Liberty Township (part 2 of 2)

In his native county he taught in some of the common or district schools in both Walnut and Liberty Townships and as principal and superintendent in the schools of Baltimore, O., Lithopolis, O., Thurston, O., and Basil, O. He also taught in Fairfield Union Academy at Pleasantville, O., and later at Ostrander. O. He entered Otterbein University as a student in 1859. In i860, Fairfield Union Academy, under the excellent management of Prof. George Fleming, a man of ripe scholarship and a graduate from one of our eastern colleges, became a prominent educational factor in Central Ohio. Here there was a rare opportunity for intellectul culture, near his own home, and for more than two years it was studiously improved by him. Later he attended for a short time the Southwestern Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio. Lastly bje (reentered Otterbein University and graduated therefrom June the nth, 1867. Otterbein conferred the degree A. M. on him later in years. He has all his life been a close student and his library contains many gems of richest value.

Religiously he has been a member of the United Brethren Church for a number of years. He still delights much in Sabbath School work and the Bible is to him the noblest guidance that man can adopt. LoBp'itically he, , has always been a democrat of the firmest and truest type, and ever deemed it a pleasure to serve his party when needed. He served ten years as school examiner in Fairfield County, Ohio, and five years as clerk of Liberty Township in the same county. He was also for several terms a member of the Board of Education of the Public Schools of Basil, Ohio.

He was married to Miss Esther A. Smith of Delaware County, Ohio, March 31, 1868. She is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner are the parents of one child - a daughter - now Mrs. Lillie Berry of Marion, O.

The following interesting article was prepared and read by Thurman Leonard at the centennial celebration'of.^tha! settlement of Boston Leonard in the Statt of Ohio. This anniversary was celebrated at the home of Thomas E. Leonard tiear Basil. 'This farm has been in the; Leonard name from the 15th day of April, I Si I, when the first deed was made to Boston Leonard ^ by the President* Jamds vMadiaenLlBianurroi alMil rbiw aBw Ji ZR -)]|''Daniel Leonard, the ancestor of tlie Leonard family, was bom in a small village near Basil,! Switzerland, during the year of 1757. He eraigratedi'tOiAqjeficEliniiiSog. ; The voyage occupied si.xteen weeks. He was a widower with three children, one son and two daughtersj) As (Danielii was already fifty-two years he did not care to farm, but to continue his trade as a stone mason. They remained at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, two years, where his Son Boston (which is the Gentian word f<ir Sebastian) attended school. A German school book treating on mathematics is still in our possession. During the year 1811 they moved to Ohio on ;a tract.bf illndiwihich Boston pur«- chased from the government. The deed show^ the ^signature of the President, James Madison, and the Secretary, James Monroe. In the same year Boston was married to Barbara Goss, with whom he became acquainted on his voyage to America. Thus it is that we are celebrating the centennial of the settlement of our ancestors in the State of Ohio^.s// aioli

It was about this time that the town of Basil was laid out and the settlers were equally divided as to the name of the; village - ^Geneva or Basil - and they leftJt for Boston. Leonard to decide. , 001$ n3>tBiDDfiM .'4 hii

During the years iSiS and 1819, Bostoii built a large bri(;k house of eight rooms upon his farm.. ;i Hedroadei (all the. brinks; . for this house and built it after his own taste. Along the east andpart of the south side of the house tliere was a brick pavement about eight feet wide. There wps .onlyi one otitside doot to the house.. This was the first brick house in the county and people would travel miles to see (t.: The bricks ivoip this building were ;used in constructing 1 the i 1 foundations and chimneys of the present house. Even the well waS walled with tliese bricks^. and .some... o£ tjie walks wiere.ilaidiilAiith tbeiiiir, bnK aioi?, jlohci

On Feb. 21, 1823, Daniel Leonard diedj aged sixty-six years. His remains were laid in St. Michaels cemetery three and one-half miles northwest of Basil. The monument was carved from sandstone, and is still in a good state of preservation. The following epitaph is inscribed thereon ;i b-j-^r.^iio ^hjiUB jll same year his father was drafted in the war. He began his mercantile career on the sixteenth day of April, 1828, in the town of Basil when only sixteen years old. This was the first store in Basil, Ohio. This old log cabin store was built by Jacob Goss in the year 1809. Jacob Goss was also a native of Switzerland, and laid out the town of Basil, and this old log cabin was his first dwelling-place in America.

Henry's first purchase was made on the fifteenth day of April, 1828, when he and his father went to Lancaster and bought of Samuel F. Maccraken $100 worth of dry goods including a few groceries. The sales of the first year, all told, were only $500. One year afterwards Henry's father built a new hewed log house, and here Henry kept store seven years. In the year 1836, while Jacob Springy was engaged in tearing down the old log cabin, Henry had a sketch of the cabin taken. This old building was on exhibition at the Centennial at Columbus, Ohio, being represented by an oil painting 24x28 inches, which was afterwards placed in the library room at Heildelberg College. At the same time the log cabin was being torn away, he built the brick store and also a dwelling-house under the same roof. When this home was completed he married Anne Kerns. Here he lived until 1844, when he built a large brick house where he made his home for the remainder of his life. Henry conducted a store until the death of his wife in 1856, when he began his agency on January 22, 1857, for Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio.

He actively engaged in the duties of this office about thirty years, during which time he traveled by rail, on horseback, stage, lumber wagon and on foot over 100,000 miles, or equal to over four times the distance around the globe. Henry Leonard (who at this time was known as "The Fisherman") was the author of a book entitled "The Fisherman's Allegories." The Allegories were originally published in the "Western Missionary" during 1858 and 1859. The book, although not written by one who had enjoyed the advantage of a college training, is not for this reason devoid of interest or merit, for no one can, in fact, read it without seeing that the author had been a close observer of men and things and while he was deficient in book knowledge he was intimately acquainted with human nature, and tells things as they are in practical, everyday life. The style of the book is plain, familiar, humorous, quaint and homespun.

Henry spent a useful and prosperous life. For twenty-eight years he was engaged in the mercantile business, and the last thirty years he was financial agent of Heidelberg. As financial agent he was actuated by no selfish or ambitious motives; his only desire was to do good, and if possible benefit Heidelberg College in whose interests he had spent the best energies of his life, long and useful as it was with little remuneration. The latter period of his life was one of joy and consolation, dotted with many thrilling stories as a fisherman of money. In 1888 he was stricken with paralysis and during the next year died from the effects thereof.

John Leonard was born on October 3, 1814. After acquiring an education as the schools of his youth afforded, he engaged with his brothers in the grocery business in Basil. During 1839 he was married to Miss Hannah Reese. In 1857 he purchased a farm of 178 acres on which he lived the remainder of his life. During 1870 he purchased a farm from Henry Harner which consisted of sixty acres now owned by John Emch and G. W. Kumler, together with ninety-five acres at present owned by his son, Jesse Leonard. John Leon- ard also owned his father's farm. These four farms contained four hundred and thirty acres. He was very successful as a farmer, and a very active man in church work, willing to help the poor in every way he could.

Sebastian Leonard, who was commonly known as "Bosh," was a son of "Boston" and a brother of John, (who was my father). Henry and Barljara Musser, familiarly known as "Aunt Barbara."

Where my son mentions Sebastian, Jr., he has reference to the one known as "Bosh" and the senior was the one known as "Boston" which is the German name for Sebastian.

Sebastian Leonard, Jr., was born in 1816. He actively engaged in the mercantile business his entire life. He w^as very charitable to the poor, loved and esteemed by all. He made his home with his sister, Barbara.

Barbara Musser, the only daughter of Boston and Barbara Leonard, was born in the brick house during the year 1826. She was married to William Musser in 1854. They were the parents of two children : William and Emma, both of whom died in infancy. By her relatives as well as her friends she was known as Aunt Barbara. She lived a very quiet life and at the same time she lived a life that will be remembered and cherished by her many friends. She died May 12, 1902.

Rev. George H. Leonard was born in the town of Basil, September 20, 1837, the eldest son of Henry and Anna Leonard. George received a liberal education, entering Heidelberg College in 1855, and graduating from the literary department of the institution in 1859, subsequently entering the theological seminary connected with the same college. He was ordained to the ministry September 15, 1861, at Danville, Ohio, serving the Highland charge near Hillsboro, three and one-half years. In January, 1863, he was placed in charge of the church at B^sil where he was pastor until 1893, when he retired from active ministry. He died in August, 1909."

The township officers of Liberty Township are: Trustees - T. G. Bright, president, Martin S. Sims and Samuel F. Snider ; clerk - William L. Macklin; treasurer - Benjamin I. Roshon ; justices of the peace - John V. Tussing and James W. Buchanan. The members of the Board of Education of tlie township are : Levi H. Fritz, president ; Lewis W. Foltz, vice president; George W. Giesy, D. S. Miller and Charles Wilkens. The assessors are as follows : Baltimore Precinct - Chalmer L. Wooster; Basil Precinct - Jacob S. Eversole; constable - George Rader.

The first families in the township were the Throughout the township there were shops. ShaefTer family, Martin Landis and Abram carding-machines. spinning-bowl factories Ream, who came in 1798 and landed at Hunt- and sickle factories. Mr. Akers had a sickle er's Crossing a few weeks after Hocking H. factory at Defenbaugh Mill as early as 1824. Hunter's father arrived. They came to look On Kuntz's Run, a stream that empties into o\er the ground and soon returned home, but Clear Creek at this mill, a little above the wolf later in the year they came to remain. Isaac den. where the water poured over a rock, Mr. Shaeffer settled near the Defenbaugh mill. Graham had a spinning-bowl shop. The lathe which he built in 1804. Tliese three families was turned by water and the stream was entered large tracts of land and industriously strong enough to turn it constantly. He improved it, building mills, shops, school- would, however, turn out a wagon-load and houses and churches. Each of these three then peddle his product. This hollow, from first settlers built mills. The most noted was this circumstance, was called Spinning Bowl the Shaeffer, afterwards known as the Defen- Hollow. In this same neighborhood was a baugh mill. It was built in 1804; in 1S07 it woolen mill. So in an early day Madison was sold to Adam Defenbaugh, who kept it Township carried on considerable manufactwenty j-ears. It was afterward owned by turing. The names of Emanuel Carpenter, Boden. Crooks, Stonebumer, Dr. George \'alentine and William Wolfe, the Martins, Boerstler of Lancaster and his brother Daniel, Hedges. Macks, Abbots, Van Weys and Tooles Joseph Dunn, Daniel Defenbaugh, Samuel were familiar names among 1 the ,c4der rest- Campbell and Isaac Marshall. Isaac Marshall dents'!"'^'"'j ^f!' v.ntijMj vllnjupminv .CrHi tore it down in 1873: i»stHbeiow ,this«:i4t ^^ .933000 omE- rhiiches"^^^""^^ viEnims^ Written Rock, was the old Ring and Rice Mill. "J- 'f^J.!;.? nj-f::,.; .'.; IwniEhio ?kv/ Augustus Boden had a distillery at Defen- tltere afe flbw'B^e tb'vAibaugh Mill. Still houses were very numerous ship and eight schoolhouses. In 1826 St,

John's Lutheran Church was erected. Rev. Steck and John Wagenhall were the first two ministers. In 1877 the building was torn down and a new church built in Hocking township.

The second church was built by the Methodists in 1834 and a new building erected in 1844. It is called Hopewell, and Leonard Mitchell is the pastor.

There are no large villages in this township, as neither railroads nor traction roads traverse it. Clearport in the north, Revenge in the central portion, and Drinkle in the southwestern part are the only villages in the township.