USA > Ohio > Van Wert County > History of Van Wert County, Ohio and Representative Citizens > Part 24
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PUBLIC HIGHWAYS.
The leading public highways of Liberty township are mostly all piked. The material used in constructing these pike roads was crushed limestone. At a special election held in the township the people authorized the bond- ing of the township for pike improvements. Township bonds were issued by the trustees of the township and sold to the highest bidder to obtain funds to pay for building pike roads. These bonds, with the annual interest thereon, are paid by taxation as they become due.
With pike roads, rural free delivery and rural telephone lines, the citizens of Liberty township have the advantage of being supplied
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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
with all modern improvements and up-to-da e conveniences.
THE OHIO CITY OIL FIELD.
The first oil-well drilled in the Ohio City field was drilled in by C. S. King & Company, of Lima, Ohio, on the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of section 18, Liberty town- ship, on land owned by Valentine Exline's heirs. The first oil piped into the line was from this well. This was in the month of February, 1902. The second well in the Ohio City field was drilled by the same company on the southwest quarter of section 17, land owned by W. T. Exline. The third well drilled in this same field-the first gusher in the Ohio City oil field-was drilled on the farm of W. N. Williams in section 21, Liberty township.
The second gusher came in a short time after the Williams. It was drilled by the Ohio Oil Company. on land owned by Andrew Medaugh in Willshire township, about one mile west of Dull station. The third gusher was drilled on the farm of W. H. Ayers. These three gushers coming in quick succes- sion raised the oil excitement to a fever heat. Oil men from everywhere came to see the new oil field and secure leases. Over 200 oil-wells have been drilled in Liberty township. A gusher was drilled in very recently on Mrs. Louisa Tickel's farm in section 21, one mile west of Ohio City.
While the oil excitement has abated in a measure in this field, the rush having extended to other newly discovered oil fields, yet the Ohio City oil field has only been partially de- veloped and oil operations in this field will be continued for a number of years to come. The oil boom, as it was, may not return, but a steady development of this field will bring its
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reward. Everybody was benefited by the oil boom, business men and laboring men alike.
PIPE LINES IN LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
There are three pipe lines laid through Lib- erty township; these lines extend from Lima to Chicago. Two of these lines are on the south side of the right of way of the Chicago & Erie Railroad; the third line is contiguous to the other two, but not on the railroad com- pany's land, the right to lay another line hav- ing been secured from the farmers residing along the other two lines. A fourth line will be constructed this spring (1906) ; it is to be laid in close proximity to the three already laid.
The pipes laid in these lines are all eight inches in diameter. For the privilege of lay- ing their line through their farms, the pipe line company pays the farmers 25 cents per rod and all damages to crops and timber destroyed by reason of the laying of these lines. The lines are buried to a depth of two feet on an aver- age.
CHURCHES.
There are nine church organizations in Liberty township at the present time ; also nine organized Sabbath-schools and nine church buildings-three brick and six frame struc- tures.
There are three Methodist Episcopal churches in the township, namely: North Liberty Methodist Episcopal Church, Walnut Grove Methodist Episcopal Church and Ohio City Methodist Episcopal Church. Each of these church societies has a good frame church building in which to worship.
The denomination known as the Church of
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HISTORY OF VAN WERT COUNTY
God has two church organizations-one called the Church of God, of Ohio City, and one called the Olive Branch Church of God, of South Liberty. Both of these organizations have frame church buildings.
The United Brethren Church has two or- ganized churches. The one called the Liberal U. B. Church, of South Liberty, has a new brick church building. The one called the Radical U. B. Church, of Northwest Liberty, has a frame church edifice, which was formerly the Wolf schoolhouse.
The Evangelical Church, of Northeast Liberty, and St. John's General Synod Luth- eran Church, of Ohio City, are the oldest es- tablished churches in the township. Both have new brick church buildings.
TOWNS IN LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
There are only two towns or villages in Liberty township.
Ohio City, formerly called "Enterprise," is located near the center of the township in sec- tion 22; later additions to the town are in section 15. This town was originally laid out by Butler, Patterson & Company. On ac- count of there being another town in the State by the name of Enterprise, which frequently caused mail and express packages to be mis- sent, the name was changed to Ohio City to avoid this trouble.
There are three church organizations and three church edifices in Ohio City, two of the
church buildings being of frame and one of brick. There is one Union school building.
The village has one bank, two dry goods stores, one clothing store, two hardware stores, two millinery establishments, one bakery, three hotels, three restaurants, four saloons, two shoe shops, one tailor shop, one silver- smith shop, three livery barns, one slack bar- rel factory, one lumberyard, and two black- smith shops. The three railroads all use the centrally located Union Depot. The town is also well supplied with telephone service.
The village of McKee was laid out by J. M. Dull, Martin Lintermoot and Nicholas Fry in 1879 at a point in sections 19 and 20 where the McSherry road crosses the "Clover Leaf" Railroad. It is 234 miles west of Ohio City. This village is more particularly known as Dull station, and Dull P. O. At the present time there is one store that handles dry goods and groceries, poultry, eggs and butter. The pro- prietor is Lemuel Rutledge, who is also the railroad agent and postmaster.
The Standard Oil Company have their pumping station located here, where all the oil produced in the Ohio City oil field is re- ceived; from here it is pumped into the pipe lines that are laid from Lima to Chicago. There are 12 dwelling houses in this village. The warehouse formerly here has been re- moved. The tile factory, where so many tile were formerly manufactured, has also been re- moved.
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CHAPTER XV
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP
Organisation-First Settlers and First Events-Early Elections-Some of the Original Land Entries-Incidents of Pioneer Times-Middlepoint-The City of Delphos, Its Founder, Settlement, Industries, Newspapers, Hotels, Postoffices, Railroads, Public Schools and Churches.
Washington township was set off as a civil township at a meeting of the commissioners held March 2, 1840, and an election of town- ship officers was ordered to take place at the schoolhouse on the first Monday in April, 1840.
FIRST SETTLERS AND FIRST EVENTS.
The first settler in the township was Oliver Stacy, who came in February, 1836. During the summer and fall of 1836 Nathan Davis, Nathaniel, Ashabel and Orrin Burright, David King and John Summersett took up homes in this township.
Oliver Stacy built the first log house in the township and it was still standing and occupied in 1882. The first schoolhouse was built on the land of David King in the fall of 1837, and the first school was taught by Clarissa Gleason. The first road in the township was the Bucyrus and Fort Wayne that followed the Indian trail from Upper Sandusky to Fort Wayne. For many years this was known as the Sugar Ridge road, clear across the country. The first church was organized at the King schoolhouse in the fall of 1848. Prior to that the settlers attended church in Ridge township.
EARLY ELECTIONS.
An election for justice of the peace was held in Washington township on the 8th of June, 1840. Ten votes were cast, of which Thomas W. Bowdle received seven and Oliver Stacy, three.
On the 12th of October, 1841, an election was held in Washington township for members of the State Legislature and county officers, at which there were II votes cast. The electors were: John Cavett, William Nuttle, Abraham Hire, James G. Cavett, Jr., T. W. Pring, John D. Cavett, David Pring, Thomas W. Bowdle, John Hire, Orrin Burright and William Todd. John D. Cavett and William Nuttle, the clerks of the election, and James Cavett, James G. Cavett, Jr. and T. W. Pring, the judges, issued the following certificate as to the result of the balloting :
"We do hereby certify that Jacob Clark had four votes for Senator; Robert A. For- sythe had seven votes for Senator. John W. Walters had four votes for Representative; James B. Steadman had four votes for Rep- resentative; Calvin T. Pomeroy had seven votes for Representative. P. J. Hines
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HISTORY OF VAN WERT COUNTY
had three votes for Treasurer; James G. Gilliland had eight votes for Treas- urer. Stephen Gleason had five votes for Commissioner; James Johnson had six votes for Commissioner. Thomas R. Kear had four votes for Sheriff; Samuel M. Clark had seven votes for Sheriff. Cyrenus Elliott had three votes for Surveyor; John G. Morse had eight votes for Surveyor. B. B. Woodcock had four votes for Coroner; William Parent had seven votes for Coroner. Edward R. Wells had seven votes for Auditor."
SOME OF THE ORIGINAL LAND ENTRIES.
SEC. NAME.
ACRES. YEAR.
I John F. Bosche
663 1853
2 Wykoff & Davenport 332
1836
2 William Bebb 165
1836
2 Joseph Eicholt 125
1847
2 Robert Brown
40
1850
3 John Elwell
42
1836
3 Thomas A. Washburn 127
1853
3 Joseph Eicholt 42
1853
3 Pierce Murphy 42
1853
3 John Ferrel 42
1853 1859
4 Mathew Ridenour
80
1851
4 Ephraim Friezner 84
1852
12 Job H. Jackson 80
1834
4 Albert F. Sargent 41
1852
4 William Hilgard
42
1852
12 Joseph Eicholt 80
1837
4 David Krouse 166
1852
12 George Welte 40
1850
4 Joseph Harsh 80
1852
4 J. S. Jones
80
1852
4 George Lance 40
1852
13 Conrad Wellman 80
1845
13 Guilford D. Heilman 80
1845
13 George Miller
40
1845
5 Wallace Aldridge 160
1837
5 David Lloyd 160
1839
5 R. E. Thomas
124
1839
5 Thomas J. Chamberlin
41
1839
6 John Williams
176 1836-35
6 Joseph Beamer
80
1837
6 John Reed
94
1837
15 John G. Staugh 160
1848
15 Bernhard Eicholt 80
1851
15 Andrew Shoemaker 80
1851
7
William Priddy
132 1835-36
7 Samuel Knittle 176
1836
15 Jacob Long 120
1851
7 George P. Tiffany 80
SLC. NAME. ACRES. YEAR.
7 Wallace Aldridge
80
1837
7 James Gilliland 160
1838
7 Ludwig E. Hertz 44
1838
8 Hiram Langdon 80
1837
8 James Gilliland 160
1838
8 William Bebb 80
1838 1849
8 Samuel Helm 240
8 Henry W. Helm 80
1851
9 Daniel Clinger 40
1852
9 William E. Brown 280
1853
9 Thomas Elcock 160
1853
9 David M. Jones 80
1853
9 Fred Glick
40
1853
9 David J. Borman
40
1853
10 C. A. Curtis
40
1850
IO Charles Moor 40
1850
10 Isaac Harp 80
1850
10 John C. Carpenter
40
1851
10 Joseph Klinger 120
1851
10 Lewis Cordeman 160
1851
10 James Pettit 80
1851
10 Grandison Curtis
40
1851
10 James Bryan
40
1851
William Helmkamp
80
1844
II John H. Hoffman
80
1845
II James W. Carpenter
80
1851
II John H. Merchant
80
1851
II Stanton C. Dix
40
1851
II John H. Weichard 40
II John C. Carpenter 40
David Clouse 160
1851
II Francis Kemper 40
1851
12 Simon Perkins 400
1835
12 Peter Reese 40
1850
13 Nicholas Baker 200
1845
4 Fred McDorman 40
1852
5- John Aldridge 160
1837
13 George Vitter 40
1845
13 Casper Leppold 80
1845
14 Henry S. Wykoff 160
1835
14 David Brewer 160
1835
14 Demas Adams 320
1836
15 George Schummoller 80
1847
6 Jesse Hoffman
94
1839
6 Zach. Stewart 168
80
1839
15 Henry Hand 120
1851
1837
16 Henry B. Brown 160
1853
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6 Martin Miller
1839
1851 1851
3 Franklin Elliott 400
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AND RE PRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
SEC.
NAME.
ACRES.
YEAR.
SEC. NAME.
ACRES. YEAR.
16 Emanuel Shupe
160
1853
25 Christ Longemeyer
40
1845
16 James Callahan
80
1853
25 Jacob Hittle
40
1845
16 A. J. Ireland
80
1853
26 Hugh S. Wykof
160
1835
16 E. N. Martin
80
1853
26 George S. Beer 160
1835
16 John Priddy
80
1853
26 George Marsh
80
1835
17 Oliver Stacy
360
1835
26 Jacob Puterbaugh 160
1835
17 David King
80
1835
26 Conrad Baumgartner
40
1835
17
Abraham Hire
80
1835
26 John H. Baumgartner 40
1835
17 A. E. Curtis 40
1848
27 B. Grief 80
1845
17 P. L. Cobb
20
1849
27 John B. Bertling
40
1845
18 David Simms
212
1835
27 Fred Linderman 80
1845
18 David King
40
1835
27 Hiram Baker 85
1848
18
Abraham Hire
80
1836
27 Henry Gerdeman
120
1848
18
Nathan David
168
1836
27 Herman Busch 40
John Linderman
80
1848
27 Mathias King
80
1851
19
Orrin Burright
160
1836
29
Jacob G. Saffer
160
1836
19
Walter J. Craft
88
1836
29 James H. Mitchell
80
1836
19 John Mccullough
160
1836
29
Isaac DeLong
80
1837
19 Ashbel Burright
176
1836
29
T. W. King
160
1838
19 Joseph Cavett
88
1836
29
Seth Matton 80
1838
20 Samuel Breese 160
1836
29 Oliver Stacy 80
1838
20 Henry Shaver
80
1836
30
William Bebb 160
1836
20
Samuel Parsons
320
30
T. J. Crafts
336
836
20 William Bebb
80
21 Nicholas Smith
80
18.48
30
Thomas W. Bowdell
88
1837
21
Francis C. Walden
40
21
John G. Stough
80
1849
31 T. J. Crafts 336
1836
31 Thomas Pollock
152
1836
John M. Henry
80
1849
21
E. J. Leypoole 80
1849
32 Addison Mccullough 160
1836
21 David King 160
1851
32 John Montgomery 320
1836
21 David Landner
40
1851
33 Michael Strippich 640
1848
22 William Thomas 160
1833
34 Fred Marquand 160
1835
22 Henry S. Wykoff
160
1833
34 Daniel Brewer 480
1835
1836 35 Henry Trentman 80
1845
1847 35 John H. France 80
1845
1848 35 David Sudmiller 40
1845
22 E. R. Curtis 80
1850
35 John Grothouse 40
1845
23 Samuel Farrer 480
35 William Beekman
1845
1834 1834 35 M. Kabeeman 40
1848
1845 35 Henry Baumgartner
40
1848
35 Mark Halter 160
1849
36 Guilford D. Coleman 240
1834
36 Martin Boher 320
1834
36 George Marsh 40
1835
36 Robert Thomas
40
1847
23 William Cochran 40
1845
23 S. L. Hittle 120
1845
23 Casper Geise 40
18.45
25 Ferdinand Bredeick
240
1845
25 G. D. Coleman 240
1845
IS45
25 John Grothouse 80
80
1845
23 Mathias Hemker
80
18.45
23 John H. Ripenhoff
40
1845
23 Anton Holtengrave 40
1845
23 Mathias Dratmann
40
1845
2 John C. Hawkins
40
2 O. R. Beckwith
40
23 Van Horn & Aughenbaugh 160
23 Abraham Evans
40
23 Mary Carmode
1836 1838
30 Comfort Barnes
88
837
1849 31 William Bebb 160
1836
21 21
E. H. Curtis
40
1849
32 John McCullough 160
1836
18 Samuel Wilkinson 18 Isaiah Perigo
40
1836
18 James B. Randolph
44
1836
28 Edward Bebb
of9
1836
1848
88
1836 27
INCIDENTS OF PIONEER TIMES.
In 1843 butter was 4 cents per lb., wheat 40 cents per bushel. cows $8 and horses $40 a
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22 E. Bebb 160
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HISTORY OF VAN WERT COUNTY
head and wages for laboring men 25 cents per day (except in harvest time when a hand was paid 50 cents or a bushel of wheat).
The following invitation to a dance was sent out. It was written on a shingle and sent around by a messenger; each one was allowed to read it and then it was passed on. It read, "You are invited to attend a dance tonight. Some one will call for you at seven o'clock sharp. Don't forget your boots."
James G. Gilliland and Adam Gilliland cut the first road from the Auglaize to within three miles of Van Wert. They followed the Indian trail and were three days making the trip.
In 1845 E. N. Martin built the first sawmill in Delphos, and in 1847 the first flouring mill, four stories high with three runs of burrs. This was the first grist-mill that was nearer to the residents of Van Wert County than Fort Wayne or Piqua, except the little horse mills for grinding corn. Later he built a woolen mill.
During the time Rev. Thomas Elcock was preaching in Delphos, there was a long dry spell and at church service on the Sabbath Mr. Elcock prayed very fervently for rain. After dismissing the congregation and coming out of the church, he met one of his congregation (Dudley Hoover), who had gone out to in- vestigate, who said, "Father Elcock, it is no use to pray for rain as long as the wind is in the northwest."
An accident occurred near Delphos in the early days of the settlement that shows the effect the mind has on the rest of the body. Two neighbors went to the woods to get a load of wood, taking along a sled and yoke of oxen. In preparing the wood, one of them sunk his axe into his boot. Seeing what he took to be blood he became very sick and had to be helped to the sled. They started for home in a hurry
and could not urge the oxen to go fast enough. He said he knew he was bleeding to death and that his boot was already full. On reaching home he had to be carried into the house. On taking off his boot, what was there surprise to find that his foot had not been cut. Before starting out on the trip, he had wrapped red flannel around his feet and had then drawn his socks over the flannel. He had forgotten this circumstance and seeing the red flannel took it for granted that it was blood. He put his boot on and went back after his load of wood.
MIDDLEPOINT.
This village is situated on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway, half way be- tween Van Wert and Delphos. It was laid out in 1852 by L. B. and H. N. Sykes, and since then there have been several additions added to it. In 1900 it had a population of 604. It has two elevators that do a large grain busi- ness. Here is located one of the largest stone quarries that can be found in this part of Ohio, which quarry gives employment to from 70 to 80 hands the year around and furnishes stone for building and piking, as well as for ballast- ing railroads.
The village was incorporated November 10, 1874, and the following officers were elected : Mayor, William Foster; treasurer, D. J. Davis; clerk, D. F. Cook; councilmen- Dr. A. C. Beaghler, W. S. Nelson, A. Fife, George Fairfield, G. S. Nutt, and Dr. J. A. Estill; marshal, W. T. Manship.
Middlepoint now has three general stores- owned by A. A. Manship, Baxter Brothers and W. Askin & Son-where dry goods, groceries and boots and shoes are sold; two drug stores -owned by H. A. Mohler and P. W. Speker . one shoe store, one millinery establishment,
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two meat markets, two barber shops, one hotel, two restaurants, three blacksmith shops, one dealer in hardware and farm implements, three coal dealers, one lumber dealer, one sawmill operator and dealer in native lumber, one print- ing office, one livery barn, one undertaker and one real estate dealer, who also conducts a fire insurance and a pension business. The Middle- point Home Telephone Company furnishes ex- cellent telephone service.
The village has four churches-Presby- terian, Methodist, Lutheran and Friends. The graded public school has four teachers and a course of study covering 10 years. Here is also the seat of the Western Ohio Normal School. The town has two physicians-Drs. L. E. Ladd and L. E. Beaghler.
THE CITY OF DELPHOS
Is situated in Washington township, Van Wert County and Marion township, Allen County, the city being quite evenly divided by the Miami and Erie Canal, the portion on the east side of the canal being in the latter county. Delphos in 1900 had a population of 4,517; of this 2,228 belonged to Van Wert County and 2,289 to Allen County.
The first plat of the town was made by Ferdinand Bredeick on the west side of the canal. Rev. John Otto Bredeick, coming two years later, laid out the addition on the east side of the canal. In doing this, he showed great foresight in reserving a large plat of ground for church purposes. The wisest in that day would scarcely contemplate it ever being needed for the purpose for which it was dedicated. This he gave as a free gift. Ferdi- nand Bredeick entered the land on which Del- phos was located in 1845. Hollister & Bliss laid out an addition to Delphos on the east side of the canal, which was called "Section Ten." Samuel Forrer laid out an addition to Delphos
on the west side of the canal, which was called Howard Town." Thus for a number of years it was East Bredeick, West Bredeick, Section Ten and Howard Town, the former two being settled by Germans, and the latter two by English-speaking people. It was finally decided to adopt one name for the four sec- tions and at a meeting called for that purpose, the name "Delphos" was suggested by Father Bredeick and was adopted, the name meaning "from nothing to a great city." From the date of the adoption of the common name, all jealousies ceased and all from that day to this have been zealous workers for the common good. It is not often that a community can be so thoroughly united in working for each enterprise as it comes up. To this harmony of action is to be credited the accomplishment of so much in the way of inducing manufact- ories to locate here, and in the building of the railroads that reach out from the city's midst. All but the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago had their initiation in that town and to the force and energy of her citizens depended their being pushed to final success.
Delphos was incorporated in 1851 and the first election was held March 3, 1851, at which Col. Lester Bliss was elected mayor; Smith Talbot, recorder; and N. White, J. P. Cowan, J. P. Murphy and Theodore Wrocklage, coun- cilmen.
Among the first merchants might be men- tioned in order: Ferdinand Bredeick, Gil- more & Scott, Esch & Wrocklage, Hollister & Bliss, White & Newton and Bope & Lye.
To the liberal views held by Father Bre- deick can also be ascribed much of the success of Delphos. Instead of holding the views that we would expect of one direct from the old country, he adopted the broadest and most lib- eral American views. He encouraged those of other nationalities to settle and intermingle with
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HISTORY OF VAN WERT COUNTY
his people and was as ready to assist one as another. He gave to the Presbyterians a lot on which to build a church, and counseled his people to assist and encourage other denomi- nations. He said he did not want a Catholic town, as that would make the people self ... ", and narrow. He wanted all classes and all creeds to commingle.
The pioneers physicians were Osborn, Met- calf, Conklin, Butler, Penington, H. P. Wag- ner, in 1847; C. A. Evans, Davenport, Burk- holder and Ruel, in 1850. Joseph Hunt owned a drug store and made a contract with a firm of chemists to take all the slippery elm bark he could furnish in a given time. He bought all he could contract and, as all the ridges had an abundance of red elm, he soon had many tons. When he commenced shipping it in, car-load after car-load, the firm saw they were swamped and called a halt, while he still had many car- loads on hand. The matter was finally settled by the contract being canceled, with full pay- ment to Mr. Hunt for the bark on hand.
Industries .- The ashery was an impor- tant branch of business in the early days and was carried on extensively by Bernard Esch and later by Wrocklage & Stallkamp. J. C. Moennig operated the first tannery and A. Diffinbaugh the second. The first blacksmith was John DeCamp.
Among the Delphos enterprises that have contributed largely to the prosperity of the town are the Delphos Handle Factory, the Ohio Wheel Company, the Delphos Stave Com- pany and the Pittsburgh Hoop & Stave Com- pany. These companies were of immense im- portance to the town of Delphos and of equal importance to the surrounding country. In many cases industrious men with means enough to make the first payment on a piece of land would in a few years have the land paid for, and at the same time a farm cleared up-all !
from the proceeds of the timber that was pur- chased by these factories. The flouring mill built by E. N. Martin later passed into the hands of Abraham Miller and Peter W. Mor- ton, and at a still later date T. F. Conklin and. J. Shotwell obtained a part interest. Subse- quently it passed back into the hands of Miller & Morton. It was of immense importance to the town, as farmers came 15 and 20 miles to mill. The milling property has now passed into the hands of Dalby & Morton and is known as the Delphos Roller Mills; the product has retained its old-time popularity and very de- servedly so.
Newspapers .- The first newspaper was issued by Benjamin Metcalf in 1849 and called the Section Ten Budget. It existed about one year and was followed by the Delphos Oracle, edited by Noah Huber; he was succeeded by O. H. Perry, and he in turn by Bell, who pub- lished it until 1854 when the paper expired. In 1854 the Northwestern Republican, with S. E. Brown as editor, was established. This lived a little more than one year. From this date until 1869 there was no paper established in Delphos. Then the Herald made its ap- pearance, the editor being D. H. Tolan, who was later associated with his son, C. M. Tolan. The Courant was established in 1877 with E. B. Walkup as editor. It was started as a weekly but was later made a tri-weekly (about 1894) and finally became a semi-weekly. Mr. Walkup continued as editor of the twice-a- week Courant until January 4, 1902, when J. W. Fisher purchased the plant and assumed the management as proprietor and editor. At the present time Mr. Fisher is publishing a very readable paper, devoted to the best in- terests of his patrons and of Delphos in par- ticular.
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