USA > Ohio > Darke County > A pictorial outline history of Darke County, Ohio with portraits and biography of prominent citizens of the county, county and ex-county officials, attorneys at law, city officials, bankers, capitalists, business men, teachers, ministers, agriculturalists and notable citizens of the county > Part 6
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Frederik ..
.. Jr.
Caroline ..
John C. Deulmer. Augusta
Sohn Bubeck. Paulina Henry Inger. Lena
+
Adam
Caroline
Amelia
William Koester. Charlotte
Sophia
Carl Strobel.
Wilhelmina Strobe!
Henry Fanny Herman Schwier. Wilhelmine
Anna
Frederik Hupe. John Knick. Augusta " Wilhelmine Krueckeberg. Carl
sophia Augusta 1.
Barbara
Charles Meier.
i pra William
W.Hum Shafer, Mary John Susanuah
Frederik Deubner, Mary 6.
1
Frederik Requartii.
James Margaret ..
Henry
George Stratner.
Charles C. Krucela beig. Caroline 45 Charles .: Frederik Amolia
Jr.
Augusta Lewis Scherer.
Catharine ** Daniel
66
Henry Kruockeberg.
Lewis Minnie Nophia 66
Christian August Koster.
Lizzie Henry Krueckeberg, J .. Charlotte 66
Gottlieb Dismeier.
Charlotte Frederik ..
Witho'mine
WHhon Requarth, Sen.
Frank 66
Wilhelmine
Frank
Joseph William Deubner.
Fralerika 6.
Minnie
Gustavus Frederik Koester.
Rosa ( harles H. Mayer.
Louisa Vinnie Chritian " Jolin .: sophia Wilhelmine Beimner, Henry William €6
Lucy in
John
Frederik Klopfer.
Mary Louisa ..
Hannah Glase.
sophia
56
William Schnelle. Louisa Charles
66
Sarah George Roesser.
69
CONFIRMED MEMBERS -- Concluded.
Catharine Miller. Caroline ....
John W. Deubner.
Sophia 66
Frank 66
Wilham Hiddesen. Frederika
Carl
Albert
Sophia 65
frederik
Iris Deubner. Henry €6
Wilhelmina De ubner.
J.r.
Charles Hiddesen,
Charles Hiddesen, Jr.
William Requarth, Jr.
Emilie Henry Niedert.
William WHbam Bertram. Wilhelmino Charles Deubner. Emma Gottlieb Roebeke. Augusta ..
Frederik Hupe. Angusta Minnie 65 Dietrich Glander. Edward Caroline 6 Rosa Fcherer. Anton Knorr. Ida
Mrs. Henry Niedert. Henry Requarth. Wilhelmine «
Frederik Minnie 66
William Meier. Charlotte Henry 66
Lowvis
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Evan. Luth. St. John's Church Parsonage.
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REV. C. H. MAYER, PASTOR.
H. MAYER, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran St. John's , Church, located two miles north-east of Greenville, O., was born in Strasbourg, France, (now Germany, ) on the fourteenth day of February, 1854. In the fourth year of his age he immigrated with his parents to America, residing seven years at Cincinnati, O., where he attended the public and some private school of the city, aiming to lay a good foundation in the English and German languages. From Cincinnati his parents moved to Covington, O., where he attended the schools of that village. Having a strong desire from youth for the gospel ministry, and having often been advised by his pastors, teachers and friends to enter some course of studies at Capital University, Columbus, O,, in
university and titeological seminary, he finally entered upon a spring of 1871, completing his academic and theological course in the fall of 1876. His ordination to the holy office took place . at Grace church, Columbus, O., Rev. Prof. M. Loy, D. D., Rev: Prof. F. W. Lehman, President of Capital University, and Rev. M. Walter, officiating. After his ordination he accepted a call from Zion's Evangelical Lutheran congregation at Hartford City. Ind., where he labored with great success for four years, until sickness in his family compelled bim to. leave the charge which had become dear to him.
On July 23, 1880, he accepted a call from his present congregation, the Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Church. Besides this, he serves two other congregations: one which he organized at Versailles, O., and the other in the so-called Dininger settlement, four miles west of Greenville. . In this parish his labors were crowned with even more success, the charge having more than doubled itself in active membership in the nine years of his ministry, and being now in a most prosperous and flourishing condition, so that it is one of the largest in membership in the county. Rev. C. H. Mayer is a member of the Evangelical
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2.
Rev. C. H. Mayer, Pastor.
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Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio and Adjacent States, holding at this writing several offices in that body. For five years he acted in the capacity of secretary of the western district of Joint Synod and in addition to this office was this year elected president and visitator of the Auglaize conference, as well as director of Wernle Orphans' Home, of whose board he is now secretary. From present indications he will remain pastor of his congregations and a resident of Darke county for some time to come.
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METHODISM IN GREENVILLE.
HE history of Methodism in Greenville and Darke county, . Ohio, during the early years of their settlement is now but little known. The members connected with the church at that time as well as other residents of the county with whom its history was or is familiar, have removed or been called away by death, so that its history during this period must necessarily be imperfect. From some of the members of 1833; together with entries in a class-book of that date, we find that in 1818 John P. Durbin was the first minister who preached on what was then known as the "Eaton Circuit," embracing Camden and Eaton in Prebble county, Greenville and Hiller's in Dark county, Covington in Miami county and Union, Concord and Germantown in Montgomery county. At that time there was not a Methodist in Greenville. Brother Durbin preached in the house of Abraham Scribner, a dry goods merchant and one of the first settlers of the town. He was well received and it is believed his labors would have resulted in much good, but about this time the boundaries of the circuit were changed and regular preaching at Greenville was discontinued until 1833, though during the interval sermons were occasionally preached in the court-house, dwelling- houses, and such other, buildings as could be procured for that purpose. In 1833, William Oliver, residing about six miles north of Greenville, organized the first class in this place consisting of Mrs. Mother Turpen and her daughter Emeline, Dr. Sexton's wife. Mrs. L. R. Brownell, Wilnam Barrett and wife and Win. J. Bireley and wife. This organization was effected under the preaching of
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Francis Timmons and Ira Chase, chcuit preachers at that tine. 1834 Jesse Prior preached on the circus. In 1835-36 Stephen F. Cowrey and Adam Miller were the ministers on the circuit, and in the former year the building of the first Methodist church in Greenville was commenced. The lot still owned and occupied by the church was purchased by Isaac Jay for forty dollars. The church building, a frame, was completed in 1836. and cost about six hundred dollars. This amount was mostly raised by subscrip- tion. Jesse Prior continued as minister in 1837, Eli Truitt in 1838-39, Robert O. Spencer being presiding Elder, and William Barrett, George Starr and William J. Bireley served as class-leaders. William Morrow and James McNabh labored on the circuit in 1840-41, which was then reduced in limit to Darke county, and their labors resulted in the conversion of three hundred. In iS42-43 S. M. Beatty and E. Zimmerman were the circuit preachers, and were succeeded in 1844 by Jacob Brown and Cadwallader Owings. During the labors of T. A. G. Phillips, in 1845-46, strite and dissension were in a measure forgotten and the church recovered
somewhat from her lethargy. Joseph Wykes was minister in
1847-48. The church prospered under his labors. Alexander Harmount was well As preacher received during 1849-50. The M. E. parsonage on West Fourth street, Greenville, O., was
purchased and he was the first minister to occupy the same. During the year IS51 David Rutledge, as senior preacher, assisted by Gershom Lease, labored on the circuit. In 1852, Jacob F. Burkholder and Franklin Mariott were on the circuit and well received. The frame church was sold to William J. Bireley for about fifty dollars. Subscriptions were taken for a brick church, the estimated cost being five thousand dollars About four thou- sand dollars of this amount was raised by subscription, only a small portion of which was paid, and with this amount the work commenced. During 1853. Franklin Mariott and L. C. Webster were the ministers. The work on the church progressed to comple- tion. W. W. Winters was senior preacher in 1854, assisted by Patrick G. Goode, and by Oliver Kennedy in 1855, and the latter. assisted by L. C. Webster and P. B. Lewis, were on the circuit
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in 1856-57. W. J. Peck, assisted by J. T. Bowers, were the ministers in 1850, and during this year the church was visited with one of the most powerful revivals it has ever witnessed. Daring the years 1859-60 Isaac Newton, assisted by P. B. Lewis, labored on the circuit, and during the latter year Greenville was made a station. James W. Alderman served the church in 1861, and Jacob Fegtly in 1862-63. Fielding L. Harper served the charge in 1864, and. he was succeeded by Charles Reynolds in 1864, and he by H. E. Pilcher in 1866. During 1865 the church debt was liquidated, and in 1866 the old parsonage was. sold for eight hundred dollars and another on thesame street was purchased for twenty-five hundred dollars. L. C. Webster was preacher in charge in 1867-68. The parsonage purchased the previous vear was exchanged for the present lot on the same street, the trustees receiving seven hundred dollars in addition to the same. Amos Wilson was pastor during the years 1869-70. He removed from this charge to Des Moines, Jowa, and was succeeded by Horatio S. Bradley in 1870-71. The Sabbath-school during these years was in a flourishing condition, numbering as high as three hundred and forty-one members. He was followed by Askinson Berry, who remained three years, closing his labors in 1874. During his labors here the "Women's Crusade" swept over the land. A. J. Fish then served the charge for three years, closing his labors here in 1877. During his pastoral work the church was enlarged and remodeled: an addition was placed to the front, with tower, and a Sabbath-school room was cut off in the rear by a partition which contained folding doors and these could be opened at pleasure, thus making the largest audience-room in the town.
The Murphy Temperance movement swept over the land during these years and over twenty-two hundred signed the pledge in the town of Greenville alone. Much interest was also mani- fested throughout the county, and in this work Bro. Fish took an active part. L. M. Albright succeeded to this charge, and during the two years he was here raised over eighteen hundred dollars besides his salary and other contingent expenses, and thus
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completely paid off the church debt. He closed his labors here in 1879, and was succeeded by J. A. Ferguson who remained. three years, removing from among us in 1882, and was followed by J. L. Rusbridge who stayed two years. During this time the church was again remodeled, with class-rooms and gallery; the partition was removed and the Sabbath-school is now held in the audience-room. The parsonage was also moved back, a four-room, two-story brick addition attached in front, and now it is the most commodious and healthful parsonage we have ever had in this
place.
D. Bowers succeeded J. L. Rusbridge and remained two
years, closing his work here in 1886. During the last year of D. Bouers' work this charge was annexed to the Cincinnati Conference, and that conference of ministers meeting in Piqua in September, 1000, sent to us A. Bowers, as presiding Elder, and J. W. Cassatt as pastor, who has just been returned to us for his fourth consecutive year. Under his wise administration the church
is free from debt. Every assessment made last year by the conference was fully raised and returned to that body at its last session. The parsonage is furnished with heavy furniture and carpets, and the church is in a most prosperous condition. For a more complete statement of Bro. Cassatt's labors among us, the reader is referred to his biography following.
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Rev. John W. Cassatt.
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REV. JOHN W. CASSATT, PASTOR.
TOHN W. CASSATT, son of Peter and Eliza Cassatt, was born April 28, 1828, in Washington township, Clermont county, Ohio. His early years were under Methodist parental training and in the midst of stirring Methodist revivals, and in 1842 he united with the M. F. Church. One year later, when but fifteen years old, it became necessary for him to leave home and enter upon entire self-support. Having determined to secure a liberal educa- tion the next six years were directed to that end, and by ciosest economy of moments and money through manifold employments, from the saw-buck to school-teaching in the public schools and Augusta College, Kentucky, he attained some measure of success. In 1852, after two years on trial, he was admitted to membership in the Cincinnati Conference. Since that time his appointments have been as follows: 1850, Rockville; 1851, Quincy, Ky .; 1852, Milford; 1853-54, New Richmond; 1855, Mt. Auburn; 1856-57, Wayne street, (Piqua) ; 1858, Wilmington; 1859-60, New Richmond : 1861-62, South Charleston ; 1863-65, Mechanicsburg ; 1866-68.
Central, (Springfield) ; 1869-70, Trinity, (Xenia) ; 1871-73; Eaton ; 1874-77, P. F. Springfield District ; 1878-79, Greene street, (Piqua) ; 1880-82, Mechanicsburg ; 1883-85, Oxford ; 1886-88, Greenville.
December 22, 1857, on Mt. Auburn, Cincinnati, he was united in marriage to Miss Susanna Wunder, who for more than thirty-one years has been a most earnest, devoted and . successful co-laborer with him in every good wish and word. During the conference year 1885-86 Greenville was annexed to the Cincinnati Conference, and the annual meeting of that ministerial body was held at Piqua in the fall of 1886. The subject of this sketch was then sent as pastor to Greenville, with A. Bowers presiding Elder of Dayton district. When he reached his charge he found that the individual members of the official board had drawn from one of the banks. on their note, two hundred and fifty dollars to
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pay the balance due on their former pastor's salary, and that a like note had been previously given for balance due on church and parsonage repairs, which amounted to $1, 262.77, and which note was only partly provided for by subscription. It was also found necessary to furnish the parsonage with the "heavy" furniture including carpets, which, with a few other incidental expenses, amounted to $394.53, thus making a total debt of over $1,907.00 which had to be paid in the near future. . An effort was at once made to secure the total amount of this indebtedness by subscrip- tions which were to be changed to notes as soon as $1, 200.00 was thus secured. The effort proved successful, the notes were taken, due at different interval, and when these matured, were promptly paid, thus liquidating the entire debt with accrued interest.
A protracted meeting was held in the early part of 1887, during which the church was visited with a powerful revival. About one hundred and seventy-five were converted, nearly all of whom joined the church. The young people, members of the Sabbath school and others were equally interested in the grand work, and we trust untold good has been the result. But when the protracted meeting closed, increased vigilance and earnestness was not only taught, but were practiced in the pastor's daily life. His work has been well done, as the increased attendance at church. Sabbath-school, class and prayer meeting most surely testifies. The financial efforts for raising the salaries and the various benevo- lences of the church have also met with marked success. No notes have been given for salaries past due since he has been our pastor, though at times it has been a difficult matter to meet these obligations promptly and some of the members have felt that the burden rested heavily on them; others have been educated to perform their duty in this respect, and during the past year all these obligations have been met at the proper time and our pastor was able to report at Conference that financially Greenville has done her part. Brother Cassatt successfully completed these years of earnest labor in this charge, and an unanimous rising vote of the Quarterly Conference requested the Elder to return him the fourth year. This was done, and with the knowledge that the Annual Conference would meet in Greenville in regular session next September, and the fact that the membership have the minister of their choice, is encouraging; and we begin the fourth year of his ministry here with the earnest determination to accomplish more, spiritually and financially, than we have done in the past. With a membership united in sympathy with an carnest. zealous pastor laboring for the advancement of moral and religious influences in this community, success in a measure will be secured.
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REV. HARRY COMPTON, MISSIONARY.
LARRY COMPTON was born September 3, 1857, in Tiffin Ohio. His early life was spent in the city of Xenia, Ohio, until he was seven years of age. Here he lived during the period of the civil war. His recollections of "the boys in
blue" seems as vivid as if it were but yesterday. The soldiers' days of drill were cheerful days to his boyhood. While the soldiers were passing through the city in heavily loaded trains, his chief delight was in trading onions for cartridges, and in filling their canteens at the spring. He delighted to hear their words of cheer and appreciation and to receive their cheerful greeting. At one time there came a carload of soldiers dressed in gray. They were Morgan's men who had been captured in Ohio. They were so boisterous and ill-looking that he cared but little about giving them onions or filling their canteens. It seemed that he caught the patriotic spirit of the times, and many days with his playmates were spent upon the commons playing the "march, march away." From this city he moved to Union City, Indiana, and after living there a few months, moved to Sidney, Champaign county. Illinois. At the age of nine years he was living in Indianapolis, Indiana, and from there he came to Darke county, Ohio. At an early age he was left without friends and compelled to seek a
temporal home. While an outcast, as it were, he found a home with an earnest, Christian man, Prof. J. T. Martz, superintendent of the public schools of Greenville, Ohio.
Through his, influence and that of his noble wife he became interested in the M. E. Sabbath-school, where he learned many things that are precious to him to this day. His temporal soon also became his spiritual home, for while there he attended a protracted meeting held by the Rev. M. M. Markwith at Jaysville, Ohio, and during its progress was wonderfully converted to God. Through the kindness of J. T. Martz he obtained an education that Atted him for teaching, and his first school was taught in Jackson township
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Rev. Harry Compton, Missionary.
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during the winter of 1876-77. the eighth of May, 1878.
He was licensed to preach on He was engaged in teaching school for six winters, spending most of the summer vacations in attending "Normal schools and Institutes" in Darke county. While attend- ing these schools he formed the acquaintance of one of the Darke county teachers, Miss Rebecca Myers, and on the thirteenth of April were united in marriage. The word "discouragement" does not seem to belong to her vocabulary. They accepted a call to go to South America as missionaries in the spring of 1883, and have been engaged in missionary work at Copiapo and Coquimbo, Chili, to the present time, almost six and one-half years. He was pastor of the English work and president of the English Academy for two years. For four years he was president of Coquimbo College; one year of which time he was pastor of the English congregation. He preached his first sermon in Spanish in the latter part of the year 1888. Shortly after this he entered upon the Spanish pastorate and preached until Bishop Walden gave him permission to come home to attend the "Boston School of Theology." When through here he expects to assume his work in Chili, which is an enteresting field.
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EDUCATION IN DARKE COUNTY.
DUCATION in Darke county was not neglected by its early settlers, but the date of the first establishment of schools and the building of school-houses is now not accurately known. The first teachers in Greenville township were John Beers, John Talbert and Henry D. Williams; and in the county Dow Roll, Mrs. McIntyre, John Townsend and Noah Arnold were among the pioneer teachers and did efficient work in the. school-room. At this time there was no public school-fund: schools were supported generally by individual contributions from parents who sent their children to school; the teacher received a salary of about ten dollars a month and boarded himself, while the school would continue in session three months in the year. A law passed by our legislature in 1821, left it to a vote of each township whether a school-district should be formed, and, perhaps four years later, action in this respect was changed and township trustees were required to divide the townships into school-districts, and. a tax was levied by the county commissioners for school purposes which provided a fund of about ten dollars yearly for each school-district. This amount would continue the schools in session about one month, the remaining two months' services of the teacher were paid by individual contributions. During this time the teacher should be qualified to teach reading, writing and arithmetic, and the law of 1849 added a knowledge of geography and grammar to the three branches. Compare the above with the
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large sums now annually paid for education: the full supply of teachers, the fair wages paid; the increasing exactions of the patrons of the schools for better qualifications; the institute: the High schools, and the common school provided with all the modern appliances for successfully acquiring that knowledge so indispensable to the control and instruction of the young. And while we say the schools are by no means perfect, they are progressive. and compared with the past have shown surprising advancement. But we anticipate. John Beers, John Talbert and Henry D. Williams taught during the years 1818-24, and it is not known whether any effort was made to teach school in Greenville prior to the first date, or to the time they first came to this place. Talbert taught in a school-house near the Prophetstown on what is known as the William F Bishop farm. Beers taught south of town in the
settlement of . Thompson, Studebaker and Arnold, while H. D. Williams taught east of Greenville in the settlement of Hays, Westfall and Carnahan. The school-houses were log-cabins, and the only means of admitting the light was an aperture cut into a log and covered with greased paper: this was a substitute for a window. The chimney was at one end of the cabin and made of split sticks, the intervening spaces filled with mud or mortar which became dry. Large logs were burned in this fire-place, and thus was the house heated in winter. The roof was made of clapboards four feet long and weighted down with poles, while the door was made of the same material and hung on wooden hinges with wooden latch and string to secure it. The floor was made of slabs of wood, hewn on one side to make the floor level, while for writing-desks, holes were bored in logs in the walls, pins were driven in, and upon these were laid a broad slab smooth on the upper side, while the seats were made by boring holes in the ends of slabs and pins driven in the same for legs. In one of these cabin-schools one-half of the puncheons for the floor had been removed and that space leveled off with dirt in which rats and ground squirrels burrowed, and would often leave their holes and run across the floor during school-hours to the no small amusement of the pupils and the annoyance of the teacher. One
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of these log-houses was erected on Lot No. 32 in Greenville, which at first served as a school-house and afterward for a court-house and jury-room, and there is little doubt but that Messrs. Beers, Talbert and Williams all taught school in this house from 1818 to 1824. In 1827 the trustees divided Greenville township into school-dristicts, and the district of Greenville chose three directors, but these could not agree and the year passed without hiring a teacher. A new board of directors was chosen the next year, and the log school-house was torn down with the intention of rebuilding it on the south-west half of Lot No. 3, but a difficulty arose in regard to raising the subscription for putting up the house and paying the salary of the teacher, and no school was held the following year. About the year 1840 two school- houses, each two stories high, were erected upon luis tince and thirteen respectively, and these were used as the school-houses of the town until the year 1868 when the "old school" building was erected. It contains seventeen school-rooms, one of which is fitted up with stage and settees for general school exercises. The building also contains a room for the superintendents. The entire building is heated with steam from a large boiler, the water being heated with natural gas. In many of the early schools the pupils were required to study in a loud tone; hence called a "loud school," the object being to let the teacher know that they were engaged upon their lessons and not in mischief. Classes in arithmetic and writing were never formed, but each pupil "ciphered away at will," and received personal assistance from the teacher when the same was needed. Writing was taught by
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