The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, Part 60

Author: Warner, Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1017

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The German Lutheran denomination have a large congregation at Bolivar, which was first started as a branch of the society in the country two miles west Among its early members were Jacob Maurer, George Bader, Ludwig Helwig, Daniel Miller, Christian Bigler and many others. They worship in a hand- some frame edifice, which was built about 1866.

The Evangelical English Lutheran Church possesses the handsomest structure in the township. It is a large brick edifice, located on Lot 42, Pop- lar street, and was erected in 1881 at a cost of over $7,000. The congrega- tion was organized March 9, 1843, by Rev. Solomon Ritz, in an old warehouse, which stood near the canal. Twenty-five members constituted the original or- ganization, of whom George F. Fisher is the only remaining member. A house of worship was built in 1844, and after being remodeled several times was superseded by the present structure. The parsonage was erected in 1873, on a lot adjoining the church. The following have been the pastors in charge: Rev. Solomon Ritz, 1843-46; R. D. Emerson, 1846-48; W. C. Hauer, 1849- 54; A. R. Smith, 1854-56; W. C. Hauer, 1856-58; A. R. Smith, 1S59-61; J. W. Shreves, 1862-64; W. O. Wilson, 1864; J. W. Shreves, 1864-66; A. R. Smith, 1867-69; C. Flickinger, 1870-75; G. Z. Cochel, 1876-80; N. H. Weaver, 1881 to the present time.

St. Martin's Catholic Church of Bolivar was organized about 1853, by Rev. Wienands, as an affiliation of St. Joseph's Church of Dover. The con- gregation at its organization enrolled about fifteen families, including the Albrechts, Peffers and Labs. The pastors of St. Joseph's Church have suc- cessively administered to this charge, and in 1882 the primitive church was replaced by a new and handsome structure under the supervision of the present pastor, Rev. H. B. Dues. The new church has been named St. Stephen's. About forty five families hold to the faith and membership of this congregation at present, and among them may be mentioned those of An- drew Gilbert, Felix Lab, August Lab, Alexis Lab, Colestin Malqui, John Streb, Charles Renner, Peter Renner and Mrs. E. Kole.

St Peter's Catholic Church, the first Catholic congregation of Tuscarawas County, having its home in the southwestern part of Lawrence Township. on one of the highest elevations in the county - the "Hessian Hills "-was organ- ized in 1840, by Rev. Damian Junker, then the resident priest at Canton, and

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MRS. M. BEYER

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afterward the first Bishop at Alton, Ill. A log church, about 25x32 feet in size, was erected the same year. The original organization embraced about twenty families, including those of Balthasar Niedenthal, John Streb, Sr., John Bambeck, Valentine Montag, Adam Weigand and John Bells. In 1846 and 1847, Revs. Wertz and Daugherty, of Canton, successively had charge of the congregation, and in 1848, Rev. Luhrs became the pastor. Succeeding him, in 1849, the pastors of St. Joseph's Church, at Dover, Ohio, have admin- istered to this charge to the present dav. The church is in : flourishing con- dition. aud Rev. H. B. Dues is the present pastor.

On Lot 17, several miles southwest of Bolivar, stands a brick church, where a small German Lutheran congregation now holds services. A Lutheran so- ciety was organized here about 1822, by Revs. Melsheimer and Schmidt. Con- rad Zutavern, John Streaby, John Kline and George Fernsel were among the earliest members. A log church was first built, supplanted by the brick edifice now in use. The former large English Lutheran congregation of this church has transferred its membership to the Lutheran Church at Bolivar.

Lawrence Township is the home of the Zoar society, a communistic organ- ization, the history of which is remarkable and peculiar. In Germany, at the beginning of the present century, a lowly, simple-minded people dwelt, who, in order to live a life of religious simplicity, free from forms and ceremonies, had withdrawn from the Lutheran and the Catholic faiths, mostly from the former, and were known as Separatists. They were persecuted under King Frederick. For the sake of their religion they suffered imprisonment, confis- cation of property and separation from their children. When King William ascended the throne their grievances were lightened but not removed, and many resolved to seek homes in a free land. . Too destitute to pay their pas. sage across the ocean, they enlisted the sympathies of some wealthy London Quakers, whose religion, it is said, closely resembled their own, and means were thus obtained to carry them beyond the reach of oppression. In the spring of 1817, about three hundred and fifty embarked, most of whom were from Wurtemberg, the rest from Bavaria and Baden. They arrived at Phila- delphia, sick and sore, in August, 1817, after a tedious voyage of four months. Poor and friendless, they were welcomed by the Quakers at the City of Broth- erly Love. Many were bedridden by a scrofulous complaint, and for these and the old and infirm the Quakers provided a hospital. The few emigrante who possessed means were received as guests, and places were found for many as domestics. Joseph M. Bimeler was the master-spirit of the persecuted re- ligionists. For ten years he had been a teacher among them in Germany, and while on their passage across the ocean he had completely won their con- fidence and esteem. It was their desire to form a colony in the Western country, and Mr. Bimeler effected a purchase from Godfrey Haga of 5,500 acres, 4,000 of which is in what is now Lawrence and 1,500 in Sandy Town- ships. It was bought on credit for $15,000, payable as follows: $5,000 in 1828, $5,000 in 1829 and $5,000 in 1830. At the request of Haga, the land was purchased in the name of Mr. Bimeler, he obligating himself for the en- tire payment. The contract for the land was made in the autumn of 1817, though the deed did not pass till the following year. In the autumn of 1817, a number of the people were sent to the unbroken wilderness to provide habi- tations for those to follow. They arrived at the site of the village of Zoar, and constructed rude slab huts, covered with earth. In Febru- ary, 1818, snow fell to the depth of three feet, and laid on the ground until April, when an unprecedented flood occurred. The great mass of the emigrants reached their new home in the spring of 1818; a few remained in Pennsyl. vania to acquire trades. The condition of the Separatists was that of extreme

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destitution. They were burdened with many old and helpless persons whose labor was not productive. They were unprovided with the necessary imple- ments of labor. Yet their expectations were not high; they only dared to hope, by a life of toil and privation, to eke out a bare sul sistence, free from relig- ious persecution. The prosperity they have since attained was not then dreamed of. The mode of life they first adopted was that each family should live sep- arately. Whatever products remained above their absolute needs were to be sold and the proceeds placed in a fund for the payment of the land, which was to be parceled among them proportionately to their labor. A year and a half elapsed and their condition had improved very little. Then several in- fluential members, who were inimical to Joseph M. Bimeler's supremacy, pro- posed a community of property. They argued the necessity of thus protecting the weak and helpless, who otherwise would be uncared for, and by this and other plausible arguments the point was carried. Articles of association were prepared and adopted April 19, 1819. They were amended in 1824. In Feb- ruary, 1832, the society of Separatists of Zoar was incorporated under the laws of Ohio, and an organization effected under the incorporation May 14, 1833, which has since remained in effect. The corporation owns and controls everything. Individual members possess no rights of property whatever. The theory of the corporation is one of extended charity, the greatest good to the greatest number. Each member contributes his time and labor to the society, and in return it provides him with the necessities of life-nothing be- yond. Whatever his labor produces above this goes to the common good. A birth right does not exist. The children of a member are aliens and strangers; they can be admitted when they attain majority only like other applicants. When articles of association were first formed in 1819, all members were of one grade, but by a subsequent amendment two classes were established. The first class is one of probation, and a member who on application is received by a two-third vote can neither vote nor hold office. After a residence of at least a year, if he makes application for admission to the second class and is received, he conveys whatever property he possesses to the society and becomes a full member. When a member dies or withdraws from the society, his property rights merge in the surviving members. The officers of the society consisted of a general agent, three trustees, a standing committee of five and a treasurer. Mr. Bimeler was the General Agent, and at his death this office was abolished. The trustees have the general management of affairs, and the standing committee is an advisory board to settle difficulties that may arise between trustees and members. The society has been several times in- volved in litigation by sereding members and the heirs of deceased members, but the compact and articles of incorporation have always been held binding and inviolable. The case of Goesele et al. vs. Bimeler et al. was adjudicated in the Supreme Court of the United States, reported in 14 Howard, 587. The case of Gasely et al. vs. the Separatist Society of Zoar reached the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1862. It is reported in 13 Ohio State, page 144.

It was many years before the society gained the wealth and position it now holds. During the construction of the Ohio Canal, the Separatists took a con- tract, and all the able-bodied members labored there until it was completed. They thus procured much of the money to meet their indebtedness. Ham- pered by many members who were unable to labor, through age or infirmity, in order to obviate increased burdens, it was mutually agreed that marriages should not be contracted until their financial position would warrant them. Husbands lived apart from their wives, and the entire colony was divided into bands or artificial families. In 1830, according to C. H. Mitchener, in Ohio Annals, these families were as follows: Joseph M. Bimeler, three male and

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four female members; Stephen Hoover, two males and twelve females; Joanna Mock, fifteen females; Christian Platz, nine males and one female; George Goesele, two males and two females; Barbara Shock, seven females: Maria Sink, two females; Magdalena Auck, three females; John Breymeyer, seven males and one female; Margaret Ackerman, one male and fourteen females; Casper Fetter, eight males and two females; Jacob Shearing, eight males and two females: John Miller, ten males, three females; Dorothea Dietz, four- teen females; Maria Koehule, fourteen females; Jacob Kimmerly, four males, two females; Christian Mitchely, one male, two females; George Groetzinger, five males, two females; Frederick Klotz, three males; Godfrey Lentz, four males, four females; total, sixty-seven males and one hundred and six fe- males. The restraint from marriage arose from prudential considerations solely, and when fortune smiled upon them they married and were given in marriage. For many years the children, after attaining the age of three years, were placed in a nursery under the care of a matron, and retained there until ma- turity, but now each family has the care and nurture of its own children.

In early times, the women joined in the labors of the field, and performed equal service with the men. They worked in groups, in a plodding but sys- tematic manner. Their tools were coarse, including the short and unwieldy German scythe, sickles without teeth and clumsy, heavy hoes. In 1832, they were visited by the scourge, cholera, which carried off more than fifty of their number. Accessions were received from time to time from Germany, and in 1831 about forty arrived. Applications for membership are now made almost daily, but experience has taught the community to receive no one until, by a blameless life among them, he proves his worthiness.

The early efforts of the society were not confined to tilling the soil. A grist mill was built in 1821, and rebuilt in 1848; a second mill was erected in 1837. A woolen factory was established in 1830, and for many years both woolen and grist mills did an extensive business, much greater than now. About 1831, the society purchased from Christmas & Hazlett an iron furnace, located in Fairfield Township. In 1834, a second one was built, about mid- way between Zoar and Bolivar, which was operated until about 1852. They proved a failure, financially, but did much toward developing the country in the vicinity. Charcoal was used in place of coal, and the demand for ore and charcoal enabled many settlers in the vicinity to obtain a start in life by sup. plying these materials. Indeed, at one time about one hundred families were dependent upon the furnaces for a living, and they were operated for a time at an actual loss, that the neighboring settlers might not suffer the inconven- iences that would result from an abandonment of the furnaces.

Joseph M. Bimeler was the guiding spirit of all these enterprises, and it is to his labors and efforts that the society owes its prosperity. He was a man of powerful intellectual force and acumen, and was strongly attached to the people among whom he lived and died. His original intention in settling in the wilderness was to remain until his countrymen were comfortably situated, free from debt, then win for himself a high place in the new world, which he felt able to attain. The community of goods was adopted against his advice, and after he had been drawn thus unwillingly into the association, he deter- mined to make it succeed. He controlled and managed everything. He pos sessed the qualities of one who is born to command, yet the bond that drew him to the benighted people was one of sympathy. Toward the members of the community he preserved an air of reserve and decision, as the only way to lead them, but his social faculties were large, and he delighted in receiving visitors. In their presence he relaxed his dignified mien, and met in pleasant, social equality. He was the first and only pastor of the society, and conducted

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religious services regularly during his lifetime. He was physically imperfect; one of his eyes was much larger and more prominent than the other, and he was lame. But he held a place in the hearts of his people which has since been yielded to no other. Since his death, occurring August 27, 1853, his sermons, which had been written from memory by John Neff, were collected, and one of them is now read at each service in preference to an original dis- course from another. The property of the society had been held in the name of Joseph M. Bimeler, but ten days before his death, by will be acknowledged the trust and bequeathed it all to the "Society of Separatists of Zoar."

The village of Zoar, which the Separatists have made their home since they first arrived sixty six years ago, is a quaint town, located in the eastern part of the township, near the Tuscarawas. It was named in honor of the city to which Lot fled from Sodom and Gomorrah, to commemorate their own flight from German persecution. All the members live here. Their number is now about two hundred and fifty adults and one hundred children. The houses were at first miserable log huts, and are now of all descriptions. A few hewed-log cabins remain. Many of the houses are frame, usually two and one-half stories in height, aud a number of spacious brick residences adorn the princi- pal street. The older buildings are roofed with red tile, which was made here prior to 1850. The hotel was built in 1833. The schoolhouse is a two- story brick structure, where the common branches, philosophy, algebra and his- tory, are taught, and the English and German languages. The first church build- ing was a log affair; the present is a neat brick structure. A tannery, foun- dry, woolen mill, grist mills, garden, store and various industrial shops, oc- cupy the time of the members, few of whom now labor on the farms, except during the harvest season, when all go forth to labor in the fields. The farm work is nearly all done by hired help, and a number of farms are also leased to renters. The society now owns more than seven thousand acres of land, located in one body in Lawrence, Sandy and Fairfield Townships. The af- fairs of the society are managed by the Board of Trustees, one of whom is elected annually. The treasurer holds his office for four years. No member has ever been expelled, except the few who involved the society in its litiga- tion, yet many forsake the community voluntarily, and these are usually al- lowed to take with them their household furniture. There are now between seventy and eighty voters, who usually vote the Republican ticket. They are a lowly-minded people, generally with no marked mental development. The weight of the law has never yet, in the long history of the community. fallen upon one of its members in good standing. German is still the language used in family and business discourse. Many of the customs of former times are gradually abandoned, and with a closer association with the outer world innovations are creeping in. The women formerly wore a uniform garb, of the utmost plainness, but now they dress, within a certain limit, according to their taste.

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MILL TOWNSHIP.

CHAPTER X

MILL TOWNSHIP.

NAME - STREAMS - ORGANIZATION - MILITARY QUARTERS - THE PIONEERS - FIRST CHURCH -JUSTICES OF THE PEACE - EASTPORT - NEWPORT - UHRICHSVILLE - ITS GROWTH - ORIGINAL PLAT AND ADDITIONS - FIRST RESIDENTS - INCORPORATION AND MAYORS- SCHOOLS - CHURCHES - CEMETERY -. ORDERS - PHYSICIANS - AT- TORNEYS - NEWSPAPERS - INDUSTRIES AND BUSI- NESS - DENNISON - FIRST LOCATION AND FOUNDATION -THE DENNISON LAND COM- PANY - THE RAILROAD SHOPS - INCOR- PORATION - SCHOOLS -CHURCHES- SECRET SOCIETIES - HISTORICAL MISCELLANY - PHYSICIANS - ATTORNEYS - EARLY IN- DUSTRIES - NEWSPA- PERS - EARLY SETTLERS.

M ILL TOWNSHIP doubtless received its name from Uhrich's Mill, which, at the date of the township organization, was an important and widely known pioneer institution. The township is irregular in shape, and is dis- tinctively the territory of Big Stillwater Creek, which enters from Rush in the southeast, and, by a very winding course, gradually creeps north ward till it finds the Tuscarawas River, in the northwest corner of the township. The bottom lands of the creek are broad and rich, and, in consequence of the me- anderings of the stream, compose a large portion of the township's territory. Little Stillwater, which , separates Ubrichsville and Dennison, enters from Union Township, and, after flowing circuitously for several miles, mingles its waters with those of Big Stillwater. As in surrounding townships, the land in Mill, which lies back from the streams, is hilly, but it produces good crops.

Mill Township was organized by the County Commissioners March 6, 1833, with the following boundaries: Beginning at the northeast corner of Section 24, Township 13, Range 7; thence west to the military land; thence north to the southeast corner of the first quarter of Township 7, Range 1; thence west one-half mile; thence north to the southwest corner of Lot 1, in the fourth quarter of Township 8, Range 1; thence west two miles; thence south five miles to Township 6; thence east two miles to the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of Section 1, Township 6, Range 1; thence south one mile to the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of Section 10, Town- ship 6, Range 1; thence east through the middle of Sections 33, 27 and 21, in Township 13, Range 7, to Harrison County; thence north to the place of be- ginning. The outlines have since been slightly altered several times.

The land of Mill Township consists of twelve and one-fourth sections off the Dohrman tract. forming the eastern portion of the township, and the greater part of the first quarter and the fourth quarter of Township 7, Range 1. forming the western part of Mill, besides one and a fourth sections of Con- gress land in the southwest part of the township, at and above Newport.

The first quarter of Township 7, Range 1. a four-thousand-acre tract, most of which is situated in Mill, forming its northwestern portion, was located by David Galbraith, a merchant of New York City, and Thomas Elms, and was

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transferred by them, in 1802, to Jonas Stanberry and Jonathan Dayton, both of whom were extensive Western landholders. In October, 1818, Oliver H. Spencer, a physician of New York City, purchased the undivided three-fourths interest in this tract from Jonathan Dayton, for $6,000, and the one-fourth in- . terest from Joseph Constant for $2,000. Spencer retained it till his death. and the guardian of his minor children, by virtue of an enabling act, passed in the Ohio Legislature February 2. 1832, sold the entire tract of 4,000 acres. in September, 1833, to Walter B. Beebe, Daniel Kilgore, John Olmsted and Chauncey Dewey, of Harrison County, for $9,000. These proprietors made a subdivision of the tract into lots the same year, and during the next few years most of it was sold at an average price of, perhaps, $10 per acre. This part of Mill Township consequently has little or no pioneer history. The land was withheld from the market for twenty-five years after the organization of the county, though it included a large area of very valuable land. If it had any settlers prior to 1833, they were squatters or lessees.

The fourth quarter of Township 7, Range 1, another 4,000-acre tract in the western part of Mill, was located by John Rathbone, a New York mer. chant. In May, 1804, Rathbone conveyed to Michael Uhrich 1,500 acres off the north end of this tract, the consideration being $1,500. The land thus . conveyed included the site of Uhrichsville, and here Mr. Uhrich made an early settlement. John Rathbone, by deed dated September 13, 1809, conveyed the south half of this quarter, or 2,000 acres, to his daughter Content, wife of Robert Chesebrough, a New York merchant. In 1835, Daniel Kilgore and John Olmsted, of Cadiz, Ohio, purchased this 2,000-acre tract from Chese- brough and his wife for $6,000, and also the tract of 500 acres intervening be- tween it and the Uhrich land, from John Rathbone for $2,000. Thus all this large scope of fertile land, except the Uhrich tract, is also destitute of early history. Messrs. Kilgore and Olmsted in 1835 made a subdivision of the tract into twenty lots of irregular size and shape, and disposed of them to their great pecuniary advantage within a few years.

Michael Uhrich was the pioneer of Mill Township. He was born in Dau- phin County, Penn., August 7, 1751, and in 1772 married Catherine Borroway, by whom he had eight children. Mrs. Uhrich died in 1794, and Michael was married a second time, to Susannah C. Rouse. As mentioned above, Mr. Ch- rich became the purchaser of 1,500 acres of land in 1804; he migrated to it from Pennsylvania the same year, bringing with him five of his children- Hannah, Catherine (afterward Mrs. Godfrey Haga, then Mrs. John Andreas), John, Jacob and Michael. Mr. Uhrich became one of the most prominent and useful pioneers of the county. In 1806, he built a grist and saw mill, at the site of the present Uhrichsville Mill, which was the first or second water mill in the county. Assisted by his sons, he cleared a large farm in the Stillwater Valley, while dense forests surrounded him on all sides for many miles. He was a member of the Moravian Church, was benevolent and kind hearted, and possessed great energy and perseverance. He died August 14, 1817, his wife preceding him to the grave four years.

Jonn Fenner, who married Susan Demuth, and was a brother-in-law to Jacob Uhrich, settled on the Uhrich tract at a very early date and assisted ma- terially in its development. He leased a farm in the wilderness, and his cabin stood just west of Uhrichsville, near the present residence of W. W. Porter. Richard Ferguson was also an early lessee on the Uhrich land.

William Caples was the first pioneer in the vicinity of what is now New- port. He was one of the first citizens of Ohio, emigrating with his family to the State from near Baltimore, Md., and settling in what is now Harrison County. Abiding there for a time, he came in 1806 to land which now be-

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The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, Part 60

Author: Warner, Beers & Co. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1017

Author: Warner, Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1017