Findlay City (part 28 of 28)

was laid out in April, 1853, by J. F. Houck, on the northwest part of the west half on the northwest quarter of Section 27, and originally consisted of fifteen lots. In 1867, John Doty and A. M. Houck made an addition of twenty-eight lots, and in 1869 six more lots were added by Jacob Hoy.

The place never assumed very large proportions or very much importance. It never advanced beyond the proportions of a cross-road village, and its business was entirely local, being confined to the trade of the immediate neighborhood. Its location is in the midst of a rich agricultural district, but remote from railroads. It has always contained the usual general store, blacksmith shop, shoe shop, etc.

There is one church and a schoolhouse and most of the time a physician has resided there to look after the wants of these bodily afflicted. The town, so far as improvements in the way of new buildings are concerned, is at a standstill, and the population is about one hundred.

In 1856 a post office was established here under the name of Houcktown, and the postmasters have been as follows: Robert Davidson, J. R. Babcock, John Garst, Israel Sampson, Eli Gorsuch and David Beagle. In 1904, owing to the establishment of the rural delivery service, the office was discontinued.

The record of the laying out of this town, of Van Buren Township, is dated April 14, 1883. The number of lots is not stated, but the ground allotted is given as seven and forty-hundred acres, about equally divided between Peter Traucht, Samuel Fellers and

John Heldman. It is located on the Northern Ohio Railroad in .a rich farming community, formerly known as the German Settlement, for the reason that almost all the pioneers were Germans from Hesse Darmstead, Germany. All were poor when they arrived in America, but with the characteristic German industry and frugality they soon cleared up the land, built fine houses and barns that for permanence and stability were better than the common average of buildings in the surrounding neighborhood.

A postoffice was established here in 1884 with George Pifer as first postmaster, followed by George Gasman, Adam Hull, Adam Gasman, William Diller, and Elmer Diller, the present incumbent. In 1892 the town was incorporated, and B. C. Steinman was the first mayor, followed by D. E. Hull, H. O. Fellers, Andrew Hull, and the present official Dr. John L. Higbie, who is at present serving his second term.

A private bank was opened up here in 1900, and did a good business until 1909, when it was incorporated under the laws of Ohio, with the following persons as directors: John VonStein, A. H. Good, John L. Higbie, Jacob VonStein, Adam VonStein, A. J. Gasman, and John Heldman. The officers are : President, John VonStein ; Vice- President, John L. Higbie; Cashier, A. H. Good; and Assistant Cashier, Mrs. A. H. Good. The capital stock is $25,000 of which $15,000 is paid in.

The People's Telephone, a branch of the Bell Telephone Company, has been in operation here for nine years, and has an exchange of two hundred and fifty phones. It operates with seven other exchanges, and

The town has two general stores, two groceries, one hardware, harness and farm implement store, Farmer's Banking Company, one good brick hotel with modern appointments, such as heating plant, hot water, etc., one restaurant, one pool-room, meat market, shoe store, barber shop, planing-mill with wood work, saw-mill, paling and stave factory, feed and livery barn, grain elevator and coal yard.

There is an elegant brick church and parsonage belonging to the German Evangelical Lutheran Church and a good frame church building of the Methodist Protestant denomination. There are two resident ministers, two doctors and one undertaker. For the benefit of educational purposes there is a comfortable two-room schoolhouse and the Knights of the Maccabees have a thriving lodge here.

As previously mentioned, the people being descendants of the frugal Germans, are ambitious and industrious, thus driving business with a vim and intelligence that gives life and prosperity to the prosperous village of Jenera. The town was named in honor of Dr. A. B. Jener, the first physician to locate here.

Mc Comb

Benjamin Todd laid out a town on the northeast part of the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 26, in 1847, and called it Pleasantville. The town originally was composed of only eighteen lots. Afterwards successive additions were made by Mr. Todd, Ewing, Rawson and others. The town is pleasantly situated on the ridge running from Tiffin to Ft. Wayne, and about ten miles from Findlay. McComb is the largest town in the county outside of Findlay, and being situated in the midst of a good farming country, and having good railroad facilities has grown to be a place of considerable importance.

For many years this town watched and waited for the completion of the Continental Railway, which had been graded for miles, both east and west of the village, alternately between hope and fear, the energies of the place became paralyzed, business gradually fell off, and a state of retrogression was setting in. The people, however, appreciating the situation, roused up and procured the building of the McComb and Deshler branch of the Cincinnati. Hamilton & Dayton road, and thus obtained communication with the outside world, and, as if fortune was now determined to smile upon them, the Continental changed hands and under the name of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad was built through from Buffalo to Chicago, giving them splendid facilities for passengers and the shipment of freight. To say that the long expectant people of this village were jubilant but tamely expressed the situation. A post office was established here in 1847 with William Mitchell, Postmaster.

air and style as any other town of its size that the writer knows of. The main street is well paved with brick pavement, and the side streets are macadamized with stone, and all are kept in a cleanly condition. A number of permanent three-story buildings occupy the business portion of the town, and beautiful homes with well kept lawns adorn the residence portion.

In the line of business there are three good dry goods stores, three hardware stores, two drug stores, five groceries, one shoe store, one furniture store, two harness stores, two milliners, one feed store, two poultry and egg exchange and one hay shipper, one bakery, two meat markets, a hotel, a restaurant and a hotel. One state bank furnishes a place of deposit and exchange for the business men of this thriving place.

Religiously the people are provided with four churches - Methodist, Disciple, Presbyterian and Lutheran. For educational purposes they are provided with one room of common school and a high school of eight rooms, employing in all nine teachers. The industries consist of one tile mill, two lumber yards with mills, two grain elevators, one electric light plant, four blacksmith shops, Star water filter, Bell and home telephone, two livery barns, and other smaller shops.

The Odd Fellows were established here in 1859, and have a flourishing lodge, known as McComb Lodge No. 354. The Knights of Pythias, Woodmen of America, Maccabees and John Howard Post, G. A. R., are also represented. In professional lines, the following, named in the order in which their services are required: Five doctors, three ministers, one undertaker, and two attorneys. So that when the people of McComb are called to their

The oldest man now living in the town is Abraham Rother, 87 years old, but the oldest continuous resident is Elisha Todd, 85, but he has been a resident constantly since 1833, a period of 76 years. Mr. Todd is a son of Benjamin Todd who laid out the town, and was a soldier in the 99th Regt., during the Civil War. Among the veterans of the late war might be mentioned Capt. Porter, son-in-law of George Algire, who entered the first land in the township, and Major Isaac Cusac, both formerly members of the 21st O. V. I.

In October, 1830, Asa M. Lake, one of the very earliest settlers of the county, laid out a town of fifty-three lots on a part of the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 1, and the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 2, and called it Mt. Blanchard. It is situated on the bluffs, on high ground on the east, or right hand bank of the Blanchard River. The location is a good one, surrounded by beautiful and rich farming lands. The town is regularly laid out in squares, the streets and alleys crossing at right angles. The buildings are mostly of wood, and the dwellings are commodious and comfortable. The town has beautifully shaded streets in the residence portion and the lawns in summer time are well kept, giving the village an air of comfort and grace not always found in towns of its size. The town was incorporated in 1865, and in this event it celebrated the dosing of the Civil War. Dr. John Foster was the first mayor, since which time the following persons have held the office: H. C. Pickett, J. W. Tumpaugh, J. W.

A postoffice was established here in 1834, with John P. Gordon as first postmaster, he being followed by Elijah Stradley, Chester Cook, W. W. Smith, J. Lafferty, J. Patterson, L. A. Baldwin, Henry Greer, C. H. Stewart, J. C. Treece, Jerome Smith, and the present officer, C. R. Burnett.

The Methodist Episcopal denomination built the first church in the town It was a frame building and built in 1838. The Rev. Thomas Thompson and Rev. Gavit, then missionaries at Upper Sandusky, were the first Methodist preachers. They organized a society at the residence of Father Greer, one half mile east of Mt. Blanchard, on the banks of Potato Creek where they continued to worship until a hewed log schoolhouse was built on a corner of the Greer land, in 1833 late in the fall, where they worshipped until they built their frame house in town in 1838, where they met for about twenty years, then moved in their present house, in the south part of town. At the present time there are two ornate and substantial church buildings in town, the Methodist Episcopal and the Methodist Protestant, both with thriving congregations and Sunday schools.

The first schoolhouse in the town was of the then prevailing style, built of round logs, with a huge fireplace, clapboard roof and other peculiarities not now known to builders. The Union School of Mt. Blanchard was organized in 1868, and a new house built and this was replaced by another building in 1873. This building contained three large schoolrooms beside smaller ones for recitation and other purposes. This building and grounds cost $8,000. In 1908 it was torn down and on the same grounds was built a fine light-colored, pressed brick structure of cement basement and four rooms on the second floor, which would be a credit to any village, town or even city, at a cost of over $15,000. It is furnished with an up-to-date heating plant and the most approved furniture. The Mt. Blanchard people are proud of their fine school building, as well they might be.

The village is located on the Northern Ohio Railroad, a division of the Lake Erie and Western R. R. and run under the management of the New York Central lines and at present has the right of way for an electric road extending from Findlay to Marion, Ohio, which, if completed as contemplated, will give them excellent passenger and shipping facilities to the outside world.

The town and surrounding country supports a lively little newspaper, "The Mt. Blanchard Journal," which keeps the inhabitants informed of both the local and foreign news, and is of incalculable value in a community of intelligent people. It is at present edited by Mr. L. E. Rumer, having lately changed hands.

The business of the village has always been quite extensive, considering that until recently the town has had no railroad or 'other means of transportation, and now that they have this advantage, it has increased many fold, the quality of the business houses being first class. There are two good general stores, two hardware and implement stores, two meat markets, two restaurants, two barber shops, two livery barns, and one each of grocery, drug store, milliner, hotel, shoe shop, harness shop, coal yard, saw- and planing#nill, grain elevator, stock yard, flouring mill, an extensive tile factory, wagon and carriage shop, undertaker, and People's Telephone Co., with an exchange of 327 phones. Professionally there are two ministers, two doctors and two lawyers.

There are thriving lodges of Free and Accepted Masons, Odd Fellows (owning their own hall), with Rebeccas, Knights of Pythias (owning their hall), and Grand Army of the Republic. For beauty of location, on an undulated plateau along the banks of the Blanchard River, in Delaware Township, and for the handsome appearance of its homes for a town of its size, Mt. Blanchard is hard to excel. Especial mention may be made of the palatial residence of Attorney John M. Hamlin, built by his father on his farm in the southern limit of the town, and now occupied by Mr. Hamlin, who is engaged in the practice of his profession in this pleasant village. Attorney Hamlin spent most of his eventful life in Findlay, where he practiced his profession and was otherwise extensively engaged in manufacturing.

Mr. W. S. Shoemaker, one of the leading merchants and farmers, carries on a private banlcfng business, to the great convenience of the business interests of the town. Mrs. ' Shoemaker was the daughter of Doctor Foster, one of the pioneer physicians of Hancock County, and for many years the leading physician and surgeon in Mt. Blanchard. Doctor Aaron F. Burson was the first physician to locate here.

Mt. Cory

This town is situated in Union Township, on the Lake Erie & Western Steam Railroad, and the Western Ohio Electric Railroad, three miles from Rawson, and twelve from Findlay, and was laid out in November, 1872, by Mathias Markley and Samuel Kemerer. It is located on a part of the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 22, and when laid out consisted of thirty-two lots. To these additions have since been made by Kemerer, Markley, John O. Smith and L. B. May. The lots were readily sold, and quite a number of buildings erected, and as the town is located in the midst of a rich agricultural district, the place has become one of some importance, and quite an extensive business is carried on. There are a number of neat and comfortable dwelling houses, mostly of wood, and several large and well arranged business houses, and a comfortable and commodious town hall.

There are two rooms for the common school and one for the high school, besides the township have voted the necessary bonds to build a township high school to cost, all told, twenty thousand dollars. The township business, and the business of the Union Township Mutual Insurance Company are transacted in Mt. Cory.

The Evangelical Association owns a good brick church and the Methodist Protestant Church have a fine frame building. A flourishing Sunday School is attached to each.

tin store, one drug store, one restaurant, one barber shop, one meat market, two livery barns, one hotel, grain elevator and hay house, Ohio Oil Co. Supply Store, one blacksmith shop. In the professions they have one physician and three ministers, with David Comer, the veteran lawyer. They have a prosperous bank, a volunteer fire department with chemical and ladders; both the Bell and Mutual telephones have local exchanges here, there is one motor cycle mail route, while the Knights of Pythias and the Maccabees have flourishing lodges in the town. The Main Street and all roads coming into the town are piked, and fine shade trees adorn the streets.

A post office was established here in 1873, called Mt. Cory, with Benjamin Wildemuth as postmaster. Since then the office has been filled by Alfred Longbrake, W. J. Staater, J. L. Asire, Mathias Markley, David Comer, Jacob Zeller, A. C. Ewing, Sylvester Davis, and the present occupant, W. H. Falk. The population of the town is three hundred.

The town of Rawson, in Union Township, on the Lake Erie & Western Railway, was laid out in 1855 by Fredrick Keller and J. G. Kelley, on the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of Section 13, and the northeast corner of the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 14, and originally comprised but fifty-four lots. The town was named in honor of L. Q. Rawson, of Fremont, Ohio, who was then president of the railroad. The town started out fairly, and soon quite a number of buildings were erected, but as the railroad, the locating of which had called the town into existence, was not built, and for years there seemed to be but little hopes that it would be, the town came to a halt, and was of little significance in the history of the township. A few mechanics had invested all their means in property in the prospective town, and could not sell it again. The town was one of the one dry goods and grocery store combined, with perhaps the proprietor holding the office of postmaster in order to hold his trade, with the addition of a blacksmith shop and wagon repair, and a saw-mill. For years it was a desperate struggle to keep life in the town - the same struggle that many other towns that make larger pretentions. to cosmopolitan airs today have also passed through.

Finally in 1872 the sleepy little village was awakened from its seventeen years' slumber by the whistle of the first locomotive on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, and business sprung into life, real estate changed hands, buildings were put up, stores were opened, the buzz of machinery was heard, and all was bustle, business and speculation, and streets were opened up to accommodate prospective trade. Of course the keen edge of a miniature boom wore off, and the inhabitants gradually settled down to every day life, fiut there was still quite an amount of business carried on, and the business of the town is still gradually increasing. Additional lots were laid out by Fred. Keller in 1859, by Jacob Burket in 1873, by C. J. Keller and Benj. Stringfeller in 1874.

A post office was established here in 1863, and named Rawson, with James C. Benham as postmaster. Since that time the office has been held by Jackson Miller, James Woods, Nicolas Watson, T. E. Woods, J. D. Buss, O. C. Cramer, C. W. Fox, B. M. Allion, W. D. Cramer, John H. Ellis and J. W. Baker, the present official. The Commercial Bank of Bluffton has established a branch bank here for the convenience of stock buyers, merchants and farmers, which is doing a thriving business.

The Rawson High School was first organized in 1892, W. N. Shank being the first teacher. In 1896 the course was revised by Prof. A. J. Nowlan, and two persons received their diplomas. In 1898, by the authority of the Board of Education, Prof. Nowlan wrote out a new course of study for the High School which was adopted, this being in existence until in 1902, when the course was changed and partly reorganized by Commissioner Bonebrake. In 1903 the courses were again strengthened by Superintendent Eby, and in December of that year the Elementary School Course was changed to eight years and the High School Course to four years.

In 1904 changes were again made by Superintendent Shilling, and Sept. 1, 1905, the first charter was issued by Commissioner E. A. Jones, recognizing the school as of the Third Grade.

At the opening of school in September, 1907, - the course of study was again revised and other branches added. Also over 100 articles of physical apparatus and a compound microscope were purchased, the library was strengthened by the addition of over 100 volumes and an assistant to the High School was employed. This new course of study was referred by Superintendent Steiner in January, 1998, to Commissioner Jones, who on Feb. 5, 1908, issued a new charter for the High School recognizing it as of the Second Grade.

During the Summer of 1908 the fifth teacher for the school was employed as assistant principal, the schools being then in position to do much better work than they were able to do before these changes were made.

"The following years the school was again strengthened, a large supply of apparatus and a new encyclopedia and other books were purchased, and in the spring of 1910 a new course of study was adopted and a First Grade Charter received for the school, by Prof. Steiner."

Instructors in the High School. - J. L. Steinner, superintendent and principal (Ohio Northern University, Goshen College) ; Literature, Science, History and Geometry, J. W. Shank, assistant (Goshen College); Latin, English, Algebra and part of Eighth Grade.

The Methodist Episcopal and United Brethren denominations have handsome modern houses of worship, and are supplied with able ministers in the persons of the Revs. Holmes and Smith. Rawson has a good brick, four-room schoolhouse, and employs five teachers in the public school. Both the Bell and Mutual telephones have exchanges in the town. Of societies, they have the Odd Fellows, Free and Accepted Masons, Knights of Pythias, Maccabees, Junior Order of American Mechanics and

Rebeccas. The business of the town is done by one general store, three groceries, one hardware and implement store, kept by the veteran merchant, J. D. Buss and Co., one furniture store, one meat market, two barber shops, one bakery, one grist-mill, one elevator and mill, one saw-mill, two livery barns, one blacksmith shop, a good stock-yard and an electrical sub-station. Professionally there are three physicians, two ministers, and one undertaker.

On September 6, 1887, a fire swept out the heart of the town, including most of the business rooms, but this district was soon built up with good and substantial brick buildings. And what at that time seemed a great disaster afterwards proved a blessing to the town. Rawson has a good system of sewerage, and its streets, and all the roads leading out of town are well piked. The sidewalks are of the best, and well shaded by beautiful maple trees. The population is estimated at about six hundred. Besides having the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, Rawson is an important station on the Western Ohio Electric road, running through cars from Toledo to Dayton, Ohio.

Shawtown was laid out by E. T. Cummins on the northeast part of the northwest quarter, and the north part of the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 30, Pleasant Township. The plat, embracing 74 inlots and 20 outlots, was acknowledged June 16, 1882, before Henry Brown, a notary public, and recorded October 16, 1882, by J. F. Gutzwiler, recorder.

Van Buren

The town of Van Buren was laid out by George Ensminger and John Trout, in December, 1833, and is beautifully situated on a high and dry location in a bend of the middle branch of the Portage River, on parts of Sections 12 and 13, in Range 10, and Sections 7 and 18 in Range 1 1, and was originally composed of fiftythree lots. The town is laid out in the form of a cross, with an open square in the center, as is the order in many southern towns, and as is the style in Spanish towns where the open space is known as the "Plaza."

1 his space has been beautified during the last few years by rail fencing, sodding and the planting of shade trees, also a town pump occupies a place in this little park. Aside from the business houses and residences on this square, there are but two streets in the village, and they cross one another at right angles. There were quite a number of large and substantial buildings put up, and nearly all the lots on the public square were built upon, and for a time the place assumed considerable importance in trade, so much so as to be a serious competitor to Findlay. But as the country became settled up, and other towns sprang into existence that were fortunate enough to secure railroads, this place gradually lost its prestige, to the extent that one could scarcely buy a spool of thread here.

But the coming of the Toledo and Ohio Central steam railroad, and Toledo, Bowling Green and Southern electric road, gave new life to the drowsy little village. The streets were improved, new business blocks were put up and fine residences were erected and old ones newly painted. Now it is one of the pleasantest and busiest little towns in the county.

Van Buren was incorporated in June, 1866, upon the petition of thirty of its citizens. Daniel Frick was its first mayor, and was succeeded by C. S. Wilkinson, J. H. Loehr, Dr. E. C. Wells, Dr. Edward George, A. Mumert, L. P. McCune, Jacob Loehr, James Huntington, Conaway, James Grubb, N. H. McGauchey, D. H. Heistand, W. M. Bowersock, and O. Robbins.

A postoffice was established here as early, perhaps, as 1836, and the following persons have been postmasters : Dr. George Springer, John Zarbaugh, S. M. Heller, C. S. Wilkinson, L. Michaels, Dr. E. C. Wells, D. Frick, L. J. Hissong, Sol. Zarbaugh, H. C. Hartman, John Lee, Mrs. E. C. Wells, John Cramer, Chas. Roberts, E. C. Showman, Cal. Hanna, W. H. Bolton, G. S. Brushead and Geo. F. VanEmon.

The following comprises the business directory of the town : two general stores, one hardware store, one blacksmith shop, one barber shop and photographer combined, one shoe repair shop, one coal yard, one hotel, one livery bam, and one restaurant. Of schools they have one primary of one room and a fine brick school building of four rooms. Socially they have three churches, two resident ministers, two doctors, and Odd Fellows lodge, with Rebecca Sisters, Knights of Pythias and Pythian Sisters, Maccabees and Modem Woodmen of America. While there were but one hundred and thirty inhabitants here in 1880, there are now over four hundred.

The town was laid out by William Vanlue, Esq., in whose honor it was named, and is on the northwest part of the northeast quarter, and the northeast part of the northwest quarter of Section 9. It is located in Amanda Township on the line of the Findlay Branch of the C. C. C. & St. L. Railroad, ten miles southeast of Findlay. The town was laid out in May, 1847, and at that time consisted of forty- four lots. In November of the same year the proprietor laid an addition of fifty lots. In October, 1853, S. N. Beach made an addition of fifty-seven lots, and in 1858, he, with others, laid out Beach's second addition of forty-nine lots. Charles Cross laid out an additional ten lots in 1870. From the sale of the first lots the town steadily improved, and was a very considerable grain market for a number of years after the completion of the railroad, but of no great importance otherwise.

There were many tasteful and comfortable dwellings, and the palatial residence of J. J. Harman, the hardware merchant, is an honor to any town, or even city. The streets have been improved by graveling and are shaded by thrifty trees, in all giving a home-like appearance as a residence village. After a few years of great prosperity, the town, as new towns often do, slacked up, and almost came to a standstill. Business seemed for a time to have forsaken the place. Enterprise too, seemed to have taken its leave. Progress had ceased and everything seemed to be "going to the dogs." But this state of affairs could not last long. The town could not stand still. It must go forward, or retreat, and it finally resumed its forward march.

In 1866, upon the petition of fifty of its inhabitants, the village was incorporated under the laws of the State. Pursuant to the Act of Incorporation, the first election for village officers was held on the 13th of April, 1867, with Peter Shuck, C. H. Hatch and Jason Lee as judges, and Ira Plotts and John Dresbach, clerks. There were thirty-nine votes cast The

Brown, Aquilla Gilbert, Fred Shuler, J. H. Brown, B. F. Bumap, T. B. Gilbert, H. T. Lee, George Snooks, John Cross, L. C. Clark, Ira Plotts, H. G. Early, D. A. Eschbach, E. L. E. Mumma, Ralph E. Deihl, Charles H. Hatch, Harry A. Renshler, W. L. Daniels and D. D. Cole. George Snool is both the present mayor and postmaster.

But Vanlue has regained her former prestige in trade, and is at the present time a lively town, owing no doubt, largely, to the improved condition of the very productive farms surrounding it, for the great majority of the business done is with the farmers. All is in a flourishing condition, with good prospects for the future. The following is a list of the different business interests of the town: Two general stores, two groceries, one hardware store, one bakery, two hotels, one livery bam, two blacksmiths, one barber shop, one saw- and planing-mill, one grain elevator, two hay dealers with steam hay-balers, one coal yard, one bank, three churches with two resident preachers, two doctors and Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias lodges in flourishing condition. The Odd Fellows are completing an addition to their property, which will give them one of the finest lodge rooms in the county, and the store will soon be occupied by J. J. Harmon as a hardware store.

The Vanlue Bank commenced business on April 24, 1909, and is doing a lively business, having already 138 regular patrons. The officers are President, W. J. Frey, vice-president, Chas. H. Bigelow, cashier, C. J. Oiler; assistant cashier, H. J. Morehart. Its responsibility of shareholders to depositors is stated at over half a million.

A postoffice was established here in 1849, with Dr. W. P. Wilson as postmaster. The successive postmasters have been as follows: John Wescott, Ira Plotts, W. A. Sponsler, Daniel Gilbert, William Alspach, B. F. Bumap, Sherman Buckingham, Kib Bumap, Miss Rheba Bumap, Samuel LeMott, and the present incumbent, George Snook.

Owing to the great amount of farm products in the vicinity in the line of grain, hay and stock, there is much shipping done from this station on the railroad.

West Independence

The proprietors of this town were George Wyant, Peter Wyant and Henry M. Grose. It is located in Big Lick Township, on the east part of the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 2, and at present has a population of about one hundred souls.

The United Brethren and Progressive Dunkards both have church buildings in the village, and there is a good, comfortable schoolhouse in the town.

The business of the place consists of one hotel, one grocery and provision store, one saw mill, one shoe repair shop and one blacksmith and wagon-repair shop.

A post office was established here in 1856, with Frederick Reamer as postmaster. Mr. Reamer was succeeded by J. L. Kenower, Jacob Ruth, William Blinn, John Wyancoop, Byron Leady, Westley Gibson, John Peters, White Lawhead, Jacob C. Hazen, A. J. Maurer, L. W. Gibson, J. L. Lenhart, and N. B. Hainer. The town has never been incorporated.

This town situated in Madison Township, was named in honor of John W. Williams, the proprietor. It is located on a part of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 31, and the northeast quarter of Section 36. It originally contained forty-eight lots, and as remarked by a resident, "It commenced small, and has held its own exceedingly well." At the time the town was laid out, there was no family within three miles of it. Mr. Williams opened a store and tavern in the place, and travel commenced along the range line, now the Bellefontaine State road. In about 1837, Christian Welty also opened a store, and a Doctor Smith located here for a short time, being the first in the township. He was succeeded by Dr. A. F. Burson, afterwards the first to locate in Mt. Blanchard, and who became quite famous for his success in the treatment of "Milk Sickness," then quite prevalent in this part of the county.

The town is located on the Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad fourteen miles directly south of Findlay and three miles north of the Hardin County line. The business of the place was never very great, and even the coming of the railroad did not increase it, but on the contrary, it has steadily declined, until at this time it has an appearance of forlorn lonesomeness. Arlington on one side, and the thriving town of Dunkirk on the other, have sapped its revenue, and investments here do not render an income. However, it still retains the usual blacksmith shop and convenient corner grocery.

A postoffice was established here in 1835 and Christian Welty was the first postmaster. The office was called Eagle until 1866, when it was changed to Williamstown.

Still-Bokn Towns Of Hancock County

Capernicum, in Amanda Township, was laid out by Abraham Huff in March, 1831, on the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 3, and comprised sixteen lots. Aside from the fact that the town was laid out and recorded on a plat, the town has no farther record. The project was probably abandoned before any lots were sold. At least its history is less brief than that of the "city of the plain," after which it was named. It is exceedingly doubtful if any one at the present time is able to point out the site.

Frankford, in Cass Township. John Franks laid out the town of Frankford, on the northwest corner of Section 10. The town of seventy-two lots was regularly laid out, with a public square, or plaza, in the center. The prospective city, however, only existed in name, and no doubt would long since have been forgotten had it not been a matter of record. There were, perhaps, no lots sold, and the prospective town returned to its original state - that of wheat and corn fields.

Freedom, in Big Lick Township. On the 26th day of October, 1836, Uriah E. Drake laid out a town of forty-eight lots on the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 19, and named it Freedom. So far as can be learned this is the complete history of the place, as a town.

LaFayette, in Portage Township. Jacob Andrew laid out a town on the north part of the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 15, on land now owned by Daniel Warner, and called it LaFayette. It comprised seventytwo lots, and had great expectations. But here ends its uneventful history.

town was laid out in 1851, by William H. Powell, Daniel Millham and Michael Shearer. The town plat was in the northwest corner of the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 14, and the northeast corner of the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 14, and was composed of forty lots, but were never all sold, and no buildings were constructed on the plat. The principal streets were Defiance (Main Road), running east and west, and East, Lima and West streets, running north and south.

The town, however, after a sickly existence of a few years, was finally vacated, and remanded to the several owners. In its boom days, John Boylan kept a small general store in a small plank house where the staple articles of the market were kept in small quantities, but the trade not being profitable, he abandoned the business. The author taught school here in 1862, and at that time every vestige of a town had disappeared, except a tumble-down blacksmith shop and the district schoolhouse which was not much better. Beardsley in his history, 1881, poetically comments: "Such is the history of the birth, life and death and even decay of this town of 'great expectations,' and it does not now exist even in name, and scarcely in the memory of the neighborhood. How many hopes were blasted, and how many expectations came to naught in the early demise and decay of this pre-prospective city?"

Martinstown, in Eagle Township, was laid out on the southeast corner of Section 36, the entire corner of the township, by Martin Hollobaugh, in September, 1836. There were, perhaps, never any lots sold, or streets laid out, as the site was at the cross-roads, about one mile north of Arlington, and the records of the plotting of the town closed up its existence, if indeed it ever had any.

Olney, in Pleasant Township. In April, 1857, Isaac Fairchilds laid out the town of Olney in Section 15, which comprised forty lots. The town never progressed farther than the platting, and it was only a town on paper, and its proposed site is now devoted to agricultural purposes.

North Ridgeville was laid out by Thomas Pickins on the east part of the northwest quarter, and the west part of the northeast quarter of Section 18, Pleasant Township. The plat, consisting of twenty-four lots, was acknowledged May 29, 1850, before B. Todd, justice of the peace, and recorded on the same day by P. Sours, recorder. The plat was vacated February 16, 1880.

Ridgeville was laid out by Lemuel Roberts on the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 2, Amanda Township. The plat, consisting of twenty-four lots, was acknowledged before W. L. Henderson, a justice of the peace, October 25, 1836, and recorded November 15, 1836, by Wilson Vance, recorder.

Silverwood was laid out by Addison J. and Nancy A. Silverwood and Anthony Huntington on the southwest part of the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 19, and the southeast part of the east half of the southeast quarter of Section 24, and the northeast part of the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 23. The plat, embracing fifty-eight lots, was acknowledged March 27, 1883, before Edwin Phifer, surveyor and recorder, April 9, 1883, by J. F. Gutzwiler, recorder.

Van Ruren Township. The plat, consisting of forty-eight lots, was acknowledged before W. L. Henderson, justice of the peace, IJecember 25, 1834, and recorded January 6, 1835, by W. Vance, recorder.

Discontinued Post Offices

Almost all of the townships have had post offices within their bounds at some time in the early part of the settlement of the county, but these have all been discontinued as the country grew older, and at the present time the post offices in the villages have their business greatly reduced by the system of rural delivery.

Perhaps one reason for establishing these country offices was that the roads were almost impassable during a part of the year, so that it was easier to have one person carry the mail out to these places, than that every farmer should be obliged to travel the well nigh impassable roads after it.