History of Preble County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Part 48

Author: H. Z. Williams & Brothers
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Publisher:
Number of Pages: 559

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Jacob Judy was born in Dauphin county, Pennsyl- vania, in the year 1797. From that State he moved to Ohio, and settled in German township, Montgomery county, in 1815. His death occurred in that county in 1877. At his death he was the largest farmer in German township-owning three hundred and eighty acres. His wife, Catharine Hetzler, is still living. He had seven children, six of whom still survive, namely: John, Mary, Samuel, Catharine, Susan and Jacob. Samuel, who was born in the year 1821, married Magdaline Bean, and has six children: Martin, Catharine, Abraham, Mary, Charlie and Lettie. Mr. Judy is a prominent member of the United Brethren church. His farm, located in the south- eastern part of the township, contains about three hun- dred and twenty acres.

Joseph M. Hendrix was born in Pennsylvania in 1816. From this State he came to Ohio in 1842, and settled on a quarter section of section ten, in Gratis township. He and his wife, Agnes (McDonald), made the journey in a wagon the year after their marriage. His father was a wealthy farmer in Pennsylvania, owning a farm of three hundred acres. He had seven children, all of whom are dead excepting John M. and Joseph.

John M. married Rebecca, daughter of John Murry, of Carrol county, Maryland. He has had nine children. His farm contains four hundred and forty acres of fine land, which is under good cultivation.

Jacob Featherling was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, from which place he moved to Ohio. He first settled in Delaware county in 1832, and afterwards, in 1835, moved to Montgomery county. His wife, Parmelia Lewelen, died in 1864. Eight children were born to them, three only of whom are now alive, namely: Cephas C., George and Eliza.

Cephas married Sarah C., daughter of M. G. Hollinger, of Harrison township. They have two children. Mr. Fetherling was a teacher for thirteen years, and was a principal at Winchester from 1870 to 1873. He served three years in the war of the Rebellion in company H, of the Ninety-third regiment. He is extensively engaged in business in Winchester, and is one of the leading business men of that town. He is engaged in the grocery business, besides being partner in Bookwalter & Featherling's carriage manufactory.

James Russell was born in Pennsylvania in 1771, and settled in Montgomery county in 1802, where he died in 1843. John Russell, his son, was born in 1797. He is the father of ten children, seven of whom are living. James M., the fifth child, married Eliza Neff, the daugh-

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ter of Abram Neff. They have seven children. Mr. Russell is engaged in the lightning rod business in this county.

Francis L. Raikes is the son of F. F. Raikes, of Somers township. He married Helen E. Bower, of Somers. Having no children born to them, they have adopted a daughter, Mary Ethel. Mr. Raikes is now serving his second term as a trustee of Gratis township. He is postmaster at West Elkton. During the late war he served three months in the Twentieth regiment of the Ohio volunteer infantry.

Jacob S. Weinland was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1819. His father, Jacob Weinland, lived for a time in West Elkton, and from there moved to Union City, where he died. Jacob Weinland, sr's. wife was Elizabeth Singer, who died in Clark county. They had six children, four of whom still survive, viz: John, Maria, Jacob S., and Elizabeth. Jacob S. married Mary Eckert, of Butler . county. They have had eight children, four of whom are now alive: Elizabeth A., Jacob A., Daniel C., and Mary H. Dr. Weinlaud began practicing medicine in 1847, at West Elkton, where he has been ever since. For twelve years he was the only physician in the place. Of late years he has belonged to the eclectic branch of medicine, and has met with good success. Dr. Weinland came out to Ohio as a miller, when only seventeen years old. He afterwards taught school and studied medicine.

James Dusky settled at Cincinnati in 1825. He was a native of Virginia, but was compelled to flee the State on account of a threshing he had administered to an overseer, who was abusing a slave. He died on the Ohio river, of yellow fever, in 1836. His wife, Elizabeth Stone, died in 1846. They had eight children, three of whom survive: George Washington, Henry, and Silas; the latter married Elizabeth, daughter of James Robison, of Gratis township. They have had two children born to them : Charles Henry and Richard Randall. Mr. Dusky is the principal blacksmith in West Elkton. He has been in the county for over twenty-five years.

Matthew W. Robertson, a native of Virginia, moved to Ohio in 1866, and settled at College Corner. His wife was Mary E. J. Coffee. They have three children: Dr. William C., Maggie J., and Amanda. Dr. William C. married Clara J. Sparks, and has one child, Howard E. He is a graduate of the Ohio Medical college, at Cincin- nati. After a year's practice in Indiana, he removed to West Elkton, Ohio, where he now has the leading prac- tice of that part of the county.

WINCHESTER

is the largest incorporation in the township. It is a quiet village of about five hundred and twenty inhabitants, sit- uated in section three, about a mile south of the line di- viding the townships of Lanier and Gratis. The plat of the town was recorded by the late proprietors, Martin Sayler, Abraham Wimmer and Abraham and Jacob Gift, in the year 1817. The original plat contained sixty-four lots. In the year 1829 an additional plat of sixteen lots was added by Martin Sayler. In the same year Abraham

Wimmer added twelve lots, and in 1831 sixteen more were laid out and added to the incorporation by Jacob Gift. While the lapse of more than sixty years has not seen any remarkable growth, the town has, nevertheless, grown to be a business center of considerable local im- portance. The different branches of business are well represented and the town is the seat of a carriage manu- factory at one time the largest and most thriving in the county. The limits of the corporation embrace over a hundred lots, lying on streets laid off at right angles.

The lack of ordinary facilities for transportation has had a depressing effect on the town. The nearest rail- road station is that of Camden, in Somers township, some six or eight miles west of Winchester. The mail of the . town is brought from Middletown, Butler county, every day. The same line serves for the three offices in the township.

The first house ever erected within the limits of Win- chester was built by Peter Kulp, who built a cabin in the year 1818, on the site a few rods south of where the Mackey hotel now stands. The first store was that of Benjamin Darragh, who kept a small shop on the spot where Bowman's grocery now stands. His store was a mixture of everything necessary for frontier life, with few of the luxuries. Hardware, dry goods and groceries were alike represented, payment being made with produce as often as with cash. Since the establishment of this store the business has been increasing until at the present more than a score of houses devoted to different branches of business line the streets. The following is a list of some of the most important: drugs, James Hoover; dry goods, Tobey & Son and J. W. Bowman; groceries, J. W. Scott, J. H. Bowman, E. H. Morris and C. C. Fetherling & Co .; boots and shoes, F. Michael & Co. and J. R. Burnett; harness, J. W. Scott and Samuel Miller; tin store, C. E. Darragh; millinery, Miss M. J. Mackey. Messrs. Brook- walter and Fetherling own a large buggy manufactory in active operation. A few years ago a sensible plan was adopted by the several groceries in town. Instead of running an active competition trade in all branches, they agreed to make an arrangement by which each would make a specialty of some branch of the business and re- tain the exclusive right of sale of that branch. By this arrangement, in addition to their groceries, Fetherling & Co. and Bowman kept hardware, and J. W. Scott the queensware. This plan has been found to act admirably for the business men, but how it suits their customers is a matter of opinion. The storekeepers having a specialty of one department can demand their own prices.

The legal profession is represented by Mr. A. Stiver, who has held many offices, both in the town and in the township.

Winchester is connected with all the other towns around by well kept pikes. A telephone line extends to West Elkton, and from there to Camden, affording easy com- munication with the outside world.

The church denominations are represented by the Methodist, the Reformed, and the Baptist. These each have houses of worship, and are in a prosperous condi- tion. There was at one time an organization of Presby-

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terians in the town, but they gradually grew less in num- bers, until finally they disbanded, the Reformed church buying their church building. The town itself is quiet and orderly. No liquor saloons are allowed within the corporation limits. This, and the fact that the people are brought daily in contact with the Friends, who were the early settlers, and who are known as peaceable and law- abiding people, has a strong tendency to keep the town orderly. No criminal case has been on docket since July 11, 1878, more than two years ago.

No records of the first elections for corporation officers are now existing. Until 1862, when Mr. George Brook- walter was elected mayor, no care had been taken of the records. Since then there has been an office built, where faithful entries of the town business are kept. The present officers are as follows: G. W. M. Brookwalter, mayor; H. C. Michael, corporation clerk; Lester Shaw, marshall; R. F. Tobey, treasurer; W. H. C. Steele, B. F. Brook- walter, J. S. Snyder, William Frazee, William Street, and E. H. Morris, councilmen; Seth Burnett, street commis- sioner. The board of education is made up of the fol- lowing gentlemen; Noah Brower, president; A. G. Prugh, clerk; D. G. Prugh, Levi Furey, J. G. Thomas, and G. W. M. Bookwalter. The town possesses a fine two-story brick school-house of four rooms. The school is divided into four grades. A mayor's building is in process of erec- tion, and is to be ready for occupation before January I, 1881. The estimated value of the building is eight hun- dred dollars. The site chosen for the erection of this building was one selected by two men who intended building a saloon. To forestall this design the council bought the property, and are to devote it as a site for the mayor's building.

There are several handsome residences in town, and these, together with the whole town itself, present a neat and pleasing appearance.

WEST ELKTON.

This is the second of the two incorporations in Gratis township, and lies in the southwestern part of the same, about one mile north of the township line. It was laid out in 1847 by J. L. Street, for the following proprietors: J. N. Gift, R. W. Swain, J. H. Stubbs, Jesse Stubbs, Na- than Hornaday, Walter Wheeler, Isaac Wright, P. S. Pat- ton, Stephen Leas, James Smith, Henry Maddock, and J. P. Brown.

West Elkton is a quiet and orderly town of quite con- siderable local importance. Like Winchester, it lacks railroad communication, and is dependent on Middetown for its daily mail. It is on the line of telephone reaching to Camden, and coming in from the north.

The first man to locate on the spot was David Taylor, a wheelwright. He built a shop and also dug the first well inside the limits of the present town. In the year 1828 or 1829 the first store was opened by a man by the name of Rockhill, on the site where Dr. J. S. Weinland now resides. The house in which he started his store is now owned by Mr. Bennett, of West Elkton. Rockhill sold out to Mr. Townsend, who in turn was bought out by Mr. Dix. The origin of the name of West Elkton

is somewhat singular. The Society of Friends had a quarterly meeting near the place which was called the Elk quarterly meeting, from the name of the creek. Mr. Dix, in ordering goods, ordered them shipped to Elk. By some mistake the goods were sent to Elkton, and the name was taken for the town. Afterwards, on finding that there was an Elkton already in the State, the place was called West Elkton, to distinguish the two places.

West Elkton has grown to be a place of about two hun- dred inhabitants.

The building at present used for educational purposes was built originally under the supervision of the Friends. It was erected during the fall and summer of 1869, at a cost of three thousand three hundred dollars. Two- thirds of this amount was contributed by the Society of Friends, and the rest by outside subscriptions. It was used as an academy for several years, and was known as the West Elkton academy. It was finally thought best to sell the building to the West Elkton special school dis- trict, which sale took place in the year 1878, and it has since then been used as a public school-house.

The present officers are Nathan Hornaday, mayor; A. C. Hornaday, corporation clerk; Thomas Stubbs, treas- urer; Christopher Pierson, marshal; John Mikesell, street commissioner; Lorenzo Stubbs, J. S. Weinland, W. C. Robertson, S. A. Stubbs, Silas Dusky, and A. Van Trump, councilmen. The board of education is composed of R. W. Randall, chairman; J. S. Weinland, clerk; Isaiah Tal- bert, A. Van Trump, Nelson Hornaday, and A. T. Mad- dock.

The town is well kept, and presents a busy and pleas- ing appearance to the visitor. Although the business houses are not numerous, they each do good business. The following is a list of the principal houses: Dry goods, S. A. Stubbs & Co .; dry goods and groceries, Stubbs & Gifford; grocery, Ira Stubbs. A good hotel is kept by Mr. Maddock. From the fact of the town's be- ing situated in the midst of a Quaker settlement, no dis- turbances of any size ever occur. Like its neighbor, Winchester, it does not tolerate the sale of liquor within its corporation, which is mainly instrumental in keeping the orderly spirit.

West Elkton is the seat of the establishment of Messrs. Van Trump, Talbert & Co.'s large buggy manufactory, which has doubtless done a great deal towards making the town what it is to-day.

The first post office in the town was started in the year 1844, and was kept by Rawley Wheeler. This post office was the result of a petition started by Mr. Jesse Stubbs. Owing to the fact that the Democracy was in power, a Democratic postmaster, Joel G. Hutchins was appointed, but Mr. Wheeler acted as deputy postmaster in his stead.

There are two church buildings in the town, one a frame building, used by the Methodists, United Brethren, and Wesleyan Methodists, and one which is the meeting-house of the Friends.

GREENBUSH

is a small collection of houses in the eastern part of the township. It is unincoporated and is of no especial im- portance. The first house built there was built by a man

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by the name of White. He built a small hut of slabs, and in consequence the place was for a long time known as Slabtown. White also built a saw-mill at the same time. Some time afterwards some New Englanders came there and gave it its present name. The first post office was opened in the year 1874, by Jacob Poffenberger. There are a few small shops in the place. The only one of any size is the grocery of Mr. Poffenberger, in which the post office is kept. Greenbush has one church build- ing, which is used alike by the United Brethren and the Methodists.

CHURCH HISTORY.

There are ten religious organizations in Gratis town- ship; of these, three are Methodist, two United Brethren, one Reformed, one Baptist, one Wesleyan Methodist, and one each of the German Baptists and of the Friends. The latter comprise by far the larger number of mem- bers, and are eminently the denomination of the town- ship. The first church building in the township was a meeting-house erected by the Friends about 1806, of which mention will be made in the sketch of that society.

THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

Among the earliest pioneers of the soulhern part of the county was a colony of Friends who emigrated from Georgia and South Carolina on account of the evils of slavery in those States. Nathan Stubbs is generally cred- ited with the honor of being the first of their number who penetrated the Preble wilderness. He came late in the fall of 1804 from Wrightsborough, Columbia county, Georgia, and settled near what is now the Butler and Preble county line. He was followed, in the spring of 1805 by Francis Jones, Samuel Maddock, Samuel Stubbs, Joseph Stubbs, and several others with their fam- ilies from the same place. They were joined by Eli Cook, Benjamin Hawkins, Jesse Kenworthy, Jonathan Roberts, Jonas Randal, with their families, besides many others from Bush river, in Newberry, and from adjoining districts in South Carolina. Others came about the same time from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, so that there was a large settlement in the southeast part of the county of these devout and earnest people. They brought their bibles and religious principles with them, and it was not long after their arrival until they estab- lished religious worship in their midst. The first meet- ing for divine worship, or conference, was held at the house of Nathan Stubbs, about two miles southeast of West Elkton, and afterwards at Eli Cook's, about two miles to the west, during the succeeding fall and winter.

In the fall of 1806 a lot of three acres was purchased (which is now within the corporate limits of West Elk- ton), upon which a meeting-house of round logs was soon built and a graveyard laid out. Divine service was instituted by the Miami monthly meeting, according to the discipline of the church, in April of the same year. Their number kept increasing by the arrival of immi- grants, and in a few years a larger house was required. This was built of hewed logs, and a monthly meeting established in 1809, by Miami quarterly meeting. It was then a constituent branch of the Baltimore yearly

meeting and known as the "Elk monthly meeting." They probably numbered at that time from two hundred and fifty to three hundred members.

In 1817 a brick building, known as the "old brick meeting house," was erected, at a cost of about five hun- dred dollars. Public worship was held in this house for more than half a century. About the year 1870 the membership was considerably augmented, and steps were soon afterward taken toward the erection of a more commodious house. Accordingly, in 1872, subscriptions were reported sufficient, with the available material in the old building, and a new house of brick, sixty-five by thirty-five feet, erected on the site of the old building, costing complete about four thousand dollars, which was opened for worship on the twenty-fourth day of Novem- ber, of the same year, the monthly meetings having con- vened the day previous. The house is a plain, substan- tial building, and will seat about five hundred. The membership at present is about three hundred and fifty.

The old graveyard, containing more than an acre of ground, was filled up several years ago. For many years after the first settlement of the county, it was the only public burying-ground for miles around, and the remains of many worthy pioneers were interred in it. The first person buried in it was Margaret, wife of Nathan Mad- dock, who died about 1806. The first marriage in the church, as far as can be ascertained, was that of Francis Maddock and Phebe Coon, which was solemnized on the twentieth of November, 1806.

Thus it will be seen that the Friends have had a church organization and regularly held religious worship in the township for seventy-five years. Their first log meeting-house was the first built in the township, if not in the county.

The West Elkton district school was formerly an academy under the control of the Friends.

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

at Winchester, was built in the year 1809, and dedicated on Christmas day of the same year. The present build- ing cost about three thousand five hundred dollars. The first church this denomination possessed was a frame building, built about the year 1832. This was used as a house of worship until the erection of the present build- ing. The site of the new building is about two blocks nearly east of the old site. The old building is now used as a carriage repository. The first pastor of the new church was Rev. M. G. Baker, who was also the one who built the church. He experienced a great deal of trouble in getting his work completed. It required five hundred contributions to make up the necessary sum. A good deal of the carpentering was done by Mr. Baker himself. Messrs. James Manning and John Brookwalter were the building committee. Their present pastor is the Rev. J. C. Ambrose. The membership is about eighty persons. The church building has a seating capacity of four hundred.

THE REFORMED CHURCH

at Winchester was organized in the year 1865, by the Rev. A. Warner, with a membership of about fifteen.

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They bought a building which had been built by the Presbyterians for a church. These latter became so weak that they concluded to sell their church property. The Reformed church bought it for about one hundred and thirty dollars in the year 1866, and repaired it. The Rev. M. F. Frank is now in charge of the church. The mem- bership is about sixty-five. The Sunday-school has only been in existence since 1879. The church building is of brick.

THE BAPTISTS.

The Baptist denomination in Winchester was organ- ized in 1836. For a year or two they worshipped in the building now owned by the Reformed church. In the year 1838 they built their present church, which is a brick building, costing about seven hundred dollars. The minister in charge of the church at first was the Rev. Mahlon Morris, who had charge for eighteen years. 'I'he church has no Sabbath-school. The church has a seat- ing capacity of about three hundred. The present pas- tor, the Rev. W. H. Hickman, has been in charge since 1878. The number of members is now about twenty.

THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

in West Elkton was organized about 1850. For three years they used a school-house for worshipping purposes. In the year 1853 a union meeting-house was built, which has been used by the Methodists ever since, in connec- tion with the United Brethren and the Wesleyan Meth- odists. At the organization the church members num- bered about twelve, but they have increased until their present membership is seventy. Their present pastor is the Rev. J. C. Ambrose. A union Sunday-school was started in 1850, and is still in existence. It is estimated that the church building will accommodate three hundred and fifty people. The cost of building it was one thou- sand five hundred ($1,500) dollars.

WESLEYAN METHODISTS.

This denomination was organized at West Elkton, in the year 1852, with about fourteen members. For some years they worshipped in a school-house. Their first pastor was the Rev. John Harrison. They have had no regular preacher for five or six years, and at present are not in active operation, their membership being only about six. .

THE UNITED BRETHREN

of Winchester organized in the year 1849; their first membership was seven persons. The class was composed of Dr. and Mrs. J. T. Weinland, Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Sites, Mr. and Mrs. John Fouts, and Mrs. M. F. Spraggs. There was no meeting-house in the place at the time of their organization, and they were compelled to worship in an old meeting-house which belonged to the Anti- Slavery Friends. They now use the union meeting- house, erected in 1853. Their present membership is fifty-nine. The Rev. Theodore Rork was their first pastor. The Rev. S. Huddle is now in charge.

THE METHODISTS

at Greenbush organized as early as the year 1816. For a long time they made use of Mr. John Riner's barn for a meeting-house. In 1836 they built their first building,

at a cost of about five hundred ($500) dollars. This was sold and moved away in 1863; it now stands on the Germantown pike, and is used as a Wesleyan meeting- house. In 1850 the present church was built by a party of New Englanders, who were Congregationalists. In 1860 they moved away, and sold the church building to the Methodists and the United Brethren. The present building has a seating capacity of about two hundred and fifty. The first class was composed of Mr. and Mrs. John Riner, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Myers, Mr. and Mrs. Christian Fall, Mrs. Cooper (now Mrs. Eslinger), Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Deem, and a few others. The Sun- day-school, which is a union one, was organized in the year 1833. The present membership is about thirteen persons. The pastor in charge is the Rev J. C. Am- brose.

GERMAN BAPTISTS

in Gratis township were organized about the year 1820. The district embraces part of Lanier township. It ex- tends north to the Dayton and Eaton pike, east to Johns- ville, south to near the southern line of the township, and west to the Indiana State line. The denomination possesses two church buildings in this township. The oldest of these stands west of Winchester. It is known as the Brubaker church, and was built in 1858, during the eldership of John Brower. Their finest building is a large brick structure in the northern part of section one. It was built in 1874, during the eldership of Mr. Abraham Younce, their present elder. The building, known as the Twin Valley church, was built at a cost of over nine thousand dollars. Their present membership is about one hundred and eighty. The Revs. Messrs. Francis Cotterman, Jacob Loman and David Flory are their present ministers. ·

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History of Preble County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Part 48

Author: H. Z. Williams & Brothers Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages: 559

Author: H. Z. Williams & Brothers
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 559