History of Preble County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Part 52

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

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209

HISTORY OF PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

Jonathan Pease was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, in 1806. He moved from New Jersey in 1838, and settled in section sixteen of Harrison township, where he now resides. His wife, Diana Stillwell, was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey, in 1799. Mr. Jonathan Pease has always been an active citizen, and is always identified with any improvements in the township. They have a family of six children living, as follows: Ann Eliza, wife of William Cox; Cornelius, who married Ellen Robinson; William, who married M. Amy Sellers; Margaret Jane, single; Werta R., who married Isabel Childers; John N., who married Caroline Foster; all are living in Harrison, except Cornelius, who resides in Monroe.

Joseph Hoffman was born in Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, in 1780. He emigrated to Ohio from Mary- land in 1838, and settled in section twenty-seven, of Harrison township. He was a minister of the United Brethren for fifty-two years, both in this county and Baltimore, Maryland. His wife, Susannah Limbert, was born in Pennsylvania in 1781, and died in Euphemia in 1847. They have five children still living, viz: Eli, born in 1806, married and living in Harrison township; Henry, born in 1811, lives in Dayton, Ohio; Joseph, born in 1813, lives in Champaign county, Ohio; Kemler, born in 1826, lives in Harrison township; Susannah, born in 1815, married John Stife and lives in Dayton. Eli Hoffman was married in 1829 to Elizabeth Waymire and has four children now living. He was for twenty- eight years a minister of the United Brethren and a member of the Miami conference.

John Eberly was born in 1816, in Pennsylvania. From that State he moved to Ohio. About 1840 he moved from Butler county to Preble county, and settled in Har- rison township. Mrs. John Eberly was formerly Sarah Wikle, born in Pennsylvania in 1815. She died in 1871, in Harrison township. John Eberly died in 1844. They have had four children, three of whom survive- Daniel, living in Montgomery county; Peter, living in Montgomery county; Eli, living in Harrison township. Eli was born in Harrison township in 1844; married in 1872. His wife, Henrietta (Smith), was born in 1849, in Twin township. He owns and farms about eighty acres in Harrison township, and is still living on the old homestead.

John W. Cullers was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in the year 1811, and moved to Preble county in 1842. The same year he married Mary M. Etzler, who was born in Frederick county, Maryland, and who died in Harri- son township in 1879. Seven children were born them, five of whom still survive, namely: Catharine E., Wil- liam S., Milton L., Rachel A., and Rosetta B. Mr. Cullers was constable while in Montgomery county, and school director for several years in Harrison township.

William T. Burk was born in 1799. He came to Ohio from Tennessee and settled where W. W. Burk now lives, a short distance north of Sonora. In 1823 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Ballard. Twelve children were born them, nine of whom are now living. W. W. Burk was born in 1838. Ir 1861 he married Lo-

cetta Odell, born in 1840. Two children have been born to them. Mr. Burk owns a farm of about fifty acres about a mile north of Sonora, on the pike.

John Yohe was born in Montgomery county, in the year 1833. He moved to Preble county in 1847, and settled in Twin township. In 1857 he married Elizabeth A. Rape born in Twin township in 1831. They have four children. In 1857 he moved to Lewisburgh, and in 1863 he commenced to run a saw-mill, which he still owns and runs. It was first built, by Michael Cot- terman, and was brought from Pyrmont, Montgomery county. Mr. Yohe has added many modern improve- ments, and has a mill capable of turning out six thousand feet of lumber a day.

Abraham S. Dye settled in Euphemia, Harrison town- ship, in 1840. He was born in Butler county, Ohio, in 1818. He was married five times. His first wife was Mary Marshall, of Montgomery county, died 1840; his second, Esther Ann Baker, of Darke county, died 1848; his third, Elizabeth Marshall, of Preble county, died 1849; his fourth, Susan Angel, died in 1862, and his last was Sarah, widow of Alexander Cooper, of Preble county. Of his children, William married Angeline Bonner, and resides in Harrison township; Clarke B. married Miss Bunger (deceased); his second wife was Mary Bunger; he is living in Harrison township; Charles W. married Amanda Ebersole, and lives in Missouri; Edmund S. is studying law with Judge Campbell, of Eaton, Ohio; Carl Dewitt and Joseph Earl live at home. Seth Dye, the father of Abraham, was born in Middlesex county, New Jersey, in 1790, and died in Harrison township in 1860. Margaret Simpson, wife of Seth, was born in Middlesex county, New Jersey, in 1793, and died in Harrison town- ship in 1872.

Michael Cotterman, came to Preble county in 1845, and settled in Lewisburgh. He was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, in the year 1821. In 1846 he married Mary E. Hapner, who was born in Twin township in 1818. Eight children have been born them, five of whom are now living, viz .: Elmira, Melissa, Dora, Oliver, and Caroline. Mr. Cotterman has been a township trustee for two terms and township treasurer for four years. During the war of the Rebellion he was drafted into service, and went as far as Fort Dennison, but was refused on account of disa- bility. He is a carpenter by trade, and has always fol- lowed this business. He owns a saw-mill in West Manchester, Monroe township, which is valued at four- teen hundred dollars. At one time he was the owner of the saw-mill in Lewisburgh, now owned by John Yohe.

Dr. John M. Pretzinger was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in the year 1808. In 1835 he came to Amer- ica. He moved to Preble county from Darke county in 1845, and settled in Euphemia, where he has since re- sided. His wife, Sophia, daughter of Christopher Rempler, was born in Prussia in the year 1814. They had thirteen children, all of whom lived to be married. Of these seven are still living. Dr. Pretzinger. has two sons and four sons-in-law who are members of the medi- cal profession. He himself belongs to the eclectic school of medicine.

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HISTORY OF PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

John D. Niswonger, born in 1811, in Montgomery county, Ohio, settled in Sonora, Harrison township in 1848. He was township trustee for several years, and ever since his arrival in Sonora has been identified with the busi- ness interests of that place. In 1866 Mr. Niswonger, in partnership with William Leas, started a large dry goods store, and also began purchasing grain. Mr. Leas sold out, and Horace Niswonger, a son, was taken into part- nership. The business is now conducted by the son, under the name of Niswonger & Son. The business of the firm has increased rapidly and they are now among the largest buyers of grain in the county. Horace was postmaster at Sonora for seven or eight years. During the war of the Rebellion he volunteered in the one hun- dred days' service in the One Hundred and Fifty-sixth Ohio volunteer infantry. Mrs. John D. Niswonger, nee Mary Ruse, was born in Montgomery county in 1822. They have six children.

John F. Davis was born in Warren county, Ohio, in 1820. In 1850 he settled in section six. His wife, Mary Corwin, born in Warren county in 1818, is still liv- ing. Mr. Davis was drafted in the war of the Rebellion, but did not serve, inasmuch as the citizens subscribed and cleared the township. Three of his four children are living. James C. Davis, his eldest son, volunteered during the late war and became a member of the Seventy-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry, company A. He was in the battles of Rocky Face, Snake Creek Gap, and Resaca. He was mustered out at the close of the war in 1865, after three years service. He lost a finger in one of the engagements with the enemy. Judge W. W. Wilson, of Lebanon, Ohio, was captain of his com- pany, and H. G. Kennett, of Cincinnati, colonel of the regiment. B. F. Davis was in the one hundred days' ser- vice.

R. W. Davis was born about 1826, in Warren county, Ohio, and with his brother settled in section six about 1850. His first wife, Rebecca Bradenburg, was born in 1829, and died in 1849. His second wife, Mary E. Smith, was born in 1829. By his second marriage he had four children, all of whom are living.

Leonard Brock moved from Virginia and settled in Harrison township about 1850. His wife, Mary Ann (Voze), died in Union county about 1843. They had five children, four of whom are dead.

Joseph, the sole survivor of the family, was born in 1833. He married Susan Vay, born in 1835, and has had eight children, six of whom survive: William, mar- ried, lives in Darke county; the remaining five, Joseph, Augustus, Noah, Perry, and Elmer, live at home.

Ferdinand Grupe was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1814. He came from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the year 1851. He settled in Somers township, and died in Harrison in 1879. His wife was Elizabeth Spice .- Louis E. Grupe was born in 1843. In 1864 he married Margaret Barnet, born in 1844, in Somers township. Mr. Grupe served for two years in the war of the Re- bellion. He was a private in the Twentieth regiment Ohio national guard. He was discharged after the bat- tle of Stone River. He was engaged in many hard

fights. At present he owns a flour- and saw-mill at West Baltimore.

James Hunt was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1817. In 1854 he moved to section three, of Harri- son township. Mrs. Hunt, formerly E. Seybold, was born in Warren county, in 1822. They had ten chil dren, nine of whom are still living: Catharine, wife of Jesse Studebaker; Lavina, wife of Hiram Hecathorn, lives in Harrison township; George W., married, lives in Baltimore; Joseph, married, lives in Darke county; Aaron lives at home; Jane, wife of Edward Bowline, lives in Darke county; Mary, wife of Frank Pease, lives in Darke county; Lizzie, single, lives at home; Margaret, wife of Aaron Heller, lives in Darke county. Mr. Hunt is one of the most prominent and wealthy citizens in the township. He owns about three hundred and thirty acres, and his residence and buildings are the hand- somest of their kind in that neighborhood.

Hiram Hecathorn was born in 1842, in Montgomery county, and settled in Harrison township, section ten, in 1855. He married Lavina Hunt, born in 1844, and has five children: Seymour, Elmer, Annie Mary, Luther, and Malinda. Mr. Hecathorn farms one of the best and largest farms in the township. He owns one hun- dred and sixty acres, and rents an additional one hun- dred and sixty acres. He has always been identified with any improvments in the township, such as churches, schools, roads, etc.

John W. Werts came to Ohio from Virginia in 1844. He was born in Virginia in 1804, and in 1829 he married Catharine Grisso, who was born in 1809. He first set- tled near Pyrmont, Montgomery county; from there he moved to Preble. Ten children were born to them, eight of whom survive. He died in 1873. His farm contained about one hundred and seventy acres in sec- tion ten. John Werts, son of John W., was born in Preble county in 1844. In 1870 he married Mary E., daughter of Tobias Selby, born in 1851. Mr. Werts has lived in West Baltimore for eleven years and has engaged in general merchandizing with David Werts, under the firm name of 1). & J. Werts. During the war of the Rebellion he enlisted in company H, of the Ohio vol- unteer infantry, and served under General Jackson. He was afterwards discharged for disability.

George Ruff was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1821. In 1847 he emigrated to America and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While there he married Annie Reahfus, born in Germany, in 1823. He moved to Preble county in 1855, and commenced business as a tanner in Harrison township. His building is the distil- lery built by Bolin, and which was discontinued. Mr. Ruff's business is the manufacture of shoe and harness leather. He has had seven children, three of whom are still living.

John Schneider was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1819, and came to America in 1847; he went to Cin- cinnati, and for three years followed the bakery business. In 1850 he moved to West Alexandria, where he stayed until 1856, at that time he moved to Lewisburgh, where he has lived ever since. For the first four years he fol-

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lowed his trade as baker, at the expiration of which time he bought a small house from Franklin Payne. To this he built extensive additions and began business as proprietor of the Eagle hotel, and has been in that posi- tion ever since. In 1853, while in West Alexandria, he married Anna M. Schlotterbeck, born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1833. Four children have been born to them, all of whom are living. As hotel proprietor Mr. Schneider has been successful, and is at present at the head of an establishment that does credit to his skilful management.

Perry Turner was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1825. In the year 1856 he moved to Preble and settled at Lewisburgh. In 1847 he married Mary F. Martin, born in Kentucky, in 1828. Their only child, Oliver M. Turner, is married and living in Lewisburgh. When Mr. Turner first came to Lewishurgh he carried on a distillery, which he run from 1857 to 1871. In 1863 he took the flour-mill of which he has ever since been the proprietor. This mill occupies the site on which the first mill that was built in the township stood. The old mill was built as early as 1809, but who was the builder is a matter of doubt. Some claim the honor for Henry Horn, but Zachariah Hole was probably the one who built there. The first mill was of logs. In the year 1825 the mill was rebuilt; this building was a frame one, and the first of the sort in the township. The mill is forty feet square, and has three run of stone. It is furnished with every modern improvement, and is capa- ble of turning out fifty barrels of flour in twenty-four hours. The mill may be run either by water or steam power.

Peter Cox was born in Virginia about 1793, from which State he moved to Ohio, and in 1818 he settled in Twin township, at Scuffletown spring. He died in Harrison township in 1862. He was drafted into the War of 1812. but sent a substitute. In 1812 he married Sarah Lip- trap, born in 1789, and who died in 1880, in Harrison township. He had six children: Susannah, Mary, Eliza- beth, Hugh, William and Sarah. Mr. Cox had no pos- sessions at the time of his arrival. He and Peter Wise- man came at the same time in one wagon, each owning a horse. He afterwards became the possessor of one hundred and eighty acres of land.

John Ozias was born in Guilford county, North Caro- lina, in the year 1782, and in 1803 moved to Ohio, and settled in Twin township. He died in Harrison town- ship in 1870. His wife was Elizabeth Higgins, who was born in 1793, and who died in 1847. They had ten children born to them, five of whom are still living, viz: Phoebe, John, Ann, William H. and Susan. Mr. Ozias was drafted into the War of 1812, but sent a substitute. William H. Ozias was born in 1825, and in 1847 he mar- ried Barbara Crider, born in 1827. Five children were born to them, four of whom are now living.

Samuel Gangwer was born in Virginia in 1807, and came to Ohio in 1837. In 1841 he married Elizabeth Lines, born in 1808. Three children were born to them, two of whom, John and Amanda (Lock), still survive, and are living in this township. John Gangwer was born

in 1844, and in 1868 married Matilda Ott, born in 1851. He has had six children born to him, only two of whom survive. He owns a farm of one hundred and eighty- seven acres, located about three miles west of Lewis- burgh. It is part of the same farm where his father has lived for twenty-three years.

Henry Surface came to Ohio from Virginia, and settled west of Eaton, in Jackson township. He entered a farm of eighty acres. His wife, Catharine Long, was also a native of Virginia. Eight children were born to them, seven of whom are still living, viz : Henry in Sonora; Elizabeth (Brower) in Jefferson; John L. in Iowa; Jacob I. in Jackson township; Christina (Howard) in Indiana, and George in Jackson township. Henry Surface, son of the above, was born about 1810, and about 1832 married Elizabeth Redman, born in 1815. Seven chil- dren were born to them, all of whom are living. Mr. Surface was at one time a dry goods merchant in New Hope, and was also mayor of that town at the time of its incorporation. He was afterwards a minister in the United Brethren church, but has since retired from all active work. Cornelius Surface, M.D., son of the above, was born in Jackson township in the year 1833. He married Catharine, daughter of Isaac Dickey, born in 1833. She died in 1857. One child was born of this marriage. In 1861 he married Mrs. E. A. Crume, born in 1838. He has had three children by his second mar- riage, all of whom are living. Dr. Surface was, for a few years, a farmer, but has followed the practice of medicine for the most of his life. He is a graduate of the Phila- delphia Eclectic school of medicine, but is, at present, an adherent of no school in particular.

Ephraim D. Heeter was born in Montgomery county, Ohio in 1847, and in 1861 he came to Preble county with his father, Jacob, and settled in Twin township. In 1869 he married Eleanor Hapner, born in Twin in 1852. Two children have been born them. Mr. Heeter com- menced the dry goods and general merchandising busi- ness in Lewisburgh in 1878, where he still resides.

Thomas Fletcher was born in Virginia in 1818, and in 1866 came to Preble from Warren county. In 1836 he married Anna, daughter of Christian Birkley, born in 1818. Six children were born them, four of whom sur- vive. George Fletcher, father of Thomas, died in Vir- ginia in 1838. He was a veteran of the Revolution and of 1812. Mr. Thomas Fletcher, on his arrival in Sonora, in 1866, commenced business as proprietor of the Fletcher house, and has occupied that position ever since.

George Weaver was born in Clermont county, Ohio, in 1824. In 1840 he settled in Lanier township, and worked there at his trade as blacksmith for three years, commencing in 1846. He was afterwards nine years in Enterprise, and nine years in Winchester. In 1869 he came to his present home in Harrison township, and has since then lived in section thirty-three. His wife, Ma- hala (Marker), was born in Maryland in 1825. They have had nine children, two of whom are deceased. Mr. Weaver has a farm of one hundred and fifty acres which he works with the assistance of his sons. He has also one of the largest shops in the county, and has held the

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office of township trustee several times in the different townships where he has resided.

John Zehring was born in Montgomery county in the year 1841, and came to Harrison township, Preble county, in 1869. In 1868 he married Lucretia Jane Kumler, who was born in 1844. They have two children-Francis E. and Elizabeth C. Mr. Zehring was in the war of the Rebellion during the hundred days' service. He owns two farms consisting of ninety-seven acres in Harrison township.

W. F. Zehring was born in Montgomery county in the year 1849. He married Ida A., daughter of Dr. J. J. Antrim, of Germantown in 1877. She was born in the year 1853. They have one child. Mr. Zehring started in business as a dry goods merhant in Euphemia in the year 1876, under the firm of Zehring & Holp. After staying there for about twenty months Holp sold out to O. W. Binkerd, and in the same year they moved to Lew- isburgh, where they established a general merchandising business, the firm being Zehring & Binkerd. They own a large three-story building in Lewisburgh, the top story being used by the Odd Fellows as a lodge room.

Abraham McMitt was born in Harrison township in 1838. In 1860 he married Sophia Werts, born in 1839. Four children have been born them, three of whom are now living. Mr. McMitt owns and farms one hundred and eleven acres.

Andrew House, whose father lived in Monroe town- ship, was born in Monroe township in 1843. In 1872 he married Clarabel Phares, who was born in Montgom- ery county in 1853. Two children have been born them, only one of whom, Nellie M., is now living. Mr. House began business in Lewisburgh in 1874, keeping groceries, hardware, queensware, etc. He has been councilman of Lewisburgh for one term. He served during the Rebell- ion in the hundred days' service, in company T, of the One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio national guard. He was at one time on transport duty, taking provisions to General Hunter at Lynchburgh, Virginia.

LEWISBURGH.

Soon after the organization of Harrison township, in 1816, the town of Lewisburgh was laid out. The first rran to take a step in this direction was Zachariah Hole, but his work was never recorded. The first work record- ed is that of Henry Horn, who recorded the following statement in the recorder's office in Eaton, on the seventh of September, 1818:

"To all who shall see these presents, greeting :

"Know ye, that I, Henry Horn, of Preble county, in the State of Ohio, having laid out a town in the county and State aforesaid, on sections number twenty-seven and twenty-eight, in range three (east), on the south- east and southwest quarters of said sections which the town contains, twenty-eight in-lots, with one street running north, five degrees east, namely : Greenville street; with three streets running parallel with each other and crossing Greenville street at right angles, namely: Dayton street, Twin street and Water street. Greenville street and Dayton street are each four rods wide; Water street and Twin street are each two rods wide. There are two alleys crossing Greenville street at right angles, running parallel with Dayton street, and one alley crossing Dayton street at right angles and running parallel with Greenville street, with alleys extending around the town. The alleys are each eight (8) and one-fourth feet wide. The town shall be called Lewisburgh. *

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord 1818.

"HENRY HORN. [Seal. ]

"JACOB WERTS, "ALEXANDER AIKMAN."

A good many additions have been made since, but this is the earliest recorded.

Lewisburgh is a quiet little town of some four hundred inhabitants. It is situated in the southeast part of the township, on the west bank of Twin creek. All the trades have representatives here, and some of them do a large business. It contains four churches, all of which are in a prosperous condition.

The following is a list of the business houses: Grocer- ies --- J. A. Rhinehart, A. House, A. E. May, and E. B. & J. McWhinney; drugs-A. T. Horn; dry goods-F. J. Wilson, Zehring & Binkerd, and E. D. Heeter; clothing A. Frankman; hardware-Z. T. Stevenson and M. G. Hollinger; harness-B. S. Horn and J. R. Emens; mil- linery-Miss Sally Johnson and Mrs. Louisa Rundle. Lewisburgh has one hotel, of which Mr. John Schneider is the proprietor. Under his skilful management it is well patronized, and is in a prosperous condition. The only tannery in the township is here-owned by George Ruff. It is one of the largest in the county. Large numbers of hides are stripped annually.

Lewisburgh labors under the disadvantage of being at a great distance from any railroad; the nearest station being at Sonora, a small town three miles to the north.

The following are the present officers of the town: Hiram Gay, mayor; Washington Kelley, marshal; Ran- dall Ayers, clerk; Jacob A. Rhinehart, treasurer; David Kumler, supervisor; A. T. Horn, L. F. Palmerlee, Abra- ham Singer, Michael Cotterman, E. P. Ebersole and An- drew House, councilmen.

The council room is a fine and imposing edifice occu- pying a prominent position near the center of the village.

Lewisburgh is the place of residence of many of the oldest men in the township, some of whom were among the first settlers. . The country immediately in this vicin- ity was that first selected for settlement, and either the settlers themselves or their immediate descendants now reside there.

EUPHEMIA

is a quiet little village on the National road, about a mile and a half north of the township line of Twin and Har- rison. On the south it joins Lewisburgh, and is by many included in the latter town. It is, however, a separate village, ranking second in the township, and has a population of about two hundred and fifty persons. There is one church in the place, the Evangelical Lutheran. There are two stores here, a dry goods establishment kept by W. N. Albert, and a grocery, of which W. M. Bunger is the proprietor. Euphemia was laid out by John Muma, and the town was named after his wife

SONORA

is a small, unincorporated village, a little north of the center of the township, in the southern part of sections nine and ten. It is on the line of the Dayton & West-

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History of Preble County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Part 52

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

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