Trenton City

Trenton City

Trenton is situated on the corners of Sections 5, 6, 31, and 32, about a mile from the Miami, on the great. highway which passes east and west, and was formerly known as the State road. It sprung from a colony of New Jersey people, who came here about the year 1800, headed by Deacon Michael Pearce and Elder Stephen Gard. Some of the members of this colony had come out previously, and their attachment to their native State was shown by the names they conferred upon the village which afterwards grew up there. Bloomfield was its first title. It was named after Governor Bloomfield, of New Jersey, who 'was one of the early successors of William Livingston, and who was also a United States Senator. Its plat was dedicated about 1815, but there was a cluster of houses there previously. When it reached the dignity of a postoffice it was found that there was another Bloomfield in the State, and the name was changed to Trenton, also in honor of New Jersey.

Here existed in the first year of the century a Baptist Church, originally a little west of the town, but afterwards moved in. This was the earliest Church organization in the county, and it is still in existence. Here in

Littell, the first resident minister and doctor of the county. Trenton, indeed, is an older settlement than any other in our limits, except Hamilton, Rossville, and Middletown. The Rev. Mr. Gard organized the present death, August 14, 1839. He organized nearly all the Baptist Churches within the Miami Valley - Trenton, Middletown, Franklin, Hamilton, and the First Church of Dayton, and some others. He was born November 3, 1776, in Essex County, New Jersey. He received his education in a common school, except a few months in a private classical school in his native county. He was married to Rachel Pearce in 1801. He emigrated to Ohio about the end of the last century, making a temporary stay at Columbia, and moving to Trenton the same year. He came to Ohio in company with his father-in-law and family, Dr. Littell accompanying them.

Michael Pearce was in good circumstances, and he had a large family of daughters. Mary married Squier Littell. She was a very excellent woman. Rhoda and Sarah married Joseph Taylor; Rachel married Mr. Gard; Phebe married Joseph Gard; Elizabeth marriéd Alexander Van Pelt; Anna married James Urmsto®. Mr. Pearce had two sons, Squier and John. John died here, and Squier died in Laporte County, Indiana. |

Deacon Michael Pearce died at his residence in Trenton on Monday, the fourth day of June, 1838, in the eighty-ninth year of his age. He was born at Scotch Plains, Essex County, New Jersey, in August, 1749, and lived there for many years, and married Phebe Squier, of the same place, by whom he had eleven children, ten of whom lived to be men and women. He served as a deacon of the regular Baptist Church more than forty years, and died, as he lived, full and strong in the faith of the Gospel. He was a firm friend to the liberties of his country, and bore arms in the Revolutionary War. He was eighteen years a merchant of Morris County, New Jersey, and with the pioneers of the West removed with his family to Cincinnati in the Summer of 1792, entered land in Butler County, and removed on it in 1804, where he remained until taken away by death.

The Rev. Stephen Gard's daughter Eliza married William Wilson, of Middletown. She is dead. Wilson was a merchant, afterwards going to Laporte, Indiana, and buying two sections of land. Phebe married Wilkeson Taylor, brother to Joseph Taylor. Dr. Isaac N. married Louisa Todd, of Newport, Ky., and Dr. Fairman married Lucy, a sister of Louisa. Sarah married John C. Potter. Mary L. married Ezra Potter, and Rachel died unmarried. Rey. Mr. Gard was twice married. His second wife was Mary Van Horn. By her he had one child, William V. Gard, a physician in this county and in Warren.

John Smith was the first tavern-keeper in the place. Report says that Squire Littell and Stephen Gard were the first store-keepers, and Clark Potter the second. They were succeeded by James Patterson and McKnight & Lee. Ezra Potter, of Hamilton, was a store-keeper there for a long time. Stephen Gard was the first man who had shingles on his house. The town has had a very slow growth, and now only numbers about three hundred inhabitants. There are three stores. Henry Burke kept store here twenty years, but is now deceased. Frederick M. Burke occupies the same building, and has carried on business a little more than a year. Dill Andrews and Joseph Kicher are the other store-keepers. There is one hotel, kept by John Kinzel, and six drinking saloons. Jacob Hinkel, in the carriage, buggy and spring-wagon manufacture, has been in the business for eighteen years. McKinney also carries on the blacksmith business. ;

Trenton has four churches. The Baptist Church was founded in 1800, the German Reformed in 1868, and the Evangelical Lutheran was remodeled in 1878. It is the finest structure in Trenton. The Roman Catholic Church is very pretty, and is situated on high, elevated grounds. There are four cemeteries, all of which are adorned with monuments and slabs scarcely equaled elsewhere by any similar place. 'The place takes deep interest in education, and has a fine school building, which is two stories high and has six rooms, all well

At the railroad there is an elevator carried on by Deitz, Good & Co., merchants and grain dealers, which cost $6,000. It was put up in the year 1877, and has a capacity of thirty thousand bushels of grain. The building is eighty-four feet long by forty feet wide, and has a large steam-boiler and engine to operate it. It also moves a grist-mill.

Jeremiah Marston was born in Kennebec County, Maine, March 19, 1798. His father was a Methodist minister, and as is generally the case with the clerical profession, had but little of this world's goods to bestow upon his children. Jeremiah left his native State in the year 1819, and came to Butler County, where he passed the remainder of his days. In June, 1821, he was united in marriage with Miss Vail, with whom he lived happily for thirty-five years. From this marriage eight children survive them.

Mr. Marston was strictly an upright man. Industrious and persevering in business, economical in the management of his affairs, he was enabled to accumulate a sufficiency of this world's goods to live in easy and independent circumstances, so far as wealth is concerned. Kind and generous to the poor and unfortunate, and honorable in all his dealings with his fellow-man, he had an extensive circle of friends. In politics he was a Whig while that party had a living existence; thence he was found acting with the Republican party. At one time he held the appointment of associate judge. He died about the beginning of the war.

There is an association in Madison Township that can lay some claim to antiquity. The subscribers met on the 28th of October, 1843, at Trenton, and appointed Jeremiah Marston president, and Ezra Potter secretary, and resolved that they would organize and form themselves into a society for the purpose of protecting their pr operty against thieves and counterfeiters, and that they adopt a constitution and by-laws. The names of the organizers were Jeremiah Marston, Ezra Potter, Ellis Miller, Robert Busenbark, Aaron Ball, John Hunt, Samuel Landis, John Good, Henry Good, David Paulin, Silas Long, Henry Sellers, James Law, and Francis Cornthwait.

The society has held its meetings quarterly for thirtythree years. It has had upon its roll of members fiftyseven names, and now numbers thirteen members. It had for a protection fund in 1876 three hundred and

Benevolent Protection Society." named '' Horse Company." The members in 1876 were John Hunt, Henry Good, John Good, Elias Mattix, Theodore Marston, Benjamin DeBolt, Elias Long, Henry Gautchy, John Law, Peter Thomas, John Phoinget William Richter, and Te a three dollars.

In the Trenton cemetery the first burial was in the year 1801. The name is Phebe Gard. The stone is so worn by time that the full inscription can not be given.

In memory of Reverend Stephen Gard, who died August 14, 1839 ; aged 62 years 9 months and 11 days. Rachel Gard, wife of Rev. Stephen Gard, died April 1, 1816; aged 36 years. David Gard, son of Stephen Gard, died February 6, 1807. In memory of Mary Maxwell, formerly Mary Littell, died February 5, 1813; aged 62 years. Sarah Kerr, died June 15, 1835; geod 80 years. Michael Pearce, died August 27, 1838; aged 88. Phebe Pearce, died March 27, 1832; aged 76 years. Rhoda Taylor, died April 2, 1819; aged 27 years.

Trenton, and called Brownstown. It would now be entirely forgotten except for a tragedy which happened there more than sixty years ago. The place was at the ferry of the Miami River, and was on the old State road, a great thoroughfare from east to west. Davis Ball was the ferryman. He was a large, fat old man, and for years had left the practical control of the boat to his son, who was a vigorous and athletic young fellow. In March, 1819, young Ball had gone down to the mouth of the Miami River with a party, as pilot and boatman, and there was no one to manage the ferry except his father. The river had 'risen to a great height, and its current looked very formidable, when one morning a party of several men and boys, with a young lady, came down from Seven-Mile, and asked to be put over. Mr. Ball refused. He showed them the stream, and declared it was dangerous. They insisted, and he finally consented. The men promised to help him to work the boat, which was operated by the force of the water pressing sideways upon it. A rope reached across the river from bank to bank, on which were two pulleys, with ropes passing from them to the boat. Before consenting to take his load, Mr. Ball made a condition that the girl should be left behind. So they started, and the entire population of the village of Brownstown turned out to see them. The population, however, was not more than eight or nine. The boat

Source changes here: from Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio, by Bert S. Bartlow, W. H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, Frederick Schneider, and Others, published 1905; 907 words in this source stream.

Trenton City

The largest village in the township is Trenton. It is situated on the adjoining comers of sections 5, 6, 31 and 32, on the road leading from Seven Mile to Middletown. Its population in 1900 was 847. The town was originally called Bloomfield, after Governor Bloomfield, of New Jersey, from which state the first settlers of the town immigrated, in the year 1800, under the leadership of Deacon Michael Pearce and Eider Stephen Gard. The village was platted in 1815, but there was a number of houses there previously. Several additions have been made in recent years. In 1831, when the postofifice came to be established, it was found that there was another postofifice in Ohio by the name of Bloomfield and so the name of Trenton was substituted, also in honor of New Jersey. Since 1898 the village has been incorporated, and is governed by a mayor and village council. The earliest church organization in Butler county was founded near this place. It was of the Old School Baptist type and is still in existence. Elder Stephen Gard and Dr. Squier Littell, respectively, the first resident minister and doctor of the county, lived at Bloomfield in 1800, and in that year Elder Gard estab- lished the Baptist church a short distance west of the village, and continued as its pastor until his death, August 14, 1839. He it was who organized nearly all the 'Baptist churches in the Miami valley. Besides the Baptist church, founded in 1800, Trenton has four other churches : The German Evangelical Protestant, founded in 1867, St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran, built in 1878, the Roman Catholic, and the United Presbyterian ; the latter, the finest church edifice in the village, was built during 1904 and 1905 and was dedicated by Rev. Dr. Moorhead, January 29, 1905.

The first taven keeper was named John Smith. The first store keepers were Squire Littell and Stephen Gard. Later Clark Potter engaged in the general merchandise business. Still later James Patterson and McKnight & Lee were the village merchants. Other merchants have been Ezra Potter, Henry Burke, Frederick M. Burke, Dill .Andrews and Joseph Eicher. Trenton is quite a shipping point, and since the construction of the Cincinnati, Dayton & Toledo Traction Road business has been revolutionized and the town has grown rapidly in population and wealth.

The village of Miltonville was laid out nearly ninety years ago, and for many years it was one of the most important trading points in the county west of the Miami river. In 1852 it had nearly two hundred inhabitants, one church, a school house, two stores, two taverns, a grist mill, a saw mill and two potteries which made much of the pottery used in this region. The place was laid out by Richard Crane and Theophilus Egglesfield, who were first settlers. Among the early merchants at Miltonville were Thomas Hall, Nathan Goldsmith, George Marvel, Law E. Hunt, Eli Scudder, William Hall, and Z. Fisher. The tavern keepers in 1816 were Crane and Egglesfield. Later William Hall, Thomas Kelley, Benjamin DeBolt and David Mattix were here. A branch of the United Brethren church is located here. Probably the oldest cemetery in the county is located here. Burials were made as early as 1800. Among those buried here are Rev. Henry Kumler, a bishop of the United Brethren church, and Susannah Kumler, his wife.

Heno is a suburb of Middletown and is located about one mile distant on the opposite side of the Miami river from that city. At Heno is located the Middletown station on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, the two points being connected by a paved street, and a bridge spanning the Miami river. The village, prior to 1882, was called Madison City, but, with the establishment of the postoffice in that year, the name Heno was adopted. In 1846 a tavern was built at this point by John Mumma and was called the Madison House. Considerable grain is shipped from this point, and the town has a variety of business interests. The Miami hills west of the river at this point afford beautiful views and in recent years a number of suburban residences have been built here. The population of the village at the present time numbers about two hundred.

township. It was founded in 1867 by the Beckett Paper Company, at which point it erected an immense paper mill. Here also were located the grist and saw mills of Samuel Augspurger. For several years the town prospered, and an immense amount of freight was shipped by canal to and from these mills. In the latter 'seventies the paper mill was totally destroyed by fire, since which the town has lost its business importance. There is a saw mill, store and postoffice located here. Near the village is situated the Woodsdale Island, a well-known summer resort. The L. C. & D. branch of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad passes this point and has a station located there.

This village is situated in section 12, township 2, range 4 east, and was laid out in 1818 by Peter Post. It was originally called West Liberty. A store was located here as early as 1815 by Christian Coon. It is a station on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad. The postoffice was established in August, 1848. The country surrounding the village is noted for its fertility and productiveness. Tobacco is grown extensively in this locality.