Williams County, Ohio - Chapter 5: From 1841 to 1861, 1905

THE seat of justice having been removed from Defiance to Bryan, the first requisite in the embryo town was buildings in which to hold court and house the county officials. As a part of the inducement that caused the county seat to be located on its present site, Bryan and Trevitt agreed to build proper buildings for such use, temporarily, until more substantial structures could be erected. As may be inferred, these first county buildings were simple and in keeping with their surroundings. The courts were held in a small log house, erected late in the year 1840 - Jacob Over and James McFadden dressing the logs and doing such other carpenter work as was needed on the primitive temple of justice. The building stood near the center of the space included in lots 94, 95, and 96, southeast corner of Main and Mulberry streets, where now stand the residences of John Niederaur, W. H. Lane and Dr. McTaggart. It was a two-story building, about twenty-five by forty feet in size, extending north and south. The entrance was at the south end and the judge's bench at the north, court being held on the ground floor, and the second story - according to the memory of the older citizens - not being prepared for any use. The courts were held there for about seven years, or, until the autumn of 1847, when the brick building on the public square was completed. Later the old log structure was taken down and erected into two buildings on the east side of town, by Messrs. Levi Cunningham and John Young. These buildings are yet standing - one of them, remodelled, being the residence of William G. Yates, and the other, now dilapidated, is the property of Arthur Willett - on the north side of East High street. The first county jail in Bryan was also an unpretentious affair, built of logs, two stories high, and stood on lot No. 137, west side of Lynn street, between Bryan and Mulberry streets, the lot now belonging to the Jacob Teems estate. It remained there until 1848, when it was removed, and, with new material added, rebuilt on the west half of lots 107 and 108, now occupied by the Long drug-store building. There it stood, as a place of incarceration for the evil-doers, until 1867, when the present brick jail was erected. The old building was then torn down and some of the logs were used in a sewer system of drainage, which was being constructed along the streets of Bryan.

been given in a preceding chapter, and it will be remembered that there were, originally, twenty Congressional townships, which, when organized for civil purposes, were Defiance, Tiffin, Springfield, Brady, Millcreek, Madison, Jefferson, Pulaski, Washington, Delaware, Mark, Farmer, Center, Superior, Bridgewater, Northwest, Florence, St. Joseph, Milford and Hicksville. Some of these townships exceeded the established limits of the United States surveys (six miles square), owing to the clashing of the Harris and Fulton lines, and Williams county possessed an extent of territory far in excess of the four hundred square miles, which the constitution of 1802 had established as the minimum for a county organization. The chagrin felt by the citizens of Defiance over the removal of the county seat from that place prompted them to take advantage of this fact, and they early began a movement looking to the erection of a new county, with Defiance as the permanent location of a fixed and immovable county-seat. In such efforts they were finally successful, and on March 4, 1845, the general assembly of Ohio passed an act, "to erect the county of Defiance." It took from Williams the territory which comprises the townships of Defiance, Tiffin, Washington, Delaware, Mark, Farmer, Milford and Hicksville - eight in number - and by invading the counties of Henry and Paulding, secured enough additional territory to give the new county its constitutional size and at the same time satisfy the cravings of Defiance citizens for a court house in their midst.

Williams county was thus reduced in size and limited to the remaining twelve townships. This division of the territory appeared at first to be disastrous to the county, for though its outline still continued symmetrical, yet a large portion of its most valuable taxable property was transferred to the newly erected county. And in addition to this a vexatious and acrimonious strife at once arose over the question of removing the seat of justice from Bryan to West Unity. The erection of Defiance county had placed Jthe new county seat of Williams far from the geographical center and within three miles of the southern boundary line, causing the same objections to arise that had been used so effectively against Defiance, a few years before. The new court house at Bryan, although in course of construction, was not nearly completed, and the citizens of West Unity considered it an opportune time to agitate the question of removal. The claims of West Unity, when geography is considered, were not very logical, however, as her location was only five miles away from the eastern boundary line; but she had two miles the advantage of Bryan, and the conflict raged furiously, regardless of former friendships or family ties. The question was finally settled by the interference of a third party - the legislature of the State of Ohio. On February 28, 1850, the General Assembly passed an act "to create the county of Fulton," taking for such purpose a large tract off the west end of Lucas, a smaller one from Henry county, and three tiers of sections off the east side of Millcreek township and two from Brady in Williams county. This ended the vexed controversy between West Unity and

Bryan ; for the former now had no advantage of the latter when the charge of. being* "a border town" was discussed, each being about -equally distant from a line that bounded another jurisdiction. This act of the legislature also made the eastern boundary line of Williams county decidedly irregular, and reduced the superficial area to 420 square miles - a little more than is required by law, but near enough the minimum to make any further "pruning" improbable. In 1857 an effort was made to remove the county seat to the geographical center, near Montpelier - but the project failed.

The early efforts towards building the town of Bryan will be treated of in the chapter on Pulaski township, and of course repetition is unnecessary in this connection. Though a considerable settlement was made on the town site, during the few months following the decision to locate the seat of justice at that place, the town was not formally incorporated until June, 1849. The original plat of the town contained one hundred and eighty inlots, exclusive of the public square, each of which is four rods frontage and eight rods in depth, with alleys between abutting lots. This arrangement made the squares or blocks of three hundred and ninety-six feet frontage on the east and west sides and two hundred and eighty-four on the north and south; all being bounded by streets of proper width. Main and High being one hundred feet wide and the others sixtysix. It is easy to imagine that the course of these streets was marked by blazed trees, for the virgin forest was as yet undisturbed by the ax of civilization.

It is not possible to produce a complete and accurate list of names of the first settlers ; but after it became generally known that the legislative commissioners had located the county seat of Williams in the midst of an unbroken section of Pulaski township forest, many people, some attracted with a possible thought of purchasing lots and opening up business, and others to gratify curiosity - made journeys to the place. Most of these returned home and circulated unfavorable reports about the future prospects of the incipient village. Among the few, however, who determined to brave such pioneer hardships and inconveniences as presented themselves was John Kaufman, who should be mentioned as having assisted in building the temporary log court house and in burning brick for the walls of the permanent one. Mr. Kaufman spent the remainder of his life in Bryan, and although fortune smiled not upon him in the way of abundant riches, yet he was entitled to the greater honor of being a worthy citizen. For many years prior to his death he was the efficient janitor of the court house.

Volney Crocker, who subsequently located on a farm in St. Joseph township, probably cut down the first tree. Mr. Crocker was a native of New York, where he was born February 8, 1818, the son of Samuel and Polly (Fordham) Crocker, who were also earlv residents of Williams county. The family went to live in Upper Canada in 1820, later moved to Lower Canada, and thence to Stark county, Ohio, where they lived until 1834. I11 the latter year they came to

Williams county and located on a piece of woodland near Williams Center. There they encountered all the hardships of pioneer life, living in their wagon until they could erect a cabin with puncheon floor and stick chimney. After reaching manhood, Volnev Crocker followed scoring and hewing timber for a few years, and in the winter of 1840-41 erected the first house in Bryan, which he inhabited while "clearing off" the public square and several of the streets of the village. Soon after this he began farming in the woods, near by, and subsequently followed carriage-making in Bryan for several years. Later he removed to St. Joseph township and followed farming the remainder of his life. Mr. Crocker has the double honor of leveling the first "giant of the forest" and furnishing the first cabin in the newly-platted town. This structure was on the shanty order, however, intended for but temporary use, and the first regular cabin was built by Daniel Wyatt, on lots No. no and hi, south side of the square on, Butler street, where is now located the residence of George W. Hopkins.

William Yates was the first merchant to establish himself in business in Bryan, in the fall of 1841, and Thomas Shorthill opened the first tavern during the same year. His early competitors in the business were Thomas McCurdy and John McDowell, and later, Daniel Langel. The first marriage was that of Andrew J. Tressler and Miss Olivia Kent, as appears in another chapter. The postoffice was established February 22, 1841, and Thomas Shorthill, the village inn-keeper, was appointed postmaster and heldi the office a few years.

The board of county commissioners held its first session in Bryan - the new seat of justice - on March 1, 1841, and the record of business transacted affords ample evidence that northern townships had not only demanded, but had also shown the numerical strength to enforce the recognition of their necessities in the matter of roads, bridges, etc. The second act of the board at this March meeting was to "declare a public highway," commencing at the northwest corner of section seventeen, in Northwest township, at the Indiana line, and thence running due east on section lines to the quarter post on the north side of section thirteen, thence southeastwardly to the quarter post on the south side of section seventeen in Bridgewater township, and thence east on section lines to the east line of the county. This road, throughout the greater part of its original course is still in use, but it is perhaps not generally known that it was the first highway in the present county limits to receive attention after the removal of the seat of justice to Brvan. Beginning at the Indiana line, northwest of Billingstown, it followed its present course due east until it reached the point where now stands the Winebrinerian church, a little north and east of Nettle Lake. There it took an angling southeasterly course until it struck the section line again at the quarter post on the south side of section seventeen in Bridgewater township. It then ran due east again until the Fulton county boundary was reached. The angling part of this road has long since been

At a special session of the Board, held on July 19, 1841, it was decided to locate the county jail" on the site heretofore mentioned, and Erastus H. Leland, a practicing attorney, was appointed a special commissioner to sell at public auction the job of clearing off the lot. It is said that the usual price at that time for clearing land was four dollars an acre, but Lawyer Leland disregarded all precedents in the matter and presented a bill of seven dollars for clearing this lot and the same was allowed by the commissioners. The contract for building the jail was let to John McDowell, the price to be paid for the work being $1,050.

In January, 1842, the commissioners took up the question of building a new court house. The land-owners who donated the site had also agreed to pay a certain amount for the erection of a substantial county building, but no move had as yet been made tending to such action) on their part. At a session, held February 14, it was ordered "that the court house that is to be erected in and for this county be placed in the center of the public square in the town of Bryan - said square not including the two lots deeded to the county at the south end of said square/' The board further ordered "that the plan drawn by H. Daniels for a court house, specifying the dimensions of said court house to be fifty-three feet by eighty-seven and a half feet, including the porches, be, and is hereby adopted by the board for a court house for the county of Williams." But there seems to have been a disagreement in the interpretation of the covenants of Messrs. Bryan and Trevitt, for under date of March 8, 1842, we find the following entry: "The commissioners, Payne C. Parker and Oney Rice, Jr., direct the auditor to make an entry on the record that they consider the understanding between the proprietors of the town of Bryan and the commissioners of Williams county, when they received the bond for the erection of a court house, the following, namely: That signers of the bond were to lay out judiciously, under the direction of the commissioners of Williams county, $8,500, and nothing further." The bond here mentioned was one given by John A. Bryan and William Trevitt, as principals, and Alfred P. Edgerton as security, for payment of a certain amount towards the building of the court house.

An estimate was made of the probable cost of the building, and at a special meeting, held April 20, 1842, the commissioners ordered the clerk to enter on the record the following copy of a letter to Messrs. Bryan and Trevitt: "We, the commissioners of Williams county, Ohio, have agreed upon and adopted a plan, drawn by an architect of this section, the size of which [court house] is fifty bv sixty-eight feet, to be executed in the Ionic order; the estimated cost in cash shall not exceed $10,000. The temporary court house is very uncomfortable and cold ; the Court, complaining to the commissioners, say that they shall hold and call upon the commissioners to see that the house is made comfortable and more convenient."

This literary appeal, had the desired effect, and July 9, 1842, John A. Bryan and William Trevitt, by their agent, Giles H. Tomlinson, who still resides in the county, entered into an article of agreement to erect a court house. Another year passed, however, with little progress made, and at the March session, in 1843, the commissioners appointed) James Shorthill a special envoy to see that the old building be "chuncked and daubed," which conveys the impression at least that they expected to use it indefinitely. This "chuncking and daubing" cost the county the sum of $7.08.

But the walls of the new court house were increasing in height, and on July 14, 1843, the board directed the Auditor to cause notice to be given in some newspaper of general circulation in the county that they would receive sealed proposals for the furnishing of the inside work of the building; and upon the same date a contract was entered into with John Bostater for the making of, the window blinds and sash. At the December session, 1843, Giles H. Tomlinson was allowed the sum of thirty-three dollars for hooks furnished for the court house, on which to hang window shutters. Yet the project seemed hoodooed. A year later, on October 1, 1844, the commissioners met in special session "for the purpose of examining the court house," and after having done so were convinced that Messrs. Bryan and Trevitt had failed to carry on the work as stipulated in* the contract, and complete it within the denominated time. It appeared that Bryan and Trevitt refused to proceed further with the work, and the commissioners therefore declared the contract "abandoned and vacated." They accordingly ordered the following notice published in the Defiance Democrat:

"Notice is hereby given that the commissioners of Williams county will attend at their office in said county on the 25th day of October, A. D. 1844, for the purpose of receiving sealed proposals for the completion of the following work on the court house in said county, to-wit: Putting on the roof and crown, moulding of the cornice; putting in joists for the second floor and timber and studding for the partitions; to be done before the first of December, next. Also separate proposals will be received for the following work, to-wit: the balance of the cornice, eight columns, and the platform of the portico, and the chimneys and the cupelo, and the painting of the work ; the whole to be finished according to the plan of the building* and specifications, to be seen at the Auditor's office, and the whole to be completed by the first day of September, A. D., 1845, the pay to be cash or county orders at their cash value, at the option of the commissioners."

Upon the date mentioned, October 25, the board met, and the following day Giles H. Tomlinson was awarded the contract of doing the specified work, the time for completion being extended until December 1, 1845. But eighteen months elapsed after the letting of this contract, and yet the court house was not completed. Either the workmen engaged were inefficient or the commissioners were hard to please, for on April 13, 1847, the latter met in special session and declared that Mr. Tomlinson had failed to fulfil his contract. They accordingly pronounced the same forfeited and ordered another «ale of the job of completing the building. In the meantime, however, the commissioners had brought suit against Messrs. Bryan -and Trevitt, as principals, and A. P. Edgerton, as security, to enforce 'compliance with the full terms of the bond, which has been heretofore mentioned ; and after the usual finesse and delay, incident to litigation, a judgment had been obtained at the May term of the Common Pleas Court for $6,402.65, together with costs. Messrs. Bryan, Trevitt and Edgerton then made a proposition looking to a compromise with the County Commissioners. In consideration of the judgment being assigned to Mr. Edgerton, they agreed to refund to the county, with interest, the amount already paid to Mr. Tomlinson, and to have the court house fully completed by December I, 1847. The board held a special meeting on July 21, 1847, and after considering the proposition decided to accept it. Security being required, a contract was drawn up with Wm. Yates, Levi Cunningham, Jacob Bowman, S. E. Blakeslee, E. H. Leland and A. J. Tressler as securities for Messrs. Bryan, Trevitt and Edgerton. This arrangement finally brought about the completion of the work, and in January, 1848, six years after the first action of the commissioners concerning the matter, the court house was reported as ready for occupancy. The citizens of Bryan, for the purpose of adding to the appearance of the square, and incidentally the appearance of the village, offered to contribute one-half the money needed to construct a board fence around the county's real estate.

But the difficulties attending the building of the court house were not; ended yet. Mr. Edgerton caused the work to be continued, but after its supposed completion, although occupied, the commissioners refused to accept it; and at a special session, held on April 10, 1850, they employed William Carter, as an attorney, to commence suit on the contract. After pending in the courts of Williams and Defiance counties for over three years, this suit was settled by Mr. Edgerton paying to the county the sum of five hundred and fifty dollars. Frequent entries appear in the Commissioners' record of subsequent allowances for needed repairs - resulting from faulty construction - and indeed the court house demanded considerable "patching" until replaced by the present commodious structure. The commissioners stoutly refused for a long time to pay Mr. Tomlinson's bill for work performed on the contract, but he finally succeeded in worrying it from them and received payment to the amount of his claim.

Among the first of the legal contests, in the brick court house, was the trial of Andrew F. Tyler, who, with Daniel Heckerthorn, was indicted for the murder of the little boy - David Schamp. The particulars of the horrible crime are given in the Jefferson township chapter. Tyler was tried at the September term of the Supreme Court, in 1848, was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. He was executed on January 26, 1849. Heckerthorn was tried at the November term of the common pleas court, 1849, found guilty and also sentenced to be hanged, but the Governor of Ohio, on account of his youth (a boy of sixteen years) and limited mental capacity, commuted the sentence to imprisonment for life in the Ohio penitentiary. There he remained for ten years, when he was offered a conditional pardon by the Governor.

The importance of the opening of a railroad was early impressed upon the minds of the enterprising citizens of the county, and about 1846-47, a project, originating with the late Judge Ebenezer Lane and others, was undertaken to build a road from Cleveland or Norwalk, running westward and crossing the Maumee river at the foot of the rapids, and from thence making its way on a west line to Chicago. It was known as the Junction railroad and a considerable amount of work was performed on it, including massive abutments for the bridge which was to cross the river to the northern bank at Maumee City. The corporation, in order to facilitate operations west of this point, solicited aid of stock subscriptions by individuals, towns, townships and counties, and succeeded in gathering ah amount which aggregated a considerable sum. Regarding this first railroad enterprise, and in response to the request for stock subscription by Williams county, the Commissioners, at their session, held March 15, 1852, ordered "That public notice be given the qualified electors of Williams county to meet at their several places of holding elections in their respective townships on Monday, the 5th day of April, next, between the hours of 10 o'clock a. m. and 4 o'clock p. m., of said day and then and there cast their ballots 'for subscription' or 'against subscription' of $100,000 stock for the location and completion of the Junction railroad in said county, conditioned that said road shall pass from Maumee City westward through the said county of Williams to the Indiana state line, within two years from this date, and touching the following points, to-wit : West Unity, Montpelier, LaFayette (now Pulaski), Bryan and Center- in said county, and that there shall be a junction of its branches at one of the above named towns in said county of Williams, and that said $100,000 be equally distributed on the several branches on said road in said county of Williams." Apparently pleased with this prospect of receiving railroad accommodations, connecting the leading trading points of the county, the proposition was carried by a good majority and on April 7, 1852, the Commissioners subscribed the necessary stock, payable on April 1, 1867.

But another movement was on foot which was destined to defeat the above mentioned project, even if it had, in fact, any prospect of realization. The Southern Michigan & Northern Indiana railroad company, realizing the damage it would be to their interests if the Junction enterprise should be successful, resolved upon the construction of an air line westward from Toledo to connect with their main line at Elkhart, Indiana. In 1852, the same year that the people of Williams county voted the appropriation, representatives of this company (whose corporate name is now the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern), appeared quietly in the field with a corps of engineers and surveyed the route, askiftg no aid of stock subscriptions - only right of way and donation of sufficient ground for passenger and freight conveniences. The company was very undemonstrative in its movements, and on February 18, 1853, J. H. Sargeant, acting chief engineer and superintendent of the air-line road, called upon Hon. Edward Foster and passed into his .hands a sum of money, requesting him to proceed without delay and receive donations or purchase the necessary right of wav and depot grounds for that part of the road which would pass through Williams county. Much of the land being owned by non-residents, the labor was protracted, and some resident owners acting stubbornly, Mr. Foster met with embarrassments and delays in the prosecution of his work. Messrs. Edgerton and Trevitt, however, in addition to the very liberal donation of nearly sixteen acres of ground in Bryan for passenger and warehouse purposes, also generously donated the right of way through all their Williams county land, of which they held large tracts. March 5, 1855, Mr. Foster closed his business with the company and their contractors, and on October 25, following, received the last payment for his services.

The first conductor on the road after passenger trains commenced running, in 1856, was David Moore. William D. Billings, a long time resident of Bryan, was the second agent at the station after trains had reached the county seat - his predecessor, a Mr. Johnson, who had opened the office, only remaining in the employ of the company a few months. Previous to this, Mr. Billings had had charge of the Middlebury (now Vistula) station, on the old-line road. The first printed through "time table, No. 1," took effect "on Monday, June 8, 1857, at 5 o'clock a. m." The stations named on the table were Toledo, Springfield. Centerville, Delta, Wauseon, Archbold, Stryker, Bryan, Edgerton, Butler, Waterloo, Corunna, Kendalville, Rome, Wawaka, Ligonier, Millersburg, Goshen and Elkhart. Going west, the train left Toledo at 9:00 a. m. and reached Elkhart at 7:10 p. m., making the distance between the two points in a little over nine hours, barring accidental delays. Another train moved from Elkhart on its eastward trip at 9 :4a a. m., and was due at Toledo at 6:40. Trains passed each other at Edgerton, that station being 64.3 miles west of Toledo, and 68.5 miles east of Elkhart. The trains were decidedly, if not badly, "mixed" - a locomotive, tender, one passenger and one freight car. Two trains, thus formed, made up the entire rolling stock of the road.

Considerable of the foregoing matter relating to the first railroad, has been taken from Goodspeed's History of Williams county, and is probably in the main correct. It is interesting to make comparison between the service then and that which is given to the people to-day. Now, one of the least powerful of the many locomotives, which almost hourly pass over the several railroads that thread the county, would draw with ease a train consisting of at least three times the tonnage of all the rolling stock in use on the Air-Line in 1857. Sixteen passenger trains, two fast mail and one fast express pass over the Lake Shore daily; and on an average twenty-five through and local freights carrying from 40,000 to 80,000 pounds per car. The Wabash railroad, with its four branches centering at Montpelier, doubtless far exceeds the above showing in magnitude, and the Cincinnati Northern has a large and growing business. The late Horace S. Knapp, a historical writer of some note, closed a similar comparative statement as follows : "The transition almost confuses the mind to contemplate, when viewed in all its length and breadth. What marvelous changes in the means of transmitting intelligence have been produced in a period of less than half a century ! Today, at any railroad station in Williams county, connected with which is a telegraph office, one may transmit a message 2,000 miles distant, or even to Europe or the Orient, and receive to it an answer in less space of time than, a half century ago, would be consumed by the speediest mode of travel then known to make the distance from Pioneer to Stryker and return, and, during the January and June floods that then appeared as regularly as the seasons, to communicate with a neighbor ten miles distant. Imagine a pioneer who, about three months after the Presidential election of 1832, had received an Eastern letter or newspaper, conveying intelligence that Andrew Jackson had been re-elected President of the United States in the preceding November. If the settler is a Jackson man, he dons his hunting shirt and coon-skin cap and sallies forth in search of neighbors of his political faith to communicate the glad tidings, and mingle rejoicings. News of the result of a presidential election would now be known in every considerable city and town in the United States and Europe within twenty-four hours after the close of the polls."

The first postoffice that was established within the present limits of Williams county was located in the village of Lafayette and bore the name of Pulaski, by which the place has since been known. John Perkins was the first postmaster there, and his commission was dated, May 1, 1837. The other offices established in the county, prior to i86t, with the date of establishment and names of the first official incumbents, were as follows: Williams Centre, John B. Kimmel, January 5. 1839; Bryan, Thomas Shorthill, February 22, 1841.; West Unity, John Rings, September 28, 1842; Spring Lake, Martin Perky, August 30. 1843: Northwest, William H. Billings, August 30, 1843; Eagle Creek, Robert Ogle, August 30, 1843; Nettle Lake, Augustus Porter, March 6, 1846; Bridgewater, Chandler Holt, April 14, 1846; Montpelier, Conroy W. Mallory, December 28, 1846; Deer Lick, Elias Barrett, April 1, 1847; Durbin's Corners, George W. Durbin, August 13, 1850: Pioneer, Philetus W. Norris, April 16, 1851 ; Luke's Corners, John Luke, April 29, 1854; Edgerton, Jackson M. Wood, June 3, 1854; Primrose, Lewis Keith, July 29, 1854; Stryker, William Sheridan, Jr., June 15, 1855. Pulaski, Bryan, West Unity, Northwest. Montpelier, Pioneer, Edgerton and Stryker still exist as mail distributing points, the others having been discontinued. In a few cases the discontinuance was due to lack of patronage, but in the main the recent and rapid extension of rural delivery has put the small offices permanently "out of business." There were also at one time post-offices called Lockport in Brady township, Phalanx in Springfield, and Domestic in Millcreek ; but they have long since been abolished.

Of the gentlemen who first handled the mail at these early postoffice establishments, the names of many are familiar among the pioneer records of the county. A number of them were called to higher official stations and are more extensively mentioned elsewhere in this volume ; but a few have disappeared, either by removal or death, leaving no source from which material for a personal notice can be secured. One of these early "P. M.'s," however, we desire to mention here - George W. Durbin. Mr. Durbin was born in Richland county, Ohio, July 13, 1813, and lived and worked on a farm until eighteen vears of age. He then went to Knox county, Ohio, and on August 20, 1838, to Jefferson township, Williams county, where he had previously purchased 100 acres of land, which is now owned and occupied by George A. Burns. He brought the first cook stove into the county and the first two-horse plow into Jefferson township. He applied to the Postoffice department and obtained the first postoffice in the township, and, as stated above, was appointed the first postmaster. The name given the office was Durbin's Corners and it was located at the farm residence of Mr. Durbin, two miles east of the little village of West Jefferson. Two or three years after its establishment the postoffice was moved "into town," but continued under the name of Durbin's Corners until 1882, when its cognomen was changed to Karle. Mr. Durbin taught the first school in Jefferson township, receiving forty-five dollars for a three months' term. He removed to Pioneer, in 1866, and for a time was in the hardware business, but later returned to agricultural pursuits and died on his farm in Madison township.

No community in these days can be said to have reached the progressive state until that infallible index to prosperous conditions - a newspaper - makes its periodical visits to an intelligent constituency. But it was not always thus. Seventy-five years ago "journalists" were not as plentiful as they are today, and the appetite for printed news was not sufficiently keen to cause one to endure martyrdom in attempting to "fill a long-felt want." So, for years after its organization, Williams county could not boast of a newspaper within her confines. In 1837, however, a sheet, "medium" in size, made its appearance in Defiance with the expressive title, Barometer, under the management of John B. Seemans. Although in politics Mr. Seemans was a Whig, the paper maintained a neutral position. The editor was a lawyer and a good writer, but his Barometer relied mainly for its support upon the county patronage, and its existence was a brief one. The next newspaper experiment in Williams county, according to H. S. Knapp - one of the promoters - was planned in Columbus in the winter of 1842-3, and originated with a few leading Democratic politicians, among whom were United States Senator

Benjamin Tappan of Steubenville, James J. Farran of Cincinnati, Gen. James B. Steedman of Lucas county, Dr. William Trevitt and Col. S. Medary of Columbus, and a number of others. In discussing the most eligible point for the location of the new press it. is said that Bryan, although then the county seal, was not discussed, the town having scarcely any population or business, except during court terms and tax-paying seasons, and a greater portion of the year the roads were in such a state that an interdict was almost placed upon travel. And so Defiance, the recognized business town in the county, and regarded as the most eligible political center of any place in Northwestern Ohio, was determined upon as the point for the establishment of the new paper. Accordingly, a journal, entitled the Northwestern, by J. B. Steedman & Co., was established in the spring of 1843. Its life was precisely twelve months in length, and when Vol. I, No. 5 2, was issued, the publication was suspended indefinitely, never fully realizing the anticipations of its projectors and friends. Mechanically, the paper is said to have been a rare specimen of typographical excellence, its managing printer and supervisor being Stephen T. Hosmer, a good workman, who was well known throughout the Maumee Valley. The printing material was sold, in May, 1844, to Samuel A. Hall, who put it aboard a canal boat and, accompanying it in person, started for some place in Indiana, wherever he might happen to find an opening. He finally landed at Logansport, and the Pharos of that city is the present day monument to his labors in Hoosierdom.

The first effort to establish a newspaper in Bryan was made by Thomas H. Blaker, who, on November 14, 1845, issued the Northwestern, a paper that was Democratic in politics. It was published on the same press and material which was used by John A. Bryan (for whom the town was named), in the publication of the Western Hemisphere, a paper started in Columbus, Ohio, in 1835, in opposition to the Ohio Statesman, then owned and published by Samuel Medary. The press, type and other fixtures were brought to Bryan from Columbus by a four-horse team, seventeen days of very hard driving being required to perform the journey. The office was brought to Bryan at the instance and proffered assistance of Dr. William Trevitt, who was one of the proprietors of the new county seat town. The Northwestern was published for something over a year, when it was suspended for a few weeks, the publisher being fully satisfied in the matter of experience. During the time of its publication, another old office was brought from Defiance to Bryan, and J. W. Wiley (who had been an associate publisher of the Defiance Democrat) issued the first number of the Williams County Democrat on November 19, 1846. This move was made more particularly at the instance of W. A. Stevens - then County Auditor and afterwards a banker in Bryan - for the purpose of taking the county printing away from Mr. Blaker, with whom Mr. Stevens had had some trouble. The Mexican war, however, aroused Mr. Wiley's patriotism, and, believing that a sword in Mexico would be more profitable to him than a pen in Williams county, he became a lieutenant in Capt. Daniel Chase's company. He afterwards went to Washington territory, where he established a paper and ended his earthly career, a victim of intemperance. The paper he established in Bryan was, as its name would indicate, -Democratic in politics, but the entire office - press, materials and fixtures - was not worth to exceed one hundred dollars. The press was an old wooden concern of the Ramage pattern; and having fulfilled its mission it was permitted to lie around Bryan until it went the way of all material things.

Mr. Blaker's office was, about this time, sold at sheriff's sale for a portion ot the purchase money, and Giles H. Tomlinson, who is still a resident of Williams county, became the purchaser. He gave it into the possession of Dr. Thomas Kent and E. H. Leland, who placed A. J. Tressler in charge and revived the Northwestern, Mr. Tressler publishing it for several months. Mr. Blaker then redeemed the office and commenced the publication of the Democratic Standard, a Democratic paper, on the same material, in July, 1847. He published this paper for something over six months, but early in its career it encountered opposition. Sometime during the month of August, 1847, Mr. Tressler went to Cincinnati and purchased another outfit, with which he again revived and published the Northwestern. He continued to publish this paper from September. 1847, t0 March, 1848, and then sold the office to W. A. Hunter. The latter was an eccentric individual, who had had some unfortunate journalistic experiences at Carrollton, Carroll county, and at Ashland, Ashland county ; and one of the conditions of his purchase was that the material of the Democratic Standard (which had suspended publication) should be taken out of the county. This was done, and in June of the same year, 1848, Mr. Hunter commenced the publication of Equal Rights, a Democratic paper, the first issue of which contained the proceedings of the Democratic convention which nominated General Cass for the Presidency.

In November, 1848, Dr. John Paul and R. H. Gilson - respectively clerk of courts and county treasurer - procured a printing office at Cincinnati, and bringing it to Bryan, commenced the publication of a paper called the Spirit of the Age, with Charles Case (who afterwards represented the Fort Wayne, Indiana, district in Congress) as editor. Mr. Hunter at once abandoned the publication of Equal Rights at Bryan, and the Spirit of the Age maintained a sickly existence for but a few months, when it, too, suspended publication. John G. Kissell, who had come to the county with Mr. Hunter, then started and published for a short time the Family Visitor, in Bryan, a neutral paper, devoted to miscellany, family reading, etc., but was wholly divorced from politics. This paper lived but a few months and its demise again left Mr. Plunter alone in the field. Not long after the suspension of the publication of Equal Rights, at Bryan, Mr. Hunter removed his printing material to West Unity and resumed the publication of that paper there in March, 1849. Later, T. S. C. Morrison, who was afterwards a representative to the Ohio legislature from this dis- trict, became a partner of Mr. Hunter, but the firm, politically, was not harmonious, and Mr. Morrison retired. He subsequently removed to Napoleon, where he identified himself conspicuously with what was then orthodox Democratic journalism, held several county offices, and died there, leaving scarcely sufficient money to pay his funeral expenses. He was a brilliant writer and would doubtless have been one of note, had he lived. His death, occurring as it did in manhood's prime, was widely deplored.

Equal rights was issued from an upstairs room in the foundry building at West Unity, and Mr. Hunter continued its publication after the dissolution of partnership. The paper was a five-column folio in size, the columns being fifteen ems in width, and it was devoted chiefly to editorial comment, general information and advertisements - local news not yet having gained admission to the columns of such publications. The issue of July 31, 1850, is before the writer, and a curious advertisement therein extols the virtues of "American Oil, discovered 185 feet below the surface of the earth" - in Kentucky. "This astonishing medicine of Nature," reads the advertisement, "is a safe and efficacious remedy, both for external and internal diseases, if taken in moderate doses by persons in ill health." The wonderful "oil" mentioned was probably the product which Rockefeller now controls, but the place of discovery might suggest to some the beverage that has made Kentucky famous.

In the fall of 1849, Mr. Hunter was elected treasurer of Williams county, but served only one term. Upon the final settlement with him he was found to be delinquent for a considerable sum and suit was commenced against him and his bondsmen. Some time during the year 1852 Mr. Hunter changed the name of his paper to that of the Williams Democrat ; but, as the name would indicate, the political complexion was not altered. This was at about the time, however, that new party alignments were being made upon the great issue of slavery extension ; and either through pique or honest conviction, Mr. Hunter -ceased the publication of a Democratic paper, and on August 10, 1853, launched the Republican Standard upon the sea of Williams county journalism. The Republican party was not as yet a political entity,, but the new paper heartily supported the movement which in a few months led to such organization. The Republican Standard was not unlike its predecessor in size and general make-up, and it was issued from a building on Liberty street, between Jackson and North streets, in West Unity, where now stands the residence of Samuel Ayres.

board compromised with William A. Hunter, former treasurer of Williams county, for the amount of his defalcation, by said Hunter giving said commissioners a warranty deed for lots Nos. 39 and 40, in the town of West Unity, and his printing press now on said premises, including the materials : said Hunter to have possession of said property for 7 months." After the expiration of this time, in the latter part of 1854, the commissioners sold the press and material to T. D. Montgomery, a practical printer from Hillsdale, Mich., who established in

Montpelier a neutral paper - devoted especially to local interests - and issued it under the name of Star of the West. After twinkling under his management for about two months, Mr. Montgomery transferred the Star to David Stauffer and Aaron Crissev, by whom it was conducted six months longer, when the material was sold to Frank Rosenberg, who removed it to Ottokee, then county scat of Fulton county, and there founded a Democratic organ. Mr. Hunter re-establishen the Republican Standard at Bryan, and in 1856 or 1857 sold the same to George L. Starr and Alvan Spencer, who conducted the paper under the editorial supervision of Mr. Spencer until December 31, 1857, when it was transferred to Isaac R. Sherwood and issued by him under the cognomen of Williams County Gazette. It was a six column folio, with columns fourteen ems in width, its dimensions being about one-half the present size of its lineal descendant - the Bryan Press. Mr. Sherwood conducted the paper alone until March 31, 1859, when Judson Palmiter of Ligonier, Ind., assumed editorial charge, Mr. Sherwood retaining an interest in the property. The office was in the Gilson block on Lynn street, where now stands the photograph gallery of Edwin F. Ditto. On the morning of September 7, 1859, fire destroyed the block and the Gazette office with all its material was consumed in the flames. Immediately after the fire a meeting was called by Schuyler E. Blakeslee to take in consideration the matter of getting a new press in Bryan immediately. This meeting recommended Lionel E. Rumrill to the Republicans as a man eminently qualified to conduct the organ of the party in Williams county. In accordance with such recommendation Mr. Sherwood sold his interest in the good will of the Gazette (the material having been burned) to Mr. Rumrill, who immediately formed a partnership with Mr. Palmiter and resuscitated the Gazette. Three half-sheet issues were gotten out by the new firm - the last one on October 6 - when the partnership was dissolved by a mutual quarrel. Thereupon, Mr. Sherwood purchased the good will, and with new machinery started a paper which he called the "Williams County Leader - a continuation of the Williams County Gazette." The new paper was a seven-column folio, and Mr. Sherwood continued its publication in person until the call for troops, in 1861, when he enrolled his name as the first on the list of volunteers in Bryan.

Later changes in and additions to the newspapers of Williams county will be given in a subsequent chapter, and we will now return to that interesting personage, Mr. Hunter. After his divorce from the Democratic party, he became one of the most vindictive and uncompromising of the valiant few who boldly styled themselves "Abolitionists." The principles of the newly-organized Republican party came far short of meeting his views, and. in the spring of 1857, he launched a new periodical at Bryan, which he defiantly christened the Political Abolitionist. Its career was short but decidedly turbulent, and, in the spring of 1858 it ceased to exist. It was soon succeeded by the Business Bulletin, another venture of Mr. Hunter's, but after a very few issues this also suspended publication and the irrepressible publisher permanently retired from the Williams county journalistic field. He entered the more placid profession of the law and continued the practice for a time in Bryan, but, at the close of the war, he migrated to Iowa, re-entered the newspaper business, and died in that state a few years ago in comparatively good circumstances.

To complete the history of the efforts made to establish newspapers in Williams county, prior to 1861, we will state that Judge Joshua Dobbs and Capt. D. M. McKinley issued the first number of the Fountain City News, a Democratic paper, at Bryan, January 12, 1855. After a few months they sold out to John B. Shouf and Carl C. Allman, and the latter officiated as editor during the remainder of the life of the publication, which did not exceed a couple of years at most. It is said that a gentleman named George W. Roof, also at one time conducted a paper in Bryan, but as to who he was and the name and nature of his sheet diligent inquiry has failed to secure information. The Eagle was the first newspaper experiment at Montpelier. It was an organ of the Spiritualists and is said to have expired after a few issues. Judge Joshua Dobbs established a Democratic newspaper at Montpelier, in 1852, but its career was a brief one. Van Buren Shouf, afterwards a well-known newspaper man of the county, was the printer and manager of the enterprise.

David Stauffer, who is herein mentioned as an early newspaper publisher in Montpelier, was for years one of the most substantial and experienced business men of the county. Starting in life at fifteen years of age, he accepted a clerkship in a drygoods store at Mansfield, Ohio, where his parents then lived. Three years later his employer opened a branch store at Montpelier and Mr. Stauffer had charge of it until 1858, when, in company with another, he purchased the stock and managed the business until 1866. He then disposed of his interests and entered the mercantile business at Edgerton, but, in 1874, returned to Montpelier, where he conducted a hardware business for a number of years. Retiring from mercantile pursuits, in 1890, he began the publication of the Montpelier Leader and continued as its editor for some time. Mr. Stauffer was a Pennsylvanian, having been born in Lancaster county, that State, September 9, 1834. He died at his residence in Montpelier in 1900.

The United States census tells the story of the wonderful progress of Williams county between the years 1840 and 1860 - at least so far as an increase in population is indicative of such movement. In 1840, when the major portion of Defiance and a part of Fulton were included in Williams county's territory, the population was 4,464. In 1850, when in size it had been reduced nearly one-half, the enumeration showed 8,018 inhabitants, and in i860, 16,633 - an increase of nearly 300 per cent in only twenty years. But there was yet room for more. As shown by the census, of a total of 263,203 acres of land, only 50,962 acres were reported as ''plow-land" and 23,064 as "meadowland," leaving 189,177 acres waiting for the woodman's ax.