where we sang, '0, Holy Ghost, descend, we pray.' On the 4th of June, at two o'clock, we passed through the Bingerlock, and at seven o'clock we passed through the bay of St. Gwier, where we encountered great danger. "Our voyage upon the Rhine, from Rheinhausen to Amsterdam, was of four weeks' duration. On the z0th of June we embarked from Rotterdam, and from thence to Old England. On the 22d, we sailed in upon the vast ocean." The foregoing was translated from the German, in which language it was written, by Rev. Walter, of Somerset. Every reader of this history will regret that John Jacob Obermayer laid aside his pen so soon, and that the written record he left is so brief. Short as it is, however, it is sufficient to give a vivid impression of the father of the man who HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 283 named Reading township, and the town of Reading, the oldest village in the county of Perry. Hanover, the first laid out town in what is now Perry county, was established by Jacob Dittoe, in 1804, about four miles west of Fink's tavern, on Zane's Trace, in what is now Reading township, Perry county. The village never amounted to much, though a few families gathered there, and in 1818, one of the first acts of the Court of Common Pleas of Perry was in response to a petition of the proprietor, to annul the town plat of Hanover, and the lots, streets and alleys reverted to the proprietor simply as land, and Hanover was no more. CHURCHES.-Of the original settlers of Reading township, the Pennsylvania Germans were chiefly Lutherans, Catholics, or German Reform, and the English speaking people were principally Methodists, Baptists or Presbyterians. The Irish immigrants and their descendants were mostly Catholics, though some of them were Protestants, and adhered to some branch of the Protestant church. The itinerant Methodist preachers visited Somerset at a very early day, and organized classes or societies. The late Rev. J. VanLaw, who, a few years since, was stationed in Somerset, compiled a very full and interesting sketch of the work of the Methodists at Somerset and charges connected therewith. The sketch is not only of special interest as to Somerset and vicinity, but to nearly all the old Methodist churches of the county, as they were all, in the old times, attached to Somerset Circuit. Somerset, Rehoboth and New Lexington, all belonged to the same Circuit as late as 1850. The sketch is from a published source : " The first settlement of Ohio was by a New England Colony that landed at the mouth of the Muskingum river, on the 7th of April 1788. These were all of Puritan stock, and no Methodists among them, as it was not till two years later, that Methodism was carried into New England, by Jesse Lee, that preached the first Methodist sermon in all that section, under the great Elm tree in Boston Common, on a July afternoon 1790. At that time Marietta and Cincinnati were the only two points settled in Ohio ; and when on the 16th of September, 1799, the first session of the Territorial Legislature met in Cincinnati, it was then only a village of S00 inhabitants, built almost entirely of logs, and without a brick in its entire structure. The population in the whole State, in 1798, was only about 5000. " In 1798, Rev. Kobler crossed the Ohio from Kentucky, kneeling on the river bank to invoke the divine blessing upon his mission. On Christmas day he spread the sacramental table for twenty-five or thirty communicants, all there were in the country. This was the first regular preaching, and the first Methodist communion in Ohio, that ten years ago numbered 100,000 on its communion roll. In 1799, Holston, Kentucky, Tennessee and one Circuit in Ohio constituted one immense district, with twelve preachers. No society was formed in Cincinnati, till 1804. On the southeast, however, Robert Manly had crossed over from Virginia, occasionally, perhaps, as early as 1795, and by 1799, he had boldly entered and formed a Circuit extending up the Muskingum for forty miles. In 1799, James Quinn made a missionary tour up the Hocking Valley, preaching to the few families residing near the present 284 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. site of Lancaster. In 1804, Asa Shinn organized the Hocking Circuit out of this territory, occupying the usual four weeks. The next year James Quinn and John Meck were sent to this circuit, and in 1807 we find 'Ohio District, Fairfield Circuit, William Pattison,' in the list of appointments of the 'Western Conference,' that contained nearly all the territory west of the Alleganies. In 1808 it is Ralph Lotspeick, and John Bowman, Miami district ; in 18o9 it is Ralph Lotspeick, Muskingum district ; in 1810 Francis Tarvis, with James' Quinn, as presiding elder. " During this year the Ohio Conference was organized at Portsmouth, and on Christmas day the first Methodist sermon was preached in Somerset, at the house of John Mains, by the Reverend Robert Cloud, who, with Jesse Stoneman, continued to occupy this as a preaching place for several years. In 1811, James Quinn and James B. Finley traveled Fairfield Circuit, and the latter organized the first class in Somerset, with John Mains leader. The remaining four of this immortal five were Anna Mains, wife of the leader, John Anderson and wife, and William Babbs. The opposition was bitter and unreasonable, but the old log school house, afterward used as a chair shop by Jesse Huff, near the present site of Dittoe's and Hull's grocery, was the class sanctuary of those tried ones, for years, and it resounded with the songs and shoutings of their triumphant faith. In 1812, William Lambden had' charge of the Circuit ; and Archibald McElroy in 1813. " David Young was presiding elder, in 1813-14 ; Charles Waddle in 1814 ; Charles Waddle and Michael Ellis, 1815 ; James Quinn and John McMahon in 1816 ; Michael Ellis and John McMahon in 1817. During the early part of this Conference year John McMahon retired from the work, and John Stewart was called from the Kanawha Circuit in Virginia, taking his place here as Junior Preacher, January 1st, 1818. " The Somerset society had now grown to embrace the following members : William Babbs, sen., John and Ruth Murray, John and Anna Mains ; Toby Taylor and wife ; Frederick Mains, sen., and wife ; George Richards and wife ; Jesse G. McGowen, and perhaps Frederick Mains, jun., and wife. In June, 1819, Joseph F. Brown was added to the society, and Jacob Knowles and wife in place of Taylor removed. That summer the society made an effort to raise a house of worship, on what was afterwards called in consequence, Happy Alley. " The lot is now occupied in part by William Russell, though the site of the first church is yet vacant. John Murray undertook the building, and got the walls up to the square, when a large dead chestnut tree was blown down by the equinoctial storm, crushing the walls to the ground. Things remained in this condition until the next spring ; the 'brethren being much discouraged. Albert Gough and Henry Matthews were preachers on the immense circuit embracing Lancaster, (perhaps Circleville) Logan, New Lexington, Rehoboth, and other points to the number of twenty-five or thirty preaching places. " ‘But seeing the desolation of the Lord's house, writes Joseph T. Brown, I was stirred up in my heart and said to some of the brethren : Let us arise and rebuild the house.' They said to me, if I thought anything could be done they would help me what they could. So I went forward, hired hands, gathered up and cleaned off the bricks, procured HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 285 materials and workmen, enlarged the building several feet, and got it up and under roof, with one coat of plaster, in time to hold a meeting on Christmas. This meeting resulted in the addition of about fifty members, most prominent among whom were, John Beckwith and John Ritchey.' " [Letter of May 23d, 1876, to the writer]. " Brother John Mains, who is now passing the golden autumn of a ripe age, in Greenfield, Ohio, informs me, that he and Jesse McGowen were associated with brother Brown in this building, and that Judge C. C. Hood, coming into the neighborhood about that time, seated the new church at his own expense. Notwithstanding this, brother Brown's obligations and expenditures, footed up about five hundred dollars, part of which was paid, but the greater part remains in the treasury of the Lord, safe until the present time. " Previous to the building of the brick church, the services of the society were held in the court room, over the old jail on South Columbus street. Here, as early as 1817, we are assured of the existence of a Sabbath school, of which Frederick Mains, now living in Somerset, was probably the first. Superintendent, with Tobias Taylor as an assistant. Brother John Mains says, the first Sabbath school was previously organized in the brick house now the residence of Nathan Dennison, but the recollection of Frederick Mains as its first Superintendent, renders it unsafe to place its active operations much prior to 1817. " Abner Gough and Charles Thorn traveled Fairfield circuit in 1820 ; William Stephens and Zara Coston, 1821 ; William Stephens, in 1822 ; James Gilruth and Isaac C. Hunter, in 1823 ; Charles Waddle and Homer Clark, in 1824 ; Leroy Swornsted and James Quinn, in 1825 ; James Quinn and James Laws, in 1826 ; James Laws and Gilbert Blue, in 1827 ; Jacob Young and Cornelius Springer, in 1828. Discussion, leading to the radical separation in 1828, culminated this year in a general debate, at the Bethel Church, and Cornelius Springer, a leader in the movement in the west, withdrew to the Protestant Methodist Church. " In 1829, Zachary Connel and Henry S. Fernandes, were preach- ers ; and in 1830, Samuel Hamilton and Henry S. Fernandes. Then Rushville circuit appears on the records with Samuel Hamilton and Jacob Hooper, preachers in 1831 ; J. Carper and Jacob Young, in 1832 ; and J. Carper, J. Armstrong and S. H. Holland, in 1833 ; for this year, it appears, the church we now occupy in Somerset, was built, and in the next year, 1834, the log church at Chalfants was dedicated. Thus, in three successive years, each of the societies constituting the present Somerset circuit, built a new church. The impulse given under brother Carper's administration and the building of the new church in Somerset, appears at once in the minutes for 1834 ; we have the name changed to Somerset circuit, James McMahon and B. F. Meyers as preachers. Brother McMahon not only dedicated the Chalfant church, but also took subscriptions for the church at New Zion. In 1825, J. McDowell, B. F. Meyers and J. Hooper (supply), were appointed to Somerset circuit ; in 1836, Henry S. Fernandes and John Blampied ; in 1837, Henry S. Fernandes and Moses A. Milligan ; in 1838, Moses A. Milligan and Isaac Cartlich ; in 1839, Andrew Murphy and William T.. Rand ; 286 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. in 1840, William P. Strickland and Sheldon Parker ; in 1841, William P. Strickland, Edward Roe and Samuel Harvey, supply. " In 1842, we find Somerset assuming her place as a station, with the eloquent Joseph A. Waterman in charge ; in 1844, Andrew Carroll was pastor, and this ended the effort to maintain the station. Hopewell and Zion had been joined to Rehoboth circuit, and in 1844, Somerset also became part of Rehoboth circuit, and so remained till the organization as at present, in 1854. The appointments for Rehoboth circuit, during these years, were as follows : " 1842—James Gurley and supply. "1843—Joseph Carper and Philip A. Muchner. " 1844—T. A. G. Philips and John Fitch. " 1845—John Fitch and T. A. G. Philips. " 1846-47—Joseph Neuson and Samuel Hamilton. " 1848—A. M. Alexander and I. F. Longman. " 1849—E. V. Bing, J. H. Creighton and G. W. Brush. " During this year, over one thousand probationers were received on Rehoboth circuit. " 1850—E. V. Bing, John Dillon and James Mitchell. “ 1851—John Dillon, Charles Warren and supply. “ 1852—Charles Warren, Edward P. Hall and supply. " 1853—Charles C. Lybrand and R. J. Black. " James M. Jameson was Presiding Elder of the Zanesville District, and lived at Somerset during 1846-7-8 ; Jacob Young from 1848 to 1852, and J. M. Trimble from 1852 to 1856. Rehoboth circuit, in 1854, reports seven hundred and fifty-seven members, twenty-five probationers, and five local preachers. " In 1854, Somerset Circuit was organized as at present, at the Conference at Portsmouth, and James C. Taylor was appointed for 1854-5; E. V. Bing for 1856-7 ; John White, Presiding Elder. " S. C. Riker was preacher in 1858, with extensive revivals all over the charge. " James Mitchell was in charge of the Circuit for 1859-60, when the present Hopewell Church was built, " P. V. Ferree was pastor in 1861-62 ; John Frazer, Presiding Elder for 1860-63 ; D. D. Mather, P. E. for 1864-65 ; T. H. Philips, P. E. for 1866-67 ; William Porter. P. E. for 1868-70 ; W. T. Harvey, P. E., Lancaster District, for 1871-72 ; T. H. Hall, P. E., Lancaster Dislrict, for 1873-74-75. " Brother Ferree remained in Somerset, engaged mainly in teaching till his death in 18.68, and his ashes lie in the M. E. Cemetery in this place. " S. C. Frampton succeeded him as pastor in 1863-64 ; R. W. Manley, in 1865-66-67 ; A. H. Windsor, in 1868-69; J. M. Weir, in 187071 ; B. F. Thomas, in 1872-73-74 ; and J. Van Law, in 1875-76. Gracious revivals attended the labors of many; if not all of these pastors ; those in Somerset and Zion, under charge of brother Manley, and in Hopewell under brother Thomas, are worthy of special mention. Much fruit of these remain. " About the year 1866 or 1867, an extension was made to the Som- HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 287 erset church, and October 22d, 1865, the trustees met at the old parsonage, nearly opposite the church, and organized, with Judge C. C. Hood in the chair, P. V. Ferree, secretary pro tern. The members present, were : Dixon Brown, William Ream, John Huston, Martin Berkey, C. C. Hood, Dr. Skinner. P. V. Ferree, and the newly appointed pastor, R. W. Manley. The business was, to receive the report of a committee to examine property for a parsonage. After the report, a committee, consisting of David Ream, Dixon Brown, John Huston and Lewis Edwards, were appointed to purchase the present parsonage property of B. Whitmer. Wm. Ream for Zion, Robert Chalfant for Hopewell, Dr. Skinner and William Huston for Somerset, were appointed to raise subscriptions to pay for the property. These committees ware both successful, and after thorough repairs, under the administration of brother J. M. Weir, the Circuit may well feel proud of its parsonage. " In 1854, the Somerset Collegiate Institute was organized, with a semi-official relation to the Ohio Conference. Charles Nourse was Principal, and the following constituted the Board of Directors, viz. : Rev. James C. Taylor, ex officio; Eli Spencer, William Spencer, John Ritchie, George Morris, Thomas Wiles and R. Miller. This school continued to be taught in the old Fink tavern building for about eight years, when the property was sold for the use of the public schools. "About the year 1829, the Somerset society was strengthened by the accession of Ensor Chilcote and family. He was truly a leader in the charge for many years, and his mantle of power still rests upon his family in the church. "In the Official List of 1861, I find James Chilcote as Recording Steward, with Charles Nourse, Dixon Brown, and J. P. Huston, Stewards for Somerset ; William Ream and David Ream, for Zion ; and Mordecai Yarnell and John Kelley, for Hopewell. Leaders at Somerset—O. T. Mohler, morning class ; Martin Berkey and C. C. Hood, noon class ; James Chilcote, Monday night class ; A. B. Leach, Tuesday night class, and Gideon Ritchey, Wednesday night. Hopewell—Mordecai Yarnell and Melzar Kendall. New Zion—Isaac Cooper and George Ritchey. "The Trustees of Somerset Station, 1843, were Ensor Chilcote, C. C. Hood, Jacob Knowles, Thomas Price, John Ritchey, John Beckwith, and G. Morris. "Bishops Asbury, McKendree, Roberts, George, and others, have been here, the honored guests of John Mains, preaching in succession in the house, school-house, the jail-loft, and the church. The Fairfield Circuit has become a district ; the school- house and cabin classes have become a trio of congregations. "The Hopewell Class.—In 1812 or 1813, a class was organized, to meet at Abram Hamisfar's (now Rusk's), of which Robert Chalfant was leader, and contained the following members : Mercy Chalfant, Abram and Hannah Hamisfar, Charles and Margaret Hamisfar, 'Father' and 'Mother' Fitsmorris, and their daughter, Elizabeth Miller ; James and Jane Benjamin, Polly Hutchins, Nathan and Ella Benjamin, Daniel and Peggy Miner, Jacob Miner, Rebecca Miner (now Denni- 288-HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. son), Sally and Frank Miner, Thomas and Amy Kendall, Nelly and Nancy Cane, and George Guysinger. "This class formed, in part, the basis of Hopewell and Zion classes, which were formed about 1830. The Hopewell class grew rapidly, and in 1834 a log-built church was dedicated, by James McMahon, preaching from John xv :5, am the vine, ye are the branches.' It was called Chalfant's Church- The class-book for 1840-41, now in the hands of Sister Cochran, gives the class as follows : Robert O. Spencer, P. E.; William P. Strickland, J. Parker. preachers ; Robert Chalfant, leader ; Thomas and Amy Kendall, Jared and Sarah Dennison, John, Margaret, Thomas, Nancy and Elizabeth Randolph ; Mary Edwards, Mary Wilson, Drusilla Ferguson, Rachel Foreman, Margaret Chalfant, Jane Hinebaugh, Maxwell Edwards, Elizabeth Kelley, Elizabeth Bear. Thomas N. Edwards, Martha Thompson, David Yarnell, George Cowen and Mary Ann Cowen, Amos Dennison, Mary Yarnell. Lydia Ann Edwards, Catharine Cox, Mary and Elizabeth Sturgeon, Mahala Dennison, Emeline Ferguson, Margaret and Olive Hinebaugh, Eliza and Sarah Bateson, Ebenezer Snellen, Robert and Elizabeth Emery, Louis Edwards, Robert, Mary Ann, Sarah and Comfort Chalfant ; William Van Horn, Rebecca Cox (now Wilson), Catharine and Margaret Cox, Elisha and Mary Wilson. Rev. James Kendall was converted here, and was called to the ministry, entering the Ohio Conference in 1851. "The present neat and commodious Hopewell Church was built in .1860, when Rev. James Mitchell was in charge, though the project was started the year before by Brother S. C. Riker. It was dedicated by Brother Riker, assisted by Dr. Frazier, P. E., no money being asked for, as all the expenses had been provided for beforehand. "The first Hopewell Sabbath School was said to have been organized in Bozerman's school-house, in 1831 or 1832. "In the winter of 1872-73, a gracious revival, under the pastorate of Rev. B. F. Thomas, resulted in the accession of about forty persons, on probation, a very large proportion of whom now remain steadfast as members in the church. "New Zion.—Rev. James McMahon was appointed to the Somerset Circuit in 1834. and soon after his arrival he was taken by Martin Berkey, then a young man, to the residence of David Ream, Sr., where he preached, and organized a class, with young I3erkey as leader. A Class-book, now in his possession, gives the foliowing members, under date, May 27, 1835: Martin Berkey,leader ; Rebecca Berkey, George Boor, Elizabeth Boor, Elizabeth Ritchey, Wilson Ritchey, James Ritchey, George Ritchey, Jane Spencer, Eleanor Cain, Rachel Patton, Rebecca Boor, James Cain, Hannah Cain, Priscilla I. Cain, Rachel Berkey, Martin Boyers, Gideon Ritchey, Elizabeth Boor, Phebe Cain, Rebecca Drury, Rachel Herron, Rachel Carr, Margaret Spencer, Edward Hamilton, Rachel Hamilton, Mary Hare, Mary Hull, Hester Stiles, George Coleman, Jacob Stateser, James Hutches, William Patten, Elsie Benjamin, Rebecca Fleehart, Elizabeth Emrine, Matilda Sharen, and Hester Chilcote—total, 38. Another Toll gives the names of William and Rachel Paden, Mahlon S.Gregg, Emily Gregg, Charles Hamisfar, Catharine Hamisfar, and Dorcas Davis. Ensor Chilcote is HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 289 also mentioned as leader or assistant, though not a member of the class. "James McMahon and B. F. Meyers were preachers in 1834-35, and during this conference year the present brick church was built, the ground on which it stands being donated by James Ritchey, Esq. This church is hallowed by the presence of its many dead, and by the memories of more than forty years ; but it is now reach to be taken down to give place to something -better. "A camp meeting was held in 1819, on the Benjamin Farm, now owned by John Bumcrat, where the preachers were probably Charles Waddle, P. E., Sodosa Bacon, and Peter Stephens. in 1834 another camp meeting was held near Zion, at which William Ream was converted. who afterwards became a strong pillar in Zion. It is hoped the present church building will give place to a better one during next summer. “'The number of full members for the past eight years is as follows 1869, 200 ; 1870, 195 ; 1871, 197 ; 1872, 213 ; 1873. 248 ; 1874, 260; 1875, 242 ; 1876, 254." St. Joseph's Church (Catholic), situated in the southern part of Reading township, two and a half miles south of Somerset, on the common road leading from that place to New Lexington, is the oldest Catholic Church in Ohio, excepting none whatever. The circumstances attends ing the organization of the church, the building of the first edifice, the consecration of the same, and the preaching of the first sermon therein, are of interest to all general readers, and especially to those of the Catholic faith. The ensuing sketch relative to the especially of St. Joseph's Church, and other matters of early Catholic history in Perry county, is from the pen of the late Rev. N. D. Young, only a year or two before his death, and were presented to the compiler of the Perry County History, to be published for the consideration and instruction of present and future generations : "Amongst the first settlers of this county were a few Catholic families, emigrants from Pennsylvania. They were the children .of patriotic ancestors, many of whom were soldiers under Washington, in the days that tried men's souls, braving the -hardships of the Revolutionary War, for liberty and freedom of conscience in this country. "The Rev. Edward Dom. Fenwick, and the Rev. Nicholas Dom. Young, of the Order of St. Dominic, were the first established priests of the Catholic Church in Perry county, and first priests settled in Ohio as citizens of the State. They were both natives of Maryland. The Fenwick family emigrated with the colony of Lord Baltimore to this country, and landed in St. Mary's county, Maryland. with the same colony. Father Young's paternal ancestors were Protestants, and emigrated from England. His ancestor, Judge Benjamin Young, was sent here a commissioned Judge of the British Government, long before our Independence. He settled, with his family, on the Potomac river, where the city of Washington now stands. He purchased, on its bounds, a large tract of land. and erected on the immediate banks of the Potomac a splendid mansion, importing from England the materials of which it was built. Whilst Judge, he was converted to the Catholic religion. But the intolerant laws of England disfranchised Catholics 290 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. from holding any office of the Government, political or religious, in consequence of which Judge Young resigned his office. "Dr. Fenwick and Father Young were sent to Perry county by their superior, from the Convent of St. Rose, in Kentucky, to take possession of a small log church and farm, containing three hundred and twenty-nine acres, donated to Father Fenwick by Mr. Jacob Dittoe, who, with the assistance of his two brothers, Messrs. Joseph and Anthony Dittoe, and his brother-in-law, Mr. John Fink, of Somerset, had purchased by entrance in the land office held in Chillicothe, this half section for the express establishment of a Church and Convent of the Dominican Order then established in Kentucky. The above two Fathers, in obedience to the will of their superior, the learned Dr. Thomas Wilson, and in compliance with the wish of the saintly Bishop Flaget, of Bardstown, in 1818, reached the place 0f their destination abont the first of December, and, on the sixth of the same month, the humble church, in the presence of their little flock, was dedicated under the patronage of St. Joseph, by the Rev. Father Fenwick, assisted by his nephew, Rev. N. D. Young. "The occasion was a very interesting one, being the first Catholic Church opened and blessed in Ohio. It attracted a great concourse of dissenting brethren, many of whom,, for the first time in their lives, had a view of a Catholic Priest, of whom they had heard so many strange things. "At that period, not more than six families composed their flock, within reach: of St. Joseph's. Like the grain of mustard seed, this little congregation increased so rapidly that, in the course of two years, it was found necessary to make an addition to the little church. This was accomplished by adding to it a neat stone building, which was finished and made ready for divine worship in the course of a year. It was constructed so as to allow any future addition that might be deemed necessary. It was soon found that St. Joseph's and Trinity Church, then erected in Somerset, about two miles distant, were insufficient to contain the members of the two congregations, and that something must be done to assist at Mass and hear the word of God, to fulfil the obligations of Religion. "The eyes of all were again turned to St. Joseph's. The Right Reverend Dr. Fenwick had left St. Joseph!'s and was consecrated the first Bishop of Cincinnati, in 1822, at St. Rose's Church, by Bishop Flaget. He was anxious that another addition, according to the original plan, should be made to St. Joseph's, to accommodate a flock, dear to his heart, with all the spiritual c0mforts of the Catholic Church. He urged his wish that the work should be commenced. The pastor, Father Young, called a meeting, to decide the question. At that meeting, it was agreed that the old log church should be removed, and, in its place, a brick addition should be added to the stone part of the edifice. A subscription was immediately opened, and the means, in part, obtained. This subscription was headed by the bishop's name and two hundred and fifty dollars. Trusting to the liberality of the friends of religion, and depending particularly on the hope that it might be in the power of the zealous bishop to extend to this church, the cradle of the other churches in Ohio, and so long the field of his labors, further as- HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 291 sistance, the work was commenced on Whitsuntide Monday, the twenty-sixth of May, 1825, when the corner-stone was solemnly blessed and laid by the Rev. Father Young, authorized by the Bishop ; and on Sunday, January 1 i th, 1829, the same Reverend Father, assisted by his confrere, the Rev. Daniel O'Leary, O. P., blessed the entire edifice, brick and stone. The whole was now eighty-two feet in length, and forty feet in breadth, surmounted by a beautiful little steeple and handsome cross, rearing its head above the surrounding forest, and the first erected in Perry.county, to recall to the minds of all, the great redemption our Lord purchased on the cross for us all. "The Right Reverend Bishop, on account of his occupation at Cincinnati, and the unseasonableness of the time, was not able to attend the dedication, as he had arranged with the pastor of St. Joseph's. After the solemn high mass sung by the choir of Trinity Church, Rev. Father Young delivered an appropriate discourse, to a crowded audience. Some few of his hearers are yet living in Perry county, and remember his sermon, especially that part in which he dwelt with peculiar delight on the great change that had been effected. He told them that the woods with which they were surrounded, not many years ago, resounded with the Indian yell, and howlings of wolves, but would hereafter echo canticles of joy and praises of God. "He passed a merited encomium on the departed patriarchs of religions, Messrs. Jacob Dittoe, Joseph and Anthony, his brothers, and the old patriarch of the Somerset congregation, Mr. John Fink, Sr., who was a liberal benefactor in the erection of Trinity Church, besides donating to Father Fenwick the beautiful site on which that splendid gothic church now stands, in connection with the cemetery. In his discourse he observed that St. Joseph's was the Mother Church of all other Catholic churches dedicated in Ohio, or which in future would be dedicated in the Diocese of Cincinnati. On the very spot on which he stood, was the place from whence so many churches, as branches, spread out. Eleven in existence had been erected by his brethren of St. Joseph's, in various sections of the State. Now we have, in Perry county alone, eight organized congregations, all having churches, where the word of God and divine service, on all Sundays of the year, is celebrated, and the holy sacraments administered by resident pastors. Some of these churches are splendid Gothic buildings, excelled in size and beauty of architecture by few in the United States, namely : St. Joseph's, Trinity, St. Patrick's, and St. Louis. Others will follow. " The order has extended so rapidly, that the Fathers on these missions were sent to the East ; Washington, New York, etc. In New York and Washington they have erected magnificent churches. St. Dominic's in South Washington, is said to be one of the most magnificent churches in the United States,—if not in size, in beauty of architecture, and is the largest in Washington. It was seven years building, has seven chapels attached to it, with granite stone brought from the celebrated quarry of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, and stands on the spot where stood the barn of Notley Young, not far from his mansion on the Potomac, and where General Washington was honored as his guest, when surveying the District of Columbia and laying out the City of Washington. He donated to the Government the beautiful mall, 292 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. now the Smithsonian park, and also the square for a market house on Pennsylvania Avenue. " The splendid church of St. Joseph's and the Convent attached to it, were burnt January 4th, 1862. It was erected by the Rev. Charles Montgomery, the Superior at the time the conflagration took place. The fire was supposed to be accidental. The walls of the church being very thick, were but slightly injured, and were very soon again roofed. The interior was finished off by lofty Gothic groins, supported by Gothic columns. The walls of the Convent being thin, suffered so much by the fire, as to be rendered unfit for further use, and were accordingly taken down. The present Convent, now occupied the Fathers of St.Joseph's. and as a Theological College, was once a public college, educating many of the youths of Ohio, and patronized extensively from distant parts of the country. “The zealous Bishop, Dr. Fenwick, was an ardent promoter of education. Always intent in giving every encouragement to the education of youths of both sexes in his diocese ; he had determined,' as soon as in his power, to establish a female academy in Perry county. For that purpose, he purchased in Somerset, of Mr. William Harper, his residence and lot of two acres of ground, opposite Trinity Church in Somerset. He obtained from the Sisters of St. Catharine's Convent, a celebrated academy, five of their community, to undertake the commencement of a similar academy. "Accordingly, in January, 1830, the five mentioned Sisters, viz: Sister Angela Sansbery, Sister Emily Elder, Sister Benveri Sansbery, Sister Agnes Harlen and Sister Catharine Mudd, were conducted to Somerset by Rev. S. Montgomery, via Cincinnati, where they stopped a few days to arrange matters with the Rt. Rev. Bishop Fenwick. On their arrival in Somerset, some repairs and additions had to be made on the little house, before they could take possession of it as their residence. Mr. Peter Dittoe, a merchant of Somerset, kindly offered them hospitality, where they remained a month- This building, the commencement of St. Mary's, was a small brick house, with a carpenter shop on the ground floor. In the shop, St. Mary's school commenced. The Sisters had every encouragement from the citizens of Somerset, and from the Rev. Fathers of St. Joseph's Convent. They also opened a Novitiate, and a lady from Green Bay, Miss Mary Greignew, and Miss Rose Lynch of Zanesville, Ohio, were their first novices. " St. Mary's, from the encouragement it received from the public, in a few years, erected a large academy, with a beautiful Gothic church attached, and continued prosperous until June 7th, 1866, when, by a defection of a flue through the roof of the church, it caught fire, and this splendid church and academy were consumed. A generous benefactor, Mr. Theodore Leonard, near Columbus, offered the Sisters forty acres of land, and all the materials necessary for the erection of an extensive academy, if they would locate on the proffered ground. This generous offer was accepted by the Sisters, and in 1868, the community of St. Mary's moved to their new home, a splendid house, about one hundred and fifty feet in length, with all conveniences attached. The Sisters dedicated it, as before, to the Mother of God, calling it St. Mary's of the Springs. HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 293 "The remains of the departed Sisters, interred at Somerset. were all removed to Columbus. " Perhaps there is not a more beautiful site in Ohio for an academy, than that of St. Mary's of the Springs. It stands high and gives a fine view of the surrounding country. It abounds with springs of the best waters, and within view of the Somerset and Newark Railroad. " Rt. Rev. Dr. Rosecrans established in Columbus, a branch of St. Mary's, called the Academy of Notre Dame, the Sisters of which are members of St. Mary's community, and were selected by the Bishop to conduct this Academy—a large and commodious building, situated on Broad street, a few squares from the Cathedral and State House. It is intended for the purpose, more of a day school for the education of the young ladies of the city, than those who may wish to enter as boarding pupils, conducted by the Nuns who first founded St. Mary's in Somerset, with Bishop Fenwick their father and protector. The first Sisters are now no more. Their successors are the object of the zealous care of the Bishop of Columbus, whose diocese was established in 1868. " I will conclude this article by recording the names of the second Catholic pioneers who settled in this county about the time St. Joseph's was dedicated. The first I wish to record, is that of Mr. William Wiseman, who emigrated from St. Mary's county, in Maryland, near the shores of St. Mary's river, where Lord Baltimore and his colony landed. When a young man, he enlisted• in the Western Army, commanded by General Wayne and General Sinclair, under whom he was engaged in several battles they fought with the Indians. Whilst the army was stationed at Fort Washington. where Cincinnati now stands, young Wiseman, with a small force of soldiers, was sent to occupy a block-house, built on the banks of the great Miami, to watch the movements of the Indians, and if necessary, to call for reinforcements on the fort. Unexpectedly they were surrounded by a large body of Indians, who took two of them prisoners ; one escaped. the other was burned alive in sight of his companions in the block-house. They could give the poor soldier no assistance ; his lamentable cries they could hear, calling out to them for protection. The commander of the fort, appealing to their patriotism, wished one at least to volunteer his services to go to Cincinnati for assistance, offering a reward to any one who would undertake the mission to Fort Washington, although this could not be affected without danger of death, as the Miami must be crossed in a boat, exposed to the fire of the Indians. Young Wiseman was the only one who offered his services. He added, ‘I ask no pay.' They got the boat ready, which was moored under the bank on which the block-house stood. The commander accepted his offer, and the boat was soon prepared for him. The Indians always on the alert, when the boat was launched in the river, with Wiseman in it, poured .a volley of shot upon it. He, intent only on escaping them, gained by quick paddling, the opposite bank. He often afterward observed, that Divine Providence alone protected him from their bullets. The bank gained, like, a deer speeding his course over hill and dale, the valiant soldier soon reached the fort, distant some twenty miles from the block-house. When in sight of the fort, in a shallow place of the river, he crossed over on thin ice, which frequently broke before he gained the opposite side. The message he 294 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY: brought was soon answered by a quick march of some hundred soldiers, sent to their relief, and the cruel Indians dispersed. " This brave deed of William Wiseman is recorded in Judge Burnet's History of Ohio. Mr. Wiseman was with General Harrison at St. Clair's defeat, and was one of his special friends, and a strong supporter in Perry and Fairfield counties, when Tip and Tyler too ' were candidates for the Presidency and Vice Presidency of the United States. When General Harrison, during that campaign, visited Perry county, to make his political principles known, and to defend his abused reputation, Mr. Wiseman, as a special friend, escorted him, and was at his side when Harrison spoke, and when he was received at Mr. Peter Dittoe's residence, since called Mount Harrison, over which waved the flag of the United States. No man could more rejoice than Mr. Wiseman, on the success of that campaign. " The other pioneers of the Catholic Church of Perry county were, Joseph Hodge (a convert to the Catholic Church), Henry and John Flowers, Joseph DeLong and brothers, John Noon and brothers, John Hynes, John McLaughlin, P. Griffin, Henry Sterner, Hugh, Dennis, and Richard McGonagle, James Cane, Henry and Peter Dittoe, Patrick McChristle, Henry McNally, Owen Martin, Matthew Casserly, Patrick Largy, Alexander Clark, Neal and John Crossin, Patrick O'Hara, Patrick McMullin, John Clark, John Byrne, Henry Bonastell (a soldier), Larry Curran, Patrick Cambron, Joshua Green, Judge P. McDonald, Philip McDonald, Esq., James McDonald, John Thornton, Philip, James, and Hugh Minor, David Mussulman, Jacob, John, Anthony, and Adam Fink, Felix Cull, Esq., Nicholas Tyder, Adam Gordon, Daniel McCann, James Elder, Owen Donely, Gregory Metzer, Levi Burgoon, John Litzinger. These were among the pioneers of St. Joseph. They are now no more. Their good works have gone before them, and secured them an eternal reward." The names of several other Catholic pioneer families were subsequently sent to the compiler by letter, but the hand of the aged Priest had become so tremulous that they could not be made out. The circumstance shows, however, that, in his last days, he was thinking of the men and women to whom lie ministered in the golden pioneer days. Rev. Father Young, the author of the foregoing interesting sketch, was, from 1818 until a period not a great while previous to his death, actively engaged in ministerial work in one or more of the Catholic. churches in Perry county. He was a zealous, active young Catholic Priest, with headquarters at St. Joseph's, when his parish extended from Wheeling, West Virginia, to Vincennes, Indiana. lie would frequently ride on horseback from St. Joseph's to Columbus, in the night season, to administer to the sick and dying. Father Young was of sturdy, well knit frame, of cordial, genial manners, and of more than ordinary intellectual ability. He was exceedingly zealous and industrious, and was apparently best satisfied and enjoyed himself best when hardest at work. He knew most of the early pioneers of Perry, and they knew him, Father Young was born and brought up near Washington, District of Columbia, and had recently come to this section of Ohio from an older settled community. He felt a little strange, at first, at seeing so many men clad in hunting shirts and carrying rifles, but he soon HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 295 learned that they intended him no harm, and he could be hospitably entertained by any of them, whether of his religious belief or otherwise. He lived to be about eighty-five years of age, and though he died somewhere in the East, when on an accustomed visit or tour, his mortal remains were, according to his oft repeated request, sent back to Perry county, Ohio, and interred in St. Joseph's churchyard, where he had worked to establish a church of his faith so long ago. Holy Trinity (Catholic) Church has one of the largest and finest houses of worship in the State. It is most handsomely situated on ris- ing ground, on Columbus street, near the south end of Somerset. The present building has been in use nearly twenty years. The congregation was organized about 1820, and, throughout its entire history, has been a very strong and influential one. It is not as old as St. Joseph's Church. though it is justly entitled to be called a pioneer one, and is one among the first of the Catholic Churches organized in the State of Ohio. Few have been more prosperous in every point of view. Upon one occasion, when Bishop Fenwick was passing through on horseback, along " Zane's Trace," on his way from Baltimore, Maryland, to Bardstown, Kentucky, he reached the tavern of John Fink at nightfall, and remained over night as a strange traveling guest. The next morning, after paying his bill and getting on his horse, he inquired of Mr. Fink if he knew of any Catholic families in the direction he was traveling, Mr. Fink told him of some that he knew, and furthermore informed him that he, himself, was a Catholic. Bishop Fenwick at once alighted, hitched his horse to the fence, went into the house and celebrated mass. This was the first mass said in the State of Ohio, unless some of the explorers or missionaries among the Indians had celebrated it somewhere along the northern frontier. This was, in fact, the small beginning of the Catholic Church in what is now Perry county, where it has become so numerous in membership and so important a factor in ecclesiastical affairs. Further interesting facts relative to Holy Trinity Church are given in the sketch by Rev. N. D. Young, concerning the early history of the Catholic Church in Perry county. Rev..Noon, a very efficient and popular Priest, has been for several years past, and is at present, the pastor of the church. The Lutheran Church in Somerset is one of the oldest in the county. Among the early emigrants to Somerset and neighborhood were many Pennsylvania Germans, most of whom were Lutherans, and, at a very early day—about 1812 or 1813—there was Lutheran preaching at Somerset in private houses, and at the old log schoolhouse situated on South Columbus street. About 1817 or 1818 the old log house of worship was erected on North street. The congregation had been organized a few years previously. The original church building was constructed of very large hewed logs (afterwards weatherboarded), and had a gallery, which was chiefly intended for the choir, but, on extraordinary occasions, was open for any of the congregation. The church had a good organ, made by Henry Humberger, of this county, and the congregation, for a long time, was somewhat noted for its good music. The old log edifice was used till 1844, when a lot was bought on Main street, near the west Public Square, and a large, handsome, costly brick edifice erected, which has been owned and occupied by the denomination until 296 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. the present time. The old church stood until about 1852, when it was taken down and the materials put to other use. Revs. Andrew Henkel, Charles Henkel, Greenwalt, Ruch, Bartholomew, Wagenhals, Spielman, W. F. Lehman, A. J. Weddell, John Rugan, Cornelius Remensnyder, Corbit, Herring, Hunton, Martens, Isensee, D. M. Weisman and 0thers, have ministered to this congregation. Rev. M. Walter is the present pastor. It is not a little remarkable that the congregation was more powerful, influential and harmonious while worshiping in the old log church than after its removal to the new, costly and imposing edifice on Main street. Soon after the congregation was organized, and a church built, a Sabbath-school was organized, which has been sustained, with a few unimportant exceptions, during the whole year, until the present time. The church at no time was altogether composed of Pennsylvania Germans, but also contained many English speaking people, and for many years, and until about 1844, there was alternate German and English preaching ; but, subsequent to this date, the services were exclusively in the English language. The abandonment of German preaching was very much disliked by some of the older members, but the second generation of all nationalities had learned English speaking, and services in .German could no longer be maintained nor secure the general approval of the congregation. Of the officiating ministers of the church Charles Henkel died in Somerset, and his mortal remains repose in the old Lutheran graveyard. Rev. Henkel was pastor of the church for many years, and was universally respected by the people of the whole community. At one time, and for quite a number of years, he solemnized more marriages than any other minister in the county. As previously intimated, this church is not so strong as in former years, though regular preaching and Sabbath-school are maintained. A Reform congregation was organized and a neat church edifice erected at Somerset a few years since. Stated preaching and Sabbath-school were sustained until recently, but at present there is no regular pastor, and services are only occasionally held. Otterbein (United Brethren) Church was organized and a primitive house of worship built about 1818 to 1820. A better building of brick was erected a few years later, which was occupied until 1882, when a still better and more modern brick edifice was built and dedicated. Otterbein is the oldest United Brethren Church in the county. Some of its original members were among the earliest pioneers of Reading township and the county. It is situated about four miles west of Somerset, near the Zanesville and Maysville turnpike. Otterbein has from its organization until the present been a strong and active congregation, maintaining regular preaching and for many years a Sabbath-school. Rev. Lambent is the present pastor. Pisgah (United Brethren) Church, situated in the southwestern part of Reading township, not far from the Fairfield county liner was organized and a house of worship built about 1850 or 1852, which was used until about 1867 or 1868, when a second and better building was erected, and is yet occupied by the Congregation. Pisgah is not so old a church and the congregation not as numerous as at Otterbein, but it maintains HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 297 regular preaching the year round and Sabbath-school during the summer months. Rev. Lambent is the present pastor. A Presbyterian Church was organized at Somerset in 1837-38, under the ministry of Rev. Edmund Garland, who was at the time also pastor of Unity Church. The congregation bought the old Methodist brick edifice situated on what is known as " Happy alley," where they continued to worship for several years, until the congregation disbanded and what was left of them united with Unity Church, carrying the title of the church property with them into Unity Church. The old brick edifice and lot upon which it stood were subsequently sold and the proceeds thereof applied to repairing the Unity Church. The Somerset society had an existence of less than ten years. The Lutheran Church, of New Reading, was the first church Organized in what is now Perry county, though in respect to date it only preceded Zion (Bible's), of Thorn township, a few months, both being organized in the same year, 1805. The church was organized under the ministry of Rev. William Foster. the venerable father of Lutheranism in Perry county, who departed this life in 1815. There is a little uncertainty as to the date of the erection of the first edifice, but it was about 1812-13. It was a two-story log building, and was occupied a good many years. The present edifice is a brick structure, and of more modern belongings. The Overmyers, Whitmers, Anspachs, Poormans, Shriders .and Bowmans, wefe among the first members. Regular preaching and Sabbath school are sustained. The church site is a very pleasant one. The Methodist Episcopal Church at New Reading, was organized in 1825-26, and a house of worship erected about 1828. Rev. Joseph Carper, long a prominent minister of the Ohio Conference, owned a farm and lived near New Reading, and had his membership here. Randolph Mitchell, a noted old-time merchant of New Reading, was, in his lifetime, a prominent member of the church. Also, the late Peter Whitmer, of the vicinity of New Reading. The Reading church belongs to the Rushville circuit. and receives its ministers by the appointment of the Ohio Conference. Regular church services, including Sabbath school, have been sustained. The edifice is brick. A school house, situated in the Baker neighborhood, which is no longer used for school purposes, is open to all denominations for religious service, and is occasionally so used. The Marsh Methodist Episcopal Church, in which a considerable number of Perry county people hold their membership, is situated a little over the line in Fairfield county. SCHOOLS.—The earliest school in Reading township, of which any information could be obtained, was held in 1806-7, in a log cabin situated about two miles east of where Somerset was afterward established. Persons are yet living, of good mind and memory, who were pupils in this school, and can remember the date and place. As indicated, Somerset. at this time, had no existence. This was an English school: A German school was taught at " Overmyerstettle," (New Reading), about 1808. The venerable Peter Overmyer was a member of this school, and has a full and clear recollection concerning it. It was 298 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. a three months' subscription school. Mr. Overmyer states that it was composed of twenty pupils, all of whom were in the alphabet when the school began, and all were reading before the term of three months closed, a fact not unworthy the attention and consideration of modern Teachers' Institutes. Similar schools—English and German—were doubtless organized a few years later, in other parts of Reading township, including the village of Somerset. The first school in Somerset was probably taught about 181o. The old log school house in which it was held, stood on South Columbus street, not very far from the corner of the public square. After being used several years for a school-house, it was converted into a chair shop. Religious services, by various denominations, were also held in the old log school-house. After the old log building, referred to, was discarded, school was taught awhile in a house on " Happy Alley," in the " Old Academy" on North Columbus street ; in a room in the second story of the old jail, and in various other places. The east and west school houses, each of them containing two rooms, were erected about 1835. These buildings accommodated four schools tolerably well, but it was not very long until another room or two was required ; and these additional rooms were leased wherever they could best be obtained. This was the condition of the public schools of Somerset, until the erection, a few years since, of the large, elegant and commodious Union School House, on the site of the old John Fink tavern, near the east end of town. This building comfortably accommodates all the pupils of school age, and is a credit to the town and county. The site is a handsome one, and the landscape. as viewed from the second story windows of the edifice, is both agreeable and edifying. It should have been stated, that several of the public schools were taught in the old frame, a few years before the present brick edifice was erected. At a still earlier date, the Somerset Collegiate Institute owned the property, and Prof. Charles Nourse taught a select school there. The township, outside of Somerset, is well organized into convenient school districts, with good frame or brick edifices, and the schools are in session from six to eight months in the year. There were, in former years, frequent changes of teachers in the schools of Somerset. Very few remained long enough to be considered anything like fixtures. Isaac Thorn—best known by the title of " Col. Thorn "—probably taught for a greater length of time, than any other teacher. He was, for many years, regarded as a successful instructor, but eventually lost his efficiency, and reluctantly and sadly retired from the profession that he had once adorned. Even after the days of his usefulness as a teacher had departed, Colonel Thorn lingered about his old haunts, dressed faultlessly, " boarded out at the l0t," as he was wont to remark, and aired his peculiar grammar and history wherever he could assemble an attentive, respectable and dignified circle of admirers. All who ever knew him, will think kindly and charitably of Colonel Thorn, the famous old-time teacher of Somerset. There were numerous select schools, at one time and another, taught in Somerset, some of which were very good, and attained quite a reputation in their day. The most notable of these were taught by Rev. A. HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 299 J. Weddell, and at a later date, those taught by Prof. Charles Nourse, under the auspices of the Somerset Collegiate Institute. Rev. Weddell was a minister of the Lutheran denomination, a fine scholar, a finished gentleman, and well versed in English literature. All who were ever his pupils continue to venerate the man. Prof. Nourse's schools were scarcely less distinguished than those of Mr. Weddell, but he taught at a somewhat later date, and his efficient labors at Somerset' are yet comparatively fresh in the recollections of many pupils and patrons. Prof. Nourse subsequently became Principal of the Public Schools at New Lexington. Prof. Ferree, at a still later date, taught a series of select schools in Somerset, which were well patronized and gave general satisfaction to the patrons and community. St. Mary's Academy, a Catholic school, conducted by a Sisterhood of the Dominican Order, was early estaslished, and, for a long time, continued at Somerset, with pupils and patrons from nearly all parts of the United States, and especially from the Southern States. The Academy building was unfortunately destroyed by fire, in 1866, whereupon the sisters decided to remove to Columbus, Ohio, where they established an institution, known as St. Mary's of the Springs. The Sisters, or a number of them, returned to Somerset, a few years since, with the intention of re-establishing a Convent, and an Academy in connection therewith, to be called the Convent of the Sacred Heart. They leased the Dixon Brown building, on Main street, for temporary Convent and school purposes, but immediately went to work to erect a new, large and commodious building of their own, upon the site of the old Academy, which was destroyed by fire in 1866. When they had the new building well under way, and almost ready to be roofed, they were, for some reason, transferred to Galveston, Texas. The erection of the Academy building proceeded, however, under the management and direction of Rev. Father Noon, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, at Somerset, and it is to be finished and ready for occupancy during the summer of 1883, when a competent corps of Sisters and teachers are to be provided, and a good school again opened. St. Mary's Academy is sketched in another place by the pen of the late Rev. N. D. Young, and it is not necessary to say anything further concerning it herein, except that it was a school of wide celebrity, and that the wives of some of the most distinguished men of the country have received their education within its walls. A College building was erected near St. Joseph's Church, in 1882, under the direction and supervision of the Priesthood of St. Joseph's, where a sch0ol was opened, and continued for several years, under the name of St. Joseph College. It was very well patronized, not only by numerous Catholic families of the county, but also had students from all parts of the country, and especially from the Southern States. When the war began, in 1861, and the seceded States were cut off from the North, with the accompanying depression in all business and educational enterprises, the College was compelled to suspend operati0ns and close its doors. After the burning of St. Mary's Academy building in Somerset, the St. Joseph College building was tendered the Academy