History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 33

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985

USA > Ohio > Preble County > History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions > Part 33

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).

It is claimed that Peter Kulp built the first house, a cabin, in the place about the time or before it was laid out as a town. It was located on the west side of West street, a few rods south of South street. Shortly after the town was laid out people began putting up dwellings, and Benjamin Darragh started a little frontier store at the northeast corner of Franklin and West

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streets, in which he kept such groceries, hardware, dry goods and notions as were called for in those early days.

Before the days of railroads the village did a large business, having two or three buggy and wagon factories, two large warehouses, four hotels and the largest and most commodious livery barn ever built in the county, erected by Fred Frieze on East street just south of South street. It was a brick two-story building, over a hundred feet, and at that time did a big business. There was also a pork house. All the transportation for those factories was done by teams, generally four and six horses, to Franklin, Middletown and Cincinnati. But the railroad came through Camden, large buggy and wagon companies were formed in the big cities, and, as was the case in so many little towns, business deserted because it had to do so.

John Bookwalter, born in 1812, started a wagon shop and carriage fac- tory in 1833 and carried it on, sometimes on a large scale, for nearly fifty years, dying about 1881. Peter Mikesell also during the same time had an extensive blacksmith and carriage shop, and both men employed a number of hands, until old age and the changing trend of business compelled them to desist. The warehouses bought grain and had it hauled to the canal at such points as paid the best prices.

Dr. Christian Sayler came, when a boy, with his father in 1809, after he graduated from the Ohio Medical College, and settled on what is now part of Gratis. He settled in the town and lived there all his life, dying in 1884, and from him these facts were obtained. He was a large-framed, powerful man, strong both mentally and physically, of varied attainments, and, although a doctor, he was the surveyor who laid out and superintended the construc- tion of the pikes from Middletown, and from Hamilton through Gratis to West Alexandria.

Absalom Stiver, a lawyer, was once a representative and always resided in the village. He had a large practice, and it was his boast that during his life he had never had a demurrer filed against his pleading sustained by the court ; that is, he was never demurred out of court. He died in August, 1892.

From 1835, for some twenty years, Gratis, originally Winchester, was one of the livliest little towns in the county, and even now most of the people own their own homes. The mail is received from Eaton every day. After the incorporation of the village there were two schools maintained, one in the town, and one in the country forming the district about two miles square immediately surrounding the town, the school house being located on the Cam- den road about a hundred rods west of West street. Before the Civil War an agitation began to unite the country and the town. In 1864 a vote was

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taken on the proposition and it carried overwhelmingly, so in that year the present two-story four-room brick building was begun, and was com- pletely finished the next year, three teachers being installed. For the past forty years there have been four teachers, and the curriculum of the school now compares favorably with any. Some of the teachers who in the past have taught there as principal of the school are Jehu W. King, Lewis Mackey, C. C. Fetherling, Doctor Keplinger, R. E. Lowry (1878-85), Will Hileman, John Morris, D. A. Young, Charles Gruntle, Charles Moses, Walter A. Young and D. T. Hill ( 1914).

In 1880 the council erected a town hall and a jail, never having had such things previously.

CHURCHES.

In 1832 the Methodist Episcopal church erected a frame edifice at the west side of the town, and it was used until 1869, when the present brick church, at the northeast corner of West and South streets, was erected, costing about three thousand five hundred dollars. It has been found to be a suitable and comfortable home for the membership, now numbering about forty-five persons, and accommodates a good Sunday school.

The Baptists organized a church in the town about 1836, and in 1839 built a brick church at the east side of the town. For many years it formed a strong church, but people died or moved away, and its membership dwindled until now for some fifteen years past the building has been closed and al- lowed to decay.

About the time, or before, the Methodists organized, the Presbyterians built a church in the village, but, like the Baptists, the congregation scattered in a few years. In 1866 the building and land were sold to the Reformed church, and the house remodeled; but that congregation also seemed to scat- ter, or, as I heard a preacher say in his sermon a short time ago, it got the dry-rot and perished. Again the house was closed for some years, there remaining but three or four members. In 1912 the German Baptists, or, as now called, the Church of the Brethren, bought the property and also addi- tional land, again remodeled and repaired the church, and moved the con- gregation from Lower Twin church, abandoning the old site. They now have a strong society of about seventy-five members. The church seems in a prosperous condition and likely to endure for many years. The recent move was made largely under the leadership of Aaron Brubaker, the present pastor.

The United Brethren organized a society of their faith in the village in (23)

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1849. For years they held church in the old Friends' meeting house, and later in a union church building, erected near the west side of the town. But, as the other churches grew, there seemed too much division and this one gradually dwindled and some years since died, the church building now being used as an implement house.

About 1882 or 1883 some evangelist preachers of the Dunkard or Ger- man Baptist faith, from the Virginias, began holding meetings in the village. They were called Progressive Dunkards and were strong and effective preach- ers, attracting good audiences. About 1884 they organized a church society, locally called Progressives, but the regular church name is "The Brethren." They held meetings for a time in the Methodist church. In 1888 they built their own church, a frame building at the southwest corner of East and South streets, and in 1896 they added a parsonage. The church soon proved too small and in 1904 it was remodeled and an addition added, giving them prob- ably the most commodious and comfortable church in the township. The total cost was over eight thousand dollars for the church. On April 9, 1915, a fire started in a stable some three squares southwest of the church, and cinders, carried by a strong wind, set fire to the church and totally destroyed it, but, undaunted, the people have already started plans for rebuilding. The church has two hundred and sixty members, all of whom are real Progres- sives, with a very strong Sunday school, and we hope it will grow stronger than ever, carrying forward the evangelistic spirit that founded the church. George H. Jones has been the pastor since the spring of 1909.

PHYSICIANS.

The physicians of Gratis have been : Samuel Nixon, who located there at an early day ; then Dr. Christian Sayler, who continued in active practice until long after the Civil War, and was followed by his son, William Sayler, who died in 1886; the latter was succeeded by a brother, W. S. Sayler, who died some two years since. During the time of the first Doctor Sayler, Dr. Isaac Kesling, an eclectic, practiced in the village and enjoyed his full share of prac- tice until his age compelled him to withdraw, some thirty-five years ago. From then, although other doctors located there, they only remained for brief periods, and moved away, the practice being chiefly what is known as country practice, requiring much riding. Dr. W. A. Crume is the only regular prac- ticing physician now in the village.

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A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

On the morning of April 9, 1915, a fire broke out in a stable in the southern part of the village and a strong wind swept the cinders diagonally across the town, setting on fire over forty buildings and destroying the Breth- ren church and some four barns, also setting fire to no less than thirty-seven other buildings. There was no adequate fire department. The telephone sent out the "S O S" call in every direction and soon help began coming from the towns and country around in automobiles, loaded with men and buckets. Over two hundred and fifty automobiles rolled in, and finally the bucket bri- gades conquered. The telephone and automobile kept Gratis on the map.

ODD FELLOWS.

In 1850 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows organized Eden Lodge No. 147, and on January 18, 1867, they bought a fine brick building at the northeast corner of Franklin and East streets, using the second story for lodge purposes and renting the lower story for residence and storeroom. About 1888 they remodeled the building and built a third story and now have one of the most comfortable lodge homes to be found in any village of the same size. The lodge numbers between ninety and a hundred members, among them many of the most influential and energetic men of the com- munity. The lodge is to be commended for the high standard of manhood it requires of its candidates.

On February 1, 1906, the Twin Valley Bank, of West Alexandria, estab- lished a branch bank at Gratis, known as the Twin Valley Bank (Branch), which gives the people of the village and community ready banking facilities. It is well patronized. The capital is covered by the capital of the parent bank. N. G. Kimmel, cashier, has filled the post almost ever since the bank was established.

WEST ELKTON.

West Elkton is located within a mile and a half of the south line of the township, and just grew up along a small branch. David Taylor, shortly after the settlement of the township, built a wagon shop and his cabin on the little stream that flows through the town and dug a well, being the first to locate. Gradually others built around him, buying such plats of ground as they desired, until, in 1847, a movement, headed by Jesse Stubbs and Nathan Hornaday, started to have a town laid out. The next year the plat was filed,

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but as the lots sold before, about a dozen in number, had been very irregular in size and shape, they had to remain so. They could not now be traced but for the painstaking care of the surveyor, James L. Street, who surveyed them and planted cornerstones so generally that he is easily followed. In the northeastern part of the state is Elkton, hence this place is called West Elkton.

The first store is said to have been opened by a man named Rockill about 1828. The first postoffice was established in 1844, and Rawley Wheeler was appointed postmaster. In 1860 Argerbright & Talbert started a carriage shop in West Elkton, but in 1863 Isaiah Talbert sold out, on account of bad health, and W. S. Maddock took his place. In about 1869 Talbert returned from Miamisburg, where he had been engaged in the same business. With A. Van Trump and D. L. Wineland, Talbert bought out the business, and in 1871 he bought Van Trump's interest, and in 1874 Wineland's interest. A. Van Trump and Thomas Stubbs at the time were running a saw-mill and other business connected with it, and they consolidated under the name of Van Trump, Talbert & Company in 1874. Later, about 1895, Talbert bought out his partners and took in three of his sons, and they are now doing a pros- perous business. In July, 1914, the three-story brick building and saw-mill adjoining burned, but they have rebuilt on a larger scale than before. It is the only carriage factory of the county that has survived the competition with the big factories, the reason being that they did not try to compete in price, but aimed to excel in quality. The job had to be exactly as represented, and for forty years past the statement that it was a West Elkton buggy has settled the question of quality. After the fire they increased their room, and have now added the painting and repairing of automobiles and motor trucks. A visit to the shops will make the visitor wonder where all the work comes from, for these shops are the business heart of the town and community.

NATHAN HORNADAY.

Perhaps the best remembered man who was a permanent resident of the village was Nathan Hornaday, who was born in 1812 and died in 1899. He was by trade a plasterer and stone mason, and by religion a Methodist, in which church he was for many years a local preacher. A man of medium size, strongly built, emotional, but clear minded, he was elected a justice of the peace in 1842, which position he held most of the time for fifty years. He was later mayor of the town, which office he held almost a lifetime. His sympathy always going out to the suffering or the wronged, he was ever a peacemaker in the community. With a courage and integrity that never fal-

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tered, he was an ideal justice of the peace. It is claimed that, although he had many cases tried before him, a jury being waived, he was never reversed by the common pleas court but once, and then the defendant refused to give any evidence, and appealed. From the evidence Mr. Hornaday had to decide the case. From outside knowledge he knew the matter was wrong, and tried to get the plaintiff to settle, but he would not, and he later lost the case. No attorney was ever able to influence his decision nor by honeyed logic lead him wrong. He won and held the love, respect and almost reverence of the community. He was for five years deputy United States collector of revenue.

CHURCHES.

The first church built in Gratis township, and, with much reason, claimed to be the first in the county, was a log church, built by the Quakers just south of town in 1805. In 1809 it was replaced by a hewed-log house, which, in 1817, gave way to what was called the "old brick meeting house." The church was then called the Elk monthly meeting, taking its name from the sreek near the south county line. In 1872, after taking up subscriptions for a year or so, the present brick church was erected, and, save for some repairing and remodeling, it continues in use. It is a large, commodious and com- fortable building, costing nearly five thousand dollars. The society has a membership of about two hundred, composed of some of the most prosperous farmers of the township. They have had a large Sunday school for years.

The Methodist Episcopal church in West Elkton was organized about 1850, and for two or three years the society met in the school house. In 1853 a union meeting house was built by the Methodists, Wesleyan Methodists and United Brethren, near the northeast corner of the town, and at the same time a union Sunday school was started. All the named churches continued to use the house, but in the course of the next thirty years the Wesleyan Methodist organization became practically extinct, after which the other two went on together for a time. About 1897 the United Brethren concluded to erect a church of their own and did erect an edifice on Pike street, about a half square south of Camden street, at a cost of about three thousand five hundred dollars, to which, a short time later, they added a parsonage. The Brethren church was organized about the same time as the Methodist. Since the sep- aration, the Methodists have continued to use the old union church building. They now number about thirty and the United Brethren number about one hundred and twenty members. The Sunday schools rival the churches in numbers.

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PHYSICIANS.

Jacob S. Weinland, born in 1819 in Pennsylvania, came to Ohio when only seventeen years old, graduated from the Eclectic Medical College, and began practice in West Elkton in 1847, being the first physician to become a permanent resident of the village. He was not above medium height; but was rather corpulent in build. He was conscientious and painstaking in his treat- ment of his patients, looking after them with a fatherly care, and seemed to be unwearied in his efforts to benefit them as much as possible. Thus he. won and held the confidence and respect of the community. He had a large prac- tice, being regarded by physicians as an expert in handling typhoid and ma- larial fevers. He died about 1883.

Dr. William C. Robertson started practice in the village about 1877, and succeeded in securing a remunerative practice, but died from heart failure about 1884. Dr. Elwood Holaday, a homeopath; Dr. A. W. Y. Conarroe, an eclectic, and Dr. Clara Robertson, widow of Dr. W. C. Robertson, are the present practitioners living in the village.

SCHOOLS.

At an early day in the settlement there was a schoolhouse built on the Camden road, just at the west edge of the town, which, as rebuilt, was used until about 1871. In 1868 the Friends concluded that the children were en- titled to better educational facilities than afforded by a sub-district school, and in 1869, after having taken up subscriptions for the purpose, they erected a four-room. two-story brick school house, just south of the village, calling it the West Elkton Academy, and employed teachers for the higher branches. After a year or so the two schools were united, and in 1878 the building was sold to the West Elkton district and continued to be used until 1911, when a vote was taken to bond the district, buy a more suitable location and build a modern, up-to-date public school building. The majority vote favoring the proposition, five acres were purchased and the present school building erected just north of the village in 1913, at a cost of about twenty thousand dollars. They now have a six-room school building, second to none in the county. William T. Phenis is the superintendent.

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CHAPTER XXV.

LANIER TOWNSHIP.

The history of the organization of Lanier township is fully given in the chapter on Organization of the County. Twin creek, with its source in Darke county, enters the township near the east line of section 3, and, flowing nearly a general south course, passes out of the township near the western line of section 35, then bends east across sections 2 and 3, into Montgomery county, finally finding its outlet in the Miami river south of Carlisle Station.

The main tributaries of Twin creek are Aukerman creek, from the west, which unites with the main stream in section 35, and Banta creek, which has its source in section 13, Jefferson township, flows across Monroe, Washing- ton and Twin townships, enters Lanier township in section 5 and flows south- east into Twin creek near the south line of section 10. Haldermans branch, from the west, and Leslie's run, from the east, are smaller streams in the drainage area. It will be noticed that Twin creek follows the rule of the county ; that the western drainage slope is much greater than the eastern drainage slope.

Along the main streams are wide stretches of bottom land of unexcelled fertility, which once were more productive than now, because the owners many times have abused them. One field pointed out to the writer some years ago had been put in corn for over thirty successive years. The farmers are doing better now. Along the three main streams the land is somewhat broken, but not for any considerable distance from the streams, for shortly after the slopes are climbed the land becomes level, or gently rolling land, of clay soil, underlaid with limestone subsoil and very fertile.

Extending nearly east and west across the township near the center is a comparatively high ridge, passing about one-half mile south of Ingomar, and thence into Montgomery county. From this ridge the waters flow north- erly or southerly down its slopes to their outlets finally into Twin creek. The ridge seems to have been highest just west of where Twin creek, when formed, cut the ridge in two, to form its channel, and this ridge, or hilltop, at that place is named after an early settler as the Morningstar hill, or Rattlesnake hill, from the old cave. This hill is some seventy-five or eighty feet higher than West Alexandria and is capped with a layer of Clinton limestone, some

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fifteen feet thick, which in many places crops out. Along the lower slopes of the ridge there are many fine springs of water, two or three flowing several thousand gallons daily.

The lands of the township produce in abundance all the crops raised in this latitude.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

There is but little doubt that Jacob Parker was the first settler in the township, and probably the first white man to build a cabin in the county, for family tradition has it that as early as the year 1798, before the United States surveyor laid off the sections, he came back to the Twin creek bottoms, south- east of West Alexandria, and built his cabin near the old camp of Wayne's soldiers, as related elsewhere. He found this a lonesome job, and also appar- ently realized that "it was not good for man to be alone," for he returned to near Middletown. In 1803, however, he returned and resided during the re- mainder of his life on the northeast quarter of section 3, dying in 1848. His son, Peter Parker, always claimed to be the first white boy born in the county, and that he was born five or six months before George D. Hendrix. Martin Ruple came to the township with Jacob Parker in 1803 and settled on the southeast quarter of section 3.

In 1804 John Aukerman settled on Aukerman creek, and later moved to a point just east of Eaton. In the same year Jacob Loy, from Maryland, set- tled in section 2. He was related by marriage to Parker, who married Mary Loy.

In 1805 Peter Vanausdal, from Virginia, settled on section 10. About 1806, John Vanausdal, the father of Peter and Cornelius, came and settled in section 10, and with John came his son-in-law, Christian Van Doren, who settled near him. About the year 1805 Jacob Fudge, from Virginia, with his brother David, settled in section 34. In 1808 he was elected the first sheriff of the county and served two terms. It seems, however, that he had small liking for public office, for some four or five years after his term expired one of his friends wished to nominate him in convention for another office, be- cause Fudge's popularity would strengthen the ticket, but Jacob argued with his friend against it. finally agreeing that if the friend would keep still he would give him three quarts of good whisky. Jacob bought the whisky.

Benedict Stoner, from Maryland, settled on Twin creek, east of West Alexandria, in 1805, and in the same year Christian Halderman, John Halder- man, Jacob Shewman and John Kaylor, from Virginia, settled in section 32. In the same year Henry and Peter Eikenberry settled near Wheatville.

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.. In 1806 Samuel Teal, from Maryland, settled near the mouth of Auker- man creek, and is said to have been one of the first Dunkards in the county. In the same year came John Price, who settled just west of West Alexandria ; David Louts, on Banta fork; Michael Wolf, on Banta fork, and Abraham and Albert Banta, on the stream that since has borne the name, and a little later Peter Banta joined them. In this same year Jacob Neff came from Virginia.

About 1807 James Dennison came and settled on Twin creek. Some twenty years later his son James erected the mill known as Dennison's mill, later known as Gregg's mill, which is now gone.

About 1808 William Campbell came from Kentucky and settled south of West Alexandria, where he started a tannery, which he operated for a num- ber of years. He was the father of John V. Campbell, first probate judge of the county. In the same year Jacob Lesh settled in section 18 and Samuel Mitchell settled in section 29. Henry Young settled on Aukerman creek, northwest of Gratis, in 1809.

In 1811 James Cloyd, who came from Virginia, settled in section 26, and in the same year Jacob Deardorff settled in section 8 and Jacob Heckman settled near Wheatville.

John Black came in 1813 and purchased land in sections 3 and 4. Some of this land is yet owned by his grandson, S. S. Black, just south of West Alexandria. Later came many others whose names are yet common in the township. It is not intended that the above shall be accepted as a complete list of all the early settlers, but only of those most easily traced, including a large number of the names common now ; for those early settlers left no trace of race suicide.

The first child born in the township was Sarah Ruple, who was born in 1804, and the next was Peter Parker, born in 1805.

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History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 33

Author: R. E. Lowry Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 985

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985