638 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

CHAPTER XXIV.

REED TOWNSHIP.

THIS division of the county was surveyed into one-fourth sections by Price J. Kellogg in 1820, and recorded by him as Town 2 north, Range 17 east, and 35x17 chains of the gore separating the township from the Western Reserve. This gore resulted from the fact that when Surveyor Sylvanus Bourne began his survey of ceded lands in Ohio west of the Western Reserve, he adopted the system of six square miles for his townships and ranges; so that when he staked the east line of Range 17 on the line of latitude north 41°, he found himself exactly fifty-two chains and seven links distant from the west line of the reserve. This he called " the Gore," being the given distance on latitude north 41 and zero, eighteen miles north of that, where the extreme

northeastern corner line of Thompson Township strikes the west line of the Western Reserve or the " Connecticut Reserve," or the "Fire Lands," as the tract was variously termed.

The township was known generally under its survey number; but old settlers in Seneca and Huron knew it as "Seneca Town," as there the chief, Seneca John, had a cabin and resided at intervals. The historian who wrote for Stewart's publication in 1874, says:

"During the early period of the settlement of the township the Indians were very numerous, and, as a general thing, lived amicably with the few whites who were there at an early day. Somewhere about the year when the first settlement was made an accident of a fatal character happened to an Indian maiden, a daughter of tire renowned chief and warrior Seneca John. The Indians made frequent visits to the neighborhood of the present village of Reedtown each winter, for the purposes of hunting and trapping. On one of these occasions a party was encamped here, and was preparing an evening meal. A large kettle full of boiling water was hanging, suspended by a pole, over the fire, and the unfortunate girl was lying in front of it, when the pole burned through, letting the kettle fall, spilling its heated contents upon the body of the girl. Some of those present immediately enveloped her in a blanket and conducted her to a house near by, where she was attended by Dr. Williams, who did everything in his power to alleviate her terrible sufferings. On removing the blanket, the flesh literally clung to it, leaving her almost a living skeleton. Soon, however, death put an end to her sufferings. After her death William Williams made a hand sled, and a number of the Indian boys, followed by a mournful cortege, conveyed the remains to the burying ground of the Wyandot nation, located a little above Tiffin. Seneca John, who was a Wyandot, was subsequently assassinated, on an accusation of witchcraft." (Vide Indian History.)

When Read and Raymond made the first settlements in 1823, the name "Read Town" came into use; and on the organization of the township in 1826, the name was confirmed in an Americanized form-"Reed Township." Four years after organization and seven years after the first pioneers arrived, the population was 264; in 1840 it was 1,214; in 1850, 1,494; in 1860, 1,631, decreased in 1870 to 1,334, increased in 1880 to 1,527, at which figures the

REED TOWNSHIP. - 639

population may be said to rest. The exodus to Kansas and the movement toward the cities tend to keep the number of inhabitants at about 1,500. The surface of the township presents a large area of rolling land, with occasional broken patches. The slope is from the south trending east and west.

Rock Creek, which flows into the Sandusky River at Tiffin, has its head waters in Sections 16, 29, 30 and 33 in the township, the fork on 33 rising south of the railroad, and receiving its main supply from two small lakes in Sections 33 and 28 on the Lapham farm. On the southwest quarter of Section 18, the stream enters Beeghley Lake and flows through that pond to the west line of the township. Some of the bed-streams of the Huron River find a supply in the marsh near Attica Station and on Sections 1, 15 and 26, flowing east and northeast from the base of the ridge or highland in the south and center of the township. Ponds are common throughout the western sections, and these ponds are sometimes connected by native streams.

The only line of railway passing through Reed Township is the Baltimore & Ohio, which enters at the southeast corner of Section 36, takes a west by north direction through the township, passing en route through Attica Station Village, and leaves at the southwest quarter of Section 30.

Organic and Official. A reference to the chapter on the organization of the counties and transactions of the commissioner's board will convey very fully the early attachments of this township, prior to its organization within the limits of the original survey and fractional part of the "Gore." On December 5, 1826 the township was set off, and its organization followed on January 1, 1827. All the first settlers, Seth Read, George Raymond, Samuel, John and Edward Cassety, Tunis Conkrite, Isaac and Tom Bennett, Samuel Scothorn, and, it is thought, John Wise, were the first township officers. Thomas Bennett and Samuel Scothorn, justices, and Nathan Chapman, clerk. The records .from 1827 to 1833 are not to be found. The town books, however, from 1834 to 1885 are in existence, and from them the following list of township officials is made up, the last named in each case being the clerk, the others the trustees:

1834.-John Brown, Matthew Clark, Jonathan F. Rogers; John B. Case.

1835.-Jacob Cole, John B. Case, Samuel Scothorn; John B. Case.

1836.-James Harrison, J. F. Rogers, Benjamin Ennis; Jacob Cole.

1837.-Solomon Gambee, Joshua Lake, B. C. Kelly; Jacob Cole.

1838.-John B. Schuyler, John B. Case, Cyrus Cole; John E. Blodgett.

1839.-David Wood, Benjamin Sanford, Samuel Scothorn; John E. Blodgett.

1840.-Solomon Gambee, Joshua Lake, J. F. Rogers; Eber Higley.

1841.-Solomon Gambee, Joshua Lake, Andrew Boyd; Eber Higley.

1842.-Solomon Gambee, W. H. H. Heddin, Amos Gannon; Peter Fisher.

1843.-Solomon Gambee, W. H. H. Heddin, Samuel Scothorn; Eber Higley.

1844. -John D. Probosco, John Stannard, Eber Higley; W. H. Conkrite.

1845.-John Sowards, Timothy Green, John Stannard; W. H. Coukrite.

1846.-W. H. H. Heddin, T. Owen, T. White; W. H. Conkrite.

1847.-Daniel Gannon, Matthew Clark, Timothy Green; W. H. Bishop.

1848.-David Wood, Samuel W. Read, Matthew Clark; William Wheaton.

1849.-Joshua Lake, S. W. Read, Elijah Boorum; William Wheaton.

1850.-Michael Beard, W. H. Conkrite, Adam Wise; William Wheaton.

1851.-Irvin Rockafellow, A. Ashby, Andrew Sanford; William Wheaton.

1852.-Haron B. Rakestraw, Seth Read, Joshua Lake; George D. Shetterly.

* Leonard Boice and Elijah Read were elected justices in 1830, Cyrus Cole and Elijah Read in 1833. John W. Buchanan was elected clerk in 1830, and L. M. Knapp, in 1833.

t . P. Child, F. P. Hall and John Terry were elected school inspectors in 1837.

640 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

1853.-(no record of election to be found); W. H. Conkrite.

1854.-James Sourwine, Thomas Williams; W. H. Conkrite.

1855.-L. Kelly, Timothy Weed; Daniel Bunce.

1856.-A. M. Creque, James Sourwine, Thomas Williams; H. B. Dean.

1857.--A. M. Creque, Jonathan Owen, John Wilkinson; H. B. Dean.

1858.-J. W. Hulet, James Sanford, John Wilkinson; John W. Leonard.

1859.-John Free, Thomas Soward, William Silcox; John IV Leonard.

1860.-Daniel Neikirk, J. Zephernick, William Silcox; Milton Dwyer.

1861.--(no record of elections to be found); J. W. Leonard.

1862. -(no record of elections to be found); H. B. Dean.

1863.--(no record of elections to be found); W . Hatton.

1864.-A. C. Baker, Thomas Williams, Joseph Cole; Wesley Hattori.

1865.-A. C. Baker, D. J. Neikirk, Joseph Cole; Wesley Hatton.

1866.-J, W. Hall, D. J. Neikirk, Joseph Cole; Wesley Hattori.

1867.-J. W. Hall, Henry Hathaway, Andrew Boyd; Wesley Hattori.

1868.-Jacob Raymond, Henry Hathaway, John Free; J. F. Montgomery.

1869.-H. C. Lynch, Henry Hathaway, Jacob Raymond; Wesley Hattori.

1870.--John Free, James Sourwine, Sylvester Coovert; Wesley Hattori.

1871-.-W. H. Free, Jacob Raymond, A. J. Mittower; Wesley Hatton.

1872. -W. H. Free, Jacob Raymond, A. J. Mittower; J. H. Hodge.

1873.-N. Lapham, D. Hubbell, M. Beard; Wesley Hatton.

1874.--Solomon Gambee, George Bishop, M. Beard; J. H. Hodge.

1875.-James Decker, George Bishop, M. Beard; J. H. Hodge.

1876.-Isaac Raymond, H. F. Hoddin, Nathan Waive; Sanford Niles.

1877.-Isaac Raymond, Levi Keller, H. F. Heddin; Sanford Niles.

1878.-Isaac Raymond, Levi Keller, H. F. Heddin; Sanford Niles.

1879.-James Ford, Levi Keller, Joseph Cole; Sanford Niles.

1880.-John Bogner, H. F. Heddin, Joseph Cole; W. S. Wise.

1881.-H. A. Sallieres, Daniel Beard, William Boyd; W. S. Wise.

1882.-James Ford, Daniel Beard, H. F. Heddin; W. S. Wise.

1883.-H. A. Sallieres, Henry Cook, Levi Keller; J. R. Jewett.

1884.-Jacob Hoke, Henry Cook, Conrad Honsinger; J. R. Jewett.

The elections of 1885 resulted in the choice of the following named officers: Trustees, Byron Shotterly, Republican; Jacob Hoke and Henry Cook, Democrats; treasurer, John Everingim, Democrat; clerk, John R. Jewett, Democrat; assessor, James Decker, Democrat; constables, Chauncy Decker and Isaac Houck, Democrats; S. J. Hall, Republican; justice, W. H. Taber, Republican. The Prohibitionists polled eighteen votes.

The names of justices of the peace who have served this township, so far as the records permit the use of such names, are given as follows: Thomas Bennett and Samuel Scothorn, 1827; Leonard Boice and Elijah Read, 1830; Cyrus Cole and Elijah Read, 1833; John Terry, 1835; Hallet B. Dean and Reuben I. Cary, 1836; John Terry, 1838; Ananias Ashley and R. I. Cary, 1839; John Terry, 1841; I. H. Bennett and R. I. Cary, 1842; Harrison Morrills, 1844; John Probosco and Eber Higley, 1845; Andrew Boyd, 1847; R. I. Cary and John Probosco, 1848; Andrew Boyd, 1850; Isaac Dwyer and R. I. Cary, 1851; Robert Hatton, 1857; Joshua Lake, 1860; Thomas Weed, 1864; R. I. Cary, 1865; Hiram Boyd, 1866; Timothy Weed, 1867; William Silcox, 1868; H. Boyd and R. I. Cary, 1869; A. T. Yundt,. 1870; Jacob Windnagle, 1873; J. H. Hall, 1876; A. J. Sallieres, Jacob Windnagle and F. M. Kelly. 1877-78; M. H. Hensinger, 1879; John Rospert and Jacob Hoke, 1881; A. T. Yundt and J. R. Jewett, 1882; Jacob Hoke, 1883, and H. A. Sallieres, 1884.

REED TOWNSHIP. - 641

Pioneers and Pioneer Events.-The names given on the list of township officials from 1827 to 1845 may be classed among the pioneers of the township. there were many others who settled here prior to 1845, who never sought office, but like one of Goldsmith's citizens of Auburn pursued the even tenor of their ways, and leaned more to humble industry than to fame. All the first actual settlers of Reed Township have passed to their reward; but of the number who came here immediately after the township's organization, a few are still residents. In the following pages mention is made of the pioneers of the township, the dates of their arrival are given, and; in some instances, historical incidents connected with them are noted.

Seth Read and George Raymond settled on Section 24, Reed Township, in 1823,* being the first white settlers. Mrs. Solomon (Read) Gambee was the first white girl in the township, coming with her father, Seth Read, in 1823.

John Ackley, who bought Knapp's store at Reedtown, was killed by a falling beam, while assisting in raising a barn for Harrison Cole in 1835 . . . . George Armstrong, a native of Ohio, settled in the county in 1834 . . . . William Auble and wife Mary E. (Fisher) Auble, came from New York State to this township early in the "thirties."

Azariah Baker, a son of William Baker, who patented 1,000 acres of land in this township, in 1830 or 1831, settled here in the fall of 1840 and died in 1872 . . . . Michael Beard, born in Maryland in 1816, came to this township about 1833, and died here in 1882; his widowed mother and John Terry were the founders of the village of Lodi in 1838; Michael Beard built what is known as the "Lodi Hotel" at an early day . . . . Isaac and Thomas Bennett settled here in 1825; they owned the land around the Baptist Cemetery. Thomas was buried there a few years later . . . . Moses Bishop came from New Jersey in 1836 . . . . James Bolin, born in this township in 1835, is a son of one of the early residents; to him is credited the first practical effort in bee culture in the county; a notice of him, published in 1874, refers to his apiary as follows: "In 1867, Mr. Bolin turned his attention to experimental apiarian pursuits, which, from an experiment, has since developed into a large and thriving business. Starting with one swarm, by industrious attention and a scientific knowledge of the process of raising bees, his one colony has been increased to 125 distinct and separate swarms. He has been particularly anxious to procure the best breed of bees and has consequently imported several of the genuine Italian queens. Besides producing an average of two tons of honey per annum, he mails to any address one or more of his first-class Italian breeders. Mr. Bolin has quite an ingenious house erected for the purpose of wintering his bees. It consists of a square structure, the walls of which are built in such a manner as to admit of a foot or more of sawdust both between the sides and under the floor. This snakes it perfectly impregnable to the winter cold." . . . .Henry Boyd, a Pennsylvanian, settled here in 1833 . . . . Valentine Brigle, who died in 1875 , settled here prior to 1834; his widow, Mary (Fike) Brigle, resides with her daughter in Bloom Township.

Squire Reuben I. Cary, born in New York State in 1805, came to a new farm in the southwest part of Reed Township in 1833, where he lived nineteen years, then moved to his present farm . . . . Samuel and John Cassety, old settlers of Reed Township, coming with their parents in 1825, were robbed of $12,000, about 1868. John Cassety is deceased . . . . Edward and Susanna (McFarland) Cassety, who were married in 1801, and were parents of Samuel and Hannah Cassety (their only surviving children, born in 1805 and 1819, respectively), came to this township in the spring of 1825, being the third family to

* Foruier works give the date as 1825.

642 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

settle in Reed Township . . . . Ephraim and Christina Close, parents of Mrs. Conrad Hensinger, who was born. in 1839, in Pennsylvania, were early settlers in the county . . . . Harrison Cole came from New York State in 1833; in raising his barn John Ackley was killed by falling timber .. . .Benjamin and Joseph Cole, natives of Ohio, were here in 1832 ....Alvin Cooley, father of Mrs. Alonzo Thatcher, was among the early settlers . . . . John Cook kept a toll-gate on the Sandusky & Columbus Pike road, about where Reedtown now stands . . . . .Tunis Conkrite was the first of the pioneers buried in the township; he died a short time after settlement, and was interred on his own land, about onefourth of a mile east of Omar burial ground . . . . William Croxton, an Ohioan, settled hero in 1830.

Jacob Decker came from New York in 1847.

John Emery, an early settler, was a man of all work. In 1835 his leg was broken by the same bent which killed John Ackley in its fall.

Jacob Fisher came from Germany in 1833 . . . . . R. P. Frazer, a native of New York, came in 1840. He was the first physician in Lodi . . . . . W. H. Free, an Ohioan, came in 1835.

Solomon Gambee, born in 1802 in Pennsylvania, came from New York State to Rood Township in 1833, bringing his family. His second wife (nee Mary A. Read) was the first white girl to move into this township, settling here in 1823 with Seth Read, her father ....Dr. I. T. Gilbert, an old resident of Reed Township, moved to Williams County, Ohio, where, during the smallpox epidemic, he was placed in charge of all the patients. He died some years ago at the advanced age of eighty-two years . . . . . Willard Green, an Ohioan, came in 1838.

S. J. Hall, a native of Ohio, settled here in 1851 . . . . Capt. Hanford, who died in 1855, was among the early settlers. He was a jovial citizen and very impulsive, and for over a quarter of a century figured among the pioneers of Reed Township. Apoplexy took him off suddenly . . . . Edward Hanford was the tavern-keeper at Catlinville, a merry, luxurious, lugubrious soul, who fell a victim to dropsy . . . . James Hanford passed a term of ton years within the " Tamaracks, " at Jackson, Mich., and was otherwise a " hard citizen." ... . Peter Hawblits, born in Germany in 1829, was an early settler here. In 1857 he married Mary Ann Briggle, who was born here in 1834; in 1876 he moved to Bloom Township . . . . . J. M. Harrison, a native of Ohio, was here in 1835 . . . . James Harrison died here some years ago .... John and Catharine (Garman) Hensinger, natives of Pennsylvania, parents of Conrad Hensinger (who was born in Adams Township in 1837), were early settlers.

Rev. John R. and Julia (Richards) Jewett, parents of John R. Jewett (who was born at Melmore, this county, in 1844), came from Connecticut to Ohio in 1835, and to this county in 1844.

Benjamin Kelly, born in New Jersey in 1793, settled in Reed Township in 1834, and died here in April, 1863. He was a soldier of the war of 1812. The family, in 1834, consisted of six boys and two girls and his wife (nee Mehetabel) Travis, a native of Tioga County, Penn. They settled on the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 1, on lands patented to one Davis, a non-resident . . . . . Jacob and Mary (Reiner) Kanney were early settlers in the county, and are still living in this township.

Noah Lapham and H. H. Lapham were settlers here in 1826, coming that year from New York State John Lepard was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1828, son of Isaac and Nancy (Huffman) Lepard, natives of Virginia, who came to this county in 1830, settling in this township.

Mary Michoner (,deceased wife of James Ford), came with her parents, John

REED TOWNSHIP. - 643

and Sarah (Weaver) Michener, natives of Pennsylvania, from Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in 1835 . . . . Andrew Mittower, father of Samuel Mittower, the latter born in 1813 in Pennsylvania, came from New York State to Reed Township in 1833, and entered land in Section 7. He died in 1843 . . . . John and Elizabeth (Spangler) Mittower, parents of A. J. Mittower (who was born near the east line of Scipio Township), came to this county in 1824. He died in 1874; his widow still resides here . . . . J. C. Moore, a native of Ohio, came in 1840 . . . . F. M. Murphy, an Ohioan, settled here in 1847 . . . .Orrin Mundy came in 1840, from New York State.

Samuel and Polly (Ford) Nye, the former a native of Vermont, parents of George W. Nye (who was born in New York State in 1827), came with their family to this county in 1833.

Lewis L. Patterson, an Ohioan, was here in 1836 . . . . Anton Philips came from Germany in 1867.

George and Hannah (Reed) Raymond, former born in 1780, the latter in 1785, parents of Jacob Raymond (who was one of the triplets-Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-born in 1826), came here in 1823. Their parents and the Seth Read family were the first two families to settle in Reed Township. George Raymond died in 1856; Abraham Raymond died in 1860; Isaac and Jacob reside here .... H. B. Rakestraw, a native of Ohio, settled here in 1842 . . . . Elijah Read, a native of Steuben County, N. Y., born in 1792, father of Henry Read, also a native of Steuben County, born in 1820, was one of the first settlers of Reed Township. He married, in 1816, Sally W . Brundige, who was born in 1800, in Steuben County, N. Y. . . . . Noah P. Resseque, who settled in Reed Township in 1843, died in 1855, and was buried in the old cemetery at Omar. He was the son of a French officer who served in the Revolution, and was himself a gallant soldier of the war of 1812 . . . . . William and Luceba (Blodgett) Rice, parents of John Rice, of Bloom Township (who was born in New York State in 1823), settled here in 1829. William Rice died here in 1835; his widow died in 1863 . . . . . John Rospert came from Prussia in 1851.

Andrew Sanford came to this county in 1830, and entered his present home in this township, receiving his patent from Gov. McArthur; John Sanford, his elder brother, settled in this county in 1827 . . . . Samuel Scothorn is said to have settled in Reed Township, between 1821 and 1825, but this is a mistake, as Raymond and Read, the two first settlers, came in 1823, and the Cassety family was the third family to settle here, early in 1825, the same year Scothorn came . . . . John Schuyler, father of Prof. Schuyler, came to Reed Township at an early date . . . . Andrew Shetterly, father of M. D. Shetterly (who was born in 1830 in New York State), came to this county about 1847 and purchased land in the center of Reed Township; then in 1850 he settled with his family near Lodi, where he died in 1875, his widow in 1878 .. . . William Silcox, a native of New York settled here in 1835 . . . .Huckens and Nancy (Bigham) Spencer (former born in Vermont in 1808, died in 1853; latter born in Ireland, in 1809, died in 1854), parents of Samuel Spencer (who was born in Venice Township, in 1842), were early settlers in this county.

Alonzo Thatcher, born near Toledo, in 1846, came to Seneca County in early life . . . . Christina (Scothorn) Tompkins, mother of Ira H. Tompkins, of Tiffin, and daughter of Samuel Scothorn, of pioneer Virginia stock, came to Reed Township from Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1823; she and her sister Ann were the first white children in this township.

Willard Whitney, one of the early store-keepers here, moved to Michigan within the pioneer period and died thereat the age of eighty-five years; during

644 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

the last ten years of his life he was completely blind .. . .John Wilkinson came from Massachusetts in 1830 . . . .B. D. Williams, M. D., whose father settled near the eastern line of Reed Township in 1821, came to Reedtown, in 1835, and opened his office there. During the cholera visitation in 1834, a son of one of the immigrants, en route westward, was stricken with the disease at Reedsburg and died the same night, notwithstanding the efforts of Dr. Williams to save his life; the Doctor died about three years ago . . . . Dr. Amos Witter came with his family to Reed Township at an early date; shortly afterward his wife died here, and he left the county for ever . . . . Jonathan W Witter settled in Reed Township in 1827 . . . . John Wise came to this county in 1827, originally from Germany, and built one mile and a half of the Sandusky and Columbus road, in Reed Township; he died in 1834; Jacob Wise, his son, now a-retired farmer in Venice Township, was born in 1819 in Pennsylvania .... Solomon Wise, father of Mrs. J. A. Raymond, was one of the early settlers of Reed Township.

S. T. Youngs, a native of New York State, came in 1836.

John Zephernick or Zeppernuck, an early settler, was here up to the period of the Rebellion, and in later years moved td Wood County.

The greater number of the pioneers who have been just noticed were successful in the mission of their lives and left to their followers a rich inheritance. To them a great deal of the present worth of the township is due, but all progress must not be credited to them. They lived, as it were, in a past age, years before the present era of progress set in, so that no matter how continuous, arduous and extensive their labors were, they could not bring the township to its present standard without the aid of modern men and modern ideas. The new settlers, the men and women who came here since 1854, have improved on pioneer ways, manners and, in some respects, customs.

VILLAGES.

Loth was surveyed by James Durbin for John Terry and Catherine Beard, January 4, 1838, on Sections 5 and 6, on the survey of the old railroad, and called "West Lodi. " The first postoffice was established about this time with Lyman White, postmaster, who served in this office for years. Hiram Hippler is the present incumbent. The location proved fortunate, as Lodi was not content to remain a town on paper, but rose to some importance. The business interests of the village are represented as follows: James Bolin, general store; A. C. Boyer, R. Frederick, saloons; John Hensinger, saw-mill; Timothy Hippler, blacksmith; Kern & Son, mill proprietors; Jacob Windnagle, miller; A. Marstellar, harness-maker; Frank Miller, blacksmith; Van Horn & Co., general store. There is a hotel also at this point. Dr. Robert P. Frazer was the first resident physician; Dr. A. D. Orwig is located here. A neat church building and schoolhouse find a place in this busy little hamlet. Lodi Lodge No. 493, I. O. O. F. -was organized August 22, 1871.

Reedtown, a few miles northeast of Omar, was platted as Catlinville by I. Catlin, but the plat was never recorded. The location is on the Sandusky and Columbus road, just south of the old Catholic mission. When the road was cut through this place a man named Cook was placed in charge of the tollgate and the locality was known as "Cook's Gate." Kelly, Lorin, Knapp and Ackley kept store, successively, in this vicinity, and during the mercantile careers of each, here, the place was given the name of the storekeeper. Edward Hanford's hotel was an institution here certainly as early as 1834. Dr. B. D. Williams opened an office here in 1835. William Knapp was the first postmaster, vice Thomas Bennett who refused the office. The present

REED TOWNSHIP. - 645

postmaster is John G. Weaver. Like Omar it is a country hamlet, surrounded by a rich agricultural district with a neighborhood inhabited by industrious, thrifty farmers.

Town of Omar was surveyed in August, 1854, by M. Schuyler, for A. S. and A. L. Bennett, on the Columbus and Sandusky road. Beyond the store and postoffice, conducted by J. R. Jewett, and the Methodist and Baptist Churches located here, there is nothing about the place to entitle it to the name of "Town of Omar." The surrounding country is rich in everything that contributes to agricultural wealth, and the location is healthy. A society known as " Reed's Rangers " was organized in this neighborhood in May, 1885, for the purpose of protection against horse thieves. James Ford was elected president; J. L. Lake, vice-president; J. H. Hodge, secretary, and Anson Covert, treasurer.

Detroit, known to the postoffice department as Siam and to railroad men as Attica Station, was surveyed by E. C. Cook in July, 1875, for the following resident owners: John Wise, William Boyd, Edwin Bernard (since deceased), W. B. Reynolds (also deceased), Jacob Ringle (in Attica), James Sourwine, O. Sourwine (in Kansas), L. Labounty, H. Cole, B. F. Sanford and S. A. Berdge. When the postoffice was established here the name was changed to " Siam," and when the railroad company built a depot here, at the solicitation of the people of Attica, they called it "Attica Station." In June, 1884, an addition to Siam was surveyed by Dennis Maley for Harry Gray.

The business at this village is represented as follows: Gambee & Brant (J. W. Gambee. A. B. Brant), general merchants; J. W . Gambee, hotel,managed by E. Bernard; Raymond & Williams lumber merchants and proprietors of saw-mill; T. J. James, agent for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; William Cassnell, saloon; William L. McMaster, saloon. Dr. Seymour, the physician at this point, is a new comer.

This new settlement gives promise of forming apart of the town of Attica in the near future. Already a number of pleasant homes and many beautiful residences extend along the main street of Attica, south from the station and north from the town, leaving about a mile of vacant space. F. M. Kelley was appointed postmaster here and held the office until September, 1885, when J. W. Gambee was appointed.

CHURCHES.

The First Methodist Episcopal Church was virtually established in 1829 by the subagent of the Senecas, who preached there that year. After his death, in 1830, other societies took possession of the field and gathered around them the few scattered inhabitants of the township at that time. The Methodist Church at Omar was built in 1859, but long prior to this Ezra Brown preached here, and was succeeded by the later day preachers of the circuit. He died at Cincinnati in 1867.

The Baptist Church of Omar dates back to pioneer days. (The cemetery close by is a cotemporary institution, and one of the most venerable places of interment in the county.)

United Brethren Church, located in Section 31, this township, was organized in 1856 with the following named members: Charles Ames, Alvira Ames, Almina Cooly, Elizabeth Free, John Free and Eliza Free. The church building was dedicated to public worship on Christmas day, 1860. The first pastor was Rev. Michael Bulger, and the present pastor is Rev. J. P. Lea. The names of the officers (1886) are John W. Walter, leader; D. B. Willhelm, Stewart; J. W. Walter, H. S. Free, W. J. Andrews, D. B. Willhelm and Levi

646 - HISTORY OF SENECA COUNTY.

Keller, trustees. The present membership numbers thirty-one, and the value of the property is estimated at $600.

Christ's Church in Christian Union.--This society was organized in March, 1884, when thirty-two members were enrolled and following elders elected: Freeman Tompkins, H. Hippler and J. W. Showers. At the birth of the year 1886 this organization had thirtyeight enrolled members, and the officers were Freeman Tompkins, Al. D. Shetterly, S. M. Beard and A. Boyer; first and present pastor, G. W. Hagans. The congregation meets for worship in the old church-house built about forty-six years ago on the union planfree to all denominations-but Christ's Church in Christian Union society contemplates erecting a new house of worship ere long..

The Catholic Church of Reed Township was founded here in 1867, years after a congregation existed here. In 1867 there were fifteen or eighteen families here who desired a house of worship, and in answer to their petition the present church building in the northeastern part of the township was erected. Among the original members the following names appear: Jacob Schmidt, Joseph Ball, Sr., Joseph Ball, Jr., Anton Sherly, Ferd. Dendinger, Joseph Bogner, Adam Landoll, John Schreiner, Xavier Fischer, Valentine Daniel, Anthony Halmer, Sebastian Hahl, Alvis Phillips, Jacob Kanney and Peter Brown. The church has been attended by the priests of the Society of the Most Precious Blood-Revs. Peter A. Capeter, Nicholas Callas, Sebastian Ganter, Mathias Kenk, Andrew Stiefvater, John B. Birnbaum, and the present pastor, Rev. Florian Hahn. The number of families belonging to this congregation is sixty, and the congregation itself comprises about 500 members. The schools are presided over by the Sisters of the Society of the Most Precious Blood, and are attended by over sixty pupils.

SCHOOLS.

Prior to 1837 the private school, a desultory institution, was known in this township. In April, 1837, the people elected the first set of school inspectors, whose names are given among the officers, and the same year the common school was established here.

The people of Reed Township met April 4, 1853, to vote on the question of selling school lands (southeast quarter of Section 16, Reed Township). One hundred and seventeen votes were recorded in favor of sale, and two against. This tract of 160 acres was sold in two lots to Eber Higley, June 25, 1853, for $1,992.75.

The condition of the schools at the close of August, 1884, is shown by the following statistics: Local tax, $1,815.18; total revenue, $5,274.12; expenditures, $3,083.65; number of schoolhouses, 10; value of property, $10,000; number of teachers, 19; average salaries, $41 and $26; number of male pupils, 230; number of female pupils, 203; average attendance, 248.

GENERAL STATISTICS.

The assessment of Reed Township in 1841, gives the following figures: 24,840 acres of land, valued at $58,954; town lots, valued at $1,187; 217 horses, valued at $8,680; 664 cattle, valued at $5,312; mercantile capital and moneys at interest, $300; total value, $74,433; total tax, $1,172.31; delinquencies from 1840, $149.46.

The valuation and taxation for 1884-85, was as follows: 24,239 acres, valued at $734, 940, and personal property valued at $219,350, aggregating $954,290, or $624.90 per capita. The total tax for 1885 is $11,230.88, with $145 dog tax.

REED TOWNSHIP. - 647

The predial statistics for 1884 give the following figures: 4, 408 acres of wheat; 29 of buckwheat, yielding 244 bushels; 1,948 acres of oats, product, 52,278 bushels; 1,780 acres of corn, product, 34,752 bushels; meadow, 2,662 acres, bay, 2,358 tons; clover, 1,238 acres, 1,165 tons of hay, 1,182 bushels of seed, and 46 acres plowed under; 4 acres of flag, 23 bushels of seed; 104 acres of potatoes, 9,856 bushels; 41,155 pounds of home-made butter; 80 pounds of cheese; 8 acres of sorghum, 480 gallons of syrup; 1,285 pounds of maple sugar; 484 gallons of maple syrup; 207 hives, 3,910 pounds of honey; 13,305 dozens of eggs; orchards, 385 acres, apples, 4,808 bushels, peaches, 35, pears, 41, plums, 2; acres of land owned and cultivated, 14,375; pasture, 3,623, woodland, 4,201, waste land, 28, total acres, 22,227; wool shorn in 1883, 37,223 pounds; milch cows, 554; dogs, 144; sheep killed and injured, 15; animals died of disease: hogs, 37; sheep, 73; cattle, 20; horses, 6.

CONCLUSION.

Comparing Reed Township of to-day with the wilderness it was fifty years ago, one cannot fail to notice what quiet and patient industry has accomplished. Then the village tavern with its puncheon floor, good-natured owner, merry circle, simple but wholesome meals, and, it is said, unadulterated drinks, welcomed the "tenderfoot" as well as the settler. This institution has disappeared forever, and in its place has sprung up the modern hostelry, wanting in all that made the old inn romantic.

The village store is in a modern building, and supplied with modern merchandise but it comes nearer to olden times than anything else to be found here. The church buildings are all modern, as are the congregations. It is true that a few of the pioneers still appear at worship, but the dress, the church, the preaching, and, in many instances, the doctrine are all remodeled. The hospitable log-cabin has given place to the frame or brick residence; the venerable old rail fence is fast disappearing, the grand old wilderness itself has dwindled down to a few thousand acres of scrubby woodland, and change marks everything. Above the ruins of all this, rise the evidences of civilization. Broad fields of grain, six or seven large churches, pretentious school buildings, good roads, numerous post-offices, the railroad and telegraph-all have overshadowed the long ago time, and the people, in an effort to keep pace with progress, have almost forgotten the past of their township.