USA > Ohio > Preble County > History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions > Part 34
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SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.
The first school house was built in 1809, in section 29-a cabin of course -and built like the pioneer school house described elsewhere in these pages. Abraham Halderman was one of the pupils who received schooling in this house. A year or so later a school was started in a cabin on Jacob Parker's farm.
The township now has nine school houses, but on March 20, 1914, a vote was taken on the questions of centralization of the schools and the issuing of bonds therefor to the amount of fifty-eight thousand dollars. Both questions
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were carried by good majorities and are now in process of being put into effect.
The first church in the township was organized by the Dunkards, or Ger- man Baptists, now called the Church of the Brethren. This church started about the year 1806, at the home of Samuel Teal, the Aukermans and Halder- mans also being present, and for several years services were held at the dif- feernt homes thereabout. Later the Dunkards built a church known as the Brower church, some distance south of West Alexandria. About 1858 they built a church in the northwest quarter of section 2, called Sugar Hill church, and there laid out a cemetery. About the year 1861 they built a church in the southeast quarter of section 19, called Wheatville church. The Brower church has long since gone, and only old men can speak of its exact location. The Sugar Hill church numbers about one hundred members, with a Sunday school enrollment of about seventy-five. The Wheatville church has a mem- bership of about one hundred and a Sunday school enrollment of about the same number. Aaron Brubaker is the pastor.
About 1882 or 1883, a number of the brethren drew off and erected a church about one-half mile east of Daddsville, for the "Old Order" Brethren, which locally was known as the Cloyd meeting house. About the year 1911 the location of this church along, and so near, the traction line proving un- satisfactory, the congregation moved and rebuilt it, about a quarter of a mile south of Daddsville. They have a membership of some sixty or seventy. In 1882 or 1883, after several years of discussion and quiet dissension, there occurred what may be termed a friendly secession, although at that time there was some bitterness, among the German Baptists at Wheatville and neighbor- hood, and a part called the "Old Order" Brethren, drew off and erected a frame church near the center of section 17, on the farm of Joseph Flora,. hence locally called the Flora church, which now numbers about one hundred members, with S. Leedy and J. C. Brubaker as elders.
The Methodists, about 1835, organized a class at Enterprise, at the house of Henry Eidson, and this class grew until, three or four years later, a log church was built, which in 1858 gave way to a brick church on the hilltop north of Enterprise. The church dwindled away until there were fewer than a dozen members. It seemed then to revive, but not for long, and about 1891 the church was rented to the Evangelical Lutheran congregation and finally sold to the latter. Later that congregation changed its place of worship to Ingomar, and. about 1906, the building was sold and demolished.
Shortly after the close of the Civil War a class of the Evangelical Luth- eran church was formed in and about Enterprise, the members going to
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church at Farmersville and West Alexandria. In 1872 this class was organ- ized into a society by Rev. Amos Poorman, who soon after was followed by Rev. George W. Busby. The society grew, and in 1878 erected a church in Enterprise, called St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church, the congregation of which now numbers about eighty members, with a Sunday school enroll- ment of about one hundred.
About 1891, after simmering for some time, a split occurred in the Ger- man Lutheran church at Enterprise, principally over the question of secret societies, and a part drew off and rented the old Methodist church. In 1905 they purchased land at Ingomar and built a fine cement-block church, which they also named the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church, and which num- bers about seventy-five members, with a Sunday school enrollment of one hundred. L. P. Pence is the pastor. The differences between the various branches of the German Lutheran church they designate by saying that one belongs to the general synod and the other to the council; which, of course, relates only to the government of the church. All are Christians, and that one fact is enough to satisfy all reasonable men.
The Christian church in an early day organized a society, chiefly from among the settlers along the lands of Banta fork, and for some years held services at a little frame church on the Lexington road near Banta creek, in Twin township, but the congregation dwindled and, about 1840, they moved to a school house in Lanier township, near the home of the Bantas, who were members, and, gathering numbers and courage, in 1850 they erected Bethle- hem chapel, on the Dayton pike, about thirty rods west of Banta fork. This chapel prospered until a few years ago, but now most of the members have changed to a village church, and I am informed that services have been dis- continued.
MILLS AND MILLING.
The first flour-mill in the township was built in 1812 by a New Englander, named John Egbert, on Twin creek, in section 15, later locally and widely known as the Halderman mill. In 1846 this mill was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt, and finally passed into the hands of Abraham Halderman, who owned it for half a century. This mill long since has gone to decay. The March flood of 1913 washed away the greater part of the old timbers and its location will soon be only a memory.
James Dennison, in 1818, built a mill on Twin creek, a couple of miles lower down, later known as the Gregg mill, but it has long since been silent.
In 1833 Jacob Sourber built a mill about a mile southeast of West Alex-
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andria, which later becaine, and still is, known as the Brower mill, which continued to grind until the last few years, doing most excellent work. It is now still, however, and I fear will also soon be dismantled.
There have in the past been a number of saw-mills in the township, but only two remain, one at Enterprise and one east of West Alexandria, because the timber to feed them is getting scarcer as the years go by.
CEMETERIES.
The first public cemetery laid out was the half acre of the old cemetery in West Alexandria, now no longer used, a portion of the one and one-half acres deeded by Jacob Parker and Jacob Hell, to the Reformed and Lutheran churches. Jacob Hell, named, is the ancestor of the Clears in Eaton, who later had the German name, Hell, changed by act of the Legislature to its English equivalent, Clear. About 1895 a new and large cemetery was laid out about one-half mile south of West Alexandria.
About 1840 a cemetery was laid out just south of Wheatville church, in the northwest corner of section 29, and in it Luke Vorhis, one of the soldiers in the battle with the Indians at Fort St. Clair, is said to be buried.
About 1850 a cemetery was laid out one-half mile north of Enterprise, known as the Enterprise cemetery.
About 1870 a cemetery was laid out on west line of section 36, locally known as the Twin Valley cemetery. In an early day the Dunkards had a church and cemetery at the crossroads between sections 25 and 26, but long since the church has gone to decay, only the cemetery remaining.
Scattered through the township were a number of family burying grounds of the early settlers, some of which are still marked, but none of which are now used.
TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
West Alexandria has its south half within Lanier township, and is the only incorporated village in the township. Its history will follow that of Twin township.
There are three clusters of houses in the township that form little ham- lets, adding much to the business, community and social life of their respec- tive parts of the township. Enterprise is situated in sections 23 and 24, the houses being built on each side of the road. Concerning the first settlers, no one seems able to speak positively. It seems that many years ago some en- terprising fellows thought the community was so far away from towns that
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some business could be done, so a blacksmith shop, a grocery, and, later, a saw-mill were started. The place, being near a school house, people bought little plots of ground and built thereon, making there their homes, until there are today seventy-five or eighty people living in the hamlet. This ham- let formerly had a postoffice, the postoffice name being Lanier, but rural mail delivery does the business now, and even the grocery is gone.
In the fall of 1886, the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw railroad was completed across the township and passed about a mile north of Enterprise. At the crossing of the road it made a stop or station for the accommodation of the people, calling it Lanier Station. A grocery was started; people be- gan to ship from and to that place; the Wachtel Brothers started a little lumber yard and warehouse. W. W. Crouse conceived the idea that the place ought to have a name of its own, and a petition was filed with the rail- road company asking that the station be named Ingomar. In a short time the railroad company put up a large sign bearing that name and Ingomar was on the map. Then, in 1888, the government was petitioned in the same fashion, through Congressman Williams, and the postoffice of Ingomar was established. The town now has about eighty or ninety population, a church, grain elevator, lumber yard, coal yard, a good grocery store and four to- bacco warehouses. Considerable business is done there, and there are many promises of commercial growth. This may sound like a description of the start of a Western town, but the "boom" occurred in staid old Preble county. The buildings are good, the homes pleasant and everything presents a neat and homelike appearance. A picture presented in these pages shows the cen- ter of the newest town of the county.
Years ago John Baker settled in the northwest part of section I, and he was nicknamed "Daddy" Baker. In 1898 the Dayton & Western electric line was built along the pike, and there being both a road from the south and one from the north, a stop was made there, a grocery was started, and peo- ple bought plots of ground, sometimes an acre or so, and built homes, at- tracted by the presence of the traction line, until today there is a cluster of fourteen houses, and some sixty people or more. The hamlet's original nickname stuck, for the place still is known and called by everybody, "Dadds- ville." The houses are neat and well painted and the surroundings attrac- tive.
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CHAPTER XXVI.
TWIN TOWNSHIP.
By W. W. Crouse.
Twin township was first organized by the decree of the three associate judges, on the 15th of March, 1808, out of the original township of Hardin, comprising all of the third range of townships, as did Israel and Somers comprise the whole of the first and second ranges, respectively. Thus, in dividing the county into townships, the associate judges decreed that Twin township should be the north fourteen miles of the third range, which ex- tended from the Darke county line to the confluence of Banta's fork and Twin creeks, and remained thus until the commissioners, in 1815, curtailed it by their order that Twin township should be the sixth original surveyed town- ship of the third range.
It takes its name from the principal stream (named by the Indians long before the coming of the white man), which flows through this township from north to south -- the Indian's Nile. The valley was a favorite camping and hunting ground for the Pottawattamies, Miamis, Delawares, Shawnees and Mingoes, during the latter part of the eighteenth century, when the terri- tory between the Whitewater and Miami valleys was traversed by well-de- fined Indian trails, the favorite trail being through this township, and until 1805, when the government purchased all the possession (landed) of Potta- wattamies, the most friendly of the tribes, in Ohio. He would, from time to time, return, seeking that renewal of health which as a boy he had enjoyed in the Twin valley and had lost in the malarious regions west, in later years. Twin valley has sustained its reputation as one of nature's health resorts, and the white man joins his copper-colored brother in meeds of praise.
Twin township is bound on the east by Montgomery county: on the north by Harrison ; on the west by Washington, and on the south by Lanier townships. It is very productive and one of the richest agricultural town- ships in the county. Among its earliest ( 1804) settlers were some of the most prominent farmers of that day-the Van Winkles, Keislings, Millers,
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Robertsons, Dickeys, Nisbets, Ozias, Bantas, Rapes, Whitsells and others; and it has maintained its position as an agricultural township from that day to the present. Its chief products have been wheat, barley, corn, oats, and tobacco, and in later years the raising and feeding of hogs and cattle has grown to quite large dimensions, as has, also, the breeding of horses, mules, etc.
The land naturally arranges itself about the streams, Twin, Banta's, and Price's creeks, particularly Twin. This valley is the deepest and broadest in the county, and Twin creek the largest stream in the county, affording the greatest waterpower. Mills of almost every description graced its banks in the earliest days, but only a few remain, the railroads and other shipping facilities of this country having made these smaller mills unprofitable; but a few have found it possible to exist and those only as custom mills.
The mill so long and favorably known as the Stotler mill, is about the only one of its kind that is in operation today in this township. This mill is located on the Dayton & Eaton pike, just east of West Alexandria, and was built on the site of the old Benedict Stoner distillery, known by our older citizens as the John Glander distillery, which burned with the Twin creek bridge in 1858, the light of the conflagration being seen by the Dayton people eighteen miles away. The present mill was erected in 1859-60 by E. S. Stotler, John H. Gale and Detrich Glander, who operated it until the death of Mr. Gale, when the surviving partners purchased his interest, conducting the business under the firm name of Stotler & Glander, who furnished great quantities of flour to the National Soldiers Home, near Dayton. This mill is now owned and operated by Charles Shuey, formerly of Germantown.
But, to get back to the physical features of this township and the beauti- ful Twin valley about which it centers, it can truly be said that its diversity of soil and surface make farming both pleasant and profitable, because the agriculturist can engage in diversified farming, rendering failure practically impossible. While different soils are better adapted to certain crops, yet there are few, if any, farms that will not produce most of the crops raised in Ohio. The more elevated portions are better adapted for the growing of wheat, oats, barley and tobacco, for filler purposes, while the lower area and the valleys of our streams afford a choice field for the production of corn and seed-leaf tobacco. The great Miami valley, which includes the Twin as one of its tributaries, is one of the greatest tobacco-producing belts in the United States, and Twin township has few farms upon which this crop is not raised.
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DRAINAGE.
The drainage is good in Twin township and is controlled by four prin- cipal table lands, one in the northwestern part, in the vicinity of Brunners- ville, contiguous to Price's creek, and has a clay ridgy soil with blue clay almost touching the surface. The soil, somewhat rocky, is brown loam and quite productive. Beech grows extensively. In this upland country, the ridges are on a line distinctly marking the junction of Clinton and blue lime- stone formation. From these naturally appear many springs, chief amongst which is the "Mammoth" spring, on what is better known as the Royer farm at Brunnersville, originally settled by Jacob Cook, from whom Cook's fork, now known as Price's creek, received its early name This spring furnished sufficient waterpower to run a saw and woolen-mill. The Enoch or Shaw woolen-mill was operated by waterpower from this spring for a period of fifty years or more from its erection, in 1830.
The northern and northeastern part of the township is similar in many respects, but oak timber is most abundant in this portion of the township. Rape's run is the principal stream in the northeastern: Leslie's run in the eastern, and Banta's fork in the extreme southwestern. These are the prin- cipal streams tributary of Twin creek, in their respective localities. The land in the southeast quarter of Twin township and drained by Leslie's run, is not ridgy like the country bordering on the other streams mentioned above, except near its mouth. The land is mostly low, flat, deep soil, rich and fertile.
Transversely across the southwestern part of this township is the boulder belt. supposed to have been deposited here by the northern glaciers. While they have, to some extent. interfered with agricultural pursuits. they have proven a valuable asset as foundation building stone and crushed rock for road building.
SETTLEMENT.
The government owned the land in the early days of its settlement and sold it at two dollars per acre. in parcels of not less than a section. This necessitated the clubbing together of those prospective settlers who were unable to purchase so much land, and the subsequent division of it amongst themselves, by lot or otherwise, to suit its members; or, as in some instances, these clubs would appoint a purchasing agent and treasurer whose duty it was to purchase tracts of government land and sell it again to settlers.
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While this latter plan was fraught with danger, there is not any evidence of fraud practiced.
FIRST SETTLERS.
The first permanent settlement in Twin township was that of Simeon Van Winkle, one of the township trustees after its organization, who entered section 27, on which Judge Nisbet afterward laid out New Lexington. Mr. Van Winkle was a native of Georgia, and with his wife and five children emigrated from Kentucky to Twin township, in the late winter of 1803-4, to whom was born, February 20, 1805, a son (Jesse), the first white male child born in the township. Mrs. Mary Huston Burtner, of West Alexan- dria, Mrs. A. M. Townsend, of Eaton, and Mrs. Rebecca Holsinger, of that vicinity, besides several descendants of Susanna Van Winkle Robert- son, living in Preble county, are descendants.
About a month after the settlement of the Van Winkle family Fred- erick Miller, a native of Virginia, emigrated to this township from Ten- nessee, stopping at Lebanon, Ohio, where he left his family while pros- pecting for a new home in the wilderness of Ohio, locating on the farm now owned by the John C. Mills estate and built his "lean-to" against a coffee- bean tree along the present right-of-way of the Cincinnati Northern ( for- merly the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw railroad), just north of West Alexandria. He selected the land adjoining his, now owned by Herman Voge and George W. Copp, for Henry Kesling, who, with William Alexan- der, one of the first township trustees, laid out the town of West Alexandria.
In the year 1805 the Nisbet family emigrated from Kentucky, locating in this township. William settled on the farm known as the John Trick place; Thomas took over the place known as the John Henry Markey farm, and James I. settled on land where, a year later, he laid out the town of New Lexington, built the first house therein ; was its first merchant and post- master, and built the first brick house in the county. When the court of common pleas was established, he was appointed one of the associate judges. Albert Banta, about this time, settled on the creek bearing his name, at the crossing of the Lexington road, where, later, Jacob Peters built a large log house, in which the Tunkers met to worship. At that time the township was sparsely settled and communities could ill afford church buildings for the various denominations; hence, religious services were held at the homes of one or more of its members in a neighborhood. This building gave way to a more pretentious and modern brick building, owned and occupied, until recent years, by Samuel Ryder, father of Dr. J. C. Ryder, of Eaton, Ohio.
(24)
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The Rapes and Ozias families settled in this township in 1805, the latter entering about thirteen hundred acres of land on Twin creek, south of the present village of Lewisburg, and a number of descendants own and occupy the greater portion of this land today. Mr. John Rape, Sr. (a native of France), served under the command of General Lafayette in the Revolu- tion for about five years and, at its close, deserted from his command, re- fusing to return to his country. He married and settled in the valley of the Shenandoah river in Virginia, from whence he emigrated to Ohio, settling on the stream bearing his name in the northeastern part of the township. This farm remained in the family for upwards of a century. These families were followed by the Hewitt, Dickey, Coleman, Whitesell, Utz, Quinn, Vance, Hart, Mickle, Enoch, Baer, Benjamin, Bower and Singer families.
EARLY EVENTS.
Tradition has it that the first male child born in the township was born to Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Van Winkle. The production of the first wheat was credited to Frederick Miller and the first bearing orchard was cultivated by Henry Keisling; and we might add that the latter built the first hominy mill in this township. It was a rather crude affair, consisting of a hollowed- out stump, into which the corn was poured and then tramped. The finer part of the product was used as meal for johnny-cakes, and the remainder as hominy grits.
Wild animals roamed the forest in those days; bears, wolves and cata- mounts abounded in this wilderness, the blood-curdling screams of the latter have made the stoutest heart quail, and this brings to our memory a later- day event :
"THE BOOHAW."
Late in the seventies Dame Rumor, with the assistance of the press, had much to say concerning a ferocious animal, which for the lack of a better name, they called a "boohaw," having been heard and seen in the vicinity of West Alexandria ; and its unearthly shrieks made daylight most welcome to the inhabitants thereof ; not that anyone was afraid, of course; no, just an atmosphere of insecurity. But there was a very noticeable falling off in the attendance at the evening assemblages. The lodge and even the churches suffered, and neighbors could not find time to pay to each other the customary evening call. This continued for some weeks and the "boo- haw" changed his spots, becoming an escaped circus panther seeking whom
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he might devour, causing those who had searched their lexicons in vain for some description of the former beast, to flinch and entertain a cowering feeling. Finally, an extraordinarily large catamount was killed and the weird cry of the "boohaw" was heard no more in that land.
EARLY ELECTIONS.
In the first election held in Twin township, as organized by decree of the common pleas court (which, by the way, was held at the residence of John Vance, who lived one mile south of Lewisburg, in what is now Harri- son township), it is reliably vouched for that, after the offices were filled. there remained but three electors who had not received an office, and, strange as it may seem, no effort was made by those to create offices for themselves. At the first election held in Twin township, after its organization as or- dered by the county commissioners in 1815 (and which was held at New Lexington, which has been the voting place ever since), Frederick Miller was elected to the office of justice of the peace and Simeon Van Winkle and Henry Keisling were elected on the board of township trustees. The town- ship is at present officered as follows: Trustees, William Peterman, Will Davidson and Joseph James; clerk, Jesse B. Myers; treasurer, Harmon Lang; justices of the peace, George W. Knouse and George W. Coop.
SCHOOLS.
The first school in the township was held in 1807, in a little deserted log cabin on the farm of Judge Nisbet and stood near the site of the Pres- byterian graveyard, and was probably presided over by George Miller, son of Squire Miller, who lived one-half mile south of the school house. The benches were of slab, and the light admitted through small windows covered with oiled paper. David Williams is said to have succeeded George Miller in the New Lexington school, and about five years later another school was opened on Price's creek, near the site of the old Whipple mill, with Thomas Coldscolt as teacher. From these two little cabin school houses of a century ago, have sprung nine comfortable brick buildings representing that number of districts, under the present efficient public school system. Two, only, Nos. 1 and 6, have been built over twenty years, and three, Nos. 2, 5 and 8, have been built in the last four or five years. No. 5, at New Lexington, is a beautiful, commodious, two-story brick edifice, taking the place of the one built in 1873, and would reflect credit upon a much large place than New
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