Liberty Township

Liberty Township

Liberty township was organized in April, 1837. The first settler -to locate here was Alexander Montooth, in 1835. Later in the same year, Charles Hofstetter, Nicholas and J. R. McConnell, Samuel James, James and John Irvin, John Krebbs and O. C. Pomeroy took up their permanent residence in this township. H. S. Ramsey, Jacob Sigler, Henry Knopp, James Woodell and Robert Lowry came a short time later and aided in the early settlement and township organization.

At the first election, Nicholas McConneh was chosen justice of the peace, and J. R. McConnell was elected constable. The early records have been lost and a full list of the first township officers cannot be given.

The land in Liberty township was originally very swampy and this made it unhealthy. The first settlements, for this reason, were made on what was then called the Ridge, which was a slightly elevated strip of land. The growth of this township was very slow at first, as a great part of the land was unfit for cultivation. The swamps and ponds of the township were drained in i860 and the land has been tiled, and in this way brought under cultivation. After the swamps were drained the sickness of this locality was greatly decreased and it became a very desirable habitation.

The first town was laid out in 1845 by the late Judge Palmer and was called Medary. Judge Palmer kept the first store in the town and erected a combination grist- and saw-mill, which was quite a curiosity to the early .settlers. The building was a frame structure, with the grist-mill above and the saw-mill below. The site of this once thriving village is now covered with fields of waving corn.

The present officers of Liberty township are: Justices of the peace, John P^arley, of Leipsic; Louis Lammers and Mack Shaffer, of West Leipsic; trustees, B. L Stechschulte, J. M. Smith and Peter Schey, of West Leipsic; clerk, Joseph Lammers, of West Leipsic; treasurer, P. H. Schey, of AVest Leipsic; constables, JeiTerson Ladd and Herb Dukes, of West Leipsic.

West Leipsic

West Leipsic was laid out and platted in 1852. In the year 1850 John W. Peckenpaugh purchased the land where the village of West Leipsic now stands and had the first survey of twenty lots made, by Samuel Parker, county surveyor. A second and third survey was made in the following years, 1853-54, and completed the platting of all the lands now included in the town lying north of the Nickel Plate railroad.

The first house built in the village was erected by John Shakely in 1850 and was known as the old Shakely house for a number of years. It was long used as a hotel and drug store.

From 1850 to 1855 the first settlers of the town came in, these including the following: J. J. Lowry, who kept the first store in the town and, later, was elected the first justice of the peace; John Dehnert was the first blacksmith; Joseph Faber, first wagon maker; George Haskell, first cooper, and Dr. Samuel Emery was the first physician. The first white child born in the town was Louisa M. Lowry, daughter of J. J. Lowry, born on September 29, 1852. Later, Miss Lowry became the wife of Doctor Emery, one of the leading physicians of the county.

The town was incorporated in 1882 with the following officials: R. Haskell, mayor; W. J. White, clerk; M, L. Pritchard, marshal; Thomas James, treasurer. The present officers are : Mayor, S. M. Tilbrook ; clerk. Earl J. Shafifer; treasurer, M. L. Pritchard; marshal, Joseph E. Miller; councilmen, F M. Bennett, J. I. Smith; W. J. Wooddell, Solomon Close; J. A. Montooth, Mack Shaffer.

Coxtixextal Twenty-Five Years Aoo Continental In 1914

The assessor of Liberty township, James Wooddell, returned the names of thirty-six volunteers of his township who had enlisted between July 2, 1862, and August 22, 1S62. Of this number twenty were in the Ninetyninth Regiment, nine in the Eighty-third Regiment, one in the Twenty-first Regiment and. six unassigned. All of these volunteers except the last six enlisted for three years. The record further gives the age and occupation of all the enlistments. All of them, with the exception of ten, were twentyone or over and twenty-one of them were farmers. There were two school teachers, a carpenter, plasterer, cooper, tanner, millwright, teamster, engineer and one who was labeled "selling goods." The following twenty were members of the Ninety-ninth Regiment: Albion Clutter, William Henry Harrison, Jr., Henry Waltner, Jonas Baughman, Vincent B. Johnston, John Hickery, Melanchton Scott, Hamilton Miller, William T. Dickey, James A. Allen, Rollin Hofsteatter, David L. Strain, Livingston McKinzie, Thomas, Crane, Everett Meachem, David Hofsteatter, Benjamin D. Hall, Abraham Knup, Ezra M. Warren and Isaac Douglas. The following nine members were members of the Eighty-third Regiment : William C. G. Krauss, Gustave A. Krauss, Edward M. Krauss, Charles W. Kratzer, Joel Swihart, Hammet Workman, Eli Swihart, George Swihart and William F. Polen. Marion Stockwell is credited to the Twenty-first Regiment. Samuel Leatherman, Samuel Foutz, Joseph Landis, Samuel Runyan,' William Nicewarner and Philip Stambaugh were unassigned. Another record of Liberty township shows thai: five men enlisted between August 22, 1862, and September 16, 1862. Two of these, David Jack and John Stambaugh, enlisted for three years in the Forty-ninth Regiment ; two others, Philip J. Zeigler and Samuel Foltz, enlisted for three years in the One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment ; Calvin Allen enlisted for three months in the Eighty-seventh Reo'iment.