The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 43

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051

USA > Ohio > Miami County > The History of Miami County, Ohio > Part 43

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"See. from the brake the whirring pheasant springs, And mounts exultant on triumphant wings,"

while the lugubrious notes of the solemn midnight owl and shrill cries of the lone whippoorwill might have served as a serenade, as lying, rifle in hand, concealed in their canoes at night; they awaited the approach of the thirsty but unsuspecting deer. Of the skins of these animals, with the aid of their brains steeped in water, they made a beautiful, white, soft and spongy leather, very useful for breeches, aprons and other articles in general. So enduring was this material, that clearing and log-rolling, which told fearfully on common clothes, hardly affected it. A ball- cover of it would hardly wear out.

John, the eldest son, was a blacksmith as well as farmer, and was very ser- viceable as such while he lived.

These men all lived to see the empire of nature pass away, and teeming fields, bountiful orchards, flowery gardens, handsome residences, churches, villages and schoolhouses spring up where once frowned a dense wilderness.

POLITICAL HISTORY OF UNION TOWNSHIP.

. It appears in history that the first white settlement in Miami County was made at Staunton, a little east of Troy, in 1798. About nine years afterward, on the

Digitized by Google

352

HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

16th of January, 1807, a county government was formed and three men were appointed either by the court or County Commissioners at Staunton, to give names to three townships now comprised in the territory of Union, Concord and Monroe. The name of one of those men the author cannot ascertain ; but the names of two were Samuel Jones (of whom I have before written) and John North. They met soon after their appointment, at the house of Samuel Jones, to perform the duty assigned them. After some discourse upon the propriety of giving becoming names, Samuel Jones said, " I find that wherever my neighbors meet, either at log- rollings, raisings, or at church, a spirit of harmony and unity pervades them, so I will call my township Union. " Well !, " responded the man whose name is un- known, " since you have selected so good a name for your township, I will select one equally appropriate for mine," so, lighting his pipe to electrify his mind, he walked off alone to hunt the desired name. After a short time he returned and said, "Mr. Jones, since you have named your township Union, I will call mine Concord, which name, I think, is about as good as yours." We do not learn that Mr. Jones made any objection to it. The other man, North, seemed to be influ- enced by a personal consideration. Having served in the Revolutionary army, and perhaps under Col. Monroe, who afterward became President of the United States, in honor of him he named his township Monroe. Of the twelve townships in this county, but four of them have the names of distinguished men. Indeed, the prac- tice of naming both counties and townships after great men is now much more common than at that early day. We are not to suppose that the naming of a township has any effect upon the character of its inhabitants, but facts here almost warrant the opinion that old father Jones' conclusion was a correct one, namely, Union ; for, of the voting population, a fraction over four-fifths are Republicans. I do not state this to extol one political party or disparage the other, but merely men- tion it as an historical fact, attributable, perhaps, mainly to the influence of the Friends.

The organization of the township government took place soon after this meet- ing and was held at the same house ; at this preliminary meeting, as in all others, the officers, such as Chairman and Clerk or Secretary, have to be chosen viva voce. This mode was adopted, but for some time none could be found willing to serve, mostly alleging ignorance and incompetency as the reason.

Said old Squire Thomas McCool nearly fifty years afterward, " When I was asked to serve as Clerk, I told them I knowed nothin' about it and declined to do BO." It seemed for a time that we would not get organized at all; at last they ap- pointed for Clerk Samuel B. Edwards, who appeared to have more brass than brains, so the work went on and was at last finished. When done and signed, some one asked what the B. in Edwards' name stood for ; he, being slow to reply, a by- stander volunteered for him, " I'll tell," said he " what it stands for ; it stands for Booby." This answer appears to have been accepted by the company, and it seems was Edwards' debut and finale, for we never heard of his serving as a civil officer afterward.

This first election meeting seems to have been a very crude one, yet it was the foundation of all subsequent ones for a period of seventy-three years, and, of all who participated in those early elections, not one now remains.

No person is now living who can tell the names of many of the first elected civil officers of this township. John Coate, son of Marmaduke Coate, of Newberry District, South Carolina, is said to have been its first elected Clerk, and, though his place of residence is now in Newton Township, it was then in Union. We have now reached the time when the village of Milton was begun, and, as it is far the most important one in the township, we propose to give its early history.

MILTON.

About the year 1805, one Joseph Evans, a native of Newberry, S. C., immi- grated with his family to this township. He appears to have first settled in Section 13, but, being of a very appreciative and discerning mind, he soon discovered &

Digitized by Google

353

HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

site better adapted to his taste and spirit of enterprise. This was in Section 21, on the western bank of the classic Stillwater. Nature appeared to have exerted herself here in the production of the grand and beautiful ; it was in proximity to. those romantic cascades, or waterfalls, of which we have previously spoken, made by the perennial springs, which afforded ample power for propelling machinery ; the. green carpeting of the river banks, the grand display of umbrageous forests, cover- ing the valleys and bluffs, made it look as if it might be the place where Queen Violenta led her fairy troupe in their mazy moonlight dances. This place Evans. selected as the proper one for a village; purchased the land and had it surveyed in lots, comprising each fifty-three rods, with two principal streets, one Main and the other Miami, running parallel with the river bluff, and crossed at right angles by a number of streets and alleys. The first sale of lots took place in 1807; the crier was George Buchanan, who resided near, and the lots sold were neither high nor many. This Buchanan was a carpenter and cabinet-maker of more than ordi- nary skill, and such he continued to be for many years. Griffith Mendenhall, a fourteen-year-old son of Caleb Mendenhall, of whom mention will be made, informed the author that he and his younger brother, William, mounted two steers and rode them to the sale of these lots, thinking to witness something extraordi- nary ; their mode of traveling would be thought extraordinary at this time. Joseph Evans was the father of four daughters and one son, namely, Elizabeth, Anna, Rebecca, Robert and Susan ; his eldest daughter, though young in years, is said to have read Paradise Lost, and to have so much admired it that she induced her father to give the village the name of its illustrious author. It was at first called Milton only, but, when a post office many years after was established there, the qualifying word West was added.

This village, though it became the place for holding elections and transacting the legal business of the township, continued for many years without any material growth. Its founders, Evans, George Buchanan and Samuel Pearce, appear to have been its only residents for several years. Evans owned the first store in the town- ship, opening it soon after his settlement there ; the author remembers seeing an advertisement of his store in the Ohio Sentinel of 1810, published in Dayton; so it appears that Evans, at that early day, knew that which many business men have hardly yet learned, namely, the value of advertising. One small store was at that time all-sufficient for the demands of the township.

Up to 1825, but three families, namely, those of John F. Jay, a carpenter, Robert Finney, a hatter, and Abner Vore, lived in the town proper, though two others, Oliver Benton and Samuel Kelly, lived just above. Benton was a New Yorker, and son of a soldier of the Revolution. He had been a partner with Joseph Evans in a store in Cincinnati, and, having married his daughter Ann, came to Milton and established a dry-goods store, on land bought of his father-in-law, adjoining Milton. This was about 1817 or 1818. The first post office appears to have been established here at this time (a weekly one), and kept by Benton. He was a man well educated for those times, of much refinement of manner, skilled in business, and of far more than ordinary mental capacity. He acted for a time in the triple character of Postmaster, merchant and magistrate. For a long period he owned the only store in the township, and used to send his furs and butter by wagons to the Cincinnati market. He was an ardent patron of schools, never failing to send his children, and, being foremost in the employment of teachers, thus giving them a good education. These remarks apply to the time before schools were established by the State. Benton, after holding the post office fifteen years or upward, was displaced by C. W. Beebe, of opposite politics. He divided a portion of his land into lots and streets, and added to Milton, thus increasing its area and adding to its facilities for growth and advancement. About the year 1836, Benton removed his store and family to Springfield, Clark County. In 1840, or near that time, he returned, taught school, and practiced law in the magistrate courts.

Digitized by Google

· bearer

=============..

854

HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

EARLY MANUFACTORIES.

It is said a carding machine was established previous to 1812, in connection with the grist-mill of John Mast ; during the carding season it operated alternately with the grist-mill, but its capacity was small. About the year 1815, Samuel Kelley, an enterprising Massachusetts Yankee, erected a woolen-mill on Section 21, just west of Stillwater, on the Spring stream. At first, wool-carding was only done, leaving to the wheel to spin it into wearing material. The fulling-mill fol- lowed, and in those days did good work. A few years later, the spinning jenny was introduced. In about 1820, Davis W. Thayer, after having rented the Kelley Mills, bought them and enlarged and improved them, soon after which the power loom was introduced, followed soon by the broad hand loom for weaving blankets. People from all parts came here with wool to have it converted into flannel cloth, satinet and other cloths. Though these mills have often changed owners, they are still in active operation, buying wool, exchanging and manufacturing goods, etc. After Kelley rented to Thayer, he built a cotton manufactory on the river bluff, just above Milton, about 1819, which he subsequently converted into a woolen- mill, and finally sold to William Rutledge, its present owner. About 1824, Seth Kelley, a younger brother of Samuel, erected a scythe-factory on the river bank, also in Section 21. The water from the woolen factory was used to run his trip- hammer, grindstones and bellows. The history of the sickle manufactory is described in the biography of Henry Coate.

The manufacture of linseed oil was begun in about 1819, though on a small scale, as the flax was raised only for the lint.

Powder was also made in early days near Mast's Mill, but, it is presumed, in small quantities. Guns were also repaired, and it is said the Indian chief Tecum- seh frequently came here to have his guns repaired. But the most of the latter- described works have disappeared, and been replaced by modern improved machinery.

From 1826 to the present, Milton has been slowly improving. Should it be asked why a village having such great water-power, such fertility of soil, and such enterprising inhabitants around it, continued so tardy in its growth, our answer would be, that its life-blood has long been drained by Dayton and Troy. Remote from canals and railroads, its large grain and pork trade has gone almost exclu- sively to the above-named markets. It was trade that built Palmyra in the desert ; it was trade that built New Orleans in the fevered swamps of Louisiana. It is trade, in fact, that builds all towns and cities, however much their eligibility of situation may contribute to it. In 1840, a turnpike was made from Dayton, through Milton and on to Covington. This helped the village to some extent, but did much more for Dayton and Covington. The great desideratum of Milton was a canal or railroad, and, as a railroad was practicable, great exertions have st different times been made, both by the village and township, to secure one. From some cause or other, the schemes have all failed, until the people became incred- ulous of ever getting one. They, however, at last have one, and can hardly realize how much they are indebted to Mr. Arnold, of Dayton, for it. He conceived the scheme of making one from Dayton, through Milton and Covington, to Ver- sailles, and with indomitable energy, pursued it until it is almost accomplished. Though a narrow-gauge, it takes off a great amount of grajn which Milton depot furnishes. The scream of the iron horse has revived the hopes of the people. Capitalists have come, and a great revival of house-building and trade is the con- sequence. From a population of about eight hundred souls, we expect to see it ere- long, doubled or trebled.

We now resume the individual history of some of Milton's most noted citizens. Joseph Evans, the founder, returned to Milton about the year 1828 or 1829. His removal to Cincinnati appears to have pecuniarily injured him. He still owned several lots, on one of which he built a dwelling and storehouse. He continued merchandising on a rather small scale until late in the autumn of 1837, when he

Digitized by Google

355

HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

died of abdominal dropsy. As nearly as can be ascertained, Evans was the first magistrate elected in Milton, and the first member of the State General Assembly. He was a man of considerable ability. After his removal to Cincinnati, no magis- trate appears to have lived in Milton until the coming of Dr. Benjamin Crew. He came there about 1827, and entered upon a lucrative practice of medicine. . Getting the people's confidence, they made him a Justice of the Peace. Being of a very enterprising spirit, and having accumulated money, he entered into merchandising in 1832, with Gardner Mendenhall, thus driving a triple business. He appeared to be on the high road to wealth when he was stricken down by consumption, in 1834, but he left behind a name in every way worthy and honorable. Two sons, Casper W. and Menalcas, survive him. The first is a harness and trunk maker, in Dayton ; the second is a farmer, in this township.

Soon after Crew's death Milton was incorporated, and C. W. Beebe became the first Mayor. From that time onward, it has had many Mayors, Marshals and Councilmen, the history of whom I leave to the inhabitants. The first tavern in Milton, it seems, was opened by Wiley S. Jones, in 1826 or 1827, and was run successfully by different men for a great many years. The first meeting-house (Methodist) was built about 1833, previous to which meetings had been held both in the schoolhouse and private houses. Friends, Methodists and Christians now hold meetings there. Schools were taught in Milton from an early period, but the names of teachers, previous to 1820, can hardly be ascertained ; from that time to 1830, we have the names of Charles Mills, Daniel H. Jones, Mark McCool, Bonham, Rebecca and Susan Evans, some of whom taught several terms-all sub- scription schools.

TOWNS.

The village of Georgetown, or New Lebanon, appears to owe its paternity to George Hatfield. It was laid out about the year 1840, in Sections 15 and 22. Its growth has been very gradual, because of its isolated position. It lies within sight of the county line on the west, and draws considerable of its trade from Darke County. A rich country surrounds it, and a large dry-goods trade is car- ried on by the firm of Levi Ammon & Sons. It once had a large trade in oak shingles, made by the citizens, but the scarcity of timber and coming of pine shingles have ended it. Its inhabitants number not far from 150 souls. The Ger- man Baptists have a church here. Its post office is Pottsdam.

Laura is situated about three miles north of Georgetown, in Section 3, and is about the same age. Its founders were Wesley Sharp and Riley McCool. Being near the North Branch of Ludlow's Creek, and one of its tributaries, the ground around it is not level like that of Georgetown. Being also near the county line, a part of its patronage comes from Darke County. It has a graded schoolhouse and two churches (Christian and Union) in its precincts. Although its population is superior to that of Georgetown, being some 200 inhabitants, its trade is not as great. It, however, enjoys one great advantage or blessing not possessed by many villages. It has no liquor den, because the inhabitants will not tolerate one. The proximity of these two villages to Milton, and their want of a railroad, will necessarily prevent them from receiving that growth which would follow were they more favorably situated.

CHURCHES. 1

The establishment of divine worship was coeval with the first settlement of this township. The little colony of Friends held informal meetings, first at the cabin of Caleb Mendenhall, and subsequently at the neighboring cabins.

According to the discipline of the Friends Church, no branch can be estab- lished without the consent and recognition of the Superior Meeting within whose jurisdiction such branch is established, and the parent meeting at Bush River, from which these had removed, having ceased to exist by reason of such removal,

Digitized by Google

:356

HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

'no formal meeting could by its authority be established ; hence it became neces- sary to obtain authority from the nearest quarterly meeting to establish a monthly meeting.

On the 13th of December, 1806, application was made to the quarterly meet- ing at Red Stone, Penn., the nearest meeting, for the establishment of a monthly meeting, which was granted. Subsequently, a yearly meeting having been estab- lished in Richmond, Ind., the privilege of holding a quarterly meeting was by it granted to West Branch, in June, 1812.

Thus we see by this record that there has been a recognized Friends Church in this township for, beginning with the social informal meetings, seventy-four years. From two causes, viz., deaths and an almost continual outflow of emigration, com- mencing about 1833, by means of which various churches in Iowa and Indiana were built up, this church to-day does not contain as many members as were once comprised in one of its three monthly meetings.

William Neal and Enoch Pearson, who came in 1806, were the pioneer preach- ers of this church.

Christian Church .- About the year 1819, a great revival of religion took place in Kentucky, which, on account of the extraordinary zeal and piety of its converts, was denominated the Christian Brotherhood, or Church, from which, his soul being full of holy zeal for the advancement of the cause of Christ, and the evangelization of his race, came one Abraham Snethen, who, by his influence as a minister, established in the year 1820, a church on Ludlow, in the western part of this township, which still exists, and is known as the Christian, or generally called, New Light Church.

During the year 1846, a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Covington, was in the habit of coming to the town of Milton to preach, and, as there was no church building there of his denomination, he usually occupied the Methodist Church.

For the regular accommodation of its members, the attempt was made, prin- cipally by one individual, to build a church, but, failing to receive the pecuniary aid anticipated, after having partially completed the same, he abandoned it for some years. Finally it was purchased by a new branch of the Christian Church, under the auspices of Elder William Jay.

In 1850, a church house was built on the Milton & Tippecanoe road, one mile east of Milton, by the members of the Christian Church, which was occupied by them until so badly injured by a storm as to render it unfit for occupancy. Desiring one in the mean time more centrally located, they sold it, and erected & magnificent structure, one and one-half miles east on the same road, which was dedicated about August, 1879.

After having built the new structure, they sold the old one to the German Baptiste, or Dunkards who now occupy it.

German Baptist Church .- Prominent among the churches in this township, is the German Baptist, whose preachers were among the first to proclaim the Word of God in the Great Miami Valley. The first members of this church immi- grated from Swartzenaugh, Germany, in the year 1719, and settled in German- town, Penn. They had been severely persecuted on account of their religious faith. and fled to America, with a hope of gaining liberty, and of having the privilege of worshiping God according to the dictates of their conscience. For sixty years their progress was slow, owing to the difficulties and hardships of a new country, in its unsettled state, caused by the French war of 1755, and the Revolution twenty years later, and the many subsequent Indian wars all along the borders of the new settlements. In 1748, Christopher Saur published the first German Bible in America, also edited the first paper ever issued from the church. They organ- ized their first Sabbath school in 1740, and the first annual conference of which we have any knowledge was held in 1778. The liberty and protection the Consti- tution of the United States gave them, instilled new energy, and their progress became more visible. The first meeting-house of the church we have any account

Digitized by Google

357

HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

of was built in Franklin County, Penn., in 1798. The first brother that settled in Virginia, was John Garber, in Flat Rock Valley, in 1777. He was an eminent minister, and built up a large congregation. From this. valley, Jacob Miller moved to Ohio. and settled on the west bank of the Great Miami River, near Dayton, in 1800. He was the first one to settle on the west side, was an able man, and did much toward founding the church, and to him the church is gratefully indebted for its present efficiency. He was born in Pennsylvania, in 1735 ; he raised a very exemplary family of twelve children, nine sons and three daughters, three of his sons becoming able ministers of the Gospel.

There are, at this time, about seventy five organized churches in Ohio, with many large and commodious houses for worship. There are organized churches in twenty of the States of the Union, and eleven religious periodicals printed by members of the church, and devoted to its advancement. There are three col- leges under control of the church, one in Mount Morris, Ill., one in Ashland, Ohio, and one in Berlin, Penn. The students of these institutions are watched over with great care, and are welcomed, regardless of religion or sect, if they conform to the moral standard required.

This denomination of religionists began their labors here in 1800, and, from the silent few who gathered in each other's cabins for worship, have sprung the many that now inhabit this region. These people are plain, unostentatious, make no display of finery, or a gaudy appearance, are honest, temperate, and among the best citizens in the land. In this county, the townships of Union, Newton, New- berry and Monroe have large organized churches, which are presided over by a number of excellent ministers, who bid fair to bring the church to a high standard.

Brethren in Christ Church-(Incorporated) .- This denomination in Union Township has a membership of about eighty, who have just erected a new edifice in which to worship, near Potsdam. The structure is 36x46 feet. They have services every four weeks, which are conducted by the Rev. George W. Wright, of Painter Creek, Darke County. Jacob Swank and his nephew, John Swank, were the first preachers in this church, which is now in good condition, being in union and harmony with themselves and the world. Trustees, Henry Fess, Henry Arnett, Abraham Wright ; Exhorters, Joseph Sando, Abraham Wright ; Deacon, Moses Blackburn.

Methodist Church .- The seed of Methodism seems to have fallen in stony places in this township, for about the year 1833, they organized and built a church, which sprang up and flourished for a season, but, after an existence of ten or twelve years, it began to decline, until at present it numbers but few members, and the house is occupied mainly by the Friends.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 43

Author: W. H. Beers & Co. Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1051

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051