USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 19
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ST. HENRY.
In the northern part of Granville township is located the thriving and prosperous village of St. Henry, which was laid out by Henry Romer in 1837,
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the plat being recorded on July 13th. The Romer, Beckman and Bruns families have been intimately connected with its history from the very start. Henry Bruns built the second cabin and started a blacksmithing business, which in later years grew to be an important industry of the town. Henry Beckman was also an early business man here. Joseph B. Drahman formerly conducted a harness shop and general store at this place. The town had a population of about 200 in 1880 and was credited with 682 inhabitants in 1890. It has over 1,000 at the present time. It was incorporated in 1901. The present officers of the town are: Mayor, George A. W. Schlosser; clerk, William H. Romer; treasurer, Joseph J. Romer ; marshal, John Gard- ner; council-J. Henry Hartings, Henry Wimmers, Sebastian Ranley, Ber- nard K. Kessens, Edward Bellert and Henry Tumbusch. H. J. Anthony is superintendent of the village schools of St. Henry; the High School de- partment ranks as second-grade and has 25 pupils. The Cincinnati Northern Railroad passes through the town and the prospects are good for an electric road passing through St. Henry in the near future. St. Henry's Catholic Church, located here, is one of the largest and finest in the county. The parochial school is also one of the best attended in this section.
St. Henry is surrounded by a fine agricultural country and is a trading place for a very considerable district. It has quite a number of flourishing industries, including among which is the South Mercer Flouring Mills, oper- ated by steam power, which are owned by B. G. Plummer. Among other manufacturing concerns of the town we may mention the Bany Washing Machine Company, the Conover Creamery Company, St. Henry Canning Company (canners and packers of vegetables and fruits) ; Sebastian Ranley, wagon and carriage manufacturing-also dealer in coal; and Wimmers & Wuebker, manufacturers of tile, brick and cement blocks. The St. Henry Bank, which was organized January 5, 1906, on the individual responsibility plan, is an important addition to the town's business interests. It possesses assets totaling over $135,000. John Henry Romer is president; Henry Romer, vice-president and assistant cashier ; and William H. Romer, cashier. The mercantile interests of the place are ably represented by the following firms: B. Forsthoefel, Joseph Bruns and Joseph John Romer, general stores; Westerheide & Romer, millinery; St. Henry Hardware Company and A. Schuerman, hardware and farm implements; Beckman & Gottemoller, stoves, tinware, tin roofing, etc .; B. J. Lammers and C. C. Siegrist, harness ; Ed. J. Schmitz, patent medicines, jewelry, books, etc .; F. H. Gottemoller, furniture and undertaking; Bernard Bertke, West End Hotel; Buschore & Sunder- haus, livery barn; The P. Kuntz & Herr Lumber Company, lumber and building materials, represented by J. J. Moeller; William F. Bruns and L. Gebele, barbers; Louis Kothman, Henry Kevelder and Frank Saunderhaus,
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liquors ; Dr. H. G. Glew, dentist; and Drs., J. A. Schirack and J. J. Mory, physicians and surgeons.
BURKETTSVILLE.
This village is located on the southern line of Granville township and is a station on the Cincinnati Northern Railroad. It was laid out in Novem- ber, 1876, by Bernard Romer, Jr., Edward Frummel, William Sutherland and Jackson Galder. It was incorporated in 1901, and at the present time has these officials : Mayor, S. S. Erhart; clerk, Elzy Branham; treasurer, J. A. Wehrling; marshal, Joseph Flayler ; council-J. W. Birt, George Van- denbosch, John Dresher, Joseph Balmert, J. B. Hemmelgarn and L. B. Jones. Frank Birt is postmaster. Dr. Inman is the only physician. There are two schools. One in conducted in English in a two-room, brick schoolhouse by two teachers. The other, a German school, is in charge of one teacher and is taught in a frame schoolhouse. St. Bernard's Catholic Church is located here, also the Novitiate of the Fathers of the Most Precious Blood. The leading business interests of the village are as follows: The grain elevator of S. S. Erhart, tile plant of Aaron Jones, slack barrel factory of Dunn & Company and the general stores of J. W. Birt and Joseph Franks. J. A. Wehrling is proprietor of the village hotel, while J. H. Stimke and Nic. Cordonelia conduct blacksmith shops. The population of the village in 1900 was 230, but it is now considerably larger.
CRANBERRY PRAIRIE AND WENDELIN
Are small settlements of Granville township-the former near the east- ern boundary and the latter on the western line. Each has a Catholic Church. At Cranberry Prairie, B. J. Bertke has a general store, while Joseph Doner conducts a blacksmith shop.
MARION TOWNSHIP
Was organized with the county, being one of the four original townships, but at that time it did not include the portion of the township lying south of the Greenville treaty line, which was not added until 1849. With its present boundaries, it contains about 40 square miles and is the largest township in the county, as well as one of the wealthiest and oldest. Roughly, the town- ship is a parallelogram with the greatest length north and south, the only material divergence from a regular geometrical figure being the triangular piece that juts out from the southeast corner. With this exception, the town- ship is six miles wide from east to west and over six and a half miles long from north to south. It is bounded on the north by Franklin township, on
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the east by Auglaize County, on the south by Darke County and on the west by Granville and Butler townships. In 1881 there were 13,342 acres of arable land, 291 acres of meadow land and 11,100 acres of woodland. In 1906 the total valuation of lands and buildings in the township, as returned to the county auditor by the township assessor, was $654,065, which was far below the actual value. The population in 1880 was 1,933; in 1890, 2,525; and in 1900, 2,678.
The first election was held on June 25, 1833, at the house of Mathew Kearns, at which time the following officers were elected: Trustees-Samuel Gray, Charles Botkin and John Miller; clerk, John L. Simes; treasurer, John Sprague; overseers of the poor-Mathew Kearns and Alexander Gil- laspie; fence viewers-William Botkin, John Davis and Hugh Miller. The present township officers are as follows: Trustees-Benjamin Evers, Fred. Bertke and Fred. Schroeder; clerk, John P. Hartings; treasurer, Joseph Hierholzer; justice of the peace, H. S. Shaffer. The township for school purposes is divided into 10 sub-districts; for election purposes it is divided into two voting precincts, called East and West voting precincts. In 1880 the township cast 437 votes for president; 20 years later the votes for presi- dent amounted to 600.
The township is not cut up by any large streams of water. Chickasaw Creek, Little Beaver and Burnt Wood creeks all flow into the Great Reser- voir, passing through portions of Marion and Franklin townships. This was the first township in the county to begin the building of gravel roads. It kept on with the work until the whole township is now supplied with the very best roads to be found in the county. There has been a steady im- provement in all that goes to make a well-improved agricultural country. The farms have large and commodious barns and good, substantial, brick and frame houses of modern style and architecture. The township is dotted over with elegant churches and good schoolhouses. All of the churches in this township, without exception, are Roman Catholic and number six in all. The greater part of the population is now, as it always has been, com- posed of people of German nativity or ancestry.
PIONEERS:
As in nearly all the townships, the first settlers selected homes on and along the streams of water. On Chickasaw Creek were located the families of Samuel Gray, Charles Botkin and John Miller, who were trustees in 1833. The first road supervisors, appointed in August, 1833, were Charles Botkin, William Botkin, William Ballinger, John Ballinger, Alexander Miller, Will- iam B. Winter, James L. Simes, Abel Worthington, John M. Gogil, Samuel T. Grant, John Davis, John Sprague, John Miller, Mathew Kearns, Samuel
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Gray, Hugh Miller, Alexander Gillaspie, Jethro Ivens, John Willberry, Thomas Potter and John Potter. These men were the early settlers of Marion township. In 1834 Samuel T. Grant was commissioned as a justice of the peace for the township.
Among the first Germans to settle in the township were Mathias Gast, Arnold Clune, Fred. Elking, D. Hinders, Henry Lochtefeld, H. G. Schrage, Henry Overman, Andrew Harman, Bernard Wehrkamp, Henry Hulskamp, Dietrich Kremer, George Leugers, Henry Hagedorn and the Schwietermann family, and still later in the township's history were John Brackman, Bernard and Henry Grieshop, Gerhard Westgerdes, Bernard Pukenbrock, Anthony Rentz, Frederick Niekamp, Henry and Bernard Bertke, Lorenz Schunck, John and Fred. Fleck and the Hierholzer, Cron and Stelzer families.
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This township from the earliest history has always been represented at the Court House in Celina. Mathias Gast was an early commissioner of the county ; H. H. Pulskamp served as county treasurer from this township and also as probate judge of the county ; Bernard Wehrkamp from Carthagena was infirmary director; and Joseph Hinders, formerly of Marion, served as sheriff two terms.
CHICKASAW.
This, the only incorporated village in Marion township, lies in the northern part and is a station on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway. It was laid out in July, 1838, by John Nutter and James Brooks. Little progress was made, however, in the development of the place until the early '80's. Chickasaw was incorporated as a village in 1890. The following are the present village officials: Mayor, H. S. Shaffer; clerk, Joseph Dorsten; treasurer, Joseph Haufelder; marshal, William Cron. Chickasaw has two brick school buildings, each one story high. The village Board of Education is constituted as follows: John P. Hartings, John Eyink, August Rentz, Casper Clune and Dr. H. G. Rawers. The Church of the Most Precious Blood is located here. Henry Gast, Jacob Link and Rawers & Tekamp have general stores. Frederick Gast deals in groceries and notions; Meinerding & Grieshop, in hardware; H. S. Shaffer, in building materials, B. A. Spoltman, in harness; and Gerhard Schroeder, in monuments. Joseph Dorsten is en- gaged in blacksmithing, William Cron, in the manufacture of wagons, and Frederick Max, in conducting a sawmill. Another manufacturing concern of the place is the Union Handle Company. Chickasaw has had a hotel for the last 25 years or more. Dr. H. G. Rawers is the town's only physician.
ST. JOHNS
Was laid out in 1838 by John and Christian Stelzer, the plat being recorded
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WEST SCHOOL BUILDING, CELINA ( Now torn down to make way for new building )
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS, CHICKASAW
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, COLDWATER
EAST SCHOOL BUILDING, CELINA
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on September 24th. In April, 1851, an addition to St. Johns on the west was laid out by Archbishop John B. Purcell. St. John's Church is located here. John Listenschneider, John Stellar and John Thomas settled on the site of St. Johns in 1833. By reason of the fact that the first settlers were all named John the settlement was given the name of St. Johns. The town formerly had considerable business, but since the completion of the railroad through Marion township the business of St. Johns has been gradually trans- ferred to
MARIA STEIN,
A station on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway, less than a half mile west from St. Johns. This town has a population of about 500 or 600 but is not an incorporated village. The most important manufacturing con- cern of this town is the New Spreader Company, manufacturers of manure spreaders, of which company Henry Synck is manager and Benjamin Oppen- heim, secretary. The company has a very complete plant, including foundry, pattern shop, wood-working machinery, electric light plant, etc., and employs 25 men. John Link conducts the Maria Stein Machine Shop, where boilers and engines are repaired and wagons are manufactured and repaired. Other important industries of the town are the Davidson butter tub factory, the grain elevator of Henry Kramer, who also deals in hardware and groceries and the Moeller Lumber Company, Louis Moeller, manager, which company deals in lumber and building material. Henry Goecke conducts an under- taking business, manufactures brick and deals in furniture. Dr. Alois J. Willke is the town's physician. Located a short distance northeast of the town is the large convent of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood. A little over a mile west of Maria Stein is the settlement known as
ST. ROSA.
This place was laid out by Archbishop John B. Purcell in June, 1854, the plat being recorded on the 29th of the month. It was laid out as Rose Garden and known both by this name and by St. Rosa, which was the post- office name. St. Rosa's Catholic Church is located here. Less than two miles west of St. Rosa is the town of
CASSELLA,
Which was laid out under the name of Marysville in 1860. Cassella later became the name of the postoffice and the town is now generally known by the latter name. It has a population of about 100. St. Mary's Catholic Church is located here. There are two general stores situated at Cassella,
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conducted by Mrs. Magdalena Cron and Joseph Hierholzer; a blacksmith shop and wagon repairing establishment conducted by Frank Feltz; and an agricultural implement depot, conducted by Hierholzer & Feltz.
CARTHAGENA
Is located in the northwest corner of the township and is a settlement of perhaps 100 people. The town was laid out by Charles Moore in December, 1840. Here was formerly located the Emlen Institute, established by Au- gustus Wattles, of Connecticut, as an educational institution for the colored people. The property was later bought by a Catholic order, the Congrega- tion of the Most Precious Blood, which established St. Charles Seminary for the education of young men for the Catholic priesthood. This is the motherhouse of the American Province of the Fathers of the Most Precious Blood. St. Aloysius' Catholic Church is also located at Carthagena. The colored people are growing less in numbers every year, but they still support a church near Carthagena and had a school until a few years ago. The lands once owned by them have been bought by German people and but few colored residents now remain in the township. For many years it was their custom to hold a great jubilee on the first day of August of each year. Carthagena does not command much trade from the surrounding country, as the towns of Coldwater, St. Henry and Chickasaw are too near. It has, however, a general store owned by Anton Link and a carriage and agricultural implement store conducted by Joseph Hartke.
SEBASTIAN
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Is a small town located a little over a mile north of Chickasaw. It has one church, St. Sebastian's, and a grocery.
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP
This township is bordered on the north by the Grand Reservoir, forming a very irregular boundary; it is bounded on the east by Auglaize County, on the south by Marion township and on the west by Butler township. It is six miles long from east to west, has an average width from north to south of about three and a half miles and contains about 22 square miles. The township was organized December 7, 1841, and the first election was held December 24, 1841. At the settlement two small bands of Indians occupied a part of this territory. They were known as the Big and Little Chickasaws and from them two streams of the township took their names. These Indians were peaceably disposed and never gave any trouble or alarm to the settlers. The people of this township are a thrifty lot of farmers,
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it being one of the best farming districts of the county. Corn, wheat, oats and all the grains are grown in abundance. The township has always been represented on the Mercer County fair board. The present township officials are as follows: Trustees-J. J. Ulrich, Hy. Filling and Henry Ronnebaum; clerk, A. C. Long; treasurer, John Harrison; justices of the peace-Walter N. Monroe and John W. Harrison. The population of the township was 1,015 in 1880, 1,240 in 1890 and 1,320 in 1900.
In an early day when the Grand Reservoir was abundant with fish, and wild ducks and geese were plentiful, the principal vocation of the people that lived on the south bank of the reservoir was fishing and shipping ducks, geese and fish. A great many of the best farmers in the township paid for their farms and homes with fish caught from the reservoir. In the good fishing season it was no uncommon occurrence to see from 25 to 100 teams a day come here to get fish, which in those days sold for a good price.
After this resource of wealth was exhausted; another gold mine was struck in Franklin township-gas and oil were discovered, and more wells were drilled here than in any other township of the county. It proved to be more of a gas field than an oil field, and many large gas-wells were put down. So great was the supply that companies were organized and the towns in this section of the country were supplied from this field. Two pipe-lines supplied Celina, Greenville, Piqua, Dayton, Springfield and all nearby towns. The era of natural gas was, however, not long-lived, and the people went back to coal and wood. The large towns are yet supplied, but from a different gas field. Celina is now supplied with gas from a field east of Columbus, some 140 miles distant.
PIONEERS.
Among the first settlers of the township were Stephen Sprague, Abra- ham and John Miller and the Lacey, Beauchamp and Johnson families. The Botkin family settled on Chickasaw Creek in 1829; there were two brothers, Charles and William. Peter Circle came here about 1835. William B. Winter, William Ballinger, Henry. B. Bennett, Isaac Brandon, William P. Long, Isaac W. Preston, Thomas McGee, Singleton Buxton, Jacob Selby, Barney Dabbelt, Henry Dammeyer and the Burdges and Trims were all pioneers of Franklin township. Isaac Ellis, who died several years ago, was an early settler of the township and was the fur buyer for all this section of the country. Samuel C. Hyler, 88 years of age, is the oldest resident of ' Franklin township; he has lived here since 1854.
CHURCHES.
All the churches of Franklin township are located at Montezuma and
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are three in number: United Brethren, Methodist Episcopal and Church of Christ. There is also a Catholic mission located here, of which Rev. Cosmas Seeberger, C. PP. S., is pastor pro tem.
The Montezuma class of the United Brethren Church was organized in 1845 by Rev. R. Gillen. Among the first members were : Elizabeth Buxton, Mary Taylor and William Beauchamp and wife. Until the first church building was erected, about 1862, services were held at the homes of the various members. The present church building was erected at Montezuma in 1879 at a cost of about $2,000, being dedicated by Bishop Weaver on the first Sunday in June of that year. The following pastors have served this church since Rev. R. Gillen : Revs. John Slife, A. Shingledecker, Michael Johnston, J. M. Lea, Lewis S. Farber, Elias Counsellor, Wentz and Heistand, D. W. Abbott, J. Ogle, Nicodemus, William Miller, R. W. Wilgus, Thomas Coats, R. G. Montgomery, Reuben Moore, P. C. Bechdolt, E. G. Stover, D. A. Boyd, S. M. Leidy, L. C. Reed, J. F. Miller, C. T. Betts, W. E. Amsbaugh, J. N. Holins, Joseph Kirk and J. P. Hight, who also serves the Mount Zion class in Center township, the Old-town class in Jefferson town- ship and the Burnt Wood class in Butler township. The membership of the Montezuma class is 79 and the Sunday-school has an average attendance of 65.
The Montezuma Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at a very early day, but for different reasons was at one time abandoned. The organi- zation was revived in 1880 by Rev. Lyman E. Prentiss, of Celina. A frame church was built and furnished at a cost of a little more than $2,000, being dedicated by Rev. Belt on May 7, 1882. The church now has a membership of 70 with an average Sunday-school attendance of 75. The church prop- erty is valued at $1,500. The following pastors have served this church since 1882 : Revs. W. G. Wesselius, 1882-83; James G. Day, 1884-85; E. T. Daily, 1888-89; John F. Naugle, 1890; W. J. Hagerman, 1891-92 ; B. W. Day, 1893; Charles McCord, 1894-95; C. B. Kramer, 1896-97; J. J. Richards, 1898-99; J. M. Longsworth, 1900; F. M. Houser, 1901-02; J. S. Bell, 1903-04; A. H. Weaver, 1905-06; and C. M. Baker, the present pastor, who also has charge of Center Chapel and Copp's Chapel in Center township and the Coldwater Methodist Episcopal Church.
Rev. J. A. Persinger is pastor of the Church of Christ at Montezuma. There is a Sunday-school in connection with this church.
MONTEZUMA
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Is situated in the northwest part of Franklin township on Beaver Creek and Lake Mercer. It was laid out in 1835, the plat being recorded on March 12th. Morris Kelly came to the county in 1850; at a later date he engaged
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in business as a storekeeper at Montezuma. A. J. Platt was for many years a merchant here. Jimmy Johnson at one time owned and operated a grist- mill at Montezuma and also distilled whiskey. Montezuma was incorporated as a village in 1894 and its first mayor was William A. Lacey and its second, George Preston. The present village officials are as follows: Mayor, Will- iam Cochran; clerk, J. J. Ulrich; treasurer, W. L. Hoel; marshal, Jacob Hoel; Council-L. E. Springer, Cornelius Franks, I. N. Stump, William Roush, G. H. Preston and A. C. Long. William A. Lacey is postmaster. The population of the village was 210 in 1890 and 317 in 1900.
The boys and girls of the pioneer days in the vicinity of Montezuma obtained the rudiments of an education in an old, round-log building, known to the inhabitants of this section as the "Wolves' Den." It was located half a mile south of Montezuma. The first school building erected in the village was located in the south part of town and was 12 by 14 feet in size. It was a frame structure; its interior furnishings-seats and desks- were very crude and plain. As the school increased in size new buildings were erected, all of which were one-story, frame structures. After two such buildings had been built and outlived their usefulness, the present frame schoolhouse was erected. It had two rooms at first; in 1895 it was remodeled and another story added. As the building stands at present, it is a two-story, frame schoolhouse with four rooms. Four teachers are employed. The super- intendent of the village schools is R. G. Clark. The Montezuma Special School District was organized in September, 1895. The Board of Educa- tion, as at present constituted, is as follows: D. S. Monroe, S. J. Carter, J. J. Beauchamp, G. H. Preston and J. F. Monroe.
The town has a sawmill, conducted by C. P. Heavlin; the blacksmith shop of William Boze; the grocery, meat market and restaurant of A. C. Long ; and the general stores of Barney Rohler and W. L. Hoel. Cloid Tobin is the proprietor of a barber shop. Dr. L. T. Arthur is the town's resident physician.
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CHAPTER VIII
EARLY HISTORY OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH*
By Rev. Timothy Hankins.
In 1828, Robert Finley, after having served the Presbyterian Church 25 years, and the Methodist Church about the same length of time, came to St. Marys (then in Mercer County), he being then on the superannuated list. It does not appear that he came by the authority of the church or volun- tarily, but he was seeking "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Here he found a few who had not lost their religion by emigrating, among whom were the families of Cuthbert Vinson and that of H. Major. In the year 1829 a camp-meeting was held at St. Marys, at which there were a number of conversions, and the little society was greatly encouraged and built up. Brother Finley was assisted at this camp-meeting by William H. Raper and John P. Wright. He then extended his mission westward to Twelve-Mile Creek, Shane's Prairie and Willshire.
In 1830 Abraham Millice was sent to do missionary work. He was suc- ceeded by James B. Austin and John Wood. Then another camp-meeting was held, which was conducted by Robert Finley, James B. Finley and James W. Finley, after which the work was greatly extended. St. Marys mission included Shane's Prairie, Mercer County; Willshire and Sugar Ridge, Van Wert County; Kalida, Putnam County, and contained all there was of Methodism in the territories of Mercer, Van Wert, Putnam, Allen and Auglaize counties.
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