USA > Ohio > Union County > History of Union County, Ohio; its people, industries and institutions > Part 42
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DOVER-"NEW DOVER POSTOFFICE."
The village of Dover was platted in May, 1854, on lands owned by William Richey, Adam Richey, Thomas Alpin and B. F. Benton. William B. Irwin was the surveyor of Union county at the time and executed the platting. In the fall of 1854 the first house on the plat was built by Adam Richey. The first industry started in the embryo village was the harness shop of J. Y. Servin, who erected the third house on the plat. Calvin Richey opened a store in a building erected for the purpose in the fifties. M. W. Peck was the first physician to practice medicine at this point. It was the construction of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis railroad through the township in 1852-53 that encouraged the laying out of this village, which in 1882 had a population of only one hundred and fifty people. There have been numerous small manufacturing plants in Dover, commencing in the seventies and eighties. These included the tile factory, erected in 1874 and a factory for the manufacture of heading, clothes racks, chair rounds, etc., built in 1870 by D. & W. A. Shuler. For a small place Dover has always possessed more enterprise and industry than any town in the county. It now has a population of about two hundred and seventy-five with the usual amount of small town stores and shops. The schools and churches of Dover township, including the village, will be treated in special chapters in this work.
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The postoffice was established here on February 5, 1856, and these postmasters have served ( New Dover is the name of the office) : William Shuler, February 5, 1856; J. Y. Sevryn, June 20, 1861 ; David Shuler, April 8. 1863: E. D. Horton, February 26, 1867: David Shuler, March 11, 1870; J. Y. Sevryn, May 24. 1883: William A. Shuler, January 19, 1885; M. L. Bowen, September 6, 1889: L. B. Thompson, September 7. 1893; Clara Cody. August 4, 1897: J. D. Van Gordon, May 2, 1901 ; Margaretta V. Van Gordon, April 3. 1907; J. H. Roberts, August 10, 1909.
CHAPTER XXIV.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGES.
The sixth township of Union county was Liberty township, which was organized, as shown by the records, as follows: "At a meeting of the com- missioners of the county of Union, the first Monday in June, 1822, the town- ship of Liberty was organized as follows: Beginning at the southwest cor- ner of Paris township, thence west to the county line, thence north to the north boundary line of said county, thence east to the west boundary of Paris township, thence south with said line to the place of beginning, to be known by the name of Liberty township." When York township was created the northern boundary of Liberty was materially changed, the territory of the latter being made much smaller.
Land surveys began in this township quite early, though not quite so soon as farther south in the county. The first survey was made in Septem- ber, 1799. The population of the township in 1910 was 1,488.
STREAMS, SOIL AND GENERAL FEATURES.
Liberty is usually spoken of as a level township. The western and southwestern portions are quite flat and originally were very wet, hut the ditching and draining of many years has made it an excellent agricultural section. The bottom lands and some of the higher lands possess a rich black loam, but as a general rule it is of a more clay-like mixture and very pro- ductive, especially in corn and wheat.
Mill creek is the principal stream of the township. It enters the town- ship on the west from Logan county, meanders through in a southeasterly direction before entering Taylor township. This is the largest stream in Union county and gave water power for all the early mills in this township. It was natural that the first pioneers should settle as near this beautiful water course as possible. There are smaller streams, but none of any importance at this day. Originally this township was heavily covered with fine timber. embracing such varieties as white, red, black and burr oak, hickory, walnut, elm, sugar maple and beech.
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PIONEER SETTLERS.
The first immigrants to this part of Union county made their way up Mill creek and formed a settlement in the dense forests of what is now Liberty township. This was several years before any settlement had been effected in Allen township. It was about 1813 when Levi Carter, supposed to have been a native of Virginia, invaded this unbroken wilderness. He was one of the judges at the first election when Liberty township was organized. As an inducement to settlers General McArthur offered one hundred acres to any man who would permanently settle upon it and Mr. Carter accepted the proposition. He was a worthy man, a good citizen and kind neighbor. About 1840 he and his family removed to Illinois, where he died.
Charles Colver, a New Yorker, mentioned in the history of Union township, located there in 1812 and in the fall of 1815 moved to Liberty township. He died here in 1823, aged fifty years. They reared a large family which did honor to the name.
Israel Carter, brother of Levi Carter, the first settler, settled in the township two years later than his brother. He married, reared a good-sized family and died in the township in which he had lived and labored so long and hard.
Samuel Porter, a Vermonter, settled, with his family, in Liberty town- ship about 1817, resided until 1823 and then moved back to Vermont, where both he and his wife died. While here he made a valuable and highly esteemed citizen.
James Herd, of Berkeley county, Virginia, emigrated to Clark county, Ohio, just before the War of 1812. In March, 1817, they settled in Liberty township. His wife died in 1834 and he in 1842.
Dr. Winthrop Chandler, from Vermont, emigrated to Ohio and settled in Union township in 1818. He married a Miss Hammond and about 1826 settled in Liberty township on Mill creek, where he practiced medicine until 1846, when he removed to Illinois. It is said of him that he was the laziest man in Union county. It was stated by more charitable ones that "he was born tired."
Isaac Brake and wife, natives of old Virginia, emigrated to Ross county, Ohio, in 1818, remained there two years and settled in Liberty township in 1820. They located on what was known as the Joshua Juddy farm, and there remained until death. They were advanced in years when they came to this county. In her latter years Mrs. Brake was made the victim of a very
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peculiar disease and when its attacks came on she felt great desire for water immediately, and that once administered she at once found relief. She had observed that if she was attacked where she could not get water, she believed she would die. In that day shooting matches were frequent and legitimate occurrences. On one of these occasions Mr. Brake and family attended, it being nearby his home. At an early hour, Mrs. Brake took her leave and started for home. Subsequently the remainder of the family returned home. On their arrival they missed her and thinking she had called at a near neigh- bor's did not look for some time later. Search was instituted, horns were blown and all done to rouse the neighborhood, but not until the next morn- ing was any intelligence as to her whereabouts gained. She was found dead a short distance from the road, near some water. It is believed that on her way home she was attacked by her strange disease and had gone to that spot for water and while there died. This was in 1826. Mr. Brake died about 1833. They left a large and respectable family of sons and daughters.
South Carolina furnished a settler in the person of Mordecai Baughan in 1820. He located three-fourths of a mile below Newton. He removed to Illinois just before the Civil War and died there a few years later.
John Shirk, from Virginia, born in 1787, in 1820 emigrated to Ross county, Ohio, and two years later settled on the old Judy farm. In 1832 he purchased land where the Disciples church was later erected. He died there in 1873. Mr. Shirk was a very large, robust man and physically had few equals. While a resident of Virginia he was the acknowledged champion both in physical strength and activity. He was also possessed of an un- swerving character. In kindness and justice to all with whom he had deal- ings he was excelled by but few. His conclusions on right and wrong were drawn with great nicety of distinction and adhered to with great firmness in all the minutest details of business life. At one time in his life there was a scarcity of corn throughout this section of country, but Mr. Shirk had an abundance and to spare. He always said that the true value of corn was twenty-five cents per bushel; that it was worth that to raise it and no more. Consequently he would never sell his corn for any more or any less than that price. He found many poor people through the neighborhood who had to buy corn and supplied them with what they needed at the above stated price, while at other places, not many miles distant, corn was selling at fifty cents per bushel. One of his neighbors who knew the market value of corn and learned that Mr. Shirk had a quantity to sell for twenty-five cents a bushel, concluded that he would speculate in corn. He harnessed up a four-horse team and drove over to Mr. Shirk's residence and told him he understood he
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had corn to sell. Mr. Shirk replied that he had and the man with the teani told him he would take all he had. Mr. Shirk replied: "You cannot have a bushel of it; you do not want it for your own use and do not need it, but are trying to speculate off of poor people." So he gave the man some strong moral advice and sent him home without any corn. Thus was his kindness and generosity ever exhibited to the poor. At the time he concluded to make a purchase of land one of liis neighbors, Mr. Moore, decided also to buy. They were both poor. Judge McLean owned a large tract of land which they concluded they would endeavor to purchase jointly. The Judge would not sell to speculators. They desired it for their own use and concluded to go and see Judge McLean in Ross county and set the day to start on their journey. Mr. Moore had nothing but an old ragged suit of clothes and felt unable financially to buy a new one. He borrowed a fine suit of his neighbor and on the morning appointed, dressed in his fine black suit, he made his ap- pearance at Mr. Shirk's ready to start on the trip. Mr. Shirk looked the man all over from head to foot and then he told him to go right home and take off his fine suit and put on his old clothes or he would not go with him ; that they were going to see the Judge in their plain old clothes and tell him their situation financially and make no fine show of fine dress or any mis- representation in any form. He did as Mr. Shirk directed ; they visited the Judge in that plain way ; with plain talk were successful and purchasen seven hundred and thirty acres of land for one thousand dollars on easy terms. The same land when correctly surveyed embraced nine hundred and twelve acres. This success was all due to Mr. Shirk's straightforward course and true representation of themselves and circumstances. And the above ex- amples are but good illustrations of the principle and character which made up the warp and woof of this noble pioneer's life.
Other pioneers were Jacob Humphreys, from North Carolina; Elisha White, of Vermont : David Lockwood, another Vermonter ; Israel Lockwood, a New Englander ; William Gladhill : Allen Rea, a Virginian ; William Crow- der, of Virginia ; Samuel Griffin, a native of Maryland, and David Hosack, a native of Guernsey county, Ohio, all settled in this township between the first settlement and about 1835.
Another list furnished for a former history of the township contains the names of many more who may well be termed "first and early settlers:" Silas Burson, 1824: Jesse Judy. 1832; John Raymond, of New Hampshire ; Nathaniel Norveil, of Vermont: L. Ford, of Virginia ; George Baxley, born in Virginia. in 1801. He left a diary of events covering a period of thirty years. From this we quote the following important entries :
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May 7, 1849-David Paul's child was drowned in a cistern.
November 30. 1851. Barnett's child was strangled by swallowing a kernel of meat from a hickory nut getting into the air passage.
Spiritualism-January 14, 1852, spiritualism in full play. Mr. Baxley witnessed the knockings at the house of Mr. Titus-David Rowland, the medium. "People turned nearly crazy about mysterious rappings, which are all the go."
Extremes of Heat and Cold-January 20. 1852, thermometer twenty below zero. June 5, 1852, heavy frost : overcoat and sitting by the fire feels comfortable: thermometer forty-four above zero at sunrise; beans, cucum- bers. pumpkins and other tender vegetables killed by frost last night. Febru- ary 4, 1856, thermometer fourteen degrees below zero. May 31, 1856, heavy frost; June 5, 1859, heavy freeze, thermometer twenty-eight above zero; ice one-eighth of an inch thick, crops cut down. June 4. 1860, ground covered white with hail: duration of hail storm ten minutes ; sixty-two panes of glass broken out of the Methodist Episcopal church. January 1, 1864, thremome- ter ten below zero. May 2. 1864, snow two inches deep. June 12 and 13. heavy frost. February 5, 1866, thermometer ten below zero. February 3. 1868, thermometer ten below zero. April 10, 1868. snow five inches deep. August 18. 1869, thermometer one hundred and eighteen degrees above zro.
Great freshets, January 1, 1847, another on April 14. 1859: and a still greater one April 10, 1860, doing great damage, destroying property all along Mill creek. March 31, 1865, great freshet, highest water known since 1837.
Sickly season-August. 1863. very sickly, flux, diarrhea and fevers; almost every family afflicted, and many deaths.
Great Temperance Crusade-On Christmas, 1865, twenty or more ladies entered a saloon kept in Newton (now Raymond) and destroyed all liquors, decanters, glasses, etc. The ladies were subsequently arrested for riot; also twenty indictments were found against the saloon keeper ; he was fined and jailed, and at last completely prostrated financially, and unable to continue prosecution against said ladies ; but at this juncture the wholesale liquor men from whom he had purchased his liquor came to his rescue and took up the prosecution against the ladies. Subsequently, the ladies in the case, and numerous citizens, raised money by subscription and paid the damages to property, and thus ended the suit.
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MILLING IN THE TOWNSHIP.
The first mill erected in Liberty township was built in 1831-32 by Sam- uel Orahood. It was a grist-mill run by water power on Mill creek, a mile and a fourth above where Newton now stands, on the old Israel Lockwood farm. It was a good but a small frame mill. After about three years Mr. Orahood sold to G. Smith, who added a saw mill attachment. In the spring of 1843 George W. Baxley became proprietor, continuing to operate the same :intil 1856, when he rebuilt the flouring mill and ceased to run the saw mill It was run for more than twenty-five years, but on account of the ill health of its owner and the fact that many freshets washed out the mill dam, making it expensive to keep up the water power. the mill was abandoned soon after the close of the Civil War.
Clements' saw mill was erected by Ransom Clements in 1833 and was driven by the water of Mill creek. It was the first saw mill in Liberty town- ship and run about ten years. In 1847. at a point a mile north of old New- ton, Mr. Clements built another saw mill, on the York Center road. It was soon burned and was at once rebuilt. Several men owned it at one time or another, but finally it was allowed to close down forever. The Thomas grist mill was erected in 1845-46 on Mill creek, three and a half miles above New- ton. It was operated about a dozen years. The Peoria saw mill was first erected and operated by Mr. Feltner, who was succeeded by Barnet Bennett.
A tannery was put in operation in about 1849 by T. L. and Daniel Wis- well. It was located a mile north of Newton, near Clements' saw mill. It was operated by different men and owners until 1870. when owing to the general changes in the tanning industry, it went down. E. and F. G. Lock- wood were the last proprietors.
The history of schools, churches and lodges will be found in special general chapters on these topics elsewhere in this volume.
RAYMOND (NEWTON ).
What was originally styled Newton. but, for postoffice purposes, has been long known as Raymond, was surveyed for David Paul and laid off into town lots and streets August 25, 1838. An addition was made in the fifties by the same proprietor. Hezekiah Davis was the first to erect a house on the plat. It was later owned by James Wood. John Raymond kept the first hotel and Edward Inskip started the first general store. The first black-
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smith was William Boggs; the pioneer doctor was Doctor Core; then came Doctors Marcus, Blair, Southard, Burkham and Stokes.
By 1882 there had grown up quite a lively town. There were among other dealers and artisans the following: Dague & Wilson, C. W. Case, general merchandise: drug store, Doctor Wright ; hotel, E. Wells; two black- smith and wagon shops; a photograph gallery ; boot and shoe repair shop; a harness shop; one two-story frame school house; a Methodist Episcopal, Christian and Free-Will Baptist church. The population was then said to have been one hundred and seventy-five. The town is not incorporated and today has about four hundred, according to the census of 1910.
THE TOWN IN 1914.
In the fall of 1914 there were three churches in Raymond-the Metho- dist Episcopal, Baptist and Christian denominations. (See Church chapter.) The only lodge is the Knights of Pythias. (See Lodges. )
Raymond is the seat of the new consolidated school and takes in all the districts within Liberty township. A thirty-thousand-dollar building has just been finished.
The township hall is located here, a two-story frame structure, the sec- ond story being used for public hall purposes by the citizens of the township and village.
The various lines of business are now represented at Raymond as fol- lows :
Agricultural Implements-I. W. Arnold.
Blacksmith Shops-Bradford Hess, Joseph Collison, W. H. Ham.
Barbers-Ivan Wooley.
Creamery-The Raymond Creamery Company.
Hotel-Raymond House, E. B. Reynolds.
Hardware-Linn & Evans.
Millinery-Susan Titus, Cora V. Gibson.
Physicians-Dr. C. A. Thompson.
Poultry-James Hodge.
Restaurant-F. L. Gibson.
Meat Market-C. C. Davis.
Livery -- Wesley Flickenger.
Shoe Shop-William Dawson.
Veterinary-Dr. Dolph Moore.
Hay Warehouse-Raymond Hay Company.
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Carriages-Ed. Stratton.
Broom Factory -- P. J. Bowersmith.
Tin Shop-C. J. Mathys.
Well Drilling and Wind-mills-I. W. Arnold.
Dray Line-C. H. Wilson.
Elevator-John Wootten.
General Merchandise-Dell Williams & Co., E. B. Roberts, 1. W. Arnold.
Furniture and Undertaking-William Winters.
Postmaster-Beulah Allen.
Concerning the postoffice it may be stated that a recent list of postmast- ers sent from Washington to the author of this work gives the subjoined facts :
The town and postoffice seem to have been named for the first post- master. Nathaniel Raymond, who was appointed postmaster May 6, 1839, then following came appointments as follows: Anson Darrow. October 21, 1851 : Nathaniel Raymond. August 8, 1853; J. J. Wallace, June 3. 1854: S. W. Atkinson, September 24, 1861 ; D. T. Paul, October 6, 1864; George W. Baxley, July 17. 1867: S. W. Atkinson. April 14. 1871 : P. A. Graves, March 27, 1872; J. W. Mellroy, April 14. 1873: R. P. Amrine, May 9, 1881 : Will- iam Milligan. March 14. 1882: George T. Lockwood, November 23. 1882; Amanda Lockwood. January 30, 1884; Melinda M. Lockwood. December 26, 1891 ; M. C. O'Brien, January 14. 1896; A. E. Knox, April 26, 1900; Beulah M. Allen. August 14. 1914.
It appears that there was a town site platted on about the same land as is contained in Raymond ( Newton ) a few years before this place was platted. It bears date on the county records as having been in existence in October, 1834, four years before Newton was platted and recorded. It would appear that nothing came of this town: at least, there were no houses built on that platting. The project was doubtless dropped. Its proprietor was Samuel King, and he named his village Kingsville.
PEORIA.
Peoria is within Liberty township, at the crossing of the Erie and Toledo & Ohio Central railroads, as well as the junction of the main line and St. Mary's Branch of the Toledo & Ohio Central line. It had in 1910 a population of one hundred and fifty. The platting of this village was exe- cuted in May. 1870, and, exclusive of railroad land, had a fraction more than
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nine acres within its limits. In 1872 an extensive addition was made to the village for Robert D. Finley, who opened the first store of the hamlet. The pioneer blacksmith was George Wesley. In 1882 Gosnell Brothers conducted the only store of the place, and a warehouse was operated by Rogers & Thompson. The postoffice was secured in 1872 and from an official source the following list of postmasters is here given: Robert D. Finley, appointed September 26, 1872; F. D. Gosnell, February 7, 1881 ; Samuel Turner, May 14. 1882: William J. Strader, April 10, 1882; J. N. Gosnell. December 29, 1882: William O. Titus, August 13, 1885: Maggie Downs, April 11, 1888; J. N. Gosnell, August 13, 1889; Maggie Downs, April 11, 1893; E. M. Gib- son, February 7, 1894: S. H. Hemlen, January 5, 1897; J. F. Finley, April 28, 1897; Thomas C. Danforth, April 1, 1899; J. F. Finley, December 28, 1905 : 1. Della Finley. August. 1908; William J. Hamilton, August 10, 1914.
In 1914 there were two churches here, the United Brethren and the Friends.
The business consists of a general store or two, hotel, barber and black- smith's shop, depot for the junction of the main line and Marysville branch of the Toledo & Ohio Central and the crossing of the Erie railroad. There are numerous tasty residences scattered here and there over the extended town platting. The village is less than two miles from Raymond and about the same from Broadway, in the midst of a rich agricultural section. Were it not for so many nearby villages this would have made an excellent place for business.
CHAPTER XXV.
LEESBURG TOWNSIIIP.
Leesburg is the central township on the eastern line of Union county. It is on the Delaware county line, with Claibourne township on its north; Taylor on the west : Dover and Paris on the south. Its shape and boundary is very irregular, owing to the manner in which the original surveys were made. Its population in 1914 was 1,245. Its topography and general natural features do not differ materially from other portions of Union county, being generally level and quite low in places. Boke's creek, Blue's creek and Grassy run are the chief water courses, none of which are very large streams. The soil of this township is clayey, with a slight admixture of sand in places. The swale lands are of a black clay. underlaid with a substratum of blue clay. The springs of the township are not numerous, but when found, are of the finest water to be had anywhere. Some are strongly min- eral in their character. In this township are found the famous Magnetic springs, of which the world has heard so much in the last quarter of a cen- tury. The reader will find an account of these celebrated healing waters at another place in this chapter. When first settled, this township was largely covered by a heavy growth of forest trees, most of which has been cut down and the ground on which the stately kings of the ancient forest stood has been converted into excellent farming sections, which yield up their annual harvests of all crops common to this soil and latitude.
Leesburg was the seventh township to be organized in Union county. The date of its erection was 1825. and originally it embraced the territory of Jackson and Claibourne townships. The first election was held October II. 1825, when ten votes were cast, Robert Cotrell. Culwell Williamson, Henry Swartz, Samuel Gardner, Samuel Martin, Simon Gates, Sr., Simon Gates, Jr., Cyprian Lee. Edward Williams and Thomas Tunks. At this election James Curry received the entire ten votes for representative, and Matthias Collins all the votes for commissioner. Simon Gates was the first justice of the peace.
The original land survey was made in 1809. William Semple's survey No. 803, of one thousand acres, was made November 17. of that year. It is
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located in the central western part of the township. A majority of the sur- veys in the township were of one thousand acres each, but the exact acreage frequently far exceeded this amount when, in years afterward, the land was resurveyed.
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