Logan Township

Logan Township

This township was organized in 1848, and was named in honor of the noted Indian scout, Captain Logan. (See sketch of, elsewhere in this volume.) Prior to the organization of Auglaize county, the territory comprehended in this township formed a part of Amanda township, Allen county. At the time of organization, three tiers of sections were taken from the south side of Amanda, and one and a half from the north side of Moulton township, which sections were erected into the present township. It is thus four and a half miles from north to south, and six miles in length from east to west, and contains twenty-seven square miles.

south by Moulton township, and on the west by Noble and Salem townships. The surface of the township is undulating, and is unsurpassed in its fertility. The tortuous course of the Auglaize River presents a greater acreage of first and second bottom lands than is to be found in any other township in the county, except St. Mary's.

This township was one of the first divisions of the Northwest occupied by United States troops. From about the first of September, 1812, until late in the fall of that year, General Harrison had his headquarters at St. Mary's. Colonel Thomas Poague, in September of that year, was ordered to clear and construct a wagon road through the wilderness from St. Mary's to Defiance, which road was completed some time in October, when the regiment returned to a point on the west bank of the Auglaize River, and erected a fort, which, in honor of his wife, was named Fort Amanda. The fort consisted of a stockade inclosing a rectangular ar»ea of about an apre and a half. The pickets were eleven feet high, and set four feet in the ground. A two-story block- 44 H a c house in each corner of the quadrangle projected four feet over the pickets. The block-house in the southeast corner was the largest, and was used for officers' quarters. In the center of the quadrangle there was also a large two-story building, of which the upper story was used for a hospital, and the lower story for a storage room. A well, ten feet in diameter, near the central building, furnished an abundance of good water. Mr. Charles Marshall, of Delphos, informed the writer a few years ago that he visited the fort before any of the buildings were destroyed, and that there was stable room enough within the inclosure to accommodate twelve hundred horses.

Whilst the fort was under course of construction, Captain Enoch Dawson placed his company, temporarily, in command -of Lieutenant Nungester, whilst he went down the river a short distance to gather wild grapes, which grew there in great abundance at that time. He was gone but a few minutes before the report of a rifle was heard. When found, by a detachment from the fort, he was dead, and had been scalped. He was brought hack and buried beside the fort, next to the ravine.

After the erection of the fort, it became a base of supplies for the armies of the Maumee Valley. Many of Harrison's general orders were dispatched from here, and the office of the paymaster of the armies was located here during the war.

The hospital within the stokade was erected in the spring of 1813, and was soon filled with sick and wounded soldiers, brought here by boat from the battlefields along the Maumee River. Many of them had served in the Revolutionary War, and the border wars of western Pennsylvania. Rev. Samuel Shannon, Rev.. James Suggette, John Smith, paymaster, and Dr. Jacob Lewis had charge of the hospital.

Rev. Shannon was chaplain of Colonel Scott's regiment, and was detailed to wait upon the sick. This venerable divine, in the early part of the Revolutionary War, left Princeton College, where he was then a student, to enter as a lieutenant in the Revolutionary army, in which he served to the end of the war. He was a plain old gentleman, of fascinating manners, beloved by all who knew him.

"Dr. Jacob Lewis has a personal history of more than ordinary interest. He was born in New Jersey in 1767. His father -enlisted in the Revolutionary army and died of camp fever, leaving a wife and seven children. They had a good farm, and under the management of the mother they made a good living. After peace was declared the eldest daughter married Mr. Joseph Kinnon and moved to Tygart Valley, on the middle branch of the Monongahela, in Virginia. In 1790 Jacob, attracted by the accounts of his brother-in-law of the fertility of the soil and the abundance of game, decided to pay them a visit. The country was an unbroken wilderness, save here and there, by little bands settlers. They had, for some time, been undisturbed by the Indians, and began to think they were entirely rid of such undesirable neighbors. Jacob Lewis, accordingly visited the valley in the fall of 1790, and formed the acquaintance of Daniel Conley, who had been held captive by the* Indians for ten years. Conley was boarding with the Kinnon family at the time of Lewis' arrival. One morning in the spring of 1791 Jacob, on coming home from watching a deer lick, felt drowsy and tired. He told his sister that he would lie down, and when supper was ready she could call him. But before it was ready three Indians came into the house and shot Kinnon dead. Conley was sitting at the fire dressing a powder horn with a drawing knife ; he immediately arose, and struck an Indian with his knife, but in doing so, lost his hold on it. He made his escape at a back door and started to alarm the neighbors. Jacob, awakened by the report and the cries of his sister, arose and looked through the partly open door, and saw the Indians and the apparently lifeless bodies of his sister and brother-in-law. Believing that the entire family had been murdered, he made his escape, and fled to a settlement five miles distant. Here he found Conley, who had alarmed the neighborhood. A party was soon formed and on the trail of the Indians ; but soon returned, as the Indians were retreating too rapidly to be overtaken by so small a force. Out of the persons in the house at the time of the attack six made their escape.

History Of Western Ohio

The next day the neighbors collected and went to the home; there they found the bodies of Mr. Kinnon and two children, all scalped. Mrs. Kinnon was nowhere to be found, so they concluded that she had been taken prisoner. Two little boys of the Kinnon family made their escape through a back window, and reached the nearest settlement in safety. Jacob was thus left, a young and inexperienced man, with two orphan children in his care. The following spring he returned to New Jersey with the two little boys, where they were cared for by his brothers.

"Upon his return he commenced the study of medicine with Dr. John Randolph, of Somerset county, under whose tutorship he remained until the fall of 1793, when a letter was received from his sister, Mrs. Kinnon, who had been taken by the Indians as before related.

"In the summer of 1793 the Government had sent commissioners to the Northwest tribes to treat with them for peace. Mrs. Kin'non heard of them and managed to write a letter to her brothers, and put it in the hands of a Mr. Moore, who carried it to Philadelphia, where he died of yellow fever, and the letter was not delivered until late in* the fall. In this letter she wrote that she was still a prisoner and -closely watched, but if one of her brothers would go to Detroit and inquire for a Mr. Robert Albert, an Indian trader, he could tell all about her, and direct where she could be found. A meeting of the family was called, and the lot fell to Jacob to attempt the rescue of the sister. Preparations were made in haste, and he left about the first of November. At Genesee he left his horse and traveled on foot to Niagara. He related his business to the officers and received passes to the different agents on the route. Two days afterward he started on his perilous journey of three hundred miles in midwinter. He reached Detroit on the 3d of February, 1794. Here he dismissed his guides and presented his papers to Colonel England, the British officer in command at Detroit. These were suspicious times on the frontier, so he had to undergo a close examination ; but after exhibiting his letters and telling the object of his mission, Colonel England gave him permission to remain. The next day he found Mr. Robert Albert in town, and showed him his sister's letter. He said he knew her well, that he sold goods to her tribe, and that she had often worked for him, when he sold goods to the tribe. He appeared to be willing to give Lewis all the assistance in his power, but said he would have to act very cautiously, as, should the Indians suspect that he was concerned in her release, that would be an end to his trade with them. He also met a Mr. Rulin who knew her, and made an arrangement with him to secure her release by purchase. Rulin made application to the old squaw who owned Mrs. Kinnon, but she could not be induced to part with her. Much disappointed at this failure, he spent some weeks at Detroit in trying to devise other plans for her release. He spent weeks in this way, alternating -between hope and fear. All the traders he met seemed to sympathize with him, but he could not even induce them to acquaint his hister of his presence in Detroit, as it would only result, they said, in a useless attempt to escape, followed by greater hardships and her removal to a distant camp. About this time a contractor came to Detroit to engage men to cut and clear timber from around Fort Miami, on the Maumee River. This gave him the opportunity he desired. He engaged at once as a chopper, and in a few days was at work at the fort.

"A few days afterward a report that General Wayne was advancing brought large numbers of Indians, who encamped in the neighborhood of the post. Lewis had enlisted the sympathies of a companion, Mr. Thomas Matthews, and they resolved to go out to the Indian encampment, though without much expectation of finding the missing one. They went, and after moving about among them in a seemingly unconcerned manner, a woman clapped her hands and cried out, 'Lord have mercy upon me.' He knew her at once, and immediately turned his back toward her and walked away, telling Matthews who she was. They dare not go to speak to her, but turned their course toward the fort, observing the situation of her hut, the lay of the ground, and timber around the camp. They noticed that a large white oak tree with a dense top lay prostrate not far from the tent. They also noticed that the squaw had a cow tethered near her hut. It was arranged the next morning that Matthews should go the following day to the squaw with a loaf of bread and try to exchange it for milk. Matthews went, and fortunately, Mrs. Kinnon was called to interpret. This gave him the opportunity he desired, and he managed the bread and milk talk with the plan of escape, which she agreed to. The officer in command! of the pickets was in sympathy with the efforts of rescue, and gave Lewis and his companion passes to go and come at any hour of the night. They went to the fallen tree top as soon as it became quite dark, and waited there until near daylight, but Mrs. Kinnon did not come, and they were obliged to return to the fort disappointed. The bread and milk strategy was tried again by- Matthews. He found that she had been out nearly all night, but in another tree-top. He soon made her understand which tree was to be the meeting place, and returned. They were again passed through the lines the next night, and waited in the tree top until Mrs. Kinnon arrived. The greeting was short. They started at once for the fort. Not deeming it safe to take her into the fort, he took her to a large brush heap near the fort, in the middle of which he had made a hollow large enough for a person to sit in quite comfortably. Here he left her well provided for with water and provisions. The next day had nearly passed when he heard that the Shawnee had been ordered down the river, and thence to Turtle Island. He immediately went tothe boat and frankly told the captain the circumstances and asked' him to carry him and his sister to Turtle Island, which he reluctantly consented to do. He then went to the fort and took an extra suit of clothes that he had, to the brush pile, in which attireshe accompanied him under the guise of a sick soldier. They succeeded in getting on board the vessel without attracting attention. By daylight the next morning they were safely moored' at Turtle Island. Here they took passage on a brig for Detroit. When they reached a tavern Mr. Lewis was so overcome with his anxiety that he became sick, and was confined to his bed for a week. Upon his recovery he procured a pass from Colonel England, and took passage on a vessel to the mouth of the- Genesee River. From there they traveled on foot to where he had left his horse on his outward trip. When they reached the place they found that the horse had been traded off, but they received another in return for it. On this horse the sister rodeand he walked by her side, all the way to New Jersey. They reached Summerset in October. As may be imagined, there wasgreat rejoicing in the family and in the entire neighborhood.

his professional studies, when he married and moved to Hamilton, Ohio. Here he practiced his profession until 1813, when he was appointed surgeon of the First Regiment, third detachment of Ohio militia. When news came that the British and Indians were collecting strongly at Fort Meigs, the First Regiment was ordered down the Auglaize to that point, but Dr. Lewis was left at Fort Amanda in charge of the hospital."

Army surgeons were so few in number at that time that it became necessary for Dr. Lewis to visit the company at Wapakoneta, and the troops at St. Mary's, in addition to his hospital duties at Fort Amanda.*

"The soldiers who died in the hospital were buried on the north side of the ravine, north of the fort. The names of the soldiers buried in this cemetery are unknown, as the records of this post were destroyed at the time the national capitol was burned by the British."

"During the winter of 1812-13, the garrison at Fort Amanda was constituted a shipbuilding company. A number of men were detailed to select trees, another company to cut them down, a third company to saw them into boards and posts, and a fourth company to convert the manufactured lumber into flatboats. This work was accomplished by a company of Ohio militia and a few regular troops from Fort Winchester. Seventy-five boats were constructed here in March and April of 1813. General Green Clay, of Kentucky, arrived here on the 28th of April on a forced march to relieve Fort Meigs, then besieged by British and Indians. Twelve hundred men embarked on these boats and floated down the Auglaize and Maumee rivers to relieve the besieged fort. Some of that fleet of boats were used by Commodore Perry in buoying his larger vessels over the shallows at Put-in-Bay, on the day of his celebrated victory."

During the war the fort served as a retreat for scouts, dispatch carriers, and officers traveling from Cincinnati, Franklinton and Fort McArthur to the armies in the north.

In January, 1817, Peter Diltz came up from Dayton and moved into the small block-house in the northeast corner of the quadrangle or parade ground. In this log house, Francis Diltz was born, September 20, 1817, and here the family resided until 1821, when they returned to Dayton. Previous to leaving the county Mr. Diltz built a log cabin for the Sunderland family.

"Andrew Russell, the second pioneer, arrived in June, 1817, and took possession of the largest block-house at Fort Amanda, the same which was used as officers' quarters in 1812-13. Here his daughter Susanna, afterward wife of Charles C. Marshall, was born, July 13, 1817. Here Mr. Russell died in April, 1822, and was buried in the military cemetery by Dye Sunderland. Diltz and Van Ausdall."

"William Van Ausdall and family came up with Diltz and Russell from Montgomery county, Ohio, and made the storehouse in the center of the stockade his temporary home. In the fall of that year he erected a log house on section 15, where he resided until 1821, when he moved to Michigan with his family. In 1824 he returned to Fort Amanda, where he died the same year and was buried in the military cemetery."

The settlers who came into the county, after the immigration noted, were Henry Hartel, in 1820; Dye Sunderland and family, in 1821 ; William Stewart, George Kephart, Jacob Hartel, Peter Sunderland, Wm. Sunderland, Benjamin Russell, Samuel Stewart, Joseph Sutton, Thomas Adams, Ferd. Miller, Solomon Carr, Samuel Washburn, William Berryman and brothers, and Daniel Hoak.

Of the early adventurers who came to Logan township, the name of John Chapman, or "Johnny Appleseed,' as he was familiarly called, must not be omitted. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1775. Of his early life but little is known, as he was reticent concerning his personal history. A half-sister of his, who moved to the West at an early date, stated that Johnny had, when a boy, shown a great fondness for natural scenery, and often wandered from home in quest of plants and flowers, and that he liked to listen to the birds singing and to gaze at the stars. His penchant for planting apple seeds and from the mark. He was first seen on the Ohio River above Steubenville, in charge of two canoes, lashed together, and laden with sacks of apple seeds.

The field of his operations in Ohio was mainly the valleys of the Muskingum River and its tributaries, and his mission, for the most part, was to plant apple seeds in well located nurseries, in advance of civilization, and have apple trees ready for plantcultivating nurseries caused him to be called "Appleseed John," which was finally changed to "Johnny Appleseed," and by that name he .was called and known everywhere.

in g when the pioneers should appear. He also scattered through the forest the seeds of medicinal plants, such as dog-fennel, pennyroyal, catnip, hoarhound, rattlesnake root, and the like.

We hear of hirfi as early as 1806, on the Ohio River, with canoe loads of apple seeds gathered from the cider presses of western Pennsylvania, and with these he planted many nurseries in the counties of Ohio. .

Chapman visited Auglaize county about 1820, and planted a nursery on the Berryman farm in Logan township, and another on the Richard R. Barington farm, south of St. Mary's.

It was his practice to visit and prune each of his nurseriesonce a year. He extended his operations to the Maumee country, and finally into Indiana, where he died in the seventy-second year of his age.

Johnny was fairly educated, well read, and was polite and attentive in manner and was chaste in conversation. His face was pleasant in expression, and he was kind and generous in disposition. His nature was a deeply religious one, and his life was blameless among his fellow men. He regarded it wrong to spend money for clothing to make a fine appearance. He usually wore a broad-brimmed hat. He went barefoot, not only in the summer, but often in cold weather, and a coffee sack, with, neck and armholes cut in it, was worn as a coat.

"Johnny Appleseed's" death was in harmony with his unostentatious, blameless life. He planted that others might harvest.. His benefactions were enjoyed by those who never saw him, Self-interest played no part in his good works.

Chapman resided in Richland county during the last years of his life, and gave his attention to the many nurseries he had', planted in that section of the State. For a time he lived in a little cabin near Perrysville, Richland county, but later in Mansfield with his half-sister.

John Chapman Johnny Appleseed

The following list of original land entries also serves as a record of the advent of the pioneers. With a very few exceptions, the purchasers became residents of the township :

At the time of the organization of the township in 1848, the Defiance road was the principal one, the others being called '"hoop pole roads." The construction of roads and the building of bridges were slow of progress until 1880. That year marks a new era in the history of the township. In that year the Kossuth and Amanda roads were constructed. Two years were sufficient to demonstrate to the public the great utility of these public enterprises. Since that time nearly every public road in the township has been piked. Since 1880, the rude wooden bridges have been replaced by substantial iron structures.

At an early period in the history of Logan township a log school house stood on the George W. Richardson farm, in which Benham, and subsequently William Knittle, taught school. In 1829, Archelaus Martin presided over a school of about fifteen pupils. The pioneer schools were all conducted on the old principle of subscription, the amount stipulated being a certain amount of tuition per pupil. About 1840, however, the people began to take action in the matter of organizing common school districts. As the population of the township increased school districts were -organized and log school houses erected to meet the growing requirements of the public. In i860 there were six sub-districts, two east and four west of the Auglaize River. At the present writing there are seven sub-districts and one joint district. In each of these districts there is an elegant brick school house, supplied with all the modern appliances necessary for such schools.

In 1833 the Rev. James B. Finley organized Methodist Episcopal societies at St. Mary's, Fort Amanda and Lima. For a number of years services were held in the block-house in the southeastern corner of the fort. In 1848 (see Allen County History) an M. E. church building was erected on section 24. Since that date the German Methodists have built a church on section 20. Later the United Brethren Church built on section 28.

Buckland Village

Buckland Village, the only one in the township, was platted by Josiah Clawson and John H. Gochenour, November 27, 1872, and was originally named White Feather after an Indian village located near by. After the construction of the Lake Erie and Western railroad the name was changed to Buckland in honor of General Buckland, of Fremont, Ohio, one of the promoters of the road. The name was not changed officially, however, until 1891, when a petition was presented to the county commissioners, to incorporate the village and change the name from White Feather to Buckland. The petition was granted, and an election of village officers ordered. The village at that time had three hundred inhabitants.

The old town of White Feather occupied the west half of the northwest quarter of section eleven, and the east half of the northeast quarter of section ten, and the lot$ were numbered from one to thirty. The Auglaize River flows along the eastern border of the village, and the Lake Erie and Western Railroad extends through it from east to west. In 1874 the first addition to the village was made by J. H. Gochenour, and later three more were made by him. An addition was also made by Josiah Clawson.

membership of the church became proportionately greater, until 1898, when a commodious frame church was erected in the central part of town. The church membership is 75. The Sabbath School enrollment is 60.

Soon after the incorporation of the village, and the election of a Board of Education, a substantial brick school building, containing three school rooms, was erected. The Schools under the charge of Mr. T. A. White are equal, in point of efficiency, to any of the village schools of the county.

Biographical

Russell Berryman, son of William Berryman of Devonshire, England, was born in that country, January 9th, 1816. Owing to his hunting propensities, and his numerous infractions of the game laws of the realm William Berryman and family, accompanied by his brother John, left Devonshire, and came to Dayton, Ohio, in 1820, where he purchased ninety-three acres of land, located in what is now one of the densely populated wards of that city. After their arrival at Dayton, his brother John went south and was never heard of afterward. William Berryman, after the purchase of his land at Dayton, devoted his attention to farming until 1825, when he sold his Dayton property and moved to Logan township in Auglaize county, where he purchased ninety-three acres of land in the northeast quarter of section 27. He immediately erected thereon a commodious log house for the accommodation of his large family, consisting of himself, his wife and twelve children. He chose for his house a location near the Auglaize river, immediately south of what is known as "Johnny Appleseed's" nursery. Here he reared his family and resided until his death, which occurred in 1837. After his death the farm passed into the possession of Russell Berryman, the subject of this sketch. Mr. Berryman was twice married. Of the first marriage five children were born : Ephraim, John, and James ; Cornelia, who married Dr. Edward Stocken, and Rosabel, wife of F. Blackburn. Of the second marriage there were born, Abraham, Thomas, William, Warren, Russell and Guy, who died in infancy ; Flora, who married John Miller ; Mercy, unmarried ; Margaret, who married L. Cochran ; Rosetta*

The few pioneers residing in Logan township in 1825, were surrounded by Indians. A tribe of Shawnees was located at White Feather near Buckland, a second tribe of Shawnees at Shawnee Town, where the Children's Home in Allen county is situated, and a fierce tribe of Ottowas, north of Fort Amanda. Being in constant communication with the Shawnees, Berryman soon acquired their language, and often participated in their sports and feasts. As he spoke the language with fluency, he was frequently employed as an interpreter. Later in life he amused his friends by dancing Indian dances, and describing Indian pow-wows. On one occasion he witnessed an incident in his boyhood that occurred at James Crosier's house, located about two miles up the river. An Indian named Leeso, a noted thief of Shawnee Town, pawned a log-chain and two copper kettles at Crosiers for two bladders filled with whiskey. As soon as he received them he started west in the direction of the river, intending to cross and indulge in a drunk. He was hardly out of sight when Indian whoops were heard in the opposite direction. A few minutes later three Indians mounted on ponies rode up to the house and inquired for Leeso. They were informed that he had been there a short time before, and that he was probably by that time across the river. They immediately started in pursuit of the thief and overtook him near the river. They relieved him of his ill gotten whiskey and whipped him nearly to death with hickory switches, and left him lying on the bank of the river. They then returned to Crosier's and demanded the stolen goods, which were returned to them. Being satisfied with the restitution, they returned to Shawnee. Leeso survived the chastisement and lived to commit, numerous thefts in after years.

After the departure of the Indians in 1832, wild game became abundant for a few years. "It is related of Russell Berryman, that going to a deer crossing one morning, he shot seven deer in one spot before breakfast time, and as late as 1838, Leonard Place and his brother, in a two days' hunt secured four barrels of nicely dressed and packed venison."

The pioneers of Logan township were exposed to all the inconveniences incident to the frontier. The old mill, operated by the Quakers at Wapakoneta, was the only one within a radius of forty miles. In 1826, William Berryman and his two sons, Thomas and Russell, loaded their canoe with a few bushels of corn and rowed up the Auglaize river, a distance of over fifteen miles, to the Wapakoneta mill. They arrived there in the evening and were informed that their grist could not be ground until the next morning. "Several Indians invited them to share their huts or lodges for the night - they accepted the hospitality of one of the leading ones. Upon retiring, the old Indian assigned one corner of the lodge to his guests ; took one corner with a couple of blankets himself, his squaw with the same number of blankets another, the children took the fourth corner with half a dozen deer skins for their bed and cover, and three dogs took the center of the room. At the dawn of day, a loud wough came from the Indian; the squaw and the children immediately arose; the latter soon made a fire on the outside of the lodge, and the squaw taking a large piece of meat from a gum on the outside of the hut, and cutting it in pieces, and putting it along with potatoes, dried corn, and corn meal, into a large skillet placed it over a fire where it was allowed to cook for half an hour. At the end of that time the skillet was set in the center of the lodge - the dogs were kicked out - and with wooden spoons, William Berryman and his sons partook of the breakfast."

Russell Berryman was a familiar figure in the county until a few years ago. After living fifty-three years on the farm that he had helped to develop, he died at the age of sixty-two years, five months and twenty-five days.

John S. Butcher was born in Licking county, Ohio, in 1838. He received a common school education, as good as the time and circumstances would permit. At the age of fifteen years he left home and engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1859, when he entered a farm in Knox county, Ohio. After two years of labor in the development of this farm he sold it, and moved to Auglaize county. In 1861 he purchased the east half of the northwest quarter of section nine in Logan township. Later he bought the west half of the same quarter section. In 1859, he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Crottinger. Of this union eight children have been born : William Henry, Sarah, Alice, Ellen, Martha, Cora, James, and Clarence. Four are married, and three of them are residing in Buckland, this county, and one resides in Waynesfield. Mr. Butcher having a correct appreciation of learning, has given each of his children a liberal education. Every corpmunity has among its citizens a few men of recognized influence and ability. The community soon perceived Mr. Butcher's ability as a manager of pubtic affairs. He has long and faithfully served the people of his township and the county in positions of trust. He is a Democrat of the old school, and upon that ticket he has been elected Justice of the Peace of Logan township, which office he has held for twenty-five years. He has served as township trustee for six years, and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Society for twenty-five years. He was elected County Commissioner in 1894, and reelected in 1897.

William G. Brorein was born in Marion county, Ohio,. October 30, 1861, and is a son of Gebhard and Sophia (Gracely) Brorein. When he was five years old his parents moved to Logan township where they have since resided. He helped to clear his father's farm and attended the district school during the winter. In the spring and summer of 1879, he attended the Ohio Normal University, at Ada, after which he taught during the winter and attended the- summer terms of that school until 1883, when he was elected superintendent of the Cridersville schools, which position he occupied for three years. During his residence at Cridersville he held his first office, being elected a member of the village council. In 1886 he engaged with W. H. Butcher, in the mercantile business, at Buckland, where he yet has a general store. He was three times elected clerk of Logan township, and when the village of Buckland was incorporated in 1892, was elected its first Mayor, receiving every vote cast. He was reelected the following year, but resigned upon being elected to the General Assembly, having received the nomina- tion by his party without opposition. He was elected to the 72d General Assembly, and during both terms served on the finance committee. He was elected to the 73d General Assembly as senator from the 3 2d district. During his service in this body he was chosen by the Democratic caucus as one of the members of the conference committee which negotiated the fusion with the anti-Hanna Republicans. He was made chairman of the Public Works committee, and a member of the finance and other committees. He took an active part in securing the passage of the bill partially abolishing capital punishment, and was the author of the bill enacted into law amending the general township school laws. During his legislative career he not only took active interest in general legislation, but carefully looked after the interests of his county and district.

He was appointed by Governor Bushnell a member of the' Board of Ohio Commissioners to the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, held at Omaha from June to October, 1898.

Senator Brorein was united in marriage in 1882, to Miss Sarah E. Butcher, a daughter of Commissioner John H. Butcher. One child has been born to them. (From John B. Walsh's Biographical Sketches of Auglaize County.)

John H. Gochenour was born in Shenandoah county, Virginia, January 13, 1835. His father died in 1839, and four years afterward his mother married John Dingledine, a native of the Old Dominion. The boy was educated in the common schools of Shenandoah county, and made his home with his mother and stepfather, until he was eighteen years of age. In 1849, he emigrated to Ohio and began learning the carpenter's trade in Champaign county. In 1853, he married Miss Sarah C. Weaver. Four children have been born of this union, two, only, are living: Elva A. and Jeanetta, both of them having supplemented their common school education by attendance at college.

Mr. Gochenour, after his marriage, moved to Logan township, Auglaize county, and settled on the farm now occupied by him. The first business to which his attention upon his arrival in 1859, was the erection of a house in the midst of the forest. The development of a farm was a work slow in process, but by dint of persevering labor and economy he cleared seventy-five acres of land. Year by year, as his means permitted, he added to the original tract of land, until he is now the owner of four hundred acres of excellent land, all the fruits of his exertions, coupled with the assistance of his esteemed and agreeable helpmate.

Mr. and Mrs. Gochenour are members of the Christian Union Church, and are zealous and active workers in the same. In his political career, he has always been a stanch Democrat, and his first presidential vote was cast for James Buchanan. He has been township treasurer for many years, has also held the position of land appraiser, and in fact, has held all the offices of the township; discharging the duties of each with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the people.

Peter Sunderland, a soldier of the American Revolution, was born in 1737, and came to Ohio in 1817. He entered land near Dayton, Ohio, on which he resided until 1822, when he and his wife came to Logan township and lived with* their son Dye Sunderland, until his death, which occurred in 1827.

. Mr. Sunderland joined the patriots of the Revolution, early in the spring of 1775, and participated in the memorable battle of Bunker Hill.

On the night of the 16th of June, 1775, the regiment to which he belonged crossed the neck of the bay and intrenched themselves on Breed's Hill. When the morning dawned there was a great stir on board the British fleet that lay in the harbor. Thousands of spectators who climbed to the house-tops in Boston to watch the progress of events, could be seen from the redoubt. About one o'clock the British made an assault on the redoubt, and were repulsed with the loss of a great number of men. A second assault was followed with a result equally disastrous. Unfortunately for the Patriots, their ammunition by this time was nearly exhausted. When the third assault was made the patriots had but three rounds of powder and ball, which were expended on the advancing enemy, and then there was a lull. The Americans, now out of ammunition, clubbed their guns and hurled stones at the assailants. After firing the last charge, Sunderland picked up three guns in succession to find that each had been discharged. Upon picking up a fourth gun he was attacked by a British soldier who struck at him with a saber. A quick turn of the gun caused the edge of the instrument to strike directly in his mouth, cutting through each cheek.' Again the British soldier struck, and again the blow was partially parried, causing the weapon to cut through the wall of the abdomen. At this stage in the encounter, Sunderland succeeded in discharging his' gun into the face of his assailant and thrust his bayonet through the body. He then withdrew in haste from the intrenehment, believing that he was the last man in the retreat. He succeeded in reaching a swamp where he found a man accompanied by his wife and an infant. Here Sunderland dressed his wTounds as best he could, binding a large handkerchief about his abdomen. He then crossed the swamp; the water in a number of places being so deep that they were compelled to swim. At such places the infant was tossed from one to the other.

On reaching the opposite margin of the swamp, Mr. Sunderland concealed himself in a thicket for three days. On the third day he was found by a relief party and conveyed to a place of safety.

William Taylor, a veteran of three wars, was born in New Jersey, July 4th, 1754, and was twenty-two years old when the battle of Lexington was fought. He joined the Revolutionary army in 1776, and served until the close of the war. He is known to have participated in the battles of Brandywine, Stony Point, and the Siege at York Town. At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, he led a maritime life until 1793, when he enlisted in General Wayne's campaign against the Indians of northwestern Ohio. He was present at the battle of Fallen Timbers, and was an active participant in many of the skirmishes of that memorable campaign. In the spring of 1775, he was mustered out of service at Greenville, when he returned to Pennsylvania and married. In the fall of the same year he moved to Pickaway county, Ohio, and engaged in farming. In 1813, he enlisted in a company at Chillicothe, and joined General Green Clay's regiment at Cincinnati, and accompanied him in his march to relieve Fort Meigs, then besieged by the British and Indians. In October of the srme year he participated in the battle of the

At the conclusion of the war of 1812, he returned to Pickaway county where he resided until 1833, when he and a number of families, residents of that county, moved to Logan township. In this township he entered one hundred and thirteen acres of land in section 35.

Mr. Taylor was a man of good general information, well read in his country's history, and was considered an authority on the wars in which he had participated. In politics he was an old line Whig, and when the Republican party was organized he became an ardent supporter of it.

Mr. Taylor was four times married. Of these marriages four children were born: Margaret, (wife of Isaac Terwillager), Susan (wife of L. Vance), Elizabeth, (wife of Robert Beard), and Harriet, (wife of John Dehart).

He lived on the farm that he entered in 1833, until he was a hundred and four years of age, when he sold it, and distributed his effects among his children and grandchildren. The last ten years of his life he resided with his daughter, Mrs. Harriet Dehart, near Spencerville, Ohio. He died July 4th, 1868, aged 1 14 years.

A petition was then presented to have original Town six South, Range seven east, made the limits of their township, and said township to be designated and known by the name of Clay. Petition granted, and bonds given, and advertisements written for an election to be held at James H. Coleman's for township officers on the 20th inst. (Dec.)"

Pursuant to the order of the commissioners an election was held at the house of J. H. Coleman on the 20th of December, 1834, when eleven votes were cast. James H. Coleman, Thomas

The following persons were elected to the respective offices : Trustees, John Rogers, David Vonblaricom, Thomas Beer ; Clerk, Richard Henry; Treasurer, Joel Bayliff ; Constable, Thomas Beer; Fence Viewers, James H. ' Coleman, Thomas Reed, Thomas Beer; Overseers of the Poor, William Copeland and Samuel Bechdolt.

The voters at this election were : Richard Henry, Joel Bayliff, David Vonblaricom, John Rogers, William Hinton, Thomas Beer, Thomas Reed, Byrd Richardson, James H. Coleman, William Copeland, and Samuel Bechdolt.

Clay township is six miles in length from east to west, and five miles in width. It, therefore, has an area of thirty square miles. It is bounded on the north by Union township, on the east by Goshen township and Logan county, on the south by Shelby county, and on the west by Pusheta township.

"The soil of the township is largely of black loam, except in the immediate vicinity of St. Johns village, where the ridge, known as St. Johns ridge, crosses the northwestern corner, where it reaches its highest elevation. The surface of the township, however, is flat, and required an immense amount of artificial drainage to prepare it for cultivation." There were long years of waiting before the flats were capable of yielding the bounteous crops for which the township is famous at the present time. The system of ditch improvements inaugurated thirty years ago, and persistently carried on, year after year, has resulted in the complete drainage of the township. The vast products of corn and other varieties of grain attest the wisdom of the ditch improvements. Five years later public road improvements were commenced, and have kept pace with the other developments of the township, until nearly every public road in the township is a graveled pike.

Among the first settlers of the township may be mentioned John Rogers, John Corder, William Richardson, Charles Lusk, Peter Princehouse, Richard Henry, Benjamin Runyan, James H. Coleman, Edward Williams, and Andrew Perkins.

And Auglaize Count I.

There are now ten sub-district schools in the township, nearly all of which are provided with substantial brick buildings. The enumeration of youth of school age is three hundred and sixty-eight. John Corder, James H. Coleman, Samuel Bitler, and Arthur Bitler were the pioneer teachers of the township.

There are seven churches in the township, which certainly speaks well for the morals of the inhabitants. They are as follows : Methodist Episcopal one, Protestant Methodist one, German Lutheran one, Christian one and German Methodist one.

St. John'S Village

expulsion of the Shawnee Indians from the Piqua towns in 1780, Blackhoof, the chief of all the tribes and clans of that Indian nation, moved to this locality and erected his tepee on the large gravel mound in the south part of what is now the village of St. Johns.* After the establishment of the Quaker mission at Wapakoneta, by direction of Henry Harvey, a two story cabin, eighteen by twenty-four feet was erected on what is now lot number twenty-nine, in St. Johns. The great chief resided in this log house from 1822, until his death, which occurred in the summer of 1831. (For further particulars concerning Blackhoof see XI.)

The cabins vacated by the Indians in 1832, were soon occu- * pied by the early pioneers of the township. John Corder lived in Blackhoof 's house until he purchased what is known as the Tam farm in Duchouquet township. A number of Indian huts were occupied by pioneers as late as 1838.

The village of St. Johns was platted by Daniel Bitler and John Rogers in the summer of 1835, and was named St. Johns. 'There was some contention between the proprietors as to name. From tradition we learn that the question was settled by casting lots.

The village site is on the line of Union and Clay townships, ^chiefly in the latter. The original plat of 1835 comprised fiftysix lots. Since that date three additions have been made. Number one by Emma Loony, number two by John Rogers, and 'number three by Samuel Tobias.

The first religious society of the village was organized by Rev. James B. Finley at the house of Charles Lusk, with twelve members in 1835. Charles Lusk was appointed leader of this Hass, and its meetings were conducted at his house for an indefinite period. During this time this class was one of several organized along a line extending into Allen county. Revs. J. B. Fin- 'ley and John Alexander were the pioneers in the work of organization. "In 1835, Revs. David Burns and Wesley J. Wells were assigned to this field."

"The Christians have an old organization in St. Johns, which is among the very first in this territory. They have a very comfortable frame house of worship."

Guyer Village

Guyer was regularly laid out by George Geyer in 1893, and occupies a part of the farm that he entered in 1840. Soon after the construction of the Ohio Southern railroad a store and warehouse were erected which have done a thriving business since that time. The village is located in the midst of a rich agricultural region. The business is confined to the supply of the surrounding country with the most necessary articles of trade.

The business of the town is represented by two quite respectable dry goods stores, one hotel, two saloons, one grain elevator, -one stave mill and saw-mill, and one agricultural implement store.

Santa Fe

This village is located in section twenty-five on the line between Logan and Auglaize counties. The place has not assumed very large proportions, and its business is mainly local, Teing confined to the trade of the immediate neighborhood.

Its business is confined to two dry goods stores, one grocery store, one blacksmith shop, and one hotel. There are two churches, one school building and one physician. The town so far as improvements in the way of new buildings is concerned, is at a stand still. The population in 1900 was about one hundred and fifty.

Gutman Station on the Toledo and Ohio Central railroad, is a place of commercial importance, near the center of the township. A dry goods store owned by John N. Gutman and his mother, Mrs. Mary E. Gutman, is largely patronized by the surrounding country. The Gutman brothers also buy grain, and their new elevator is one of the best on the line of the T. and O. C. railroad.

Biocrap Hical

William Bitler was born near Reading, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1807. His parents moved to Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, in 1812. He married Miss Rebecca Snyder, February 27, 1828, and came to Franklin county, Ohio, January 23, 1832. Two years later he came to this county, and settled at St. Johns. His wife died August 14th, 1857, and he remarried February 9th, 1865, marrying Rosa A. Bechdolt.

He was mail agent in this and Logan counties from 1847 to 1872. The exposure incident to mail carrying in a new country unprovided with roads told fearfully upon his health, as he contracted rheumatism in a violent form, from which he was confined to his bed for a period of three years. In 1869 he erected the "Bitler House," in St. Johns, which was a popular hotel for many years. Mr. Bitler's family by his first wife consisted of three sons and six daughters, named Christian, Arthur, Samuel, Mary, Hannah, Lucy A., Elmira, Elizabeth, and Mahala ; by his sceond wife one stepson, E. W. Parker, and two daughters, Aurora Belle and Dora May.

James H. Coleman was born in Kentucky, January 14th, 1792. When he was fourteen months old his parents moved to Warren county, Ohio. He had a distinct recollection of the great " Peace Treaty made at Greenville." His family, like many other pioneer families, moved about once every ten years. When James attained the age of twenty-two years he moved to Shelby county, and a few years later moved to Logan county.

In May, 1833, he entered two hundred and seventy-three acres of land in section six in Clay township. In making his selections of lands, attention was given to the good natural drainage of them, a precaution that redounded to his benefit in after years. Like some of the other early pioneers, he and his family resided in an Indian cabin, until an acre of timbered land was. cleared and a house erected on his farm.

Mr. Coleman was the first Justice of the Peace elected in the township, which office he held for eighteen years. In 1834 he was elected commissioner of Allen county, receiving the unanimous vote of his township. This is the only case of unanimity at an election in the township.

William Bush, one of the early pioneers of the township,, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, January 2nd, 1822. His parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Bush, came to Ohio in 1824,. descending the Ohio river on a raft made of logs, landing at

Cincinnati, where they resided a short time before taking up their residence in Butler county. During the time that the family resided in that county he served an apprenticeship under a wagon maker. Mr. Bush remained at home until August 15th, 1834, when he purchased a farm in the northeast portion of Pusheta township. A few years later he moved to St. Johns where he has since resided. In 1853 he married Miss Margaret Neil. Of this union ten children have been born, eight of whom are living : Henrietta, Catherine E., Marion S., William E.,

Charles W., Irena B., Everett E., and Icy M. Mr. Bush served six years as county commissioner, six years as township clerk, and has been justice of the peace of the township for twentyeight years.

Mr. Bush is of an unassuming nature, never seeking notoriety, and never thrusting his opinions upon others. Unostentatious in his private life, and courteous in his administration of public affairs, he has always had hosts of friends.

Amos Copeland was born August 10th, 1816, in Green county, Ohio, and was twenty years of age when his parents moved to Clay township. The family located in section six, and occupied a cabin, formerly the residence of Du Chien, son-in-law of the chief Blackhoof. Amos remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-three years old, when he established a home of his own. November 23, 1839, he was married to Miss Mary J. Layton. Of this marriage nine children were born, of whom six are living: George, who married Eva Graham; Julia, Mrs. Samuel Brackney ; William N., who married Ellen Robinson ; Elza B., who married Anna Herring; Miriam, the wife of Casper N. Chenoweth ; Scott W., who married Emma Chambers. Two sons, John and George, served in the Civil War, the latter being killed in the battle of Resaca.

After his marriage, our subject located on the northeast quarter of section three, Clay township, on which a log cabin was situated. Here he resided for six years, when he exchanged the tract for an unimproved piece of land in section four. He operated this farm for twenty-four years, during which time he cleared over one hundred acres and added two hundred acres to his original purchase. In the fall of 1875 he moved to St.

William Lusk, son of Charles and Anna Lusk, was born in Virginia July 14th, 1817, and when about eighteen years of age came with his parents to this county. He had very limited educational opportunities in the old State, and here it fell to his lot to work rather than attend school. The father was a strict temperance man, and the son became likewise an advocate of sobriety, and, notwithstanding the influences by which he was surrounded during his youth when liquor was a factor in the fields, he is able to say that he has never used intoxicating liquor during his whole life. In 1833, he united with the Methodist Episcopal church, and in 1859 was licensed as a local minister, which relation he sustained until the present time. From 1839 to 1845 he lived in Missouri, but returned to Auglaize county at the latter date, where he has since resided. He owns a large tract of land, west of St. Johns, on which he has built for himself an elegant residence. The upright life that he has lived commands the respect of all who know him.

Asa Martin was born in Clinton county, Ohio, January 15th, 1822. In 1838 he settled in Clay township three and a half miles south of St. Johns with his father in what was then a swamp. February 22nd, 1844, he was married to Hannah Coleman, who bore him fifteen children, eleven of whom are still living. After his father died in 1851 he bought out the other heirs' interests in his father's farm, cleared it up and improved the land until it was one of the most productive farms in the county.

Throughout his life he was an upright, straightforward and conscientious Christian man and for many years was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was the oldest and last survivor of a family of six children. He was a highly respected and often honored citizen in his community, and no man in the county stood higher in the estimation of his fellow men. He filled various offices of trust in his township and at the time of his death was serving his second term as county infirmary director, the duties of which position he faithfully and conscientiously performed.

John Rogers was born in Orange county, New York, October 20th, 1800. His parents subsequently moved to Sussex county, New Jersey, and finally to Licking county, Ohio, in 1814. In 1821 he went to Richland county, Ohio, and shortly afterward married Miss Mary Hadley of Mt. Vernon. In the autumn of 1833 he came to Auglaize county and settled on the site of the Blackhoof village, where he became one of the two original founders of St. Johns. Two years later Clay township was organized, and at the first election he was chosen trustee* of the township. He afterwards held the office of justice of the peace. His wife died about 1841, and ten years later he married Mrs. Nancy Bechdolt. To the development of the community he contributed his full share ; and having attained his eightieth year, he laid down the burden of cares and years, April 30, 1880, and embraced the rest which awaits even the restless. He was thus closely associated with the village and township, having assisted in the founding of both, and continued identified with them during a period of nearly half a century. R. Sutton.

The history of the organization of Goshen township is recorded in the Commissioners' journal of Allen county, dated December 5th, 1836, and reads as follows : "Bazle Day then presented a petition for a new township to be struck off of Wayne tbwnship, beginning at the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of section thirty (30), in Town number five (5), south of range number eight (8) east, thence east to the county line between Allen and Hardin counties, thence south to Logan county line, thence west with said line to the northwest corner of Logan county, thence south to the northeast corner of Shelby county, thence west to the southwest corner of section thirty-one, in Town six (6) south of Range number eight (8) east, thence north to the place of beginning. The Commissioners being satisfied that legal notice had been given for the alteration, or for a new township to be struck off, granted the same petition, and the bounds of township to be as described in the petition, and said township to be designated and known by number sixteen (16), named Goshen. And that the electors of said township hold an election

Goshen township is six miles in length from east to west* and three and a half miles in width. Its area, therefore, is twenty-one square miles. It is only a few years since this township, like the other contiguous territory, was the habitation of Indians and wild animals. The numerous mounds, inclosures and curiously formed earth-works that still remain, are evidences of its former Indian occupation. The great landed estates in the prairie are unsurpassed in picturesque beauty and fertility by any other locality in northern Ohio. The annual yield of Indian corn raised on the prairie is about one hundred and fifty thousand bushels, of wheat, twenty-five thousand bushels, and proportionally large quantities of oats, broom-corn, and potatoes.

The great prairie and its drainage streams, in a former geologic period, formed one of the five gaps in the dividing ridge of Ohio, through which the waters of the glacial sea flowed to the south. The great volume of water that flowed through the gap carried vast numbers of icebergs, loaded with great quantities of debris, which was deposited as the bergs melted, forming gravel ridges along the line of the ocean current. There are evidences that there were ice gorges at the opening of the gap on the north, and the bergs scraped and tore up the Erie clay at the bottom of the channel through the prairie. This prairie is also the source of two important rivers of the state, the Scioto and the Great Miami. The Scioto drains the greater part of the east prairie; while Muchinippi creek, head of the Miami, has been deepened and widened until it resembles a small river, and drains the west prairie and adjacent territory.

Original Land Entries

In the following list of land entries in Goshen township the original claimants numbered from one to nineteen in the Virginia Military Lands, are not given, as the proper data could not be obtained in time for the publication of this work. The total area of these lands is 2,526.11 acres.

The following is a list of the township officers ^ts near as can be ascertained from the county records. Owing to the want of courtesy of the township clerk, H. V. Wagstaff, we were denied access to the township records, the only proper source of information on the subject.

New Hampshire Village

The center of population of Goshen township is New Hampshire, a neat village and handsomely located. No village in the county has attended more earnestly to the cause of education than the citizens of New Hampshire and the community immediately surrounding it. About fourteen years ago a township high school was erected in the village, which is attended by the higher grade of pupils from the country district schools.

The village was laid out by John Kindle in 1836, and occupies the northwest quarter of section four. The original plat contained sixteen acres. One addition by the original proprietor has been made since that time. The first store was established by Hiram North, and Orin North, his brother. They erected the first steam mill. Later J. J. Hutchinson established a general store. The village at the present time has two hotels, two stores, two blacksmith shops, one grocery store, a grist-mill and a sawmill, an M. E. Church, and a Baptist Church.

Martin V. B. Buffenbarger was born in Madison township, Clark county, Ohio, March 29th, 1840, being a son of Samuel and Eliza Ann Buffenbarger. On New Year day, 1867, he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Harpole, and the following month removed to Auglaize county, settling in section thirty-four, Goshen township. Of this marriage eleven children have been born : Harpole, Irena, Elihu, Cenetta, Owen, John, Iola (deceased), Merta, Mary, Martin H., and Charles. Mr. Buffenbarger remained where he first settled until 1872, when he built a residence on his farm in section four, where he now resides. He has held many positions of trust in his township and in the county, and his high sense of honor and vigorous efforts in behalf of those whom he served has made him a reputation to be desired by any man. He was elected township trustee in 1876, for three years, and reelected for five successive terms. In 1893 he was appointed by the Commissioners a member of the Board of Infirmary Directors, to fill the unexpired term of Asa Martin, Sr., and served one year. He was then elected by the people, and served in that capacity for four years, with the same fidelity and honesty that has characterized his every action, both public and private. Mr. Buffenbarger has always been a most successful farmer and stock raiser.

Alanson Earl was born in Canada in 1813, and was brought to the United States the same year. Two years later the family moved to Logan county, and in 1817, they again moved to Clark county where they resided until 1832. In that year they came to Allen now Auglaize county. At the age of twenty years, Mr. Earl had accumulated fifty dollars with which he entered forty acres of land in section eight, Goshen township. He immediately erected a log cabin on his land, and in the fall of 1833, he married Miss Rachel Day; of this union eight children were born, of whom six are still living. The entire country was a wilderness at that time. When Mr. Earl went to Wapakoneta to enter his land, he started from where Mr. Elsworth lived on the section line where the Waynesfield and Wapakoneta pike is now located. Then followed the section line by a blaze on the trees to where he struck the Lima and Wapakoneta road, there not being a house in the neighborhood. Mr. Earl resided on the land that he entered in 1833, until his death, which occurred in 1867.

Judge John McLean was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in 1809. His father was a farmer, in which business young McLean was reared. His chances for obtaining an education were very limited, but in after life, by patient application, he acquired a fair business education. In 1833, he went to Richland county, Ohio, and obtained employment, as a farm hand, near Mansfield. In 1837 he married Miss Mary Cobean, and moved immediately afterward to Goshen township, Allen, now

November 16th, 1836, Mr. McLean entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in section six, Goshen township. On this land he erected a house and other buildings, preparatory to his marriage which took place the next year. Mr. McLean resided on this farm until his death, which occurred May 5th, 1875. He was elected associate judge for the county after its organization, which position he filled until the new constitution abolished the office.

Judge McLean was of an unassuming and retired disposition, attentive to his own affairs, taking little part in public matters. But no man in his neighborhood was more highly respected or considered more trustworthy.

Robert Lee Gilmore Means was born in Coshocton, Ohio, in 1811, and was taken to Virginia by his uncle; his parents having died when he was two years of age. He lived with his uncle Ephraim Means in Virginia until he was eighteen years old, when the uncle with his family and ward returned to Ohio, settling in Licking county. Young Means remained with his uncle two years when the family moved to Champaign county. One year after the family settled in that county young Means began life's battle for himself. In 1833, he married Miss Sarah North. After paying the minister two dollars for performing the marriage ceremony, "his worldly possessions only amounted to seventy-five cents, besides owing for his wedding clothes. With liabilities of about twelve or fifteen dollars, and assets seventy-five cents, he took a contract for splitting rails at thirty-three cents per hundred, and renting land until his debts were paid, and he had a balance of sixty-five dollars accumulated. He then borrowed forty dollars and came to Allen, now Auglaize county, and eighty acres of land in Goshen township in section thirty, February 9th, 1836. He immediately erected a cabin into which he moved the same spring. "He went boldly to work in clearing up a farm, and succeeded in making one of the best in the township. In clearing the farm the family endured all the hardships incident to new settlements. Having commenced life with a determination to succeed, if industry, economy and fair dealing were the elements of success. Mr. Means became one of the lare-

Mr. and Mrs. Means were the parents of ten children, only four of whom are living: Lyman North Means, Lucy E., whomarried John H. Plough, Olive M., who married William Mc- Cormick, and Rebecca M.

Mr. and Mrs. Means were consistent members of the Baptist church. The early ministers, no matter to what denomination they belonged, always found a welcome at his house, and a. cordial invitation to its hospitality.

Jason H. Manchester was born in Newton, Union county,. Ohio, in 1853. The elder Manchester, his father, was a native of the "Old Bay State," and was born at Dracut in 1815. He graduated from Norwich University, Vermont. In 1842 he married Miss Rebecca Hewitt, a native of Pomfret, Vermont. In the same year the young couple moved to Frederictown, Ohio, where he engaged in merchandising until 1865, when he sold out and three years later settled on an unimproved farm of fivehundred acres in Goshen township, Auglaize county. To the original tract he added from time to time until he was the owner of one thousand acres. After his death the estate passed into the possession of Jason H. Manchester, the subject of this sketch.

Jason H. Manchester attended the public schools of Unioncounty, and supplemented his public school education by a twoyears course in the West Randolph Normal School, in Vermont. After completing his education he returned to Ohio, and took formal possession of the estate on which he now resides. In- 1885, he w^s married to Miss Louisa Krebs, a daughter of Dr. Krebs of Waynesfield. Mrs. Manchester is a graduate of the Ada Normal University, of Ohio. She was also a student of medicine for a time at Cincinnati. To Mr. and Mrs. Manchester one child has been born, Hewitt Krebs, who died at the age of eighteen months.

Mr. Manchester's farm of fifteen hundred acres, is not only one of the largest, but one of the most productive farms in northwestern Ohio. His annual yield of crops is about as follows : Of corn, 40,000 bushels, of wheat, 11,200 bushels, of oats 6,400 bushels, and of timothy hay and potatoes proportional quantities.