History of Preble County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Part 70

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

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At the time of the purchase Jacob Fudge was obliged to go to Cin- cinnati to make a payment and receive the patent for the land. Cin- cinnati, now a city of a quarter of a million of inhabitants, was then a mere village, situated on the outskirts of civilization, and the court house in which Mr. Fudge transacted his business consisted of the up- per story of a log building. While in the "city" he was offered a real estate investment, which had he accepted, would have proven a most fortunate one for him, but he preferred his broad acres in the wilderness on Twin creek, to a few acres in the embryo city. Mr. Fudge finally became possessed of his brother's share in the Twin tract, having exchanged lands on Price's creek for it. When Preble county was organized Mr. Fudge was elected to the office of sheriff, and was therefore the first incumbent of that office in the county.

A.M.MARKLE Y.

MRS. JACOB FUDGE.

But he had no fondness for official life, and it is said that he even bought an admirer a gallon of whiskey on condition that he would not urge his election as a candidate for a certain office. This is in striking contrast to the practice in vogue at the present day.

Mr. Fudge was an unostentatious. hard-working, industrious man, attending strictly to his own affairs. His early education was of ne- cessity neglected, but he was a man of sound judgment, and prospered in his worldly affairs. He was not a member of any church, but in- clined to the Universalist belief.

He was united in marriage November 14, 1810, to Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Gasper Potterf, the pioneer of the township which perpetuates his name. Mrs. Fudge was born February 10, 1790, in Rockingham county, Virginia. They began married life in a log cabin on the hill west of where their son, Jacob, now lives. In 1819 Mr. Fudge erected a brick dwelling-a two-story with a story and a half wing-one of the earliest brick houses in the county, and a stately structure for those days. He died March 27, 1863, aged eighty-three years and three months. His wife survived him several years, and died February 3. 1869. They were the parents of thirteen children, seven of whom sur- vive : Malinda (Pense), born August 23, 1811, now deceased; Susan (Gregg), born November 9, 1812; Nancy (Pense), born February 16, 1814, deceased; Lucinda, born September 6, 1815, died unmarried; Sarah (Kesling), born July 28, 1817, deceased; Eliza Ann (Christman). born September 6, 1819; David, born June 26, 1821, died in California in 1850; Elizabeth M. (Harlan), born June 29, 1823; Margaret (Wie- land) born May 23, 1825, deceased; Franklin N., born December 15, 1826; Seraphina (Shaw), born April 8, 1829; Armina (Gifford), born April 18, 1832; Jacob, born July 13, 1837.

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AHMARKLEY

James . C. Neal

ELDER JAMES NEAL

was born in Franklin county, Kentucky, May 7, 1808. His paternal great-grandfather emigrated from England, and his maternal ancestors came from Ireland. His grandfather, John Neal, settled in Kentucky at a very early day. His father, Benjamin Neal, one of seven children, was born in Kentucky in 1777. He grew up as farmer boy, and when quite young, was married in Kentucky, to Mary Sellers, the daughter of Nathan and Sarah Sellers. She was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, May 3, 1776. The young couple lived first in Bourbon, and then in Franklin county, Kentucky, and raised seven of their nine children. Sarah married William Duggins, and both are dead. Nathan is in Fontain county, Indiana. James was the next child. Jane, wife of Levi Fleming, is dead. Benjamin and John are in Eaton, as is also Mary A., the wife of George Wagoner.

When James was in his fourth year, in the fall of 1811, his parents, in company with his mother's parents, emigrated to Preble county, where old Mr. Sellers entered land two and a half miles south of Eaton. Forty acres of this land were occupied by the Neal family. At the time of their emigration the journey was made by wagon, and was long and tedious. During two months after their arrival they lived in an open faced pole shanty. They moved into their round log cabin ere the puncheon floor had been laid. The chimney was of the "cat and clay" style, and the back wall and jams of the huge fire-place were of clay.

Mr. Sellers built an Indian proof block house, with bullet proof walls pierced by port holes at convenient distances apart. The predatory warfare of the Indians frequently caused the settlers to transfer their families to the block-house.

Mr. Neal well remembers how, one night, during an Indian alarm, he and his playmates were hastily concealed in the clay pit whence the material for the chimney had been taken. Happily the alarm was false, and the scared little prisoners were soon liberated.

Mr. Neal's father was exempted from the War of 1812, on account of ill health.

Mr. Neal was early inured to pioneer hardships. Schools were few and far between. He attended for a time a school on Rocky fork, hav- ing to blaze his path through the woods in order to find the way home. His father, after clearing and improving much of his land and living

on it for ten or twelve years, sold it, and bought a lot, and built a house in New Lexington.

Mr. Neal removed with his father and worked on breaking bark in Nisbit's tannery. After the death of his father in 1822, the family re- moved to a farm just northeast of Eaton. James' oldest brother leav- ing home to learn a trade, left him with the management of the farm. Soon after this they moved into a hewed log house on Barron street, in Eaton. For two years Mr. Neal supported the family by day's labor. Then his mother married Thomas Fleming, who took the family first to Darke county, and finally settled about three and a half miles south of Eaton. At this time Mr. Neal learned the blacksmith trade on the farm of George Leas, on the Camden pike. He finished his appren- ticeship with Daniel Mack, of Somerville. While in Somerville, June 7, 1827, he married Ruth, the daughter of Courtland and Susan Lam- bert, native Kentuckians, who settled near Friendship church, near which Mr. Lambert had a little grist-mill. Their daughter was born in Kentucky, September 1, 1808.

Soon after Mr. Neal's marriage he started in the blacksmith business on the south line of Dixon township, cooking in an old log school- house, and living in the adjoining house erected for the use of the school-master. After two years removing to Vermillion county, Illi- nois, near Danville, the county seat. he remained there two years and twenty days, working at his trade and farming. Compelled by sickness and misfortune to return to Ohio, he found a home on Paint creek, on the southeast corner of Silas Dooley's farm, where he built first a log shop and afterwards one of brick. While living here an in- cident occurred which illustrates the pluck and indomitable persever- ance which has always characterized the actions of Mr. Neal. Hav- ing had ten cords of wood cut for conversion into charcoal, he dug a pit in the frozen ground from which to obtain the earth to throw over the wood before setting it on fire. So hard was the frozen ground that it had to be quarried in great chunks. After the wood had been fired, Mr. Neal remained for five days and nights without rest or sleep. At one time the fire penetrated the earth covering, and Mr. Neal in his anxiety to repair the breach, fell into the fire, which almost swallowed him up ere he could escape.

During all the time that he was attending to this work the weather

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was intensely cold, and Silas Dooley was accustomed to come over every morning to see if his friend had survived the bitterness of the night.

After remaining on Paint creek for five years he removed to a farm of one hundred acres in Jackson township, on the Indiana line. After re- maining there seventeen years he removed to Eaton, in the property on Cherry street, opposite Fulton's blacksmith shop. In 1854 he removed to his present farm of one hundred and thirty acres, three miles east of Eaton, on the Dayton pike. When he first moved to this place only about thirty acres were cleared, and there were no improvements. At first he lived in a deserted frame school-house, which had been removed to the farm. The present house and barn were erected in 1855, the building of which was personally superintended by himself. This farm is now considered to be one of the best improved in the neighborhood.

Mr. and Mrs. Neal have nine children, seven of whom lived to years of maturity, six of whom survive. Benjamin died in infancy. Mary Ann, who was born in Illinois, where she now lives, is the wife of Jacob Johnson. Sarah is the wife of Aaron Brandon, of Illinois. Susannah died in Eaton in 1853, aged twenty-one years. John lives in Eaton. Johannah, the namesake of old Mrs. Dooley, died in infancy. Nathan W. and Elizabeth J., the wife of John Kitson, lives in Illinois. Will- iam C. and family live on the home place.

Mr. Neal's domestic life was saddened by the almost life-long de- rangement of his wife, whom he faithfully cared for until death released her, April 6, 1879.

Were the above the life history of Mr. Neal it would be creditable in itself, but a second and more important chapter remains.

In the year 1832, while living in Illinois, he was converted to Christi- anity, and joined the Christian church. Immediately after his conver- sion, feeling constrained to speak in public, he became an exhorter, much against his natural inclinations. After removing to Ohio he con- tinued public speaking, and in 1834 attended conference as a licentiate. While attending conference at Bethel chapel, Warren county, he con-

sented to become a regular minister, and in 1835 was installed, and or- dained pastor of the Paint church, by Elders David Purviance and Na- than Worley. During his twelve years pastorate at Paint he received but fifty-eight dollars cash for salary. For one year, being too poor to own a horse, he walked to and from his appointment, a distance of twelve miles, through all kinds of weather. He reorganized the Bank Spring church, and was pastor for eighteen years. Organizing the churches at West Florence and Union Chapel, he served the former seven years and a half in all, and the latter seventeen years. He preached one year in Eaton, and after 1854 was pastor of the Bethlehem church for twenty years. He preached in all five years at Phillipsburgh, Montgomery county. Not long ago he reorganized the New Westville church.

Above are noted the mile-stones in a faithful minister's life. During the forty-five years of Elder Neal's ministry he has received not less than one thousand members into the church, baptized eight hundred, preached eight hundred funeral sermons, and married seven hundred couples. His salary has averaged less than twenty-five dollars per an- num. Pioneer preachers worked literally on the apostolic plan.

Next to the Purviances Elder Neal was the pioneer representative of his church in Preble county. To-day he alone is a living monument of the early ministry. Taking into consideration the vicissitudes of his life, his success is wonderful. Being well read in the Scriptures he never lacked the material, and only needed the art of discourse. In a series of twenty-four lessons in Greenleaf's grammer he obtained mastery over the English language, and many a night he studied by the light of a bark torch, doing all this after beginning to preach.

Mr. Neal always speaks extemporaneously. In years gone by no man had a better voice for singing than he. To-dav, though approach- ing four score years, he is as able to preach now as ever, and expects to die in the harness.

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281

HISTORY OF PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

George B. Unger, born in Lancaster county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1808, came to Ohio, and located in West Alex- andria, in 1831. He was, by trade, a tailor, but gave it up to accept a clerkship with N. L. Derby, and later was in the employment of J. H. Gale. He married, in 1832, Mary Sorleer, who died in 1837. In 1840 he married Sarah Hart, and after her death, he married for his third wife, in 1848, Caroline Gale, who is still living. He has had seven children, four by his first wife, and three by his second. Two are living-Aaron, of Unger, and Derby and John, of Eaton.

Jonathan Ridenour settled upon the southeast quarter of section sixteen, in 1836. He was one of the earliest pioneers of the county, having first lived in Israel town- ship. In the history of that township mention of the settlement of the family is made. The west half of the Ridenour homestead is now occupied by the widow of Casper Ridenour, son of Jonathan. Casper Ride- nour died in May, 1880, at the age of forty-seven. In the spring of 1873, he married Miss Mary Pontius, of Twin township, who was born in 1847. Mrs. Ridenour has two children.

John H. Coffman and family, with his brothers, Daniel and Andrew, came to Preble county, from Washington county, Maryland, in 1836. They lo- cated where Enterprise now is, which village, or a part of it, John H. Coffman laid out. Their broth- ers, Jacob, David, Joseph and Isaac, also came out, and all made a settlement here, with the exception of Joseph. John H. died a few years since, in 1877. He is buried in the Methodist Episcopal church cemetery, at Enterprise. Jacob moved to Illinois, and finally to Colorado, where he died. David is living in Mont- gomery county. Joseph and Isaac are deceased. Daniel is now living at West Alexandria, and Andrew, at Eaton. Daniel was married, in 1840, to Margaret Naef, and re- sided on a farm near Enterprise, until about eleven years ago, when he removed to the farm he now occupies, on the pike just west of West Alexandria. Andrew married Elizabeth Walters, of Camden, where he resided in 1845. In 1850 he moved on a farm in Dixon township, and three years afterward, to West Alexandria, where he operated a mill for three years. In 1856 he moved to Eaton, where he has since been engaged in business.

Josiah Davis, born in Buxton center, Maine, in 1810, married Harriet Jane Gale, of Massachusetts, in 1835, and in 1838 removed to Preble county. He began in a small way in the grocery business in West Alexandria, and continued actively in business for upwards of forty years. He was a careful and industrious business man, and ac- quired a good property. He died September, 1878. For two years previous to his death his business was managed by his only son, John E., who was a partner. His widow is still living in West Alexandria. His other children are Mrs. Harriet A. Eastman, Mrs. Mary A. Huston, of West Alexandria; Mrs. Eliza C. Halderman, of New Paris, and Mrs. Bertha A. Crume, of Peru, Indiana.

Nathaniel L. Derby, a native of New Hampshire, mar- ried Martha M. Gale, and came to Ohio in 1838. He

opened a small grocery in West Alexandria, and con- tinued in business there, with the exception of two or three years, until 1847, when he was succeeded by John H. Gale. His health failing him, he went to Saratoga Springs, New York, and died there in 1848. His only surviving child, E. L. Derby, is a member of the firm of Unger & Derby, of West Alexandria.

Lewis Drayer was born in Ayer township, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in 1812, and when six years of age, came with his parents to Montgomery county, Ohio. In the fall of 1839 he was united in marriage to Susannah Sorber, daughter of Jacob Sorber. Mrs. Drayer was born in 1820. Mr. Drayer removed in 1864, from his farm in Twin township to West Alexandria, where he still resides.

John N. Clemmer moved into this county in the spring of 1840. His father was an early settler in Montgomery county, Ohio, having emigrated from Virginia. John N. was born in Montgomery county in 1819. He married Phebe Herbaugh, of the same county; and after their re- moval to this township they resided for a couple of months in a log cabin on Twin creek, belonging to Daniel Fisher, when he erected the house he now lives in. The land was then owned by his father, and at the time he took up his residence on it, there were about nine acres cleared. He began as a renter, and paid rent for some four or five years, when he received from his father seventy-nine acres in lieu of one thousand five hundred dollars, which some of the other children received. By industry and good management Mr. Clemmer has from a small beginning become one of the wealthiest farmers of the township, his several farms comprising some six hundred acres of land, and all of them well im- proved.

John Fadler was born in Germany in the year 1828. After his emigration to this country, he remained in Pennsylvania a few months, and then went to Wisconsin. In 1852 he came to Cincinnati, and subsequently to Preble county, where he has since lived. He moved to his present location in section fifteen, in 1870. His wife was Mary Elizabeth, daughter of George and Mary Ann Sauer, whom he married in 1860.

Michael Focht moved to Preble county in the spring of 1853, from Montgomery county. He was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1814, and removed to Montgomery county with his father at an early day, and is, at present, residing in that county near Miamisburgh. He has been twice married, and has had eleven children by his first wife, who was Magdalene Swinney before mar- riage. He has nine surviving children, viz: Lucinda (Bouer), John and William (twins), Mary (Wright), Lydia A. (Snavely), Catharine (Street), Jane (Gazelle), Michael, Mahala (Andrews), Flora (Mathews), and Addie (Neff). Alfred and Douglas are deceased. John, born in 1838, married for his first wife, Elizabeth Patterson, and for his second wife, Kate Hull. He was in the army three years, from 1862 to 1865, as private in company E, Sixty- third Ohio volunteer infantry.

William Gilbert now residing in this township in section thirty-six, was born in 1826, and emigrated with his

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HISTORY OF PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

family from Maryland to Ohio about the year 1854. His father, Isaac Gilbert, and family came at the same time. They settled in Montgomery county, where the father died some years since, over seventy years of age. In 1865 William moved to Preble county, and settled in this township. He married Julia Ann Clark, and has had four children, only one of whom is now living.

Peter Smith became a resident of West Alexandria in the summer of 1859. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1823, and came to Ohio with his father in 1828. The family resided in Stark county until 1832, when they removed to Montgomery county. He was married in 1856, to Elizabeth Williamson. He was engaged in the mercantile business in West Alexandria, with signal success for nearly twenty years.

John H. Gale, now deceased, was formerly one of the leading and most active business men of West Alexan- dria. He was a native of New England, but in early life came to Ohio. After residing for a time in Montgomery county, where, we believe, he was engaged as clerk in a store, he came to West Alexandria, where he resided until his death. He was chiefly engaged during his life in merchandising, and erected the building in West Alex- andria now occupied by Messrs. Unger & Derby. He was also engaged in the milling business in partnership with Mr. Stotler, his brother-in-law, and Mr. Glander, which firm erected the flouring mill on Twin creek, east of town. His widow (formerly Miss Halderman) still resides in West Alexandria.

John Motter emigrated to Ohio from Maryland with his wife and two children, about the year 1830. He first settled in Ashland county, and resided there until 1840, when he moved to Iowa. Returning to Ohio he settled in Montgomery county. He moved to Preble in 1858, buying out the old Parker farm, near West Alexandria, where he lived until his death, in 1861, aged sixty-nine. His wife is still living, in her eighty-sixth year. They had five children, three of whom are living, viz: Luther V., Rufus E., and John E. Luther and John occupy the farm with their mother, and Rufus lives in Indiana.

John Spitler, born in 1819, in Pennsylvania, emigrated with his parents to Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1832, settling near Brookville. In 1843 he married Lydia Baker, daughter of John and Mary Baker, who were born in Pennsylvania, in the years respectively of 1800 and 1806. They both died in this township; he in 1876, and she in 1879. Mrs. Spitler's great-grandmother was killed by the Indians in Pennsylvania, about 1780, while her husband was out in the military service. After inflict- ing the most horrible cruelty upon her, the savages com- pelled her to walk around in a circle until she dropped dead. Jacob Spitler, the father of John, died in 1874. His widow is still living near Brookville.

FIRST BIRTH.

The first child born in the township was a daughter (Sarah) of Martin Ruple, this event occurred early in the year 1804, but the exact date we are unable to record. A short time afterward-February 11, of the same year- Peter Parker, oldest child of Jacob and Mary Parker,

was born. He is believed by many to have been the first male child born in the county. He married Betsey Black, and finally removed to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

THE FIRST SCHOOL.

The first school-house in the township was erected as early as 1809, and stood about where the brick now is, in section twenty-nine. It was built of logs, of course, and had no floor except that which mother earth furnished. Sticks placed vertically in an opening, cut in each side of the house and covered with greased paper, constituted the windows, and nearly one whole end of the room was appropriated for a fireplace. The furniture was as prim- itive as the house itself, the seats consisting of slabs hewed on the upper side and supported by wooden legs. Mr. Abraham Halderman attended school in this house and preserves a vivid recollection of its appearance and surroundings.

John Purviance taught the first school, and was fol- lowed by Usebius Hoag, a peripatetic Yankee, who is remembered as both a good teacher and scholar. To go through the double rule of three was the highest ambi- tion of the scholars.

A school was opened in the early settlement of the township in a deserted cabin, on the farm of Jacob Parker, by Thomas Stokely.

CHURCH HISTORY.

As early as 1805 or 1806 a few devout men and women, members of the German Baptist or Dunker de- nomination, gathered regularly every four weeks at the cabin of Samuel Teal, on Aukerman creek, for the pur- pose of religious worship. These were the first religious meetings ever held in what is now Lanier township. The little band first consisted of the Teals, Aukermans, and Haldermans, and from this small beginning has grown a large and prosperous society. The Teal dwel- ling continued to be the meeting place for a number of years, after which services were held from house to house throughout the neighborhood. The first meeting-house erected was the Brower church, near widow Eikenberry's. which is no longer used for church purposes. It was built in about 1845 or 1846. Abraham Brower was among the earliest members of the church. John Hart, sr., and Peter Eikenberry were the earliest preachers of the society, the former living in Twin township and the latter in Lanier. The Sugar Hill church, east of West Alexandria, was erected about the year 1858, and the Central church, formerly called Wheatville church, in the southwest part of the town, in 1866. Meetings were commenced in this neighborhood seventy years ago, and have been kept up regularly ever since. Since Elders Hart and Eikenberry, the following have officiated as preachers, viz: Jacob Flora, Joseph Eikenberry, Daniel Miller, Henry Bare, Nathan Heywood, Josiah Eiken- berry, John Stouer, and Jesse Royer. The present elders or bishops are Nathan Heywood, Henry Bare, and Jesse Royer. The deacons are Jacob Brubaker, Samuel Miller, James Swihart, Henry Young, and David Al- baugh. Among the oldest members are Abraham Halderman, Henry Eikenberry, and Isaac Heckman.

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HISTORY OF PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO.

THE REFORMED CHURCH.

The Reformed church at West Alexandria was organ- ized as early as 1816, by Rev. Thomas Winters, a mission- ary acting under the authority of the synod of Pennsylva- nia. He was preceded here in the missionary work by Rev. Des Combes, who had preached here about two years be- fore, the earlier services being held in houses and some- times in the woods. The house of Frederick Miller, on the pike north of town, was the place where the services were held more frequently than at any other. Among the first families connected with the church were the Sor- bers, Loys, and Keislings. A rude log church, two stories high, was built in the autumn of 1816, but not com- pleted until the following year, when it was dedicated to the service of Almighty God in September, 1817. This church was known as the "Union church," having been built and occupied by the Reformed and Lutheran churches conjointly until the year 1853, when the Reform- ed society built a new and substantial brick church, which is still occupied by the congregation. This church was built under the pastorate of Rev. John Rike, the build- ing committee being composed of the following named gentlemen: John Rike, Henry Drayer, and John Rider. Rev. David Winters, of Dayton, Ohio, preached the ded- icatory sermon. The church building has been remod- elled since, and now is among the most comfortable and handsome churches of the community.

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History of Preble County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Part 70

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

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