USA > Ohio > Butler County > A history and biographical cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio, with illustrations and sketches of its representative men and pioneers. Vol. 2 > Part 62
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After marriage he came to Batler County, in 1860, locating in Union Township. After four years in Union Township he went to Fairfield! Township, where he con- ducted the Windisch farm for twelve years. It was the farm formerly owned by R. M. Shoemaker. In the Spring of 1877 Mr. Townsend purchased the farm form- erly owned by E. Beekley, consisting of one hundred and sixty-five acres of fine land, with residence and ample buildings. He had no start in lite, and has wrought his destiny Himself. He and his wife are worthy members of the Methodist Church at Port Union.
W. L. Van Hise was born in Union Township Au- gust 5, 1840, and is the only son of William W. Van Hise and Jane M. Truesdale. She is from New Jersey, and is of German and English extraction. W. L. Van Hise began as a clerk, when fifteen years of age, and in 1863 began business in Westchester. After three years he went to St. Louis, where he remained three years. He then came to Cincinnati, where he was in a whole- sale grocery for three years, and then returned to West- chester. In March 1879, he entered into partnerbstp with James Schenck, in the firm of Schenck & Co. He keeps a general store, and does an extensive and increas- ing trade. He is also a grain buyer. Mr. Vau Hise was the township treasurer for two terms, beginning " 1863. He was married December 3. 1863, to Mos Ka- chel A. Van Hise, daughter of James Van Hise. Thea children are Nellie, born December 3, 1864, and Clarence L., born February 5, 1872. They are members of the
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UNION.
Henry T. Voorhees was born in Warren County, Ohio, July 4, 1803, and is the oldest son of Daniel Voorhees and Betsy Tucker, natives of the State of New Jersey. Daniel Voorhees settled at Lebanon, Warren County, having previously been a teamster for General Wayne's army. The occupation at which Henry T. Voorhees first began was farming, following it till he be- came of age, and for two or three years after. He was married about 1825 to Mary Brandeburg, a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Voorhees were the parents of five children, of whom three survive. Daniel B. lives in Omaha, Nebraska ; Eliza was the wife of Wesley Caldwell, and died about 1860; Israel is a resident of Union Township; Charlotte is the wife of Milton Thom- son, living in Warren County; and Henry died in his infuncy.
Mr. Voorhees continued a resident of Warren County until 1837, then removing to Union Township, in this county. He now has an improved place of one hundred and forty acres of valuable land, and under a high state of cultivation. He began with nothing. When he was first married they had to borrow cooking utensils. Mrs. Voorhees is a member of the Baptist Church at Muddy Creek. They now live in a comfortable and commodious residence, built about 1844.
John George Wehr was born in Bavaria, January 10, 1800. He was the son of John Webr and Susannah Hauser. He received a fair education in Germany, and was brought up a shepherd. He was married in 1839 to Barbara Heilenger, born in Germany in 1810, on the 29th of June. They were the parents of eight children. of whom six are now living. Lena Barbara was born February 2, 1840, and is now Mrs. Jackson Meahl. Mary Elizabeth was born December 2, 1844, and is now the wife of George Muskopf of Butler County. Simon D. was born June 25, 1846, and is now residing on the home place, as is the next brother, George C., born Sep- tember 15, 1848. Barbara was born September 20, 1850, and is the wife of Charles H. Shepherd, of Union Township. Andrew H. was born July 8, 1852. Mr. Wehr came to America in 1843, being in Hanover Town- ship four years, St. Clair two years, Liberty eight years,
and twelve years in Fairfield, renting places. In 1871 he purchased the farm where he now lives from James Patchell. It consists of ninety acres. They are mem- bers of the Lutheran Church. He is a Democrat in politics.
Frederick Wicke was born in the kingdom of Han- over, near Bremen, March 16, 1839. He is the son of Henry Wicke and Olive Koolman. He received a fair education, but at the age of seventeen determined to emigrate to America, and continued his journey until he reached Cincinnati. There he was employed six months, thence going to Sharonville, where he remained until coming to Westchester in the Spring of 1859. In that year he commenced buying produce, doing a prosperous basiness. He rented a small farm known as the Peter Moore place. September 19, 1861, he was married to Miss Nancy Lemon, born in Huntsville, Sep- tember 17, 1844. She is the daughter of Christopher Lemon, an early settler in Liberty Township. They have had six children, of whom two are dead. Olive A. was born February 28, 1865; Mary E., April 5, 1868, dying in infancy; John T. died at the age of fourteen mouths; Henry R, November 28, 1875; and Anna C., January 1, 1878.
Mr. Wicke continued on the Pliny Moore place till the Spring of 1862, when he went to Liberty Township, engaging in farming and the buying of live stock. This he continued until the Spring of 1865, when he pur- chased the Aug farm, near Westchester, where he still lives. It consists of two hundred and twenty-five acres of land adjoining Westchester, of a valuable quality, and finely cultivated. He built his present residence in 1869. It has fine barns and outbuildings. Mr. Wicke is largely engaged in buying live stock and shipping it to the Cincinnati markets, doing this in addition to man- aging his own place. He had nothing to begin on, and his life is a good example of what industry will accom- plish. He has held the office of township trustee for eight years. He is an ardent Democrat in politics, and is an active and influential citizen. Mr. Wicke is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and Mrs. Wieke of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.
MADISON.
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MADISON TOWNSHIP was originally a portion of Lemon. It lies on the north border of the county, and is divided from Lemon by the Miami River, which flows from north-east to south-west, and separates the two town- ships in such a way that the lower part of Madison is very narrow. Nearly the whole distance north of Tren- ton the hills border ou the river; but below the bottom spreads out, and forms a wide alluvial plain. At Mid- dletowu the river divides in two parts, the old and the new, the latter increasing in volume year by year, and the former lessening. The bridge across the river here is precarious, and liable to be washed away by the flood at any time. A couple of miles west of the river the hills rise to a great height, and afford beautiful views.
Settlement was begun about 1802, when the lands were offered for sale; but there were a few squatters there before. The first compact settlement was at what is now known as Trenton. This is the most considerable village in the township. Other places are known here as Miltonville, Poasttown, Madison City, and Woodsdale. Astoria is a local Dame applied to a neighborhood in the west center, where there was formerly a post-office. Elk Creek is the principal stream beside the Miami; but all the brooks and creeks are liable to sudden overflows, and then become torrents of no mean magnitude. The Cin- cinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad passes through the length of the township near the river bank, and is of great value to the inhabitants.
Samuel Dickey, wife, aud four children emigrated from Franklin County, Kentucky, and settled on Section 28, Township 2, Range 4, east, April, 1799, where Istac Diekey was born in the same year, being the first white child in that township. He was followed by Jesse MeCray in 1799, aud Elward Gee and Job Gee, in the same year; Joe! Martin, Llewellyn Martin, Llewellyn Simpson, and Bambo Harris, colored, in 1800; Alexan- der Chambers and William Baldwin, in 1801 ; Adam Deem and Thomas Israel, in 1803; the widow White and Daniel Drake, in 1804; Andrew Wagner, Henry Hoffman, Noah Long, Gideon Long, and David Long, in 1805.
The following settlers came before the War of 1812: Noah Long, Gideon Long, David Long, Abraham Miller, John Snyder, Sen., John Miller, Jeremiah Miller, Abra- ham Marts, Jacob Francis, Jacob Snyder, Jr., Samuel Snyder, John Sayder, George Snyder, Daniel Kemp, John Kemp, Jacob Kemp, Philip Kemp, Nathan Dough- erty, Adam Deem, John Fi. Deem, John Doem, Sen., John Farver, John Chambers, Alexander Chambers, An- drew Garison, Jacob Widner, John Widner, Saanich
Widner, John Lingle, Sen., John Lingle, Jr., Philip Leffler, Solomon Leffler, Adam Leffler, Thomas Leffler, Leonard Lingle, Thomas Lingle, Michael De Bolt, Henry Weaver, John Thomas, Joseph Hinkle, Elias Compton, Thomas Israel, William Weaver, Noah Long, Gideon Long, David Long, John Lucas, Samuel Lucas, David Banker, John Banker, Soll Banker, Jacob Temple,- Christopher Reed, Andrew Waggoner, Henry Hoffman, John Francis, Christian Coon, John Webber, Edward Gee, Job Gee, Samuel Dickey, Llewellyn Martin, Joe! Martin, Daniel Drake, William Baldwin, Bambo Harris.
The first grist-mill was built on Elk Creek in the year 1800, by Bambo Harris (colored). It was on the south-east quarter of Section 18. Previous to that time, the pioneers of Madison Township had to go to near the mouth of the Little Miami River, in Clermont County, to get their corn ground for bread.
The first saw-mill was built on Elk Creek in 1801, by Joel Martin, on the south-east quarter of Section 7. The first manufactory was built by George Dickey, on Elk Creek, in the year 1819, where wool was carded, cloth dressed and pressed, and flax-seed oil made. The oil was shipped to New Orleans on flat-boats.
On the north-east quarter of Section 17, belonging to the heirs of Thomas Lingle, deceased, is a remarkable red sulphur medical spring, which is visited every few days by people from a distance, with kegs and jugs for water for their health. On the north-east quarter of Section 33 are two remarkable fresh water springs. They are about forty feet apart, one on the north side of a hill, the other on the south side of another promi- nence, facing each other. The amount of water from each spring would fill a three-inch tube.
On the north-east quarter of Section 33 is a rock which is forty-three feet one inch in circumference. About two-thirds of this rock is in the ground, and six feet above ground. Ou Browu's Run, in Section 34. on the land of Lewis Wagner, is a cedar tree about four feet in diameter. The tree has been recently discovered !. A part of the tree is in a hill two hundred feet above the part in the bottom of the creek.
Near the month of Elk Creek was a mill built about the year 1810, by Mr. Gunkel. The building was made of hewed logs and had three run of buhrs. A saw-ndil was attached. The next flouring-mill was built at what is now Miltonville, about the year 1814. with a saw-mil! also; and a third was built by a Mr. Morrison ou Si- tion 19. The third merchant mill on Elk Creek was built by Jacob Suyder, on the north-east quarter of rer tion 18, with three run of buhrs, and a saw-mill al -..
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MADISON.
The Snyder mill manufactured more flour, which was shipped to New Orleans, than all the other mills on Elk Creek. These mills have gone down, except the one in Miltonville, which coufines itself to grist work. The Vail mill, on the Miami River, was for many years the prominent merchant-mill on this portion of the Miami River.
TRENTON.
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Trenton is situated on the corners of Sections 5, 6, 31, and 32; about a mile from the Miami, on the great high- way which passes east and west, and was formerly known as the State road. It sprung from a colony of New Jer- soy people, who came here about the year 1800, headed by Deacon Michael Pearce and Eider Stephen Gard. Some of the members of this colony had come out previously, and their attachment to their native State was shown by the names they conferred upon the village which after- wards grew up there. Bloomfield was its first title. It was named after Governor Bloomfield, of New Jersey, who was one of the early successors of William Livingston, and who was also a United States Senator. Its plat was dedicated about 1815, but there was a cluster of houses there previously. When it reached the dignity of a post- office it was found that there was another Bloomfield in the State, and the name was changed to Trenton, also in honor of Now Jersey.
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Here existed in the first year of the century a Baptist Church, originally a little west of the town, but after- wards moveil in. This was the earliest Church organiza- tion in the county, and it is still in existence. Here in this village lived the Rev. Stephen Gard and Dr. Squier Littell, the first resident minister and doctor of the county. Trenton, indeed, is an older settlement than any other in our limits, except Hamilton, Rossville, and Middletown. The Rev. Mr. Gard organized the present Church at Trenton in 1800, and was its pastor at his death, August 14, 1839. He organized nearly all the Baptist Churches within the Miami Valley-Trenton, Middletown, Franklin, Hamilton, and the Firs' Church of Dayton, and sonic others. He was born Novem- ber 3, 1776, in Essex County, New Jersey. He re- ceived his education in a common school, except a few months in a private classical school in his native county. He was married to Rachel Pearce in 1801. He emigrated to Ohio about the end of the last century, making a temporary stay at Columbia, and moving to Trenton the same year. He came to Ohio in company with his father-in-law and family, Dr. Littell accompanying them.
Michael Pearce was in good circumstances, and he had a large family of daughters. Mary married Squier Lit- tell. She was a very excellent woman. Rhoda aud Sa- | rah married Joseph Taylor; Rachel married Mr. Gard ; Phebe married Joseph Gard ; Elizabeth married .Alex- ander Van Pelt; Ama married James Urmston. Mr. Pearce had two sons, Squier and John. John died here, and Squier died in Laporte County, Indiana.
Deacon Michael Pearce died at his residence in Tren- ton on Monday, the fourth day of June, 1838, in the eighty-ninth year of his age. He was born at Scotch Plains, Essex County, New Jersey, in August, 1749, and lived there for many years, and married Phebe Squier, of the same place, by whom he had eleven children, ten of whom lived to be men and women. He served as a deacon of the regular Baptist Church more than forty years, and died, as he lived, full and strong in the faith of the Gospel. He was a firm friend to the liberties of his country, and bore arms in the Revolutionary War. He was eighteen years a merchant of Morris County, New Jersey, and with the pioneers of the West removed with his family to Cineinnati in the Summer of 1792, entered land in Butler County, and removed on it in 1804, where he remained until taken away by death.
The Rev. Stephen Gard's daughter Eliza married William Wilson, of Middletown. She is dead. Wilson was a merchant, afterwards going to Laporte, Indiana, and buying two sections of land. Phebe married Wilke- son Taylor, brother to Joseph Taylor. Dr. Isaac N. married Louisa Todd, of Newport, Ky., and Dr. Fair- man married Lucy, a sister of Louisa. Sarah married John C. Potter. Mary L. married Ezra Potter, and Rachel died unmarried. Rev. Mr. Gard was twice mar- ried. His second wife was Mary Van Horn. By her he had one child, William V. Gard, a physician in this county and in Warren.
John Smith was the first tavern-keeper in the place. Report says that 'Squire Littell and Stephen Gard were the first store-keepers, and Clark Potter the second. They were succeeded by James Patterson and MeKnight & Lee. Ezra Potter, of Hamilton, was a store-keeper there for a long time. Stephen Gard was the first man who had shingles on his house. The town has had a very slow growth, and now only numbers about three hundred inhabitants .. There are three stores. Henry Burke kept store here twenty years, but is now deceased. Frederick M. Burke occupies the same building, and has carried on business a little more than a year. Dill An- drews aud Joseph Eicher are the other store-keepers. There is one hotel, kept by John Kinzel, and six drinl .- ing saloons. Jacob Hinkel, in the carriage, buggy and spring-wagon manutheture, has been in the business for eighteen years. Mckinney also carries on the black- smith business.
Trenton has four churches. The Baptist Church was founded in 1800, the German Reformed in 1868, aud the Evangelical Lutheran was remodeled in 1878. it is the finest structure in Trenton. The Roman Catholic Church is very pretty, and is situated on bigh, ele-vatel grounds. There are four cemeteries, all of which are aderued with monuments and slabs scarcely canaled elsewhere by any similar place. The place takes deep interest in education, and has a fine school building, which is two stories high and has six rooms. all well
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.
furnished, and about two hundred pupils. J. W. Coyle | is the superintendent.
At the railroad there is an elevator carried on by Deitz, Good & Co., merchants and grain dealers, which cost 86,000. It was put up in the year 1877, and has a capacity of thirty thousand bushels of grain. The build- ing is eighty-four fect long by forty feet wide, and has a large steam-boiler and engine to operate it. It also moves a grist-mill.
Jeremiah Marston was born in Kennebec County, Maine, March 19, 1798. His father was a Methodist minister, and as is generally the case with the elerical profession, bad but little of this world's goods to bestow upon his children. Jeremiah left his native State in the year 1819, and came to Butler County, where he passed the remainder of his days. In June, 1821, he was united in marriage with Miss Vail, with whom he lived happily for thirty-five years. From this marriage eight children survive them.
Mr. Marston was strictly an upright man. Industri- ous and persevering in business, economical in the man- agement of his affairs, he was enabled to areumulate a sufficiency of this world's goods to live in easy and inde- pendent circumstances, so far as wealth is concerned. Kind and generous to the poor and unfortunate, and honorable in all his dealings with his fellow-man, he had an extensive circle of friends. In politics he was & Whig while that party had a living existence; thence he was found acting with the Republican party. At one time he held the appointment of associate judge. He died about the beginning of the war.
There is an association in Madison Township that can lay some claim to antiquity. The subscribers met on the 28th of October, 1843, at Trenton, and appointed Jere- minh Marston president, and Erta Potter sceretary, and resolved that they would organize and form themselves into a society for the purpose of protecting their property against thieves and counterfeiters, and that they adopt a constitution and by-laws. The names of the organizers were Jeremiah Marston. Ezra Potter, Ellis Miller, Robert Buscabark, Aaron Ball, John Hunt, Samuel Landis, John Good, Henry Good, Devil Paulin, Silas Long, Henry Sollers, James Law, and Francis Cornthwait.
The society has helt its mcetings quarterly for thirty- three years. It has hel upon its roll of members fifty- seven names, and now numbers thirteen members. It had for a protection fund in 1876 three hundred and twenty-four dollars. It is a regularly incorporated com- pany, by the name of the "Trentou and Miltonville Benevolent Protection Society." It is generally nick- named " Horse Company." The members in 1876 were John Hunt, Henry Good, John Good, Elias Mattix, Theodore Marston, Bevjandin DoBolt, Elias Long, Heury Gautehy, John Law, Peter Thomas, John Thomas, Will- iam Richter, and J. G. Long. The admittance ice is three dollars.
The following persons are buried in the cemetery of the German Reformed Church :
Henry Smith, born 1788, and died 1872; aged 84. John M. Yager, died March 11, 1867 ; aged 72.
In the Lutheran grave-yard are the following:
Henry Sellers, died February 23, 1879; aged 82. Cath- erine, consort of Henry Sellers, died July 29, 1871 ; aged 76. Henry Berk, died 1881 ; aged 65. Barbara Berk, died April 23, 1877; aged 62. Jacob Wikel, died January 23. 1878; aged 76.
These are in the Mennonite grave-yard :
Jacob Augspurger, died November 2, 1867; aged 56. Catharine Augspurger, died October 2, 1856; aged 17.
In the Trenton cemetery the first burial was in the year 1-801. The name is Phebe Gard. The stone is so worn by time that the full inscription can not be given.
In memory of Reverend Stephen Gard, who died August 14, 1839 ; aged 62 years 9 months and 11 days. Rachel Gard, wife of Rev. Stephen Gard, died April 1, 1816; aged 35 years. David Gard, son of Stephen Gard, died February €, 1807. In memory of Mary Maxwell, formerly Mary Litteli, died February 5, 1813; aged 62 years. Sarah Kerr, died June 15, 1835; aged 80 years. Michael Pearce, died Angust 27, 1838; aged 88. Phobe Pearce, died March 27, 1832; aged 76 years. Rhoda Taylor, died April 2, 1819; aged 27 years.
BROWNSTOWN.
Many years ago a place was laid out a mile east of Trenton, and called Brownstown. It would now be en- tirely forgotten except for a tragedy which happened there more than sixty years ago. The place was at the ferry of the Miami River, and was on the old State road, a great thoroughfare from east to west. Davis Ball was the ferryman. He was a large, fat old man. and for years had left the practical control of the boat to his son, who was a vigorous and athletic young fellow. In March, 1819, young Ball had gone down to the mouth of the Miami River with a party, as pilot and boatman, and there was no one to mi nage the ferry except his father. The river had risco to a great height, and its current looked very formidable, when one morning a party of several men and boys, with a young lady, came down from Seven Mile, and asked to be put over. Mr. Ball refused. He showed them the stream, and declared it was dangerous. They insisted, and he finally consented. The men promised to help him to work the boat, which was operated by the force of the water pressing sideways upon it. A rope reached across the river from bank to bank, on which were two pulleys, with ropes passing from them to the boat. Before consenting to take his load, Mr. Ball made a condition that the girl should be left behin.l. So they started, and the entire population of the village of Brownstown turned out to see them. The population. however, was not more than eight or nine. The beat started with its freight, consisting of Captain AAul and !i- sout, Thomas Wilson, William and Daniel Craig. Thomas-
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MADISON.
Thompson, Mr. Ball, a dog, and two horses. The men were nervous and inexperienced, and when near the middle of the stream one of them attempted to take up some slack in the cordage. He tried it too quickly, and the rope snapped, which occasioned the breaking of the other rope, and the overturning of the boat. Young Aul succeeded in getting on top of the boat, and floated down with it, but the others had no such opportunity.
It was an agonizing sight to those on shore. An old lady who is now living in Amanda related the stery to us. She was then a blooming girl, but is now about ciglity-four years of age. Her name is Ryerson. She was there with her father, and saw the whole affeeting disaster. The force of the current carried the men to- ward the opposite shore, so that the rails and pieces of wood which were thrown in by Mrs. Ryerson's father and others did not reach them. Mr. Ball was found two hours after on a sand-bar below, standing perfectly upright. On his way down he kept praying and talking to the people on the bank. One of the Craigs was almost saved. . He had nearly reached the shore, when he turned about to help his brother, and was caught in the current. Another of the men swam down after the boat, but could not get to it. Young Aul, who was saved, was perched upon it. He was a mere boy. The dog and the two horses were drowned. The dog, in his frantic efforts to save himself, several times placed his paws on the shoulders of the men who were floating down, and helped to exhaust their strength. Those who were drowned were Captain Aul, Daniel Craig, Davis Ball, Thomas Wilson, and William Craig. The neigh- borhood turned out, and their bodies were shortly after- ward recovered. This, and the killing of the Boal family in Hamilton, by a stroke of lightning, were the two most remarkable calamities that happened in Butler County during its earlier period of history.
MILTONVILLE.
This village is situated about one mile north of Tren- ton, and contained, in 1852, about one hundred and fifty inhabitants, one church, one school-house, two stores, two hotels, one merchant-mill, one saw-mill, and two put- teries, which furnished ware to Dayton, Germantown, Eaton, Oxford, Hamilton, etc. Two teams were con- stantly running with this kind of ware, for which they found a ready sale. The place was laid out by Rich- ard Crane and Theophilus Egglesfield, who were the first settlers. Additions to the original plat have been made by John Jolis and John Kemp, Jr. The village has a healthy and pleasant location, and is surrounded by the most beautiful country. The houses are mostly of brick, and present a very neat and comfortable ap- bearanen. It is situated on Section 30.
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