History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 44

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

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WOODMEN OF THE WORLD.

Logan Elm Camp, No. 141, was instituted August 12, 1905, by Deputy Organizer Hum-

phrey, of Columbus, there being 28 charter members. The first officers were: Thomas McManamy, consul commander; Emanuel S. Neuding, banker; Harry E. Weill, clerk. The present officers are: Joseph Miller. consul commander; Emanuel S. Neuding, banker ; Samuel Finney, clerk. The present member- ship is 72. The lodge meets every Wednesday night in Memorial Hall.

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS.

Court Pickaway, No. 1406, was instituted October 5. 1893, with 26 charter members. The charter being signed by Dr. Oronhya- tekha, supreme chief ranger. The first officers were: Carl N. Lorey, court deputy high chief .ranger; George W. Butler, chief ranger ; George H. Spangler, past chief ranger : W. B. Christy, vice chief ranger ; George E. Hammel, recording secretary ; Emanuel S. Neuding. fi- nancial secretary; George C. Gerhard, trens- urer ; J. T. Bentley, chaplain ; Dr. Ralph Mor- den, physician ; S. B. Ulm, senior woodward; E. G. Woolever, junior woodward: L. C. Hammel, senior beadle. The Court increased steadily in membership-in November and De- cember, 1898, initiating 25 members, and en July 6, 1899, 14 members. At the present time the membership is 140. Court Pickaway has a higher average insurance per member than any court in Ohio, carrying nearly $500 per member above the average of the entire order.

It has had four deaths, namely : J. M. Riffle, Dr. Ralph Morden, Fred R. Rees and Martin L. Greeno.

On October 19, 1899, an auxiliary was in- stituted under the name of Companion Court Circle City, No. 256.

Companion Court Circle City had one death -Mrs. Mary E. Cummins. In May, 1906, this court was consolidated with Court Pick- away.

Court Pickaway meets on the second and last Tuesday evenings of each month in Pyth- ian Castle Hall. The present officers are: George R. Foresman, junior past chief ranger ; Walker Baughman, chief ranger; Abbie Guss- man, vice chief ranger; John B. Majors, re-

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cording secretary; John W. Lowe, financial secretary ; George C. Gerhard, treasurer; Dr. W. L. Peters, physician; J. T. Bentley, orator ; James H. Thompson, senior woodward; Thomas A. Strawser, junior woodward; Henry S. Hulse, senior beadle; Thomas J. Stephens, junior beadle. The court is well fixed financially and is in a flourishing condi- tion.

Companion Court Thornburgh, No. 512, was instituted in December, 1901. The court meets on the third Thursday of each month at the residence of Mrs. Abram Parret. The membership is 28. There has been one death -Mrs. Emily B. Roose.

CATHOLIC ORDER OF FORESTERS.

St. Joseph's Court, No. 1074, was organ- ized April 15, 1900, with 20 charter members. The first officers were : James E. Dodds, chief ranger; John P. Egan, recording secretary; John Kirwin, financial secretary; and John F. English, treasurer. The present officers are: John L. Cummins, chief ranger ; John Drum, recording secretary; Ed. Riley, financial secre- tary; and Tohn Kirwin, treasurer. The court has a present membership of 20 and meets the first and third Sundays of each month at St. Joseph's Parochial School. The court has lost two members by death: John Throckmorton and Daniel McManamy.

FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES.

Aerie No. 685, of Circleville, was insti- tuted on April 22, 1904, with 82 charter mem- bers. The first officers were as follows : John F. Carle, past worthy president; - George M. Fitzpatrick, worthy president; John A. Dodd, worthy vice-president; Frank H. Palm, worthy chaplain ; Samuel W .. Morgan, worthy secre- tary; W. G. Jacob, worthy treasurer; Frank A. McGinnis, worthy conductor; William Herbert, worthy inside guard; G. W. Darling, worthy outside guard; and William E. Pick- ens, John F. English and William H. Mason, worthy trustees. The present officers are as follows : George E. Caskey, past worthy pres-

ident ; John A. Dodd, worthy president; F. A. Lynch, worthy vice-president; C. E. Harris, worthy chaplain; F. K. Cummins, worthy sec- retary ; W. H. Mason, worthy treasurer ; H. O. Johnson, worthy conductor; Frank Haines, worthy inside guard; John Enck, worthy out- side guard; Dr. B. R. Bales, worthy physician ; J. W. Sweetman, Rance Washburn and Jo- seph P. Duffy, worthy trustees. The aerie has a present membership of 163 and meets on Thursday evening of each week at Memorial Hall. The Eagles have given several success- ful entertainments.

NATIONAL UNION.

Xerxes Council, No. 159, was organized in 1886. There are now 32 members.

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.

Groce Post, No. 156, was organized No- vember 4, 1881, and was named in memory of John H. Groce, of Circleville, captain of Com- pany H, 30th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf. At the storming of Fort McAllister, December 13, 1864, he was killed by a sharpshooter while in advance of his division. His remains now rest in Forest Cemetery, Circleville.

The charter members of this organization came from every walk in life, representing al- most every trade, craft and profession, but they were all united, bound together by a tie that only patriotism can weld. They were all men who had suffered that their country might live, who had responded to the call when they were needed and who had never faltered in the face of danger. Not all remain to answer the muster roll, but their memories are preserved, not only by their comrades, but by a grateful country. Ohio had ample reason to feel proud of the soldiers she sent out and many laurels were won by the 30th Regiment, whose gallant captain is kept in memory by the use of his honored name in this organization.

The names of the charter members are as follows : G. C. Bayer, James M. Duffy, W. H. Kirkendall, Lem Kent, O. H. Spencer, Eman- uel Gephart, H. Cook, L. H: Hoffman, L. D.

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Lyon, E. D. Bowers, George Miller, Burr H. Bostwick, R. D. Moffit, Charles M. Seibert, T. J. Stephens, George A. Irwin, J. M. Lan- denberger, J. W. Glaze, M. H. Miesse, Jo- seph Wallace, Philip Altenberger, John Picker- ing, M. B. Radcliffe, M. E. Dreisbach, George W. Downs, Martin Van Green, Stephen Mil- ler, Thomas Heiry, Henry Foerst, Henry R. Bending, Newton Peters, James B. Doney and Spencer Brooks.

The first officers of the post were: John Pickering, commander; G. C. Bayer, S. V. commander; William H. Kirkendall, J. V. commander ; O. H. Spencer, adjutant; Thomas Heiry, quartermaster; M. H. Miesse, surgeon ; L. D. Lyons, chaplain; James M. Duffy, of- ficer of the day; R. D. Moffitt, officer of the guard; J. L. Kent, sergeant major; Henry Foerst, quartermaster sergeant.

Groce Post has maintained a very prominent position in the Grand Army. While death has visited its ranks but too frequently, interest in the objects of the organization has con- tinued lively and its influence has been felt in securing favorable legislation on many points. Visiting veterans have reason to know that feelings of warm comradeship glow in the heart of this post. The present officers of the organization are : J. W. Pontius, commander; G. W. Kinney, S. V. commander ; W. T. Fis- sel, J. V. commander; S. R. VanMeter, ad- jutant; D. H. Lewis, quartermaster; S. M. Yates, surgeon; S. W. Manley, chaplain; J. C. Rigg, officer of the day; Andrew Jackson, officer of the guard; O. H. Spencer, sergeant major; J. A. Graham, quartermaster sergeant.

WOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS.

Groce Relief Corps, No. 68, received its charter on February 28, 1888. The names appearing on the roll as charter members are as follows: Ella Bowling, Frances Kent, Sarah Kirkendall, Agnes Butch, Liss Spencer, Mary E. Hammel, Hattie Bostwick, Adelaide Heim, Ora Weaver, Mattie Fosnaugh, Tillie Bayer, Phebe Hand, Carrie Weaver, Eliza- beth Miller, Elizabeth Haine and Clara Warner.

The first officers were: Ella Bowling, pres- ident; Frances Kent, vice-president; Agnes Butch, secretary; Liss Spencer, treasurer. These capable ladies safely guided the new or- ganization into quiet waters. Much of the efficiency of the work done by the corps has been due to the hearty co-operation which has universally prevailed.

The present officers are as follows: Liss Spencer, president; Mattie Fosnaugh, senior vice-president; Ella Millet, junior vice-presi- dent; Adelaide Heim, secretary; Sarah Kirk- endall, treasurer.

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR VETERANS' ASSO- CIATION.

The local society of this association was organized shortly after the war. Philip Herrn- stein, the first commander, and Charles M. Titus represented the local organization at the State convention. There were about 25 mem- bers. Some two or three years ago, about the period when the association was combined with the Spanish War Veterans, the local so- ciety ceased active work.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATIONARY ENGI- NEERS.

Circleville Association, No. 20, was insti- tuted Nov. 5, 1900, by State Deputy Frank N. Yeager, of Cincinnati, Ohio. The purpose of this association is to educate engineers in their profession and is at no time to be used for the furtherance of strikes or for the purpose of interfering in any way between its members and their employers in regard to wages. Cir- cleville Association has a membership of 19. The present officers are: J. B. Wilkins, presi- dent; Daniel Brannon, vice-president; Harry Leist, recording secretary; Albert C. Cook. corresponding and financial secretary ; John Lake' treasurer; Thomas Fitzgerald, con- ductor ; C. E. Cox, door-keeper ; John S. Baer, Albert C. Cook and Samuel F. Groom, trustees.

THE CIRCLEVILLE ATHLETIC CLUB

Was first organized as the Circleville Cosmo- politan Comities, in 1896. Harry E. Brown

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was the first president of the organization, which numbered 16 charter members. The society was started merely as a pleasure club and the first meetings were held in the old Masonic Hall, now used as the exchange of the Citizens' Telephone Company. In a very short time after the organization, a ritual and initia- tion ceremonies were gotten up by the mem- bers, which continued to be used for a period of about six months, when the society discon- tinued their secret rites and changed the name to the Circleville Athletic Club, which was "organized for the promotion of healthful ath- letics, which exhilarate the spirit and restore the tone of languid nature." At this time the club moved to the Herrnstein Hall and a small amount of gymnasium apparatus was purchased and installed. After about a year and a half there, they moved, eight years ago, to Peck's Hall, where the club, which has a membership of 165 members, is at present lo- cated. The following are the officers : Harry D. Jackson, president; Earl Warner, vice- president; Harry E. Weill, secretary; Charles F. Lowe, treasurer; Edward Seeley, sergeant- at-arms; Charles M. Titus, John A. Dodd and Frank Hamilton, executive committee.

The Circleville Athletic Club has taken the lead in several successful entertainments, notably a Fourth of July celebration in 1902, when the business men of Circleville joined in forming the largest parade ever seen in the city.

The club is well equipped with gymnasium apparatus, has well-appointed club rooms, and is in a prosperous condition.

LITERARY CLUBS OF CIRCLEVILLE.

Although the club is supposed to be a modern institution, the spirit which animates all clubs developed at a rather early day in Circleville.

In the early '20's the Circleville Forum flourished. This seemed to be a society devoted to oratory (as its name would denote); its chief occasion for usefulness and diversion was the Fourth of July, which day was each year fit- tingly, and rather elaborately, celebrated under the auspices of the club, the earliest in Circle-

ville of which we have any record. During the '30's the Circleville Atheneum was in progress. This, as well as the Pickaway Ly- ceum, which dated from about 1845 and con- tinued for some 10 years or more, was a de- bating club. The Atheneum was the forerun- ner of the Public Library; the article on the Public Library contains a rather fuller notice of this organization and also of the Lyceum.

In these three earlier literary clubs mem- bership was limited to men. When women were first admitted to club life is hard to de- termine, as no data on the subject are obtain- able until a comparatively recent date.

About 1885 a number of men, among them being Judge I. N. Abernethy, Albertus Smith, Dr. Charles Naumann, John W. Lowe, Dr. George Butler, Harry Weill, and the late Dr. Ralph Morden, D. H. Marshall and Michael Marshall organized a debating club called the Circleville Literary Alliance. A room in Mr. Smith's building was, at first, used for the meetings, which were held bi-monthly. After a time, the City Council granted the society the use of a room in the City Building, where they met for a year or two, and after this, for a short time, in J. Wheeler Lowe's law office. This society, when first organized, admitted only men, but after a time the members began to take to the meetings as guests, their wives and sisters and other people's sisters, and be- fore long the club's rules were changed and these women, and eventually others, became members of the Circleville Literary Alliance.

About the same time that this society be- gan, the ladies of the Evangelical Church or- ganized one, under the title of the Evangelical Reading Circle. Two or three persons out- side the church were so fortunate as to be ad- mitted to membership in this society, which, in the two years of its existence, did some of the most thorough literary study which has been done in this city. The meetings were held at the homes of the members. Poetry, chiefly from the American authors, was studied, each poem selected being taken up for an indefinite time and studied, read aloud, and thoroughly discussed before being laid aside.

After this reading circle was disorganized,

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no special literary work was done in this church until about 15 years ago, when the Young People's Alliance was formed. This society, while in the main devoted to regular church work, has a miscellaneous literary feature in connection with its monthly meetings.

Almost all the churches in the town have literary programs in conjunction with their various missionary and young people's societies. These are usually of a varied nature, with no regularly arranged calendar.

The Epworth League of the Methodist Church, however, some years ago, took up the study of English history. The women of this congregation have also for the past five years had a Bible class, which under the leadership of Miss Clara Littleton has made a systematic study of the life of Christ and the early church.

The Woman's Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church has a regularly arranged calendar, each year. The topics for 1905-06 were embraced under the general title of "Dux' Christus; an outline study of Japan." The subject now being taken up is "Africa." The meetings are held the first Friday of each month at the homes of the members. The officers for. the current year are; President, Mrs. David S. Tappan; vice-president, Mrs. Charles Naumann; secretary, Miss Clara Southward; treasurer, Mrs. J. R. Wilson; sec- retary of literature, Mrs. James Reichelderfer.

In 1904 several of the ladies of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, prominent among them being Mrs. Henry Johnson, established a club, the primary object of which was the study of the negro race. This society was in existence only about one year, the removal from town of some of the more earnest work- ers causing it to be disorganized. In this short time, however, some very creditable work was accomplished.

A number of literary societies have ex- isted, at various times, in St. Joseph's Catholic congregation, but no organized club work was attempted until last winter, at which time St. Joseph's Reading Circle was begun. Be- side Bible study, which is a feature of the circle, the study taken up this year is the work

of American Catholic writers, commencing with Orestes E. Brownson. The program com- mittee has arranged a printed calendar upon the work. The semi-monthly meetings of the circle are held in the chapel of St. Joseph's Parochial School. Musical numbers, at be- ginning and closing, add to the pleasure of the meetings. The officers for 1906-07 are : Presi- dent, Miss Agnes Butch; vice-president, Mrs. Charles McLean; secretary, Miss Ida Jeffries; treasurer, Mrs. Will Krimmel.

The Clio Club was organized by a group of younger teachers, in 1898. As the name would indicate, the object of the club was the study of history. This plan was followed the first year, the United States being the country considered, but the next year's calendar pub- lished a program on American literature. This society met every two weeks at the homes of the members. Although excellent work was accomplished, the club disbanded after carry- ing out only two annual programs.

The Euterpean Club was organized in 1904, by an out-of-town individual with long locks and soulful eyes. Its object was the attainment of the beautiful, expressed by the correlation of music, art and poetry. The study program was prepared in much the same manner as the pre-digested breakfast foods, the lessons having been selected, boiled down and printed on little cards, that they might be readily comprehended by the feeblest mind. A set of these cards, the choice of a book of poems worth 25 cents or a set of Perry pic- tures worth about 10 cents, and a very ornate certificate of membership bearing the auto- graph of the esthetic organizer, were presented to each member. Each member, in turn, pre- sented the organizer with $5.

The membership at first numbered 100 or more, and the meetings were held in the social room of the First Presbyterian Church. After a time the membership dwindled, and in order to reduce running expenses the society met at the members' homes. A number of pleasant evenings were spent and some excellent pro- grams rendered but at length the Euterpeans found it too great a strain to live up to the ideals inculcated in their first lesson, and the

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club ceased to exist, the last meeting being held in May, 1905.

At various times, organizations with a slight literary feature have existed here, among them the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young Men's Institute. These were discontinued and, in a manner, merged later in the Circleville Athletic Club, established about 10 years ago. The membership of this club is large, nearly all the young men of good standing in the town being connected with it. The club's quarters are in Peck's Block, where beside a well-equipped gymnasium, amuse- ment and bath rooms, a good reading room is kept up, where books and the current periodi- cals are found.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks also has a magazine reading room estab- lished in their lodge room. Neither the Elks now the C. A. C., however, take up special literary study as a part of their work.

Of the two most prominent literary clubs in Circleville, the Monday Club takes prece- dence in matter of age, it having maintained its existence longer than any literary society which has ever been established in Circleville.

The Monday Club was the outgrowth of a series of lectures on the subject of English history, delivered in Circleville in the winter of 1889. The lady giving the lectures urged upon her hearers the formation of a woman's club. Following this advice, several ladies met at the residence of P. C. Smith and began a reading circle, the present name being given at that meeting. Mrs. Charles E. Groce was chosen president of the circle. Among the ladies present at the first were : Mrs. Charles E. Groce, Mrs. Lucy Hoffman, Mrs. William Ballard and the Misses Alice Pedrick, Mame Smith, Mollie and Lizzie Renick, Lizzie Rug- gles, Kate Scovil, Ella and Lydia Drum, Nell Weldon and Florence Hoffman.

Mrs. Ballard offered her home for the sec- ond meeting, Miss Weldon for the third, Mrs. Groce for the fourth and so on through the list of members. The meeting's were held then as now, each alternate Monday. At the third meeting, Mrs. Howard Jones and Mrs. James Reichelderfer came into the society. The

work of this preliminary reading circle was the study of Circleville and special points in local history. The Monday club proper began its first regularly organized winter's work in Sep- tember, 1890, using a printed calendar, the subjects taken up being ancient Greece' and Rome. Miss Alice Pedrick was elected presi-

dent and Mrs. James Reichelderfer, secre- tary; a committee composed of Mrs. Howard Jones, Mrs. William Ballard and Miss Ella Drum was appointed to draft a constitution.

The Monday Club was federated into the National Federation in 1893. In 1894, on the occasion of the initial conference of the State Federation, in Springfield, Mrs. Jones and Miss Harriet Smith were sent as delegates from the Monday Club, with instructions to use their judgment as to placing their club in the list of those federated. The convention proved. such as to warrant the delegates taking this step, and thus the Monday Club of Circleville is a charter member of the State -Federation.

For some time the meetings were held, as in the beginning, at the homes of the members,; but it being deemed advisable to have a club room, the use of a room in the Court House was secured, which was occupied until Octo- ber 19, 1900, when the club room which had been secured in the new First Presbyterian Church was opened with a pleasant social ses- sion. This room had been previously furnished by the club. The meetings continued to be held in these same quarters. Besides the reg- ular study program of history or literature taken up each year, the Monday Club has been instrumental in bringing to Circleville a num- ber of excellent concerts and lecture courses. Various social sessions, also, have added much to the pleasure of the club members and their guests.

The present officers of the Monday Club are: President, Mrs. H. C. Allen; vice-presi- dent, Mrs. James Reichelderfer ; recording sec- retary, Miss Elizabeth Atkinson; correspond- ing secretary, Miss Alice Pedrick; treasurer, Mrs. A. C. McArthur; librarian, Miss May Lowe.

On November 4, 1897, 64 men and women } of Circleville adopted a constitution and banded

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themselves together as members of the Circle- ville University Association Center. The pro- gram prepared by the university extension course, a pamphlet on ancient history, was taken as the first year's study. But on April 25, 1898, the name was changed to the Uni- versity Club, it having been decided to with- draw from the parent organization: Since that time a program committee has arranged the annual printed calendar, the subject studied having been, for the most part, literature, with an occasional year's work in history.

Some of the most thorough study work in this city has been accomplished by the Uni- versity Club.

At first, the meetings were held in the court room, but later the use of one of the Public Library rooms was secured. It being found, however, that some confusion was caused by

persons passing in and out of the library, it was thought best to move to more secluded quarters. Therefore the use of the room in the Court House, recently vacated by the Mon- day Club, was obtained, and the meetings have been held there ever since.

A social session has been an annual event with the University Club ever since its organi- zation .. These occasions have been entered into with zest by all the members and have added not a little to the charming social features of the town life.

The officers of this organization for the current year are : President, Prof. T. C. Will- iams; Ist vice-president, Mrs. E. Beeshy; 2nd vice-president, Miss Vinnie Clark; secretary, Mrs. F. Donnelly; treasurer, Supt. C. L. Boyer; librarian, Miss May Lowe.

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CHAPTER XXX

THE PRESS OF CIRCLEVILLE

CIRCLEVILLE UNION-HERALD.

The pioneer newspaper of Pickaway County is the Circleville Union-Herald, estab- lished under the name of the Olive Branch, August 9, 1817, nearly 90 years ago, when the county itself was only seven years old and at a time when there were less than half the number of newspapers in the State than are published in Columbus, and when that city boasted of but one, the Ohio State Journal, established in 1811.

The Olive Branch was founded by James Foster, who was its first editor and who issued the paper a short time, when it was suspended for six weeks and reappeared January 20, 1818, published by Renick, Doane & Company-Gen. James Renick, Guy W. Doane and Joseph M. Hays. Messrs. Renick and Hays, who formed at that time a mercantile firm in Circleville, became the possessors of the type and all the appurtenances of the office, taking them upon a debt. The editorship devovled upon Mr. Doane, a young man of much ability, the junior member of the bar of Pickaway- County, and the paper was printed by William Henry Benson.

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History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 44

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