Butler County, Ohio - The whole text, 1882 (part 34 of 39)

Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 47, was chartered June 10, 1871. The charter members were W. H. Harris, A. J. Morton, W. L. Lane, Joseph and David Keck, R. G. and William Kendall, and George Morton. This society is a branch of the Somerville Lodge. There are now thirty-two members. The hall where the society meets was built for a select school, and was owned in shares, which were bought at a small figure from the stockholders. A. J. Norton was the first N. G.; W. H. Harris, the first vice-grand.

Old Mr. Cooley settled in the lower end of Darrtown in 1815. He was from Kentucky ; his family consisted of but himself and wife. The same year he built the stone house now occupied by Mr. Wagonfeed. Conrad Darr, in 1815, began a tanyard, carried on for seventeen years, in the upper end of the village. He was followed by his son Hiram, who continued in the business of his father for nine years, and also carried on boot and shoe making, on a small scale, for fifty years.

Enos Campbell, a soldier of the Revolution from Pennsylvania, came to Darrtown about 1810, and _remained for ten years. David Rattery, a Scotchman, came to the village in 1825, and left in 1835. Samuel Finch, from Massachusetts, was a settler in Darrtown before 1818; he remained four years.

At an early day two flat-boats were built at Broadberry's mill on Four-Mile, by Jacob Ogle and the proprietor of the milling establishment. When the creek rose, on account of a freshet, the boats were floated to Hamilton empty, and loaded there for New Orleans.

James Anderson came from Pennsylvania to Darrtown in 1817; built the house now occupied by John Graw, and close by opened a still-house, in 1820. He remained for ten or twelve years, and died afterward in Oxford Township.:

Somerville was laid out by Jacob F. Rowe, October 7, 1831. John and Marsh Williams, from New England, were the first village store-keepers, in a log house in the southern part of the town. John removed to the West, where he died. Marsh, after several years in the village, opened another store half a mile west, where his son Benjamin now lives. The Williamses came to this township in 18038, the saw-mill, and run it for some time. Ford Huff was a store-keeper for ten or twelve years. He also engaged in cutting pork for two seasons. Benjamin Myers, now of Camden, Ohio, was a Somerville store-keeper in 1840, under the old Odd Fellows' hall. He sold out to David Davis, who cut pork and shipped it to Cincinnati on the canal from Hamilton. Davis is now in Louisville, Kentucky. Edward Ogle was also a pork merchant, but failed, removing to Ilinois. One of the old pork-houses stood on the west side of the old cemetery, and was forty by fifty feet, one-story and cellar. Ogle and Fox did their packing in a hewed-log house, built in 1887 or 1838 by Samuel Ellsworth for a pottery. It stood opposite the Methodist Church. At the time the pottery was built Ellsworth was keeping tavern in Somerville.

William Morey, father of Lee and Ellwood Morey, was a hatter in the village in 1827, one door above where John Young's drug-store is. He was followed by others, the last of whom was James Craig. C. H. Newton began as an apprentice in April, 1832, and served four and a half years. He is now the only man living in the corporation who was here in 1882.

The Somerville mill originally stood above the depot, and was an old establishment in 1832 - a frame building. It was run by the Joneses, who were Quakers. A sawmill stood a short distance above, which was torn down about ten years ago. Jones sold to Jacob I. Rowe in 1839, removing to Michigan. John Irwin became the next owner, from Pennsylvania. Since this time there have been a number of owners, among whom were Benjamin Fox, William Fox, and James Young. 'The present owner is John Muff, who bought the property of the John Antrim estate in 1879.

Solomon White was the first tavern-keeper in Somerville; he was in a frame house opposite the Odd Fellows' 'hall in 1827. By trade White was a carpenter; he also carried on a blacksmith shop in the village in 1832.

Jacob Andrews had a tavern in the village in an early day, on the south-east corner of the depot and Main Street. He was followed by David Miller. L. J. Saucer followed Ellsworth, and David Holmes succeeded Saucer.

The Somerville Presbyterian Church is a branch of the Seven-Mile Presbyterian Church at Collinsville, which was organized in 1810. The first pastor was the Rey. M. G. Wallace, who served the Church from 1810 to 1820. The Rey. James Hughes then supplied the Church for one year. He was followed by Francis Monfort for ten years. The congregation was then supplied for a short time by the Rev. William B. Smith, and in the Fall of 1834 the Rey. Thomas Edgar Hughes became stated supply. The church was erected during the same year. Here the people assembled regularly, still under the control of the Seven-Mile Church. In 1843 the Oxford Presbytery appointed elders for the Church. After the organization the Rey. Mr. Hughes continued to supply the two Churches until his death in January, 1864. Over two hundred persons united with the Church during his ministry. In 1864 Rey. James _ W. McClusky entered upon the pastorate, which continued for eighteen years. In the year 1874 the old house was declared unsafe, and in the month of December of the same year a new house, which cost about $5,000, was dedicated free of debt. In 1875 seventy-six members were added to the Church register. The ruling elders have been Daniel Carson, Caleb Baker, Jonathan Crowley, Benjamin Bourne, John Beaty, Howard Young, A. P. Young, Jacob Earhart, James R. H. Bernard, William Crume, Mahlon D. Hinsey, and G. F. Cook. Some of these have rested from their labors and entered upon their reward.

For the first school-house Somerville had a building which stood on the Jacksonburg road, on the bank of Pott's Run, in the field now owned by John Young, five rods from the road. William Mack was one of the early teachers. The second school building stood in town; so also does the third.

In August, 1861, Somerville was overflowed by Seven- Mile, and considerable damage done to property. Stock was scattered and fences were displaced beyond recognizance.

Dr. Williams, here in' 1825, was the first resident physician in Somerville. He remained about eight years. Dr. Waugh, from Maryland, came here in 1828, and remained three years. He married while here. Dr. Adams, a New York unmarried man, was with the people for four or five years. He went from Somerville, married, to Eastern Ohio. Dr. Mendenhall succeeded Dr. Adams, who was also his pupil. He was a resident physician at two different periods.

Dr. Easton came here in 1840 from near Cincinnati, and in 1847 went to Evansville, Indiana, where he died. The other physicians have been Dr. Creighton, from Dayton, Ohio, here about five years; Dr. Simpson, Dr. Miller, Dr. Brown, Dr. Cook, and Dr. Carey. Dr. Alexander, from near Camden, practiced here more than a quarter of a century ago, and was the first resident botanical physician in Somerville. Dr. Ferguson was another of the physicians here for three or four years. Dr. Hair was also a citizen at the same time. Dr. Brown was the first physician in this section of country, and was here three-quarters of a century ago. _ His home was in Preble County, two and a half miles north-west of Somerville.

The Free-will Baptist Church was organized in 1835 or 1836. This building was erected with the understanding that all religious denominations should use it if desired. Thomas Murray, Cephas Blossom, and Mr. Foreman were the trustees on the part of the Church. John Clark, Dr. Eastman, and Harrison Perham were the trustees on the side of the people. The house was a frame, and stood on the east side of Mound Street, a few feet from the first alley. Jacob Rowe and wife deeded the land - about one-eighth of an acre - for church purposes. Alexander Keller now occupies the house as a dwelling, two and a half miles west of the town. The Rey. Benjamin Skinner was the organizer of the Church, and afterwards served the people for ten or twelve years.

Odd Fellows' Lodge, No. 54, Invincible, was organized in December, 1845. The charter members were John Woodside, Henry Dove, Daniel Boyer, J. Westerman, Jr., William Newton, Miles Minges, and Abram Clark. The first meetings were held in the third story -of a house built by Mr. Nye, of Cincinnati, who came here and built a store in 1838. The third story was added by Ford Huff, to whom he sold out. membership numbers about forty-five. Huff's room was used for three or four years. A room was then leased of Benjamin Myers and occupied for twenty years. The present hall was built in 1850, costing $2,500, and occupies the site of the first place of meeting.

In 1832 Jacob F. Rowe and Benjamin Bourne donated about one acre of land to the Presbyterian Church for burial purposes. The first person buried in it was John, son of Daniel and Anda Perry, who died April 26, 1852; aged nine years, ten months and fourteen days. The leading burying-ground for the early settlers was in Preble County, just over the line.

In December, 1875, the Collinsville cemetery was enlarged at a cost of $2,125, for seven acres, after a great deal of vexatious bargaining. The 'same month and year the Somerville ground, four and four-fifths acres, was enlarged at a cost of $970. And in August, 1876, the Darrtown ground was likewise enlarged by the township buying three acres at a cost of $1,000.

In 1850, three miles west of Somerville, John Wright, a millwright, who worked for Ezra Bell, erected the mill that is seen standing idle in the southern part of the town, for want of capital and work. The original structure cost $2,200. Six years thereafter the establishment was removed to the village. A small grinding establishment was added. Every thing is now in a dilapidated condition. As far back as 1828 Mr. Rouse, of New Jersey, began to tan on Marcy's Run of Seven-Mile. He continued for ten years. John Airy opened a tanyard in Somerville, opposite the present post-office, in 1832 or 1833, which has continued to run with many changes in proprietorship, for forty years. Robert Young had a still-house one mile south on a branch of Seven- Mile, at an early day.

Cornelius Hinsey came with his brother William and Archibald Armstrong, from Delaware, in 1802, and entered Section 9, which was afterward divided among themselves. As early as 1810 the former of these men opened a still-house, which he carried on for twenty years. The distillery was on Hinsey's branch of Seven- Mile. David Unsicker had a distillery on Section 9 whisky-making establishment in 1825, on the farm now The water was pumped by a big dog, and the corn ground by horse-power. Moses Campbell also had a still-house on Section 16, but it was not very important; it was known as a '' family concern." Samuel Young had another on Section 10 (which he partly entered) at an early day. Christopher Augspurger had a similar one in 1824, about three rods from his house. He was followed by his son-in-law, Joseph Kinsinger, who carried on the business extensively. His corn was ground by cattle.

Somerville was incorporated in 1832. Thomas Martin was the first mayor, and Benjamin Hubbard, now a lawyer of Eaton, seventy-two years old, the first clerk and recorder. Among the other mayors were Ebenezer Blossom, R. L. Gard, Henry Dove, J. P. Randall, who served four terms, Daniel Peters, W. R. Woodside, Cornelius Conaroe, and M. W. DeCamp, the present officer, who has held the office for ten or twelve years. Council meets in the town hall, erected in 1863 or 1864, and cost, including the lot, $850. Erastus and Joseph Marcy were the contractors.

Martin Bailor was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, March 18, 1826, and came to this county with his parents, George and Sophronia Bailor, in May, 1831. He was married November 16, 1880, at Hamilton, to Elizabeth Simmons, daughter of Thomas and Nancy Simmons. She was born in Butler County, February 1, 1832. Her parents were among the early settlers of Milford Township. Mr. Bailor is a retired farmer, owning three farms.

Hezekiah Bradbury was born in Butler County, April 22, 1809. His parents came to this county in 18065. The grandfather was from England, settling in New England, in a wild portion. In one of the forays of the Indians all his buildings were burnt. Three of the family were in the War of 1812 - James Bradbury, Simon Bradbury, and an uncle, and Dr. Patterson Thayer, his wife's father, died in the army. Hezekiah Bradbury was married on the 22d of April, 1837, to Maria Thayer, daughter of Patterson Thayer, M. D., and Anna Beatty More, who came to this county in 1816. Mrs. Bradbury was born September 13, 1816, in Pennsylvania. They have had five children. John W. Bradbury was born in 1838; Nancy Eleanor Bradbury, July 18, 1841; James K. Bradbury, June 4, 1844; Elizabeth Bradbury, June 4, 1844, a twin with the preceding, and Anna M. Bradbury, April 16, 1851. Elizabeth died February 18, 1863. Each of the children have been given six thousand dollars apiece. Mr. Bradbury moved where he now lives in 1846.

Zebedee Brown was born in Virginia, January 23, 1808, being brought hither in 1811 by his parents, Benjamin and Phebe Brown. Mr. Benjamin Brown settled close to the Fair-Play Mills, then taking a lease on some land at Black Bottom. He stayed there seven years, and then moved on what is called the Springdale Pike, on the Enoch Chambers farm. On this he lived two years, then buying seventy acres of ground, now owned by Mr. Springer. He died of the cholera in 1838, his wife surviving, and living to the great age of eighty-eight. Zebedee Brown was married to Margaret Vinnedge, daughter of David and Elizabeth Vinnedge, August 11, 1833. His wife was born in this county April 5, 1815. They had nine children. David V. Brown was born June 23, 1834; Mary Teigue, August 16, 1836; Catherine Scott, May 31, 1838; Benjamin Brown, June 22, 1840; Wilkinson Brown, September 9, 1842; William Brown, March 24, 1844; Jeremiah Brown, August 24, 1847; Sarah E. Bradbury, November 24, 1849, and James R. Brown, September 24, 1856. Upon Mrs. Brown's death he married Rebecca Spivey, daughter of James C. Spivey and Catherine Spivey, who was born in this county in 1827. She has had two children, Charles and Russell. The former was born January 29, 1868, and the latter, May 11, 1870. was in the late war.

James Brown, now a resident and practicing attorney of the city of Mankato, Minnesota, was born in Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio, on the 14th of March, 1821. His parents emigrated from near Belfast, Ireland, to America in 1810, and on their arrival at Cincinnati his father purchased of Martin Baum a quarter section of land one mile south of the present village of Collinsville, and in June, 1810, the family settled in their new home, in the midst of an almost unbroken forest. The family, at that time, consisted of the father and mother and their three daughters. His mother's maiden name was Mary MecMechan. She had four brothers who came to America. One was the Rey. James McMechan, of Hamilton, Ohio, the father of Mrs. Jane H. Corwin and Mrs. Ellen A. Smith. Another was Col. David McMechan, and the others were John and William MeMechan.

The first duty of the settler in thé wilderness was to provide a rude log cabin for his family, and this was quickly done. In those days the pioneer settlements were few and far between. Robert Lytle, afterward one of the associate judges of the county, Matthew Richardson, who was one of the county commissioners in 1805-6; Jesse Simpson, and the Scott brothers, James, Robert, and John, were the nearest neighbors of the new settlers.

Amidst this frontier life the boy was reared. At the age of six years he was sent to the district school, then taught by an Irish teacher, William Hewett. The discipline of the school was severe, and the use of the rod of daily occurrence. The building in which the school was taught bore but a faint resemblance to the modern school-house. It was a log cabin about twenty feet square, covered with clapboards and weight-poles. Stoves were not in use, and the room was heated by a huge fire-place in the middle of the house. On three sides a log had been removed and glass substituted, and by this means the room was lighted and ventilated. The seats were of slabs from the nearest saw-mill; and the writing-desks were simply boards, placed along three sides of the building, resting on long pins set in the wall. The course of instruction was about as imperfect as the house. It consisted of spelling, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Geography and grammar were not much thought of. The reading books were the New Testament and a few copies of the Introduction to the English Reader. At the end of each week the master assigned to each scholar a '' task" for the This consisted, in most cases, in memorizing a certain number of questions from the Shorter Catechism of the Presbyterian Church. And as the Presbyterian Church or meeting-house, as it was called, stood only a few rods from the school-house, the pupils from the school were, on the fast days which preceded the communion, marched in a body, under the leadership of the master, to the meeting-house to hear a long sermon from the minister. by subscription, and a dollar and a quarter per scholar, for a term of three months, was the customary rate.

In October, 1840, he obtained admission as a student in Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, graduating in the class of 1845. His college education, however, like that of so many other young men, was obtained only by the greatest self-denial on his part, owing to his poverty. On more than one occasion he was compelled to leave his place before the close of the college year, that he might be able to teach a term of school to raise the necessary means for the ensuing year. One such term he taught in the Summer of 1844 for fourteen dollars per month, boarding himself. Having, while still at the university, chosen the legal profession as the one he desired to follow, he devoted ali his spare time in the senior year to the study of Kent's Commentaries, Walker's Introduction, and other elementary text-books.

On leaving college he entered the law office of O. S. Witherby, of Hamilton. He remained as a law student in the office of Mr. Witherby about six months, supporting himself, meantime, by writing in the office of Captain James George, then recorder of deeds of Butler County, and lately an attorney-at-law of Rochester, Minnesota, whose death occurred very recently. On the 26th of March, 1846, he was admitted to practice before the circuit court of Union County, Indiana, his law license being signed by J. T. Elliott and Jeremiah Smith.

After visiting many places, recommended as suitable for a young lawyer, he finally selected Winchester, Indiana, as a location. On the 26th of May, 1846, he took leave of his early. home and youthful compan- His outfit of books was exceedingly meager, consisting of Blackstone, Chitty's Pleadings, and Swan's Treatise; these, with a Bible, the gift of a mother's love, and a copy of Rollin's Ancient History, made up his whole stock of books. With this library, thirty dollars in his pocket, and a single suit of clothes, the young lawyer settled in his new home. It is needless to recount the embarrassments that met the young attorney, for they were infinite. But his resolution was superior to all discouragements. Applying himself diligently to his profession, he soon began to attract friends and business. On the 14th of September, 1846, he married Miss Caroline Irwin, eldest daughter of the Rey. Robert Irwin, of Muncie, Indiana, a lady of accomplished manners and excellent education. She was a granddaughter of Mr. Robert Irwin, who moved from Woodford County, Kentucky, to Butler County in 1809, and settled in Hanover Township, on the farm afterward known as the Col. Robinson farm.

took their place in the struggle of life, resolved to sueceed. At the election in August, 1849, he was chosen to represent his county, Randolph, in the State Legislature. This was the more flattering from the fact that the county was politically opposed to him by several hundred majority. He served his constituents with credit and ability, and, as a member of the Judiciary and Corporation Committees, took an active part in the legislation of the State.

By close attention to the business of his profession he soon attained a leading position at the bar of his circuit, and in 1854 he was appointed by the governor of the State, Joseph A. Wright, judge of the Court of Common Pleas of his district. He held this office but a single term, and was succeeded by William A. Peelle, afterward secretary of state.

He took an active part in the educational interests of his county, and was for many years county examiner of schools, and secretary to the board of trustees of the county academy. In 1848 he was ordained a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church of Winchester, and was chosen by the presbytery of Muncie commissioner to the General Assembly that met at Columbus, Ohio, in May, 1862, that body.

In the dark days that preceded the civil war he took an active part in the Union meetings that were then being held in various parts of the State, as well as elsewhere, in the hope that something might still be done to avert impending war, and restore fraternal feeling between the North and South. But it was in vain! War was the result. When the conflict came, and conciliation was no longer possible, he took an active part in the support of the Union cause. Realizing the peril of the hour, he sought to use his influence as a leader in the Democratic party only to allay partisan feeling, and to rally all to the support of the Union. As evidence how effectually this was done is the fact that Company '' E," of the Eighty-fourth Regiment Infantry Volunteers, commanded by Captain M. B. Miller, which was raised chiefly by his exertions, was composed almost exclusively of Democrats, ninety-six of the company being of that political faith.

At the Democratic State Convention of 1864, he was chosen presidential elector for the Fifth Congressional District ; and about the same time he was nominated by the Democratic convention of his district candidate for Congress. His opponent was George W. Julian. The district was Republican by several thousand, and Mr. Julian was elected by about the usual majority. The campaign of that year was an exceedingly bitter one. To be the Democratic standard-bearer at such a time Was a position not to be coveted. At New Castle, Henry County, Indiana, where he had an appointment to speak, in connection with Garrett Davis, of Kentucky, the speakers were interrupted by an armed mob of angry men, the meeting broken up, and they followed to the depot by a howling crowd. Time and again he was threatened with mob violence and the destruction of his residence.

The health of his wife having suffered severely for some years past, he resolved to remove to the State of Minnesota, on account of its superior climate; and leaving a home, consecrated by the memories of eighteen years of active life, he, with his family, consisting of his wife and five children, M. Cornelia, Charles I., Marcella, Henry W., and Robert E., arrived in Mankato on the 19th of August, 1865. Since going to Minnesota he has confined himself closely to the practice of his profession. In January, 1866, he and the Hon. J. A. Wiswell, entered into partnership, and as such have continued in business up to the present time, with gréat success.

Hiram Darr was born in Darrtown, Ohio, on the 6th of October, 1806, and is the son of Conrad and Catherine Darr. They came to the county about 1802. He was married May 15, 1827, to Harriet Sithens, daughter of Jesse and Elizabeth Sithens, who was born July 4, 1807, in New Jersey. They have had twelve children. Abraham was born March 24, 1828; Hiram, April 7, 1829; Gardiner, May 7, 1830; Isaac Thomas, March 17, 1832; George Washington, March 3, 1834; Lucy Ann, October 16,-1835; Harriet Eliza Murphy, November 6, 1837; Matilda Durth, September 21, 1839; Emily Marshall, January 28, 1842; Louisa, May 6, 1844; Mary, January 17, 1842; John, March 27, 1852. George W. Darr joined the Union army August, 1861, served eighteen months, and was discharged, on account of disability. He applied for a pension, and his claim was allowed November, 1880. Mr. Hiram Darr is a farmer and willow cultivator.

Edward Hinsey was born August 1, 1830, on the farm on which he now lives. His father was Albert Hinsey, and his mother, Sarah Morris. They came to this county April 5, 1804. Mr. Hinsey was married May 21, 1857, to Julia Murray, born October 31, 1832, and has had three children. Clarabel was born June 5, 1862; Ida May, March 2, 1864; and Nancy Tenny, January 1, 1869. Mr. Hinsey has been supervisor for six years. He is a farmer, owning sixty-five acres of land that has had a crop of grain on for seventy-five years, no fertilizer ever having been applied. The crop of 1881 was beautiful and abundant. Mrs. Hinsey is the daughter of John and Sarah Antrim, who came to this county in 1814. ;

William Hancock, son of Elisha and Bertha Hancock, was born in Preble County, September 9, 1818. He came to this county in 1847, and was married in Rush County, Indiana, January 31, 1840, to Elizabeth Jones, daughter of William and Mary Jones. They have had five children. Elisha M. was born January 16, 1842; John, April 4, 1844; Isaac, August 20, 1848; William

Thomas, June 30, 1850; and Wiley Ellsworth, March 1, 1864. Elisha and John were in the war of the Rebellion. Elisha Hancock, the grandfather, came here in 1812, and was burnt out the first Winter. Mrs. Hancock was a seamstress and tailor. The present Mr. Hancock is a farmer. "st

Robert Harris settled in the county in 1810, having been born in Kentucky, November, 1809. His parents were Joseph and Sarah Jane Harris. Among the remembrances of his childhood is that of being lost. A great search was made, and his parents prepared to go after him, as it was supposed he was in the hands of the Indians. He was married December 11, 1833, to Julia McCaine, daughter of Robert and Jane McCaine, who came to this county in 1798. The former was a brave soldier in the War of 1812. His grandfather Lytle was in the Revolutionary War.

Mr. and Mrs. Harris have had seven children, of whom the oldest is dead. Mary Jane was born January 20, 1837; Joseph, November 28, 1838; Robert, November 22, 1840; William, June 28, 1843; Rebecca, February 6, 1845; Henry, April 22, 1848; and George W., February 22, 1854. Joseph and William Harris were engaged in the last war. William was in the Seventyfifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was reported missing one ~

Henry Herron is one of the oldest settlers in the township. He was born in South Carolina, November 17, 1801, and was brought to this county in the Fall of 1806 by his parents, Thomas and Nancy Herron. They came of long-lived families. Mr. Herron lived to see his eighty-sixth birthday, and Mrs. Herron her eighty-third. Her father was ninety-two, and her mother lacked only a few days of being ninety-nine. They were honest, upright people, and highly esteemed. Mr. Herron commanded a company of militia for a long time, taking it when a mere skeleton, and building it up until it was the best in the regiment.

When he had reached twenty-five he thought it was time for him to marry, and in June, 1826, he was united to Margaret Cramer, daughter of George and Barbara Cramer, who came to this county in 1816. They had eleven children, of whom six are living and five are dead. George Herron is the oldest; he was born May 26, 1827. Catherine Colter was born January 9, 1829 ; William Herron, January 11, 1831; Thomas Herron, January 2, 1833; Barbara Herron, August 25, 1825; Nancy Herron, December 10, 1837; Margaret Herron, December 11, 1839; Mary Jane Herron, March 1, 1842; Martha Ellen Emrick, Mareh 1, 1844; Sarah Jane, August 7, 1847; and Louis D. Winfield Scott Herron, Oc- - was made a prisoner, being aboard of the Indianola when it was captured. He was taken all over the South, and finally got in Libby Prison. He remained there about He commanded one of the guns on the Indianola. The morning after the surrender an offer was made for an exchange, but was not accepted. He was liberated after many months of terrible suffering. Henry Herron, it is needless to say, is a farmer, and a good one. He has never held office.

George W. Hood was born in Darke County, in this State, August 7, 1840, and is the son of Samuel and Catherine Hood. He was married October 1, 1861, to Catherine, daughter of William and Rebecca Cameral. He has seven children. Elmira was born May 17, 1864; Lucetta, February 14, 1870; Erminia, November 20, 1871; William E., April 18, 1873; Ralph AIlen, February 6, 1875; Susan P., October 10, 1877, and Harvey T., November 17, 1879. He is a farmer, and removed to this county in 1868.

John Irwin, son of Martin Irwin and Anna Irwin, was born in Butler County, September 11, 1812. His father came west in 1798, settling in the neighborhood of the Big Pond, in Fairfield Township, and two years after moving to Milford Township, which then had no highways. He settled two miles and a half north of Darrtown, afterwards cutting the road from Darrtown to his farm, being a part of the same road known as the Hamilton and Richmond Pike. His father cut the first tree ever cut by a white man on Section 17, Milford Township.

John Irwin was married December 28, 1838, to Caroline Homer, daughter of Nathan and Deleon Homer, who had emigrated to this county in 1808. His

1840; Cornelius, born February 25, 1842; Deleon, September 1, 1844; William, May 14, 1846; Harriet J., 1849; Frank P., February 6, 1852; and Caroline King, December 12, 1854. Deleon and Harriet J. are dead. Mr. Irwin lost his wife in 1854, and since has lived single. He has a fine farm, situated on the Fair Haven and Hamilton Pike. He has been trustee of Milford Township for twenty years. His grandfather, John Irwin, served in the Revolutionary War.

James Arthur Stephens was born in Hamilton, January 15, 1827. He was married in Somerville to Rhoda N. Norris, daughter of Benjamin Norris and Lena Laboyteaux. They have had four children. Edward Fitzzeller was born May 11, 1856; William Bynn, September 2, 1858; Benjamin Norris, January, 1863, and Samuel Sholmanson, July, 1865. Mr. Stephens is now a manufacturer and dealer in boots 'and shoes. He was out in the late war, acting as captain of the One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Ohio National Guards. George W. Stephens was in the Eighty-third. Captain Stephens is the son of George Stephens and Catherine Barkalow,

Edward T. Stephens, son of Andrew A. Stephens and Catherine C. Norris, was born in Germany, of which country his parents were natives. They came to this country in 1867. He was married in Somerville on the 22d of September, 1877, to Anna Elizabeth Stephens, daughter of August Ritter and Catherine Colter. She was born in Middletown. They have had two children. Blanche Cornelia was born January 21, 1879, and Arthur Franklin, April 21, 1880. Mr. Stephens has been a highly successful farmer, and has served as supervisor for one year.

David: Sommer was born in Montgomery County April 26, 1823. His parents, Peter and Anna, came to this county in 1839. He was married on the 22d of April, 1850, to Barbara Kintsinger, daughter of Joseph and Magdalen Kintsinger, who settled in this county in 1819. Mr. and Mrs. Sommer have had ten children, all happily spared to them. Jacob A. was born March 28, 1851; Magdalen, January 30, 1853; Joseph K., April 8, 1855; Peter, October 16, 1857; John G., December 8, 1859; Anna R., April 15, 1862; Mary Ann, October 9, 1864; Cynthia J., May 10, 1867; Kate A., November 24, 1869; William L., September 6, 1872. Jacob A. lives in Franklin, Warren County, as does his brother Joseph K. Mr. Sommer was for ten years treasurer of Milford Township. He is a farmer, and has been successful in his calling.

James Findley Stout, son of Abel and Theodosia Stout, was born in Butler County, July 18, 1805. His father moved here in 1803. The Indians were numerous at that time. He was lost when only two years old, and was not found for two days. He was married in 1870 to Winnie Gordon, daughter of James and Catharine Gordon, who came to this county in 1845. Their daughter was born in Ireland in 1842. Mr. Stout has three children. James Findley was born November 22, 1871; Mary Ann, April 28, 1872, and Caroline Myrtle, January 3, 1875. Mr. Stout lives on the farm his father entered, and has never parted with it. His memory is clear, and he recollects events of the War of 1812. His father, Abel Stout, was in the Revolutionary War, and It is a family of soldiers.

Frederick Smoyer, son of Frederick and Susan Smoyer, was born in Butler County, March 27, 1825. His father was married in Scioto County, coming to Butler with himself and wife on horseback. They arrived here in 1814. August 7, 1849, Frederick Smoyer, Jr., was married to Phebe, daughter of Isaac'and Hannah Cook, who came to this county in 1816. The daughter was born the 19th of July, 1827. Their children were four. Anna was born March 21, 1860; Carrie, October 28, 1865; Ada, October 8, 1868; Eli, October 7, 1872. Mr. Smoyer is a farmer, and served as trustee of Mil-

Andrew P. Young was born in this county in 1806. His parents were James Young and Janet Scott, who emigrated to Ohio in 1796. He was married in July, 1830, to Julia H. Butler, daughter of Samuel and Barbara Kirkpatrick. They had four children: Janet,

John W. Young is the son of Howard and Jane Young. He was born in Somerville, October 25, 1849, and was married in Camden, July 17, 1879, to Sally Honsker, daughter of Robert A. Honsker and Ann Honsker. Mr. Young's occupation is that of a druggist.

Unton Townsurp was organized in 1823, and taken from Liberty. It is in the extreme south-east of the county. The south and east portions of the township, in particular, were heavily timbered formerly, the oak predominating. The south-west was low, swampy, and not regarded as the most valuable. About eight hundred acres of this land was taken up by Judge Burnet, of Cincinnati. Benjamin Mead lived on Section 9, now the land on which Port Union stands. He did some surveying for Judge Symmes. His property was left to his two sons, Benjamin and Walter, and his three daughters. Walter Mead was justice of the peace in former times. The south-east quarter of Section 11 was deeded to William and John Wright, by James Madison, in 1816. It is now owned by James Patchell, Sen. His father, James Patchell, settled upon this tract in 1830. He died in 1844, at seventy-two years of age.

Union Township was settled principally by Marylanders, Pennsylvanians, and Virginians. The uplands were taken up and settled by resident owners, while the low and swampy lands were purchased and held in large tracts by wealthy parties, such as Judge Burnet, Isaac Hunt, the Stocktons, and others, and were in a manner vacant for a long time. About the year 1838 Abraham and Lot Swift built a fine merchant and grist-mill on the Miami Canal, in the township, and in 1840 the swamp lands were ditched. About the same time the Great Miami turnpike road was made through the township. These improvements, together with chopping the. cord-wood and shipping to Cincinnati at a high price, created a new ambition among the people. Property of all kinds, especially lands, went up to two and afterward to three prices; but the bank panic in the Fall of 1841, which set prices back to what they were seven years previously, broke up almost every person that had bought land two or three years before that event.

July 4, 1791, Joseph McMaken made application for a volunteer sixth section in the north-east corner of the fourth section in the second township, east of the Big Miami, in the second entire range, which was the property of John N. Cummins.

days before Christmas, 1795, meeting on his way General Wayne returning from the treaty at Greenville. Mrs. Elizabeth McMaken came out to live with her son some time before 1800, her children having all been married off. After being out here six or seven years she died, in 1801, at the age of one hundred and one years. Joseph McMaken died on the 10th of February, 1818, from injuries received by the breaking off of a limb from a tree. It struck him on the skull and fractured it. Mrs. McMaken died in September, 1836.

The earliest settlers in the township were Captain Cox, on Section 22; Joseph McMaken, Section 4; George Van Ness, Section 5; Thomas Huron, Mr. Travis, Section 35; and Brice Virgin, who afterwards went up to Princeton. Ayres settled just south of Westchester; Irwin settled in the south part of the township, and was an old acquaintance of McMaken's, coming from the same neighborhood in Pennsylvania. Seward came out in 1797, and lived in McMakin's house while waiting for his own cabin to be put up.

Samuel Seward, an old Revolutionary soldier, died on the 22d of April, 1828, at his residence, in the seventyfourth year of his age. He left upward of one hundred descendants. The previous day Mr. Abraham Montgomery, also a soldier of the Revolution, had died. Mr. Seward and Mr. Montgomery had been in their boyhood schoolmates. Together they joined their country's standard, and in the army they were messmates. Upon the close of the war, they retired from the army, and resided in the neighborhood of each other, in Union Township, Butler County. They departed this life only separated by death about four hours.

The justices of the peace of this township have been William Symmes, 1803; Michael Ayers, 1809; James Cummins, 1818; Joseph H. McMaken, 1823; Michael Ayers, 1824; Joseph H. McMaken, 1826; Walter P. Mead, 1829; William Parrish, 1830; Walter P. Mead, 1832; William Parrish, 1833; Samuel McLean, 1835; - John Wakefield, 1836; Mark C. McMaken, Michael Dalton, John Wakefield, 1839; Mark C. McMaken, 1841; Robert W. McClelland, 1843; and since that date, John Wakefield, Z. P. Gard, Alexander Miller, James Patchell, James Middleton, William Perine, Perry Wright, Z. P. Gard, W. W. Van Hise, James V. Spellman, Z. W. Selby, and A. S. Hutchison. The following are the post-offices in this 'olvaabip: and the names of the postmasters : is a brick building. The lodge has a membership of thirty. The building cost $2,000. Its lower part is a hall, sometimes used as a lecture room by the public. The Knights of Honor, a society of thirty members,

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Port Union has a membership now of about eighty-eight. The present building is a frame erected in 1856. The membership at that time consisted of but forty-one full members and eleven probationers. The Rev. W. H. Smith is the present pastor, and J. V. Spellman is the present Sabbath-school superintendent. This Church was organized December 17, 1853. It was then in the Cumminsyville At that meeting M. F. West was secretary, and there were present A. Eddy, presiding elder, and the Rev. Messrs. Glasscock and Daniel Griffis. J. M. Walden, of the Methodist Book Concern, of Cincinnati, was first licensed to preach at Port Union, June 3, 1854. The local elders were Samuel Goslin, Nathan Whittlesey, iam Moore, Samuel D. Spellman (founder of the society), Manning F. West, Samuel Spellman, Samuel Winnings, and Samuel Hard. Mr. Samuel D. Spellman came here

Maud's was first known as Shoemaker. Its postmaster was Richard Maud, who received his appointment August 22, 1872. On the 19th of May, 1874, it was called

Port Union

James Patchell, one of the oldest settlers of the township, occupies a farm on Section 5, in the second township, second range. He is a son of James Patchell and who were natives of Ireland. He was born on Oil Creek, Venango County, Pennsylvania, July 9, 1814. His paternal ancestors were French Huguenots, who emigrated to the northern part of Ire land in 1568, four years before the massacre of St. Bartholomew. As early as 1515 the principles of Luther and Zwinglius had gained an entrance into France (especially that part bordering on Switzerland), as well as the doctrines of Calvin, which were embraced by the Patch- first named McMaken's Bridge. McMaken, an old pioneer of the place, started the first grocery and built the first frame house (still standing) in the town. this building of McMaken's was a log house, probably the first built. McMaken put up his house during the construction of the canal, in 1827.

former; but it was not until 1560 that there was anything like an armed opposition to the tyranny of the lat- A plan was agreed upon by the Huguenots to seize the Guises on a certain day, when a number of them were to present a petition to the king in person (who number seven were Patchells, where the name first occurred in French history. Bloody scenes were the result, and the massacre of Vassey in 1562 was the immediate cause of a continued civil war between the Catholics and

In leaving France and settling in Ireland, the Patchells did not better their condition, for the same bloody scenes were there enacted, though of a local and not a national character. His great-great-great-great grand- father was one of the gallant few who served under that famous Protestant clergyman, George Walker, in the heroic defense of Derry against King James. For bravery in the battle of Boyne, he was presented with a gold medal, now in the possession of Samuel Patchell. His grandfather, Edward Patchell, was keeper of the forest under Lord Fitzgerald. This nobleman was killed by the Catholic tenantry, in the insurrection of 1788, in Derry County. He also owned a large farm five miles - from Londonderry, and would have shared the fate of his lordship had he not been secretly released by a man named Dunbar, whom he had befriended in several ways.

In 1792 he emigrated to America, settling in Pennsylvania. In 1800 he bought one thousand acres of land of the Holland Land Company, through which Oil Creek runs, on which are some of the largest oil-wells in the State. His father, James Patchell, was next to the youngest of a family of two sons and three daughters, and was born in the county of Derry, Ireland, in 1772, and married Elizabeth Cannon in 1800. She was also a native of Ireland, and was born in the county of Tyrone, in 1783. By this union there were eight children: Edward, William, Mary A., Jane, Eliza, Jemima, James, and Joseph, all of whom are now dead but James, who resides at Port Union.

In the War of 1812 he was a major in the Pennsylvania militia, and during the Winter of 1814 was stationed at Erie, Pennsylvania. His brother Edward was a brigadier-general in the Pennsylvania line during the War of 1812. He was also appointed by President Jackson, during his second term, the issuing commissary-general of the Army of the Southwest, with head-quarters at New Orleans, which position he held for three years, when he resigned on account of ill health. At the time of his death he was one of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens of Pittsburg.

In the Spring of 1816 James Patchell, in company with several other families, descended the Alleghany and Ohio Rivers to Neville, Clermont County, Ohio, in a keel-boat. He was driven to this course on account of going on the official bond of his friend Samuel Plumer, as sheriff of Venango County. He defaulted in office, for a large sum, and his security could not pay this without selling his farm, which he had inherited from his father. He left it in the hands of his brother Edward, to sell and pay the debt. A short time after coming to Clermont County he purchased a farm in Tate Township, where he resided until 1830, when he removed to Butler County, where he died in 1844, and his wife in 1846. He was a man of great energy and strong will-power. Although a Democrat in a Democratic county and township, and possessed of a good education, he would never consent to be a candidate for any office. These, combined with honesty and good judgment, made him a man of more than ordinary ability.

James Patchell, the son, was born on the 9th of July, 1814, at Oil Creek, Venango County, Pennsylvania, and removed with his parents to Clermont County, in Ohio, in 1816. He came to Union Township in 1830. On the 28th of August, 1842, he was married, at Port

G. M. Smith. Her maiden name was McClellan, being the daughter of James McClellan and Anna Giffin, and she was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, October 8, 1815. Her father was a great-uncle of General George B. McClellan. They have six children. Joseph C. was born December 14, 1843; E. Jennie, August 4, 1847; James E., August 29, 1850; Stephen C., January 29, 1853; Edward W., August 14, 1855; and Rosalinda, December 6, 1858. Joseph C., who is married to Lizzie Gerwig, now lives in Cincinnati, and is a dentist in good practice; E. Jennie is married to Samuel B. Dean, and lives at Collinsville; James is married to Ollie Cutler, and lives at Port Union; Stephen is married to Jennie Easton; Edward W. is married to Mollie Howard ; Rosalinda was married September 28, 1881, to George Milton Roudebush, of Newtonville, Clermont County.

Mr. Patchell began with about eighty acres of lard, but has since added steadily to it, until he now has two hundred and forty-six acres in a state of high cultivation. He was trustee of Union Township from 1843 to 1849; justice of the peace from November 3, 1849, to December 13, 1846, in all fifteen years; postmaster of Port Union from May 11, 1850, to October, 1865, and notary public since January 25, 1866. He was assessor of real estate in the township in 1859, and also in 1880, and revalued them in both years. From 1855 to 1877 he settled nearly all the estates of deceased persons as administrator, and acted as guardian of minors within the township, their estates amounting in gross to nearly two hundred thousand dollars. His family has had a long and honorable connection with the history of this valley.

Hugh Cannon, the eldest brother of his mother, was killed in St. Clair's expedition, November 4, 1791. Another brother of his mother, Thomas Cannon, married Elizabeth Scott, a sister of General Winfield Scott. They had one son and two daughters. The son, William Scott Cannon, died in New Orleans in 1834. The oldest daughter, Jane Gray Cannon, married James Swisshelm, a farmer's son living near McKeesport, and afterward became famous as an editor and political and social writer. The other daughter married Zachary Mitchell of the same place. The Cannons and Swisshelms were early settlers of Pittsburg and that part of the State. Mrs. Swisshelm was born and reared in the city of Pittsburg.

James V. Spellman was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, November 16, 1823, and is the younger son of Henry Spellman and Charlotte Galler, natives of New York, of German descent. Spellman was one of the pioneers of Hamilton County, settling in 1807, near Red © bank. He died in 1850. Mr. James V. Spellman was brought up as a farmer, being occupied at home until his twenty-first year. He was married December 1, 1842, to Angelina Warren, a native of Hamilton County. They are the parents of six children, three of 'whom are living. Althea J. was born in 1848, and is now the wife of Dr. L. M. Griffis, of Hamilton; J. Warren, January 18, 1847, now assisting his father in Port Union, and Clara V., July 25, 1855.

Mr. Spellman was in trade in Cincinnati for eight years, and being employed in farming in 1854. He came to Port Union in 1860, and engaged in farming and trading, entering the mercantile business in connection with James Beatty. Since 1870, when Mr. Beatty retired, the firm has been Spellman, Vinnedge & Co. They have a general store, and are extensive buyers of grain. Mr. Spellman is a member of the Board of Trade of Cincinnati. He was township trustee for several years, justice of the peace for one term, and is now a member of the board of education. of Port Union for ten years. He had no early pecuniary advantages, but now owns in addition to his store seventy-five acres of land adjoining the village.

Tylersville was laid off in 1842 by Mr. Daniel Pocock, and named by John Sullivan after President John Tyler. It is locally known as Pug Muncy. + The first building was erected by Michael Dalton many years previous to the above-mentioned time. The country surrounding this place was a dense forest, and cooperage the principal trade. Mr. Dalton also erected the first cooper-shop. His dwelling-house was known for a long time as the -swayback house. It was a story and a half, and as the roof had no support it sank. The house has now been - torn down for forty years. In an early day, when timber was plenty, there were a number of cooper-shops, at times as many as three, and each did a good business.

The third house built in this place was a little pole cabin, erected not later than 1835. It was put up on the ground now owned by Squire Wright, and in his garden, and stood until about the year 1852. Andrew Hough occupied this house afterward, and built a little pole cabin on the north-west of the two roads where he had a store, the first one in Tylersville. It was kept by him for a few years, when John Sullivan took possession, tore the store away, and built a little frame. Part of this structure is still standing.

Mr. Abram Sharpe, a German, was the next merchant of the town, and was very successful in the business, which he followed for twenty years. His store was begun on a small scale at first, but increased to that of a good country store afterwards. During his reign as chief merchant, an opposition store was started up by Mr. George Sheppard. The sons of Mr. Sharpe are at this time leading merchants in New York and Louisville.

Besides the Sharpe boys, who did so well, Nathaniel Jeffras, now of Jeffras & Seely, Cincinnati, was here formerly as a poor boy, working for "Squire Wright at eight dollars per month. His father, Thomas Jeffras, was an active man in the building of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the place, and was one of its class-leaders for thirty-five years. The building was erected in 1850. Mr. Jeffras, the Rev. Nathan Whittlesey, and Mr. Jeffras's mother, a true Christian in every sense of the word, were the organizers of the Sabbath-school also. The membership of both the Church and Sabbath-school was greater formerly than now, owing to removals and deaths.

The log school-house was the second building in the town proper. It contained an old-fashioned fire-place that would take in a stick of wood eight feet long. The seats were made of slabs, pins supporting them on the floor. The windows were on either side of the house, and from ten to twelve feet long, occupying the length and width of one log. These windows were protected by shutters, and were fastened by strong hook-and-eye hinges, in such a way that when opened the shutters were raised from below and stood propped up. This house was built about 1850, and probably Elisha Dalton was the 'first master" who held sway with the rod. Caldwell, Ames Sedam, and James S. Wiles were also early teachers. The house was used for singing-schools, church purposes, etc. ; but-in 1840 the little brick schoolhouse was erected, and stood until 1866, when the present brick structure was built. The present attendance at school is not so great as formerly. It does not now exceed forty pupils in average attendance, while in pioneer times it was not uncommon to have seventy-five pupils.

William Wright and his son John came to this place from Pennsylvania in 1816, and settled on Section 11. William Wright was an officer in the Revolutionary War, and drew twenty dollars annually as a pension, but was entitled to more. He was an Indian fighter in Pennsylvania in 1763. He was married twice, his second wife being Miss Rhoda Wharton, by whom he had six children. This marriage was in 1820. 'Squire Perry Wright, of this place, was named after Commodore Perry. Thomas Jeffras came to this portion of the township from Maryland in 1805, and settled first near Middletown, but soén afterwards removed to Tylersville. Michael Dalton came as early as 1805. He was for many years a teacher of the public day-school, was a justice of the peace, and withal a sturdy pioneer of the wilderness. Isaiah Wharton settled first where Gano Station is now. His daughter Rhoda married William Wright, of Tylersville. Squire Wright, her son, now living in Tylersville, was born in 1827; has been justice of the peace nine

The country about the village is high, the soil good, and a high state of cultivation prevails. The land is rolling and a little uneven between this point and Westchester. Almost every family in early times had a loom, and did their own weaving. They always hired the tailor and shoemaker. The teacher of the school was generally an Irishman. There was a graveyard on Section 35, near Tylersville, at a very early date, but many were buried at Springdale.

Westchester is the oldest village in the township, and was originally called Mechanicsburg, but changed to Westchester by statute, and was laid out by Hezekiah Smith in March, 1817. Twenty-seven lots were laid out at first.

-Afterwards, in April, 1817, James Cummins made an addition of lots, numbering from one te twenty inclusive. Other additions have since been made.

Joseph Cox came from Maryland. He was employed by Judge Symmes on the early surveys, settling a little south-east of Westchester on a quartersection of land, and afterwards accumulated considerable property, and was considered as wealthy for a man of that day. He raised a family of three sons and three daughters. Julia Cox married Robert McMaken, a brother of Joseph. Elizabeth married Dr. Williamson. The names of his sons were Benjamin, John, and Joseph. John became a wealthy farmer of the township. Joseph went South. Benjamin moved to Monroe County, Ohio. John Cox was born about 1800. Elizabeth Cox was born April 10, 1798, and died April 27, 1880. David Williamson died December 2, 1873, aged 7S years and 2 months.

Charles Legg, a very early pioneer, was born January 1, 1763, and died September 4, 1864. His wife Rachel was born May 25, 1762, and died November 21, 1847. Nancy McMaken died in the twenty-seventh year of her age, in 1820. Charles Legg lived about a mile north of Westchester, and raised a family of ten children, all dead but two sons and one daughter. The latter is now ninety-three years old. He came in 1805. Whittlesey, Connover, andJeffras all came during that year.

William Van Hise was an early member of the Methodist Church, and has left a number of descendants, who are prominent citizens of the township. He raised a family of nine children, seven boys and two girls. He was born September 29, 1780, and died July 19, 1850. Rachael, his wife, was born March 4, 1779, and died April 11, 1850. He came from New Jersey in 1815, and some six or seven families bore him company, and among this number were Connover, Slayback, and others. After reaching Pittsburg they took a flat-boat for Cin-

Sun, Indiana, Connover was the son-in-law of Slayha Westchester was settled apparently by mechan At the lower end of town was a flax-seed oil-mill, a f ingmill, a cardinganill, a swwanill, and grist-mill, mills, the saw-mill, grist-mill, and oil-mill were all w one roof. They were built by Samuel Burnes, ae primitive in construction, being a tread-mill run by oa A Mr, Samuel Poster carried on the mill some few year but they all went down before the year 1820. The ru of these foundations are still to be seen. Mr. Jam Cummins started the first tan-yard of the place, whi was as early as 1810. It was on the west side of # read, on a lot owned by Jared Parrish. This one y run until within the past eight years. Mr. MeLean hi it last. Mr. Parrish owned it some forty years. - was an early and prominent settler of the town, w died September 7, 1870, at sixty-five years of age. Th Rev. William Parrish was born in 1800, and died Oct ber 17, 1847. The first tavern of Westchester was kept by Exzeki Gard. He was one of the oldest settlers of the p nce and kept the hotel for forty years, and died May 1868, aged sixty years. His wife, Elizabeth Gand, until 1868. She was seventy-six years old at the tim She died of the cholera in Indiana. This tavern Wi kept prior to the time of the stage routes. James Ellit was the first man who kept hotel where Mrs. Sim st now is. Daniel Avey sold out his hotel to Simpsoi year or so before the war. John Caldwell had a farm at Westchester and a ta yard. Gard had a part of the ground. Hezekiah Sm had an ox aw-mill. When Colonel Dick Johnson's reg iment came through in 1812, they were handsomely @ tertained by the inhabitants. Smith acted as quarter master till the end of the war. Johnson's regiment wa of fine, handsome men. They were taken to the woo¢ near by where they camped, and the inhabitants vie with each other in taking them good things to eat. The first store in Westchester was kept by 4 Anderso a few years. This was a small affair, and was 3 rd | purehased and run by James Freeman, prior to » 1820 Tt was near Mr. Jackson's shoe shop, but Freeman kep where the hotel is now. Jeremiah Day was proba bh the first blacksmith in the place. His shop was i below the town. ' - Formerly the village was in a most thriving conti There were manufactures of every ordinary kind almos' and the travel through was large - shoemakers, - e makers, potteries, coopering, etc., in addition to wha has been already named - induced considerable patré age to the place that would otherwise have gone else where. It now has a hotel, kept by Mrs. Marg Simpson, a harness shop, blacksmith's shop, carpenters shop, wagon-maker's shop, post-office, and one or - na

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church here is a branch of that in Sharon, Hamilton County. A meeting was held, closing February 6, 1869, at which the following united with the Church in Sharon: Ann Cox, Anna D. Forrest, Mary E. Wakefield, Nancy J. Long, | Anna Hunt, Ben Bates, Harriet Bates, Lawrence Peel, Louisa Peel, Thomas Long, Catherine Long, Eva J. Hamilton, Beatty Pattison, Luther Hughes, Elizabeth Hughes, Joel Hall, Martha Haven, Marian Long, Mar- ) garet Long, James Jackson, William A. Jackson, Sarah ) A. Dalrymple, Delilah Fuller. They were organized | into a branch of the Sharon Presbyterian Church, with | the privilege of electing elders. The present mem bership is one hundred and four. They used the building | which belonged to the New School Presbyterian Church. Golonel C. L. Gano is superintendent of the Sunday- | school. Their house cost thirty-three hundred dollars. / The pastor is the Rev. C. K. Holtsinger. The old ) church was thirty-eight by forty feet, and the new is | - thirty-eight by fifty-nine feet. The church is very hand- | some inside. They worshiped in the old church until ) very lately.

Mr. Daniel Avey, an old gentleman who died recently, gave the following account of what he remem- | bered: He came to this section of the country with his | father in 1806. They settled north-east of Westchester, | on what is now the Wickey farm. Near the house Mr. Avey built a grist-mill, the stones being eighteen inches in diameter. In the Spring of the year corn would be ground at a rate not to exceed half a bushel an hour. The first school-house stood south of the present house of Daniel Michael, on the present farm of J. C. Wakefield, and was built between 1806 and 1812. It was of logs, with greased-paper windows. The second school-house was built near by, near the residence of James Miller, | and was a frame building. The third was also frame, | and is yet standing, belonging to Mrs. Fowler. It is | now used as a residence. The next school-house is the present Granger Hall. The present school-house is a new building on the Cox farm, and is now about four years old. The present Presbyterian Church was built in 1842, the builders and prime movers being Jerry Day and Enoch Conover. The Methodist Sunday-school was begun in a house now occupied by Van Hise as a store, in 1827 or 1828. This was a union Sunday-school, and was organized by the Rey. Hezekiah Smith. There is a branch of the Catholic Church in Glendale in this town. It was organized about the beginning of the civil war, and worships in Grangers' Hall. There are about one hundred and sixty members. Their priests have been the Rey. Messrs. Corcoran, Carey, and O'Donnell, the last being the present clergyman. The Methodist Church building in Westchester was erected -in 1818. The Methodist people of this vicinity previous to this time worshiped in private houses, frequently meeting at Mr. Legg's. The money for this edifice was raised by subscription, and the two pioneers of the Church, Charles Legg and Duran Whittlesey, were active in securing the amount necessary, and frequently made long and laborious trips over the country in their calls for donations. The first structure was of brick, and as the builders did not know how to construct a self supporting roof, they put columns under it for the support of that part. The lot was donated by Hezekiah Smith, who was a Baptist preacher and the founder of the town. The school-house stood on the same lot also. The church building stood until 184%, when it was torn down and the old brick used in part to build the new one. Among the early preachers may be mentioned Arthur W. Elliott, who was a prominent minister in his day, and probably traveled this circuit as early as 1810. He possessed a good education, and became widely known in his work. The Rev. James B. Finley and a Rev. Mr. Goddard were also pioneers in this field. Among the lay members may be mentioned Charles Legg, Duran Whittlesey, Thomas Jeffras, Ezra Dalton, and the Elliotts, who were actively interested in the cause. Major W. W. Elliott came to the township in 1824, since which time he has been identified with the Church, not only as a member of the society, but also as a leader, having served as steward full forty years, and as classleader fifteen years. His means have been liberally donated. The Rey. T. C. Crum is the present pastor, and William Van Hise the Sabbath<chool superintendent. A Presbyterian Church existed here between 1830 and 1840, but was very weak, and soon ceased to exist. Prominent among the early settlers of Union Township was the old Revolutionary soldier, John C. Beckett, who settled near Westchester in 1810. He was an American officer during that war, and after its close was engaged in transporting goods between Cincinnati and Fort Hamilton. His son James C. Beckett, who was born December 24, 1799, on Mill Creek, Hamilton County, came with his father in 1810 to this section of the county, and lived to an old and honored age. - Major William W. Elliott was born in Maryland, July 24, 1800, being the son of William Elliott and Rachel Bosley, of English descent. He received an ordinary education, and with his parents came to Ohio in 1810, locating in the vicinity of Princeton. He was brought up as a farmer, and continued that occupation until his parents died. During the War of 1812 he saw the troops from Kentucky march up to the north on the road from Cincinnati to Dayton, which had then been newly laid out. At the age of fifteen he went to live with a brother-in-law, and drove team for him for seven years. The county was still very new, and huge forests encumbered almost the whole of the land. The major bought his present place in 1824, having been married in 1823 to Sarah Mutchner, a native of

Maryland. To that marriage were born two children, one of whom is now living, the wife of George Jackson, a resident of Lebanon. Major Elliott settled upon his present place in 1824. It was then entirely wild. He put up a log cabin, cleared up the place, and rapidly improved it. He bought the land from General William Henry Harrison, afterward President. He put up a hewed-log house, and remained there until building a brick one about 1840. The major was long active in military affairs, having command of the regiment in Butler County in 1837. On the making of the turnpike from Cincinnati to Dayton, he was elected director, and has been annually elected ever since. He has been township trustee for many years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has been for many years, and is one of the leading laymen of the denomination. He is frequently called upon to make addresses before Sunday-schools and temperance societies. He has been president of the Pioneer Association of Warren and Butler Counties, and is an active and esteemed member of that body. Although eighty-two years of age, his bodily strength is still considerable, and his mental faculties unweakened. For many of the recollections embodied in these pages we are indebted to him.

This cemetery was laid out in the Fall of 1870. George Vinnedge, Perry Wright, and Abner Jackson were the trustees at that time. They purchased an addition to the old yard, which had been in existence for fifty years, making in all one of twelve and a quarter acres. Frederick Wicke, Jacob Francis, and James Patchell, Jr., are the present board of officers. J. W. Gerard, the sexton, has been in charge of these grounds since 1871. The yard was formerly in a bad condition, owing to so much brush and undergrowth, but considerable attention has been paid to the grounds and the walks of late, and it now presents as fine an appearance as any in the country outside of the large cities. Three hundred persons have been buried' in this yard, and an average of thirty deaths happens every year. he ground is divided off into sections, four in number, and these again subdivided into lots,'of which there are in all six hundred. A good fence incloses the cemetery, and on the inside evergreen trees adorn the grounds and shade the drivers, giving the whole a handsome appearance. |

Maudville is yet in its infancy as a village, the first house being erected by Henry Stickles after the railroad was built. He keeps a boarding-house, a saloon, and a grocery. He also owns a lumber-yard. Gilbert & Williamson keep a country store. It is a good grain center, and from this point cereals are shipped in quantities.

past. Like all saw-mills of pioneer days, it was to be run with water, but instead of a sluggish stream to furnish power for the wheel, a mere tub-full of that element was thought to be sufficient to run it forever, with an occasional drop now and then added to make good what might be lost by evaporation. The contrivance consisted of an upright saw, with all its ordinary attachments; a large - tub was placed aloft and filled with water. This tub | held about one hundred barrels, and was filled by the proprietor and his devoted wife, it was said, who was to share honors, undoubtedly world-renowned, if this thing worked. The expectant day arrived; logs filled the yard below; the mill had been erected, but not weatherboarded or roofed; the tub filled, and pump fixed in its place. It was supposed that the same force of water used to run the wheel would also run the pump, and throw the water back as fast it escaped. On trial, of course, it proved a failure; the logs in the yard rotted, the mill tumbled down of old age, and no trace of its former existence is now visible.

Gano is a small place on the southern portion of the township, on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railroad, and is a station built since that road was put through, by Charles Gano, of Cincinnati. This was in 1874. In 1879 Mr. Charles Gano, Jr., built a large flouring-mill and did a fine business, but unfortunately the mill took fire soon after it was erected and burned down. The ambition of the village tempered down after the loss of the grain trade incident to this event, and Maudville was left thenceforth as cock of the walk. A- well one hundred and twelve feet deep was dug near this mill for water, but gas was discovered and from that time to this it oozes up in great quantity. This gas was conducted by a pipe into the mill and was used for drying the wheat; it probably comes from the decomposed matter of the drift below, and is odorless. Mr. C. L. Gano owns a beautiful residence in this place.

Rialto is owned by the Friend & Fox Paper Company, and consists of three mills, about seven miles from Hamilton, on the edge of the canal. It manufactures book and news paper. Capacity, five thousand and five hundred pounds per day. The new Crescent mill, built in 1881, is a mile below the others, and is illuminated by electric lights, and filled with the finest machinery made in the East. It manufactures roofing and wrapping papers. The original manufactory was a grist-mill, begun by Taylor Webster, who did a good business for many years. He sold to Beatty & Cooper, who sold to Friend & Fox.

Union

level with the surrounding country. It is higher than Lebanon and all points around. It was probably named by William Belch, a pioneer of the place, and so called from the old church that stood on this land. The village has but eleven residences, a grocery store, post-office, and a blacksmith's shop.

William Belch came here as early as 1812 or 1815. He was a Pennsylvania German, and very energetic. He kept the first hotel of the place many years before he died, after which his son William kept it fifteen or twenty years longer. William and James Van Hise started a hotel about 1838, and also a store and postoffice. This was the first post-office in Pisgah. It was subsequently kept by David Conover and James Middleton, and now by 8. M. Sprinkle. The two Van Hises also kept the first store. They carried on the business a number of years, and were the last to keep hotel.

A still-house was erected in an early day by James Irwin on the farm now owned by James Irwin, his grandson. Mr. Irwin came to Ohio before 1800, and settled first in Warren County, and after a few years came to Pisgah and settled on 360 acres of choice lands. He started the first tan-yard. He was the grandfather of Governor Irwin, of California. This distinguished man, William Irwin, received a good education in the public schools, and subsequently in colleges, after which' he went to California, about 1850, and for several years edited the leading paper of that State. He was afterwards sent to the State Legislature, and later elected governor of that State. He has since that time been conspicuous in the management of State affairs, and is known as a representative citizen of the country.

The people of Pisgah, in an early time, attended Church at Muddy Creek. This was a Baptist society just outside the county. Subsequently the Presbyterians house stood on the old Quakertown Road, near the village, and on the same lot upon which the school-house stood. The two buildings were within the same fencing. The school-house was made of round logs and the church of hewed logs. After a few years the Church people built a brick house, and the school was moved into the old church building. This was on James Irwin's place, and in 1835 or 1836 the district built the new brick school-house, on the identical spot on which stood the old log-house, and its remains, in a repaired condition, still stand, but the house is owned as private property. The district purchased land in 1862, when and where the present structure was erected. The church served its purpose for a long period of time, but for many years it has gone into disuse, save for an occasional service. The property was finally sold, and the organization has lost its identity.

Robert Caldwell, an Irishman, was probably 'the first teacher of Pisgah, who applied the beech and black-walnut methods of imparting instruction in an early day. He believed in '' the laying on of hands," and there are some of his pupils still living who distinctly remember how they were thrashed through to the Rule of Three. He was ''master" for some years, and was then followed by Michael Dalton, who became a prominent citizen of the place, and is very kindly remembered by many people yet. Mrs. James Hunt (formerly Miss Anna Ellsworth) was the first lady teacher of these schools. She taught for a long while. She was a woman of rare abilities; was finely educated, and was unexcelled as a teacher. The Slayback brothers, John C. and James N., taught here a number of years, and a good report of their work follows them. The Pisgah schools have always been in a flourishing condition, and have been successful in furnishing many good teachers to the county.

Among the early preachers of Pisgah may be mentioned the Rey. Mr. Graves, of the Presbyterian Church, fifty years ago, and Mr. Bryan and Mr. Lemon, of the Muddy Creek Baptist Church. Mr. Graves remained with this congregation many years, and during that period of time the Church was prosperous.

In former times bleeding was common in the art of curing. People sent to Westchester for a doctor, and it was not until as late as 1845, when James L. Round, M. D., formerly of Westchester, moved to the place and settled as the first resident physician. He stayed many years, but some six years before he died, fell from a ladder, and so injured himself that he was compelled to go on crutches the remainder of his life. This was but a few years ago, and he was about the only physician of note who took up his residence in the place.

Mrs. David Hulse has probably rendered as much service to the sick as many a sphysician with college diploma. Her parents were educated people. Louis Krouskopf, her father, was an educated German, and was a cavalry officer under Napoleon in the French expedition against Russia. His regiment lost all but fifty-five men in that campaign. He came to America in 1822, settling first at Sharon, Ohio, and subsequently at Pisgah, where he kept a hotel on the Lebanon and Cincinnati Turnpike, a mile and a half west of the village, and afterwards became gate-keeper on that road. He came in 1829, and in 1838 kept toll-gate, and was the originator of the pole sweep in this neighborhood. The gates previous to this time were similar to those used in fences, and swung around. The innovation of the ordinary pole had its enemies at that time, there being those who vigorously contended they were under no obligation to pay toll when they had no gate to go through. Mr. Krouskopf was also a physician, and was educated in the Prussian schools of medicine, but did not practice surgery, his specialty, after coming to America. He died December 31, 1860. William Hulse had the first blacksmith's shop in the village, which he kept until 1831, when he died. Tullis & Middleton have a shop at this time.

During the late war, Pisgah furnished a score of men for the army, out of which a full dozen either were killed outright, died in hospital, or from the effects of the hardships and exposures of camp life soon after returning home. Lewis A. Hulse, son of David Hulse, was a mere lad when he shouldered his musket for the He was wounded at the battle of Stone River, and died in camp. In this connection should also be mentioned the names of Benjamin Belch, Marsh and Joel Tullis, James Round, Isaac Myers, Vermillion Voorhees, William Burch, Joseph Moore, Joseph and Jesse Gray, Jesse Price, Richmond Middleton, Benjamin Steward, and Charles Catro. The names of these heroes will never be forgotten.

The Burch Spring, once so noted, now abandoned, was dug on the Deerfield road, on land now owned by Harvey Webb, about 1860. The well was sunk to the depth of seventy-five feet, when water flowed in a torrent, filling the well about half full immediately, and scarcely giving a chance for the men to get out. It was believed that an underground river had been struck. The sides fell in, until there was apparently a subterranean lake of water, which to save next drew attention, and during the next Spring, rocks and logs were hauled in large quantities and dumped in, but when the cavity was filled the well was lost, and there is nothing there now save a great depression to mark the once great well.

David Hulse, one of the leading and progressive men of Pisgah, was born in Union Township, April 2, 1819, and was the youngest son of William Hulse and Catherine Lutes, both natives of New Jersey, and of Dutch descent. Mr. Hulse was one of the pioneers of Butler County, settling upon the farm adjoining the one now owned by his son in 1815. It was then in the woods, and hardly any roads existed there. Indians still occasionally passed through on their hunting expeditions, and there was an abundance of game and only one moderately good road. He was a blacksmith by trade, carrying on that business for many years jointly with farming. He was an active member of the Baptist Church at Muddy Creek, in Warren County, there bemg none near his residence. He raised a family of eight sons and two daughters, of whom the only survivor is David Hulse. William Hulse died in 1833. David attended the common schools at Pisgah until he had obtained a fair education, and after leaving school became thoroughly versed in agricultural pursuits. In his fourteenth year he went with an older brother to Indiana, where he remained for three years, the only period of his life in which he was not a resident of Ohio. He returned to Ohio in 18387, and was employed in farm-work.

Mr. Hulse was married November 21, 1839, to Ernestine Krouskopf, who was born in Germany, September 22, 1820. She was the daughter of Louis Krouskopf and Catherine Merser, who emigrated to America in

Mr. and Mrs. Hulse were the parents of seven children, of whom three survive. Lewis A. was born February 12, 1845. Energetic and patriotic, he enlisted September 1862, in the Sixty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. At the battle of Stone River, the first battle he had an opportunity to be in, he was acting as a scout. On the morning of December 31st he was shot down, although living until February 16, 1863. Mr. Hulse's first child, Olelia Jane, was born October 30, 1840, and is now the wife of Irwin Miller. She resides in Union Township; Loretta Emeline was born September 7, 1842, and married James Ayers, a well-known resident. The third child was Lewis A.; the fourth was William Frapcis, who was born August 4, 1849. He lives on the home farm and helps in its management. Hulda Amanda, born February 17, 1851, was the wife of Servetus Dawson, but died May 6, 1881. David Charles was born December 3, 1854, and is now telegraph operator at New Morefield, Ohio. Ernest Eugene was born June 22, 1861, and is still at home.

Mr. Hulse, immediately after his marriage, located upon the farm wheage he now lives. This was in the Spring of 1840. There was a log cabin, and some little improvements in the way of deadened timber had been made. He occupied the log cabin until he built his present handsome residence in 1851. The place consists of one hundred and fifteen acres, finely cultivated, situated just upon the eastern edge of Pisgah. Mr. Hulse derived a little means from his parents, but his success is due principally to his own industry. He is well read, and frequently contributes to the newspapers. Both he and his wife are very methodical. Mrs. Hulse has for a long time been a practitioner in obstetrics and in female diseases, in which she has had great success. She has taken pains to inform herself, both from books and observation, and in the cases she has attended has been unusually fortunate. She has also done much in children's diseases, and enjoys the confidence of the community. Of late, however, she has partially retired from practice.

Joseph Allen was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, September 11, 1822. He was the son of Martin L. Allen and Susan Frasie, both natives of New York. He attended the common school in Hamilton County, and received a liberal education. He was trained as a farmer. He remained in Hamilton County until he was twelve near Princeton. He worked on a farm for three years, then going to Hamilton County, where he stayed until he was twenty-four years of age. He was married December 7, 1845, to Miss Mary Thompson, born in Hamilton County in 1827. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are parents of one daughter and four sons. Lee F. was born March 4,

1847, and is now a resident of Xenia; Fanny J., now the wife of Luke Wyle, a resident, of Liberty Township, was born June 28, 1850; Henry D. was born January 31, 1858; Joseph P., February 26, 1862; and Elwood C., September 8, 1869.

After marriage Mr. Allen conducted a farm two miles north of where he now lives, for one year. In 1847 he located at his present home, which was but partially improved. It was then a wild place. He cut off over a hundred acres, and otherwise made improvements. He occupied a log-house for a time, and afterward a small frame house, which was used until the present mansion was erected. The place is now fully improved. It consists of one hundred acres. He received no assistance on beginning life, but is wholly self-made. He was township trustee about 1868, for one term, and a director of the county agricultural society for two terms. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is superintendent of its Sunday-school. He took an active part in raising volunteers during the Rebellion, for Company I, Eighty-third Regiment. He was largely instrumental in raising the quota of the township.

Eliphalet Beckley was born in Franklin County, Indiana, in 1817, on the 16th of June, being the oldest son of Henry Beckley and Ann Ferris, of Connecticut. With his parents, he came to Hamilton County, in this State, in 1831, locating near Cincinnati. His father died when the boy was thirteen years of age, and he took charge of the family until he was twenty-one. He began learning the carpenter's trade when he was seventeen, and after his majority worked for seven years as a journeyman. Mr. Beckley was married October 5, 1841, to Jane Moore, who was born in Hamilton County, December 3, 1822.

_ Mr. and Mrs. Beckley had nine children, of whom seven are living. Amanda was born May 18, 1842, and is now dead; Henry, who is a resident of Hamilton, was born February 6, 1845. Cordelia was born August 9, 1846, and is now the widow of George Muchmore, of Union Township; Ruth was born April 26, 1849, and is the wife of George Nash, a resident of Hamilton County ; Charles was born February 6, 1851, and is a farmer of Union Township; Mary was born March 27, 1857; W. H., May 12, 1859; and Eliphalet, Jr., October 13, 1860. He continued to live in Hamilton County after contracting marriage, having been twenty-one years there, when he removed to this county, in March, 1862. He first located upon the farm now owned by William Townsend, staying there until the Spring of 1875, when he purchased the place where he now lives, known as the McAdams place. He owns fifty-nine acres, under fine cultivation. Mrs. Beckley is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

jamin Dodds and Martha Drake, natives of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She went to school in the common log cabin. October 23, 1833, she was married to William Belch, a native of the State of Maryland, who was born July 2, 1801. He was of Scotch descent, coming with his parents to Ohio, Warren County, in 1813, and afterwards settling upon the farm now owned by Mrs. Belch, in Union Township, Butler County. This they acquired in 1815, keeping a public house known as the Belch House for many years. wild when they settled upon it.

Mr. and Mrs. Belch were the parents of nine children, of whom six are now living. Plessy M. was born about 1834 and died about 1848. The second child died in infancy. Catherine was born in 1835, and is now the widow of Francis Burdsall, living in Lebanon. Martha B., the widow of Samuel Burdsall, was born in 1837. She is now living at Mt. Washington, Hamilton County. William Wallace was born September 6, 1840. He isa well-known farmer of Union Township. November 12, 1858, is at home. Mr. Belch died in March, 1863. He was a supporter of the Presbyterian Church, and a good farmer. Mrs. Belch has conducted the place successfully, and given her children good educations. -She is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

John Block was born in Holstein, Germany, June 24, 1832, and was the son of Henry Block and Margaret Kruse. He came to America in the Fall of 1853, and soon after was in Cincinnati. He remained one year in Hamilton County, engaged in farming, coming to Butler County in 1854. He worked at farming a year and a half in Liberty Township. He was married February 22, 1859, to Fanny Brown, born in Baden, Germany, December 30, Mr. and Mrs. Block are the parents of eight children, of whom seven are living. Caroline Elizabeth was born May 15, 1860; Henry, November 13, 1861; Mary Ellen, March 1, 1863; John Adam, December 10, 1864; Charles Matthew, November 10, 1867; Anna Kate, December 21, 1870; Frank, July 7, 1873, and George William, May 19, 1879. Frank died May 8, 1876.

After 1859 Mr. Block conducted the Muchmore farm two years, the Rogers farm four years, the Gerard place one year, and various other places in Union Township. He was on the Stiles farm and the Hiram Smith farm, and managed the James Patchell farm for six years. He located on the Samuel Spellman farm, where he still resides. It consists of two hundred and eight acres of finely improved bottom lands. He is a prosperous farmer and stock-raiser. He has been a school director, and is a member of the Lutheran Church. Mrs. Block is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Henry Dimmick was born in this county, February 5, 1852, and is the son of Nathan Dimmick and Sarah Argendine, both natives of Ohio and of English descent. Mr. Dimmick was early placed in charge of the late

Norman McMaken. He was a pupil at the common schools, where he received a fair education. He was brought up a farmer, and remained with Mr. McMaken until of age. Mr. Dimmick was married February 17, 1853, to Armena Swallow, born in Hamilton in 1835. She was the daughter of Benjamin Swallow, an early settler in Hamilton County. She is the mother of nine children. Norman M. was born May 1, 1854; Benjamin W., March 8, 1856; Sarah E., March 4, 1858; Alice, May 21, 1860; Bertha, November 1, 1862; Fanny, March 9, 1866; Katy, October 4, 1868; Lida A., April 1, 1870; and Daisy, February 22, 1873. Sarah E., a most estimable young lady, was married to Ennis Voorhees, dying February 2, 1881.

After marriage, Mr. Dimmick conducted the Beckett farm for some two years, then returning to the McMaken homestead about 1856, where he has since resided. Before the death of Mr. McMaken Mr. Dimmick had bought a portion of the farm, and after that event inherited the remainder. He now owns two hundred and four and a half acres, in a good state of cultivation. It has a handsome family residence, with fine surroundings. He has been a school director for the past fifteen years. Mrs. Dimmick and the younger members of the family are members of the Presbyterian Church at Westchester.

Michael Deemer was born in Bavaria the 22d of November, 1838, and was the son of Jacob and Magdalena (Miller) Deemer. He attended the government school until he was thirteen years of age, receiving a fair education in the common branches, and then learning the trade of shoemaker from his father, completing his term at twerity-one. He went to Paris in 1859, where he worked at his trade for two years, and in May, 1861, emigrated to the United States, coming direct' to Cincinnati, and from there going to Monroe in this county, where he was employed by Ulrich Siek for two years and a half. In 1863 Mr. Deemer engaged in business for himself in the boot and shoe line, in the same place. Afterward he embarked in the same trade on Vine Street, Cincinnati, doing an exceedingly good business for a year and a half.

May 25, 1865, Mr. Deemer was united in marriage with Anna Toohey, born in Ireland in 1838. Mr. and Mrs. Deemer are the parents of seven children, of whom but one is living. Frank was born March 1, 1874. Mrs. Deemer died March 23, 1874. Since that time Mr. Deemer has been again married. His present wife, to whom he was united June 10, 1875, was Margaret Ernest, born in Nassau, Germany, July 13, 1846. They have been given, in this union, three daughters. Mary was born March 25, 1876; Eliza, October 23, 1877, and~ Louisa, September 20, 1879. After marriage, Mr. Deemer, in June, 1875, came to Union Township and rented a shop from Henry Stickels, opening a shoe shop. In the Spring of 1876 he commenced to build the house where he now lives, which he completed and moved into in August. It is intended for a hotel and private dwelling. It is a large building, costing about eight thousand dollars. He still carries on the boot and shoe business, and owns a saloon. He is a prosperous man, although when he first came to this county he had nothing. Mr. and Mrs. Deemer are members of the Roman Catholic Church.

_ David B. Gorsuch was born in Baltimore County, Maryland, February 24, 1835, being the oldest son of Elliston Gorsuch and Ruth Sampson. In 1854, with his father and family, he came to Ohio, locating in Hancock County. Mr. Gorsuch came to Butler County in the Fall of 1854, taking up his residence in Liberty Township. He was united in marriage, December 28, 1857, to Miss Martha Jane Stickels, born in Hamilton County, September 5, 1839. They are the parents of seven children, of whom six are living. Calvin W. was born February 19, 1859; Carey E., December 12, 1861; Lily Bell, May 22, 1864; Mary Rena, January 7, 1867; Willie C., February 7, 1868, and Elisha, April 18, 1870.

After his marriage he lived in Liberty Township some two years, and was a resident of Warren County two years, then returning to Liberty Township. He again went to Warren County for two years, then purchasing a farm near Bethany in 1866, which he still owns, and upon which he lived for ten years. In the Winter of 1877 Mr. Gorsuch came to Maud's, where he still resides. He has a pleasant residence, which is finely situated: He has filled the various school offices in his township. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Bethany.