Brown County, Ohio - Chapter 15: Sterling Township, 1883

Chapter 15: Sterling Township

OTERLING is one of the border townships, Clermont County forming its fO western boundary; on the south is Pike Township; on the east, Greenland on the north is Perry. It is situated in what is known as the boot-leg of Brown County, and contains 17,272 acres of land. The general surface is level, but slightly broken along the streams, except in the western and southwestern parts on the larger water-courses, where there are some hills. Originally, the surface was heavily timbered with white oak, sugar, hickory, swamp elm and black and sweet gum. Although considerable of the forest growth has been removed, there still remains a great deal of timber. The predominating soil is clay, yet alluvial flats appear about the sources of the streams, which are of great richness. Five Mile Creek, Four Mile Creek, Crane Run and other tributaries of the Easf Fork of the Little Miami River have their sources in the township. The East Fork of the Little Miami River flows through the extreme northwestern corner of the township, and the southern part is crossed by the Cincinnati & Eastern Railroad.

Land Surveys

The original survey, entries, with dates, etc. , of land comprising the townships of Sterling, as taken from the book of original surveys, in the office of the County Recorder, is exhibited in the following list:

Pioneer Settlers

From ail accounts, it is thought that Hugh McLain and family were the first permanent settlers of the township. Hugh McLain was a native of Ireland and emigrated to America just previous to the Revolutionary war, and was for some years engaged in merchandising, buying trinkets in his native country and selling them in this, and in turn buying in this country and selling in Europe, which kept him crossing the ocean frequently. He continued in this line of business until the war between England and America made it dangerous to be on the sea, when he settled in the State of Pennsylvania and there married Mary Allison and became engaged in agricultural pursuits. He performed some service along the border against the Indians during the Revolutionary war, and in the latte:: part of 1796 emigrated to Ohio and stopped at Columbia, and remained in that vicinity for two years, then removed into the southern part of Survey No. 3,343, located in what is now Brown County, in which he had purchased a tract of 200 acres of land. His family consisted of wife and two sons - John, an imbecile, and Archibald. The father died in

1816, and the mother about the year 1825. Archibald was born in Lancaster County, Penn., 4ugust 17. 1779, and was married while residing in Hamilton County, this State, to Mary, daughter of "William Shaw, who bore him the following sons and daughters - Nancy, born in 1800, and died at the age of eleven years; Jane, born October 18, 1802; Hugh, died in 1806; William S., born March 25, 1807; Archibald, born March 27, 1809; Thomas E., born March 15, 1811; Margaret, born December 5, 1813, and Robert, born January 10, 1818. Archibald, some years after settling in Brown County, purchased fifty acres of land adjoining the 200-acre tract before mentioned, the half of which his father had given him.

From the history of Clermont County, it appears that James Kain and his family were the first permanent settlers in Williamsburg Township;' that in the year 1795 and the early part of 1796, the elder Kain had worked at this place, building a cabin in the village and clearing a considerable tract of land for Gen. Lytle on Kain Run, which was long afterward known as the " big field." The writer of the sketch of Williamsburg thus alludes to the pioneer, Archibald McLain, in the account given of the first settlement of that village: "In the summer of 1796, James Kain came here from Newtown, where he had settled several years previously, to build the first cabin, which was erected on Lot 43, where is now the residence of Adam C. Walker. He was accompanied by his daughter Mary, a young girl of a dozen years, and her companion, Mary Bunion, who did the cooking for the workmen employed on the cabin; and these, it is claimed, were the first white women who came to reside in the eastern part of the present county of Clermmt. James Kain occupied his house in the fail of 1796, and his family was moved from Newtown in an oldfashioned Conestoga wagon, by Archibald McLain, who followed mere bridlepaths, which often made it necessary to form wider roads, so that the trip occupied several days. The king-bolt of this wagon, probably the first that was ever used in the county, is yet in the possession of the McLain family." Mr. McLain was an Elder in the Old- School Presbyterian Church in the village of Williamsburg. In 1806, he united with the Presbyterian Church in Felicity (then named Smyrna), and in 1808, when a Presbyterian Church was first organized at Williamsburg, he was ordained one of its first Elders. His death occurred October 19, 1 855. He was a member of the church forty-nine years and an Elder forty-seven. During this long period, his walk and conversation were becoming the Gospel. He was a useful citizen, a kind, accommodating neighbor and an affectionate husband and father.

Of the sons of Archibald McLain, William S.. married Sarah Everhart, of Clermont County, a daughter of Daniel Everhart, from Virginia, who settled at Williamsburg in 1809, and was in his day one of the most prominent business men of the village. William S. is a resident of that village and is well known throughout this region of the country, where he has done extensive surveying. Archibald married Phebe Ross, and resides on the home farm. A sketch of him appears elsewhere in this work. Thomas E. married Mary Hiles, and removed to Pike Township, this county, where he died in 1863. Robert married Ann Collins. Of the daughters, Jane married Thomas, son of John Plain, one of the first settlers of Williamsburg, and Margaret married B. Wharton. On the McLain farm are standing two thrifty apple trees that were set out by the pioneer Hugh McLain about the year 1800.

Absalom Day, a native of the State of New Jersey, was born April 7, 1773, and when a boy not out of his teens, came with his parents, Jeremiah and Sarah (Dod) Day, to Ohio, stopping for a time at Columbia, at the mouth of the Little Miami River, then removed to Williamsburg, arriving in 1796. and received one of the ten lots given by Gen. Lytle to the first ten settlers of the vil lage. The father, Jeremiah Day, was a native of England. Absalom, while at Columbia, married Elizabeth, daughter of George Earhart, who was born in Chester County, Penn., May 30, 1776, and to them were born the following named children: Mary, born January 28, 1797; Sarah, born December 1, 1798; Elizabeth, born September 25, 1800; Samuel, born November 16, 1802; Susannah, born June 20, 1806; Katie Ann, born September 2, 1808; Joseph, born January 19, 1811; Aaron, born September 13, 1812; Sophia, born July 20, 1814; David E., born December 28, 1815; Absalom, born December 26, 1817, and Anna J., born June 20, 1822. Father Day, after residing at Williamsburg for two or three years, removed to a tract of land in the western part of what is now Sterling Township, Brown County (on the present site of the post office of De La Palma). He died February 17, 1839, aged sixty-five years ten months and ten days. His wife died September 4, 1843, in her sixty-eighth year. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and worshiped at Clover, in what is now Clermont County, in the earliest -existence of the society at that place; and later, the Day residence was the preaching point for years in that locality.

Of the seven daughters of this couple, Mary married William Day; Sarah married Daniel Ready; Elizabeth married Jacob Waits; Susannah married John Coulter; Katie Ann married Benjamin Reed; Sophia married William Weeks, and Mary J. died unmarried. The sons were married as follows: Samuel to Miriam Hayward, a native of Virginia, both are now residing in

The families of John Anderson and Moses Leonard settled in what is now Sterling Township in 1799 or 1800, both purchasing land in the J. Harvie Survey, No. 3,344. They were brothers-in-law, and emigrated to Ohio together a year or two before settling as described. They came from New Jersey to Pittsburgh by land, and thence down the Ohio River by boat, and landed at the mouth of the Little Miami, where they remained until their removal to this vicinity. Mr. Anderson was a native of Maryland, born February 10, 1773. His wife was Martha Wood, a native of Greene County, Penn., and their children were Margaret, born May 16, 1797, and married Moses Warden; Eliza, born March 11, 1799, and married William Boyd; William, born February 8, 1801, and married Eliza Shannon, of Clermont County; Amelia, born September 20, 1804, and married Paul Stricklin, of Clermont County; Nancy, born September 17, 1806, and married Robert Justus; Thomas W., born March 12, 1809, and married Lovisa Pittser; Macajah, born July 24, 1811; John T,, born September 30, 1813, and Hiram C., born May 16, 1815, and married Rebecca Black. The latter now resides on the homestead, where all the children were born and reared. The parents died, the father June 25, 1839, and the mother February 16, 1854, and were buried at Williamsburg.

Mr. Leonard was a Pennsylvanian by birth, and was married to Elizabeth Anderson. Their children were John, who was twice married - first, to Margaret Smith, and second, to Mrs. Sarah Smallwood, a widow; Elizabeth, who married Andrew Smith; Hannah, Casey, Aaron, Levi, George and Ellen. Hannah married Jacob Mason, of Williamsburg; Casey married Frances Holeman; Aaron married Elizabeth Perrine; Levi married Mary A. Hickey, of Clermont County, and died on the homestead December 14, 1872, in the sixtysixth year of his age; George married Mary Amos, of Cincinnati, and Ellen married John Shotwell. The last two are the only survivors of the immediate family. * oner. His death occurred January 9, 1844, aged eighty-four years, nine months and twenty -four days, and that of his wife July 11, 1834, in her sixtyfirst year. John Leonard served in the war of 1812.

In 1799 or 1800, George Earhart, a German, settled on land in the southern part of the township, south of the tract purchased by John Anderson. He, with his family, came from Pennsylvania, and landed with the Days at Columbia, and thence removed, as stated above, to the vicinity of the Andersons. His wife was Elizabeth Eanchon. The oldest son, John Earhart, stopped at Williamsburg, where he remained as a permanent settler, and proved himself a great addition to the settlement, as he became the plow-maker of the neighborhood. His skill in making wooden mold-boards was very great, and his work was in good demand. - He was also a cooper and a handy and useful man generally. His sons - John, George and Samuel - became wellknown citizens.

In the latter part of the eighteenth century, the Boyd family emigrated from Ireland and settled in Bucks County. Penn., but not content there, soon removed to land adjoining the city of Lexington, Ky. The parents were John and Mary. Samuel, a son, was married while in Pennsylvania to Abigail Stewart, and with a family of nine children, emigrated from his Kentucky home, in March, 1804, and settled in Survey No. 3,622. He had two years previously been here and made a purchase of 400 acres of land in the southern part of the survey named, of Archibald Mcllvain. The sons and daughters were John, William, Robert, Samuel, James, Jane, Martha, Mary, Elizabeth and Nancy, of whom Jane was born on the Ohio River while en route to Kentucky, and James, the youngest, was born here; all the others were born in Kentucky. The father was a resident of the township until his death, which occurred suddenly by apoplexy, while in Clermont County, in May, 1825. He was identified with the Presbyterian Church at the neighboring village of Williamsburg. The daughter Jane was married to James McGavi, John to Shelamith Reece, William to Eliza Anderson (Robert died young), Martha to Ephraim McAdams, of Clermont County, whose family were very early settlers at Williamsburg. Mary was married three times , first, to John Hays; second, to Jacob Willis, and third, to William Cobb; Samuel to Margaret Everhart, Elizabeth to James McAdams (Nancy died single), and James was twice married; first, to Serena South, and second to Sarah McDonald, and is the only survivor of the Boyd family. He resides on the homestead, where nearly three-quarters of a century have been passed, and about which cluster the recollections of nearly as many years. William and John Boyd were both in the war of 1812; the latter served as a Lieutenant.

The Waits brothers, James and Charles, emigrating from the Redstone country in Pennsylvania, settled in Kentucky, on the North Fork of the Licking River, in the spring of 1794, and in 1802, removed to Ohio and made permanent settlements on Four Mile Creek, in the western part of Sterling, near what is now the Clermont County line. James farmed his land until about the year 1838, when he sold it to Ira Willey and passed the remainder of his life with his son Jacob, who resided near the center of the township. Other sons and daughters of James Waits were Jghn, Charles. Peter, William, David, Richard, James and Nancy (twins), Sarah, Christina and Elizabeth. The father died March 2, 1855, aged ninety-five years, and the mother July 14, 1856, aged ninety-four years. Charles was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and for services rendered drew a pension from the Government. Three of the sons, Charles, Peter and John were in the war of 18.12; two of them, Charles and Peter, were members of Capt. Jacob Boerstlor's company of riflemen, which was organized at Williamsburg, and it was in tho service from April 24, 1812, to October 24, 1812. It was engaged at the battle of Brownstown, where four of its men, including the Captain, were killed, August 4, 1812, and another died afterward of wounds received in the same engagement.

Of the two brothers who settled on Four Mile Creek, Charles raised quite a family in that vicinity, and there lived and died. He, too, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war.

Hillery B. Walker and Adam Snell, of Pennsylvania, emigrated to this State together in 1806, and effected settlements in the northwestern part of the township. Mr. Walker was a native of the State from whence he emigrated, born March 25, 1782, and his wife Elizabeth was born May 1, 1789. They died February 21, 1845, and May 25, 1844, respectively. Their family consisted of the following-named sons and daughters: John, Adam S., George, Michael, Thomas, Lurinda J., William, Susan, Ruth, Hillery B., Hillery J., Eliza E., Washington, Matilda, Hannah' and Cyrus G. Mr. SnelPs children were Michael, Daniel, Hannah, Rachel, Susan, Matilda, Polly and Elizabeth.

Thomas Ross, with family, settled on the William Buford Survey, No. 4789, located near the center of the township, in 1814. He was a native of Washington County, Penn., born in 1789. His parents were Ignatius and Mary (Jennings) Ross, who were among the earliest emigrants at Columbia, arriving in 1791. Ignatius died there in 1827. Mr. Ross was unfortunate in purchasing his land in this township, from the fact that he had to pay for it the second time. While at Columbia, he married Alary Dobbins, of Virginia, and there were born to them Mary, Albert, Eveline, Thomas, Malinda, Rhoda and two others who died young. He lived here until his death, which occurred February 14, 1861. He was one of the first settlers of the township, and for a term of years served as a Justice of the Peace, and in 1842-43 he was a Representative in the State Legislature. His wife died February 12, 1854.

These were the bulk of the pioneers of Sterling. The elevated and broken tracts of land lying adjacent to the East Fork of the Little Miami River k and its larger tributaries were early taken up and occupied by the numerous home-seekers, who were continually landing at Columbia during the last decade of the past century. The old town of Williamsburg, laid out in 1795-96, with [ its mill a year later, was the center of attraction, and ere many years the choice land was gone, and arriving emigrants turned their course in other directions. The dreary and altogether uninviting aspect of much of the low, swampy land of what is now this township greatly impeded rapid settlement. i The pioneers just named, with their families, the sons and daughters marrying and settling around them, improved and lived upon the land of the township best located then to suit their wants, and slow immigration followed. The | major portion of the township was not settled and the lands improved until a late period in the history of Brown County. It will be noticed in the original en tries that some of the land was not surveyed until 1837. An idea of the con- j

Sterling was organized as a civil township from Perry and Pike Townships December 7, 1824. Its boundary lines were then described as follows: Beginning at the southwest corner of Highland County, running from thence west to the Brown County line; thence north with the same to where it crosses the East Fork; thence east to the Highland County line, and thence with the same to the beginning. It included what are now the townships of Sterling and Green. This territory was equally divided by the County Commissioners December 2, 1884, on the formation of Green Township, from the east half.

We are only able to give in the following a partial list of the names of those persons who served as Justices of the Peace of the township prior to 1854, and this from tradition:

John Boyd and Charles Waits were the first Justices of the Peace after the organization of Sterling. Each served for a period of nine years at least. John Leonard, Titus Hair and William Weeks wpre later Justices. Archibald McLain was first commissioned Justice of the Peace in 1836. From 1854', the names and dates of commissions are given from record:

Pbopebty-Holdebs In 1838

^ The following list contains the names of those who held property in Sterling Township in 1838, together with the amount of land and the number of survey in which located:

Churches And Graveyards

The pioneer families of Sterling were Methodists and Presbyterians, and attended the societies of these denominations at Clover and Williamsburg, situated only a few miles from the main settlement, but in Clermont County. It may not be thought out of place to refer briefly to the early history of these societies, inasmuch as they were the pioneer church organizations for miles around, and families from this township constituted a part of the membership. From the history of Williamsburg Township, Clermont County, under the head of Clover Chapel of the Methodist Episcopal Church, is taken the following: "On the 29th of August, 1804, William Winters and Peter Light executed a deed for a lot for church purposes at Clover, to Amos Smith, Joshua Lambert, William Smith, Moses Rumsey, Ephraim Duke, Samuel Nelson, Samuel Nutt, Augustus Clark and Thomas Lemon as Trustees. These began a hewed- log house in the course of a few years, which was never wholly finished, yet preaching was held there several years, and ever since 1804, Methodist preaching has been maintained with more or less regularity in the Clover neighborhood." Among the early members of this society were the Days, Andersons, Trouts and Earharts. The first class leader was Amos Smith. The church then was on the White Oak and Moscow Circuit.

About the year 1813, prayer- meetings were inaugurated at the house of Absalom Day, and occasionally held there, and several years later a church organization was effected, it being the result of the outgrowth of a camp-meeting which had been in progress in the vicinity of Batavia, conducted by the Rev. John Collins. Some of the members of this society were the Days, Smiths, Charles Waits, Jr., and the Earharts. Andrew Smith was one of the class leaders.

The McLains and Boyds were members of the Presbyterian Church at Williamsburg, which was organized by the Rev. Dr. Hoge in the year 1808, and held meetings in the court house for more than twenty years, under the pastorate of Rev. R. B. Dobbins, who continued in charge until 1833. Their first church building was erected in 1830. Archibald McLain was one of the original members of this church and one of its first Elders, in which office he continued forty- seven years.

Salem Methodist Episcopal Church. - A church organization of Methodists existed for some years, beginning in about 1834, in the southern part of the township, where services were held in a schoolhouse on the farm of Archibald McLain, composed of tne families of that persuasion in that vicinity. After a few years, the organization weakened, and finally " went out." It was, however, revived and meetings were held along from time to time until in 1854, when the society had recruited its membership and gained sufficient strength to erect a house of worship. Among the members at this period were John Newberry and wife, Mother Anderson, Thomas Anderson and wife, Archibald McLain and wife, James Long and wife, Ezra Willey and wife, Edward Collins and wife, John H. Daughterty and wife and Mrs. Overton. A halfacre of ground was donated by T. W. Anderson for the purpose of erecting a church thereon. The pastor of the church was Rev. Andrew Murphy, who appointed the following-named men as Trustees: A. McLain, J. R. Long, John Newberry, John H. Daugherty and Ezra Willey. In August, the Trustees contracted with C. L. Rilley to build a meeting-house, for which they were to pay him $550. The one-story frame building now standing there is the one then built. This appointment was in 1854, a part of the Williamsburg Circuit, and the Rev. Levi Thomas was the colleague of Mr. Murphy on the circuit. It is now attached to Williamsburg, and the pastor is Rev. Mr. Moler.

Burdsall Chapel is the name of a Methodist Episcopal Church located in the northern part of the township. The society was organized in what was known as the Morgan Schoolhouse in that vicinity, in November, 1843, with a membership of eleven, among whom were Charles Brown and sister Rebecca, A. E. Adams, L. D. Simonton and wife Maria, Samuel Simonton and wife Elizabeth. Other members of about that period were Rarrack Butt and wife Harriet, Harriet Stroub, John Shannon and wife Margaret and Thomas Shannon. It was made a part of Batavia Circuit, of which the ministers in charge were Revs. John W. Clark and William I. Fee, the latter of whom preached the first sermon to the class in the schoolhouse. Services were held in the Morgan Schoolhouse, at the residence of Charles Brown and at another schoolhouse in the neighborhood until the building of the present neat one-story brick edifice in 1854. The lot, one acre, upon which the building stands, was given to the society by Timothy Kirby, of Cincinnati. Not long after the church was organized, Edward Burdsall and family united with the little band, and the former became a zealous and hard-working member, active to the interests and prosperity of the church; he gave liberally in work and money, and was a leading factor in the construction of the edifice, from which fact the church was called Burdsall Chapel. The dedicatory sermon was preached in the summer of 1855 by Rev. W. E. Hines. The ministers in charge of Batavia Circuit from 1844 to 1852, are as follows: 1844, Revs. John W. Clark, O. P. Williams; 1845, Revs. Barton Lowe, Thomas K. Coleman; 1846, Revs. Barton Lowe, Andrew J. McLaughlin; 1847, Revs. H. Wharton, Enoch West; 1848- 49, Rev. L. D. Harlan; 1850, Revs. David Whitman, John W. Ross; 1851, Revs. Levi P. Miller, G. C. Townsley. In September, 1851. or the year following, Williamsburg Circuit was formed, and Burdsall's Chapel became a part thereof, and the ministers in charge, from 1851 for some years, were as follows: Rev. L. P. Miller, Rev B. P. Wheat; Revs. A. Murphy, John Smith; Revs. A Murphy, Levi Thomas; Revs. W. E. Hines, James H. Middleton; Revs. W E. Hines. E. P. James; Revs. E. C. Merrick, James Kendall; Revs.

M. P. Zink, S. G. Griffith; Revs. W. E. Hines, S. G. Griffith; Revs. W. E. Hines, N. Green. In the absence of records, we cannot give the date that this appointment was made a part of the Marathon Circuit, to which it now belongs. Rev. William Jackson is now in charge. Present membership, between eighty and one hundred.

Five-Mile Christian Church. - This church, situated in the northeastern part of the township, on Five-Mile Creek, was organized in that vicinity by the Rev. Alexander McLain in 1842. The original membership consisted of Jacob Hair and wife Elizabeth, and two daughters, Savilla and Letta A. Hair. The Hair residence was the preaching place of this society for some years, when a hewed-log house was erected for a place of worship, which stood on the site of the present church. One half acre of ground was given for church and burial purposes by A. Hair, anc^ later one acre was purchased of Thomas Sheldon and added to the graveyard. The following in the order given have served the charge: Revs. Aexander McLain, John McMillen, Alexander Thompson, George Mefford, William Pangburn, John Sheldon, - Rapp, Rufus McDaniel, George C. Hill, and Lewis Shinkle, the present incumbent. The present edifice, a on^-story brick, with belfry and boll, was erected in 1870 and 1871, and dedicated on the fourth Sunday of June, in the latter year, by the Rev. Namon Dawson. The membership is now about one hundred and forty. Interments were made in the graveyard about the date of the building of the log church.

Bloom Rose United Brethren Church. - -Situated nor tlrwest of the center of the township, on Five-Mile Creek, was organized about the year 1845. Among the original members were Zelinda Brown, Reuben Harbaugh, Joseph Brown, Theophilus Simonton, Roliu Ireton, Nancy Simonton, Thomas Stewart, Nancy Stewart and Archibald and Maria Bracelin. The first pastor of the church was Rev. Mr. Heindricks. A neighboring schoolhouse answered as a place of worship until 1849, when, under the pastorate of Rev. John Walters, a small frame building was erected, which is yet used by this denomination. The lot was deeded by Joseph Brown to Thomas Prall, Archibald Bracelin and Theophilus Simonton, Trustees of the church, for burial and church purposes, dated February 2, 1849. Revs. McNeil, Cooper and Henry Tobey were among the first pastors of the church. February 20, 1856, Joseph Brown, in consid- i eration of $72.93. deeded to Edmund Burdsall, John J unkins, Joseph Brown , and Robert Forkor, Trustees of the graveyard, about two acres of ground, which was added to that of the church. Burials were here made as early as i 1845, the first interment being that of Joseph, son of Joseph and Zelinda [ Brown, who died July 9, 1845. The congregation are now erecting a neat one- j story brick building, which will be completed yet this fall, at a cost of about j j $2,500. The membership is about sixty, and the pastor of the church Rev. j! W. R. Houlston.

Taylor Chapel. - A Methodist Episcopal Church, located in the center of the township, dates from the spring of 1874, when organized in the Ross || Schoolhouse. The following summer, the congregation built a frame structure j | of medium size, in which they continue to worship. The constituent members, in 1874, were as follows: J. R. Long, John Hill and wife, E. C. Hill, :'i George Hatton and wife, Susan Hill, Henry Runyan, G. P. Bishop and wife i| Elizabeth, Mary J. ConkJin, Margaret Wedmeyer, Lucinda Wedmeyer, Barbara h Ogden, Jane Bishop, Dora Ross, Enoch Simpkins, Ichabod Bishop, Alfred Bishop, Mary J. Bishop, W. Parcust, E. Wedmeyer, Kate Bishop, Barbara Hesler, Margaret E. Meyers, Olie Runyan, Bell Meyers, Nancy Stephens and Mary E. Waits. The ground upon which the church is built was donated by James Taylor. The edifice was dedicated in December, 1874; sermon by Rev.

Granville Moody. This appointment belongs to Marathon Circuit, and has a membership of twenty-seven. The ministers in charge have been Revs. William McMullen, Peter Wells, E. P. James, W. J. Baker, and William Jackson, present incumbent.

The graveyard across from the church had its origin in a small strip of ground appropriated by Thomas Ross for burial purposes. Some years later, to this was added about two acres given by James Taylor. Interments were made in this burial-ground as early as 1840.

Todd's Run Baptist Church (Colored). - Was organized by Elder Riley April 29, 1870, with twenty members, among whom were R. Willis and wife, H. Williams and wife, J. Cope and wife. They have erected a neat frame church building in the southern part of the township, which was dedicated August 20, 1882. Present membership, thirty-nine. Present pastor, Elder George Davis.

In the absence of records, but a few fragments of school history can be given. The names of most of the early teachers have passed out of recollection, and only a few can be recalled. As early as 1814, there stood on the Samuel Boyd farm, in the southwestern part of what has since become Sterling Township, of Brown County, located about where now stands the blacksmith shop of George Bishop, a schoolhouse, in which school was taught by Leonard Raper, who was one of the earliest settlers in the Concord neighborhood, Clermont County, and one of the first teachers. Mr. Raper served as a soldier in the British Army during the Revolutionary war, and was among the men surrendered by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown He was the father of the distinguished Methodist divine, Rev. William H. Raper. He was a man of good qualities, and is remembered as a worthy and beloved instructor of the pioneer youth. He died March 18, 1838. Of the pupils of Mr. Leonard, Archibald McLain and James Boyd are still living, and in the immediate vicinity of the old schoolhouse. Moses Warden was Leonard's successor. He was a saddler by trade, and a Methodist local preacher; was one of the earliest citizens of Bethel, near which place he died in 1859. A Mr. Free and Amos Danberry were later teachers in the same house. About the year 1824 or 1825, Archibald McLain assisted in building a schoolhouse that stood a little northwest of the one just mentioned, where Polick's residence now is. Among the masters of this house were R. McLaughlin, Matthew Smith and A. McLain. In six or eight years, another schoolhouse of this neighborhood was builtsa little south of the present residence of Archibald McLain. One McCollough and A. Mc- Lain taught in this house. About the same time, another schoolhouse was erected, on the Hillsboro road, a little northeast of De La Palma. In 1835, Archibald McLain was the teacher here, and prior to this date James Lucas. In 1837-38, Mr. McLain taught in a schoolhouse on Five-Mile Creek, near the graveyard at the United Brethren Church.

In the Day neighborhood, as early as 1808 or 1809, a schoolhouse stood, in Clermont County, just across what is now the Brown County line. H. B. Walker was at this time the teacher. In the northern part of the township there was standing a schoolhouse in which school was kept in 1825 by John Skinner. Subsequent instructors were Charles McManaman and David Waits.

Under the old school law, a number of districts were formed and in each one a Comfortable but rather rude house provided, but no statistics of value appear. There are now (1882) seven school districts in the township, with eight substantial schoolhouses, in which school is taught on an average of eight months in the year. The amount paid teachers within the year closing August 31, 1881, was $2,068.42. Total expenditure for school purposes, $2,555.07.

Balance on hand, $1,378.27. The value of the school property is $5,000. Ten gentlemen teachers were employed in 1881, and paid on an average of $32 per month; the total number of pupils enrolled for the same year was 422; average daily attendance, 343, 94 of whom were studying the alphabet; 376 reading; 397 spelling; 350 writing; 274 arithmetic; 99 geography; 65 English grammar; 20 oral lessons; 10 composition and 2 drawing. There are 26 colored pupils enrolled in the township, taught by a colored teacher.

Post Offices

Sterling has no villages, yet there are in several places clusters of houses that might be termed hamlets, at some of which post offices have been established, namely: .

De La Palma, established in 1852, with William Weeks, Postmaster. The office has since been filled with the following named: Swift Conner, Wesley Leonard, W. E. Conover, John W. Curry and Mrs. Margaret Malott. It is located in the western part of the township.

Eastwood is the name of the post office at Salem Station, on the Cincinnati & Eastern Railroad, located in the southern part of the township. It was established March 8, 1878, with George W. Smith as Postmaster, who is still in office.

The third post office is at Crosstown, in the western part of the township, near the line separating Brown and Clermont Counties. The office was established June 23, 1881, with W. N. Stewart as Postmaster.

The manufacturing interests of Sterling have been very meager indeed, which fact is due to the closeness to the old town of Williamsburg and the East Fork of the Little Miami River, which at an early day afforded excellent water-power.

Williamsburg was an early manufacturing town, and had in operation a grist-mill as early as 1798, if not prior to that date, as Gen. William Lytle, the proprietor of the town, in connection with Gen. Taylor, in July, 1797, employed Peter Wilson, of Kentucky, to come to the newly laid out town to build a small grist-mill. Not long after 1800, Gen. Lytle constructed the present mill there, which afforded all the conveniences of a good mill for the people living far and near. In 1802, a tannery was operated by Nicholas Sinks, and these, with later industries at that point, answered the wants of the early settlers of Sterling, and prevented a great demand for such at home.

About the year 1851, Archibald McLain and Curtis Wilson erected a sawmill, with water-power, on Todd's Run. At the same time, another such mill was built on the same branch, but farther up, by Hiram Anderson and John Smallwood. Neither of them, however, were operated very long, owing to the difficulty in keeping up the dam; it would wash out at each freshet.

In 1870, Stephen Waits built a saw-mill on Crane Run, which was destroyed by fire on the night of the 16th of August, 1871. Mr. Waits rebuilt the mill that fall, and connected with it grist machinery, which was used for grinding corn, but not for making flour.

In 1866, John Irwin built a chair factory on Five Mile Creek, near the United Brethren Church, where he was engaged in making all kinds of sitting chairs until his death, which occurred May 1, 1882