USA > Ohio > Union County > History of Union County, Ohio; its people, industries and institutions > Part 25
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New Dover Lodge No. 413, Knights of Pythias, was organized at New Dover in March, 1890.
There is also a lodge of this fraternity at Pharisburg.
OTHER SECRET SOCIETIES.
Other fraternities that have existed in the past and some of which are still in existence, include the following :
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Juniata Tribe No. 94, Improved Order of Red Men, was chartered at Marysville, at the grounds of the Marysville Reservation, Ohio, on the sleep of the eighteenth Sun, Worm Moon, G. S. D. 388, common years March 18, 1879, with twenty-two charter members. Its first officers were: Prophet, J. Q. Richey : sachem, A. Morey ; senior sagamore, J. H. Smith ; junior saga- more, J. D Burkbile: chief of records, B. Newlove; keeper of wampum, B. C. Newlove.
Union Lodge No. 5, of the Prudential Order of America, was organized at Richwood July 25, 1882, with twenty members.
Richwood Division No. 74, of the Sons of Temperance, was instituted at Richwood November 7. 1882, beginning with a membership of forty.
A Sons of Veterans camp was organized at Marysville in 1888.
Then there have been organized throughout the county lodges of the Elks, Red Men, Woodmen, Maccabees and other fraternal insurance and benevolent societies.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE MILITARY HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.
[It is not the purpose of this chapter to give a complete history of all the wars in which men from Union county may have fought. This arduous task has been well done by Col. W. L. Curry, who issued a volume in 1883 entitled "War History of Union County." This volume was the result of painstaking work on the part of Col. Curry and contains a history of Union county soldiers in the Revolutionary War. the War of 1812. the Mexican War and the Civil War. In the chapters covering these wars Colonel Curry gives all the main facts and includes as complete a roster of Union county soldiers as was obtainable. In the case of the Revolutionary War he enumerates all the soldiers who were known to settle in Union county and names their burial places in the county. There is also a chapter in this excel- lent volume dealing with "The Old Militia" which sets forth in a graphic manner the history of the various local militia companies of Union county which flourished from the close of the War of 1812 until the opening of the Mexican War. Colonel Curry was fortunate in having much data on which to base this particular chapter. his grandfather, Lieutenant-Colonel James Curry, being an officer in the Revolutionary War and the moving spirit in the early militia history of Ohio. When it comes to dealing with the Civil War, Colonel Curry writes most entertainingly. He was a par- ticipant in that struggle and consequently was anxious to place before future generations as full an account as possible of the part his county enacted in that terrible conflict. It is probably safe to say that few if any counties in the state have ever had a better Civil War history prepared than Colonel Curry has written of his own county. In that work may be found not only a detailed history of each regiment which included Union county soldiers. but a complete roster of the men of each regiment and company with dates of enlistment. discharge and other data pertinent to each individual soldier. In Colonel Curry's volume there is preserved an imperishable record of Union county's part in these wars and it is the province of this military chapter in the present History of Union County to give only a brief resume of the exhaustive volume of Colonel Curry, to which is added a history of the county in relation to the Spanish-American War .- PUBLISHERS. ]
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THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
During the progress of the Revolutionary War it was difficult to secure enlistments and toward the end of the struggle the Continental Congress offered bounties of western lands in order to attract men for service in the war. Land warrants were issued to the soldiers in lieu of money and at the close of the war these were to be redeemed by Congress. In order to make provision for the payment of these warrants Congress set aside a large tract in what is now the state of Ohio, and Union county was organized in 1819 from territory comprehended within these military lands. This fact accounts for the presence of a large majority of the Revolutionary soldiers who settled in Union county.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to give a list of all the Revolutionary soldiers who made this county their home and it is still more difficult to ascertain the part they played in the struggle for independence. Col. James Curry, the grandfather of Col. W. L. Curry, was an officer in the "Virginia Line," and was severely wounded at the battle of Point Pleasant, October 10, 1774. This battle is called "A First Battle of the Revolution" by Chambers' Encyclopaedia from the fact that it was fought before the war for- mally opened. Many other early pioneers in Union county undoubtedly made heroic names for themselves in the Revolution, but their records are buried with them and will probably never be known.
An effort has been made to ascertain the names and burial places of the soldiers of the Revolution who are interred in Union county and the list is here appended :
John Burdick. New Dover cemetery, Dover township.
Col. James Curry, Curry cemetery, Jerome township, removed to Oak- dale cemetery, Marysville.
Charles Carter. New Dover cemetery, Dover township.
J. Coleman, Watkins cemetery, Mill Creek township.
William Edgar, Raymond cemetery, Liberty township.
Enoch Fisher, Milford cemetery, Union township.
Israel Hale, Milford cemetery, Union township.
P. Hale, Milford cemetery, Union township. Ozias Hibbard. Milford cemetery, Union township.
Henry Shover. Wood's cemetery, Union township.
Robert Snodgrass, Wood's cemetery, Union township. John Stewart, Raymond cemetery. Liberty township.
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James Thompson. Watkins cemetery, Mill Creek township. David Worley, New Dover cemetery, Dover township.
THE WAR OF 1812.
The War of 1812 has often been referred to as the second war for inde- pendence and it is a matter of history that England did not recognize the provisions of the Treaty of Paris closing the Revolutionary War until after the War of 1812. Congress declared war against England on June 18, 1812, and the final treaty of peace was signed at Ghent, Belgium, December 24, 1814. although it was several weeks until the fact was known in this country. The most notable land victory of the whole war was fought by General Jackson at New Orleans on January 8, 1815, two weeks after the treaty was signed. As a result of this war England respected our rights on the seas and withdrew her soldiers from the northern part of the United States. From the close of the Revolutionary War until the end of the War of 1812 England had been inciting the Indians in the Northwest Territory to acts of violence and this fact had greatly retarded the settlement of that territory. England was directly responsible for all of the trouble the United States had with the Indians from 1790 until the close of the War of 1812 and the terrible defeats of Generals Harmar and St. Clair can rightfully be laid at England's feet. These two disasters are offset by two equally bril- liant victories over the Indians, the victories of General Wayne at Fallen Timbers in 1794 and of General Harrison at Tippecanoe in 1811.
The War of 1812 opened in the Northwest Territory and the most of the fighting was around Lakes Erie and Ontario. Union county was organized in 1820 and was then on the northern frontier of the counties of the state. The county was only sparsely settled and included the families of the Currys, Mitchells, Robinsons, Ewings, Sagers, Kents, Snodgrasses, Shovers and a few others. The men of that day were too busy fighting to write history or even preserve the most geager records and as a result we have very little data concerning the part Union county played in the war. It is known, however, that almost every citizen of the county was in the service at some time during the struggle.
The first company in the county was recruited by Capt. James A. Curry in 1813. He was appointed enrolling officer and when he finally had enough men for his company he was elected captain, Samuel Mitchell was made first lieutenant and Adam Shover became second lieutenant. The roster of this company has never been found and it has never been ascertained to which
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regiment it was attached. Diligent inquiry and research among old family records has shown that the following citizens of the county were in this first company of Union county : James A. Curry, Samuel Mitchell, Adam Shover, James Buck, Calvin Carey, Ewing Donaldson, David Mitchell, Andrew Note- man, Clark Provins, Christian Sager, George Sager, Abe Sager and Willian Taylor. This company was rendezvoused at Delaware and was then marched to Fort Meigs and returned home by way of Wapakoneta and Piqua. Most of them were called out a second time to build and garrison block houses on the frontier.
A company was organized at Plain City during the summer of 1812 or 1813 with Jonathan Alder as captain and Frederick Loyd was first lieu- tenant. This company built a block house on the banks of Mill creek about three miles northwest of Marysville and remained there a few weeks. There were seventy men in the company and the rude fort which they built in three or four days is the only fort ever erected within the county. Of the seventy men who composed this company only a very few are known-Jonathan Alder, Frederick Loyd, Daniel Watkins and Thomas Kilgore. The last named was the last survivor of the Plain City company and shortly before his death gave a detailed account of the campaign of his company to Judge Cole, who made a record of it.
A number of young men in the county enlisted in companies outside of the county and this fact adds to the difficulty of making a complete list of the soldiers who were in this war. Col. W. L. Curry made a strenuous effort to make the roster as complete as possible and the list here given is the result of his efforts : Thomas Anderson, Henry Amrine, John Amrine, Jona- than Alder, Isaac Allen, Amos Arrohood. James Bell, Abram Baughman, James Buck, Emanuel Baker, Lewis Bonnett, Jeremiah Burrows, Benjamin Bowman, Daniel Bruse, William Brooks, Thomas Burt, William Bowie, C. Brown, Samuel Beck, Hezekiah Burdock, Nathan Bibley, Henry Bennett, H. Burnham, Major Edmund Barlow, James A. Curry, Alexander Cowgill. Titus Clevenger. Thomas Caul. Ephraim Cary, Calvin Cary, Simon Coder. Daniel Cone, Matthew Columber, Joseph Conklin, Thomas Chapman, David Chapman, Chase Chapman, Jason Chapman, Benjamin Carter, John Cratty, Ebenezer Cheney. Richard Cook. William Danforth. Daniel Danforth, Amos Dial, Titus Dort, James E. Donelson, Donelson Ewing, William B. Evans, John Foreman, Philip Fry, Enoch Fisher, Henry Farnum, William L. Feror, William Gladhill, John German, Joseph Gibson, Edward Gray, James Herd. William Hopper. James Hamil- ton, William Hamilton, William Hall, F. Hemenway. R. Huffman, John
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Heath. William Huff, Elijah Hoyt, William Hoskins, Alexander Hunt, Francis Harper, William Harper, Willard Hill, J. C. Hull. J. B. W. Haynes. Samuel Harritt, James Irwin, Robert Johnson, Jesse Johnson, Elias John- son, David Jones, Josiah Kelsey, Daniel Kent, William Kirk, James Kent, John Keenes, Timothy Knox, William Kent, Samuel Leeper, John LeMay, Thomas Lee, Isaac D. Linder, Ralph Longwell, Abraham Leonard, Hugh McKendree, Moore, Joseph McClung, Thomas McFadden,
Robert McIntire, John Middleton, James Mathers, Marshall, David Mitchell, Samuel Mitchell, Dr. Reuben Mann, Andrew Noteman, Samuel Orrohood, John Porter, Samuel Poland, Samuel Poling, J. Powers, Levi Phelps. John Paver, Clark Provins, Samuel Rittenhouse, James Robin- son, William Redding, Samuel Robinson, Thoas Robinson, John Roads, Si- mon Rickard, R. M. Richardson, John Solmond, Adam Shirk, Solomon Smith, Abraham Smith, James R. Smith, Paten B. Smith, Robert Stout, Orson Smith, Simon Shover, George Sager, Abe Sager, Christian Sager, Adam Shover, Ja- cob Snider, Samuel Snodgrass, William Snodgrass, Nathaniel Stewart, Robert Snodgrass, William Spain, Justus Stephen, Jacob Sreaves, J. Stillings, John Thompson, Thomas Turner. William Thompson, William Taylor, Aaron Tossey, Robert Turner, Thomas Tunks, Richard Vance, William Westlake, Samuel Westlake. Benjamin Westlake, James Willard, Benson Wilmoth, Ezra Winget, Levi Whaley, Daniel Williams, Thomas Wells and Jacob Yates.
It is interesting to note that as late as 1860 there were at least seventy veterans of the War of 1812 still living in Union county. On August 15 of that year a convention of the soldiers of that war was held in Marysville for the purpose of consulting upon the best method of securing pensions. They passed resolutions asking Congress to take some definite action toward pensioning the soldiers, their widows and orphans of the War of 1812 and Indian wars. It is pertinent to say in this connection that Congress eventually provided a liberal pension to these worthy veterans and their widows and orphans.
THE EXPERIENCE OF TWO UNION COUNTY SOLDIERS OF THE WAR OF 1812.
In the latter part of December, 1813, David Mitchell and James Mather. soldiers of the War of 1812, whose homes were in Darby township, Union county, Ohio, returned from Fort Meigs, having been honorably discharged. came to Delaware in company with other discharged soldiers. At that (18)
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place, in pursuance of orders, they deposited their arms, and from thence thees two started to walk home through the wilderness, a portion of the route being uninhabited, without a road, only blazed trees for their guide. They crossed the Scioto river, possibly on a rude bridge, and reached Mill creek at a point near where the village of New Dover now stands; here they found the stream too high for fording, whereupon they set to work to devise means to effect a crossing. Procuring axes from a settler, and selecting a narrow place between the banks of the stream, they cut down a very tall tree standing on the bank, which they caused to fall in a manner to serve as a foot-bridge. The labor and exertion necessary to accomplish this caused profuse perspiration, and in crossing they found that only the extreme top of the tree reached to the opposite bank and, therefore, was not of sufficient strength to sustain their weight. consequently, they became thoroughly wet to their knees. Mitchell, being in feeble health, and of less native vigor than his comrade, was, soon after reaching the bank, taken with a violent chill, causing sickness and vomiting, and was able to proceed only a short distance by the help of Mather. They were endeavoring to reach what was then known as the "Mitchell settlement" on Big Darby creek, where Mitchell's father. Judge David Mitchell, a pioneer settler of Union county, lived, and which was the nearest point where help could be obtained without recrossing the creek. The distance to the settlement was at least six miles, and the entire route through a trackless wilderness, without even a blazed tree to guide them. The weather rapidly increased in severity, and snow commenced falling. Mitchell became too weak to proceed farther and sank exhausted near a large tree. The prospect before them was truly cheerless and dis- heartening. Mitchell, at this time, urged Mather to leave him to his fate, firmly believing that he would not survive to see the light of another day. The soul of Mather revolted at the thought of leaving his suffering com- rade in this his time of need, and sternly and peremptorily declined to do so, but instead, went vigorously to work to make the best of the situation. Pro- curing a quantity of dry leaves for a bed, which he heaped against a tree, he then gathered bark limbs and brush with which he constructed a rude shelter, to which he carried Mitchell. After rubbing his feet and legs to get up a re-action through the circulation of the blood, put on a pair of dry socks from his (Mather's) own knapsack. This treatment had but little perceptible effect, yet he kept up his exertions throughout the entire night- a night of gloom, of anxious and painful forebodings lest the morning would find his friend in the cold embrace of death. During the night the snow ceased to fall, the sky became clear and the cold increased in severity. With
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the dawning of the coming day, Mitchell, though severely frost-bitten, nearly speechless and rapidly sinking, was still alive, and by words and signs, again besought Mather to leave him; but he, as before, refused and kept up his exertions for his relief until it became sufficiently light to enable him to see his way through the forest. He started on a swift run for the settlement, taking, as near as he could, a straight course toward the residence of Judge Mitchell, his only guide being the morning stars and his general knowledge of the country. On nearing the residence of Judge Mitchell, he caught sight of three of David's brothers, mounted; he hailed them with all the strength of voice he was capable of, and, in a few words, made known to them the perilous situation of their brother. The brothers immediately faced about, procured blankets and other things necessary for the emergency, and took the trail made by Mather, which was plainly visible in the snow. Having fleet horses, they reached their brother in as brief a time as was possible, found him unconscious and apparently dying. They at once proceeded to pour whiskey into his mouth, which had the effect to revive him in a slight degree. They immediately wrapped him in blankets, lifted him onto a horse in front of one of the brothers, and in that way he was conveyed to his father's house, received prompt medical aid, which, with tender care and nursing, preserved his life. He never fully recovered from the effects of that terrible night of suffering and was ever after, through life, to some ex- tent a cripple, his feet and legs having been severely frozen. Mather, being possessed of a vigorous constitution and in a comparatively sound condition of health, suffered no permanent injury by reason of the exposure, and lived to a good old age. He received a land warrant from the United States government for his services in the war. Mather did not receive a pension for the services rendered to his country in that war, yet the land warrant came to him opportunely when he was infirm, well stricken in years, and served in some slight degree to smooth the pathway of his declining years to the tomb.
David Mitchell. soon after recovery, married and commenced business on what was then known as "Darby Plains," in Union county, as a farmer and dairyman, accumulated a large property, disposed of the same, removed to Columbus, Ohio, where he dealt largely in hogs, and also engaged in packing : but eventually met with reverses, lost heavily, and failed in business through no fault on his part. With misfortunes and losses. however great. he, to the end of his life, preserved an unsullied character for integrity and moral worth. When in prosperity and affluence, he neglected to apply for either a land warrant or pension for his services as a soldier. and in the days
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of his adversity, by reason of difficulties encountered in obtaining proof of his services, by reason of the loss of the rolls of his company, together with the death of his captain, James A. Curry, and all of his comrades in service, he failed to obtain either land or pension from the government. He died at Hilliard, in Franklin county, Ohio, at an advanced age, and was buried in what was known as the Mitchell graveyard, on Big Darby creek, in Union county, near the place where he first commenced active life.
Mather was an industrious and worthy poor man, and some years after the incident related. Mitchell, while engaged in buying stock for his farm and cows for his dairy, met his old friend Mather, and, after a cordial greet- ing, inquired concerning his present welfare, and was informed that he had just met with a serious misfortune in the death of the only cow he pos- sessed. Mitchell expressed sympathy for him in his misfortune, gave him words of cheer, and passed on, after learning from Mather that he would pass his residence, which he soon reached. He then proceeded to select from his herd the best milch cow of the lot, drove it into the yard, and informed Mather's wife that the cow was presented to the family as a small token of his gratitude in remembrance of services rendered by Mather to him. After the removal of Mitchell to Columbus, Mather would occasionally visit the city and in every instance when met by Mitchell would be taken to his house, made welcome and prevailed on to remain for weeks, and on leaving for his home would be liberally provided with money for his journey. These incidents are given. in concluding this narrative, for the reason that they show the brighter and better side of human nature, and also serve, in a slight degree. to illustrate the true character of a very worthy man.
THE OLD MILITIA.
In the early history of the Northwest Territory it was deemed necessary to provide for local militia, and subsequent history showed the wisdom of this provision. As early as July 25, 1788. an act was passed by the Territor- ial Legislature "for regulating and establishing the militia," and the law provided that "all male inhabitants between the ages of sixteen and fifty" should perform military duty. This law, with various amendments, re- mained in force until 1847. when it was finally repealed.
To a citizen of Union county, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, whose remains rest in Oakdale cemetery, Marysville, belongs the credit for making the first report as shown by the official records of a militia organiza- tion in the state of Ohio. This man was Col. James Curry, of the Second
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Ohio Regiment of Militia. and his report, bearing the date of November, 1803, a copy of which is now on file in the adjutant-general's office at Colum- bus, is here given in full.
"Return of the Second Regiment of Militia in the County of Highland, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel. James Curry, agreeably to returns made by the commanding officers of the several companies belonging to the said regiment, November, 1803.
"Officers: One Lieutenant Colonel Commandant, one Major of First Battalion, one Major of Second Battalion.
"Staff Officers: One Adjutant, one paymaster, one Quartermaster, one Regimental Clerk, one Quartermaster Sergeant, one Sergeant Major.
"Commissioned Officers : Captains 8. Lieutenants 8, Ensigns 8.
"Non-Commissioned Officers: Sergeants 25, Corporals 12, Drummers 4. Fifers 4, Rank and File 610.
"Arms and Accouterments : Swords and Belts 13, rifles 265, flints 530.
"The troops have generally powder and lead-the quantity not exactly ascertained-perhaps equal to what is required by law.
"JAMES CURRY,
"Lieutenant Colonel Commandant, Second Ohio Regiment."
During the territorial period and up to the War of 1812 there were few years when there was not a call made for soldiers to quell Indian disorders and the various Indian wars during the last decade of the eighteenth century made it necessary to keep the militia in readiness at all times. With the close of the War of 1812 there was little or no demand for troops, and the result was that the law requiring annual musters was not enforced. Begin- ning about 1825, there seems to have been a revival of interest in the local militia organizations and this interest continued more or less until the Mexi- can War. During the twenties many companies were organized, there being two different kinds of companies recognized -- those who needed no uniforms and those who furnished their own uniforms. The former were humorously referred to as "cornstalk militia" and were evidently not considered as being very efficient. The companies which furnished their own uniforms were much more pretentious and some of them must have presented a very bellicose appearance. They served for a period of seven years and were then exempt from drill.
A light-horse company was organized at Milford about 1830, of which Calvin Winget was first captain, James Riddle the second, Jacob Seaman the third, C. P. Garlic the fourth, Philip Snider the fifth and J. B. Richey the
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sixth. The privates were as follows: David Anderson, Jonathan Allen, David Asher, Hollis Amy, James Boal, William Beard, Andrew Beard, Perry Buck, James Biggs, Henry L. Burns, Ralph Cherry, Robert Curry, William Cratty, Uriah Coolidge, Al Coolidge, Samuel D. Chapman, James W. Evans, Joseph Gibson, Andrew M. Gill, Jacob Gibson, B. H. B. Gris- wold, Luther Gabriel, John Hibbard, Samuel Hale, John Hale, Solon Har- rington. Amza Irwin, Silas Igo, Robert Johnson, Joel Jolly, Elias Jolly, Othias Kennedy, James Kennedy, Micha Kent, Hiram Kent, Dyer Lom- bard, Ray G. Morse, John Mitchell, John Morrow, Henry Moodie, George Moodie, William Morse, Isaac Morse, Moses Mitchell, William Moore, James McDonald, Samuel McCampbell, William G. McDowell, Zachariah Note- man, William Parkinson, Robert Paris, Jason Rice, John W. Robinson, James Robinson, J. M. Robinson, Thomas Robinson, William Robinson, Samuel Robinson, A. P. Robinson, S. D. Robinson, James D. Robinson, Jos- eph Robinson, John Robinson, C. M. Robinson, Josephus Reed, John P. Reed, Jacob Seaman, William Snodgrass, Samuel Snodgrass, John Smith, H. P. Smith, E. D. Smith, Abraham Stiner, Henry Vangorden, Luther Wood, Joshua Witter, Samuel Weaver and Luther Winget.
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