USA > Ohio > Noble County > History of Noble County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 61
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68
Fredericktown, or Crumtown, is a village of a few houses in the north- ern part of the township. The first store was kept by "Deb" Mott as early as 1854. Mott was succeeded by a man named Heidleheim- er. Both were tobacco merchants. James Carmichael is the present merchant.
The village was laid out on the land of William Crum, a prominent citizen and justice of the peace for many years. The place was named for Frederick Miller. Elk is the name of the postoffice.
Fredericktown was laid out as a village May 8, 1854. The plat, con- sisting of nineteen lots, was made by Charles Burlingame, county survey- or, for William Crum, the pro- prietor. Its location is in the north- west quarter of section 29, of town- ship 5, range 7.
On the county seat removal ques- tion, Elk cast her influence in favor of Caldwell and virtually decided the contest. The Sarahsville adherents disputed the vote, and said more bal- lots were returned than there were voters in the township. Affidavits were procured from every school district, certifying to the number of qualified electors, and the honor of Elk was triumphantly vindicated. James Mitchell, now of Jefferson Township, was then justice of the peace and performed effective service in the interests of Caldwell.
HARRIETTSVILLE.
Harriettsville is an old and pleas- antly situated village on the East Fork of Duck Creek. It has long been a trading point of importance and its merchants are still enterpris- ing and progressive.
The village was laid out by Moses T. Spencer in 1839 and consisted of twenty-three lots upon two streets. The survey was made by Mitchel At- kinson, surveyor of Monroe County. November 5, 1870, J. C. Wernecke's
525
ELK.
addition was surveyed by David Mill- er. This addition consists of twenty- one lots, lying north of the original plat.
The village was named for Moses T. Spencer's daughter Harriet, who was the first postmistress. The first house was built by Job Smith on the lot now occupied by Herman Wer- necke. This was a frame building. Smith erected the house, hoping to induce a shoemaker to come here and locate, but did not succeed.
Joseph Watt and David Slack, do- ing business under the firm name of Slack, Watt & Co., started the first store about 1845, in one end of the present building of J. C. Wernecke & Son. They also dealt in tobacco. They failed after a few years and in 1849 were succeeded by J. C. Wer- necke, who has continued business ever since.
During the first ten years of the village the population grew to about a dozen families. In 1849 David Slack kept hotel where W. T. Bied- enharn's store now stands. Later Uhlman & Brooks opened a store there. They were succeeded by Richard C. Miles, Miles & Oblinger, R. C. Miles, Miles & Biedenharn and W. T. Biedenharn. A great quan- tity of tobacco has been packed annually ever since the village was begun.
Two Frenchmen, names unknown, were among the early settlers of the place. One was a shoemaker and the other a hatter. One, in attempt- ing to cross the creek on the ice, broke through; the other attempt- ed to rescue him, and both were
drowned. This took place at the upper end of the village.
Harriettsville contains at present 130 inhabitants. The business men of the place are as follows:
General merchants and tobacco packers : J. C. Wernecke & Son, W. T. Biedenharn.
Grocer and druggist: Charles Lloyd.
Druggist : Samuel Cooley.
Hotel-keeper: C. F. Shafer.
Saw-mill and grist-mill : Lee & Wilson.
Blacksmiths : Myers & Pryor.
Harness-maker: Herman Kirchner .. Shoemakers : Henry Shafer, Au- gust Voigt.
Physicians: A. Martin, J. W. Brock, J. H. Williams.
ODD FELLOWS.
Noble Lodge .- Noble Lodge, No. 563, Harriettsville, Ohio, was institu- ted December 4, 1873, with the fol- lowing charter members: Dr. William G. Martin, G. A. Wilson, C. F. Shafer, Herman Kirchner, L. L. Lovett, Samuel Cooley Charles Lloyd, Il. Schenck, G. W. True, Sebastian Shafer, and Edward Pyles. The present membership is twenty-seven ; value of lodge property, $572.20; present officers : Dr. J. W. Brock, Noble Grand ; C. H. Lee, Vice-Grand ; Lewis Barker, treasurer; G. II. Weckbacher, recording secretary ; John. Barker, permanent secretary.
CHURCHES.
Methodist Episcopal Church .- A class was organized in the vicinity of Harriettsville as early as 1832. Moses T. Spencer and Jonas Lovett with
526
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
their families were leading members. Jonas Lovett was class-leader from the organization until his death (1868). Meetings were held in a log school-house near Harriettsville until 1858, when a new school-house was built. In 1869 the present church was completed and dedicated in the month of February. The building cost about $1,100. The present mem- bership is about fifty.
The Methodist Episcopal church near Crumtown was organized under the leadership of Peter Crow. The first church erected was in 1836, of hewed logs, with a log pulpit and a plank floor. Mordecai Bishop was sent as a missionary the following year. No further data have been fur- nished.
Catholic .- St. Henry's church, Roman Catholic, is located in Elk Township, two miles east of Harrietts- ville. The congregation was organ- ized in 1868, and in the same year, through the efforts of William Smith- berger, Esq., the society was supplied with a frame church edifice 25x40 feet, and which cost $1,800. The original members were William Smithberger, John Smithberger, Da- vid Burkhart, Jacob Lang, Sr., Jacob Lang, Jr., and John Herbst. Prior to the formation of this church the Catholic families of the neighborhood -about a half dozen in all-were occasionally visited by the resident priest at Fulda. Of late the congre- gation has greatly increased and the present membership is forty-five fam- ilies or about three hundred souls. There are seventy-five Sabbath schol- ars. For ten years a Catholic school
has been connected with the church. The school is taught during six months of the year and instruction is given both in German and in English. All of the members of the church are either Germans or of German de- scent. The resident pastors have been as follows: Rev. E. L. Fladung, Rev. L. Grimmer, Rev. John M. Ryan, Rev. L. Newmeyer and Rev. John B. Gamber, the present pastor. The priest of this congregation also has charge of the church at Hol- man's, in Washington County, about fifteen miles distant. A new church will soon be built at St. Henry's, as the present is too small for the large and growing congregation.
Baptist .- Roadfork Baptist church, near Elk Postoffice, was organized in November, 1857, by John Ables, J. D. Riley, Henry Lyons and Rev. Mr. Mattock. The first deacons were Thomas Lenington, William McPeek and Isaac W. Bonar. First members: David Bonar, Silas Mc- Bonar, David Tripp, James Crum and John Skinner. The congrega- tion worshiped for two years in the district school-house, and in 1859 erected a frame church, 30 x 42 feet, at a cost of $800. The build- ing has since been repaired and improved by the addition of a good bell, an iron roof, etc. The membership is sixty-five, and the average number of Sabbath school scholars slightly larger. The pastors have been Revs. Henry Lyons, John Slepleens, John Covert, William Mc- Peek, Nathan Crooks, Mungo Taylor and J. L. Cunningham.
St. John's Evangelical Church .-
527
ELK.
This congregation was organized in 1842, with the following members: Leonhard Schenk, Michael Sebach, John Howald, Jacob Rohrer, Chris- tian Epler, Henry Knoch, Michael Eshelman, Peter Gruber, Peter IIart- wich, Andrew Holschuh, John Lee and Henry Neuhart. The first church building was a log structure, built in 1842. The present church was erected in 1857, and is a frame structure 30x40 feet. The first pas- tor was Rev. Schreiner, succeeded by Revs. Turner, Hirsch, Zwicker, Buesser, Rosencrans and others. Present membership, seventy. Sab- bath school attendance about ninety.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
J. C. WERNECKE, son of Diedrich Henry and Frederica Charlotta Liza- beta (Galbernagle) Wernecke, was born in Vorden by Osnabruck, king- dom of Hanover, Germany, Decem- ber 6, 1818, and was educated in the common schools (Volkschule). At the age of fourteen his ambition was to become a professional teacher, and to obtain the means necessary to prosecute his studies he taught the small scholars, ranging in their ages from six to ten years. ITe was thus enabled to obtain private instruction in music and other branches not taught in the common schools at that time. At the age of eighteen he passed a successful examination and was licensed to teach. Shortly after, a teacher in the seminary re- ceived an injury to one of his eyes, and had to give up his place. Mr. Wernecke was invited to fill the vacant chair. Upon inquiry he
found that he must take charge of nearly 150 pupils. This was a . responsibility he did not like to assume, and as many of his friends were preparing to emigrate to America, he decided to cast his lot with theirs and try what fortunes or misfortunes the New World had in store for him. He accordingly left Germany in May, 1837, and reached New York in July. In August of the same year he went to Savannah, Ga. A short time after his arrival at Savannah he was pros- trated by fever, from which he did not recover until the following March. In May of 1838 he returned to New York, remaining a few days in the city. He took a trip up the Hudson to Rondout. At Rosendale he got employment in a cement quarry, where he remained till the spring of 1839, when the company employing him suspended, and he was thrown out of employment. By the advice of a friend in Balti- more, Md., he left New York and went to that city. From Baltimore, in company with Judge John Daven- port, he came to Barnesville, Ohio. Finding no employment here, he visited J. F. Bidenhorn at Malaga, Monroe County, Ohio. He had known Mr. Bidenhorn in Germany. " At this time," says Mr. Wernecke, "I had barely fifty cents in the world." Here he attended an En- glish school for a few months, then entered J. F. Bidenhorn's tobacco house. The next year he was so fortunate as to obtain a situation in a store as a clerk. He was taken in as a partner in 1847. In May of
528
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
1849 he married Mrs. Sarah Nep- tune, daughter of Albert and Sarah Lambert. She died in 1858. Five children were born to them, two of whom died in infancy. The others are Herman A., who married Alber- tine Werlitz, and is in business with his father at Harriettsville ; Charles T. married Jane Finney, and resides in Montana, and William G. married Hester Dickison, and lives in Har- riettsville.
In the fall of 1849 he formed a partnership with Theodore Bening- haus, and moved to Harriettsville, Noble County, Ohio, where he con- tinues to reside with his youngest son. In 1858 Mr. Beninghaus died, after which he set up in business for himself.
In 1852 or 1853 Mr. Conrad Shank- burg came from the city of New York to clerk for Mr. Wernecke. Ile married Lydia Jane Neptune, the stepdaughter of Mr. Wernecke, by whom he had three children : Al- bert, Rupert and Frantz. In 1873 Mr. Shankburg took his two oldest sons to Germany to be educated there. Albert is still at Heidelberg, studying medicine. Rupert came home in 1880. The two youngest sons are now with their father. Mrs. Shankburg died in 1872. In 1880 Mr. Shankburg left Mr. Wernecke, with whom he had been in business for several years, and went to Ma- rietta, Ohio, and engaged in the wholesale grocery trade, and later to Sioux City, Iowa, where he has a prosperous business.
Mr. Wernecke married, in 1860, Mrs. Temperance Ogle, daughter of
Butler and Chloe Wells, who died January 19, 1885. By this marriage he had one daughter, wife of A. W. Sutton ; she resides in Kentucky.
Mr. Wernecke has 265 acres of fine agricultural and pasture lands near the town of Harriettsville. He has a large and convenient store room in town, filled with a fine assortment of merchandise, and in addition to his fine family residence owns several houses and lots. He has handled every year, since 1849, 250 hogsheads of tobacco, and has on hand now (April, 1887) some twenty thousand dollars' worth. In 1870 he laid out the addition to the town of Harrietts- ville, improving the town very much. He was postmaster from 1856 to 1886. He was an old-line Whig until the organization of the Repub- lican party, with which he affiliated. and with which he has acted ever since. He has long been connected with the Lutheran church, and con- tributed largely in building the Ger- man Lutheran church near Harrietts- ville, of which he has been secretary and a member of the financial board of the society. He has been school director also, and treasurer of the township for a number of years. His life has been a busy and useful one; by industry and economy he has acquired much wealth. In his varied business transactions he has associ- ated with men of all classes, yet no man is more highly esteemed for his integrity and correct business habits than he.
WILLIAM SMITHBERGER was born in the Rhine province of Prussia, Sep- tember 12, 1825. He was the young-
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS B L
1
529
ELK.
est child of Johannes and Anna Maria Smithberger. He had three broth- ers: Nicholas, John and Peter, and three sisters: Elizabeth, Catharine and Margaret. His mother died when he was six years old. In 1840 his father emigrated to the United States. All the children, except Nicholas, came with him. They came to Pittsburgh about the 1st of August, William being at this time fourteen years of age. In the same year he was apprenticed by his father for a term of three years to James and John Smith, machinists, of Pitts- burgh; after serving about nine months he learned that a machinist must have considerable capital to set up a shop of his own; that there were other trades fully as lucrative and which required much less capital ; he therefore engaged with a cabinet- maker, who failed seven weeks after, his employés losing their wages. In the meantime his father had charge of a flock of sheep belonging to a Mr. Spriggs, who had a slave plantation near Wheeling, W. Va. William vis- ited his father, who advised him to go to Elk Township, Monroe County, Ohio, at which place his father owned eighty acres of land, which he had entered some time be- fore at the government land office. The following spring he came to Ohio, as did his father, brother John and a sister. William helped to fell the first tree and assisted in build- ing a dwelling-house; "then came hard times," says Mr. Smithberger. "Brother John and I often carried a half bushel of corn to a mill located three miles from us, and ground it 34
by hand. In our straitened circum- stances corn bread was a luxury." During the first year on the farm, John married, and William, not lik- ing the rough life afforded by the backwoods, begged his father to allow him to go back to Pittsburgh; permission being granted, he engaged in the city with Harmer Dennie, as gardener. One day, while walking along the street, he met his old boss of the machine-shop, to whom he had been apprenticed, and endeavored to pass him without attracting his no- tice; but it seems the recognition was mutual, for coming up he accosted William, inquiring where he had been and what he was doing. Will- iam made a clean breast of it, re- counted his wanderings and hard- ships, and finally consented, after many solicitations, to go back to the shop; here he remained till 1847. In the spring of 1847 he entered into partnership in the retail grocery trade with his brother-in-law, Jacob Rothfuchs, the firm being Rothfuchs & Smithberger, on the corner of Seventh and Smithfield streets, Pitts- burgh, and continued in the business till 1853. In May, 1849, he married Terrece Fauth, by whom he has twelve children: William G., mar- ried Catharine Burkhart, is a farmer and resides in Elk Township, Noble County; Anthony, married Mary Epler, lives in Monroe County, and is a farmer; Terrece married Peter Zwick, a Monroe County farmer; Justina married Matthias Zilles, April 12, 1887, a merchant of Leba- non, Monroe County ; Thomas J. is in Dakota; Isadore married Terrece
530
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
Burkhart, is a farmer of Noble Coun- ty; Adaline A., Martha M., Edward W., John S., Alexander D. and Gregory are still at home. In 1853, on account of failing health, Mr. Smithberger was advised to move on a farm; accordingly in 1853 he came to the farm upon which he has since resided, clearing the land and adding fine improvements as circumstances made it possible, until it is now one of the best improved farms in the township. Ile began packing tobac- co in 1861, and has handled about seventy-five hogsheads a year, and has now on hand some $5,000 worth. He has nearly six hundred acres of good agricultural lands, mostly in Noble County, on which are three good dwelling-houses, besides barns, tobacco-houses and numerous other outbuildings necessary to carry on his business and in which to store his grain; he has been engaged in merchandising since 1874; he has a good store-room filled with a fine selection of goods.
Mr. Smithberger is a member of the Catholic church. He took an
active part in building the Catholic church near Harriettsville, contrib- uting liberally of his means to this purpose and in support of its society. In politics he is a Democrat. The esteem in which he is held by the people of Elk Township is evidenced by the numerous positions of trust they have conferred upon him, viz. : School director and member of the board of education since 1858, town- ship trustee, twice clerk of the town- ship, treasurer of the township for five years, assessor of personal prop- erty for two terms, and land ap- praiser of the township in 1870, and justice of the peace for thirty years.
Ilis has been a busy and useful life. A poor boy, without money and without influential friends, by his energy, industry and persever- ance he has overcome the many diffi- culties to prosperity, and attained not only wealth but the respect and con- fidence of his fellow-men, and now, seated under his own vine and fig- tree, he dispenses a free-handed hos- pitality to all.
CHAPTER XXVII.
JEFFERSON.
ERECTION OF THE TOWNSHIP - ORIGINALLY INCLUDED IN ENOCH AND AURELIUS TOWNSHIPS - PIONEER SETTLERS - DAVID ALES' TAVERN -THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC - REMINIS- CENCES OF AN OLD SETTLER - FAMILY SKETCHES -DEXTER CITY - ITS ORIGIN AND GROWTH - A NEAT AND ENTERPRISING TOWN - BUSINESS MEN, SOCIETIES, CHURCHES, ETC. - MIDDLEBURG - ACCOUNT OF ITS EARLY INDUSTRIES -SITE OF THE VILLAGE IN 1834 -MIDDLEBURG SCHOOLS.
J EFFERSON TOWNSHIP was erected by the commissioners of Noble County, May 1, 1851, with boundaries described as follows :
"Commencing on the seventh range line, at the southeast corner of section 24, in township number 5, of range 8; thence north along the seventh range line to the northeast corner of section 24, in township number 6, of range 8; thence south along section lines to the northwest corner of section 23, in township 6, range 8; thence south along the section line to the northeast corner of section 34, in township 6, range 8; thence west to the northwest corner of said section 34; thence south to the southwest corner of said section 34; thence west along the township line to the northwest corner of town- ship No. 5, range 8; thence along said township line to the southwest cor- ner of section 6 in said township number 5 of range 8; thence east to the southeast corner of said section 6; thence south to the southwest corner of section 8, in township num- ber 5, range 8; thence east to the southeast corner of section 9, in township number 5, of range 8;
thence south to the southwest corner of section 15, in township number 5, of range 8; thence east to the southeast corner of said section; thence south to the southwest corner of section 23 in township number 5, range 8; thence east to the place of beginning-con- taining 23 sections."
Before Noble County was formed the northern portion of Jefferson Township belonged to Enoch Town- ship, Monroe County, and the south- ern portion to Aurelius Township, Washington County. The ragged outline of the western part of the township is a result of a compromise between those who favored and those who opposed the formation of Noble County, the zig-zag line leav- ing some of the prominent dissatis- fied ones in Washington County.
Jefferson is one of the hilliest and most uneven townships of the county. The surface is chiefly drained by the Middle and East Forks of Duck Creek and numerous small tributaries. The streams of the western part of the township flow into the West Fork of Duck Creek. Of late years Jefferson Township
531
532
HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
-
has proved one of the most prolific petroleum fields in this part of Ohio. Coal is abundant and of fair quality.
David Ales was probably the first settler within the territory now form- Henry and Hiram Hupp lived on farms below Middleburg in 1833 and had small improvements. Henry Hupp sold out to Amos Spencer. ing Jefferson Township. Ile lived on the East Fork on the present Joseph Stevens farm. A stream known as Ales' Run, is still called after his name. Ales came from New England. His house was a favorite stopping place for travelers ! large and very strong and of good on the old Barnesville and Marietta State Road, and was the only house of entertainment for many miles. He died here. None of the name are now left, but some of his descendants of the third and fourth generations still live in the township.
The inhabitants along the creek were visited with the cholera epi- demic, some time between 1830 and 1840. David Ales, who had been down the Ohio River on a boat, was the first victim, dying before he reached home. His wife died soon after, and her death was followed by that of Henry Lowe, Ales' son-in law, and all his family, Henry Mur- duck, Charles Clark, William Gray's wife, and others living in the same neighborhood. A few had the dis- ease and recovered.
Samuel S. Neptune, one of the old- est residents on Middle Fork, came to his present farm in 1836. The set- tlers of the township were then very few and most of them lived near the creek. On a farm below Middleburg lived Amos Spencer, who came from Monroe County, and took up land which had previously been occupied by IIenry, son of Francis Hupp. Hi-
ram Hupp owned a tract adjoining. The Hupps were once numerous. A few of the same name still remain in the township.
Baxton Wells was an early settler and died here. ITis farm was on the creek below Middleburg. He was intelligence. IIe had several sons and a large number of daughters who were noted for their good looks and lady-like manners. The girls received such names as Lucinda, Dorinda, Malinda, etc., until the sup- ply of "Rindas" gave out, and the last two daughters received less un- usual names.
Next below Wells' farm lived a German named Christian Huffman. On the west side of the creek was John Miller, who was a blacksmith by trade. These were Mr. Neptune's neighbors in 1836. To get enough men to assist him in raising a cabin he had to go five miles. There were no early settlers among the hills in the northeastern part of the township where several thrifty Germans now have good farms.
The old settlers on the creek were good-natured, but improvident and unprogressive. They did not want the country to become thickly settled and predicted that it never would be. The wish was father to the thought, as they desired to have the hills for a range for the little stock which they kept; and by allowing the cat- tle to run at large, they were spared
.
533
JEFFERSON.
the trouble of building fences and keeping them in repair. All the early settlers did more or less hunt- ing. Deer and wild turkeys were abundant, and wolves were occasion- ally seen. The land along the creek was timbered with a heavy, dense growth of large trees.
Henry Enochs, son of Elisha Enochs, one of the pioneers of the East Fork, was an early settler south of Middleburg. He died in Law- rence County in 1886. His son, Will- iam II. Enochs, a brigadier-general in the late war, and now a prominent lawyer of Ironton, Ohio, was born on the farm south of Middleburg.
John Hall, from New England, settled on the East Fork soon after the War of 1812. He had served as a teamster in that war. He married a daughter of David Ales and lived in the same neighborhood. James S. Hall, his son, is among the oldest residents, having lived on his present farm since 1836. At that date there were very few settlers on the ridges. Mr. Hall, in his younger years used to go to mill in Marietta and Lowell. Marietta was the nearest trading point for all the early settlers, and there they traded maple sugar, deer skins, venison, etc., for salt and gro- ceries. Most of the travel was on horseback. Pack-saddles were used in place of wagons for carrying goods. Except the State Road from Barnesville to Marietta which led via Carlisle, Middleburg and Salem, there were no early roads through the township.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.