USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 18
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IV. The ladies.
V. The orator of the day.
VI. The officers of the day-president, vice-presidents and secretaries.
VII. Citizens and visitors who were willing to join the procession.
The procession thus formed, constituting a column a mile long, passed through the streets of the village to a grove southeast of the battle-ground, where an oration was pronounced by Hon. Bellamy Storer, of Cincinnati, who had been invited for the occasion. At the conclusion of the address, Hiram Bell, of Darke County, president of the day, spoke, being followed by Abner Haines, of Preble County, of the committee on resolutions, who re- ported a series of resolutions, urging Congress to appropriate money to erect a monument at Fort Recovery and one at Fort Greenville. The report was received and unanimously adopted. Committees composed of citizens of the different counties represented were appointed to solicit subscriptions for the furtherance of that object. Benjamin Linzee, James Watson Riley, H. F. Juneman and two others were appointed on the part of Mercer County.
The procession was then reformed in the order that it came to the stand,
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and moved to the burying-ground on the south side of the village, where the remains were returned to the earth with proper ceremonies, the coffins being deposited in one grave. The last act being performed, the people left the graveyard, each satisfied that he had done nothing more than his duty, willing to do more if possible. It is true they could not benefit those dry bones, but their history is the foundation of our history; their destruction kindled afresh the patriotic fire that burned in the bosoms of our fathers, and incited a Wayne to deeds of noble daring in the Northwest.
Gen. Lewis Cass, General Butler and George E. Pugh, Esq., had also been invited to speak on the occasion, but none of them was able to be present.
In 1891 a centennial celebration was held at Fort Recovery in com- memoration of the battle of November 4, 1791. The following was invited to be present to address the people but not all« were present: Hon. John Sherman, Hon. Calvin S. Brice, Hon. F. S. Sessions, Hon. J. E. Campbell, Hon. William McKinley, Hon. John Brown ( Governor of Kentucky), Hon. C. M. Anderson, Hon. D. J. Ryan, Hon. M. D. Shaw, Hon. M. K. Gantz, Hon. Samuel F. Hunt and Gens. William Gibson, E. B. Findlay and J. P. S. Shank. Of those present, Hon. James E. Campbell, Governor of Ohio, Hon. Samuel F. Hunt, of Cincinnati and Gen. E. B. Findlay, of Bucyrus, Ohio, addressed the gathering, as well as some others. At this centennial celebration the remains of the soldiers, which had been buried in the old cemetery in the southwest part of town in 1851, were taken up and removed to a plat of ground that was purchased for the purpose of erecting a monu- ment thereon, should Congress ever make an appropriation for such purpose. Here the bones were reinterred and a temporary wooden monument erected thereon, which stood for a number of years and was then torn down and de- stroyed.
The part of the town of Fort Recovery lying north of the Greenville treaty line was laid out by David Beardslee in 1836, the plat being recorded on July 30th. At a later date Larkin & McDaniel laid out the part of the town south of the treaty line. The town was incorporated June 15, 1858, under the name of Recovery, 50 citizens signing the petition for incorpora- tion. It is the oldest village corporation in the county. The Wabash River flows through the northern part of the village, from east to west. The town has one railroad-the Lake Erie & Western.
Among the earliest residents of Fort Recovery were John Simison and family, who in the spring of 1817 came here and moved into the trading house, which had been built by David Conner. Mr. Simison farmed the ground upon which the town is built, while his sons provided meat by hunt-
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ing. His daughter Mary married Peter Studabaker, on February 15, 1821, at Fort Recovery. Mr. Studabaker farmed here about 12 years and then re- moved to Adams County, Ohio.
David and Obed Beardsley were pioneers at Fort Recovery; the former laid out the town north of the treaty line. Henry Lipps, who came to the county in 1830 and helped lay out the town, was the first hotelkeeper here and a leading light of the town; he was a member of the Ohio Legislature in 1849. John Lipps came to the county in 1832 and associated himself with the growth of the village. William McDaniel came here at an early date and with Mr. Larkin laid out that part of the town south of the treaty line. His son, George R. McDaniel, is still a resident of the town, where he has lived all his life and for many years has been engaged in the banking busi- ness. Thomas Roop took up his residence at Fort Recovery at a very early date. John Blake and family were pioneers here. The family consisted of Robert G., John G., David F., Perry W., Samuel, Rebecca, Mary Jane and Margaret Ann. Perry W. Blake, who resides in Paulding County, Ohio, is the only one of the boys now living. Margaret Ann resides at present at Celina. The Blakes were prominent in all that pertained to the early history of the town. Dr. J. S. Fair, who came here in pioneer days, was the first physician ever in practice at Fort Recovery. Dr. John Conant Richardson, one of the town's first doctors, settled here in 1843. The entire period of the practice of his profession was spent at Fort Recovery. Dr. D. Milligan came to Fort Recovery at an early day when a young man in years; he was considered one of the best physicians the town ever had; he also became interested in banking. Capt. John Stafford Rhodes came to Fort Recovery April 12, 1844, and is still a resident, being now in his SIst year. Jacob Morningstar was the town's first blacksmith; he settled here in 1848. An- thony Sonderman, the pioneer wagon-maker of the village, located here with his family about 1850; the Sondermans have ever since been identified with the town's business affairs. A tannery was established here in 1864 by Will-
iam Koch, now president of the Fort Recovery Stirrup Company. John, Lewis and George Oswald were all merchants of the town in early times.
The first gas-well at Fort Recovery was struck on March 28, 1887, and was appropriately named "Mad Anthony." The bore was 510 feet deep, when the flow commenced.
The present village officials of Fort Recovery are as follows: Mayor, John A. Hunter; clerk, B. B. Wilson; treasurer, Adam Beach; marshal, Joseph Sutherland; council-Edward Koch, George H. Lord, Edward Hoke, O. E. Denny, Charles Schneider and James Hedrick; Board of Public Affairs -M. W. Birkheimer (president ), William J. Reichard and Nicholas Money -James Ross, clerk. I. N. Medford is postmaster. John Clark, John Isen-
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hart and E. T. Hastings are the trustees of Green Mound and Spring Hill cemeteries, the last named being secretary. The Town Hall, a two-story, brick building, erected in 1879, stands near where the old fort was located. The village has a public park, set aside for this purpose some years ago. Three large cannons and a number of shells, presented to the village shortly after the late war with Spain, have been placed here. The village had a population of 802 in 1880; 1,186 in 1890; and 1,097 in 1900.
The churches of Fort Recovery have been noticed earlier in this chapter. In 1854 Robert G. Blake built the first schoolhouse; an addition to this, 25 feet square, was built in 1859. On May 28, 1868, the citizens voted an appropriation of $5,000 for building a new schoolhouse. The structure was located at Broadway and Elm streets, and cost when completed $8.000. The present public school building was erected in 1888-89 at a cost of $25,000. It is a two-story, eight-room brick structure. Eight teachers are employed. James Ross has been superintendent of the village schools since 1898. Mrs. J. A. Hunter is principal of the High School, which has an enrollment of 57 pupils and ranks as first grade. Fort Recovery also has an excellent Catholic parochial school.
Fort Recovery ranks as one of the most progressive towns in the county and its business interests are worthy of mention. The leading manufacturing establishment is the factory of the Fort Recovery Stirrup Company, the largest exclusive manufacturers of wood stirrups in the world. The com- pany was organized in 1899; William Koch is president and Edward Koch, secretary and manager. Other wood-working establishments are the Rimel spoke works, the planing-mill of William E. Wilson (dealer in lumber, building materials and coal), the band sawmill of George A. Reuter and the excelsior factory of Noah P. Huntwork. The town has two gristmills-the St. Clair mill and the mill conducted by John Remanklus; the Jay grain elevator ; and the flour exchange of William Heiby. Will Hull operates a brickyard. John Schindler has a large blacksmithing business and also builds wagons and carriages. The town has two livery barns, run by John Isen- hart and William Lowry. Charles Schneider is proprietor of the Wayne Hotel. A. A. Kolp is publisher and editor of the Fort Recovery Journal, a weekly, independent newspaper, which was established in 1890. The priv- ate banking business conducted for many years by George P. McDaniel was incorporated January 1, 1907, as the Fort Recovery Banking Company. The Fort Recovery Building and Loan Association is a prosperous concern ; George A. Reuter is secretary. The Fort Recovery Telephone Company is owned and controlled by Fort Recovery business men. The leading mer- cantile establishments are those of Russell M. Morvelius and Krenning & Son, dry goods ; Frank J. Sonderman & Company, dry goods and clothing ;
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FRONT OF THE STORE
BEFORE THE EXPLOSION
TWO REAR VIEWS OF THE STORE
SCENES OF THE DESTRUCTIVE DYNAMITE EXPLOSION IN MEINERDING'S HARD- WARE STORE AT FORT RECOVERY, OCTOBER 17, 1906
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IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH. CELINA
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August Stelzer, dry goods and groceries; George Gagle (successor to W. F. Pausch), John Fisher, Roesner & Lenhart and Jacob Anthony, groceries; Joseph A. Meinerding, hardware and farming implements; Michael Velten, hardware and harness; Adam Beach, boots and shoes; Edward Hoke, jewelry ; John Adams, drugs; and E. T. Adams, who conducts a variety store. W. H. Lowry is an extensive buyer and shipper of live-stock, and is also engaged in road contracting. Fort Recovery has one attorney, J. A. Hunter, who is serving his second term as mayor; five physicians-Drs. J. V. Richardson, W. C. Robeson, William R. Taylor, Martyn Taylor and J. M. Buchannan ; one dentist, Dr. C. A. Brown; and one veterinary surgeon, Frederick Miller.
Fort Recovery has two Masonic bodies, two Odd Fellow bodies and a G. A. R. post. Fort Recovery Lodge, No. 539, Free and Accepted Masons, was granted a charter at a session of the Grand Lodge held at Cincinnati, October 21, 1885. The charter members of the lodge were 19 in number, as follows: John S. Rhodes, J. S. Clum, Jacob Dumbauld, James Thomp- son, Charles L. Townsend, Samuel A. Nickerson, Joshua Armstrong, Charles Armstrong, Isaac N. Hanna, James H. Johnson, W. K. Kember, J. E. Good- ing, William B. Doner, J. A. Doner, W. J. Reichard, T. J. Godfrey, D. S. Skinner, William F. McDaniel and A. G. Clark. The officers named at the time of the granting of the charter were: T. J. Godfrey, W. M .; John S. Rhodes, S. W .; and James H. Johnson, J. W. The first elected officers, for the year 1886, were: John S. Rhodes, W. M .; James H. Johnson, S. W .; and Isaac N. Hanna, J. W. Isaac N. Hanna was worshipful master in 1887 and 1891 ; J. S. Clum, in 1888, 1889, 1890 and 1892; W. P. McDaniel, 1893; George A. Reuter, from 1894 to 1905, inclusive; and William E. Wilson, in 1906. The present officers are as follows: B. B. Wilson, W. M .; I. N. Medford, S. W .; James Ross, J. W .; Joshua Armstrong, treasurer; and C. A. Brown, secretary. The lodge has a membership of 68 .- Wayne Chapter No. III, Order of the Eastern Star, was instituted November 7, 1899, with the following charter members: E. L. McDaniel, Minnie McDaniel, O. E. Denny, Tillie Denny, Jennie Denny, Nora Fox, John S. Rhodes, Jennie Rhodes, Kate Lowry, Fannie Whitesell, Elizabeth Heap, Ollie Clark, William E. Wilson, Ella Wilson, Nora Taylor, Sallie Louden, Stella Wallingsford, S. E. Sauntman, Lillie Dumbauld, Jennie Rantz and Lizzie Boesche. The following were the first officers: Tillie Denny, worthy matron; E. L. Mc- Daniel, worthy patron; Nora Fox, associate matron; Jennie Rhodes, secre- tary; Kate Lowry, treasurer ; Minnie McDaniel, conductress; Fannie White- sell, associate conductress; Elizabeth Heap, chaplain; Ollie Clark and O. E. Denny, marshals; Ella Wilson, Ada; Jennie Denny, Ruth; Nora Taylor, Esther; Sallie Louden, Martha; Stella Wallingford, Electa; S. E. Saunt-
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man, warden; and William E. Wilson, sentinel. The chapter has a present membership of 55. The officers for the year 1907 are as follows: Jennie Denny, worthy matron: B. B. Wilson, worthy patron; Nora Taylor, asso- ciate matron ; Verna McDaniel, secretary; Lillie Dumbauld, treasurer; Annie Medford, conductress; Winnie Ross, associate conductress; Tillie Denny, chaplain; Carrie Young, marshal; Zura Roop, Ada; Ella Wilson, Ruth; Jennie Rhodes, Esther; Ida Denny, Martha; Lizzie Boesche, Electa; Ollie Clark, warden; and W. E. Wilson, sentinel.
Fort Recovery Lodge, No. 458, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was established in the '70's. The first officers were Joseph Smith, N. G .; J. S. Clum, V. G .; J. W. Blizzard, secretary ; and William Snyder, treasurer. The lodge has a present membership of 93. The officers for 1907 are as fol- lows: Clarence Whitesell, N. G .; Harvey Engle, V. G .; A. E. Gilbert, treasurer; Harley Brumm, recording secretary; and Wesley Schemenaur, financial secretary .- Mystic Union Rebekah Lodge, No. 218, was organized in 1887 with the following charter members: Russell M. Morvelius, Minnie Morvelius, L. H. Boesche, Lizzie Boesche, James Thompson, Susie Thomp- son, John Hedrick, Elizabeth Hedrick, Mary Hedrick, J. P. Dearworth, Abbie Dearworth, Zora Hanna, R. H. Campbell, Lydia Campbell, Sarah J. Rhodes, W. H. Robins, Emily Robins, Sam. W. Buck, Emma Buck, Charles H. Lord, Emma Lord, Alonzo Ford, Sol. McGriff and William L. Lundy. The lodge has .58 members at the present time. The following are the officers for 1907: Ida Howard, N. G .; Pearl Stoner, V. G .; Elma Rapp, secretary ; and Ada Reef, treasurer.
Harrod-McDaniel Post, No. 181, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized December 26, 1881, with the following members : Isaac N. Hanna, John S. Rhodes, George Hedrick, George R. McDaniel, John Jones, Theodore Scheid, James H. Johnson, Samuel A. Nickerson, J. C. Clum, John Slife, George Lipps, Eli Frazee, John McFarland, H. H. Harrison, J. E. Mc- Daniel, J. H. Adams, Sam. W. Buck, James Jenkins, William Denny, W. F. McDaniel, I. W. Isenhart, W. W. Collins, W. I. Latimer, C. P. Dearworth and I. N. O'Neal. The first commander of the post was Capt. John S. Rhodes. The officers at the present time are: I. N. Medford, commander ; Fred Holl, senior vice-commander; Theodore Scheid, junior vice-com- mander; Eli T. Hastings, adjutant; Daniel Kessler, quartermaster; O. S. Greene, chaplain; Frank Bushard, officer of the day; and Fred Heiss, officer of the guard. The post has 24 members.
The worst disaster that ever befell a community in Mercer County oc- curred at Fort Recovery at II o'clock A. M., on Wednesday, October 17, 1906, when a terrific explosion in the rear of Joseph A. Meinerding's hard-
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ware store caused the death of five persons, brought injuries to scores of others and inflicted a property loss of approximately $50,000. Just after the parade of the annual horse show, then being held here, took place, the whole town was shaken by a deafening explosion, which entirely wrecked the two- story building occupied by Joseph A. Meinerding as a hardware store, the Journal printing office, the Roop blacksmith shop and a dwelling in the rear of the Opera House. The wreckage soon caught fire and for a time it looked as though the entire business section would be destroyed. Only by the hard- est work and with the assistance furnished from Portland, Indiana, and Cold- water were the flames subdued. The fire damaged the Schneider and Setter buildings, the Lowry livery stable, the bank building, the B. W. Roop dwell- ing and other surrounding property. All the glass in the business blocks, as well as in nearby dwellings, was smashed, and not a single window in the Catholic Church, two blocks away, remained unbroken. Five victims of the explosion were killed outright or died before evening, namely: Miss Cleo Weis, Henry Lammers, Joseph Rosener, Charles Wagner and John McMillan; the first four were employed in the hardware store and the last named, a farmer, of Monterey, was in the store with his wife, making pur- chases; Mrs. McMillan miraculously escaped very serious injury. A dozen or 15 received serious injuries, and many more were slightly injured or had narrow escapes. While a quantity of explosives, including 15 to 20 pounds of dynamite, was stored in the rear room of the store, it is not thought that the dynamite caused the explosion, as its force was upward instead of down- ward. It may have resulted from the formation of gas somewhere about the rear of the store. The funerals of the victims were held on Friday, October 19th, when all places of business were closed, the day being given over to mourning. Four views of the disaster are shown in this book.
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CHAPTER VII
GRANVILLE, MARION AND FRANKLIN TOWNSHIPS
GRANVILLE TOWNSHIP
Was organized June 5. 1837, at which time it comprised only that part of the present township lying north of the Greenville treaty line, which was originally a part of Recovery township. The portion south of the treaty line, constituting about two-fifths of the township, did not become a part of Granville township until 1849. The first election was held on June 26, 1837, at the house of John Wright. The first township officers are said to have been James Grant, justice of the peace; William Franklin, constable; and John Wright, clerk. The present township officers are as follows: Trustees -Henry Uhlenhake, Joseph Osterfeld and William Evers; clerk, H. A. Beckman; treasurer, Henry Gottemoller; justice of the peace, Joseph J. Schlosser.
The township is bounded on the north by Butler township, on the east by Marion township, on the south by Darke County and on the west by Gib- son and Recovery townships. It is practically six miles square ; the southern and western lines are slightly irregular. The surface of the township is generally low and level. with an extended basin in the central eastern por- tion, known as Cranberry Prairie. This prairie was originally something of a marsh but in the years since the settlement of the township it has under- gone a wonderful change. The dredging of the Wabash River, which cost many thousands of dollars, has reclaimed all this waste land, which has become the finest farming section of the township. In this locality the Wabash River begins to assume an important aspect; its source is some dis- tance west, on the line between Darke and Mercer counties in the Hog Prairie, which at the present time is all farm land. The land of Granville township is highly productive and is in an advanced state of cultivation. All kinds of grain are grown in abundance, but the soil is best suited to the rais-
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ing of corn. In 1881 this township had 10,452 acres of arable land; 438 acres of meadow land; and 13,325 acres of woodland. In 1906 there were 13,179 acres of land under cultivation, 2,624 acres of pasture land, 3,891 acres of woodland and 1,829 acres of waste land. Nearly all the original woodland has been cleared and is now under cultivation. Farms of 40 and 80 acres extent predominate; some men own farms of 160 acres, and Judge Dwyer. of Dayton, Ohio, owns over 400 acres of the Cranberry Prairie, all in one farm, but these are exceptions to the rule. One of the first gas-wells in the county was drilled on the Cranberry Prairie, on land owned by Judge Dwyer, and a good supply of gas was found. Afterwards a large gas terri- tory was opened up in Mercer County, which supplied Dayton, Troy, Piqua and other towns with gas for fuel and light for a number of years.
Granville township to-day can boast of being one of the best townships in the county, as well as being one of the largest and wealthiest. Few farms are encumbered by debt. The farmers in this township take pride in having the best stock that money will buy and as a class are industrious and econom- ical. Well-kept and cultivated farms are seen everywhere; good farm resi- dences and barns are found on nearly all the farms. Thrift is indicated in the neatness of the home surroundings. Good gravel roads are on every hand. The township is crossed by the Cincinnati Northern Railroad, with stations at St. Henry and Burkettsville, thus affording ample shipping facili- ties. The free rural delivery of mail has been well established in this town- ship and communication by telephone is general throughout the community. The inhabitants as a rule have always been and are now, either German or of German descent. The German people have made this section of the county, transforming it from a wilderness to scores upon scores of produc- tive farms, all under a high state of cultivation. They own nearly all the land. The population of Granville township was 1,616 in 1880, 2,013 in 1890 and 2,329 in 1900.
Granville township has none but Roman Catholic churches, of which there are four, namely : St. Henry's at St. Henry ; St. Bernard's at Burketts- ville ; St. Wendelin's at Wendelin; and St. Francis's, located near the settle- ment of Cranberry Prairie. The history of these churches will be found in another chapter of this work. Good school buildings, both public and paro- chial, have been provided for the education of the children. The first public school in the township is said to have been taught by William Franklin.
PIONEERS.
William Simison, a child of the forest, was born in Mercer County, Ohio, May 22, 1827, being a son of John Simison, who located at Fort Recovery in 1817. William Simison was long a resident of Granville town- ship and served as constable two years. His grandfather, William Price,
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was with Gen. Arthur St. Clair in his defeat at Fort Recovery on Novem- ber 4, 1791, and afterwards was a soldier under Gen. Anthony Wayne. Mr. Simison's youth was passed amid the exciting scenes of pioneer hardships. He frequently sold his furs to traders in Piqua, and took his pay in hogs, some of them escaping while driving them home. The killing of deer was an ordinary sport, and it created no terror in him to hear the howling of wolves, as he wended his way through the forests a distance of 40 miles to pay a visit to his future companion for life. On one occasion he was com- pelled to borrow a pair of pants to go home in, his own, which had been used to fill a crack in a log cabin to keep the wolves out, having been torn to shreds.
Among the earliest settlers of Granville township, in and around St. Henry, were the families of Henry, Bernard and James Romer, all of whom settled here when the township was an unbroken wilderness. Henry Bruns and his wife came to the county in 1827 and settled in this township; their son, Bernard Bruns, was an infant at the time; Henry Beckman was a pio- neer business man of Granville township as early as 1839. The descendants of the Bruns, Beckman and Romer families are numerous throughout the township and represent the leading business interests of St. Henry and Gran- ville township to-day. There is scarcely an industry in St. Henry that has not connected with it a member of one of the above named families. Chris- tian Stelzer settled in the township in 1833; his son Casper was born here December 25, 1837. William J. Stetcher has lived here since 1859; his par- ents, Casper Stetcher and wife, came here in 1833. J. B. Drahman settled here in 1836. Joseph Robbins, an early pioneer of this township, was born in Alsace, France, and settled in Mercer County in 1839. John E. Uhlen- hake settled here in 1844 and George A. Mueller, in 1846, while John Shaner came to this section in 1848. Sebastian Gebele settled here in 1849 and Harman Savert in 1854. The Hemmelgarn family came to the township at an early date and located near the settlement of Cranberry Prairie. Joseph Rammel was another early settler of German nativity. Of the English-speak- ing people who settled in Granville township, Alexander Grant, James Grant, William Franklin, Landon Bennett, John Wright, H. E. Franklin, Lot Tim- brell, James Dunwoody and Nathaniel Hewitt were among the first settlers. These and many others came to Granville township in an early day and helped to subdue the wilderness. Their descendants are now enjoying the results of their labors.
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