Paulding County, Ohio - Chapter 10, 1892

Chapter 10

CHURCHES. S the details of the early church organizations, also of the present church edifices, have beén given in the preceding pages of this history there remains but little more to be said, unless it would be to give an extended and complete sketch of each church, and that, owing to our limited space, can not be done without infringing upon some of the other topics that must be mentioned. As has been shown the early Christians of the county met at the log dwellings of the pioneers, and cabin school-houses, to sing their songs of praise, and lift their hearts in prayer to the Most High. Happily, that is all past now, and neat and commodious edifices are erected in all parts of the county, where the various denominations can meet for worship. As a sample of the growth and development of Christianity in the county we will give the full history of one church, and what is true of its organization and advancement is in a measure true of all the others. Bethel Christian church, in Paulding county, was organized a schoo]-house in sub-district No. 4, Auglaize township, on the 9th of February, 1858, by Elders John Gillespie and John Bushong. This territory was then in the Auglaize conference, but when the Maumee conference was formed the church was transferred to it. In 1868 the Auglaize and «Maumee conferences were consolidated into one, called the Northwestern Ohio Christian conference, and in which the church has been since that time. The charter members of the church were named: John Rickner, Rachel Rickner, John Gillespie, Susannah Gillespie, A. J. Frederick, Elizabeth Frederick, Ichabod Gillespie, D. P. W. Rains, Thomas Graham, Jemima Graham, William and Nancy Smith, and Jacob and Rosannah Hitniaer - -fourteen in all. There are now on the church roster about 140 members. A hewed log church 25x30 feet in size was built in 1858, and used a place of worship until 1874, when a neat frame structure 34x44 feet in dimensions

The names of ministers who have served as pastors of the church are: Rev. John Gillespie, eleven years; Rev. John Bushong, one year; Rev. Enos Foster, two years; Rev. Branson Good, six months; Rev. Ruff, three years; Rev. P. Richardson, one year; Rev. C. C. Sink, eight months; Rev. Lewis Gander, one year; Rev. Rapp, one year; Rev. Elijah Coil, six months; Rey. Garner, one year; Rey. G. R. Mell, three years; Rev. W.N. Deck, three years; and Rev. Leonard, the present pastor. John H. McCague has held the offices of deacon and clerk in the church from the year of 1860 down to the present time. The first Sunday-school that the church organized was in the spring of 1866, of which S. T. Morris was superintendent. The church has at present a very large and interesting Sunday-school, with J. M. Morris at its head as superintendent. The moral and christian influence which the church has thrown out upon the community around it is acknowledged and felt, by all. May it long exist to spread its good work is the wish of the humble writer who traces 'its history to-day.

One of the first circuit riders to visit Paulding county was Elnathan C. Gavitt, who in after years became a presiding elder in the Methodist Episcopal church, and resided at Lima. The following sketch is given by him in an address before a meeting of the Maumee Valley Pioneer association, at Defiance, on the 22d of February, 1878. He says: "I was born in Ohio. My parents emigrated to this state in 1805. This is my native home; here are the graves of my parents, wife and children. Many are the attachments and fond recollections which cluster around the scenes of my early days. My first missionary work commenced among the Wyandots at Upper Sandusky. This mission was first established by a colored man, Rev. John Stewart, a local minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, in 1816, and was the first Protestant Indian mission this side 9f the Alleghany mountains. My missionary work commenced among them in 1832, in connection with Thos. Thompson. At that day it was the policy of the church to hunt up all the white settlements and carry the gospel to them. Emigration to northern Ohio had 'commenced, the Maumee valley was fast filling up, and hence our missionary work was not wholly confined to the Indians, but extended over a large territory now included in the following counties: Crawford, Marion, Hardin, Auglaize, Allen, Van Wert, Hancock, Putnam, Paulding, Defiance, Williams, Fulton, Lucas, Henry, Wood, Ottawa. and several appointments within the bounds of Sandusky and Seneca. Traveling most of the time without roads or bridges, fording streams or swimming our horses, and sometimes lodging in the wilderness, preaching from two to three times a day, and all this had to be accomplished every four weeks, so as to reach the mission at Upper Sandusky by Saturday night, as one of the missionaries had to remain until the other returned, to superintend the house, farm and school, having from sixty to eighty children to be provided for. Let others think as they may as to christianity and the gospel ministry, it was the love of souls, the moral and religious improvement of these new settlements that prompted the ministers to make the sacrifices they did, and not the love of fame or wealth. My colleague, being a married man, was allowed a salary of $200 per year; but being a single man, I was only allowed 8100; but this amount was not to come from the Indians, but must be secured from the whites; and each member was expected to pay 25 cents per quarter, which was called quarterage. The country being new and the people poor, the minister generally received about one-half his salary. The first five years of my itineracy I did not receive more than $40 or $50 per year, and much of this was in such articles as they could conveniently spare. However, it

| their ability, but such families as were destitute of means were cheerfully excused, providing they kept on hand a good supply of yellowlegged chickens.

| "Most of the time while at the mission I provided for myself, cooking and lodging in the school house. My food was of the plainest quality, consisting principally of deer or bear meat, coon or opossum, with some dried corn and cranberries sweetened with Indian sugar, but not. always free from hair or feathers. My bed was composed of skins, my

' pillow a calico sack filled with dry grass, the covering my horse blanket Gloak. I preached on the Sabbath, taught during the week, and doctored at night, except in extreme cases."

When we reflect upon this sketch of Elder Gavitt, we cannot help exclaiming: What a striking contrast there is between the pioneer circuit. rider of fifty years ago and the well fed, well paid and not overworked ministers of the present time! The location of the churches of the: county and their various denominations will be found in the township and village history of this volume.

Charter Xt The Medical Profession

\ by a number of excellent physicians, graduates from the best medical schools of the country. Among the pioneers there were some able and excellent physicians. One of the first followers of A'sculapius, that we have any note of, to tread the soil of Paulding county, was Dr. Richard Allison, who accompanied Gen. Wayne in his memorable march down the Auglaize from Fort Recovery to Defiance. He was a native of New York and had served as surgeon's mate in the revolutionary war. He was surgeon general of Wayne's legion and had accompanied Gen.

_ Harmar and Gen. St. Clair on their disastrous expeditions. After _ Wayne's victory at the battle of Fallen Timber, he resigned from the army and practiced in Cincinnati for many years. It is said that he was a "kindly, shrewd and sensible M. D., not overweighted with book-learning, but cunning as to the frailties of humanity." Dr. John Phillips, of New Jersey; Dr. John Elliot, of New York; Dr. Joseph Strong, of Connecticut; and Dr. John Sellman, of Maryland, were other surgeons who served with Wayne., Some of the pioneer physicians of the county were Dr. John Kingery, of Brown township; Dr. Royal B. Cooper, of Charloe; Dr. Marcellus, of Junction; and Dr. B. B. Woodcock, of Antwerp. Dr. Kingery, it seems, was a farmer and shoemaker, as well asa physician, from an entry made in one of his old account books now in

John Kretzinger To John Kingery, Dr

Pe ONS BALE DATIS o Se sae winters 10 cents. USDOL POLALOCS a. SS Ka». 25 cents. PO UNE ICAL ALEOME a CO E 7. a aaa oa $1.00.

In another entry of September 7, 1847, we find "John Bowers Dr. to John Kingery, $5.00 for filling one 'waggon' wheel and 'sitting' tire." This pioneer physician was a mechanic as well as a farmer and professional man. He resided on the opposite side of the Auglaize river from Old Fort Brown, and died about the year 1854. The principal diseases of the early settlers of the county was ague, and fevers of a miasmatic na- ture. Every new settler usually had a siege of chills which lasted until he wore it out and became acclimated; or until it wore him out and laid his bleached bones beneath the somber shades of the cemetery elm. Many of the first settlers died early in life, while others, having strong constitutions, lived to an advanced age. Whether the better class of physicians in the county at present could have combated the early diseases with more success than did the pioneer doctors is difficult to determine. Among the pioneers the physicians were also the dentists, charging twenty-five cents for each tooth extracted (with reduction in price if several were taken out), and plugging decayed teeth with tin-foil in lieu of gold. They were also their own apothecaries, ordering six months in advance their desiderated supplies of Glauber's salt, dragon's blood, balsam of Peru, melopodium, bitter apple, Huxham's mixture and other obsolete medicaments. We remember, when a mere urchin, of visiting Dr. Cooper's old " doctor shop" in Charloe, and regaling our olfactory nerves in the mingled odors which, like incense to the god of physic, arose from the brown paper bundles, bottles stopped with worm-eaten corks, and open jars of ointment, all havingthe resemblance of being the remains of some apothecary's store of King Solomon's days. Dr. Cooper was careless in his office, but was regarded asa good physician. He died about the year 1860, after having been a practitioner of medicine in the county for fifteen or twenty years. Bleeding was recognized as an effective remedy for many diseases among our pioneers, and the lancet was found in the antiquated pill-bags of every physician, and frequently used. For "tapping a vein" twenty-five cents was cuarged; for sitting up all night, one dollar; and for long rides to visit patients twenty-five cents a mile, payable in produce. We do not have the account of any instances where these pioneer chirurgeons were called upon to extirpate witches, but some of their prescriptions, aided by the credulity of their patients, often produced miracles worthy of the "faith cures" of these enlightened days. Dr. Olds settled in Charloe, in 1852, and began the practice, but he gave such large doses of calomel, and so many of his patients were salivated that the people ceased to employ him. About this time a song entitled " Calomel " was frequently heard. The following are two of its stanzas:

Said Dr. Olds unto the wife, " Bring me clean paper, spoon and knife; I'm sure your husband can't get well, Without a dose of calomel." Chorus: Calomel, calomel. Without a dose of calomel.

The husband turned himself in bed, And to his wife he feebly said: "O let me bid this world farewell, Without one dose of calomel." Chorus: Calomel, calomel, Without one dose of calomel.

Dr. Elijah J. Brown is the oldest physician in the county, having practiced in different localities of its limits for the past forty or fifty years. He is now a resident of Worstville and still in the practice. Dr. A. E. Schooley was for many years the leading physician of Junction. Dr. Jonas. Hager and Dr. Milholland are the present physicians of that village. H. M. Ayres located in Charloe in the early sixties, and being thoroughly educated in the profession, began a reform in the practice of medicine. He was the first graduate of a medical college to settle in the county. In 1875 he was elected sheriff of the county and removed to Paulding. After serving as sheriff four years he again took up the practice of medicine, and is now in partnership with his daughter, Dr. Lillie Ayres, who graduated from a Cincinnati medical college in 1889, and is the only lady physician in the county. Dr. Sade E. Dix was formerly a lady practitioner in the county, but removed to Van Wert in 1889. Dr. J. L. Slager is a young and prominent physician of Paulding. He is the only post-graduate in the county, having attended a course of clinical lectures in New York city in 1887. Dr. C. E. Cunningham is an old practitioner in the county, now located at Paulding, and an excellent physician; Drs. Flavien and Montgomery are also physicians in that town and both have a lucrative practice. Dr. P. Alvin Dix, for a time a leading physician in Paulding, sold to Dr. Montgomery and located at Cincinnati, late in the fall of 1890, and in December, 1891, returned to Paulding, where he is permanently located and will practice as a specialist. Drs. J. W. Cartwright, J. W. McHenry and G. E. Brattain are located at Payne. Drs. John Harrod and C. V. Gorrell are also physicians at Payne. Dr. A. McDonnel was for many years a prominent physician at Antwerp, but died in 1888. Dr. A. C. McCann, Dr. Cave and Dr. Brattain are the present physicians of that place. Dr. D. W. Hixson practiced medicine for many years at Paulding and Antwerp, but died in the early part of 1891. Other physicians of the county are Drs. Sherrard and Burson, at Oakwood; Dr. Fife, at Melrose; Dr. Richardson, at Hamer; Dr. Ladd, at Broughton; Dr. A. H. Mouser, at Hedges; Dr. C. A. Bray and Tooker of Grover Hill; Dr. Hosford, at Latty; Drs. Gordon, Wilson Bros. at Scott and Dr. Wemuth, at Cecil; Dr. C. B. Chesher practiced medicine at Paulding from 1880 to 1890, when he was appointed superintendent of the Cleveland insane asylum, but was superseded by Dr. Eyeman, of Toledo, in August, 1891. Dr. Frank Saylor, of Antwerp, graduated at the Ann Arbor medical college in June 1891, formed a partnership with Dr. Flavein, of Paulding, but was shortly after appointed an assistant physician at the Cleveland insane asylum, which position he is filling at present. Drs. J. L. Slager, G. E. Brattain and W. H. Montgomery are the pension board of examiners in the county, Dr. D. C. Goings is the only "faith cure," Dr. Jas. Huston, who located in Paulding in 1886, is the only resident dentist of this county.