200 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY possible in this country. He was for many years Worshipful Master of Hiram Lodge, in Tompkins county, New York, and after coming west helped to organize new lodges over northwestern Ohio. He believed Masonry to be the best organization ever instituted by man, and constantly practiced, through a long and useful life, the tenets of the order. Ever seeking to ameliorate the condition of humanity he dispensed charities with a loving heart and a bounteous hand. John H. Stubbs came to Williams county, in 1833, and was identified with its growth from that early period. His parents located in Springfield township on a farm, where he remained at work, and which he acquired by deed of gift from his father in 1845. In company with two brothers-in-law, he built the first saw-null in Springfield township, on Tiffin River, which he had charge of for several years. He was peculiarly fitted for pioneer life, and, being a sure marksman, the wild turkeys and deer with which the country abounded, suffered at his hands. He was of an eminently social nature, and, with his violin, was an indispensable figure at all the primitive gatherings of that day. He served to cheer and enliven the hearts of the widely-separated neighbors and inspire courage for renewed efforts. Mr. Stubbs was a charter member of Stryker Lodge, No. 611, I. O. O. F., and in politics was a Republican. He was born November 26, 1820, in Springfield, Tompkins county, New York. For more than forty years he was an extensive, close and careful reader and investigator, especially of metaphysical subjects. He did his own thinking and would not allow creed-makers to forge fetters for his mind. He believed that all material things were formed in obedience to certain immutable laws; that both law and matter are eternal and indestructible; that the word "create" is a misnomer and should be stricken from every language. He believed that there is a certain something called "energy," also eternal and indestructible, which overcomes resistance and does work; that this energy is always the same, no matter under what circumstances it may be manifested. He firmly believed that what men called "mind," "intelligence" or "soul," is only a manifestation of energy. He believed in the entity of the individual mind; that all mental improvement is but accumulated thought or energy, and that it must go on forever. To him, the only evidence of a future existence is in the manifestation of spirits, and while he repudiated creeds, one and all, as the inventions of men, he was yet no materialist. He would not bow the knee in superstitious reverence of the Past, simply because it is the Past, but worshiped toward the Dawn. He believed in a religion of love, rather than in a religion of duty; that the whole of religion, pure and undefiled, is to deal justly,. love mercy, and to endeavor to make fellow creatures happy. Mr.. Stubbs departed this life at his home near Stryker, September 10, 1882. Thomas J. Prettyman was a soldier in the war of 1812, and by trade was a carpenter. He was born in the state of Delaware, but early in life removed to Philadelphia, and thence came to Pickaway county,. Ohio, where he bought two farms, aggregating about 320 acres, and SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP- 201 engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 1833, he brought his family to Springfield township, where he had entered 200 acres of land two years before, and entered boo additional acres. Here he built a cabin on Bean Creek and began clearing up a farm, his nearest market being Defiance, which could be reached only by poling down the river. He was a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal church, and preached probably the first sermon ever heard within the present limits of Williams county, it being the discourse at the funeral of a Miss Knipe, whose death was the first on record in Springfield township. As stated above, Mr. Prettyman was the first treasurer of the township, and held that office at the time of his death, July 28, 1835. It is claimed that James Guthrie settled on Bean Creek, about 1827. If such is the fact he must have been the first settler in what is now Springfield township, and very probably in what is now Williams county. Peter Knipe settled on the southeast corner of section 33, in the spring of 1831. He was a native of Pennsylvania, and removed to Ross county, Ohio, at an early day. He left Ross county and settled on Bean Creek, near Brunersburg, in the year 1827, and from there he moved within the present limits of Springfield township. Josiah B. Packard settled in the north part of the township at an early day. Rev. Thomas J. Prettyman, as stated above, settled on the north part of section 2g, in the spring of 1833, was a Methodist local preacher, and a leading man in the community. Lewis W. Prettyman, a son, was four or five years of age when his father settled in the township and spent a long and useful life there. At the time of his death, which occurred but a few years ago, he had no doubt lived Ionger in Springfield township than any other person. Daniel Colgan settled on section 20, in the year 1833, and lived there until his death, which occurred in 1867. He came from Champaign county, Ohio, to Williams county, but he was a native of Kentucky. William B. Sprague and his father, Solomon Sprague, came to Williams county and settled in the south part of Springfield township, about 1832 or 1833. They were natives of Rhode Island and distant relatives of former Senator Sprague of that state. James Luther settled at an early day, perhaps in 1833, near the place where Stryker now stands. It is said that John Hollinshead first settled on a farm on the west bank of Bean Creek, and that Daniel Colgan bought the claim in 1833, after which Mr. Hollinshead moved farther north. Among the other early settlers were David Carpenter, Louis Clark, Harvey Clark and Chauncey Clark. Louis Clark was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, December 4, 1802, where he received the usual education of the time, and worked on the farm of his uncle until twenty-one years old. Shortly afterward he opened a meat market in Greenfield, Massachusetts, which he continued two years, and, in 1834, came to Springfield township, where he entered 160 acres of land and commenced the work of clearing. The inhabitants at this time were sparse and the difficulties manifold, the nearest market and mill being seventy miles distant, by water, and corn was the only grain procurable. On one occasion, during the 202 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY summer of 1834, Mr. Clark and other settlers went to Brunersburg to obtain provisions. None being procurable at that place, they held a council (not of war, but of ways and means) to devise some mode of driving the wolves of hunger from their forest doors. Mr. Clark and another young man were dispatched to Cleveland for a supply of flour. They purchased fifteen barrels, paying ten and twelve dollars per barrel, and this they shipped by steamboat to Toledo, thence, by ox team, to a point on the river, and thence by barge up the Maumee and Tiffin rivers to the settlement, a distance of 120 miles. In 1838 Mr. Clark built a cabin and continued to increase his farm until it comprised nearly 400 acres, which he later divided among his children. He was the second trustee of Springfield township and a member of the school board for many years. In 1834, Harvey Clark came to Springfield township and entered several hundred acres, some of which he began to clear. In 1836, he married Mary Stubbs and at once built a cabin, and resided in the township until 1866, when he sold his farm and moved to Missouri. In 1877, he returned and lived the remainder of his life with his children. Stryker is the only village of importance in Springfield township. It was laid out in the fall of 1853 by John A. Sargeant and E. L. Barber, and was named in honor of John Stryker, who was an officer of the Air Line railroad. As a country town it has assumed and maintained progressive business interests, and, being in the center of a rich agricultural district, is destined to hold its own, notwithstanding the aggressions of other towns near by. In the last decade the village has had a substantial growth, showing an increase of nearly two hundred in population. A Mr. Tingley opened the first hotel in the town, and Blinn & Letcher (Chester Blinn and William Letcher) were the first merchants. Chester Blinn was born in Cleveland, Ohio, June i5, 1815, and at the age of eighteen was employed in the fur trade at Orleans, Ohio, where he remained nearly seven years. He then engaged in the same business at Fort Wayne, until 1849, when he removed to West Unity and formed a partnership in the mercantile business with William Letcher, under the firm name of Blinn & Letcher. In 1853, this firm took a grading contract on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, and, in 1854, started a branch store at Stryker, which as before related, was the first one in the place. Both were operated until 1857, when the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Blinn retaining the stock at Stryker, which he sold in 1859. In 1861, he was employed in the quartermaster's department at Gallatin, Tennessee. under Capt. W. A. Hunter, and remained there two years. After his return the firm of Blinn & Douglas began operations in Stryker as grain and stock dealers, and for years did a very extensive business in that line. William Sheridan, Jr., was the first postmaster at Stryker. When the town was laid out there was an old log schoolhouse near by that was used for school purposes until the town, with the aid of the township, built a two-story frame house, in 1856-57. This building SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP - 203 has long since been superseded by new and better ones, in which the citizens take a lively interest and render willing support. Perhaps the first religious meetings in the township were held at the house of Daniel Colgan, on section 20. In October, 1833, Rev. James B. Austin was invited to preach in Mr. Colgan's cabin, and at this meeting a society of five members was formed. It is said that this was the first religious meeting within the present limits of Williams county, and the five members who formed the first organization were Thomas J. Prettyman, Lydia Prettyman, Mary Prettyman, Daniel Colgan and Christi Ann Colgan. Peter Knipe and wife and Wallery Coonrod were also early church members. All of the above named were Methodists. David Carpenter, who settled in the "thicket," was the first prominent United Brethren church member in the township. The churches of the township have made rapid progress from these small beginnings of sixty-five or seventy years ago, and there are at least three societies of the Methodist Episcopal church, with a large membership in the total. Perhaps the first religious society of United Brethren in the township was organized in the "thicket" about forty-five or fifty years ago. David Carpenter, a leading member, contributed a great deal of time and money, and through his efforts a building was soon after erected on his farm, on the southeast corner of section 15. About 1873, that house was removed to Stryker and rebuilt, and that act centered the organization of the church at the village. The Universalist church at Stryker was organized, April 13, 1877, by Rev. J. T. Rice, with seventeen members. The following were the first officers: W. E. Kintigh, moderator; Philip Werum, Chester Blinn and William C. Miller, trustees; C. C. Douglas, clerk; Mrs. A. Silvernail, treasurer; S. P. Cameron and Chester Blinn, stewards. This church organization is one of the most active in the township. The Catholics have a church organization at Stryker, consisting of a number of families, and they erected a church building in the township as early as 1860. The Baptists have a society, and there are a few Presbyterians and German Methodists in the township who have preaching occasionally. Springfield township is one of the best agricultural districts in Williams county, and the thrifty farmers are profitably engaged in all classes of diversified farming. Considerable attention is given to the raising of fine stock, and some are buyers and shippers of the same. A very large proportion of the grain raised is fed to stock on the farms. There are many fine homes in the township, an evidence of thrift and prosperity. CHAPTER XVI BRADY TOWNSHIP BRADY was set off from Springfield township on March 7, 1836. There is some speculation as to the origin of the name, the most plausible account of which is that through the influence of Gilbert Dunscomb, the township was named in perpetuation of the name and in honor of Captain Samuel Brady, whose exploits are so well known to every one familiar with the pioneer history of this part of the western country. Brady is in the middle of the eastern tier of townships of Williams county, and was originally six miles square; but at the formation of Fulton county, two tiers of sections were taken from the east side, thus reducing the area of the township to twenty-four square miles. The surface of the country is somewhat varied, but the major portion of it is generally level, partaking somewhat of the character of the land in Pulaski and Springfield townships. In the southeastern portion, however, the surface becomes more rolling, and there are some slight swells, exhibiting the gravelly clay of the western portion of the county. The divide that separates the drainage to the St. Joseph and Tiffin rivers passes through the county northwest of the township. There are several streams in the township, but they are all tributaries of Tiffin River, or Bean Creek, as it is more commonly known, and which flows for some distance through the southeast corner of the township. Thus, being well watered as it is, the value of the lands for agricultural and grazing purposes is greatly enhanced. The soil is mostly clay, or clay loam, with occasionally a subsoil of gravel, and in every portion of the township it is very fertile, and in the creek bottoms especially so. Brady was originally covered with heavy timber, mostly of the hard wood varieties, as walnut, butternut, hickory, the various kinds of oak, beech, maple, yellow poplar, whitewood, white ash, elm, etc. These were abundant, while the buckeye, sycamore, wild cherry, ironwood and dog-wood were less generally distributed. The shrubs were the hazel, blackberry, huckleberry, Juneberry, hackberry and spice. Most of the varieties of timber and shrubs are still represented, though the best has long since found its way to the mills and markets, if not to the pioneer "log heaps." The township was noted in early times for its abundance of wild animals, and was a favorite hunting ground for the Indians for many years after the cession of the land to the whites. By general consent, they were permitted to make annual visits, which they seemed to greatly enjoy. There were bears, panthers, wolves and wildcats in - 204 - BRADY TOWNSHIP - 205 great numbers, while deer and wild turkeys furnished the principal meat foods to the early settlers. The larger wild animals were of course for many years a source of annoyance and danger. There are, or were, several mounds of past ages in Brady township, as there are, or were, in other localities in the county. But these are given appropriate notice and description in the chapter on "Williams County Antiquities," and it is not necessary to make a repetition here. We will state, however, that a remarkable group of mounds once stood on the farm of Frederick Charles, but there is little left to perpetuate the recollection of these ancient works. During the disintegration of the mounds, quite a number of them were opened and about two feet from the original surface were found fragments of human remains and numerous stone implements. Another and fair sized solitary mound was located on land formerly owned by James F. Smith, and perhaps there were others, but they all have been leveled by the successive plowings of seventy years. Brady township was settled nearly as early as any of the townships of Williams county. The first settlers were John Miller, John Rings, Gilbert Dunscomb, Jacob Bohner, Abner Ayres and Warren Hancock. In the month of April, 1835, John Miller entered a piece of land near where West Unity now stands. Gilbert Dunscomb entered land in May, and Abner Ayers in August of same year. Jacob Bohner, Warren Hancock and John Rings also entered land in 1835. William Miller, Samuel Snyder, H. F. Flowers, David Loutzenhizer, William Stubbs and William H. McGrew settled in 1836 and 1837. Here, and by these people, the first improvements were made and the first crops raised. John Miller settled in Brady township and entered 160 acres of wild land, which he rescued from the wilderness. He sold, thirty years later, and moved to Pulaski township, where he resided till 1876; then sold out again and moved to Waterloo, Indiana; residing there till 1881, and then came to Edgerton, this county, where he lived the remainder of his life. John Rings was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, September 2, 1804, was a farmer, and also a teamster in the days of six-horse teams. He came to this county in 1835, and settled on land now partially occupied by the town of West Unity, then a dense forest. Some years after, he had a portion of his land surveyed and laid out into town lots, started the village, July 20, 1842, and named it after Pleasant Unity, a town in his native county and state. Mr. Rings was the first justice of the peace elected in Brady township. He was elected county commissioner in 1837, county treasurer in 18,r, reelected in 1853, and died in his second term, April i8, 1855. He was part owner of the first sawmill erected in the village, also one of the owners of the first grist mill. At the time of his death he was engaged in mercantile pursuits, and was at all times foremost in enterprises tending to the improvement or development of his town and county. Jacob Bohner was of German descent and was born in Northumber- 206 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY land county, Pennsylvania, August 2, 1808. In 1831, he emigrated to Richland county, Ohio, and in June, 1835, moved to Brady township, Williams county, settled in the woods, and hewed out of the wilderness a farm. He died April 25, 1881, of dropsy, after an illness of about eleven weeks, at the age of seventy-three. He had been considered the strongest man in the county and had never been ill until he met with his fatal attack. Samuel Snyder was of English descent. He came to Brady township from Putnam county, Ohio, in 1837, and lived in West Unity the remainder of his life. He was the father of the late Dr. I. M. Snyder of Montpelier. William Hendricks McGrew was born February 22, 1796, in Adams county, Pennsylvania, where he received a very fair education. He came to Williams county with his wife and children, in 1836, and settled about two miles south of West Unity. Not a stick had been cut by way of clearing the land. He put up a cabin, into which he moved before doors or windows had been put in, and here, surrounded by wolves and other wild animals, he resided until he had cleared up 14o acres. He served nine years as justice of the peace of Brady, and as township trustee fifteen consecutive years, and was always a public-spirited man. In October, 1865, he retired from his farm to West Unity, where he enjoyed for the remainder of his life that repose which comes of well-doing. The experiences of the early settlers were similar, regardless of locality, and, to some extent, without regard to wealth. Necessaries of life, as we of later generations class them, were not to be procured, by reason of the great distance to be traveled and hazards encountered in reaching the older settlements. The forest supplied the meats, for the most part, as it did, also, the fruits and sugar. Coffee and tea were luxuries seldom used. This is mentioned to show the simple fare which satisfied the demands of the times. A dinner of corn bread alone, or of meat without bread, was a common repast. Often the corn was pounded on a stone, or in a mortar, and thus prepared for cooking before the open fire-place, and no doubt there are those living to-day who remember the relish with which they devoured grandmother's "pone." Potatoes were early raised, but had not become a household necessity as now. Maple sugar and syrup were among the old-time luxuries easily obtained. The cabins usually had a "shake" roof, fastened on by weight poles, with a clay or puncheon floor and a door made of boards split from native timber and fastened together with wooden pins, or, in the absence of this, a blanket hung in the opening; if a window was provided, the aperture was covered with greased paper instead of glass. The dimensions of the cabin were usually limited to the smallest size which would accomodate the family, the walls of rough logs, cracks "chinked" with split sticks or stones and plastered with clay, with sometimes a little cut straw mixed in the "mortar" to prevent its falling out. The chimney was usually the most liberal arrangement on the premises, and often filled nearly the entire end of the cabin. It was generally built of split sticks BRADY TOWNSHIP - 207 liberally plastered with mud to prevent their taking fire from the heat of the tremendous "log-heap" beneath. In those days, there was no scarcity of fuel, as the timber had to be removed before the land could be cultivated, and the logs which could not be utilized in making rails or constructing, buildings, were rolled together in great heaps and consumed on the ground. With the advent of sawmills and various other appliances for manufacturing lumber, as devised by the ingenious pioneers, the best of the timber was usually worked into lumber. A "full-dress" suit in those days consisted of buckskins, over a flax shirt, and moccasins for the feet, the latter sometimes "reinforced" by a sole of stiff, leather fastened on with buckskin thongs. These were all the product of home industry, even to the raising, heckling, scotching, spinning, weaving and making of the flaxen garments. The pioneer shoemaker, gunsmith and blacksmith were welcome adjuncts of the early settlements, as were, also, the back-woods schoolmasters and preachers. The first schools were conducted on the subscription plan, and usually embraced only the rudiments of the "three R's." The "master" taught twenty-two days for a month at a salary of about eight dollars per month, and "boarded around." He was oftener selected because of his muscular development than on account of his scholastic attainments, though both were considered essential to complete success. The unruly boys of pioneer days were prone to mischief, and happy indeed was the schoolmaster who escaped "barring out," for a treat, on holidays. Should the master arrive in the morning before a sufficient number of the belligerents reached the scene of hostilities, they would smoke him out by placing boards over the chimney. The school "furniture" was in keeping with that which adorned the homes of the pupils, entirely home made, and of the variety created for utility rather than beauty. The desks were puncheons, or at best planks, resting on wooden pins driven into augur holes in the logs of the wall. These were bored at an angle of about thirty degrees. Fronting the desks were stationary seats made of slabs or puncheons, with flaring legs of wooden pins; and these were made high enough to accommodate the largest pupils, while the smaller ones sat with their feet dangling in mid-air. Usually there was no floor in the schoolhouse, and globes and outline ,maps were unknown to the pupils and a mystery to the masters. The "text books" comprised Dabol's arithmetic and Webster's elementary. spelling book These covered the curriculum of reading and spelling, mathematics, language and literature, history and science. The ancient "pot hooks," more difficult to form than any letter in the alphabet, comprised the first lessons in writing, but were never heard of afterward. There was no system by which these characters were made, hence each "master" had a "system" of his own. Sundry boxing of ears and other barbarous punishments often followed the pupil's futile efforts at imitating these useless hieroglyphics. And yet we must credit the pioneer schools with producing a class of plain and neat writers, a feature very noticeable and often commented upon in the reading of ancient documents. It is equally true that most of the students of those early days 208 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY were excellent spellers, according to the rules then in vogue. But the primitive schools of pioneer days have long since been succeeded by the excellent school system so nicely provided for, in part at least, by the reservation of a portion of the public domain for that purpose. West Unity is the principal village in Brady township. It is located north and west of the center of the township, and of course is in the eastern part of the county. The town was surveyed and laid out by John Rings, who at that time owned the greater portion of what is now the village. It is pleasantly located on elevated and comparatively level ground. In 1835, there were but one or two small clearings in the forest, but each year after the town was established some settlers were attracted to it. While West Unity had no phenomenal •growth, its progress was steady and substantial. The population has been nearly stationary for the last twenty years, increase in that direction being retarded to some extent by the advent of railroads in near-'by towns. West Unity was incorporated by act of the state legislature in 1866. The first officers elected under the new regime were: H. H. Peppard, Mayor; Dr. G. W. Finch, Dr. J. N. Runnion, J. M. Webb, George Rings and J. Cline, councilmen; C. W. Skinner, clerk. One of the early Justices of the Peace in Williams county was Jabez Jones of Pulaski township, and he solemnized the marriage of George Johnson to Hannah Donutt, the first marriage in Brady township of which there is any record. George Johnson, who is mentioned in this connection, was a native of Lincolnshire, England, who emigrated to this country about 1832. He settled on Tiffin River, in Fulton county, and entering land, built a cabin and began clearing. In about 1840, he and his brother, William, secured a mill privilege on Tiffin River (or Bean Creek) from the state, and erected a sawmill, and later, a grist-mill, known for years as the "Johnson Mills". He died at his home in Fulton county, November 28, 1855. Mr. Johnson was the father of Hon. Solomon Johnson, of Springfield township. The first white child born in West Unity was Susan Rings, but the 'first birth in Brady township was that of Charles Coleman. The earliest recorded death is that of Maria L. Dunscomb. In 1836, Walter Coleman built the first grist-mill in the township, but prior to that the Perkins Mill had been established on Beaver Creek at Pulaski, and thither the inhabitants of Brady brought their grists to be ground. Some years later a mill was erected at West Unity by Rings, Dawson, Calvin & Vail. Though inexpensive in construction, these early mills relieved the settlers of a vast amount of labor and perplexity. The "pounding stone" and primitive mortar and pestle were relegated to the back-yard, while the quality of the prepared material was much improved. The Mr. Dawson, mentioned above, became a few years later the manager of the Unity Mills, which were erected in 1865 as a flouring mill and woolen factory, where the best of flour is manufactured and woolen goods of excellent quality and fine texture are woven. This has proved a real blessing to the people. BRADY TOWNSHIP - 209 West Unity has progressed along social and literary lines, as well as in the affairs of general business. A lodge of Masons was organized in August, 1849; the first newspaper, under the title of "Equal Rights", was established in April, 1849, by W. A. Hunter. The history of this early newspaper venture is given elsewhere; but after a lapse of several years, C. F. and J. W. Grisier launched the "Eagle" in 1878. This paper is still in existence, although its name has been changes to "Reporter", and its present editor is Olin Kenyon. The town boasts of an excellent school, in which the patrons take great interest. For many years it was taught by E. P. Ewers, a prominent educator of Williams county. For many years after the settlement of the township, religious exercises were conducted by the traveling ministers of various denominations, usually at private houses, or in the school houses of the township. The first religious organization in West Unity was that of the Universalist Church, and it had a regular visiting minister as early as 1846. The Presbyterians organized a congregation, consisting of about twenty members, in 1851. In addition to these, there were regularly organized Methodist Episcopal and United Brethren churches, with regular circuit services. The United Brethren was the first church building erected in West Unity, and the bell in the tower the first to call the people to worship. But the Methodist Episcopal Church followed closely in the wake in each and all the enterprises named. The houses of some of the members of these churches were two, three, and even four miles from their places of worship, and it was no uncommpn thing in that day for people to walk, or ride behind an "ox-team" to church, while others, more fortunate in being the possessors of horses and lumber wagons, were enabled to drive in a very good style. Brady is one of the most wealthy and prosperous townships in Williams county. Agriculture being the principal industry, and in fact almost the exclusive occupation of the people, it has received careful and throughtful attention, and the farmers are equipped for the varied branches of agricultural pursuits, including extensive stock raising and fruit-growing. Early attention was given to the introduction of improved strains of domestic animals, and this has proved a source of pleasure and profit. The well tilled farms, with their substantial residences of modern design, or the old and well built" mansions of more ancient days, together with an occasional log house or unpretentious cabin, all evince the varying degrees of prosperity attained by their owners and emphasize the fact that "there is no place like home". The inhabitants are a class of intelligent, public-spirited people, who, in several instances, trace their lineage, with just pride, to the founders of the great republic whose perpetuity they are ever ready to defend. The villages of Brady township, notwithstanding that for many years they were isolated from railroads, are inhabited by a class of progressive people where all the varied interests of mercantile and mechanical life are carried on successfully, and in accordance with the demands of the agricultural community which 14 210 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY they serve. In addition to the numerous religious and educational institutions previously mentioned, the civic societies are also well represented, thus enhancing the social interests and contributing to the relief of the unfortunate. Lockport, located about four miles southeast of West Unity, was the first town platted in Brady township. It was a beautiful little town, but the growth of its rival seemed to be at Lockport's expense, and it gradually grew smaller in importance as West Unity grew larger. The first saw-mill and the first post-office in Brady township were located at Lockport. The first merchant there was A. F. Hull, who brought a stock of goods from Maumee City; but all industries have long since departed, and in appearance Lockport now calls to mind Goldsmith's "Deserted Village". CHAPTER XVII CENTRE TOWNSHIP THIS township was established by order of the county commissioners on the 7th day of March, 1836. Its boundaries are regular, and on the south it borders on Defiance county. The commissioners' order in establishing the township reads as follows: "The Board order that original surveyed townships, Nos. 6 and 7 north, and north to the state line between Ohio and Michigan, commonly called Harris [line], in range 2 east, be erected and incorporated into a township to be called Centre township; and it is further ordered that the inhabitants of said township of Centre meet on the first Monday of April, next, at the house of Jacob Dillman, and proceed to elect according to law, the necessary officers to organize said township." The names of the first officers who were elected at the residence of Jacob Dillman in April, 1836, are no longer remembered. Centre as a whole may be characterized as level and unbroken land. What valleys there are, are narrow and bounded by small hillsides. The soil is generally as fertile as elsewhere in the county, and there are some fine farms in the township. They consist of the rich deposit of sandy loam, occasionally mixed with gravel, very productive, that was placed there during the prehistoric glacial period. The streams in Centre are Lick Creek and several tributaries, and Lost Creek has its source in the southern part of the township. The streams are short, but the territory is well watered, particularly in the southern and eastern portions of the township. Centre is well adapted to grazing purposes, as well as farming, and the industry receives careful attention, with favorable results. Fruit culture is also carried on very profitably, apples being the staple in that line, though all kinds of small fruits succeed admirably. The surface of the township was originally covered with heavy timber, including all the varieties usually found in the county, and the dense forest afforded a hiding place for all kinds of game. Centre township was settled a few years before the township was organized, the territory then being attached to St. Joseph. A number of the earliest settlers removed from the malaria-infested bottoms of the Maumee to the higher and more healthful lands. This movement was noticed in the settlement of other townships, but the valleys are now considered as healthy as any other locations. During the summer or autumn of 1833, Mrs. Mary Leonard, a widow, came with her family to Centre township. She was accompanied by James Overleas, Sebastian Frame and John Hickman, all - 211 - 212 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY three of whom were her sons-in-law. The four families located in the southeastern part of the township and began to prepare homes from the heavy woods. Mrs. Leonard had a large family of nearly grownup children, and with the assistance of her sons and sons-in-law encountered no serious drawbacks in the creation of a comfortable home. These families came from Montgomery county, Ohio, with three or four wagons, each drawn by two yoke of oxen, and loaded with such household goods as would be needful in the new home. Members of the family had come to the township some time before to select and enter suitable tracts of land, upon which they designed to locate. This was very probably done during the spring of 1833, and were, so far as known, the first tracts entered in the township, though not the only ones entered during the same year. Sebastian Frame was a man of considerable ability and had been ordained an elder in the Dunkard church. Unquestionably the first religious exercises in the township were conducted by him, either at his own home or at the cabin of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Leonard. The members of the four families often met during the severe winter of 1833-34, to worship, and to talk over the means of meeting successfully the difficult problems of pioneer life. Upon their arrival in the township, the families had at first lived in their wagons and under the shelter of rude temporary abodes, built of poles, brush and blankets, while the men went to work to construct rough cabins of round logs. Pleasant was the task of removing to their cabins, humble though they were. These were probably the only persons residing in Centre during the year 1833. In January, 1834, Joel Kinsey came from Montgomery county, Ohio, entered the northwest quarter of section 35, erected on the same a small log cabin and began the destruction of the timber on his land. Two or three months later, George Skinner appeared and entered the east half of the southeast quarter of section 34. He likewise built a cabin and made some improvements; but, in October of the same year, sold his land to Jacob Dillman, and removed from the township, going, no one knew whither. Mr. Dillman, a man who afterward was very prominent in township affairs, had come from Stark county, Ohio, during the spring of 1834, and had selected a tract of land in the eastern part of the township, upon which were favorable facilities for a fine water-power. He returned to Stark county, but the sudden death there of a man whom he had expected would operate his prospective mill altered his plans somewhat, and when he again came to Centre township he purchased the Skinner farm. A few acres had been underbrushed by Mr. Skinner, who had sown thereon what he thought was clover seed, but what soon proved to be Canada thistle seed. The ground was soon covered with this pest, which was not wholly eradicated for years. Jacob Dillman was a native of Pennsylvania, of German descent; was a wheelwright by trade; went to Canada when a young man, afterward moving to Summit county, Ohio. where he remained, working at his trade, until his removal to Williams county. In 1834 he started west through Ohio to look up a mill location and was attracted CENTRE TOWNSHIP - 213 to Williams county by its bright prospects. When he decided to locate here he brought out a stock of goods that would be needed in a new country. He came to the county a comparatively wealthy man and with his wealth did more for the general welfare of the county than perhaps any other one man. He took an active part in the building of churches, schools, etc., and built the first schoolhouse in Centre township with his own means. He built the first steam saw-mill in the county, and was active in the support of the county agricultural society at its organization; and in fact, all matters of a public benefit found in him a warm supporter. He was a temperance man in principle, a rare thing among our pioneers, who deemed pure corn juice a necessity; was a member of the United, Brethren Church and a Republican in politics. He continued a long life of usefulness and died in March, 1870, beloved and esteemed by all who knew him. Jacob Fetters was born in Pennsylvania, June 22, 1792, and served for some time as a soldier in the War of 1812. Shortly after he removed with his young wife to Montgomery county, Ohio, and thence in 1836, to Williams county, settling with his family on section 27, Centre township, on the farm where George Fetters afterwards resided; and there he departed this life December i9, 1836. Bannister Poole was born in Virginia, in 1784, and in early manhood removed to Pennsylvania, where he remained for some time and then moved to Stark county, Ohio. A few years later he removed to Summit county, and then, in 1836, came to Williams county and lived the remainder of his life in Centre township. Jacob Neihart was born in Centre county, Pennsylvania, in 1795. In early life he removed to Holmes county, Ohio, and, in 1837, came to Centre township, Williams county, and settled on section 21, where he died in March, 1871. William Sheridan was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1801. He there went to school and also served an apprenticeship at blacksmithing. In 1826 he moved to Pittsburg, where he followed his trade until 1833, and then moved to Stark county, Ohio, where he also engaged in blacksmithing and continued thereat until 1840, when he came to Williams county and settled on the farm of 151 acres in Centre township, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was the father of William Sheridan, Jr., who became quite promi. nent in political affairs of the county, district, and State. Bentley Hannon was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 7, 1810. At the age of nineteen years he began learning to be a stone mason; served two years and then went to Pittsburg, where he worked as a journeyman. He then removed to Ohio and for three years farmed in Columbiana county, but in 1837, he removed to Williams county and settled on an eighty-acre farm which he had entered the previous year. He lived there until his death. The first school was taught by an old gentleman named Barney, while Thomas Hill, William Neavill and Edgar Hubbard were among the earliest pioneer teachers. There are now ten public schools in the township. 214 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY Early ministers in the locality were Revs. Money, Thompson, Lindsey, Ray Boyer, Miller, Perky, Henderson and Barkdoll. The labors of these were supplemented by several active local preachers and exhorters among the early pioneers.   Centre is an exclusively agricultural township. There are no towns or villages of importance, and no manufacturing industries, aside from a few shops. Melbern is a little village in the west central portion of the township, and Williams Centre is near the southern boundary line. Each contains a store or two, a church, mechanical shops and a few residences. The population has remained stationary for many years, since Bryan and Edgerton, with their better market facilities, have cut off the trade. Two or three saw mills were operated in the township in the early days. The pioneer distilleries also had an existence, Jacob Householder being the first to engage in the liquor manufacturing business. In quite an early day he constructed a small distillery in the eastern part of the township, on the old Neihart farm. The small quantity of whisky made was consumed as fast as it came from the still. But this has long since passed out of existence.   CHAPTER XVIII   FLORENCE TOWNSHIP   THIS was one of the townships that was attached to St. Joseph when the latter was erected; and prior to the organization of Bridgewater, Northwest and Superior, it included all the territory now embraced by them. When originally organized, Florence township was described as follows: "All the territory belonging to Town seven, Range one; also, Town seven, Range two, and including all the territory north to the State line." The commissioners ordered an election to be held for the necessary officers on the first Monday of April, 1837, and hence this was the date of the organization of the township. The names of the officers who were elected in the spring of 1837, to administer the civil affairs of old Florence township, are no longer remembered; neither can it be learned who first served after the township was cut down to its present limits. In March, 1839, Bridgewater was organized, to include the present Bridgewater and Northwest townships, and at the same session, Superior, as it now is, was created, thus leaving Florence with its present limitations.   The surface of the township is gently undulating in some parts and quite level in others. The soil is a very fertile black loam in some districts on the bottoms and streams, and a rich clay soil elsewhere. There is comparatively little waste land in the township, and the condition of the farms, buildings and surroundings are indicative of thrift and prosperity. The streams which drain the township are Bear Creek and its tributaries, with numerous runs which empty into them, and Eagle Creek, in the northern part of the township. The St. Joseph River flows through the southeastern corner.   Florence township was mainly covered with heavy timber, though there was originally considerable marshy land upon which there was only shrubs and brush. But the wet lands have been recovered by ditching and under-tiling, until they are very valuable and highly productive. It is said that this boggy land originally seemed like earth floating on water, and that in the early days a pole could be forced into it to a depth of twenty feet.   The principal varieties of timber were black walnut, sugar maple, elm, ash, oak, beech and hickory. Some of the choicest timber was used for buildings, making rails, and sawing into lumber, but much of it which would now be very valuable, was burned in clearing the land.   Among the first to establish a home in the bounds of Florence   - 215 -   216 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   township was the Singer family. David Singer, the first, was a farmer; married Margaret Kragore, came to Ohio and located in Florence township in 1837, and entered one-half section of government land. His son, David Singer, the second, was the first white child born in Florence township. This event happened in 1839. The senior David Singer deserves more credit than perhaps any other man for the hardships himself and family endured., to create a home in the dense forests of Florence. Mr. Singer came to this part of the state in 1836, locating his farm on Section 9, and during the winter of 1836-37, erected a log cabin about forty rods north of where the family residence was in later years. In the meantime, his family lived a short time at Denmark, and later with Robert McDaniel, who then lived on Section 30, Superior township. In February, 1837, the family took up their residence in their new home, on Section 9. They were very poor, as almost everybody was then, but they had good health and did not hesitate to face a reasonable amount of privation and toil. At that time there was not a neighbor residing any nearer to them than five miles, and their little home was surrounded, on all sides, by an almost impassable wilderness, filled with wild and savage beasts and with scarcely less savage Indians. It was all the family could do at first to live. At one time, for four weeks, they lived without any bread whatever, their only food consisting of rice soup and wild meat. These extreme privations did not last long, fortunately, for if they had the family would have gone back to their old home farther east. They soon were enabled to feed and clothe themselves, and were then about as well situated as most of the earliest settlers. There was no such thing as caste in early times; the settlers were like brothers, for all were poor. Mr. Singer became belated in returning home one night from Denmark, and a heavy storm coming on, he became bewildered and lost. In vain he endeavored to trace his way, as the thick darkness and heavy rain descended. The more he tried, the more uncertain he became that he was moving in the right direction. At last he saw that the wisest course was to sit down on a log and wait, either until he was certain of his steps or until morning had dawned. There he sat all night long, with the cold, rain beating upon him and the dreary winds sweeping by him in chilling gusts and eddies. When morning dawned, he was soon beside a roaring fire, something which every settler had with no cost save labor. After a few years, the Singers were in better circumstances. They, on one occasion, owned a fine sow, which had a large family of pigs, and these animals were permitted to sleep against the side of the cabin (on the outside) that they might be protected from wolves and bears. One dark night, when Mr. Singer was away and no one was at home save Mrs. Singer and her little children, the wolves, rendered desperate by hunger, came up to the cabin to attack the sow and pigs. Mrs. Singer resolutely sallied forth with a large fire brand and drove them away, and then the settler's wife saw that if she saved her animals she must guard them with fire all night. A fire was kindled near   FLORENCE TOWNSHIP - 217   the cabin, close to the swine, and was kept replenished all night, but the sow and pigs were saved.   The above facts concerning Mr. Singer are taken from Good-speed's history of Williams county, published nearly a quarter of a century ago, and as such incidents were common, they are, no doubt, substantially correct. As the experiences of the early pioneers were alike in nature, only occasionally differing in the degree of danger and privation, the following statements of hunting exploits will suffice for a further description of early times, not only in Florence, but every township of the county: Mr. Singer, though not the best hunter in the world (as the expression goes), was quite skillful with his rifle and generally kept his cabin supplied with wild meat. He killed many deer and a few bears. One day, while he was at work in the woods near his cabin', he was approached by Phillip Nihart, who hurriedly told him that he had treed a bear out in the woods, about half a mile distant, and wanted his assistance in killing it. The two settlers, armed for the fight, went to the tree as fast as they could and found the animal still in the branches. A couple of shots brought it to the ground, dead. On another occasion, not far from the year 1845, Mrs. Singer, who was standing outside her cabin, saw some black animal, about as large as a small dog, walking on the top of a rail fence near by. She approached and saw with surprise that it was a cub. Calling to her husband and two or three other men who were chopping near by, she ran up and caught the little animal by the back of the neck,- and despite its growls and struggles, ran with it to the cabin. The men came up, and, coming to the natural conclusion that the mother of the cub was not far distant, resolved to find her if possible. The next day, while hunting, the men found a hollow tree that looked as if it might contain a bear, and while cutting it down, scared a porcupine, which ran out of a large hole high up in the tree. The men at first thought that this must be the animal that had made the scratches on the side of the tree; but, the tree being so near down, the cutting was continued and the first thing the chopper knew the report of a rifle rang out on the air and a large bear fell to the ground, within five feet of him, dead. The animal had come out of the opening above, and was seen by Mr. Singer, who brought it to the ground with one shot. The cub was kept for some time and finally sold for fifty cents and was taken East.     Mr. Singer was quite a bee hunter and his cabin table was often graced with a fine dish of strained and candied honey. One day, the Indians, who were encamped on the creek about thirty rods east of the second David Singer's former residence, wounded a bear which crawled into a hollow log and could not be dislodged. One of their number who had come from Canada, and whom they did not like, was told that he was too cowardly to enter the log by crawling and pull the wounded bear out by the leg. It was thought to be alive and full of fight, but after a little time he entered the log, head first, and soon emerged, pulling the animal, which was dead, out by the leg. One day, one of the Indians got drunk and declared that he would kill his   218 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   squaw, attempting to put his threat into execution. Several Indians came to Mr. Singer and begged him to interfere, which he accordingly did, and, with their help, bound the desperate savage hand and foot. The mosquitoes were very bad and pestered the savage to such an extent that he soon came to his senses and demanded that his bands be taken off; but this was refused until his complete sobriety was assured and his promises were given that he would behave himself. Every year Mrs. Singer smoked many venison hams on shares for the Indians. John Singer and David Singer, Jr., wounded a deer one day, and while trying. to cut its throat were knocked back by the animal, which sprang to its feet and ran off through the woods. It was afterwards caught with the assistance of the dogs. For years the Singer family had a pet deer with a bell around its neck, which was used as a decoy in hunting. It would meet other deer in the woods and bring them close to the cabin, where they could easily be shot from some place of concealment.   Samuel Cain came from Richland county, Ohio, and located in Florence township in 1838, thus becoming one of the pioneers of Williams county. He was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1810. He moved to Harrison county, Ohio, in 1829, and there resided for two years; thence he moved to Stark county, where he remained for six years; thence to Richland, where he passed one year. He then started for DeKalb county, Indiana, but an accident detained him at Napoleon, Ohio, and he remained there until 1838, when he came to Florence township, as stated above, and entered ninety-three acres of land on Section No. I. He was about the second permanent settler in the present limits of Florence township, and all around him was a wilderness. He disposed of his property in 1844, and bought eighty acres near by, on which he resided until 1866, when he moved to Northwest township and ended his days there. Mr. Cain used to tell many interesting hunting incidents. One day he broke an ox-yoke and went to William Van Fossen's to get another. While on the way, his dog discovered a cub and chased it, growling, into the top of a tree. The mother bear appeared upon the scene at this juncture and charged furiously upon the dog, which nimbly got out of her way. She passed close to Mr. Cain and he swung his hat at her, causing her to veer around him and run into a swamp, disappearing from his view. Mr. Cain had no gun with him, but be went some distance and called to Nelson Clark's boys, who lived in Superior township, and they came up and shot the cub. On still another occasion, Mr. Cain, John Anspaugh and Jacob Anspaugh were walking in the fresh snow, near the tamarack swamp in the northeast corner of the township, when they discovered a fresh bear track They immediately called their dogs, which followed the bear into the swamp and soon treed it there. John Anspaugh was the first to reach the tree, and, at the first shot brought the animal to the ground. It proved to be a young bear and its flesh was very tender and sweet. Many stories, similar to those given, might be narrated concerning the pioneers of every   FLORENCE TOWNSHIP - 219   township, but these will suffice to show what sport the early settlers enjoyed.   Nathan Disbrow was a native of Seneca county, New York, born February 24, 1813. The early portion of his life was passed on the farm and consequently he received but a meager education. His parents moved to Allegheny county, New York, and thence to Canada, where Nathan remained until 1838, when he went to Huron county, New York; then came to Williams county, where he purchased land and removed to Superior township in 1839. In 1840, he disposed of this farm and removed to Florence township, where he spent the remainder of his life. There were then no improvements and he was obliged to clear a space to build a cabin 16x16, in which he lived a number of years. The forest was filled with wild beasts, whose howlings could be heard nearly all night, and these animals preyed upon the sheep belonging to the settlers. It took two days to reach the mill, and the nearest postoffice was Pulaski.   The Thomas family were early settlers of the township, locating in the extreme northwestern part, where they enterd land, and where the parents, Moses Thomas and wife, spent the remainder of their lives. The children were David, who yet lives in Florence township; Joseph W., deceased; Rebecca J., who is the widow of Joseph W. Back, and lives in Montpelier; Benjamin, deceased; William, a resident of Lucas county, Ohio; Deborah, the widow of Ira Bratton, and lives in Angola, Indiana; Albert P., of Montpelier; Richard, killed at the battle of Resaca; Mary, the widow of Sylvester Graves, now residing in Oklahoma; Sarah Ann, the wife of John Maxwell, of Stockton, California, and James C., who for years past has been a resident of Chicago. The family originally came from Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where seven of the eleven children were born. They first migrated to Crawford county, Ohio, and thence, in 1840, to Florence township, where, the year previous, Moses Thomas had entered the southeast quarter of Section 32. Many descendants of Mr. Thomas live in Williams and adjoining counties.   Thomas Burke and wife, with a family of four children, came from Columbiana county and settled in Florence township, in 1841. Mrs. Burke's failing health caused them to decide to return to their former home, but ere they could reach it, Death claimed his victim and the children were motherless. Mr. Burke returned to Williams county in 1843, and resided here until his death, in 1866. Some of his descendants still reside in the township.   Florence enjoys the distinction of being one of the best agricultural townships in Williams county. Its soil is especially adapted to diversified farming and fruit growing, in which pursuits, combined with stock raising, the intelligent and industrious farmers have met with phenomenal success. The pleasant homes and thrifty surroundings are abundant proof of this, while an occasional handsome mansion, with modern improvements and appliances, affirms the conclusion that even in this favored land some have been more successful than their worthy rivals. Aud thus it will ever be, so long as accumulated wealth is the   220 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   measure of success and Cunning sits upon the throne that Merit should occupy.   Edon and Blakeslee are the only villages in the township, and Edon is the sixth town, as regards population, in Williams county. For a number of years prior to the establishment of the town, the contiguous territory, and even the town site, contained a number of settlers. The land upon which Edon is located was originally owned by Henry Stuller, John Garwood and Thomas Smith, who occupied it in 1852. Henry Stuller came to this county in the above year and settled near the present town site on timber-covered land, which was transformed, however, by the united labor of father and sons, into a comfortable home. Here, Henry Stuller died, in 1864, aged fifty-seven years. Soon after that date Andrew Sheline came into possession of a tract upon which the principal corner of "Mudsock" was located, and in 1874, the village was regularly incorporated and christened Edon. Andrew Sheline was .born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, April 20, 1819. He came with his parents to Carroll county, Ohio, in 1824, and resided there until 1855, when he came to Williams county and here spent the remainder of his life. He was both carpenter and farmer, but did not confine himself to any one business. Seeing the opportunity for a broader field of enterprise in the building up of the West, he laid the foundation of the present village of Edon, building the first dry-goods and grocery stores, cabinet shop and doctor's office in the place. He also erected the first grist mill and woolen factory in Florence township, and the second sawmill, and was also the owner of a fine farm of eighty acres. He was the proprietor of a hotel as soon as Edon needed one, but in later years he disposed, of his hotel and factory interests and retired to private life for the rest and quiet from activity he so deservedly merited.   A man named Herbert bought a lot of Andrew Sheline, about 1856, put up a little store building and began selling from a stock of notions, valued at about seventy-five dollars. He built an ashery and conducted it and the store until his death, a few years later. Robert Smith located at Edon, about 1857-58, bought a lot, built a store house and placed therein about $1,000 worth of a general assortment of goods. Two or three years later, his goods went to George Huber, who did a lucrative business with his store and with his sale of liquor. In about 1866 or 1867, he sold to Cook & Eichelberger, both of whom retired from the business in a few years. Klink Bros. probably went into the same room with a stock of goods next; but, after a few years, built the hardware store room, and, in about 1869 or 187o, sold to C. S. Garrison and C. A. Bowersox. Mr. Bowersox sold out to Garrison, who was in business there for a great many years. Curtis S. Garrison was a native of Ohio, born in Portage county, July 27, 1835. He was left an orphan at an early age, and when but eleven years old, began life for himself by working on a canal, where he remained for six summers. Shortly after this, he engaged in peddling for some time, removing to Williams county in 1854, where he took a clerkship in Edgerton, remaining there most of the time until 1869. In 1861,   FLORENCE TOWNSHIP - 221   he enlisted in the Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry for the three months' service. He was a resident of Edon for many years, and proprietor of a large establishment.   One of the religious landmarks of the community is represented by the Methodist Episcopal church, now located in the town of Columbia, Northwest township, but originally established in the northern part of Florence township, in 1843. The society was formed in the year above mentioned, and as soon as the school house in the northwestern corner of Florence was built, services were held there, and later in the school house at Columbia. Eight members constituted the organizing force, the names being as follows: James Coon and wife, James McClarren and wife, Martin Perky and wife, J. R. McConnell and Benjamin Thomas. Rev. James Alderman was engaged as pastor, and from that day to the present, the organization has been maintained, and three generations of people have been communicants around the same altar. As the years passed other families of like faith located in the neighborhood and added their names and influence to the church directory. From its earliest inception, this congregation began to assume a position of prominence in the community, and under the pastorates of Revs. Everhart, Cameron, Dunham, Thompson and Olds, great revivals were conducted.   Martin Perky was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, January 18, 1819. He was reared and educated in Seneca county, Ohio, and followed farming there until 1839, when he came to this county and located in Florence township, where he entered 140 acres of government land and resumed his vocation as farmer. He joined the Methodist Episcopal Church as stated above, in 1843, and, in 1853, joined the North Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference, and from then until about 1865, was engaged in pastoral work over northwestern Ohio. In 1861, he was appointed chaplain of the Sixty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and remained with it until the fall of 1862, when ill-health caused him to resign. In 1865, he engaged in mercant!le pursuits in Pioneer. He sold out in 1878, having been elected probate judge of Williams county, to which position he was re-elected in 1881, and again in 1884.   J. R. McConnell was born in Mahoning county, Ohio, March i, 1811, and passed his early years in working on a farm and at the joiners' trade. In 1835, he came west as far as Putnam county, Ohio, located in a township where there were but three white families, and there farmed until 1841, when he came to this county and settled in Northwest township, on the site of the present village of Columbia. In 1854, Mr. McConnell assisted William Rannels in platting and surveying the village, and there for ten years he kept hotel. In 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Sixty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain E. J. Evans, and remained with his company nine months, when he was discharged on account of illness. He moved into Florence township, in 1864, and lived the remainder of his life there.   The Methodist Episcopal Church at Edon was the outgrowth of an early religious effort in the central part of the township, where relig-   222 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   ions services of that denomination were held at a very early date, probably in the early 40's. Though a class was organized, and preaching and other services were held in an old cabin, no church building was erected until about 1848 or 1850. About that time, however, a hewed log church was built, and, with the true spirit of Christian tolerance, both the English Methodists and German Methodists joined in its construction. The hewed-log church was superseded by a frame structure more in keeping with the needs of the congregation, and this in turn gave place to a handsome brick structure erected in 1878. Among the earlist members of this church were George Donutt and John J. Webb, and several others whose names cannot be given. It had a successful career as one of the principal churches of the township.   The educational interests of Edon have ever been a paramount consideration, and no town of its size in the state has a better system of public schools, or more appreciative or helpful patrons. Of the social orders the Odd Fellows are the pioneers. Florence Lodge, No. 545, was organized July t, 1873. The charter members were James Pollit, J. W. Thomas, Henry King, Samuel Keiss, O. B. Johnson, W. H. Hillard, Joseph Garwood, John Zimmerman, John Friend, J. W. Stuller, John Bordner, Frederick Mocherman and David Keiss. The first elective officers were John Friend, N. G.; David Keiss, V. G.; Henry King, treasurer, and O. B. Johnson, secretary. The lodge is in a prosperous condition financially, having sufficient funds to meet all obligations in a beneficial way.   Edon Lodge, No. 474, A. F. & A. M., is another society which has had a career of prominence, usefulness and popularity. It was instituted July 17, 1873, with the following named charter members: J. G. Cameron, Emmet Burke, John Aller, C. S. Garrison, Norman Relyea, J. A. Headley, J. D. McConnell, Frederick Coldsnow, Edwin Powers, H. S. Hine, William Malcolm, Robert Laugheed, C. A. Headley, G. B. Near, James Thorne, T. J. Fetterhoof, Jacob Haughey, S. Spangler, John Willibee, Jr., G. W. Lindersmith, Thomas Davis, D. Isenhart, Sylvester Isenhart, W. J. Purdy, Hezekiah Edwards, Sr., Hezekiah Edwards, Jr., T. J. Burlew, Hiram Hoadley, Jr., Fred Hardenbrook, C. McKillen, Henry Cassler, and Simon Bookmiller.   In the town of Edon the various business and mechanical industries are carried on, and the handsome little village bustles with busy life. The only monetary institution is the Edon Banking Company. In 1892, a number of prominent capitalists of the county effected the organization of this popular concern, which has steadily grown in public favor. The capitalization was ten thousand dollars, though the institution is backed, through individual responsibility, with many times that amount. The first officers of the institution were Oscar Eaton, president; I. E. Gardner, vice-president, and Theo. S. Carvin, cashier. The institution transacts a general banking business and gives special attention to collections and buying bankable paper.   Besides the general representation of all phases of mercantile life, there are also quite extensive mechanical interests, of which the woolen   FLORENCE TOWNSHIP - 223   factory is, perhaps, the most prominent. The town affords an excellent market in the grain, lumber and stock interests.   Blakeslee is an enterprising and busy trade center, located on the Wabash railroad, ten miles southwest of Montpelier, and in zoo had a population of 239. It was laid out in 1882, by John Boman, at which time that branch of the Wabash was built,   CHAPTER XIX   JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP   THE county commissioners, on the 6th of June. 1837, erected Jefferson, by the following official order: "It is ordered by the Board that Town seven, Range 3 east, also all the territory north to the Michigan line, is hereby set off from Beaver [Pulaski] Township, and the same is hereby erected and organized into a township by the name of Jefferson; and the Board order the Auditor to give notice for an election to be held at the house of Andrew Farrier, Junior, on the first Monday of July next, for the purpose of electing the necessary officers for the further organization of said township."   Thus it will be seen that all the territory comprised in the present township of Madison was at that time attached to Jefferson; but these boundaries were changed on the organization of Bridgewater and Mill-creek townships in 1839, leaving Jefferson in its present rectangular form, bounded by four straight lines, six miles east and west, and a little more than seven miles north and south. The northern boundary is the "Fulton line," so called, and was the boundary line between Ohio and Michigan, according to the latter's contention. Brady township lies on the east and Superior on the west.   The surface of Jefferson township is unbroken and generally level. The drainage is principally toward the south, and the valleys of the small streams, with naturally higher adjoining land, are the only exceptions to the general application of the term. The territory is well watered, the principal stream being Beaver Creek, which rises in, the northern part of the township and flows southward through the central portion of Jefferson to the village of Pulaski; thence through Pulaski into Springfield township, where it joins the Tiffin river. Leather-wood creek, with three branches, also has its source in Jefferson township, entering Brady, and near the southern boundary of the latter, also emptying its water into Bean creek. Little Beaver rises in the western part of the township and flows east until it empties into Beaver creek in section twenty-one. These streams are not large but they afforded water power for the early mills which were established along their banks.   Jefferson township was originally covered with all kinds of native timber, and the quality was of the best. The principal varieties were oak, hickory and maple, while black walnut, butternut, elm, sycamore, buckeye and willow were also quite plentiful.   The soil of this township is a heavy bed of clay overlying a subsoil   - 224 -   JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - 225   of sand and gravel. Occasionally the sand appears upon the surface. The soil is very fertile and produces heavy crops of all kinds of cereals, and all the land of the township is made to yield profitable returns to the owners. Stock raising and fruit culture receives considerable attention, and these afford good margins of profit.   John Perkins was the first permanent settler in Jefferson township. This distinction has also been accorded him in relation to Pulaski township, but the double honor is accounted for in the fact that his allegiance was changed by the county commissioners without the necessity of his removal. He came from Brunersburg in the spring of 1833, and settled near where the village of Pulaski is now located. The same year he entered the whole of section thirty-four, in Jefferson township, and, it is said, erected his cabin in the southern portion of it. Neither Pulaski nor Jefferson had as yet been erected as townships, and when they were finally divided the township line was found to pass between Mr. Perkins' place of residence and the little village where his hopes of a future county seat and other aspirations had an abiding place. Accordingly, at the meeting of the board of commissioners, in August, 1837, it was ordered "that the south half of the south tier of sections in Town 7 north, Range 3 east [Jefferson], be taken from said town and added to town six in said range [Pulaski]." This arrangement only lasted for a few months when the old line was re-established, but it remained long enough to give the doughty Perkins the honor of being the first settler in two different townships without compelling him to go through the ordeal of moving his goods and chattels. Mr. Perkins was considerably interested in the boundary line, and desired to be considered a resident of Pulaski township, but it was doubtless due to county-seat reasons, and not to any feeling of prejudice against Jefferson. This relieves him of the suspicion of being actuated by motives, such as are ascribed to an old Virginia lady. Some years ago, North Carolina claimed that a re-survey of the boundary line between that state and the Old Dominion would add a strip of territory to her domain that had hitherto been considered a part of Virginia. The old lady in question happened to live on a part of the disputed strip, and was greatly concerned lest the proposed survey would make her a resident of the "Tar-heel" State. When asked the reason for her fears she replied, "I don't want to live in North Carolina, for I've always heard that it is so awfully unhealthy there."   Mr. Perkins was born in the State of Virginia about the year 177o; came to Ross county, Ohio, and married a Miss Dawson. The fruits of said marriage were three sons and four daughters. Isaac Perkins, one of the sons, came to Williams county with his father in 1818, and spent a long and useful life here. The family settled at Brunersburg, and John Perkins built the first mills there, but in 1833, sold the property to a Mr. Bruner, who subsequently laid out the village that bears his name. The settlement at Pulaski and Mr. Perkins' connection therewith are told of on other pages.   Eli Oliver settled in the township in the fall of 1833, coming   15   226 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   from Pickaway county, Ohio. He has descendents who still reside in Jefferson township.   Jabez Jones was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, in June, 1792, and while young, he with his father's family, came to Ross county. He came to Jefferson township in the spring of 1834, and served as one of the first justices of the peace in Williams county. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 and was at Upper Sandusky (now Fremont) with General Harrison.   George W. Myers was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, December 24, 1808. His father was an Englishman by birth, who came to this country when a small boy, and in the latter part of the Revolution served in the Colonial army, and again in 1812, rendered his adopted country effective service. George W. Myers learned the carpenter and joiner's trade in Norwalk, Huron county, Ohio, and in 1835 visited Jefferson township, Williams county, where he entered 160 acres of land, cleared three acres, sowed in wheat and put up a first rate log cabin, and in 1837 moved his family and his few household goods upon the place, and thus began life in the woods. In connection with farming he also worked at his trade and erected many substantial buildings throughout this county and Defiance. In the spring of 1855 he sold his property in Jefferson and removed to Bryan, with the intention of migrating further west, but after making a prospecting tour through Illinois, Iowa and Kansas, and finding nothing to suit him, he returned home and resumed his old occupations, secured a comfortable fortune, and later in life retired from active participation in affairs. The first farm owned by Mr. Myers is now owned by the county and the infirmary is located upon it. Mr. Myers was justice of the peace nine years in Jefferson township and filled various other offices.   Albert Opdycke, another of the soldiers of 1812, with R. H. Gilson, moved from Trumbull county, Ohio, and settled in Jefferson township. He was one of the hardy pioneers and reared a large family of boys, the children of some of whom are still living in the county. He cleared up a large farm, was loved and respected by all, and was twice elected commissioner of Williams county. He lived more than four score years, and was one of the pillars of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His house was the home of itinerant preachers, who were always welcome. Jacob Boyers moved from Crawford county, Ohio, in 1835, and settled on the farm so long owned by George Arnold, and known as the Andrew Smith farm. Mr. Boyers was energetic, loved to give and take a joke, was full of fun and enjoyed himself in the company of his friends. George W. Perky came from Hancock county, Ohio, and settled on a farm now owned by Martin V. Bible; one-half mile west of West Jefferson. He was smart but an oddity. Once, as one of his neighbors was passing, Perky was chopping out the road in a cat swamp. He remarked that, "We read that God divided the   JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - 227   land from the water, but here is a place he forgot." Andrew Ferrier and his sons moved from Coshocton county in 1835, and erected the first grist mill in Jefferson township, on Beaver creek, in 1837.   Andrew Smith moved from Seneca county in 1835, and erected the first saw mill. He was a native of Ohio, but was descended from Irish ancestors. He was reared a farmer, and in 1834, emigrated from Coshocton to Seneca county, Ohio, and in May, 1835, removed to Williams county, then an almost impenetrable forest, and located in Jefferson township. He was among the first settlers in the county, and through years of continuous residence became a part of its history. He engaged in clearing and farming and continued the latter until the late years of his life, when he removed to Bryan and spent the remainder of his life there.   Henry Newman erected the second saw mill. Joseph Moudy moved from Pickaway county, Ohio, in 1835, and settled in Pulaski; thence removed to Jefferson township, and was there at the organization of the same, being elected township treasurer and justice of the peace. For fun, jokes and satire, his equal could not be found. Ephraim Plummer came from Ross county in the fall of 1834.   John Shankster, accompanied by his sons, moved from Ross county in 1835, and settled on the land which was occupied by him through life, southwest quarter of section twenty-eight. He was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1806, and in 1832 emigrated to America. He first located at Chillicothe, and in 1835 moved to Jefferson township where he entered eighty acres of land in the midst of the woods, where wild beasts abounded and the Indians far exceeded the whites in number. Through perseverance and industry, however, he succeeded in subduing the forest and securing a well cultivated farm of 160 acres, on which he in comfort passed his declining years.   Joseph Bush, later of Florence township, was one of the early settlers. John Snyder, John and William Barger, George D. Dorshimer, Jacob Andre, Joseph Engle, Turner Thompson and Isaac Fickle were among the first settlers of the township. The Bargers were natives of Portage county, Ohio. George D. Dorshimer was a native of Pennsylvania, of German descent, was reared a farmer and moved to Seneca county, Ohio, about 1835. From there, in February, 1838, he removed to Jefferson township and entered 200 acres of forest land, which he cleared up and on which he lived through a long and active life.   Isaac Fickle, another of the early pioneers of Jefferson township, located in the eastern part, some time prior to 1839. This statement is made certain by a fact which deserves more than a passing mention—his father, Benjamin Fickle, a Revolutionary soldier., died in Jefferson township in October, 1839, and was buried on the farm, of his son. In April, 1888, the farm having passed into other hands and the hallowed burial place being neglected, the remains were   228 - HISTORY OF WILLLAMS COUNTY   removed and re-interred in the Fountain Grove cemetery at Bryan. In all probability Benjamin Fickle is the only Revolutionary patriot •whose body found a resting place in the soil of Williams county; and this fact, even if no other reason is suggested, should prompt the citizens of the county to see that his grave is appropriately marked and his memory preserved for future generations. We can best exhibit our appreciation of American liberty by showing proper respect for the sainted ones who risked their lives to obtain it for us.   Thomas Reid, one of the first settlers of the township, was born in Cork, Ireland, and in early manhood came to America. He first located in Ross county, Ohio, where he followed farming for some time, and in 1835 came to Jefferson township. He settled on and cleared up the farm which is now owned by Sylvester Shiffler, and he resided there until the death of his wife, about 1860. He then lived with his son, George Reid, in Jefferson township, for several years, and then removed to Illinois. He spent the remainder of his days with another son, Jeremiah Reid, who lived near Arrow-smith, that state, dying there on May r6, 1875.   Henry Miller moved from Stark county, Ohio, and settled on the land in section thirteen, which was afterward known as the property of Martin L. Burns. Upon this place Mr. Miller subsequently started a carding machine which was operated by horsepower. It is very probable that the first settlers herein named have all joined the "silent majority," but many of their children and grandchildren are numbered among the good people of Williams county.   The first justice of the peace in Jefferson township was Thomas Reid, who was chosen at the first election, held July 2, 1837. The first schoolhouse was erected on the farm of Mr. Reid in the southern part of the township. Joel F. Pool, George W. Durbin and James Welch were early teachers. As the inhabitants increased, schools were opened from time to time, and there are now eleven buildings devoted to school purposes within the bounds of the township. These are good brick or frame structures, equipped with modern appliances and conducted by a corps of well qualified and practical teachers.   The most atrocious crime that blots the annals of Williams county was committed in Jefferson township. Reference has been made to it on different pages, but a detailed account has been reserved for this particular chapter. We refer to the murder of David, little son of Peter D. Schamp—who lived in the eastern part of the township on section twelve by Daniel Heckerthorn and Andrew J. Tyler. The crime was committed June 20, 1847, on the farm owned by the little victim's father. Tyler was a roaming scoundrel who was temporarily stopping in this part of the country, and professed to be a fortune teller. He visited the home of Mr. Schamp, told the latter's fortune, then went to where Heckerthorn lived, and, after plying his vocation there, asked if Mr. Schamp   JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - 229   was not a man possessed of considerable means. Receiving an affirmative answer, he told young Heckerthorn (who was only about seventeen years old and below the average in intelligence) that if he would kill David, the six-year-old son of Mr. Schamp, and hide the body in a secret place, both of them would get some money out of the affair. The proposed arrangement was that Heckerthorn was to give Tyler a description of the place where the boy's body was hidden, and then when Mr. Schamp came to the pretended seer for information concerning his child, a large sum would be exacted, out of which Heckerthorn should receive enough money to take him back to Wayne county, his former home. The proposition was accepted, and on the following Sunday morning, according to well laid plans, Heckerthorn went to the residence of Mr. Schamp, and, decoying the boy from the house, took him to the dense woods nearby and to the north of the dwelling. He, gave him some candy with which arsenic had been mixed, but it seeming to be slow in its effects, Heckerthorn seized the boy by the heels and struck his head against a knot on a beech tree and killed him. He placed the body in a hollow log, covered it with rotten wood and then placed green brush over it. The boy was soon missed, and that same afternoon the search was commenced by some of the neighbors, excitement becoming general the following day. Monday night Schamp went to see Tyler to ascertain if he could tell of the whereabouts of the boy, and the conscienceless. scoundrel said he was near water and under rotten wood and green• brush. The excitement became greater; on Tuesday men and boys came from considerable distance to assist in the search, and by Thursday the woods for miles were full of, people. In the afternoon; of the day, however, suspicion fastened on Heckerthorn and Jacob Bohner, of Brady township, and Milton B. Plummer found Heckerthorn in hiding at his brother's house. He was taken into custody and soon made a confession, admitting the guilt of himself and Tyler. The same day, George Ely, who was then justice of the peace for Brady township, issued a warrant for the arrest of both of the men, and after a preliminary examination they were committed to the county jail.   At the fall term of the Court of Common Pleas they were separately indicted, and Tyler, as was his privilege under the old Constitution, elected to be tried by the Supreme Court, which then sat annually in each county. The old log jail at Bryan was not considered safe, and they were taken to Maumee City and were confined there until the fall of 1848, when Tyler was tried on a charge of murder in the first degree. Joshua Dobbs, the prosecuting attorney, was assisted by Charles Case, who was afterward a representative in Congress from Indiana, and Schuyler E. Blakeslee was the attorney for the defendant. The knot against which the little boy's head had been dashed was cut from the tree and brought into court as evidence, an inanimate accomplice in the awful crime,   230 - HISTORY OF WLLLIAMS COUNTY   Tyler was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged on January 26, 1849. Daniel Langel was sheriff at the time, and he built an enclosure, in accordance with legal requirements, in which to execute the sentence, but on the evening of the 25th, the people demolished it and Tyler was hung in public view. At the November term of the Court of Common Pleas, in 1849, Heckerthorn was tried and found guilty, and also sentenced to hang, but on account of his youth and imbecility, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and about ten years later he was offered a conditional pardon by the governor, but what finally became of him is not known. It is ,certain, however, that he never returned to Williams county.   CHAPTER XX   BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP   PREVIOUS to 1839, the territory of this township was a part of Florence. It was then organized as a separate township in conformity with the prayer of certain petitioners. The township comprises forty-one sections, but twelve of these are fractional. The St. Joseph river flows through the central portion of the township, and it is a very rich and valuable territory. Nettle Creek, Hudson Run and Clear Fork also take their course through the township, eventually joining the St. Joseph river, and they all enhance the value of the lands traversed, rendering them available for grazing purposes as well as farming.   Bridgewater township has had some evidences of the prehistoric race within her boundaries. Two large mounds were located on or near the land owned by John Lantz, on the bank of the St. Joseph, each circular in form, some six or seven feet in height, and fifty or sixty feet in diameter. On digging into one of them two human skeletons were found, one very large and the other of ordinary size. But the mounds have been leveled by the successive plowings of sixty years, aided by climatic erosion, and the casual observer would scarcely notice anything unusual in the conformation of the land.   The northern and eastern portions of Bridgewater township contain some broken and hilly land; but the comparatively wide valleys along the streams are a very fertile sandy loam terminating in clay on the hill sides. Taking the township as a whole, the quality of the soil is unsurpassed in the county, and some fine farms and excellent improvements attest the truth of this statement. The surface of the township was originally covered with a heavy growth of excellent timber, embracing the varieties usually found in this section of the state. These were white-oak, black-oak, hickory, walnut, wild cherry, beech, sugar maple, elm, ash, poplar, buckeye and sycamore. While some valuable timber is still preserved, by far the greater part of it was destroyed in fitting the land for cultivation. That which survived the pioneer log heaps has submitted to oft-repeated cullings for market purposes, or the personal needs of the owners, until at this time the territory where it grew thickest more resembles the treeless prairies of the west than the original home of a dense forest.   There are no villages in Bridgewater township, unless we except Bridgewater Center, and no railway invades her confines, yet there   - 231 -   282 - HISTORY OF WLLLIAMS COUNTY   are two good trading points—Bridgewater Center and Ainger where considerable business is transacted. Chandler Holt was the first postmaster in the township. Bridgewater Center was laid out in 1871 by A. T. Bement in the employ of Joseph Diebely, and the name of course was selected because it is almost the exact geographical center of the township. Twelve lots, were laid out on the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section twenty-seven, all being west of State street—three being south of School street and nine being north of the same. The town, however, had started long before this, and had grown into prominence as a country trading point. The first store was opened by Edington Sterner, in about the year 185o, his location then being about a mile north of the Center; but three years later he removed to the latter place. At the end of about two years he sold out to Robert Scannel, and Clark Backus and Henry Bennett became his rivals in business soon after this. They were followed by Putnam & Corbett, Horace P. Moore, James Beatty; Waldo Corbett, T. E. Whitney and John Hagaman.   Thomas E. Whitney was born in New York City, December 25, 1844, and while yet in his boyhood came with his parents to Akron, Ohio. Here the father died within a few years and the family becoming separated, Thomas E. came to Bridgewater township. Having received a very fair common school education, and possessing a good share of energy, he pushed his way through the world with reasonable success. During the Civil war he enlisted in Hoffman's battalion, doing garrison duty on Johnson's Island, and received his discharge, July i8, 1865. Two or three years later, he bought thirty acres of land, lying partly in Bridgewater township and partly on the other side of the Michigan line, and farmed until 1869, when he engaged in general merchandising. In 1882 he entered in the lumber business, at which he was profitably engaged for several years prior to his death. Dr. W. D. Stout was the first physician in the township, and he opened an office at Bridgewater Center with the inception of the town. Dr. Weldon was another of the earlier physicians, coming a little later than Dr. Stout. The village now has a population of several families, with a store, good school and churches.   The territory now embraced within Bridgewater township was first occupied about 1835, and almost all the land had been entered before the appearance of any permanent settler. Some time during the year 1835 Daniel M. Jordan built a small log shanty on section twenty-four and continued to occupy it until 1836, when he left; probably returning to the place from whence he had come. But the first permanent settlers in any portion of the township were the Smiths On January 26, 1836, Asa Smith came from Lenawee county, Michigan, and entered three tracts of land, one for himself, one for his father, Daniel Smith, and one for his brother Anson. In May of the same year these men came to the township, cut   BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP - 233   small clearings on their lands, lived in the small vacant "shanty" of Jordan, and the following year, 1837, moved in with their families. The father and both sons had families of their own, and had all they could do from that time onward to live in a comfortable manner. Daniel Smith was a New Yorker by birth, and lived in the Empire state until well advanced in life. He then migrated to Lenawee county, Michigan, with his family, and later, as stated above, came to Bridgewater township. While living in Michigan one of his daughters married a Mr. Carleton and became the mother of the popular poet, Will Carleton.   Early in the fall of 1837 other families began to appear in the township, locating in the neighborhood of the Smith settlement in the southern part. Miles Putnam and Robert Follett arrived then, the latter being a native of Massachusetts. Curtis Cogswell came in February, 1838. He was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, May 20, 1805. When a small boy he was removed to Pennsylvania by his parents, and there he educated himself by the blaze of pine knots and at the age of twenty had become one of the best teachers in the locality where he lived, for ten years teaching in grammar and graded schools in New York State. He afterwards removed to Toledo, Ohio, remaining there five years, and then came to. Bridgewater Township, where he entered 400 acres, built a log cabin and became a pioneer, with only five families who had settled in the township before him. He became a Master Mason while in New York, but during the famous Morgan excitement withdrew and ever after was bitterly opposed to the order. He joined the Methodist Episcopal church, but on account of the prevalence of the Masonic element in that denomination, left it and affiliated with the United Brethren. He was the first man in Bridgewater township to volunteer at the call to arms during the Civil war, but was rejected on account of his age. He was strongly Republican in his political views and served as justice of the peace, school examiner, and in other official positions.   Erastus Back and Chandler Holt came in April, 1838. The former was a native of Connecticut, and, bringing his family to Bridgewater township, purchased 160 acres of land, and thereon ended his days in the fall of 1847. Clark Backus, Owen McCarty, William P. Back, Geo. H. Back, Joseph W. Back and Eras- tus G. Back also came early in 1838. Joseph W. Back was not yet fourteen years of age at the time of the family's immigration into Bridgewater township. He was born in Chaplin, Connecticut, December 7, 1824, and, receiving a good education, 'began teaching a week before his twenty-first birthday, and taught eleven terms consecutively. Throughout his entire life he took a great interest in educational affairs. He held the office of township clerk in Bridgewater for ten years, and for six years was justice of the peace, and also postmaster for the same length of time. He was class leader-   234 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   in the Methodist Episcopal church for thirty-two years and was also prominent in Sunday school work.   Soon after the arrival of the Backs, came Francis W. Lindsay, Uriah Sumner, David Wilcox, Hiram Covill, Nathaniel S. Dewey, Robert Simmons, Abraham Holland, Solomon Cobb, Richard Gaudern, Abraham Haladay, James Leonardson, Ethan Stafford, William Sumner, Oliver Walkley Crittenden, Asa Church, W. H. B. Smith, William B. Stickney, Richard Heritage, William Gaudern, George Starr, Anthony Dean, James D. Kimball, John Ayres, Elias Depew, R. Wittington, B. B. VanCourt, E. D. Lawrence, L. D. Lawrence, William Haskins, W. A. Dillon, L. Poynter, Henry Poynter, J. St. John, S. N. Parker, Ephraim Palmer, John Wallis, Aaron Willard, J. G. McLain, Joshua Travis, Frederick Champion, J. M. Palmer, Sheldon Smith, A. M. Parker, Riley Parker, Daniel Hair, and others, who came in about the order named, from 1838 until 1846.   Francis W. Lindsay was born in Canada East, and was of Scotch descent. He migrated to the state of New York early in life and farmed in Essex county until October r, 1836, when he removed to Sheridan, Chautauqua county, and remained there until June 7, 1837. He then took the steamer, William Penn, at Dunkirk, for Chicago, but at Detroit the vessel was condemned, and thence he and family went to Eckford, Calhoun county, Michigan. In December, 1839, his son Whalon came to Bridgewater township, and in February, 1840, the rest of the family followed. They bought eighty acres of land on section twenty-three, at five dollars per acre, built a log cabin without nails or boards, and paid for the farm in work. Mr. Lindsay died in 1859.   Bridgewater township was prolific in early industries, there being a number of saw-mills and grist-mills, constructed and operated at different times from the first settlement, according to the needs of the various communities which they served. These, for the most part were of brief existence, and, in fact, most of them were -quickly and cheaply built with no idea of permanence, beyond the demands of the day. Among others was a steam saw-mill, built about 1870, in the western part of the township, at "Fuddletown." Messrs. Babcock & Strong, about the same time, put in machinery for the manufacture of wooden-ware, and the two industries were operated for a few years when they were abandoned. Riley W. Parker, Benjamin B. Van Court and Richard Wittington, all early settlers, built a saw-mill in 1844, to which was added in a short time a small set of "nigger-head" buhrs, which rude grist mill was in operation for about eight years. These mills were located on the St. Joseph river, at Bridgewater Center, but the machinery was too crude to compete with other and later inventions, and after a precarious existence of perhaps twenty years the whole enterprise was abandoned. In about the year 1848, Elias Depew erected a very large, three-storied frame grist mill in the   BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP - 235   southeastern part of the township, on the St. Joseph river. A saw mill was built near it, but after being operated some twelve or fourteen years, both mills were destroyed by fire under somewhat suspicious circumstances.   Curtis Cogswell was the first to plant an orchard in the township. He also kept one of the first public houses, opening his doors to the public not far from the year 1848. He hung out a sign with "Travelers' Home" emblazoned thereon.   Miss Mary McCrillis taught a school in the building on Anson Smith's farm during the summer of 1841. A Miss Heritage was another early teacher. The log house in which the first term was taught was used for about three years, when a hewed log school house was erected in the vicinity. About the time this house was built another was erected, one mile south of Bridgewater Center. A log school house was built in the southwestern part of the township, as early as 1843, and was located on James Allman's farm, and this house was used some twelve or fifteen years. A log school building was built in the Sumner neighborhood, in the northern part, about the year 1843, and, about 1845, a house of the same description was erected in the McCarty district, in the northeastern part. These were the pioneer schools, from which has grown a most complete educational system, with eleven modern school houses, located at convenient distances from all of the pupils.   The first religious meetings, of which there is any record, were held in the old log school house, near Mr. Cogswell's, at a very early day. A small class of Methodists assembled there, and circuit riders visited the little band of worshipers once every two to four weeks. The first church structure was erected in the southern part of the township, in 1870, known as the Dean church, and was designed for the use of the Winebrinerians, or Church of God, as they style themselves. The class had been organized a few years before, but when they came to build the church they were not financially strong enough and were materially assisted by members of other denominations and outsiders. Previous to the erection of the church, public services were held in Hawkins' schoolhouse and other convenient places.   The Bridgewater Center Methodist Episcopal church was organized in quite an early day, and until their church was built, met in the schoolhouses. The class was first organized as a culmination of the efforts of various traveling ministers, covering a period of several years' labors. The church building was constructed about 1875, and it has served the people for almost a third of a century. The organization has been maintained from its first inception and is now numerically strong and in a flourishing condition.   The United Brethren class in the western part of the township was organized many years ago. Meetings were held in the Brandeberry and Waterston schoolhouses for some years before the church was built. The church building, erected in 1871, is a commodious frame structure, and has been used constantly since, not   236 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   only for religious services, but for temperance lectures and other meetings of a moral or religious nature. Among the early members of this society were the families of Conrad Brandeberry, William Rainey, John W. Rainey and a few others. Liberty Chapel. has been a source of great power and influence for good in the community, and is today one of the best known and most influential religious organizations in the township.   About ten years ago a fine brick structure was erected, one mile and a half north of Bridgewater Center, by the efforts of the Winebrinerians in that vicinity, under the leadership of Rev. John Clark.   A frame union church was built at Cogswell's Corners, in 1881, all denominations in the neighborhood and outsiders uniting their means for that purpose. The house was designed for any and every religious creed or class, and for the purpose of holding funeral services in, as it is located near a nicely situated cemetery.   CHAPTER XXI   MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP   THE territory embraced within this township, as originally organized, included all the land now within its limits, as well as three tiers of sections, afterward detached as a part of Gorham township in Fulton county, and all of the present township of Madison, save the western tier of sections, which were joined to Bridgewater. The organization of Millcreek dates from 1839, and its original territory has contributed in the formation of Madison township, in Williams county, and Gorham township in Fulton. Millcreek is not only one of the most fertile and naturally wealthy townships of the county, but it is also one of the most prosperous in its material development. The township is watered by Mill Creek, and its principal tributary, Brush Creek, and the water power afforded by them was utilized in a very early day, when the primitive mills were hailed with delight by the industrious pioneers.   The first permanent improvement which was made in Millcreek township is credited to Theron Landon, who settled on a farm of 160 acres in the fall of 1835. He was born in Litchfield county, Connecticut, May 21, 1814, and was of English descent. His father died when Theron was but seven years of age, and for some time thereafter he drifted about in various parts of the East. Finally he located in Millcreek township, as stated above, bringing his mother with him; but she died April 20, 1836, being the first death of a white person to occur in the township. Mr. Landon laid out the now defunct town of Hamer, and was the first postmaster in that part of the county. He was also the first justice of the peace in the township and held the office for several years. In politics he was originally a Whig; but after the disintegration of that once powerful party, he became an ardent Republican, and never changed his fealty to that organization.   Quite a numerous population had settled in Millcreek as early as 1836. Besides Theron Landon, there were Josiah Woodworth, George Berone, James Black, Joseph Haines, John Haines and some others who moved in during the years of 1835 and 1836. Talmond and Joseph Reasoner, Justus Alvord and Samuel G. Wallace were among the early settlers. Talmond Reasoner and his family were of the number who came from New York and settled in Northwestern Ohio. They came to Millcreek township in 1837, and here the old gentleman lived his remaining years. His son, Joseph     - 237 -   238 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   Reasoner, was born in Montgomery county, New York, January 31, 1814, and passed his early years in his native state, farming and working on the Erie Canal. In 1837, he came with his parents to Millcreek township and settled on 16o acres, being thus, of course, one of the earliest pioneers in that part of the county. In politics, Mr. Reasoner was a Republican, and he filled many offices, among which were those of county commissioner, justice of the peace (for twenty-four years), township trustee, assessor, infirmary director, etc. In 1875, he removed to and settled on a farm of 120 acres in Fulton county, and there he lived the remainder of his life.   Justus Alvord was a native of Massachusetts and of English descent. In 1841, he came to Ohio, but stopped in Fulton county until the spring of 1843, when he removed to Millcreek township, and there ended his days. The first hotel in the township was kept by Henry D. Alvord, son of Justus; the first postmaster, as stated above, was Theron Landon, who was a farmer, and, as above stated, served as justice of the peace for many years. The first schoolhouse in the township was built on the present site of the Lutheran church, in section 21. This was also the first preaching place, and when the schoolhouse was removed the first church in the township was built there and dedicated in the winter of 1871.   As before stated, Theron Landon, the first settler, laid out the town of Hamer, but it was abandoned because of poor location or some other reason, and Alvordton was its sprightly successor. The first sawmill was erected at Hamer, in 1855, by George Berone. Landon & Haines were the first merchants in the township and opened their store at Hamer, in 1853.   The first election of which we have any record occurred at the house of George Berone, on the first Monday in April, 1839; but the names of the fortunate ones—who were called from obscurity and compelled to withstand the trying ordeal of having political honors thrust upon them—have not been preserved to posterity.   The town of Alvordton, which had a precarious existence for the first years of its life, gradually assumed the proportions of a thrifty town. Prior to the construction of the Wabash railroad it was scarcely a business center, and had but few families living in it, though there were successful business enterprises located near by. Primrose was one mile to the north, and I-lamer three and one-half miles to the southeast, and they, having the first start, seemed to maintain the advantage. But with the building of the Wabash and the establishment of a station there, the town began to take on life and soon thereafter was incorporated. It is supported by a rich agricultural district, remote from formidable towns, and is an extensive shipping point on the Wabash and Cincinnati Northern railroads. Its business men are a class of progressive and enterprising people, who command ample capital and first-class facilities for the transaction of the large volume of business. Though it hats not made rapid strides in growth, yet its popu-   MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP - 239   lation is mainly of that solid, permanent character, which adds financial strength and stability. According to the census of 1900, the population is four hundred and eighty two. The town now has well built residences and business blocks and good educational advantages and church facilities.   Isaac Shaeffer was the first druggist in Alvordton, going into business there in 1880. Shipman & Page established the first hardware store, the same year.   Millcreek is well supplied with district schools, now in striking contrast with the log houses and antiquated methods of instruction of former days. Among the early teachers in the township were Joseph Reasoner, Miss Sarah McClean, S. B. Doty and David Black—all "sturdy knights of the birch," with the possible exception of the lady. Reference has been made to the first schoolhouse, just north of Alvordton, where, in addition to education, "celestial fire" was sometimes infused into the souls of those who yearned for it. But those were not its only mission. While serving in the multitudinous capacities of town hall, voting place, a general receptacle for itinerant shows and all classes of public meetings, it was also the birthplace of educational interest in Millcreek township. The old log schoolhouse has been superseded by a fine structure in Alvordton, with a systematic arrangement for the instruction of pupils in all grades of advancement, each of the various departments being in charge of a teacher specially adapted to the class of instruction required, and the whole under the supervision of an educator of known ability and success. The schools of Alvordton are second to none of like grade in the county and reflect in a marked degree the intelligence and public spirited enterprise of those who sustain them.   The soil of Millcreek township is generally fertile and well adapted to the raising of all kinds of grain, grasses and fruits. The valleys of Mill and Brush creeks are rich and productive, and as a whole the soil of the township is of excellent quality. It was originally covered with a fine growth of timber in which the hardwood varieties predominated.   CHAPTER XXII   SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP   THIS township was organized June 3, 1839. Since its organization the territory has never been subdivided, and it has had from the first its present limits, which are somewhat greater than an exact Congressional township. This is accounted for by the extension of the township north to the Fulton line, making it a little more than seven miles, north and south, to six miles east and west.   Superior township was settled, as was Williams county generally, by people from older portions of Ohio, intermixed with others from Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York, and an occasional immigrant from the Mother Country or the Father Land. Descendants of these early pioneers people the township to some extent, but so rapid has been the growth of Montpelier and so inviting have been the opportunities offered there, that it can now be said with truth to have the most cosmopolitan population of any township in the county. But whatever their ancestry or wherever their birthplace, the people of Superior township are a class of intelligent and progressive citizens, many of whom are highly cultured and intellectual. Superior township may also be said to be a historic locality. It was a favorite location of the Indians, many years prior to its occupancy by white men, and even during the early days of settlement the red men had a large camp on the St. Joseph river within the present corporation limits of Montpelier.   Superior township is traversed by the St. Joseph river, a stream of considerable size, on each side of which are broad level tracts of land of the rich black loam variety, which is exceptionally fertile as corn land. The slight elevations which at some points confine the bottom lands to narrow limits, and at others extend them to a greater distance, add to the agricultural value and tend to the beauty of a diversified surface. All the lands are strong and fertile clay soil, which yield abundant returns under proper cultivation. Being sufficiently watered by the little streams which abound these lands are especially valuable for grazing purposes, the stock raising industry being a source of profit as well as pleasure. About the only stream, aside from St. Joseph river, which is large enough to be dignified with a name, is Eagle creek, which flows to the river from the northwest. In addition to these, however, there are many spring branches or runs, which constitute the drainage of the township as well as the water supply. With the advantages before   - 240 -   SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP - 241   enumerated, it is not strange that a large number of the farmers are extensively engaged in the stock business, and many of them feed a large share of the grain product of their farms to stock, reared by themselves, while others are buyers and shippers. The growth of this industry is a feature which has kept pace with the agricultural advancement of the township.   Fruit growing is another profitable industry which commands some investment and reasonably large returns. There are those who have kept abreast of the onward march of the horticultural science, and in the scientific propagation and culture of the varieties best adapted to the soil and climate have realized good returns.   Traditional history at best is unreliable, but it becomes especially so when transmitted to the third or fourth generation. No written record exists as to the first settler in Superior township; neither have we all of the names of the first officers of the township. But herewith is presented the names of some of the earliest settlers, early business men and officials: About the year 1834, George Bible settled and built his first cabin about two and one-half miles southeast of Montpelier. The forests abounded with wild animals, among the most dreaded of which were bears and wolves, which would often kill and destroy domestic animals. Mr. Bible is represented, by those who have recollections of him, as a remarkably good shot, who scarcely ever missed his mark. One year, he had a contest with Frederick Miser, of Center township, as to which would kill the larger number of deer within a space of two months, and the match resulted in Mr. Bible killing ninety-nine and his opponent sixty-five. Mr. Bible was much disappointed, it is said, because he failed to bring down one more deer, the task he had imposed upon himself at the outset being a round one hundred.   The second cabin was built by Robert McDaniels, the third by George Wisman, who settled in 1836, and whose land adjoined Mr. Bible's, and the fourth by Joseph Pew, who, bought land in the immediate neighborhood of those above named. Robert McDaniels came from Licking county, Ohio. He was the father of Arvilla McDaniels, who was quite a remarkable personage, and was, perhaps, the best known teacher of early days in the schools of Williams county. At the early age of thirteen, she commenced her life work as a teacher in a common school in Licking county, and after she came to Williams county, she taught at Bryan and other points, and thus continued for more than forty years, teaching one hundred terms in all. Failing health and the advancing age of her parents finally caused her to give up teaching; and when they were removed by death, she caused to be constructed a small but convenient brick residence in Pioneer, which she inhabited until her death, in 1873. Her medical attendant during her last illness was Richard Gaudern, whom she had taught his first lessons, nearly forty years before. Miss McDaniels' life was unpretending, self-   16   242 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   sacrificing and useful, and it was given to the moral, intellectual and religious training of youth.   George Wisman was born in Maryland, in 1798, and his youth was passed with his parents, with whom he remained until twenty-one years of age. He worked for some time at the business of preparing coal for a furnace in Columbiana county, Ohio, and there began farming on eighty acres of woodland, which occupation he followed for four years. He then lived in Massillon for a time, and came to Williams county, October 12, 1836, locating in Superior township, where he had entered 320 acres of land. He developed a fine and extensive farm.   Adam Bechtol was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, November 3, 1809. He lived in the county of his birth until he was twelve years old, when he, with his parents, moved to Lebanon county in the same state. His education consisted of what could be learned in the schools of the place and the period. He remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age, when he learned the trade of a molder, which he followed about eight years, four of them in Massillon. Ohio. He purchased his farm of 28o acres, then woodland, in Superior township, in 1836. He became a thorough farmer and a leading citizen, holding the position of township trustee for nine years and assessing the property in the township eight times.   James Anspaugh was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1809, and attended school but a short tinge, remaining with and assisting his parents until his marriage. He then began farming on rented lard, continuing that mode of life about ten years. He moved to Williams county, in 1839, bringing a yoke of oxen and a pair of steers, and located on 100 acres of government land, clearing the same and opening a road to his house. He steadily added to his landed possessions until he owned 249 acres of excellent land, with many and substantial improvements.   John W. Brannan came from Columbiana county and settled in Superior township, in 1847, where he pursued his vocation as a farmer through a long and honorable life. F. L. Brannan, son of John W., was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, February 5, 1845, and was but two years old when his parents moved to Superior township. He became well educated, attending the district schools and also the high school at Bryan, and began teaching at the age of twenty-one. He began farming on twenty acres of land, but steadily increased his holdings until he became a well-to-do and substantial farmer. He also dealt largely in live stock, and entered public life to the extent of holding the position of Justice of the Peace for six years. About 1890, he migrated west and now lives in Denver, Colorado.   George Kollar moved from Tuscarawas county to Superior township in 1852. His son. John C. Kollar, was born September 23, 1827, and became a leading citizen of the township, He served in Company K, Sixty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war, and was in the campaigns with Grant and Sherman.   Jacob Knepper was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, October   SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP - 243   2, 1803, of German descent, and, when thirteen years of age, was brought to Columbiana county, Ohio, by his parents. He came to Superior township in 1852, and died there, August 11, 1879   Alfred Riley was born in Stark county, Ohio, February 11, 1832̊ His mother died when he was about six years of age and he then went to reside with a sister, also a resident of Stark county, who, with her husband, removed to Williams county in 1845, Alfred accompanying them. He received a good common school education, and at the age of eighteen, began to work by the month on his own account. In 1855, he bought fifty acres of land in Superior township, on which he lived for about seven years. He then sold it and bought a farm of 14o acres in Bridgewater township, upon which he lived until his death. In politics, Mr. Riley was always a Republican. While living in Superior township he served as trustee, in 188o was elected county commissioner, and, in 1883, was re-elected, being the only successful candidate on his party ticket.   William Teats, another old resident of Superior township, and who has recently passed away, was born in Ross county, Ohio. His education embraced such scope as the district school afforded, and when sufficiently old he was apprenticed to a blacksmith. He also learned carpentering and in early manhood removed to old Williams county, locating at Defiance. There lie served as township trustee, eight or ten terms, and as corporation clerk of Defiance, ,one term. He first came to the present Williams county, in 1840, but after remaining a few months, he returned to Defiance and finally came to Superior township in 1849. He spent the remainder of his life on his farm on Eagle Creek, northwest of Montpelier, and died there, June 21, 1905.   John Brannan was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, July 4, 1825,. and in October, 1850, came to Williams county and settled in Superior township, on the farm of 160 acres where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a progressive and enterprising citizen and possessed the confidence of the entire community. He served the township in the offices of assessor and land appraiser, and, in 1884 was elected one of the commissioners of Williams county, serving one term in the latter position. He was not a seeker after public place, but yielded to a sense of duty when called upon to serve his fellow citizens.   Joseph White was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, October 14, 1806, and when fifteen years of age, was apprenticed to a coach-maker, with whom lie remained lour and one-half years, and continued to live in Bucks county until his twenty-third year, when ho removed to New Hope, Pennsylvania, and set up his trade there. Its 1835, lie removed to Crawford county, Ohio, and purchased eighty acres, fifteen of which were cleared. This he sold, and, coming to Williams county. in 1839, entered 160 acres. He assisted in clearing two and one-half miles of road to reach the mill at West Buffalo, and lie served one term as Justice of the Peace of Superior township.   James Starr was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, January 15, 1811, and his youth-time, when not at school, was spent on the farm. Removing to Massillon, Stark county, Ohio, he followed   244 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   clerking for a time, and came to Superior township, in 1839, where he entered eighty acres of land, on which he lived the remainder of his life, with the exception of a short time which he again spent in Stark county. He began the first improvement on his land in 1839, but did not occupy it until 1842, and his fist abode was a primitive log cabin. To his first entry of land he added until he owned 456 acres, and in addition to farming the same he dealt extensively in stock.   Henry Dellinger was born in York county, Pennsylvania, November 27, 1813, and his early life was passed at the place of his birth. His opportunities for acquiring an education were exceedingly meager. He learned the trade of a weaver and began the strife of life for himself when sixteen years of age, following the trade for a livelihood, and also for a number of years working in the coal mines of Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 1841, he removed to Superior township and located on eighty acres of government woodland. This he cleared, and afterwards added eighty acres more, again forty, and so on until, in 1867, he possessed 24o acres. He removed to Montpelier, in 1877, and passed his remaining days in retirement.   Joseph Griffith was born in Belmont county, Ohio, February 25, 1813, and his youth was passed with his parents, with whom he resided until his marriage. He then continued the pursuit of farming, about twelve years, on rented land, when he purchased ninety-three acres in Superior township, on which lie settled in 1851, and began making improvements. In 1869, he sold his farm and purchased more land west of Montpelier; then removed to Metz, Indiana, and remained there two years. Subsequently he erected a store and residence in Montpelier and continued in the mercantile business there until 188i, when he was burned out. After that he devoted his attention to farming. In public life he served three years as Justice of the Peace of Superior township.   Charles Brundydge was born, September 27, 1800, in Westchester county, New York, and lived at the place of his birth until twenty years of age, attending school and laboring on the farm. He then removed to Connecticut, engaging at farm labor, and two years later came to Huron county, Ohio, where he purchased fifty-three acres of woodland, which he cleared and improved. This he exchanged, in 1842, for 16o acres of unimproved land in Superior township, where lie resided until his death.   Andrew Dunlap came from Columbiana county, Ohio. to Williams county, in 1842, and spent the remainder of a long and honorable life in Superior township. He was a native of Ireland, his birth occurring in the little Green Isle, in 17c6. In childhood lie accompanied his parents to America and lived in Columbiana count- until his removal to Williams. He then settled on a farm two miles east of Montpelier, where lie lived until death claimed him, in 1888.   Montpelier is the principal town in Superior township: and it also holds the second and is rapidly forging to the front as a competitor for the first position among the towns of Williams county. It was laic] out in 1845, by Jesse Tucker and I. K. Briner. upon land owned   SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP - 245   by William S. Miller. It is probable that Messrs. Tucker and Briner had purchased the land on contract; but as no transfer to them was ever recorded, they doubtless failed to realize their expectations in the sale of lots and allowed the real estate to revert to Mr. Miller. In 1849, the latter disposed of his holdings to John Miller, who inaugurated the sale of lots and the embryo town was started. But it remained only nominally a town for thirty years and was not incorporated until 1875, the delay being caused by its slow growth and the paucity of population. The survey and grading of the roadbed through Montpelier for the old Canada Southern Railway caused a small "boom" for the village, but the abandonment of the project again retarded its growth, and the census enumeration of 1880 gave a population of only 405. With the completion of the Detroit and Butler branch of the Wabash, however, a rapid increase in population began; and the later addition of the Montpelier and Chicago, and the Montpelier and Toledo branches of the same—combined with the enterprising spirit of the citizens—accelerated the forward movement until in rapid growth Montpelier has had few equals east of the Mississippi River. The United States census tells the story in its returns of the population: 1880, four hundred and five; 1890, twelve hundred and ninety-three; 1900, one thousand eight hundred and, sixty-nine. Since the taking of the last census, however, its growth has been phenomenal, but as no enumeration has been taken the population can only be estimated. At the Presidential election of 1904, there were 673 votes cast in the village, and counting four to each voter (which is usually considered a minimum estimate), the population in 1905, is at least 2,700.   The name Montpelier is one of French origin, and there are two. noted places in the United States which bear the same cognomen. One is the capital of Vermont, and the other is the former country home and present burial ,place of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States. How the town of which we write came to be christened Montpelier is not positively known, but it may be assumed as probable that the name was given it in honor of one or the other of the noted places mentioned, or else was selected because of its phonetic beauty. The postoffice was established there, December 28, 1846, and Conroy W. Mallory was the first man who was authorized to handle the mail.   The development of Montpelier in manufacturing has been no less remarkable than has been its increase in population. It is difficult if not impossible to give the exact date of the establishment of the first industrial or commercial enterprise in the town, but not far from and perhaps prior to 1845, Messrs. Tucker & Briner built a grist mill, which was run by water power, near the spot where the Montpelier City Mills are now located. A saw-mill, operated by Tucker & Hues-ton, was preparing lumber for the settlers in 1844, and this was doubtless the first manufacturing establishment ;n the place. A tannery was built as early as 1848, but it was conducted only a few years and was then abandoned. Upon some points there exists considerable di-   246 - HISTORY OF WILLIAMS COUNTY   versity of opinion, but it is generally conceded that Conroy W. Mallory opened the first general merchandise store on the site now occupied by Montpelier, in 1845, although prior to that date, Jacob Snyder and William Crissey had a small store and ashery west of town, on the place known as the "Brundydge Farm." No village was located there, but it was commonly known as "Tuckertown." The ashery at that place was succeeded bẙ one within the original limits of Montpelier, west of the park on the east bank of the river, and, being yet in operation, it is the oldest landmark in the town. The writer has been unable to learn the exact date of its erection, but it was termed the "old ashery" in the boyhood days of those who now have a surplus of "silvery threads among the gold." The foundry is another early establishment that is still in existence, and it seems to have kept pace with the town in its development. It was built by Lewis Wingert, in 1865. The Empire House was the first hostelry in the place and it is still standing, although it has been "put out of business" by the growth of the town and the removal of its business center to a point further east. Of the present business and manufacturing interests of Montpelier, time and space forbids a resume. Besides, this volume is intended to be a history and not a business directory: and if it were the latter, at least monthly editions and additions would be necessary to fairly represent and keep pace with the rapid strides of the town and the development of its many industries.   Montpelier is beautifully situated on the banks of the St. Joseph River, the power from which made it possible to establish the first grist mill and saw mills—prime necessities of the early pioneers. The river bounds the village on the north and west, and seemingly is loth to leave the favored spot in its journey to the place where it loses its name, and, mingling its waters with those of the St. Mary's, assists in the formation of the historic Maumee.   The first election after the incorporation of the village was held, April 5, 1875, and the following officers were chosen: Mayor, Joel D. Kriebel; clerk, Jacob Leu; treasurer, John Allen; marshal, Jesse Blue. The gentlemen who officiated as election officers were Frank L. Speaker, Nathan E. Fry and \V. M. Gillis, judges, and J. D. Kriebel and T. E. Lamb, clerks. The men who were first chosen to guide the destinies of the village were representatives of the varied business interests then existing. Joel D. Kriebel, who was elected mayor, was identified with the manufacturing interests and had considerable to do with the early railroad projects. He is yet a resident of the town.   Jacob Leu, who served as the first clerk of the village, was a native of Switzerland and was born near Baden, May 24, 1832. He received his education and fourteen years' business experience in the dry goods line before emigrating to America. He came, in 1860, to Waterville, Ohio, where he accepted a clerkship and remained five years, and then began business for himself at Bryan, in dry goods and general merchandise, which line of business he followed continuously until his death in 1897. From Bryan he removed to Butler, Indiana, thence     SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP - 247   to Pettisville, Ohio, and later to Wauseon, where he remained until 18i3. In the latter year he established his residence and engaged in business in Montpelier, which place continued to be his home theremainderr of his life. Mr. Leu was quite prominent in local affairs, filling the position of town clerk for six years, town treasurer, and was also a member of the board of education.   John Allen was born in Superior township, May 14, 1847. He attended the public schools until he was sixteen years of age, was then a student at the Bryan Academy for one year, then for six months conducted a drug store at Edon, and for two years followed the same business at Fremont. Indiana. In 1870, he returned to Montpelier and established himself in the drug and grocery business with which he was connected for a number of years. He was elected township clerk ill 1873, the first treasurer of Montpelier, in 1875, township treasurer, in 1877, and was several times re-elected to the latter position. In 1887, he went west and has since been living in the state of Kansas.   The present officials of Montpelier are as follows: Mayor, Clyde E. Thomas; clerk, James A. Weaver; treasurer, Willard A. Louden.   Services of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Superior township date from the Year 1849, when the first regular house of worship was built at Eagle Creek, northwest of Montpelier. Prior to that date, off course, services were held at private residences and school houses, and this first church building was a primitive affair, being constructed of hewn logs. This has been succeeded by a substantial frame structure and the congregation at that point has been prosperous from its inception to the present day.   The Presbyterians,, also, maintain a strong and prosperous organization in the township, their missionaries being among the first to visit the community in the interests of Christianity. The second house of worship, a frame building, was erected by them, in 1850, and its location was south of Montpelier, in what has been known for years as the Brannan settlement. The first building was succeeded by another of larger dimensions, in 1873, which is known as the Bethesda Church.   The Disciple Church, located on the south line of the township and cne mile west of the east line, was built in 1850. Union Chapel is situated two miles north of the south line and one and three-fourths miles east of the west line—denomination, United Brethren. The Lutheran Reformed, or Zion's Church, situated four miles west and south of Montpelier, was built a number of years ago and was probably the first brick structure for religious services erected in the township.   In Montpelier, the German Lutheran is the oldest church building now in use. It is a frame structure and was built in 1880. The United Brethren erected a building about 1859, which for years they used for church purposes, but upon the division of the church, about 1890, two separate organizations were formed, and each now has a new and modern structure. The Presbyterians have had a church building and a resident pastor in Montpelier for years, and the Methodists, too, have prospered and have an elegant brick church building, than which   218 - HISTORY OF WILLLAMS COUNTY   few are found that is more conveniently arranged. One of the earliest church buildings in the town was a frame structure, erected by the Methodists. It has been converted to other uses, but in former days, aside from religious services, it was a meeting place for lectures, moral entertainments and political meetings. The voices of many noted men have been heard within its walls, among them being James A. Garfield, who delivered a political address therein in 1877,   There are cemeteries in connection with nearly all of the churches of Superior township, outside of the village of Montpelier; and, prior to a comparatively recent date, a burial ground southeast of town was generally used as a place of interment for the dead. But with the growth of the village a beautiful site was selected a half a mile west of town and Riverside Cemetery was established.   Montpelier is well supplied with the various social and beneficial orders, each having a large membership and being in a substantial condition. The list comprises Montpelier Lodge No. 745, I. O. O. F.; Montpelier Lodge No. 547, F. & A. M.; Superior Lodge No. 269, K. of P.; Hiram Louden Post No. 155, G. A. R.; W. R. C. No. 210: Williams Camp No. 218, S. of V.   Deserving of special mention, in the consideration of social and benevolent societies in Montpelier, is Hiram Louden Post No. 155, Grand Army of the Republic. As is well known, every honorably discharged Union soldier of the Civil war is eligible to membership in this fraternal organization; and very few of the survivors of that great struggle deny themselves the benefits and social privileges, unless prevented by religious scruples or enfeebled health. But the lapse of forty years since the close of the war, and nearly forty-five years since the beginning, has devastated the ranks of that once proud and unconquerable army, and left the remnant in the "sere and yellow leaf" of declining years. But with the thinning ranks, as one falls here and another there, the "boys" of 1861 proudly and reverently "close up to the right," maintaining and ever cherishing a kindly regard for their late comrades in arms, and their dependent widows and orphan:. This is the dominant feature of the Grand Army of the Republic, and right loyally do the survivors and their devoted wives, sons and daughters fulfill the mission. This is the only fraternal organization with a "time limit" as to its existence. In the very nature of things it must soon only become a memory. Hiram Louden Post was organized, November 22, 1881, with ten ex-soldiers as charter members; N. P. Watson, J. A. Dorshimer, J. Dewees, C. H. Freebern, E. T. Wisman, H. Woolf, J. C. Ott, B. Hagerty, M. C. Moores and O. Lowry. The total enrollment since the organization has exceeded two hundred members, and at present there are ninety in good standing, numbering within its ranks a large majority of the survivors of the war now residing in Superior and adjoining townships. The Post owns its property in Montpelier—a fine and spacious G. A. R. hall, valued at $6,000—and its "camp fires" and. social gatherings are a source of pleasure to old and young. In the name of the Post is preserved the memory of Hiram Louden, a gallant Williams county sol   SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP - 249   dier. He was born in Liberty township, Crawford county, Ohio, January 13, 1836, and was the son of Moses H. and Emaline (Bacon) Louden, who were among the first settlers of Superior township. He answered the first call to arms, enlisting on April 22, 1861, in Company C, Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After serving three months, which was the term of this first enlistment, he again enlisted on December 5, 1862, in the First Ohio Volunteer Sharpshooters. He died of typhoid fever at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, June 17, 1863.   Montpelier is justly proud of her excellent schools. The youth of the town and surrounding country have the advantages of a most excellent high school, which prepares them for higher institutions of learning, should they desire a more complete education. A handsome modern school building adorns a sightly location in the central part of town, while the instructors are selected with great care and retained as long as they render efficient and conscientious service. Some of the graduates of the Montpelier High School, without further educational advantages, are filling important positions in various parts of the country. There are ten excellent district schools in successful operation in Superior township, presided over by a corps of specially qualified and professionally educated teachers of both sexes.