Logan County, Ohio - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 38 of those read), 1880 (part 2 of 2)

The secret societies of this town comprise the Masonic and Odd Fellows' Lodges. The Masonic Order is known as Mad River Lodge No. 161. The charter was issued and dated September 28, 184-8, being originally petitioned for by Jool Funk, Z. B. Tennery, Seneca Lapham, William B. Mcllvaine, John Wader, William Lapham, James C. Turner, and H. M. White.

A second charter was issued, dated October 22, 187'?, wherein Joel Funk was appointed Master ; T. B. Tennery, Senior Warden ; and Seneca Lapham, Junior Warden, It

The following brethren were appointed by the Chair : W. Lapham, Sec'y ; H. M. Black, Treasurer, ; A. D. Frazell, S. D. ; and W. B. Mcllvaine, Junior IDeacon. The charter members were: D. D. Ogden, James Stafford, Jacob C. Kizer, Zachary Provotty, A. B. Turner, Geo. W. Kizer, Z. B. Tennery, John Wade, Wm. B. Mcllvaine, Nathan Hammond, W. R. Stafford, David Underwood, John M. Scott. The lodge is in a flourishing condition, and has a membership of fifty. The present officers are: Joseph Miller, W. M.; D. B. Hale, S. W.; Frank P. Taylor, J. W.; M. G. Royer, S. D.; John F." Kizer, J. D.; Volney "Thomas, Tyler; Job Saldkeld, Treasurer ; Henry F. Kurfurst, Secretary.

This society is now erecting a handsome building- on the corner of Baird and Detroit streets, in which they are arranging a beautiful hall to be finished in the highest style of art.

Among our veteran physicians we must notice Dr. I. C. Taylor, who has been practicing medicine in this town since January, 1844. He is the oldest physician in the practice in this place, and next to the oldest in the count}'. He is a skillful surgeon.

Then there is Dr. D. B. Allen, who has been practicing medicine here since 1851. The doctor is blessed with a wide range of practice, and is a well-read physician.

Leonard & Jones are enjoying a large practice. Dr. Leonard commenced about twentyfive years ago. Dr. Jones' partnership practice dates back from 1868. These gentlemen are well versed in their profession, and make a specialty of surgery.

Dr. Ben S. Leonard has just launched out into the practice of medicine, with bright hopes and happy anticipations. Ben is a graduate of the Ohio Medical College, from which institution he emerged with flattering honors in the spring of 1880.

The business of ^Yest Liberty is represented by one printing office, two dry goods stores, six groceries, two drug stores, two boot and shoe stores, two clothing stores, two tin stores, three stove stores, one large wholesale notion establishment, one provision market, three meat markets, two harness shops, one retail notion store, two hotels, two millinery stores, two saloons, one jewelry store, one large warehouse where grain is purchased, one grist mill, one furniture store, one undertaking establishment, one marble shop and two blacksmith shops.

The corporation united with the Trustees of Liberty Township in the erection of a handsome town-hall in 1868, expending thereon §7,000. It is a substantial structure, and is a credit to the town. The corporation and township oificers are in the first story.

It conducted the business of manufacturing carriage wheels and carriage material; Mr. Draper continued in office one year, after which, W. R. Fisher served as President until the company closed up its business in

At the beginning, the prospects of the company were excellent, and their business a fair one, but owing to the pressure of hard times later on and mismanagement, it met the fate of thousands of other enterprises of a similar character.

The post-office is ably and carefully presided over by ^Ir. Charles E. Darlinton, and his estimable wife, both of whom make many sacrifices to please the public, and their efforts in this direction have won for them enviable popularity. There is no hue and cry for a "change" in their department of Government service, and well it is that there isn't. They demonstrate that they are public servants in fact.

Note. - The writer of this history of West Liberty is indebted to E. N. Jordan, Esq., F. N. Draper, Dr. John Ordway, J. W. Woodward, Dr. H. F. Kurfnrst, Dr. L. J. Drake, Rev. E. K. Bell and many others, for valued information.

Part Iii Biogkaphical Sketches

He is, as his name indicates, of French orig-in, and retains more than any other member of this influential family the characteristics popularly attributed to that nation.

All the Piatts of the United States originated from two brothers, Jacobins, who fled religious persecution in France, first to Holland and subsequently to the United States.

One, the progenitor of the Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois Piatts, settled in New Jersey, while the other went to South Carolina and thence to the West Indies.

Jacob Piatt, grandfather of Wykoff, Donn and H. Sanders Piatt, was a noted officer of the Revolution, having enlisted as a private and fought his way up to a position by assignment at one time on the staff of Gen. Washington.

John S. Piatt, son of Jacob, was a successful merchant and banker at Cincinnati, and to his energy and enterprise that city owes much of its early prosperity.

Donn studied law. He says he was put upon the bench shortly after his admission to the bar, by kind friends, that he might learn something of his profession.

From the bench he was transferred to the Diplomatic Corps by President Pierce, and served as Secretary of Legation at Paris, and for a year, during the illness of the Minister, was Charged'' Affaires.

This promotion got the Secretary into serious trouble. As Secretary, he was paid at the rate of |2,000 a year, and accommodated his expenses to his pay. As Chargd he was expected to take the place of Minister with the understanding based on custom, that Congress would allow, subsequently, extra compensation. Confiding in this, the ChargS plunged into an indebtedness that Congress met so long after, that he was stigmatized and abused in a manner that whs extremely unjust.

Returning to the United States, he resumed the practice of the law until the war broke out, and he volunteered as a private to fight for the government. Promoted to a Captaincy, he soon after accepted the position of Adjutant General on the staff of Gen. Robert C. Schenck, and under that gallant and able officer, continued in the service \iiitil the end of the war. He took part, with the praise of his superior officers, in the battles of the fir-t and second Bull Run, Cross Keys and B ill Pasture Mountains. After the wounding of his general, at the second Bull Run, he was assigned to duty as Judge Advocate, and as such conducted the investigation of Gen. Don Carlos Buell, that was so protracted that it came near surviving the war. It was, as Inspector General of the Middle District, with headquarters at Baltimore, that Col. Piatt with Gen. William Birney, and aided by Henry Winter Davis and Judge Bond, inaugurated the enlistment of slaves in the military service, against the wishes of the administration, that made Maryland a free State in thirty days.

For this act of insubordination he lost favor with the gorvernment, and when the Union men of Maryland and Delaware waited on the President, asking, on the retirement of

Biogeavhical Sketches

General Schenck, he being returned to Congress, that Col. Piatt be promoted to the position of Brigadier General, and given command of the Middle District, Mr. Lincoln said, in his quaint way: " Schenck and Piatt are good fellows. If there's any rotton apples in the barrel, they can be counted on to hook 'em out; but, gentlemen, they run their machine on too high a level for me. I don't have much obedience, but a little is necessary, you know."

Twice subsequent to this, when a list of names was seat in for promotion to Brigadier General, from the War Department, Mr. Lincoln seeing that of Col. Piatt, drew his pen across it, saying : " Knows too much."

After the war, in 1865, Col. Piatt sought and secured a return to the Ohio Legislature for Logan Co., that he might aid in sending his General, Robert C. Schenck, to the United States Senate. He failed in this, but succeeded in making it very disagreeable to his brother members, by introducing various measures of reform, and advocating them with the wit and sarcasm, for which he is as remarkable in oratory as he is with the pen. Among other proposed reforms was a measure tending to take the police of cities from the political arena, so that it might serve as a conservator of the peace, in protection of society, instread of being a political machine of the most degraded sort.

Of course he failed, and became, in consequence of this and other like measures of reform, extremely unpopular. It is toid of him that a member came one day and asked his assistance for a bill then pending.

"Oh! I don't mean that," responded the honest member. " I want you to pitch into it in' one of your devilish speeches. Then all these fellows who can't get even with you any other way will vote for it."

Donn Piatt sickened as much of his legislative career, as did his constituents, and there was an unanimous consent given to his remaining at home.

It was after this that Col. Piatt turned his attention exclusively to journalism, with which he had been trifling from time to time as an amusemant. Employed by the Cincinnati Commercial^ as its Washington correspondent, he began and continued for three years, giving a letter a day during the sessions of Congress. These letters were remarkably successful. While awakening a sensation at the National Capitol among officials never before so criticised and commented upon, they were copied more or less by every journal in the country. The secret of his success is told by the correspondent himself, in a letter published not long since. He says: "I founded a new school. I discovered that the American people longed for personalities, and I catered to that taste. At Washington I found official agents who had to be treated with ridiculous tenderness, for they 6wned the city and all the pendrivers therein, and hid their imbecility and wickedness under the cover of exalted position. I found the House a Cave of the Winds, and the Senate a preposterous fog-bank. I pried into both, creating the same astonishment and disgust felt by a convocation of carrion crows in a dead oak when a sportsman disturbs them with bird-shot. To hold a solemn old pump of a Senator up to ridicule was as startling as it was delicious to the public."

The school founded by Col. Piatt consisted of a crowd of correspondents, who imitated all his faults, without a ray of the merit found in selecting for attack only charlatans, rogues and imbeciles, and garnishing these attacks with wit, to make them acceptable. Col. Piatt sought to bring tSe evil effects of our government into disfavor. His followers have succeeded in fetching the government itself into contempt.

At the end of the three years correspondence. Col. Piatt and George Alfred Townsend started the Washington Capitol, a weekly journal that is to this country what Punch\i.-iSi been to England, and the Figaro to France. George Alfred Townsend retired - at the end of three months from the editorship of this independent and amusing journal, that has since been conducted by Col. Piatt alone.

Although known widely for his wit, Donn Piatt cannot be considered a humorist, by which is meant one who has this quality only. His wit or humor, as it is popularly called, is but an aid to more serious aims. His graver writings, marred by a cynical turn and much eccentricity, hav6 had so much influence that one regrets the wit that gives a flavor of insincerity to all he does.

Biogeaphical Sketches

WILLIAM BOGGS, retired farmer; Miami Tp., P. O., DeGrafF, O. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, was born Sept. 11, 1801. At that early day, the country was known as Ohio Territory, ^he being borti in that portion now included in Pickaway Co., whore he lived for twenty-five years. His father was a farmer, and he was brought up to the same pursuit, and like others in those early days, had few facilities for obtaining an education. While living with his parents he did some flatboating, making three trips to New Orleans with flour. He also spent some time teaming to Portsmouth, Cincinnati, etc. March 17, 1824, he was married to Miss .lane Britton, a native of Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania. Mr. Boggs came with his wife and child to Logan Co., O., in 1826, and settled on the banks of the Big Miami, near the mouth of the Buckongahelas creek ; at first they lived in their wagon, until he could build a house, which was made of round logs, cut down inside, forming one room, with stick chimney,, oiled paper windows, one door, clap-board roof, puncheon floor, etc.; this served as a home for some fifteen or sixteen years, and though vacated and dilapidated, is yet standing. Upon his settlement here, Mr. Boggs began to clear a farm, and to enjoy the comforts of a pioneer generally, and in 1837 he built a saw-mill on the Buckongahelas Creek, near his residence; and in 1840 he built a flour mill in the same locality; this mill is doing service to-day, and is regarded as one of the best in the county. In August, 1850, Mr. Boggs had tlie town of DeGraif surveyed on his land, an account of which, together with other matters pertaining to our subject, will be found elsewhere. Sept. 6, 1868, Mr. Boggs was called to mourn the death of his wife. They had four children, of whom two are living - Mrs. Lydia Strayer, living on the old homestead, and Mrs. Ann Henderson, living in Illinois. Mr. Boggs' present wife was Miss Leonia Whitzel; she was born in Ross Co., O. They were married Oct. 17, 1872, atid live on the old homestead. In 1868, shortly after the death of his first wife, Mr. Boggs became paralyzed, and has been an invalid since, having been confined to the house the past eighteen months. During his residence here, "Uncle Billy" as he is familiarly called.

has witnessed many changes. The town that in 1850 was mere pencil marks on paper, has now risen to the rank of second in the county, and the wild forests hpve turned to fertile farms. The iron-horse now speeds in sight of the old cabin, and in every direction a great tranfforination appears.

O. S. MILLER, Liberty Tp.; was born in Fredricksburg, Wayne Co., O., on the 31st day of October, 1838. He was the eklest son of .7ohn M. and Agnes (Sereles) Miller. Mr. Miller's school-days were very few. He had only the district school to attend, and obtained but a meagre education. The union schools were unknown in that day. At the early age of 15 he ceased going to school, at which period he came with his parents to West Liberty, where he has lived ever sinre. Mr. Miller's father being engaged in the manufacture and sale of patent medicines, with J. dinger & Co., young Shep, as he is familiarly called, secured a position with this firm, receiving as a compensation for his services, for the first year, $100. The second year of his connection with this firm, being but a mere lad of 17, having' developed a fine business tact, he was " put upon the road," in commercial travelers' parlance, and was entrusted with the important work of establishing agencies throughout Ohio and Eastern Indiana. Mr. Miller continued in the employ of this firm, trusted and honored, for six years continuously, the two last years purchasing all their stock, .lanuary 1, 1859, he purchased the entire establishment, conducting the business on his own responsibility for about five years, at which time he associated with him his brother, Theodore F. Miller, and the firm then prosecuted business under the firm name of O. S. Miller & Co., and it gradually changed into the business of selling notions. The firm does a heavy business, exclusively wholesale, making a specialty of their " Nonesuch " overalls, coats, jackets, waists, shirts and underwear. They have three commercial travelers constantly " on the road," and they employ about 200 sewing women, many of whom make their entire living from the proceeds of work furnished them by this enterprising firm. Mr. Miller, in judgment, is very practical and independent. He looks after details sharply. As a business man, although he has salesmen, he likes to be in the midst of his business.