History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 14

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923

USA > Ohio > Pickaway County > History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens > Part 14

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).

"The Methodists had bought a large bell for their church and it would not do to let the Methodists beat them, so they (the Presby- terians) bought a bell a few hundred pounds heavier. You know my partiality goes to the Methodists, being raised in the church. Al- though the Presbyterian bell was the heaviest, the Methodist bell made the most noise, and that holds good in the membership, too!

"I will tell you how the Methodists got their bell. You know Fred Cogswell used to be partner of D. Pierce in the dry goods business in the early '40's. He sold out and went into politics and they elected him justice of the peace. After serving several years, he aspired to something higher." In the county convention that fall he got the nomination for probate judge. Being of an aristocratic feeling, he was afraid the common people would not vote for him. The Methodists up to this time had no bell, so he goes to some of the leading men of the church, and proposes to them, that, if they would use their influence among the mem- bers to vote for him and elect him judge. he would make them a present of a fine bell. They assented to the proposition. When the elec- tion- came off, Cogswell had several hundred majority. When the old Methodist church burned, they had a small bell. This fell to the ground and cracked. They gave that to him; he sent it to Cincinnati to George W. Coffin's bell foundry. Not long after the bell arrived and its arrival was made known by the clatter the small boys made on it as they brought it on a dray to the church. The following words were cast on the bell : 'Presented to the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, of Circleville, Ohio, by Frederick Cogswell.'

"To show their appreciation of the gift, the trustees of the church deeded to him as long as he lived one of the best pews in the church. They also got a silver plate, had his name engraved on it and put it on the end of the pew and it was still there when I left. The Judge has been dead a good many years and I hope he has a higher and a better seat in the church on high.

"Somewhere in the '60's the pastor of the Methodist Church got into trouble and the

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members agreed to dispense with his services. It so happened that the General Conference met at Washington Court House that fall and they sent word over that they wanted the con- ference to send them a man of weight and ex- perience, and to clinch the matter, they sent a committee to explain matters. The Bishop as- sured them they should have just such a man as they asked for and they came home well pleased. When the appointments were pub- lished in the paper, every one wanted to know who was coming to Circleville. 'Rev. C. D. Battelle, Circleville,' was the announcement. Who was he? No one knew him. The first Sunday he was to preach, the church was crowded to see the new minister. When he made his appearance, the members were fully satisfied that the conference had filled the bill. He was a man that would weigh nearly 300 pounds, his hair was quite gray and he had been preaching over 50 years (he was a man of weight, age and experience surely). The first impression was not favorable, but when the year was up he had church matters all settled up and everything was going on lovingly and harmoniously.

"The next house to the church on the east was built by John Gregg; then came the eastern boundary alley of the original town of Circle- ville. The next house, a two-story brick, was built by Maj. George Hammel of the famous 'Circleville Horse Dragoons.' The next house was a one-story frame owned and occupied by Col. Valentine Keffer ; you will no doubt have a slight recollection of the old gentleman or at least one of the younger members of his family. His children were all girls and he had a number of them; what a jolly time they must have had, when all of their beaux called on the same night!

"Colonel Sage, the eccentric jeweler, was very fond of fishing, particularly spearing or "gigging.' He knew all about it and what he did not know was not worth knowing. He had an old Indian canoe about 12 feet long, round on the bottom; he always had some one to go with him to paddle. When they dug the canal from the aqueduct to Foresman's mill, they left a good many large holes in the bottoms. Every

time the river overflowed, it filled these holes with water and fish. When the water fell, the fish were left; during the summer the water would get very clear. One day the Colonel got John Maiden to go with him; they got in the canoe, the Colonel standing up in front with his gig raised ready to strike, Maiden in the rear paddling. Something went wrong and the Colonel cursed him. Maiden determined to pay him off for it, so when the Colonel's back was turned he run the canoe against the stump of a tree; the impact threw the Colonel over and he went into the water like a bullfrog off a log.

"The latest practical joke I remember was where the biter bit off more than he could chew. Mrs. Joseph Olds was taking her baby in a wagon down town one day. She stopped at Mr. McCrea's store, but left the wagon with the baby in it on the pavement in front of the large window. Mrs. Samuel S. Denny saw her leave the baby outside; he (Mr. Denny) slips up and wheels the wagon away with the baby in it and takes it to his own house. Fortunately Mrs. Olds saw him, but never let on. While the baby was good, they (Mr. and Mrs. Denny) had no difficulty in keeping the child but soon it got tired and then there was a tempest in a teapot. All they could do would not quiet it. so Mr. Denny was compelled reluctantly to take the child over to its mother; then Mrs. Olds had the joke on him.

"Do you remember the Schramm family, that used to live on East Main street on the lot, where Kellstadt's grocery now is; they were all natural musicians from the old man down; they made up a good band or orchestra among their own family. There were Michael, Sig- mund, George, Fred and Charles and two girls, They moved to Iowa.

"Do you recollect Rev. William Rhinehart, United Brethren preacher, also Rev. W. B. Hanby, who edited and printed the Religious Telescope in the two-story building on North Main street ; also Rev. Altman (converted Jew ), associated with them.

"When the old U. B. Church was built, they moved the press and paper to the base-

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WILLIAMSON HOUSE, CIRCLEVILLE

The first house built in Circleville: the first Court House-used as such in 1810; the first meeting place for a Masonic lodge in the county.

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LEA ISED SER

HARSHA HOUSE, CIRCLEVILLE "Circleville House " in the '80's

HAWKES HOUSE, CIRCLEVILLE Last of the original circle.

NEW HOLLAND HIGH SCHOOL

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ment. Your brother Frederick afterwards bought and occupied the old frame house as a toy and candy store.

"I have two anecdotes about Dr. Olds I want to tell. He told it on himself when he was running for Congress. His father had a large family and was not very well off in this world's goods. They had mush and milk for supper ; the mush was put in a large bowl in the center of the table; the children were each given a small bowl and spoon to help them- selves. It so happened, there were not spoons enough of the same size to go around, so they had to give a larger spoon to fill out; then there was a contest who should have the large spoon. The Doctor said in the wrangle he always came out ahead and got the big spoon. When he came home from one of his election trips, he had a big tin spoon made about four feet long and placed over the front door of his store.

"When the Doctor was stumping for Con- gress, the Whigs used to tell some tough yarns on him. On one occasion there were several merchants from Circleville and Chillicothe going East in the stage-coach to buy goods; and to pass away time they used to tell stories. One man from Chillicothe said: 'I had a dream the other night. I dreamt that Dr. Olds had died and gone to Hades. When he came to the door and knocked, Beelzebub asked, "Who is there?" The answer was, "Dr. Olds." "What! Dr. Olds, of Circleville?" He answered, "Yes." Then he called to one of the young imps and said: "Here, unscrew my tail and put it on the Doctor; he is a bigger devil than I am" ' I can't vouch for the truth of the story, but it had a considerable run at the time.

"You may not thank me for writing such foolish things, but a man said many years ago : 'A little nonsense now and then is relished by the best of men.'

"A little over a year ago an article was published in the Circleville Union-Herald, stat- ing that after the old octagon Court House was torn down and before the new one was ready to be occupied they had court in the old two-story log building (now weatherboarded)

at the corner of Scioto and North High streets. This is a mistake, for I know positively that was not the case. Francis Williamson, an old cooper, lived in it at the time and died in it. There was one term, there may have been two, held in the Lutheran Church. A man from Williamsport by the name of Davidson was tried there for manslaughter. He struck a man on the head with a fence rail and killed him. He was sent to the penitentiary for one year by Judge John Keith. At the same term a man named Wolf was sentenced for three years for horse stealing. Two terms of court were held in the U. B. Church. At one of them a father and son (Lewis) were tried for killing a man named Brown. They kept a dry dock on the canal opposite Mr. Ruggles' ware- house and Lewis, son and wife, lived in an old packet boat drawn up on the ways. They were cleared, but I don't recollect on what grounds. * "

In the Circleville Democrat and Watchman, of March 10, 1905, appeared a communication, signed by "Ithuriel," from which we will quote in part, as follows :

"About my earliest recollection in old Cir- cleville was the 'torchlight procession' of 1844. when James K. Polk was elected President. It had been parading the streets, and, boy-like, I heard the fife and drums, coming north on Scioto street, and when they turned east at the old Williamson corner, on North High, as it was then called, I was on the lookout for it. The torches carried by the men-and boys, too -were hickory sticks about five or six feet long, with a ball of candle wick wired to the end, and saturated in tar and turpentine. It was a sight that boys do not forget; and the cheering, too-you think you can hear it yet. The procession having been on the march for some time, some of the torches were burned out, and when done for were thrown away. The next morning I started out to gather up- some of the torch sticks, lugging five or six in my arms into the yard. Some of the tar and turpentine having run down the sticks, I naturally got some of it on my check apron and when my mother got sight of my apron, with tar all over the front of it, she interviewed me

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with a switch. My father didn't happen to be there, or I'd have gotten another, for he was an old-line Whig, and he'd not have me carrying any 'Locofoco sticks, shure.'

"What illuminations they had then! Pieces of boards fastened across the windows, with holes in them six or eight inches apart, and candles in the holes, all lighted, in stores and residences of those who belonged to the party that came off victorious, presented a grand sight to a boy.

"Then comes into my mind the old Acad- emy, with the little one up against the end of it to the east, and a short distance away the well, and not far from it the Methodist Church and Walters' carpet-weaving establishment." The Academy was located opposite the end of the avenue that divided the northeast quarter, extending from the old circle to the ditch sur- rounding, that extended from near Bauder's carriage shop around, passing Bell's tannery, to the residence of Mr. Bell, on East Main street. In the winter time the water in the (litch was frozen and afforded us a skating and sliding place, o'er 40 years ago. And the school teacher, Whitwell, an old Englishman, an inveterate tobacco chewer. My, what a thrashing he gave Jerome Gearhart and George McCrea, with an old rattan, out of an umbrella he kept for that purpose, for giving Spence Franklin and me a chew of tobacco apiece.

"At that time only two quarters of the cir- cle. as they were then termed, had been built up-the northwest and the southeast. The old Court House had been torn down. On the northwest corner, Olds' block had been con- structed; on the southeast corner Dr. Webb's office stood; adjoining it Mr. Bell's shoe store, both frame structures; close by, to the east, stood the O. S. Presbyterian Church, where the Delaplanes built the brick storeroom; next to the east lived Dr. Troup; then Fred Landis had a bakery, and on the corner of the alley "Mike" Pontious had his cabinet shop; across the street the old City Hotel (Circleville House), kept by Mr. Douthirt, afterwards by Mr. Heffner. The circle extended from the old City Hotel around to a point opposite the north end of the New American Hotel. On

the corner opposite lived 'Squire Kinnear; farther east on the corner of the avenue was Harper's monument factory ; across the avenue the McCrea house. The county offices were in a little one-story brick that stood on the east side of the avenue that lay in the southeast quarter, and about where the rear of Henry's livery stable is now, perhaps a little southeast near the street.

"The southwest quarter was the last one to be built up. On the corner of South Main, now Court street, stood Moore's fluid shop, alongside James Feeny's; next on the corner of the avenue, G. F. Wittich's confectionery, with steps on the outside to get to the second story, the ladies' parlor, for ice cream. Across the avenue lived the Darst family, in a two-story frame, and at the corner of the circle and West Main streets was Olds' drug-store. Following the avenue on the southwest, Robert Bell lived in a frame to the right; across the alley the Gephart two-story brick, afterwards Mrs. Hawkes-Brown; then the Gibsons; across the street stood the residences of Colonel Sage and Dr. Luckey; then the Lutheran Church. Oh, what times we boys had going to school in the basement of that old church, to Miss Brown, who taught there. She was a sister of Dr. M. Brown. And Mount Gilboa, in the winter, what boy or girl does not recollect it ?- 'when coated o'er with snow, affording us a sledding place, over fifty years ago.' At the end of the avenue, junction of it and Scioto street, stood the Crouse, Doddridge and Gen. Joe Geiger mansions; near by the woolen mill, and flour mill, in sight along the canal." *

G. F. Wittich writes as follows in regard to the early business establishments of the city :

"According to my record of business tran- sactions with the people of Circleville for many years, I find that between the years 1845 to 1865 the following merchants were doing busi- ness here. They were not what we call dry goods stores now. They sold besides dry goods a very large amount of groceries, hardware, queensware, boots and shoes and produce. The list is probably not strictly correct, but as near as I could find the names on my books:

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R. D. Atwater & Company, Atwater, Groce & Helman, Fanus Crouse, N. W. Doddridge, Dresbach & Triplett, James McCoy, W. E. & J. Delaplane, George B. Dresbach, Einsel, Wagner & Company, Joel Franklin, Noah S .. Gregg, S. Jacobson, McCrea & Machir, Edson B. Olds, Darius Pierce, Samuel Rogers and William Wolfly. Hardware: Samuel Mar- field. Shoes : Robert Bell. Groceries: Sam- uel Diffenderfer, Duncan & Groce, T. G. Ehrn- man, Michael Kellstadt, Ruggles & McQueen and Moses Kahn. Grocery and Confectionery : F. F. & G. F. Wittich. Drugs: Griswold & Ballard, Troup & Fickardt and Joseph H. Olds. Hotels: Pickaway House, Carlisle and Boyd; National House, J. Try; American Hotel,

Philo W. Rodgers. Publishers: Circleville Watchman, by O. E. Niles and Jason Case. Doctors : Marcus Brown, A. H. Blake, E. C. Clarke, Wayne Griswold, H. Chenoweth, C. H. Hawkes, N. E. Jones, Chester Olds, Wil- liam L. Peck, Kingsley Ray, H. Taylor, Sam- uel Turney, R. L. Van Harlingen and P. K. Hull. Lawyers: Alfred Williams, P. C. Smith, W. F. Hurst, John Cradlebaugh, Charles B. Crouse, Guy W. Doane, Henry N. Hedges, Sr., Joash Miller, J. L. Wyman, F. C. Doddridge, A. T. Walling, B. H. Bostwick, Chauncey N. Olds, Joseph Olds, George Doane, H. F. Page, Jonathan Renick, C. B. Mason and Jeremiah Hall."

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CHAPTER V

DARBY TOWNSHIP

This township was first settled about 1800. The greater part of the township was taken up in large tracts and until very recent years large estates were the rule, many of which were leased to tenants. The development of the township therefore was not so rapid as was the case in the townships east of the Scioto River. Darby township is situated in the northwest corner of Pickaway County, being north of Monroe and Muhlenberg townships and west of Scioto and Muhlenberg. The greater part of the eastern boundary is formed by Darby Creek. For a long period prior to 1878, however, this was not the case, as the eastern boundary of the township extended some miles beyond the creek. For the con- venience of the township organizations, Darby Creek on October 14, 1878, was made the di- viding line between Darby and Scioto town- ships. This creek, which might well be termed a river, has a number of tributaries that traverse the township. Greenbrier Run, the principal of these, rises in the northwest cor- ner of the township, flows in a southeasterly direction and empties into Darby Creek just below the township line. Opossum Run, which rises in Madison County, enters Darby town- ship near the northwest corner, flows south along the west line and finally empties into Deer Creek near Era. Van Buskirk's Run, another tributary of Deer Creek, the greater part of whose length lies in Monroe township, has its beginning in Darby township. The sur- face of the township is very level except along the water-courses, where it is slightly rolling.

The soil is well adapted to the raising of both wheat and corn, of which large quantities are grown. At the time of the early settlement, the greater part of the township was covered with great forests of oak, hard maple, hickory and red and white elm. Several varieties of oak trees were to be found. The population of the township in 1900 was 1,601. The township officers for 1906 are as follows : Trustees-J. T. Robinson, William Willough- by and T. S. Ridgway ; clerk, I. C. Hall; treas- urer, A. M. Daugherty ; assessor, D. M. Min- shall; justices of the peace-R. H. Deyo and Charles E. Thacker.

EARLY SETTLERS.

The first settlements in the township were made chiefly by Virginiansabout the year 1800. Five brothers by the name of Poulson-An- drew, Cornelius, John, Elijah and William- came to Ohio from Virginia on pack-horses in that year and located near Chillicothe. Two years later they came to Darby township and settled on Darby Creek. Courtney Tanner moved in from Kentucky about 1804 or 1805. Isaac and John Alkire came to this section of Ohio in 1804 wtih their father, William Al- kire, who settled in Madison County; the two sons settled in Darby township. One of the first settlers on Opossum Run was Peter Long who came from Virginia in 1804 or 1805. About 1810 John Mantle, Sr., settled here. He was a man of great size, weighing 480 pounds at his death on November 5, 1831. John and

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Andrew Gilliland came to the township about 1812; Thomas Noland, in 1815; Stanton Ad. kins, about 1819; Sampson B. Smith, in 1824; Joseph Dolby, in 1826; Thomas D. Ridgway, in 1845; and Benjamin F. Renick, in 1841. Other early settlers were: Isaac McHenry, Obadiah P. Thomas, Richard Heath, John Bowman, James Morse, Jonas Deyo, Benjamin Davis, John W. Bell, Frederick L. Smith, Robert McDowell, Elisha Cory and John W. Kennedy.

At the period of the township's settlement, as well as for a number of years thereafter, the settlers never lacked for fresh meat as it was readily obtained in the forest, where deer and wild turkeys abounded. Wild hogs were frequently met with and were always dreaded, especially the ferocious wild boars. The wild hogs were not valued for their flesh; they were regarded as dangerous pests and were hunted mainly to rid the country of them. Wolves, wild cats and opossums were also numerous, together with smaller game. On Darby Creek, on the farm later owned by David Davis, there was a camp of Indians of the Wyandotte tribe for several years after the first settlers came. They buried many of their dead here and a number of skeletons, with guns and other implements, have been plowed up. Their inter- course with the whites was of an entirely friendly nature.

CHURCHES.

The first religious meetings in this town- ship were held by Thomas Reynolds, an ex- horter of the Methodist denomination, who came to this country soon after 1800. He was active in the ministry for many years and died at the age of 80 years. Robert Finley, a traveling Methodist preacher, was the first regular clergyman in this section. Among the early preachers in this township were Jacob Young, a Methodist, and Isaac Henry, a Bap- tist; the latter settled in the northwest corner of the township on Opossum Run about 1807.

A Methodist society was formed at a very early date and meetings were held in barns and buildings until a log house was erected in 1844. This church was called the Free

Will Church, any denomination that chose to do so being allowed to worship in it. The Methodist society subsequently disbanded, but finally reorganized and worshipped for five. years in the schoolhouse near the old Free Will! Church. A church building was erected in 1870 at a cost of about $2,300, and was called the Renick Church, in appreciation of the in- terest and activity shown in its erection by Benjamin F. Renick; services were discon- tinued here some time ago; the building was. removed to the vicinity of Deer Creek and is now used by the Holiness Church.

A Methodist Episcopal Church was or -. ganized at Derby soon after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was run through Darby town- ship and Derby made a station. The church. building was erected in 1887 at a cost of about $2,000. The church has 117 members, while the attendance at Sunday-school is about 125 .. The Sunday-school superintendent is I. C. Hall. The pastors of this church have been the following: Revs. W. S. Fisher, H. R. Pfaltzgraf, A. B. Sniff, William Benzing, N. C. Patterson and J. H. Mindling, who is the present incumbent and also has charge of the churches at Yankeetown and Era.

The Methodist Episcopal Church at Era has a membership of 23. The value of the: church building is $1,200. The pastor of the. Derby M. E. Church preaches here. H. S .. Kennedy is superintendent of the Sunday- school, which has an average attendance of about 20.

The Disciples' Chapel at Derby was built in 1887, soon after. the organization of the society. Church services have not been held regularly for a year or more. The attendance is about 50, while the Sunday-school has an attendance of about 20. Miles Green is super- intendent of the Sunday-school.

From about 1844 until the time of the Civil War there was a class of the United Brethren in Christ located at Era, then known as Pales- tine. A frame meeting-house was erected here about 1850 which stood for many years. Ques- tions of a political nature caused dissension and division among the members, and the so- ciety was finally broken up.

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SCHOOLS.

It is not known exactly when the first school was taught in this township, but it is thought that John Poulson taught one of the earliest, if not the earliest school about 1815. The first school in Era ( Palestine) was kept by Miss Emmerett Moore. The township Board of Education, elected in November, 1904, is constituted as follows : F. P. Fitzger- ald, A. R. White and Charles Poulson-four years; O. M. Dick and A. S. Morton-two years. A. R. White is clerk. The Darby township High School at Derby was erected in 1886 at a cost of $5,000 and is a substantial brick building. The high school is what is termed second-grade, having a three-years course. S. M. Sark is superintendent.

PHYSICIANS.

In the years that have elapsed since a set- tlement was made at Palestine (Era), a num- ber of physicians have been located here, among whom may be mentioned : Dr. Olds, who set- tled here in 1830; Dr. Harriman; Dr. William Wilson, Dr. Roswell Shepherd, Dr. George WV. House, Dr. Cromley and Dr. W. T. Willi- man. At the present time there are no doctors located at Era; Derby, however, has two, namely : Dr. Alfred Deyo, who also conducts a drug-store, and Dr. Addison L. Stump. The late Dr. C. W. Higgins was probably the first physician to locate at Derby.

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History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 14

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Number of Pages: 923

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923