USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 16
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The Coldwater Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at an early date. It has a present membership of 45, and an average Sunday-school at- tendance of 55. The frame church building has an estimated value of $1,200. This church belongs to the Celina circuit and is served by Rev. C. M. Baker, who resides in Celina, and has charge also of Center and Copps' chapels in Center township and the Montezuma Methodist Episcopal Church in Frank- lin township. The names of the pastors who have served these appointments in recent years will be found in the sketch of the last mentioned church.
There are two United Brethren churches in Butler township, Spring Valley and Burnt Wood, both located in the eastern part of the township. Both churches are served by Rev. William Miller. Spring Valley Church belongs to the branch of the denomination known as "Radical," and has only a few members. Burnt Wood Church, which has 10 or 12 members, belongs to the branch known as "Liberal."
Ash Grove Church of the German Baptist Brethren, in the Southern Dis- trict of Ohio, is located in section 15, Butler township, three miles north of Coldwater. The church was erected in 1893 at a cost of about $1,200. The main part of the church is 34 by 48 feet in dimensions, with an ell 12 by 30 feet. Benjamin Coate and J. C. Shively were the trustees at the time the church was built. The church has a membership of 28 and during the last quarter there was an average Sunday-school attendance of 41. The church is served by local ministers, Revs. F. P. Cordier and A. D. Coate. The original church of the German Baptist Brethren was organized in Germany in 1708, Alexander Mack being one of the organizers. Members of this de- nomination came to America in the early history of the Colonies and founded the church here.
SCHOOLS.
Butler township is well supplied with excellent district schools. The schoolhouses compare favorably with those in other sections of the county. The Coldwater Village School District has a modern, two-story, brick school- house, one of the finest in the county, erected recently at a cost of $10,000, which is a credit to the village. John Omlor is superintendent of the schools, having recently succeeded J. H. Tener in this position. The village Board of Education is constituted as follows : William Wendel, F. A. Franks, Anthony Mesher, J. M. Wilhoff and Charles Stukenborg. The High School depart- ment of the village schools has 17 pupils and ranks as third-grade.
COLDWATER.
This village, located in the center of Butler township, on the Cincinnati Northern and Lake Erie & Western railroads, is one of the most active busi-
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ness towns in the county. It was laid out by William A. O. Munsell, the plat being recorded on August 18, 1859. It is a growing town and has a bank and a newspaper, and all the stores and industries necessary to the welfare and the convenience of the people. It is also well supplied with churches- Holy Trinity Catholic Church, one of the largest structures in the county ; and the Coldwater Methodist Episcopal Church. During the last 25 or 30 years the town has had a steady growth. The population was 237 in 1880; 490 in 1890; and 627 in 1900. Coldwater was incorporated as a village in 1883. The present village officers are: Mayor, F. A. Franks; clerk, Edw. W. Hess; treasurer, J. B. Haslinger; and marshal, William Mackey. The village has a Town Hall. "
The People's Bank of Coldwater is an incorporated institution under the supervision of the State banking department. The bank, which has been running a number of years, moved into its new bank building in December, 1906. The following are the directors of this institution : John Birkmeyer, F. B. Birkmeyer, Ben Baker, C. C. Borman, A. D. Coate, H. C. Fox, H. B. Hoffman, Charles Hess, Fred. Hehmeyer, Henry Hageman, Phil. Kirsch, Anthony Rathweg, J. H. Saalman, John M. Wilhoff, Martin Wilhoff, John Wilhoff and John Wannamacher. H. B. Hoffman is cashier.
The Coldwater Chronicle, which was established a few years ago, is con- ducted by E. B. Lewis as editor and publisher. .
Quite a little manufacturing is done at Coldwater for a town of its size. Andrew X. Walter conducts a large brickyard; Anthony Rathweg, a broom factory ; Joseph Weamer, a butter tub factory; Henry H. Lampe, an excel- sior factory; and Henry Fuerst and J. F. Schults, cigar factories. Fox & Hess operate a grist-mill and deal in grain, also having a branch at St. Henry ; H. B. Hoffman also operates a grain elevator at Coldwater. There are three general stores, conducted by Henry C. Fox, William Haslinger & Son, and C. F. Morvilius; three grocery stores, conducted by Joseph Franks, John Sutherland and Mrs. Catherine Desch; three meat markets, run by Becker & Konrath, M. G. Martin and James Schuckman; two millinery establishments, conducted by N. M. Gast and Mrs. D. H. Miller; one tailor shop, owned by F. A. Franks; one clothing store, conducted by Samuel Cahn; one notion store, of which the proprietor is Mrs. Anna Heman; one drug store, con- ducted by C. E. Schindler ; one jewelry store, of which the proprietor is Phil C. Stachler ; one confectionery store, conducted by P. E. Arbaugh; two hard- ware stores, run by Jacob Wilhoff and Kleinhenz & Garner; and three black- smith shops run by Bernard Brothers, John Martz and Henry Stuve. Other business houses of the town are the following: George Heiser, dealer in vehicles, harness, etc .; Henry Landwehr, harness; Rathweg & Hoyng, imple- ments ; Robert Hixon Lumber Company (the Coldwater branch of a Toledo,
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Ohio, establishment), lumber; Wapelhorst & Mackey, coal; J. F. Hoyng and Henry Wapelhorst, who conduct tinshops and deal in stoves ; J. C. Miller, who conducts a repair shop and deals in bicycles ; a branch produce store of J. A. Long, of Portland, Indiana; D. H. Miller, hotel; J. B. Birkmeyer, livery stable; J. J. Birkmeyer, barber; J. B. Desch, undertaker, also dealer in fur- niture; and Desch & Hummer, monuments. Coldwater has three physicians -Drs. Charles W. Mackenbach, C. F. Bolman and Weamer; and one dentist, Dr. H. G. Glew.
PHILOTHEA
Is a small settlement with a population of about 20, situated in the southwest part of the township. St. Mary's Catholic Church is located here. J. H. Bruns & Company have a grocery store here; H. T. Noble, a tailor shop; and Ben. Spoltman, a blacksmith shop. !
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CHAPTER VI
RECOVERY AND GIBSON TOWNSHIPS
RECOVERY TOWNSHIP
Was organized May 5, 1831. It is bounded on the north by Washington township, on the east by Granville and Butler townships, on the south by Gibson township and on the west by the State of Indiana. It is six miles from east to west and has an average width from north to south of about four miles. The south line is irregular, being the Greenville treaty line, separating Recov- ery from Gibson township. Gibson township was organized as a part of Mercer County at a later date, and lies between Recovery township and the Darke County line. The Wabash River flows across the township and is the only stream of any size in the township; at one time it afforded power for a number of mills that were built upon its banks. The surface of the township is inclined to be rolling. The soil is very fertile. The population of the town- ship was 1,272 in 1880; 1,487 in 1890; and 1,396 in 1900. The present town- ship officials are as follows: Trustees-Valentine Heiby, J. W. Buscher and Charles Stein ; clerk, Otto Summers; treasurer, Ber. Grieshop; justices of the peace-J. S. Clum and Michael Schock.
PIONEERS.
We find that entries of land in this township were made as early as 1831, possibly at an earlier date, but the fact of entry does not make those who en- tered the land settlers. A great many acres were entered by parties who never lived on the land. The McDowell family were early settlers. John Adney, David Beardslee and Obed Beardslee moved to the township in an early day. Alexander Grant was a pioneer. William Downs, the Andersons, Nicker- sons and Scotts, Nehemiah Grover and Isaac DeHays were among the pio- neers, and their names are familiar ones in the township to-day. John Grant,
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Jacob and John Runckle, William Money, Alexander Scott, John Doll, John Wise, H. Davidson, John Miller, Wendel Doll, Anthony Dull, Samuel Phipps, A. Tucker, William McDowell, John S. McDowell, Anthony Bloom, Morand Buschor, George Troutman, James Houser, Daniel Roesner, Daniel Jones, Peter Schwartz, Philo Willischeck, Martin Burris, James Stowe, Ignatius Tollard, Isaiah Totten, Joseph Weis, Daniel Van Trees and many more helped to clear up and develop the township. David Anderson built the first mill on the Wabash River in the county in 1832. P. D. Moss built and operated an ox-mill, which may also be classed as one of the first mills in the county.
In the pioneer days there were few roads, and those hardly passable the greater part of the year. Schools and churches were scarce, and railroads, telephone and telegraph were things unknown. Steam mills were not found in every town in the county as they are at present. Recovery had a steam mill prior to the Civil War, built by John Oswald, which was one of the first, if not the first, in the county. But the history of the township to-day is full of interest. The roads of the township are well improved; pikes, which cost vast sums of money, are found all over the township; railroads and telegraph and telephone lines are in use all over the county; free rural delivery of mail has been successfully established; and splendid churches and good school- houses, well furnished for the education of the children and the accommoda- tion of the church-going people, have been built. Farming is the 'principal occupation of the people of Recovery township, and the staple agricultural products are corn, wheat and oats, although all kinds of grain and vegetables can be raised. Hay and pasture land is good in this township. The farmers are ambitious to have the best stock. Farmers' Institutes are held at Fort Recovery and are well attended by the farming community. The township to-day is in all respects up-to-date and its people are industrious and pro- gressive.
MONTEREY, ST. JOSEPH AND FERNER.
Recovery township has within its borders a number of small hamlets that usually have a store or grocery and, before the free delivery of mail went into effect, a postoffice.
The old town of Monterey, which was laid out in 1849 by Isaac Raus, had at one time a general store owned and operated by Henry Wurdeman and at a later date conducted by Mother Goerke; now it is only a place of a few residences, without any business.
St. Joseph, a small town not far from Fort Recovery, was laid out in 1861 by Archbishop John B. Purcell, who owned the land. This town at one time supported a small store and grocery. Its main feature at the present time
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is St. Joseph's Catholic Church. The church is one of the oldest in the south- ern part of the county and until the Catholic Church at Fort Recovery was built nearly all the Catholic residents of the latter place worshiped at St. Joseph's.
When the Lake Erie & Western Railroad was extended on west from Celina to Fort Recovery, a station was established in the northeastern part of the township called Ferner, which was at one time a postoffice.
GIBSON TOWNSHIP
Which is located in the southwest corner of this county, was originally in Darke County, Ohio, and became a part of Mercer County in 1849. It is bounded on the north by Recovery township, on the east by Granville town- ship, on the south by Darke County and on the west by the Indiana State line. It is six miles long from east to west and has an average width from north to south of three and a half miles, the only variation being on the northern line, which corresponds to that of the old Greenville treaty line, which bears north- west until it strikes the Wabash River at Fort Recovery, where it diverges to the southwest, continuing in this direction until it reaches the State line. The township has no streams of any considerable size. The Wabash River has its source in Hog Prairie, four miles south of Fort Recovery and perhaps half a mile east. From there, only a small ditch in size, it runs south and east for quite a distance and winds around to the north and west until it arrives at Fort Recovery, within four miles of its source, having traversed a space of 60 miles in its meanderings. The land is for the most part rolling, although some portions are a little hilly. There are good gravel banks in the section of the township that is near the town of Fort Recovery. Farming and stock- raising are the principal pursuits of the citizens of the township. The farm- ing lands are nearly all cleared and dense woods are a thing of the past. Groves that are left for shade and wooded pastures are all that are left to remind one of days that are gone. A thorough system of ditching and tile drainage has reclaimed all the swales and low swamp lands and converted them into fine fertile farms, and water is no longer found in pools along the roads for the greater part of the year, as was formerly the case. The mud roads of by-gone days have been macadamized. Large frame barns and granaries are now found on farms that not many years ago had old log barns and other pioneer buildings. The churches are for the most part modern structures, principally constructed of brick, and the same can also be said of the schoolhouses. There is a large German Catholic population in the eastern part of the township, while in the western part are English-speaking people, the Germans in this section being Protestants.
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PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, MERCER
MENDON PUBLICECHOD
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, MENDON
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PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, MONTEZUMA
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, FORT RECOVERY
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Gibson township has 4.309 acres of cultivated land; 4,494 acres of pas- ture land; 2.371 acres of woodland; and 515 acres of waste land, as reported to the county auditor by the assessor in 1906. The population of the town- ship was 1,462 in 1880; 1,658 in 1890; and 1,568 in 1900. The township officials at the present time are the following: Trustees-R. E. McClung, James Z. Mott and John Hildbold; clerk, A. A. Kolp; treasurer, John Isen- hart ; justices of the peace-William Reichard and James Sanford Watkins.
PIONEERS.
The southern and western part of Gibson township was largely settled . by people from Southern Ohio and Pennsylvania, who originally came from Virginia and North and South Carolina, although a few came from Dela- ware. Among the early settlers in this section were the families of James Cummins, Henry Denney, Benjamin Clark and William F. Denney, who came from Gallia County, Ohio; the Clarks, who came from England; Wateman Hastings and Solomon Collins, who came from the State of Delaware; and Robert Hunter, James Alexander and David Hays who came from Fairfield County, Ohio-all of these settled in Gibson township about the same time. Nathan S. Scranton settled on a farm in Gibson township in 1849; the Scran- ton family, who were originally from the State of Connecticut, came to Mercer County from Medina County, Ohio. Near the town of Fort Recovery and north of the first neighborhood, Robert Travis, Edward Jones, Sylvester Schutt, Jacob Schaffer, Jacob Stuber and Joseph Clark and their families set- tled. In the eastern part of the township, around Sharpsburg, Aaron Rood and wife and his sons, L. B. Rood and Alpha Rood, who were Yankees in every sense of the word; the Jones and Hall families and the families of Thomas Rockwell, Jacob and George Meyers and William Snyder-all of whom came from Butler County, Ohio-settled at an early date. In the same section of the township also settled John L. Fox, David Johnson, John Hed- rick and Abraham Mott, Sr .-- Abraham and James Z. Mott, sons of the last- named pioneer, still live in the township. The Lowry family came in at a later date and its representatives are still living in the township. Samuel Briner, Samuel Keller, David F. Blake (who went to Missouri in 1857), George Sigler, M. W. Diggs and George Painter were early settlers in the southern part of the township. Other early settlers were James Watkins, Daniel Brock and John McDaniel.
SCHOOLS.
It seems to be a settled fact that the older the country, the fewer the country schools. This is true in Gibson township to-day: The schools out-
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side of the town of Fort Recovery are not as large as they were 35 years ago, when the writer had a very personal knowledge of them. Then there were six district schools, maintained on an average of eight or nine months in the year, and each one of these schools had an average attendance of not less than 50 pupils, and at least three had from 75 to 100 pupils each. At the present time it takes three of these same school districts combined to maintain one. school, and this one with only about 30 pupils in attendance. The Board of Education think it both cheaper and better to hire a man to haul the pupils back and forth from their own district to a school in some other district than to hire teachers for each school district. Special school districts have been created that take the place of sub-districts.
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SHARPSBURG -
Is a small place in the southeast part of Gibson township, which for many years has had a general merchandise store, formerly owned and operated by George Zenz, but now conducted by his son John. There was a postoffice here, known as Violet, until it was displaced by the introduction of the rural ' free delivery of mail. St. Paul's Catholic Church is located here.
CHURCHES OF RECOVERY AND GIBSON TOWNSHIPS
With the exception of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at St. Joseph in Recovery township, St. Peter's Catholic Church at St. Peter in Recovery township, St. Paul's Catholic Church at Sharpsburg and Bethel Church of the Evangelical Church in the western part of Gibson township, all the churches in the two townships are located at Fort Recovery.
Pisgah Congregational Church at Fort Recovery was organized as a Presbyterian Church in 1851 by I. N. Taylor ( founder of Liber College) and his father, Judge Taylor, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was reorganized in 1854 as Pisgah Congregational Church, which name it has since retained. The original society consisted of eight members, viz .: David Hays, Catherine Hays, Nancy Collins, Wateman Hastings, Eleanor Hastings, Samuel Briner, Elizabeth Grissom and Betsey Guy. The church has a present membership of 118 and an average Sunday-school attendance of 60. The church building was erected in 1883 at a cost of $4,000. The following pastors have served since the reorganization of the church in 1854: Rev. John Brice, from 1854 to 1856; Rev. M. W. Diggs, from 1857 to 1892; Rev. E. L. Brooks, from 1892 to 1899; Rev. John Howell, from 1899 to 1901 ; Rev. Charles A. Mohr, from 1901 to 1903 ; Rev. S. E. Snepp, from 1903 to 1905; and Rev. Vernon Emery, the present pastor, who has served since 1905.
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Congregation at Fort Recovery was or-
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ganized August 8, 1869, by 14 voting members, only one of whom, Philip Augenstein, of Fort Recovery, is still among the living. The first church structure, 30 by 40 feet in dimensions, erected in 1870, finally becoming too small for the growing congregation, the present brick church was erected in 1903 at a cost of $12,000. The parsonage, also a brick building, cost $4,000. Up to about 1895 the services were conducted exclusively in German but now English is used every other Sunday. The congregation at the present time has 68 voting members, 180 communicants and about 275 souls. The Sun- day-school, which is conducted in English, has 120 scholars. The following pastors have served Trinity congregation : Revs. H. Kreuter, 1869-71; Carl Benzin, 1871-78; F. W. Franke, 1878-81; A. J. Feeger, 1881-86; George Wolf, 1887-90; A. A. Dapper, 1890-1900; W. F. Benzin, 1900-04; and William Emch, who has served since 1904.
The Fort Recovery Methodist Episcopal Church was established many years ago. The present church building, located on the north side of East Broadway, on a lot that was presented to the trustees of the church by Thomas Roop, was commenced in 1874 and finished in 1875. The church is a brick structure, 36 by 54 feet in dimensions. The building committee was com- posed of D. J. Roop, Eli Winter, Abraham Rantz, George R. McDaniel, J. H. Johnson, D. H. Richardson and J. S. Hoyt. The Methodist Episcopal Church at Erastus and Washington Chapel, both in Washington township, are served by the same pastor as the Fort Recovery church. The following are the names of the pastors from 1879 to the present time: Revs. W. S. Philpot, 1879; D. Carter, 1880; W. A. Robinson, 1881 ; L. H. Linsey, 1882; J. W. H. Morrison, 1883; Orlando Murlin, 1884; Lemuel Herbert, 1885-86; G. M. Hemphill, 1887-88; E. T. Dailey, 1889-90; Edwin D. Cook, 1891; R. B. Olive, 1892; B. W. Day, 1893-94; J. S. Snodgrass, 1895-96; J. A. Spyker, 1897-98; H. J. Jewett, 1899-1901; M. C. Wisely, 1902-03; J. V. Robinson, 1904; J. H. Smith, 1905; and J. H. Butler, the present pastor, who was appointed in 1906. The present membership of the three churches as reported is 194. The estimated value of the church property at the three places is $4,500, while the parsonage at Fort Recovery is valued at $1,000. There are Sunday-schools connected with each church, in which schools there are 35 officers and teachers and 245 scholars of all grades, with an average attendance of 137.
For the past five or six years there have been at Fort Recovery two societies of the Church of Christ, commonly called the Disciples' Church. A division in church matters in the original society resulted in the formation of a second society and at the present time there are two church buildings used by members of this denomination. The church building of the original society was erected and dedicated in 1889. It is a frame structure, 40 by
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
60 feet in dimensions, and cost $2,800. The first members of the church were: Washington Snyder, Lucretia Snyder, Sanford Warnock, John Eckenrode, Emma Eckenrode, J. C. F. McDaniel, Fannie McDaniel, Eliza- beth Hedrick, Ida M. Hedrick, Sarah Hedrick, John Bennett, Martha Ben- nett, Wila Clark, Emma Clark, Elizabeth Cummins, Manda Hoke, Hattie Abraham and Mr. and Mrs. John Thompson. The church has 43 members at the present time. The Sunday-school has an attendance averaging from 40 to 75. The present pastor is Rev. J. A. Persinger. He was preceded by . Rev. I. N. Sutton and he by Rev. A. J. Beard. Among the other pastors of this church have been the following: Revs. Joseph Harter, Samuel Arm- strong. H. H. Hill, W. W. Harsass, D. W. Campbell, J. M. Smith, J. A. Randall and D. C. Call.
Bethel Church of the Evangelical Association is located in the western part of Gibson township. This class was organized in 1858, when it was known as the Stuber class, the members at that time being the following : George Stuber and family, Leonard Holstein and wife, John Orth and fam- ily, Philip Shaffer and family, Jacob Shaffer and family, Christian May and wife, Ludwig Heis and wife and William Christopher and wife. For many years these Christians held their religious services at private homes and later on in the schoolhouse. The present church edifice, which was also the first one. is a frame structure, erected in the year 1872 at a cost of about $1,200, including the ground. At this time the church was given the name of Bethel Church. Frederick Heis is the only member of the class now living that was a member when the church was built. The preaching at the present time is wholly in English and has been for a great many years. When the class was first organized, the services were all in German. The church has a present membership of 65 and an average Sunday-school attendance of 40. Delphos Mott is superintendent of the Sunday-school. The first minister of the
church was Rev. George Glouse, who remained two years. His successors and the period of their services were as follows: Revs. Philip Swartz, two years; Edward Evans, two years; C. Uphouse, two years; Charles Shuh, two years ; Enos Troyer, two years; Carl Schamo, one year ; John Schomber, under whose supervision the church was built, two years; Charles Heim, two years ; Frank Dill, one year ; L. S. Fisher, three years; Henry Meyers, one year; Samuel Hoffenbert, two years; Elias Hostetter, two years; C. Rainy, two years; S. Rihneol, three years; J. M. Smith, two years; F. L. Snyder, three years ; Charles Spangler, one year ; P. L. Browns, two years; and John Rees, who is the present pastor.
The Catholic churches of the two townships, whose history will be given in another chapter, are as follows: Church of Mary, Help of Christians, at Fort Recovery; St. Joseph's Church, at St. Joseph, Recovery township; St.
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