Montgomery City

Montgomery City

It is thought by some that inroads were made upon the forest and improvements begun by white men upon the present site of Montgomery as early as the fall of 1794; but the earliest trustworthy date is fixed one year from that time, when a colony of six families came in from Ulster county. New York. They were headed, respectively, by three brothers Felter - Jacob, Irominius, and David - Cornelius Snyder, Nathaniel Terwilliger, and Jacob Rosa. All were Felter families, indeed, in this, that the three brothers sired one-half of them, and their three sisters - Mesdames Snyder, TerwiIITgef,"and~ Rosa - were mothers to the other three. It is seldom that a pioneer colony is thus uniquely made up. Snyder bought of Thomas Espy, June 27, 1796, the whole of section four, for one thousand four hundred and forty dollars. Here the first improvements v?ere made by the party. August ist of the same year Terwilliger bought of Judge Symmes the southwest quarter of section three, upon which section Montgomery is situated, and began the clearing of that tract shortly after. Nearly five years afterwards - May 5, 1801 - he also bought the north half of the section, and upon it laid out the town of Montgomery. It was surveyed in 1802; but the recorded plat of this bears date the ninth of August, 1805. It is situated on the Montgomery pike, two and one-half miles from the south line of the township, and one and a half miles from Montgomery station, in Symmes township.

on the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad. The old State road from Columbiato Chillicothe formerly passed through it. When the Montgomery turnpike was established the State road was straightened, leaving Main street, upon which are the oldest houses in the village, out of its line, and creating State street upon its new line.

The following interesting passages are taken from Mr. Richard Nelson's work on Suburban Homes. Mr. Nelson was formerly a resident at Montgomery :

Like most towns of its size Montgomery has no written history. Situated on a leading road, it became a resting place for teamsters and travellers, and so grew up from a single tavern to what it now is, a town of five hundred inhabitans. A log cabin formed the first tavern of the place. This was situated on the southeast corner of Main and Mechanic streets, on what is now known as the Station road, and kept by John Osborn. A man named Yost opened another tavern on the diagonel corner. Some idea of the extent of travel, or the drinking habits of the people of that time (1809), may be formed when we state that a fifty-barrel supply of whiskey for the year failed to meet the demand upon Yost's bar.

In 1806-7 a number of citizens from Montgomery, Orange county. New York, came by the way of Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh), and Columbia, and settled around this point, as a good place for trade and fanning. Among these were [acob and Cranmer Felton, Cornehus Snider, grandfather of James Snider; John Z. Weller, Nathaniel Terwilliger, Joseph Taulman, H. Crist, Jacob Roosa, and others. Coming from Mont- ' gomery, they naturally named the new place in honor of their old home. In 1810 a company of these men was organized for the purpose of erecting and running a grist-mill. Some of the names were Elliott, Crist, Snider, and Sears - the latter was the millwright. Soon after commencing business in the mill they opened a store on the corner now occupied by Mr. R. Parrott.

As early as 1807 a rifle company was formed, and Montgomery soon became a place for battalion muster. Quite a military spirit was excited, which was maintained for many years afterward.

Schools were not neglected in the early history of the place, though the buildings were as primitive in design as in finish. Withm one hundred yards of the writer's residence was the first school-house built in Montgomery. This was so constructed that openings were left in the logs to serve as windows. In summer these were left without sash; in the winter sized newspapers subserved the double purpose of sash and window-glass. A mode of punishment, equally primitive, called (or another opening of six inches in the rude floor. Into this offenders were required to thrust a bare foot and keep it there until released by the teacher. As snakes were numerous in summer and the ground under the house open, the discipline proved effective.

In the course of some years the Montgomery academy was organized. This was a classical school, and was under good management. Professors Hayden, Locke, and Moore were some of the teachers. It was in this academy that Dr. William Jones had his education before entering upon the study of medicine. James Snider was also a scholar of this as well as of the more primitive school, where he acquired some prominence during a "barring out" adventure.

Some of the early industries of Montgomery, besides those mentioned, were the manufacture of wagons for the southern market, porkpacking, and cabinet-making. Henry Snider conducted the wagonmaking business, and built his own boats to carry his freight. The gunwales of these boats consisted of logs fifty or sixty feet in length, and were hewed in the village. To get them to the river they were placed upon wheels and, being hard to manage, required a steersman as well as a teamster. To steer this caravan, a pole was inserted in the centre of the hind a.xle and made to project backwards; this was the tiller, and the man on foot behind the logs was the steersman.

One of the oldest citizens of Montgomery is Abiaham Roosa, who is seventy-nine years of age. His father, Jacob Roosa, and family, came out from New Yoik in 1799. With him came also a man named Ayres, who was one of the builders of the first ocean vessel, a brig, built at Columbia. In Abraham's boyhood wolves had not been exterminated; and as cattle were allowed to run at large it was necessary to have them brought home in the evenings and securely penned. As soon as Abraham was able to handle a gun this duty devolved upon him. Provided with musket, ammunition, and a faithful dog, he would tracl< the objects of his search by the sound of the bells, and before the shades of evening set in have them secure.

Montgomery has contributed her quota of public men. For the early militia she furnished a general of note - Cornelius Snider. John Snider she sent to the legislature many years ago, and Dr. Alexander Duncan to Congress. California is indebted to her for a governor - Weller was a Montgomery boy; and the legislative halls of the State were reinforced by Dr. William Jones, on more than one occasion, and by George Crist, of the firm of Creighton & Co., at another time. In the Presbyterian church the Rev. Daniel Hayden served with distinction, and in the Universalist church the Rev. A. Lawrie. who was ordained in the Montgomery church, was a distinguished advocate of the doctrines of his denomination. Thirty-eight years of practice of medicine in the vicinity entitles Dr. Naylor's name to a place here.

Of Dr. Duncan's history and habits we learned something from Dr. Jones, and had the pleasure of examining his portrait, made by a young artist named Sweet, who carried it across the Atlantic and over Europe as a specimen of his skill in painting. The doctor's history is an interesting one. He was a lover of public life, and an ardent advocate of Democratic measures. He was also attached to outdoor pleasures, driving and fishing, and when in company with a friend, would often not exchange words for miles of travel, and when he did break silence it would be by the utterance of some remarkable statement, or by pro- pounding some difficult problem. It was the doctor's custom, when about to engage in a fishing expedition, to catch his minnows in Sycamore creek; but some said that he was often fishing for votes when he was supposed to be engaged in legitimate piscatorial pursuits. Ac- - cordingly the knowing ones would account for his absence from home by saying he was "catching minneys in the Sycamore. "

A remarkable man, of very different stamp, was Eli Dusky, whose "mark" may be seen in the records of the county. Eli was noted alike for industry, simplicity of character, and the limited amount of intelligence, with which he managed to transact the business of life. In poHtics, religion, and business, he was guided rather by instinct than knowledge or reason. He believed in ghosts and hobgoblins, if not in a future state; and fairies were the great facts, as well as mysteries, of his creed. This was known to the neighbors - to the men who were boys in those days, and to the boys who were men; and the latter were not slow in taking advantage of such notions, nor the former in encouraging the fun. On a certain occasion, Eli had a prosperous stigarcamp in the rear of where Mr. Smith's house now stands. His blazing fire was rapidly converting the sugar-water into delicious syrup, and his barrels were waiting for their first installment, when, the shades of evening approaching, he slackened his fire, prepared his camp for the night, and went to his home, ruminating over his probable good luck in securing a big crop of molasses. Supper disposed off, Eli retired to his quiet couch, but had scarcely experienced his first nocturnal vision {for he was a great dreamer), when he was aroused by the barking of his fathful dog. Quickly dressing, he sallied forth, and soon was in plain sight of his factory, where, to his consternation he beheld, flitting about in the dim light of the subdued fire, the figures of full-grown elfs to the number of half a dozen. Spectres they were, sure enough - full-fledged fairies ! Eli did not hesitate long in selecting a line of retreat. The house reached, the door was soon opened and again securely fastened, and Eli Dusky was safe froin entrusion. That night the fairies enjoyed a rick feast, and got home in time for a sound nap before daylight - larger boys might have fared worse.

Montgomery was not so unimportant a settlement as to be overlooked by the showmen of the day. As early as i8i2 the leader of a troupe and proprietor of a menagerie, with Barnum's enterprise and Robinson's pluck, entered the great town of two taverns, procured a stable and provender for his menagerie, and board and lodging for his troupe. Next day he advertised his great show, and the news was blazed abroad throughout the entire settlement; and the wagons and horses, men and women, boys and girls, came to the number of fifty. The exposition was a complete success. Exposition Hall was crowded to the hay-mows, and the mulatto man, with his docile elephant, werJ the finest troupe that had ever acted, and the greatest show that had ever been exhibited in the town of Montgomery.

This village was founded in 1805. Its growth was slow for many years. It had but two hundred and seventy inhabitants by the census of 1830. About 1872, however, its prospects improved by the advent of city people looking about for eligible sites for suburban residences; older citizens began to improve their property, and some to build. The demand for building material led to the establishment of several new saw-mills, and in due time a new and more nearly straight road to Montgomery station was made. Since then a number of suburban homes have been made at the village. Its population, by the census of 1880, was two hundred and ninety-eight.

The Presbyterian church at Montgomery was organized in 1819. Rev. Daniel Hayden was the first pastor. His successors were, in order, the Rev. Messrs. L. G. Gains, C. Harrison, David McDonald, Jonathan Edwards, D.D., G. M. Hair, J. Stewart, J. H. Gill,

The Methodist Episcopal society here was organized very early. It occupies a good frame meeting-house, to which a bell of half a ton's weight was added in 1873.

The Universalist church was organized in 1837, and built a church edifice soon after. The first regular preacher was the Rev. Mr. Pingley. The Rev. J. H. Henley was among his successors.

The Masonic and Odd Fellows' orders are well represented in Montgomery. A lodge of the former was organized here in 1828, with S. W. Robinson, W. M.; James G. Cross, S. W.; and Abraham Crist, J. W. The Odd Fellows' lodge was constituted in 1865.

The first notice of this place in literature probably occurs in Thomas' Travels Through the Western Country, a record of journey ings in 18 16. He says in this:

At Montgomery, a village of a dozen houses, twelve miles from Cincinnati, we stopped to see a carding-machine which was turned by the treading of a horse on a wheel. A circular floor is attached to the upright shaft, which is so much inclined as constantly to present to him a small ascent. He is blindfold, and his traces aie fastened to a beam. On stepping the wheel moves towards him.

About ten years after this the village was visited by an august wayfarer, in the person of his highness Bernhard, duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach, who deigned to give the hopeful hamlet a call and a notice in his book. His readable volume of Travels Through North America During 1825 and 1826, contains the following paragraph. His august highness, however, probably bunching his recollections together, has located Governor Jeremiah Morrow at Montgomery; when, as a matter of fact, he never lived there, but outside of the county, in Warren county, but eight miles above Montgomery and four miles from Loveland, at F'oster's Crossing, near the old State road. He lies buried, however, in this county, at the old Sycamore church in Symmes township:

Fourteen miles from Cincinnati we reached a little country town - Montgomery - of very good appearance, surrounded with handsome fields. A few years past there was nothing but woods here, as the roots which still exist bear testimony. They cultivate Indian corn and wheat, which is said to succeed better here than in the State of Indiana. The dwelling of the governor consists of a plain frame house, situated on a little elevation not far from the shore of the Little Miami, and is entirely surrounded by fields. The business of the State calls him once a month to Columbus, the seat of government, and the remainder of his time he passes at his country seat, occupied with farming, a faithful copy of an ancient Cincinnatus. He was engaged, on our arrival, m cutting a wagon-pole, but he immediately stopped his work to give us a hearty welcome. He appeared to be about fifty years of age; is not tall, but thin and strong, and has an expressive physiognomy, with dark and animated eyes. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and was one of the first settlers in the State of Ohio. He offered us a night's lodging at his house, which invitation we received very thankfully. When seated around the chimney-fire in the evening, he related to us a great many of the dangers and difficulties the first settlers had to contend with.

Source changes here: from 1789 History of Hamilton County Ohio with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, by Henry A. Ford and Kate B. Ford, published 1881; 2,508 words in this source stream.

Montgomery City

It is thought by some that inroads were made upon the forest and improvements begun by white men upon the present site of Montgomery as early as the fall of 1794; but the earliest trustworthy date is fixed one year from that time, when a colony of six families came in from Ulster county, New York. They were headed, respectively, by three brothers Felter - Jacob, Irominius, and David - Cornelius Snyder, Nathaniel Terwilliger, and Jacob Rosa. All were Felter families, indeed, in this, that the three brothers sired one-half of them, and their three sisters - Mesdames Snyder, Terwilliger, and Rosa - were mothers to the other three. It is seldom that a pioneer colony is thus uniquely made up. Snyder bought of Thomas Espy, June 27, 1796, the whole of section four, for one thousand four hundred and forty dollars. Here the first improvements were made by the party. August ist of the same year Terwilliger bought of Judge Symmes the southwest quarter of section three, upon which section Montgomery is situated, and began the clearing of that tract shortly after. Nearly five years afterwards - May 5, 1801 - he also bought the north half of the section, and upon it laid out the town of Montgomery. It was surveyed in 1802; but the recorded plat of this bears date the ninth of August, 1805. It is situated on the Montgomery pike, two and one-half miles from the south line of the township, and one and a half miles from Montgomery station, in Symmes township, road from Columbiato Chillicothe formerly passed through it. When the Montgomery turnpike was established the State road was straightened, leaving Main street, upon which are the oldest houses in the village, out of its line, and creating State street upon its new line.

The following interesting passages are taken from Mr. Richard Nelson's work on Suburban Homes. Mr. Nelson was formerly a resident at Montgomery:

Like most towns of its size Montgomery has no written history. Situated on a leading road, it became a resting place for teamsters and travellers, and so grew up from a single tavern to what it nowis, a town of five hundred inhabitans. A log cabin formed the first tavern of the place. This was situated on the southeast corner of Main and Mechanic streets, on what is now known as the Station road, and kept by John Osborn. A man named Yost opened another tavern on the diagonel corner. Some idea of the extent of travel, or the drinking habits of the people of that time (1809), may be formed when we state that a fifty-barrel supply of whiskey for the year failed to meet the demand upon Yost's bar.

In 1806-7 a number of citizens from Montgomery, Orange county, New York, came by the way of Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh), and Columbia, and settled around this point, as a good place for trade and farming. Among these were Jacob and Cranmer Felton, Cornelius Snider, grandfather of James Snider; John Z. Weller, Nathaniel Terwilliger, Joseph Taulman, H. Crist, Jacob Roosa, and others. Coming from Montgomery, they naturally named the new place in honor of their old home. In 1810 a company of these men was organized for the purpose of erecting and running a grist-mill. Some of the names were Elliott, Crist, Snider, and Sears - the latter was the millwright. Soon after commencing business in the mill they opened a store on the corner now occupied by Mr, R. Parrott.

Schools were not neglected in the early history of the place, though the buildings were as primitive in design as in finish. Within one hundred yards of the writer's residence was the first school-house built in Montgomery. This was so constructed that openings were left in the logs to serve as windows, In summer these were left without sash; in the winter sized newspapers subserved the double purpose of sash and window-glass. A mode of punishment, equally primitive, called for another opening of six inches in the rude floor. Into this offenders were required to thrust a bare foot and keep it there until released by the teacher. As snakes were numerous in summer and the ground under the house open, the discipline proved effective.

In the course of some years the Montgomery academy was organized. This was a classical school, and was under good management. Professors Hayden, Locke, ard Moore were some of the teachers. It was in this academy that Dr. William Jones had his education before entering upon the study of mediclne. James Snider was also a scholar of this as well as of the more primitive school, where he acquired some prominence during a " barring out" adventure.

Some of the early industries of Montgomery, besides those mentioned, were the manufacture of wagons for the southern market, porkpacking, and cabinet-making. Henry Snider conducted the wagonmaking business, and built his own boats to carry his freight. The gunwales of these boats consisted of logs fifty or sixty feet in length, and were hewed in the village. To get them to the river they were placed upon wheels and, being hard to manage, required a steersman as well as ateamster. 'To steer this caravan, a pole was inserted in the centre of the hind axle and made to project backwards; this was the tiller, and the man on foot behind the logs was the steersman.

One of the oldest citizens of Montgomery is Abiaham Roosa, who is seventy-nine years of age. His father, Jacob Roosa, and family, came out from New York in 1799. With him came also a man named Ayres, who was one of the builders of the first ocean vessel, a brig, built at Columbia. In Abraham's boyhood wolves had not been exterminated; and as cattle were allowed to run at large it was necessary to have them brought home in the evenings and securely penned. As soon as Abraham was able to handle a gun this duty devolved upon him. Provided with musket, ammunition, and a faithful dog, he would track the objects of his search by the sound of the bells, and before the shades of evening set in have them secure.

Montgomery has contributed her quota of public men. For the early militia she furnished a general of note - Cornelius Snider... John Snider she sent to the legislature many years ago, and Dr. Alexander Duncan to Congress. California is indebted to her for a governor - Weller was a Montgomery boy; and the legislative halls of the State were reinforeed by Dr, William Jones, on more than one occasion, and by George Crist, of the firm of Creighton & Co., at another time. In the Presbyterian church the Rev. Daniel Hayden served with distinction, and in the Universalist church the Rev. A. Lawrie, who was ordained in the Montgomery church, was a distinguished advocate of the doctrines of his denomination. Thirty-eight years of practice of medicine in the vicinity entitles Dr, Naylor's name to a,place here.

Of Dr. Duncan's history and habits we learned something from Dr. Jones, and had the pleasure of examining his portrait, made by a young artist named Sweet, who carried it across the Atlantic and over Europe as a specimen of his skill in painting. The doctor's history is an interesting one. He was a lover of public life, and an ardent advocate of Democratic measures. He was also attached to outdoor pleasures, driving and fishing, and when in company with a friend, would often not exchange words for miles of travel, and when he did break silence it would be by the utterance of some remarkable statement, or by propounding some difficult problem. It was the doctor's custom, when about to engage in a fishing expedition, to catch his minnows in Sycamore creek; but some said that he was often fishing for votes when he was supposed to be engaged in legitimate piscatorial pursuits. Accordingly the knowing ones would account for his absence from home by saying he was ''catching minneys in the Sycamore."

A remarkable man, of very different stamp, was Eli Dusky, whose '«mark'' may be seen in the records of the county. Eli was noted alike for industry, simplicity of character, and the limited amount of intelligence, with which he managed to transact the business of life. In politics, religion, and business, he was guided rather by instinct than knowledge or reason. He believed in ghosts and hobgoblins, if not in a future state; and fairies were the great facts, as well as mysteries, of his creed. This was known to the neighbors - to the men who were boys in those days, and to the boys who were men; and the latter were not slow in taking advantage of such notions;-ner the former in encouraging the fun. On a certain occasion, Eli had a prosperous sugarcamp inthe rear of where Mr. Smith's house now stands. His blazing fire was rapidly converting the sugar-water into delicious syrup, and his barrels were waiting for their first installment, when, the shades of evening approaching, he slackened his fire, prepared his camp for the night, and went to his home, ruminating over his probable good luck in securing a big crop of molasses. Supper disposed off, Eli retired to his quiet couch; but had scarcely experienced his first nocturnal vision (for he was a great dreamer), when he was aroused by the barking of his fathful dog. Quickly dressing, he sallied forth, and soon was in plain sight of his factory, where, to his consternation he beheld, flitting about in the dim light of the subdued fire, the figures of full-grown elfs to the number of half adozen. Spectres they were, sure enough - full-fledged fairies! Eli did not hesitate long in selecting a line of retreat.. The house reached, the door was soon opened and again securely fastened, and Eli Dusky was safe from entrusion. That night the fairies enjoyed a rick feast, and got home in time for a sound nap before daylight - larger boys might have fared worse.

Montgomery was not so unimportant a settlement as to be overlooked by the showmen of the day. As early as 1812 the leader of a troupe and proprietor of a menagerie, with Barnum's enterprise and Robinson's pluck, entered the great town of two taverns, procured a stable and provender for his menagerie, and board and lodging for his troupe. Next day he advertised his great show, and the news was blazed abroad throughout the entire settlement; and the wagons and horses, men and women, boys and girls, came to the number of fifty. The exposition was a complete success. Exposition Hall was crowded to the hay-mows, and the mulatto man, with his docile elephant, were the finest troupe that had ever acted, and the greatest show that had ever been exhibited in the town of Montgomery.

This village was founded in 1805. Its growth was slow for many years. It had but two hundred and seventy inhabitants by the census of 1830. About 1872, however, its prospects improved by the advent of city people iooking about for eligible sites for suburban resi- and someto build. The demand for building material led to the establishment of several new saw-mills, and in due time a new and more nearly straight road to Montgomery station was made. Since thena number of suburban homes have been made at the village. Its population, by the census of 1880, was two hundred and ninety-eight.

The Presbyterian church at Montgomery was organized in 1819. Rev. Daniel Hayden was the first pastor. His successors were, in order, the Rev. Messrs. L. G. Gains, C. Harrison, David McDonald, Jonathan Edwards, D.D., G. M. Hair, J. Stewart, J. H. Gill, - - - McKinney, and T. F. Cortelym, who held the pastorate for many years after 1862. .

The Methodist Episcopal society here was organized very early. It occupies a good frame meeting-house, to which a bell of half a ton's weight was added in 1873.

The Universalist church was organized in 1837, and built a church edifice soon after. The first regular preacher was the Rev. Mr. Pingley. The Rev. J. H. Henley was among his successors.

The Masonic and Odd Fellows' orders are well represented in Montgomery. A lodge of the former was organized here in 1828, with S, W. Robinson, W. M.; James G. Cross, S. W.; and Abraham Crist, J. W. The Odd Fellows' lodge was constituted in 1865.

The first notice of this place in literature probably occurs in Thomas' Travels Through the Western Country, a record of journeyings in 1816. He says in this:

At Montgomery, a village of a dozen houses, twelve miles from Cincinnati, we stopped to see a carding-machine which was turned by the treading of a horse ona wheel. A circular floor is attached to the uprigs shaft, which is so much inclined as constantly to present to him a small ascent. He is blindfold, and his traces até fastened to a beam. On stepping the wheel moves towards him.

About ten years after this the village was visited by an august wayfarer, in the person of his highness Bernhard, duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach, who deigned to give the hopeful hamlet a call and a notice in his book. His readable volume of Travels Through North America During 1825 and 1826, contains the following paragraph. His august highness, however, probably bunching his recollections together, has located Governor Jeremiah Morrow at Montgomery; when, as a matter of fact, he never lived there, but outside of the county, in Warren county, but eight miles above Montgomery and four miles from Loveland, at Foster's Crossing, near the old State road. He lies buried, however, in this county, at the old Sycamore church in Symmes township:

Fourteen miles from Cincinnati we reached a little country town - Montgomery - of very good appearance, surrounded with handsome fields. A few years past there was nothing but woods here, as the roots which still exist bear testimony. They cultivate Indian corn and wheat, which is said to succeed better here than in the State of Indiana. The dwelling of the governor consists of a plain frame house, situated ona little elevation not far from the shore of the Little Miami, and is entirely surrounded by fields. The business of the State calls him once a month to Columbus, the seat of government, and the remainder of his time he passes at his country seat, occupied with farming, a faithful copy of an ancient Cincinnatus. He was engaged, on our arrival, in cutting a wagon-pole, but he immediately stopped his work to give us a hearty welcome. He appeared to be about fifty years of age; is not tall, but thin and strong, and has an expressive physiognomy, with dark and animated eyes. He isa native of Pennsylvania, and was one of the first settlers in the State of Ohio. He offered us a night's lodging at his house, which invitation we received very thankfully. When seated around the chimney-fire in the evening, he related to us a great many of the dangers and difficulties the first settlers had to contend with.