Eaton City

Prefatory Note

In laying before our patrons the history of Preble county, the publishers wish not only to return thanks to all who have given them encouragement in their undertaking and assistance in carrying out their plans, but to make especial acknowledgment of services afforded, and courtesies extended by many citizens of Eaton and of the various townships of the county. Some measure of assistance in collecting and compiling the materials which compose this volume, it is safe to say, has been Fully that number of people have been interviewed by our historians received from, at least, a thousand persons. and note-collectors. While we wish all to feel themselves the recipients. of our gratitude, we desire also to address our thanks personally to a few individuals who have been qualified and enabled, through the possession of, or ability to secure information upon, certain single topics, to lend the members of our writing corps invaluable aid. To the clergy generally, the editors of the several newspapers and the always painstaking and obliging county officials we extend our sincerest thanks for many favors received. Among individuals we feel it our duty even at the risk of being invidious, to mention gratefully-as those from whom important assistance has been secured, Thomas J. Larsh, esq., Judge John V. Campbell, Levin T. McCabe, Judge Curry, S. H. Hubbell, R. G. D. Mc- Kemy, Jacob Chambers, Alfred Demy, C. W. Moore, Frank Mitchell, Dr. F. M. Michael and Robert W. Quinn, esq., all of Eaton, as well as Col. George D. Hendricks and Joseph D. Tracey, late of the same place, and that old-time and always esteemed citizen-of Eaton, now and for many years a resident of Indianapolis - Mr. George Bruce. To the late Dr. W. H. H. B. Minor, whose death has occurred since the inception of this ' work, we have been largely indebted for facts in connection with the history of Eaton.

We also tender expression of our obligation to Messrs David Barnett, Clinton Chadwick, George Jones, John H. Ross, J. A. Huffman and O. P. Brown, of Somers township; to Abraham Halderman, the Rev. H. M. Her. man, Mrs. Abraham Black, James Campbell and Oscar Sheppard, of Lanier; to John Rape and Nathaniel Benjamin, of Twin; to Richard Morrow, sr.,and Ebenezer Paddock, of Jackson; to James Elliott, Jesse Simonson, James B. Gentle and A. R. Conger, of Dixon; to James Ireland and S. W. Richey, of Jefferson; to John Ramsey, of Israel; to John Chrisman, Jesse Stubbs, Christian Sayler and John Maddock, of Gratis; to Henry Shidler, of Gasper; Abdiel Etzler, Henry Surface, Benjamin Aikman and Dr. Miller, of Harrison; Esquire Shurley, Peter Disher, John Juday and William G. Smith, of Monroe.

Credit is given to the following published works which have largely been made use of: Henry Howe's " Historical Collections of Ohio;" Judge Dillon's *History of Indiana;" Drake's "Indian Biography;" James R. Albach's *Annals of the West;" Squier and Davis' *Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley;" the **Centennial Address" by the late Judge Abner Haines; the *Ohio Geological Report;" "Ohio Railway Commissioners Report for 1874;" the reports of the several secretaries of State; the "Biographical Cyclopedia of Ohio" and the files of

The publishers feel, in placing this work before the public, that they have faithfully fulfilled all pledges which they made at the outset, and that they have produced a history of Preble county which will be found both valuable and reliable, Certainly no pains have been spared to make it all that it should be. serves from oblivion, in appropriate form, the essential facts in the history of the territory of which it treats.

The task of collecting, from a thousand sources, the history of a county like old Preble is always an onerous one, and has here been increased by the fact that only a modicum of the annals of early years has been handed down through the medium of the types by those who were best qualified to do that service for posterity and the historian. But on this account additional care has been that it has been done, despite the difficulty, carefully, conscientiously and with due regard for the dignity of the work, we have no hesitancy in saying. That a work which chronicles ten thousand facts and contains twice ten thousand names should be absolutely free from error no one has a right to expect; and we do not claim for the History of Preble County the attainment of such perfection; but that it is free from serious error of statement we have reason to know.

was done without promise to a single subscriber. The volume is placed before the public in the confident belief that it will stand the test of candid criticims.

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CHAPTER. PAGE. XVIII. - Railroads 94 I. - Physical Features : t . 9 XIX. - Statistics 96 II. - The Pre-Historic Race I2 IIL - Indian Occupation - : 17 TOWNSHIPS. IV. - St. Clair's Campaign y À * 19 Washington 98 V.--Wayne's War - Fall of Lowery . 22 | Dixon 161 VI. - Advent of the White Man in Southern Ohio, see Set- Gasper 174 tlement of Preble County . . 25 | Gratis . 185 VII. - A Picture of the Pioneers . 27 Harrison 202 VIII. - Land Title . 31 Israel 219 IX. - County Erection . 32 | Jackson 243 X. - Civil History - County Seat- - Public Buikljngs - Town- Jefferson 255 ship Organization . : . 33 |* Lanier 273 XI. - The Civil Roster of Preble ` 37 | Monroe 288 XII. - Vote of Preble County from 1808 to 1880 39 Somers 298 XIII. - Preble in the War of 1812 . 40 |" Twin 314 XIV. - Preble in the War of the Rebellion 41 XV. - Preble County Agricultural aes ^ ` 55 XVI. - The Press ` 63 History of Ohio, embracing one hundred and six pages, at close o XVII. - The Preble County Sar $ : ~ 65 | volume.

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Portrait Uns biography) of H. W. Dobley s n " Silas Dooley sr. Residence of Abraham Sayler Portraits of the Sayler Family ij (with biography) of William Moron Portrait '' " * Stepben Allbaugh, sr. 2 e e D. C. Stubbs Mr. and Mrs.

Residence of John Chrisman Portrait ies of George Brewed Allen C. Cassel '" of Hugh McQuiston es "Mrs. Hugh McQuiston '* Samuel McQuiston 3 " John McQuiston '" Mrs. Maggie Stephenson i ' Mrs. Eliza Pinkerton : Residence, with Portraits of S. B. McQuiston . - - . * Hezekiah Morton Portraits (with biography) of Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Campbell Portrait (with biography) of Nie Mon Residence of William Bulla Portrait (with biography) of Samuel Smith E "E d Edward S. Stotler " Mrs. Susan Gregg Residence of Mrs. Susan Gregg Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Fudge . Portrait of Rev. James McNeal Residence (with portraits) of F. N. Fudge Portrait (with biography) of Jacob Trout Portraits " d. °" Mr. and Mrs. Public School Building, West Alexandria Portrait of R. D. Huggins, M. D. 4 '* Matthias Disher Mi) " E, Tilson M. D: " (steel) of A. F. Haldeman