Union Township (part 3 of 5)

In regard to food, it matf be supposed that the early settlers of this township were but meagerly supplied, particularly as to variety. Wild meats, such as venison, wild turkey, pheasant, quail and fish, were abundant, only requiring skill in the hunter and angler to get ample piscatorial supplies from the Stillwater and its tributaries. But bread, another indispensable article of food, was, to many, almost unattainable. The scarcity of both grain and mills was the cause of this want ; but the courageous and patient pioneer, making a virtue of necessity, conformed his wants, as much as possible, to his circumstances. Lye hominy, so-called (which needs no description), was brought into almost universal use, and many a hungry laborer, both male and female, satisfied their hunger by this simple article of food. The author remembers hearing it said that a man who once sat down to dine upon nothing but a loaf of bread, consoled himself by saying : "I have a variety here. I have top crust, bottom crust and crumb." That man surely understood the philosophy of contentment. A settler of 1833 related this circumstance : I had to go a long distance to mill to get material for bread, and, stopping at a cottage by the way, asked the good housewife if she could provide me with dinner. She rather demurringly replied that she had little else but meat. I told her to provide what she could, and I would be satisfied. She went to the green corn patch, and returned with several ears that had just passed from the milky state, being about half way between roasting-ears and ripeness. Cutting the grain from the cobs, she pounded it in a mortar until it became somewhat pulpy ; stewing the grain, then, in a vessel, she placed it, with meat, upon a most humble table, and invited me to dine. Having an appetite sharpened by fasting and travel, I partook with a hearty good will, and thought I had never eaten a more delicious meal. Another circumstance which I will relate shows that people were not always satisfied with such meager diet. I heard it told a great many years ago, but in what township it happened I cannot tell. After the means of living had been much augmented, two men were hired to make fence-rails, their employer, as usual, boarding them. Their food consisted of a kind of fermented corn bread, called pone, and hominy. This fare not being satisfactory to the laborers, they made their labor unsatisfactory to their employer. One day, a member of the family observing that their mauls descended with slow speed and feeble force, and guessing the cause, told his parents those mauls seemed to say, : Hominy and pone ! Hominy and pone ! ' and suggested an improvement in their food. This was accordingly made, and the re-animated beetles then descended to the lively tune of, ' Meat, cabbage and bread ! Meat, cabbage and bread ! ' thus proving that the improved diet, if it did not, like Tam O'Shanter's fiddle, put life and mettle into the heels, it did, into the hands of therailsplitters."

The first settlers of this township, having come from a region very different in climate, soil and productions from this, had much to learn, but no one to teach them. They had left the land of the cedar, the chestnut and pine ; a land whosesoil, if soil it might be called, was so sandy, so sterile, so desolate, that, in the language of C. B. Faulkner, a Southern statesman, it seemed " barren, desolateand seared, as it were, by the hand of heaven ; a soil that annually requires the aid of every ounce of fertilizing material that could be obtained to make its productiveness anything like remunerative." So great was the contrast between the fertility of the Atlantic slope and the regions of the Stillwater and Great Miami,, that an emigrant who had left South Carolina in 1803, at the age of seventeen years, and returned with the author in 1850, declared, after he had seen his old native State, that he would leave it if he had to go all the way upon his hands, and knees.

One thing of great advantage to the immigrant, but of the art of which he was totally ignorant, was that his township was abundantly furnished by nature with the materials for molasses and sugar making.

This tree, namely, the sugar maple, of which I have just written, is too well known to require a description ; neither need I dwell upon the great luxury in its sirup or molasses, which, when property made, is so much superior to that of sorghum or sugar-cane that its flavor is almost equal to that of the fabled nectar of the gods. Neither will I describe the process of its manufacture, for it is too well known, but I will say something of the convivial enjoyments of the young people of those early days, when they met around the sugar furnace or boiler, at what was called a " stirring-off." The poet, whose vivid imagination enables him to paint scenes as with the flashing fires of Mount Parnassus, thus describes :

Our forefathers appear not to have suffered much in going through the process of acclimation, as but few deaths are recorded in those early days. They endeavored to learn the easiest and cheapest methods of clearing away the forests and sowing and planting them with cereals and grasses best adapted to their nature. They had left a country in which cotton, tobacco and rice were the staple articles of the markets, but these they did not attempt to cultivate here. Some would raise a few stalks of tobacco, for mouth consumption, but none for the markets, and, indeed, if they had, they would have found no market here for it. Their great aim was to raise that which was nutritious and beneficial. It was left to after years to bring the cultivation of tobacco and the making of whisky.

The forests of this township were so dense that the smooth clearing-off of a single acre for an orchard cost a vast amount of labor. As much as two hundred cords of timber would have to be cut and burned before the ground was ready for the planting of apple or peach trees. A vast amount of undergrowth had also to be grubbed up by the roots and burned. While these were in a green state, it was no easy matter to burn them. The first object of the enterprising pioneer, after getting his necessary buildings, was to have a garden and orchard. When these were obtained and attempted to be plowed, a new difficulty presented itself. The numerous stumps left standing, with their green roots, interposed a formidable barrier to the plowshare. These roots spread out in all directions, crossing each other and forming a network, which tried the mettle of the team and the patience of the driver. The plow, stopped by the stubborn roots, would have to be drawn back and the team started again. If the roots broke and the plow passed through, they would often spring back with such force as to make it necessary for the driver to spring up, or he would receive their recoiling blows upon his toes or shins. Being unable to keep his feet up more than a moment or two, they would sometimes descend too soon and receive the strokes as aforesaid. On such occasions, the man or boy, if a rough, would make use of expletives that grated harshly on the ears of the moralist. These misfortunes, the writer, when a boy, full often experienced, but his early training prevented him, on such occasions, from indulging in profan ity. In a few years, however, these tenacious roots would decay and fertilize the soil, the unresisted plowshare would pass steadily through them, and the teeming crops would amply reward the previous pains and labors of the husbandman

The plows of those days were very simple and unique in their construction; and, though they were somewhat superior to those which the prophet Elisha used with twelve yoke of oxen, they were greatly inferior to those of the present day ; they were called bar-shares, having an iron shoe and wooden mold-board ; the sheath and beam were often made from a fence-rail, and the handles would be of the most unpretentious character. A man who was anything of a mechanic could make one of them in less than two days, and they were not considered worth painting ; in time these were succeeded by the bull plow, about the only difference beings that the front part of the mold-board of the latter was iron ; this was, however, considered a decided improvement. In a few years,. the bull plow was succeeded by the patent, the mold-board of which was made of cast iron ; these were made at plow-shops, constructed with skill and painted. Many successive grades of improvement have brought this indispensable implement of husbandry to its present almost perfect form.

In those early days, mast, such as acorns, hickory and beechnuts, grew in the forests in great abundance, furnishing autumnal and winter food for swine. The mast-made pork, as it was called, though softer and more flaccid that the corn-fed, wras savory and much relished by the people, and, though millions of wild pigeons annually infested the forests, they did not appear materially to diminish the acorn crop. The pigeon-roosts, or places where these birds came to pass the night, were almost marvelous to behold. They would come to their nightly rendezvous in innumerable multitudes, settling in the tree-tops, in the greatest confusion. All night long the breaking of overloaded limbs could be heard, crashing on the ground, woundiijg or killing a part of their feathered occupants. The roosts would occupy a great many acres. In the early morning, when the feathered myriads had flown, the upper forest would resume its usual quiet, while the lower would be strewn with wounded, fluttering birds, many of which would be taken to grace the tables of the neighboring cottages. The flesh of these birds was not as white and savory as that of the quail, but it was eatable and appeased the hunger of many families. One of these roosts existed for years in the western forest, not far from the present village of Laura. The writer has seen these birds in innumerable myriads passing overhead with a rushing sound, in one direction in the morning, but in the other in the evening. Their forest supplies having about ceased, they are now seldom seen.

The pecuniary resources of the 4arly settlers of this township, were very limited ; they had but little paper money, no specie but the old Spanish coin, consisting of milled dollars of 100 cents value ; half-dollars of 50 ; quarter-dollars of 25 ; eleven-penny bits of 12^-j and five or fippennybits (so called) of 6^ cents value. For the convenience of change, the larger pieces were many of them quartered, and they had what was called "cut-money." In the course of time, paper money and the American decimal coin came into use ; the Government at length, not liking a mixed metallic currency, determined to make it all national, and, accordingly, passed an act, during Pierce's administration, cutting down the Spalnishcoin 20 per cent in value, at the same time offering its previous value in national coin at the mint ; this caused it nearly all to be sold to the Government, and recast into our governmental currency. Once in a while an old Spanish dollar, quarter, levy and fip may be seen, being kept only as mementoes of the past. But if mone}T was scarce in those days, the real necessity for it was in like proportion ; the taxes on land were hardly 10 per cent of what they are at present. Luxuries, both in food and equipage, such as now exist, were then hardly known ; and, although the people were not bookish men, they seem to have understood the philosophy of adaptation, and to have reasoned like the poet :

Accordingly, instead of casting about for money to purchase the requirements of life, as is much done at present, they looked to themselves to acquire them. From the sugar-tree, as above stated, they obtained sugar and molasses ; from their fields they drew the flax that furnished their summer apparel ; and from their sheep they clipped the wool which clothed them in winter. The uncouth but strongly made flax-breaks, the neatly made little spinning-wheel, humming all daj' long, and a part of the night, preparing both warp and woof, or chain and filling, (as it was called) for the awaiting loom. For every-day wear the linen was left uncolored, but for Sunday it was sometimes striped and checkered with copperas : these fabrics were both cooling and enduring, being well adapted to the wear and tear of the clearing and harvest field. The wool, after being carded by machinery, was spun upon the big wheel, and woven into flannel, linsey or cloth (satiilet coming in in after }Tears) ; sometimes flannels and linseys would be striped and checkered in the most unique manner, according to the taste of their owners. With the exception of carding and filling, which last was applied to cloth, the work was done at home, leaving but little to pay for outside assistance. For coffee, they used scorched or browned rye, barley, wheat flour, potatoes, etc. For tea, the}* could get all they desired from the buds of the aromatic spicewood and the roots of the sassafras. They depended for beef and pork on their own raising, and also on their own grain for bread. Those who brought no wagons depended mainly on sleds of their own making. There being an ample supply of oak bark, those who wished to could do their own tanning. The writer knew a man who, in addition to furnishing himself with things as above stated, also made the shoes for his family. This man owned 160 acres of land, which he cultivated without much hired help, and could say at the end of almost every succeeding year, " I have $5 for the tax gatherer, $4 for the schoolteacher, $1 for the store- keeeper, and a fig for the doctor." A few articles, however, such as salt, iron, nails, cooking utensils, cutlery, etc., had to be purchased ; but the demands for such from each family cost but fewr dollars per annum. To obtain those articles, it was necessary to go to Cincinnati, that being the nearest place where they could be had. Accordingly, one would furnish a wagon and two horses, or one, another would find the requisite number for a fourhorse team, and, thus combining, they would start, taking a few barrels of flour, either for themselves or neighbors, and provisions, both for themselves and horses, they would start for the Queen City, often with a spirit of hilarity, particular^ the younger ones, as thinking they were doing something rather big. It would require from five to six days to make the trip ; when made, the neighbors would joyfully gather in to receive the articles they had sent for. This custom lasted for more than twenty years, until the completion of the canal to Dayton made it no longer necessary.

We will now call the reader's attention to the costumes of the first settlers of this township. Being nearly all Friends, they brought with them the form of dress peculiar to that society. The men wore low-crowned, broad-brimmed hats, shortbreasted coats, with straight collars and no unnecessary buttons, long vests, and pantaloons without suspenders. This form of dress was defended upon the ground that they found it comfortable, and did not seek change, and that it was the same as in the days of George Fox, the founder of the society ; the only difference between it and the costumes of the English noblemen, being in the ornamental ribbons and fixtures appended to the latter. The portraits of the Father of his country, and the elder Adams, represent them as wearing the same kind of coats. The dress of the females was equally plain and conformable to the ancient order ; on their heads they wore immense white beavers, having an indentation or crown in the center, about half an inch in depth, and encircled by a white band or ribbon ; the brim was full six inches in width and having also white ribbons* attached to the extremities ; they were drawn down over the ears, and the strings tied under the chin, thus securely holding it on the head. These hats were of very fine texture, being made of beaver fur, and were rather costly ; they were not calculated to keep the head warm, but to shade it. The next upper garment was a bed gown, or wrapper, reaching just below the waist and lapping over a petticoat or skirt ; the sleeves of the gown reached only to the elbows, where they were met by other pieces called slips ; even gloves, in those days, were made to reach to the elbows. They had also plain silk bonnets called hoods. These garments, made of as many pieces as possible, constituted the tout ensemble of a Friend or Quaker woman's dress. Their dress, however, excepting their beavers, did not differ much from that of other women. After coming here, the young women declined to wear these beavers, and, in time, the old laid them aside. These early female fashions changed a great many years ago. The male fashions have changed also, and now very little is to be seen of the original. Of all articles of female apparel, the beaver was the most grotesque ; stuck upon a woman's head, it looked somewhat like an inverted tray, or sugar-trough, with both ends out ; the article had undoubtedly been carried from Pennsylvania to the South, for in years long after its discontinuance, a famity from that State having come and settled here, the mother wore one not only to the Dunker meetings, but to the Milton stores, where she did her trading. Passing, on horseback, by the schoolhouse, some of the sharp-eyed children would see her, and, giving the signal to the scholars, that mother D was passing, order would be for the time suspended, and both teacher and scholars, rushing to the door and windows, would join in irrepressible laughter. The good old dame did not seem to be sensible of the merriment she was causing, nor that she was the only representative of the head-dress of a bygone generation, for we think she wore it until her death.

We propose now to give our readers a brief account of the labors and experiences of a prominent family of this township, having obtained the first fifteen years of its history from an only surviving son, now in his eighty-sixth }rear, and the only man living who remembers those early scenes.

We refer to Samuel J ones, who came from Columbia County, Gfa., and settled here in the }^ear 1805. He was not the first settler, it is true, but none of those are left to tell their tale. About the first of June, in the year aforesaid, two teams, one drawn by four and the other by two horses, reached in the morning their place of destination, with his household goods and family, having stayed the previous night at his brother-in-law's. The place selected for their residence was about a half-mile west of the Stillwater, and nearly two miles north of Milton, in Section 9, on the north bank of a most romantic glen, full forty feet in depth, which still remains unreclaimed from the forest. His family consisted of seven sons and four daughters, namely, the sons - John, Jonathan, Francis, Samuel, Jesse, Thomas and Asa ; the daughters were Dorcas, Mary, Sarah and Rachel. The eldest son was about twenty -five, and the youngest daughter about five years of age. There was, to use the words of Jesse, the onty survivor, and who gave us this history, " not a stick amiss when we arrived there." Stalwart brothers, with their father and other help, soon made the impression that betokened in the near future a conquered wilderness. They first felled a large white oak ; while some were sawing off board-cuts, others were riving them ; others, still, were cutting forks and poles and putting up a tent frame. Before night they had it covered and weatherboarded on three sides, the south one being left open ; a small cooking-tent joined it on the south. The main tent, having the ground for floor, was covered with leafy brush, on which were placed their pallets. Whether their first night's slumber was sound or not, we are left to guess, but the thought of having reached their long-wished-for home must have given them much enjoyment. They had brought with them their necessary cooking utensils, such as pot, tea-kettle, skillet and fryingpan. During their long journey, they had learned the trade of gypsy-cooking, and were thus at no loss in preparing forest meals. Their greatest difficulty was in getting material for bread. Of wild meat they had abundance, such as venison, wild turkey, fish, etc. The river, not having been as yet much disturbed by fishermen, was teeming with its finny inhabitants, whole shoals of which, in sportive gambols, would spring out of the water, dropping back with a splash.

These fish could be taken by bushels, either with the hook or the drag-net. The drag-net was made principally of grapevines, some thirty or more feet in length and four feet in width ; the strandy vines were interwoven with bark and the interstices filled with full-leaved shrub branches, presenting an impassable barrier to the larger fish. They were thus caught in desired quantities, and fish, flesh and fowl seemed the order of the day. They had a rather singular way of shooting deer after night. Providing themselves with a canoe or dug-out, they would erect a board palisade or screen on the side next the shore ; on the same side was placed a lantern or blazing torch. Behind this screen, and nearly opposite the light, sat the hunter, rifle in hand, with the barrel pointing shoreward through a port-hole, and waiting in silence for the deer to come down and drink. The unsuspecting animal, being blinded by the light and hearing little or no noise, would allow the canoe to come within a rod of him. This was considered rare sport. As before remarked, while meat was plenty, bread was scarce, the family once going three weeks without any except what they made from grain pounded in a mortar. Hominy was then used daily, but was a poor substitute for bread. Corn was bought at 25 cents, and wheat at 50 cents per bushel. At that time, wheat and corn were both ground by the same buhrs, and the flour, if bolted, was done by hand. This enterprising family went cheerfully on with their work, and soon had cleared an acre of land, and, strange as it may seem, they sowed two crops on it, one of turnip seed and the other of wheat. From it, in December, they got a good crop of turnips, and in the next summer a good crop of wheat. In October, they built a substantial log house, which afforded them comfortable winter quarters. During the winter and spring, they cleared several acres for corn in the Stillwater bottom, and, though it was not planted until the 5th or 6th of June, it yielded a most bountiful crop. As corn was more easily obtained than wheat, it was used to much greater extent. In addition to triple loaves, baked in the skillet, they had the johnnycake, of widespread popularity, which remained in use for many years. This consisted of a flat cake of corn dough put upon a board about six inches wide and twenty or twenty-four inches long, having the ends rounded. This was placed on its edge before the fire, and, being always in sight, was baked without scorching. It has been remarked b}r an old Revolutionary soldier named Conner, who lived on Stillwater, that they frequently substituted a " nigger's " foot for the board.

In a few years, Samuel Jones' seven sons (excepting Jonathan, who settled in Indiana), were married and settled not far from him ; his four daughters also did the same, and he had the singular satisfaction of beholding quite a community of descendants springing up around him, subduing the wilderness and making it the abode of civilized life. Some of them being good hunters, many a deer, turkey, pheasant and other wild animals fell before their unerring rifles. The howling of thie wolf had no terrors for them, the gobble of the wild turkey was music in their ears, and the timid pheasant, as it started up in flight before them, might have reminded them of these thoughts of Pope : while the lugubrious notes of the solemn midnight owl and shrill cries of the lone whippoorwill might have served as a serenade, as lying, rifle in hand, concealed in their canoes at night, they awaited the approach of the thirsty but unsuspecting deer. Of the skins of these animals, with the aid of their brains steeped in water, they made a beautiful, white, soft and spong}r leather, very useful for breeches, aprons and other articles in general. So enduring was this material, that clearing and log-rolling, which told fearfully on common clothes, hardly affected it. A ballcover of it would hardly wear out.

' bountiful orchards, flowery gardens, handsome residences, churches, villages and schoolhouses spring up where once frowned a dense wilderness.

It appears in history that the first white settlement in Miami County was made at Staunton, a little east of Troy, in 1798. About nine years afterward, on the

16th of January, 1807, a county government was formed and three men were appointed either by the court or County Commissioners at Staunton, to give names to three townships now comprised in the territory of Union, Concord and Monroe. The name of one of those men the author cannot ascertain ; but the names of two were Samuel Jones (of whom I have before written) and John North. They met soon after their appointment, at the house of Samuel Jones, to perform the duty assigned them. After some discourse upon the propriety of giving becoming names, Samuel Jones said, " I find that wherever my neighbors meet, either at logrollings, raisings, or at church, a spirit of harmony and unity pervades them, so I will call my township Union. " Well !, " responded the man whose name is unknown, " since you have selected so good a name for your township, I will select one equally appropriate for mine," so, lighting his pipe to electrify his mind, he walked off alone to hunt the desired name. After a short time he returned and said, " Mr. Jones, since you have named your township Union , I will call mine Concord, which name, I think, is about as good as yours." We do not learn that Mr. Jones made any objection to it. The other man, North, seemed to be influenced by a personal consideration. Having served in the Revolutionary army, and perhaps under Col. Monroe, who afterward became President of the United States, in honor of him he named his township Monroe. Of the twelve townships in this county, but four of them have the names of distinguished men. Indeed, the practice of naming both counties and townships after great men is now much more common than at that early day. We are not to suppose that the naming of a township has any effect upon the character of its inhabitants, but facts here almost warrant the opinion that old father Jones' conclusion was a correct one, namely, Union ; for, of the voting population, a fraction over four-fifths are Republicans. I donot state this to extol one political party or disparage the other, but merely mention it as an historical fact, attributable, perhaps, mainly to the influence of the Friends.

The organization of the township government took place soon after this meeting and was held at the same house ; at this preliminary meeting, as in all others, the officers, such as Chairman and Clerk or Secretary, have to be chosen viva voce~ This mode was adopted, but for some time none could be found willing to serve, mostly alleging ignorance and inCompetency as the reason.

Said old Squire Thomas McCool nearly fifty years afterward, " When I was asked to serve as Clerk, I told them I knowed nothin' about it and declined to doso." It seemed for a time that we would not get organized at all ; at last they appointed for Clerk Samuel B. Edwards, who appeared to have more brass than brains, so the work went on and was at last finished. When done and signed, some one asked what the B. in Edwards' name stood for ; he, being slow to reply, a bystander volunteered for him, " I'll tell," said he " what it stands for ; it stands for Booby." This answer appears to have been accepted by the company, and it seems was Edwards' debut and finale , for we never heard of his serving as a civil officer afterward.

This first election meeting seems to have been a very crude one, yet it was the foundation of all subsequent ones for a period of seventy-three years, and, of all who participated in those early elections, not one now remains.

No person is now living who can tell the names of many of the first elected civil officers of this township. John Coate, son of Marmaduke Coate, of Newberry District, South Carolina, is said to have been its first elected Clerk, and, though his place of residence is now in Newton Township, it was then in Union. We have now reached the time when the village of Milton was begun, and, as it is far the most important one in the township, we propose to give its early history.

About the year 1805, one Joseph Evans, a native of Newberry, S. C., immigrated with his family to this township. He appears to have first settled in Section 13, but, being of a very appreciative and discerning mind, he soon discovered a site better adapted to his taste and spirit of enterprise. This was in Section 21, on the western bank of the classic Stillwater. Nature appeared to have exerted herself here in the production of the grand and beautiful ; it was in proximity to those romantic cascades, or waterfalls, of which we have previously spoken, made by the perennial springs, which afforded ample power for propelling machinery ; the green carpeting of the river banks, the grand display of umbrageous forests, covering the valleys and bluffs, made it look as if it might be the place where Queen Yiolenta led her fair}7 troupe in their mazy moonlight dances. This place Evans selected as the proper one for a village ; purchased the land and had it surveyed in lots, comprising each fifty-three rods, with two principal streets, one Main and the other Miami, running parallel with the river bluff, and crossed at right angles by a number of streets and alleys. The first sale of lots took place in 1807 ; the crier was George Buchanan, who resided near, and the lots sold were neither high nor many. This Buchanan was a carpenter and cabinet-maker of more than ordinary skill, and such he continued to be for many years. Griffith Mendenhall, a fourteen-year- old son of Caleb Mendenhall, of whom mention will be made, informed the author that he and his younger brother, William, mounted two steers and rode them to the sale of these lots, thinking to witness something extraordinary ; their mode of traveling would be thought extraordinary at this time. Joseph Evans was the father of four daughters and one son, namely, Elizabeth, Anna, Rebecca, Robert and Susan ; his eldest daughter, though young in years, is said to have read Paradise Lost, and to have so much admired it that she induced her father to give the village the name of its illustrious author. It was at first called Milton only, but, when a post office many years after was established there, the qualifying word West was added.

This village, though it became the place for holding elections and transacting the legal business of the township, continued for man}' years without any material growth. Its founders, Evans, George Buchanan and Samuel Pearce, appear to have been its only residents for several years. Evans owned the first store in the township, opening it soon after his settlement there ; the author remembers seeing an advertisement of his store in the Ohio Sentinel of 1810, published in Dayton ; so it appears that Evans, at that early day, knew that which many business men have hardly yet learned, namely, the value of advertising. One small store was at that time all-sufficient for the demands of the township.

Up to 1825, but three families, namely, those of John F. Jay, a carpenter, Robert Finney, a hatter, and Abner Yore, lived in the town proper, though two others, Oliver Benton and Samuel Kelly, lived just above. Benton was a New Yorker, and son of a soldier of the Revolution. He had been a partner with Joseph Evans in a store in Cincinnati, and, having married his daughter Ann, came to Milton and established a dry-goods store, on land bought of his father-in-law, adjoining Milton. This was about 1817 or 1818. The first post office appears to have been established here at this time (a weekly one), and kept by Benton. He was a man well educated for those times, of much refinement of manner, skilled in business, and of far more than ordinary mental . capacity. He acted for a time in the triple character of Postmaster, merchant and magistrate. For a long period he owned the only store in the township, and used to send his furs and butter by wagons to the Cincinnati market. He was an ardent patron of schools, never failing to send his children, and, being foremost in the employment of teachers, thus giving them a good education. These remarks apply to the time before schools were established by the State. Benton, after holding the post office fifteen years or upward, was displaced by C. \V. Beebe, of opposite politics. He divided a portion of his land into lots and streets, and added to Milton, thus increasing its area mid adding to its facilities for growth and advancement. About the year 1836, Benton removed his store and family to Springfield, Clark County. In 1840, or near that time, he returned, taught school, and practiced law in the magistrate courts.

Early Manufactories

It is said a carding machine was established previous to 1812, in connection with the grist-mill of John Mast ; during the carding season it operated alternately with the grist-mill, but its capacity was small. About the year 1815, Samuel Kelley, an enterprising Massachusetts Yankee, erected a woolen-mill on Section 21, just west of Stillwater, on the Spring stream. At first, wool-carding was only done, leaving to the wheel to spin it into wearing material. The fulling-mill followed, and in those days did good work. A few years later, the spinning jenny was introduced. In about 1820, Davis W. Thayer, after having rented the Kelley Mills, bought them and enlarged and improved them, soon after which the power loom was introduced, followed soon by the broad hand loom for weaving blankets. People from all parts came here with wool to have it converted into flannel cloth, satinet and other cloths. Though these mills have often changed owners, they are still in active operation, buying wool, exchanging and manufacturing goods, etc. After Kelley rented to Thayer, he built a cotton manufactory on the river bluff, just above Milton, about 1819, which he subsequently converted into a woolenmill, and finally sold to William Rutledge, its present owner. About 1824, Seth Kelley, a younger brother of Samuel, erected a scythe-factory on the river bank, also in Section 21. The water from the woolen factory was used to run his triphammer, grindstones and bellows. The history of the sickle manufactory is described in the biography of Henry Coate.

Powder was also made in early days near Mast's Mill, but, it is presumed, in small quantities. Huns were also repaired, and it is said the Indian chief Tecumseh frequently came here to have his guns repaired. But the most of the latterdescribed works have disappeared, and been replaced by modern improved machinery.

From 1826 to the present, Milton has been slowly improving. Should it be asked why a village having such great water-power, such fertility of soil, and such enterprising inhabitants around it, continued so tardy in its growth, our answer would be, that its life-blood has long been drained by Dayton and TrojL Remote from canals and railroads, its large grain and pork trade has gone almost exclusively to the above-named markets. It was trade that built Palmyra in the desert ; it was trade that built New Orleans in the fevered swamps of Louisiana. It is trade, in fact, that builds all towns and cities, however much their eligibility of situation ma}^ contribute to it. In 1840, a turnpike was made from Dayton, through Milton and on to Covington. This helped the village to some extent, but did much more for Dayton and Covington. The great desideratum of Milton was a canal or railroad, and, as a railroad was practicable, great exertions have at different times been made, both by the village and township, to secure one. From some cause or other, the schemes have all failed, until the people became incredulous of ever getting one. They, however, at last have one, and can hardly realize how much they are indebted to Mr. Arnold, of Dayton, for it. He conceived the scheme of making one from Dayton, through Milton and Covington, to .Versailles, and with indomitable energy, pursued it until it is almost accomplished. Though a narrow-gauge, it takes off a great amount of grain which Milton depot furnishes. The scream of the iron-horse has revived the hopes of the people. Capitalists have come, and a great revival of house-building and trade is the consequence. From a population of about eight hundred souls, we expect to see it erelong, doubled or trebled.

We now resume the individual history of some of Milton's most noted citizens. Joseph Evans, the founder, returned to Milton about the year 1828 or 1829. His removal to Cincinnati appears to have pecuniarily injured him. He still owned several lots, on one of which he built a dwelling and storehouse. He continued merchandising on a rather small scale until late in the autumn of 1837, when he died of abdominal dropsy. As nearly as can be ascertained, Evans was the first magistrate elected in Milton, and the first member of the State General Assembly. He was a man of considerable ability. After his removal to Cincinnati, no magistrate appears to have lived in Milton until the coming of Dr. Benjamin Crew. He came there about 1827, and entered upon a lucrative practice of medicine. Getting the people's confidence, they made him a Justice of the Peace. Being of a very enterprising spirit, and having accumulated money, he entered into merchandising in 1832, with Gardner Mendenhall, thus driving a triple business. He appeared to be on the high road to wealth when he was stricken down by consumption, in 1 834, but he left behind a name in every way worthy and honorable. Two sons, Casper W. and Menalcas, survive him. The first is a harness and trunk maker, in Dayton ; the second is a farmer, in this township.

Soon after Crew's death Milton was incorporated, and C. W. Beebe became the first Mayor. From that time onward, it has had many Mayors, Marshals and Councilmen, the history of whom I leave to the inhabitants. The first tavern in Milton, it seems, was opened by Wiley S. Jones, in 1826 or 1827, and was run successfully by different men for a great many years. The first meeting-house (Methodist) was built about 1833, previous to which meetings had been held both in the schoolhouse and private houses. Friends, Methodists and Christians now hold meetings there. Schools were taught in Milton from an early period, but the names of teachers, previous to 1820, can hardly be ascertained ; from that time to 1830, we have the names of Charles Mills, Daniel H. Jones, Mark McCool, Bonham, Rebecca and Susan Evans, some of wrhom taught several terms - all subscription schools.

.The village of Georgetown, or New Lebanon, appears to owe its paternity t° George Hatfield. It was laid out about the year 1840, in Sections 15 and 22- Its growth has been very gradual, because of its isolated position. It lies within sight of the county line on the west, and draws considerable of its trade from Darke County. A rich country surrounds it, and a large dry -goods trade is carried on by the firm of Levi Ammon & Sons. It once had a large trade in oak shingles, made by the citizens, but the scarcity of timber and coming of pine shingles have ended it. Its inhabitants number not far from 150 souls. The German Baptists have a church here. Its post office is Pottsdam.

Laura is situated about three miles north of Georgetown, in Section 3, and is about the same age. Its founders were Wesley Sharp and Riley McCool. Being near the North Branch of Ludlow's Creek, and one of its tributaries, the ground around it is not level like that of Georgetown. Being also near the count}" line, a part of its patronage . comes from Darke Count}'. It has a graded schoolhouse and two churches (Christian and Union) in its precincts. Although its population is superior to that of Georgetown, being some 200 inhabitants, its trade is not as great. It, however, enjoys one great advantage or blessing not possessed by many villages. It has no liquor den, because the inhabitants will not tolerate one. The proximity of these two villages to Milton, and their want of a railroad, will necessarily prevent them from receiving that growth which would follow were they more favorably situated.

The establishment of divine worship was coeval with the first settlement of this township. The little colony of Friends held informal meetings, first at the cabin of Calpb Mendenhall, and subsequently at the neighboring cabins.

According to the discipline of the Friends Church, no branch can be established without the consent and recognition of the Superior Meeting within whose jurisdiction such branch is established, and the parent meeting at Bush River, from which these had removed, having ceased to exist by reason of such removal.

no formal meeting could by its authority be established ; hence it became necessary to obtain authority from the nearest quarterly meeting to establish a monthly meeting.

On the 13th of December, 1806, application was made to the quarterly meeting at Red Stone, Penn., the nearest meeting, for the establishment of a monthly meeting, which was granted. Subsequently, a yearly meeting having been established in Richmond, Ind., the privilege of holding a quarterly meeting was by it granted to West Branch, in June, 1812.

Thus we see by this record that there has been a recognized Friends Church in this township for, beginning with the social informal meetings, seventy-four years. From two causes, viz., deaths and an almost continual outflow of emigration, commencing about 1833, by means of which various churches in Iowa and Indiana were built up, this church to-day does not contain as many members as were once comprised in one of its three monthly meetings.

Christian Church. - About the year 1819, a great revival of religion took place in Kentucky, which, on account of the extraordinary zeal and piety of its converts, was denominated the Christian Brotherhood, or Church, from which, his soul being full of holy zeal for the advancement of the cause of Christ, and the evangelization of his race, came one Abraham Snethen, who, by his influence as a minister, established in the year 1820, a church on Ludlow, in the western part of this township, which still exists, and is known as the Christian, or generally called, New Light Church.

During the year 1846, a minister of the Cumberland Presb}derian Church of Covington, was in the habit of coming to the town of Milton to preach, and, as there was no church building there of his denomination, he usually occupied the Methodist Church.

For the regular accommodation of its members, the attempt was made, principally by one individual, to build a church, but, failing to receive the pecuniary aid anticipated, after having partially completed the same, he abandoned it for some years. Finally it was purchased by a new branch of the Christian Church, under the auspices of Elder William Jay.

In 1850, a church house was built on the Milton & Tippecanoe road, one mile east of Milton, b}r the members of the Christian Church, which was occupied by them until so badly injured by a storm as to render it unfit for occupancy. Desiring one in the mean time more centrally located, they sold it, and erected a magnificent structure, one and one-half miles east on the same road, which was dedicated about August, 1879.

German Baptist Church. - Prominent among the churches in this township, is the German Baptist, whose preachers were among the first to proclaim the Word of God in the Great Miami Valley. The first members of this church immigrated from Swartzenaugli, Germany, in the year 1719, and settled in Germantown, Penn. They had been severely persecuted on account of their religious faith, and fled to America, with a hope of gaining liberty, and of having the privilege of worshiping God according to the dictates of their conscience. For sixty years their progress was slow, owing to the difficulties and hardships of a new country, in its unsettled state, caused by the French war of 1755, and the Revolution twenty years later, and the many subsequent Indian wars all along the borders of the new settlements. In 1748, Christopher Saur published the first German Bible in America, also edited the first paper ever issued from the church. They organized their first Sabbath school in 1740, and the first annual conference of which we have any knowledge was held in 1778. The liberty and protection the Constitution of the United States gave them, instilled new energy, and their progress became more visible. The first meeting-house of the church we have any account

was built in Franklin County, Penn., in 1798. The first brother that settled in Virginia, was John Garber, in Flat Rock Valley, in 1777. He was an eminent minister, and built up a large congregation. From this valley, Jacob Miller moved to Ohio, and settled on the west bank of the Great Miami River, near Dayton, in 1800. He was the first one to settle on the west side, was an able man, and did much toward founding the church, and to him the church is gratefully indebted for its present efficiency. He was born in Pennsylvania, in 1735 ; he raised a very exemplary family of twelve children, nine sons and three daughters, three of his sons becoming able ministers of the Gospel.

There are, at this time, about seventy-five organized churches in Ohio, with many large and commodious houses for worship. There are organized churches in twenty of the States of the Union, and eleven religious periodicals printed by members of the church, and devoted to its advancement. There are three colleges under control of the church, one in Mount Morris, 111., one in Ashland, Ohio, and one in Berlin, Penn. The students of these institutions are watched over with great care, and are welcomed, regardless of religion or sect, if they conform to the moral standard required.

This denomination of religionists began their labors here in 1800, and, from the silent few who gathered in each other's cabins for worship, have sprung the many that now inhabit this region. These people are plain, unostentatious, make no display of finery, or a gaudy appearance, are honest, temperate, and among the best citizens in the land. In this county, the townships of Union, Newton, Newberry and Monroe have large organized churches, which are presided over T>y a number of excellent ministers, who bid fair to bring the church to a high standard.

Brethren in Christ Church - [Incorporated). - This denomination in Union Township has a membership of about eighty, who have just erected a new edifice in which to worship, near Potsdam. The structure is 36x46 feet. They have .services every four weeks, which are conducted by the Rev. George W. Wright, of Painter Creek, Darke County. Jacob Swank and his nephew, John Swank, were the first preachers in this church, which is now in good condition, being in union and harmony with themselves and the world. Trustees, Henry Fess, Henry Arnett, Abraham Wright ; Exhorters, Joseph Sando, Abraham Wright ; Deacon, Moses Blackburn. v

Methodist Church. - The seed of Methodism seems to have fallen in stony places in this township, for about the year 1833, they organized and built a church, which sprang up and flourished for a season, but, after an existence of ten or twelve years, it began to decline, until at present it numbers but few members, and the house is occupied mainly by the Friends.

In the village of Laura are also two churches, one built by the successors of the church established by A. Snethen, the other by the united efforts and means of the citizens, regardless of denomination and open to all Christian people.

In addition to those already enumerated, there is a church in the eastern part of the township denominated " Second Adventists or Soul Sleepers.''

Sabbath Schools. - In connection with the Friends' Church are three flourishing Sabbath schools, one of which - located in Milton - continues during the entire year. In addition to these, there are various union schools held during the pleasant season, not under the control of anv particular denomination, but for the accommodation of the general public, irrespective of creed or sect.

The first schools in this township were taught at West Branch, from 1808 to 1832, in the old Friends' Meeting-House. From the remains of certain manuscript, it appears that one John How, an Englishman, taught as early as 1808, though probably not the first ; he was a very fine penman, and somewhat of a classical scholar. A period of about nine years elapses, during which the teachers are not known. In 1817, Charles Mills taught. In the following year, Daniel H. Jones wielded the rod, and in 1819, Davis W. Thayer held the scepter of studious sway.

He afterward became magistrate, manufacturer and merchant. In 1820, Charles Mills again ruled the young thoughts. His place was filled in 1821 by David Mote, who took his first steps as instructor here. In 1822, one Thomas Adams, from the East, a superior scholar, and highly recommended, drew many students for miles, and taught the largest school ever collected at this place, but, owing to inefficiency in government, his school was a failure and finally ended in zero.

The following year found Charles Mills in the schoolroom again, who made up his complement by subscription. He was an old veteran in the ranks, having served forty years in the schoolroom.

During the winter of 1825, the school was taught by Daniel H. Jones, who was said to be rather an extraordinary man, a kind of universal genius, a mechanic, mathematician, surveyor and poet.

In 1826, the school was taught by David Mote, and in 1827 by Gardner Mendenhall, one of West Branch's students. While teaching, five wagons came from Troy, and hauled off nearly all his corn crop to satisfy a paltay muster fine.

During the autumn of 1828, and winter of 1829, the schools were taught by Alexander L. Wilson. James Hanks, a land surveyor, held the birch during the winter of 1830. During a part of the autumn of 1830, and following winter, the young ideas were directed by W. B. Jones, of South Carolina, who inaugurated the tickets of reward. He continued till 1832. The last winter school was held at Wesf Branch.

settled in Ohio at a very early day. Mr. and Mrs. Z. Coppock have had four children, three are living, viz.. Eunice, Lydia and Almeda ; Martha (Mrs. Kunkleman) died, leaving three children. After his marriage, Zimry removed to Newton Township, where he owned a farm of 80 acres, upon which he lived some time, then returned to the old home place, where he has since resided ; he owns 113 acres of fine land, which is all in a good state of cultivation, with average buildings erected thereon. He and his wife belong to the denomination of Friends, and are exemplary Christian people. The Coppock family, in connection with the Coates, trace back to the colony established by William Penn, thus giving them a record of which thejr may well be proud.

HARVY COPPOCK, miller, West Milton ; born in this township in the year 1838 ; is a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Coate) Coppock, who were born in this county ; his grandfather, Benjamin C., and his grandmother, Susana, were natives of South Carolina ; they settled in this county in 1806. Mrs. Isaac Coppock departed this life in 1857, aged about 45 years ; they were the parents of six children, four of whom are living, viz., Harvy, Mary C., Susana and Jesse ; the deceased are Henry and Benjamin. Harvy was reared on his father's farm, on which he labored till his 21st year ; then began life for himself, and, for a short time, labored on the farm. His marriage with Mary J. Coate was celebrated March 1, 1859 ; she was born in 1841, in this township, and is a daughter of Thomas Coate, who was one of the old settlers here ; he now lives* in Kansas. After his marriage he became a partner of the above gentleman, and together they operated the flouring-mill south of Milton for three years ; then he returned to the farm, on which he labored three years, after which he purchased the mill he is now operating. He has a good location, with a never-failing power, and all work is done in a scientific way, as his long experience in milling has well fitted him for the business ; he makes a specialty in fine flour, which commands a liberal patronage from the public. They are parents of three children, viz., John W., Henry, and Clara. He and his amiable wife are exemplary members of the Christian Church, and take a lively interest in the cause and development of the Christian religion ; she was born in this township in 1841.

CLARK COPPOCK, farmer ; P. 0. West Milton ; born on the place where he now resides, April 13, 1832 ; is a son of James and Jane Coppock. His father was born in South Carolina in the year 1799 ; his mother was born in 1804. James Coppock came with his widowed mother, from their native State, to Miami Co., in 1805 ; their journey was made across an almost impassable wilderness with a very light team, and the elder children were obliged to walk almost the entire distance. Upon their arrival, she entered the northeast quarter of Sec. 7, where Clark, her grandson, now resides. On this land she lived until her death, which occurred when at an advanced age. She had seven children, six sons and one daughter, viz., Eunice, Aaron, Isaac, Layton, John, Joseph and James, who was married to Jane Huntsman, by whom he had twelve children ten living, viz., Cliesley D., Calvin, Aaron, Isaac, David C., LjTdia, James, Jane, Eunice and Avilla ; the deceased are Marajah and Isaac, the latter dying in Missouri. James Coppock departed this life in March, 1867. His wife survived him, and for several }Tears previous to her death was utterly helpless from palsy. The 9th of March, 1875, her spirit winged its flight, aged about- 71 years. Clark's boyhood da}rs were spent in a manner usual to youth, and, as years developed his frame and toughened his muscles, he grappled with the difficult physical labors incident to the farm. On the 7tli day of January, 1855, he led to the marriage altar Miss Emiline B. Niles, a daughter of Ephraim and Fanny Niles, who were among the early settlers in this county. After the celebration of his nuptials, he removed to a farm of 160 acres in Franklin Township, Darke Co., on which he remained two years, and then embarked in the mercantile business in Laura, this county, where he was engaged for four }'ears. Aug. 22, 1862, he responded to the President's call for troops to suppress the rebellion, and enlisted in Co. G, of the 110th O. Y. I., after which he was transferred to the vicinity of Petersburg, Va., where the regiment was placed in the Third Corps, but was soon after transferred to the Sixth, which was commanded by the noble Sedgwick, and after his death by Gen. Wiight. He passed through the battle of Winchester, where the boys of the 110th were severely pressed ; he took shelter behind a small sapling, which was only large enough to afford a central protection, thus leaving his body exposed on either side. There he remained only long enough to make a few shots ; but the tree was struck three times, two of the balls glancing, scattering the splinters right and left, one of which passed into his hand. He was at Cedar Creek, Cold Harbor (called by the boys of the 110th Hot Harbor), and was in the ranks during the terrific and ever-to-be-remembered battle of the Wilderness, in which the roar of guns, hissing and screeching of the missiles of death, were incessant for fortj^-two consecutive days and nights. There he was fired on by a rebel in such close proximity that the powder from the discharge burned his face and almost blinded him ; the bullet whizzed past his head, clipping the tip of the left ear. Here he saw the lamented and brave Sedgwick fall ; heard him say, " I do not apprehend an attack on this part of the line," which were probably the last words he ever uttered, as he fell almost immediately afterward. At Monocacy Junction, his division stood the brunt of the battle, and for awhile held Early's whole army in check ; at Cedar Creek, the rebels made a charge on their lines and captured thirty-two pieces of artillery, which they held till noon, at which time the boys from Ohio returned the compliments of the morning, and captured eighty pieces, besides what they lost in the morning. Here he received a wound from a piece of shell in the right shoulder, which almost straightened him out, but refused to go to the hospital, staying on the field until able to take his place in the ranks. This regiment is deserving of more than a passing notice ; but our space forbids, and our ability will only permit us to say, none did their duty more bravely, or passed through greater hardship, than the 110th 0. V. I., which came home with thinned ranks, and with battered and battle-torn banners. He was discharged from the service of his country June 25, 1865, having served nearly three years. Upon his return home, he engaged principally in stock-dealing, which he followed until 1875, at which time he removed to the old home farm, where he now resides. In offices he has been well represented, having discharged the duties of Constable, Supervisor, Trustee and School Director. Mr. and Mrs. Coppock are the parents of five children, of whom four are living, viz., Francis M., Angeretta, Lewis N. and Susana P. ; Eldora, deceased.

HAYILAH COPPOCK, broker and dealer in stock, West Milton ; born in 1843 ; is a son of James Coppock, one of the early pioneers of Miami Co. Havilah was reared on his father's farm, his early days being spent in a manner incident to youth, and, after years had developed his strength and frame, he became a valuable auxiliary to his father in the labors of the farm. At the age of 20, he began life for himself, and engaged in farming and dealing in stock till 1879, at which time he rented his farm, which consists of 83 acres, and moved to this place, since when he has dealt largely in stock. Dec. 29, 1868, he was married to Maiy, a daughter of John Porter, by whom he has had three children, all of whom are living, viz., Wilson, born Oct 17, 1869 ; Louis, born Aug. 9, 1871 ; Leon A., born Aug. 15, 1874. He was Assessor of the township in the years 1878 and 1879. Mrs. Coppock was born May 23, 1847.

HENRY C A VENDER, farmer ; P. O. West Milton ; born in Staunton Township in the year 1825 ; is a son of John and Rachel Cavender, who were born in the State of Maryland. They came to Miami Co. about 1804 or 1805, and at the time of settlement Indians were plenty, but all dangers were faced, and a settlement effected. For a number of years he labored on leased land, having had all his money, $700 in gold, stolen while he was on the move from Maryland. Through hard work and frugality, he was soon able to purchase 80 acres of land, on which he made his home till death, in 1840, called him hence, aged 60 years ; his wife departed her life in the 63d year of her age. They were the parents of eight children, of whom four are living - Robert, Abigail, John and Henry ; the deceased are W'esley, Samuel, Mary and Thomas. At the age of 13, our subject was deprived of his father by death, but he remained with his widowed mother on the farm until he was 22 years of age. In 1854, he was married to Louisa Hearn, by whom he had six children, of whom three are living, viz., Charles W., Clara M. and Sylvester G. ; the deceased are William H., George F. and Edward M. Mrs. C. departed this life June 8, 1875 ; was born June 30, 1833. His second marriage was celebrated with Elizabeth Amlin, Nov. 13, 1878 ; she is a daughter of Samuel and Hannah Amlin ; he was born in New Jersey, she in West Virginia ; they came to Ohio about 1830. and settled in Richland Co. Mr. A. died in 1872, aged 90 years, 5 months and 1 1 days. Her mother is still living at the advanced age of 83 years. He was the father of thirteen children by three marriages ; the latter with Mrs. C.'s mother, by whom he had four children, viz., Amy A., Alfred. Samuel and Elizabeth. Alfred was a member of Co. A, 35th 0. V. I., and fell in the battle of Mission Ridge, pierced in the breast by a ball ; Samuel died at the age of 13 months. Mr. C. moved to the place where he now resides in 1861 ; he has 50 acres of fine land, which is situated west of Milton, all being in a good state of cultivation, and his improvements are number one in every particular. The beautiful grounds, commodious house and barn, in conjunction with other improvements of more than ordinary character, tend to make his home a very desirable one. He and his most estimable wife are exemplary church members, and are consistent Christian people, taking a lively interest in the cause and development of the Christian religion. He is one of our self-made men, having begun life without a dollar, but, by hard work and good management, he has accomplished the great object in life - made a good home, which is the fruit of toil and frugalit}7, where his declining }7ears are being spent, surrounded by all the comforts of life.

WELLER B. COX, farmer ; P. O. West Milton ; born in Darke Co. Aug. 6, 1840 ; is the son of Henry Cox, born in 1802, and Anna (Long) Cox, born in 1810, and both natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. Cox, Sr., removed to Missouri in 1843 or 1844, and departed this life in Miami Co., aged 60 years ; Mrs. Cox is still living at the advanced age of 70 years. They were the parents of nine children, of whom ^ five are still living, viz., Joseph, Harb D., Alice, W. B. and Minerva ; the deceased ' are Elizabeth, Peleg, Sarah J. and Elizabeth E. Our subject was reared on the farm, which he assisted his father in cultivating until he was 19 years of age. In 1859, he was united in marriage with Louisa M., a daughter of Lloyd N. and Sarah N. Conaway, born March 16, 1842 ; her father was a native of Maryland, and was born in 1815 ; he came to Ohio alone, when 16 years of age ; he departed this life in Miami Co., aged 26 years. Her mother, Sarah N. (Aldrich) Conaway, was born in Rhode Island in 1818, and removed to Darke Co. with her parents in 1830 ; they are living where they settled fifty years ago, at a ripe old age. Mrs. Cox's mother departed this life in Miami Co., in 1871. Her second marriage was celebrated with Joseph Coppock, and to their union three children were given, viz., Amanda J. and Albert A. (twins), the latter deceased, and Francis. After our subject's marriage, he engaged in farming in Franklin Township, Darke Co., for two years ; then moved to the place where he now resides, in 1861 ; he has 75 acres of choice farming land, all in a good state of cultivation, and his buildings are of more than ordinary character, which, in connection with the beautiful grounds and shrubbery, makes the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cox a pretty and most desirable place. He is a member of the Board of Agriculture in the county, and has filled the office of Supervisor for two terms. He and his wife have been connected with the Christian Church for nine years, and are exemplary Christian people. They are the parents of two children, viz., Ada Belle, born May 6, 1860 ; Llo}'d, born Oct. 26, 1861. His daughter was married to Frank Huffman, Aug. 8, 1878 ; they have one child, viz., Nelson B.

M. CREW, farmer and merchant ; P. 0. West Milton ; born in West Milton in 1831 ; is a son of Dr. Benjamin Crew, who was born in Columbiana Co., Ohio, in 1799, and departed this life in West Milton in 1833 ; his mother was born in 1808. On Aug. 6, 1827, she was married to Benjamin Crew ; two children wTere the results of their union - Casper and our subject. She was afterward married to John Coate, by whom she had four children, two living, Robert and Benjamin, and two dying in infancy. Our subject's boyhood was passed in West Milton, and at the age of 7 years, he removed to the farm ; at the age of 20 years, he began life for himself, and followed farming till 1853, when he entered mercantile life, and for five years carried on a general store, after which, he returned to the farm where he has since resided. In 1852, he was married to Susan Syler, by whom he has had four children, three living - Angeline, Harvey and Emma ; Laura, deceased. Mrs. Crew is a daughter of David and Eliza Syler, who were among the early settlers. Mr. Crew owns 80 acres of land, which is all in a good state of cultivation and well improved. His daughter, Angelina, is one of the prominent and successful educators of the county, having taught for several years. In the spring of 1 880, he, in partnership with Oliver Hahn, embarked in the mercantile business in West Milton ; they carry an elegant stock in their line, consisting of everything usually found in a first-class retail house. Mrs. Crew was born in this county in 1833. He and his estimable wife are members of the Christian Church, with which they have been connected twenty-one years, and are exemplary Christian people.

F. M. CROMER, dealer in agricultural implements, hardware and harness, West Milton ; was born in 1853, in Lost Creek Township, this county ; Abraham, his father, was born in the above township in 1823 ; his mother, Sarah J. Cromer, nee Cobolt, was born in Auglaize Co., Ohio, the same year as her husband ; both are living, and reside on a farm in Staunton Township ; they are parents of five children, viz., Franklin M., Hannah, Jerusha, Riela and Scott. F. M. was reared on the farm, where he labored for his parents till he attained his majority, receiving, in the meantime, an education in the common schools. In 1877, he was married to Callie Cain, and by said marriage has one child, viz., Tevis ; in 1877, he did an agricultural business in Troy, from which point he operated successfully, doing a large trade in his line ; in March, 1880, he located in West Milton, establishing himself in the same business ; he carries a full line of the leading implements, all of improved pattern, that have stood the test ; he also carries a good stock of hardware and harness ; though he is young, we present him to the public as a live, energetic business man, who, bjr fair dealing and good business principles, is bound to command a full share of the public patronage ; he keeps in his employ a gentlemanl}7 agent, who represents the house in the field.

DAVID DAVIS, farmer ; P. 0. West Milton ; was born on Sec. 17, in this township, Jan. 27, 1831 ; his father, Benjamin Davis, was born in South Carolina Nov. 12, 1793, and removed to Ohio with his parents when only 10 years of age; his father, Abiatha Davis, born in Wales, was one of the early pioneers of Miami Co., settling here in 1804. Our subject's mother, Margaret (Fetters) Davis, was born in Pennsylvania in 1802 ; her parents died in Pennsylvania, and she emigrated to Miami Co., where she was married to Benjamin Davis ; she departed this life in 1851, aged 49 years ; her husband died Nov. 7, 1876, aged 84 years ; they were the parents of ten children, of whom five are living, viz., David, Susana, Margaret, William and G-eorge ; the deceased are Sarah, Lavina, Phoebe, Rhoda, and one dying in infancy. Our subject was reared on his father's farm, where he assisted in the duties of the same till his 21st year, when he began his own career in the world and engaged in farming, which he has followed uninterruptedly all his life ; he first purchased 80 acres of land from his father ; on this he labored for twelve years, when he disposed of it, and removed to where he now resides in 1862 ; he now owns 148 acres of well-improved land, which is all in a good state of cultivation and pleasantty situated. He was united in marriage with Anna Mote in 1852, a daughter of John and Rhoda Mote ; her father was born in Georgia Dec. 31, 1797, and removed with his parents to this county in 1805 ; her mother, Rhoda (Teague) Davis, was born in Ohio April 30, 1801 ; Mr. and Mrs. Teague, were natives of South Carolina ; they were the parents of three children, of whom two are living, viz., Samuel and Anna M. ; Elizabeth deceased ; her father died Oct. 28, 1859 ; her mother departed this life Nov. 22, 1834. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of five children, of whom four are living, viz., Osborne, Warren,

ALLEN H. DAVIS, farmer, retired; P. 0. West Milton ; born Sept. 16, 1815, on the place on which he resides ; is a son of Samuel and Dorcas (Jones) Davis. They were born in the State of Georgia, and with their parents removed to Ohio in the year 1803 or 1804. They first settled for a short time in Preble Co., in order that he might prospect here and locate a home. On Section 17, he found the desired place, and was influenced by three springs, which were so situated as to give his sons, who came with him, homes with the advantage of never-failing water. At this time, the face of the country was so densely covered with forest that they were obliged to cut a road through the woody labyrinth of their new home in order to have access to their neighbors, some three miles south. They set to work to erect a cabin, using only such material as the forest would give. Their father, Abiatha, owned a horse, and he carried his hardy sons provisions, while they were felling the trees, and erecting the house, they camping out while doing the work. After its completion, the family moved into their new quarters, which was either in the fall of 1803, or the spring of 1804. His son John settled at the north spring ; Samuel, father of our subject, at the south one ; Abiatha himself locating at the center one ; Benjamin inherited his father's place at the center spring. On these farms his sons made permanent homes for years, and reared their families. In after years, Benjamin disposed of his and removed to Iowa, where he died in 1876. The other sons John and Samuel remained on their forest homes till their decease. Amos, eldest son of Abiatha, settled in Preble Co., from where he removed to Iowa, where he subsequently died. Samuel Davis departed this life June 30, 1870, aged about 84 years, his wife having died previously. They were parents of six children, three of whom are living, viz., Biley, Allen H. and Mary (now Mrs. Curtis). The deceased are Keziah, Nancy and Lindley. Abiatha was the father of four sons and three daughters, viz., Amos, Rachel, Samuel, John, Sallie, Lydia and Benjamin, Our subject was reared on his father's farm, and, until he was 16 years of age, labored thereon, then went to Troy, in which place he learned the printer's trade with John T. Tullis, with whom he remained more than a year, when, on account of failing health, he was obliged to abandon the printer's sanctum, and immediately thereafter engaged in teaching, which he followed about seven years, exclusively in this county. Dec. 13, 1838, he celebrated his marriage with Nancy Hale, a daughter of John Hale, wTho was a native of Maryland ; he removed to this count}' in 1836 or 1837. After his marriage, our subject followed teaching and farming for a short time, when he was elected Justice of the Peace. The accumulation of official business required so much time that teaching had to be abandoned. In 1840, he located on 120 acres of land, in Section 12, that he had purchased the year previous ; his land was partly improved, and he soon added 40 acres. Here he lived until 1867, at which time he returned to the old home farm, for the purpose of making the remaining years of his parents comfortable. He now owns the old horfiestead, and his declining years are being spent in the shadow of the old dwelling. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for twelve years, and has also filled the office of School Director and Superintendent of Public Instruction. Ilis education was received in the common schools, in which, by dint of hard labor and studious habits, he stored his mind with useful knowledge, a great deal of which was obtained without the aid of an instructor. Five children have been given to them, of whom four are living, viz., Olive, N., Malcolm H., Alma A. ; Mary and Martha deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have been members of the Christian Church for ten years, in which they are zealous workers, discharging every Christian duty with cheerfulness. Their children, with the exception of one, are Co-workers with their parents in the church, which is a source of satisfaction to their aged parents.

MALCOLM H. DAVIS, farmer ; P. 0. West Milton ; is a son of Allen and Nancy Davis, old and prominent settlers in this township. He was born in 1842, on the place where he now resides ; he was reared on the farm, attending the usual three months' school, in which he received his education. Feb. 22, 1862, he volunteered in Co. B, of the 71st 0. V. I., and was transferred to the front in March, and was in the battle of Pittsburg Landing, in which the regiment lost heavily in officers and men ; they were under Sherman's command, which was so terribly pressed ; soon after, the battle of Nashville was fought, and here the regiment was nearly decimated, but Hood was beaten and almost annihilated ; about the close of the war, their corps was sent to Texas, where they were kept till December, 1865 ; he was mustered out of the service January, 1866 ; during the evacuation of Ft. Hymen, he received a severe injury from the falling of a pole of an ambulance wagon, that almost crushed him, which injury is yet severely felt by Mr. Davis. In 1864, while home on veteran furlough, he was married to Eliza Coate, by whom he has five children, viz., Claudie, Eleanor E., Maurice M., Minnie A. and William A. He and his wife are exemplary members of the Christian Church, with which they have been connected since 1867. He owns 80 acres of good land, which is all in a good state of cultivation and well improved, in fact, the best in the neighborhood.

HENBY DIB It A, retired farmer ; P. 0. West Milton. To the subject of this memoir we are pleased to accord a place in the front ranks of the early pioneers of Miami Co.; he was born in Washington Co., Md., Feb. 21, 1803, and is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth Dibra, who were born in the same place. Their parents were born in the province of Lorraine, France, and emigrated to America before the war of the Devolution. Jacob Dibra, grandfather of our subject, was a soldier in the army of Washington, and was the first man that flung the emblem of American liberty to the breeze in the State of Maryland ; for that act he was obliged to secrete himself for fourteen days in order to escape the fury of the merciless Tories ; he was a brave man, a true soldier, and to his country he gave his service without recompense. Daniel, father of our subject, was married in Maryland to Elizabeth Friend, and removed to Pennsylvania, where they resided nine years, when they came to Miami Co. and settled in Newton Township in 1815 ; they resided here only three years, when they were stricken down with that mysterious complaint, Milk sickness, and died : his father died the 1st of November, aged 45 years, his wife followed him to the grave ten days later. They were the parents of ten children, who, at the death of their parents, were thrown upon the cold charities of the world, and scattered throughout the communit}7, all finding good homes with the Quaker brethren ; they all lived to be men and women, but now only five survive, viz., Susanna, now Mrs. Miles, residing in Kansas ; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Hall, who resides in Indiana ; David, who resides in Iowa ; Samuel, who lives in Newton Township, and our subject. The deceased are Jacob, John, Daniel, Mary and Jonathan. At the death of his father and mother, our subject was only 15 years old, and, young as he was, grappled with the stern realities of life ; and, in times when men of nerve and experience were taxed to their utmost to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that are incident to the lives of frontiersmen, he worked resolutely, and became an expert in cabinet-making, doing much also at carpenter work, in which trades he labored for thirty years, and was very successful ; about 1850, he abandoned this work, so far as making a business of it was concerned, and turned his attention to farming. He first purchased 65 acres of land in this township, east of the river, which he soon after disposed of, and bought 80 acres more just opposite Milton, which he owned only a month, when he sold, and purchased 72 acres where he now resides, and soon after bought 20 acres adjoining, which now belongs to his only son, Irijah ; he is one of our self-made men, and began life as an orphan, without a dollar in his pocket. Prosperity has rewarded the almost incessant toil, good management, and the assistance rendered by his good wife, who for more than half a century assisted in his toils, shared his troubles and joys alike ; after a journey of more than fifty years, hand in hand,, we find them enjoying the shades of retirement, feasting on the fruits of labor gleaned from a well-spent life. His marriage was celebrated with Charity, a daughter of Lazarus and Elizabeth Langston, July 3, 1828. They were natives of South Carolina, and removed from there to Georgia, thence to Preble Co., Ohio, in 1806, where they remained until 1817, when they came to Miami Co., where they lived till their death. Her father departed this life in the year 1845, aged 66 years ; her mother died June 30, 1871, aged 97 years. Mrs. Langston's memory was remarkably clear, and she could portray with vivid distinctness some of the scenes of the Revolutionary war. They were the parents of nine children, of whom only four are living, viz., Leonard, Betsy, Charity and Mary. The deceased are Susanna, Nancy, Martha, Rachel and Rebecca. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Dibra seven children have been given, of whom five are living, viz., Elizabeth, Elmira, Minerva, Nancy and Irijah. The deceased are Mary and Susanna. He and his estimable wife have been life-long members of the Christian Church, and are exemplary Christian people. Their children are all co-workers with them in the cause and advancement of the Christian religion.

ABRAHAM DIETRICK, farmer and minister ; P. 0. Potsdam ; born in Rockingham Co., Va., in the year 1814, July 7 ; is a son of John and Elizabeth Dietrick, who were born in Virginia, in which State they both met the call of death ; he died when upward of 51 years of age, she in 1825, when in middle age ; they were parents of seven children, five of whom are living, viz., Abraham, John, Nancy, Lydia and Catherine ; the deceased are Elizabeth and one dying in infancy ; D. labored on the farm till his 21st year, at whiGh time he began life for himself, and took charge of the old homestead, which he carried on for about seven years. In 1838, he was married to Mahala Judy ; to them ten children have been born, nine of whom are living, viz., Rebecca, Mary (who has been afflicted since infancy with a malady of the mind), Isaac, John, Sarah, Catherine, Chloe, Samuel and Jacob ; Benjamin (deceased), aged 24 years and 8 months ; in 1846, Mr. Dietrick moved to West Virginia, in which State he made his home twelve and a half years, and was engaged in farming ; in 1858, he came to Montgomery Co., Ohio, settling near Salem, in which place he remained eighteen years, then came to where he now resides in the year 1877 ; in the year 1854, he entered the ministry in the German Baptist Church, in which he has since labored, and by estimate has preached twenty-six hundred sermons, and solemnized one hundred and fourteen marriages ; he only had the advantage of the common school, but is amply able to perform the responsible duties attached to the ministry ; he has belonged to the church for thirty years, and his wife for a period of thirty-six ; his children, with the exception of two, are members of the same church.

JOHN DITMER, farmer ; P. 0. Potsdam ; born in Montgomery Co. in the year 1819 ; is a son of John and Susanna Ditmer, who were born in Lancaster Co., Penn. ; they removed to the above count}7 at an earl}' day, lived there many years, then came to this county and resided till their decease ; his father died at the age of 62 years, his mother at the age of 58 ; they were parents of thirteen children, seven of whom are living, viz., John, ^Eli, Henry, Cass, Catherine, David and George ; the deceased are Elizabeth, Rosanna, Mary, Jacob, Benjamin and Abraham ; John was raised on the farm, on which he worked till his 24th year. In 1844, he was married to Lydia Mischler, by whom he has had ten children, seven of whom are living, viz., Abraham, Mary, Silas, John, Amanda, Sarah and Martha; the deceased are Harriet, Jacob and Susana ; after his marriage, he engaged in farming on the place where he resides ; he owns 80 acres of land, which is in a good state of cultivation and well improved ; in an early day, Mr. D. was a successful hunter, and many deer has he caused to bite the dust, in one instance killing two at one shot ; his wife is a daughter of Jacob and Mary Mischler, who were born in Stark Co., Ohio, but afterward became citizens of this county, from which they removed to Kosciusko Co., Ind., in which they diq^d - he at the age of 65 years, she at the age of 74 ; they were parents of ten children, seven living, viz., Mary A., Lydia, Lena, Daniel, John, Jacob and Adam ; the deceased, Solomon, Elizabeth, and one who died in infancy ; he and his wife have been members of the German Baptist Church for a period of twenty years, and are consistent Christian people.

Biographical Sketches

ELI DUNCAN, farmer ; P. 0. West Milton ; he was born on the east bank of Stillwater River in 1837, and is a son of Isaac and Elizabeth Duncan. Our subject was reared on his father's farm, and as he died when Eli was only 10 }^ears of age, he remained with the family until his 16th year, when he engaged in picture taking, and was, consequently, away from home part of the time ; at the age of 23, he began life fully for himself and chose farming as a vocation ; he located on the land where he now resides, in 1861, and has 33 acres of good land, which is all in a fair state of cultivation, with ordinary improvements erected thereon ; he has an abundance of all kinds of fruit, to which he pays considerable attention ; Mr. Duncan received a very limited education in the district schools, in consequence of which he entered the Farmer College, six miles north of Cincinnati, where he remained a part of two years, completing the common branches, thus fitting him to teach, which he did two winters in Darke Co. His marriage with Serena Hyer, was celebrated in 1860 ; she was a daughter of Absalom and Elizabeth Hyer ; her father was born in Pennsylvania, her mother in Montgomery Co., Ohio, both deceased ; to Mr. and Mrs. Duncan six children have been given, of whom all are living, viz., Clara E., now Mrs I. A. Yose, Josephine, Maggie, now Mrs. Donnelly, and Fred ; Mr. Duncan has filled the office of School Director eight years.

WILLIAM DUNCAN, farmer ; P. O. West Milton ; he was born in this township on the land where he now lives in the year 1826 ; his father, Isaac Duncan, was born in South Carolina in 1795 ; his early life was spent in Tennessee, and he removed with his parents to Ohio when only 9 years of age ; his father, Samuel Duncan, was born in Georgia in 1751, and upon his arrival in Miami Co. in 1804, entered 160 acres of land, where his grandson, our subject, now lives ; on this land he reared his family and resided till his death, which occurred in 1832 ; on this land, his sons Isaac and Jesse lived and reared their families ; Isaac departed this life in 1847, aged 52 years, Jesse still later ; upon their death, William, our subject, a son of Isaac, came into possession, and on this same estate has reared a family of children ; thus this farm has been the birthplace of three generations of children, all of the Duncan family ; Isaac Duncan was the father of thirteen children ; to the first marriage, with Hannah Pemberton, daughter of Isaiah Pemberton, three were giveh, who are all deceased, viz., Isaiah, Rachel and John. His second marriage was celebrated with Elizabeth Dixon, and to their union ten children were given, of whom only six are living, viz., Jesse, William, Samuel, Amos, Eli and Abigail ; the deceased are Polly, Isaac, Elizabeth and David ; Elizabeth (Dixon) Duncan, was born in South Carolina in 1800, and departed this life in 1873 ; she was a second cousin to the grim old warrior, Anthony Wayne, and a direct descendant of the illustrious Adams family, who figure so prominently in the history of the country ; Nicholas Dixon was a military man, and took great pride in army tactics ; he has a good military record and was a commissioned officer in the war of 1812 ; Grandfather Dixon's house was one of the frontier outposts, and there Gen. Harrison frequently satisfied the cravings of the inner man ; the house was a general rendezvous for the early settlers, as it was of strong build, and fitted with loopholes that made it a very formidable stronghold, and a protection against the ruthless hands of the murderous red man ; he belonged to the Society of Friends, and because he would not take part in the great struggle and help England to force her rebellious subjects into submission, he was attacked by the Tories, severely beaten, and left on the ground for dead ; but he recovered and came to Ohio, where he passed through all the hardships and dangers incident to pioneer life. Our subject was reared on the farm, where he assisted his father in agricultural pursuits until his 21st year, when he began life for himself and took charge of the old home place, thereby keeping the family together till grown, when they made homes for themselves ; here, in the abode of his fathers, he has lived ever since, with the exception of two years, when he lived in Greene Co., so that his children might have the advantage of attending the Antioch College. His marriage was celebrated in

1854, with Martha Langston, who is a daughter of Leonard and Francis Langston ; her father was born in Georgia and her mother in Maryland ; Mr. and Mrs. Duncan are the parents of eight children, of whom seven are living, viz., Leonard, Ira, Elmer, Emma, Charles, William and Mary, and Sarah A., deceased. Mr. Duncan has filled the office of Justice of the Peace for three }Tears, Supervisor one term, and School Director many years ; he and his amiable wife have been members of the Christian Church for a number of years ; they are particularly interested in the advancement of Christianity, and are exemplar}' Christian people. Isaac Duncan was a member of Co. G, 48th 0. V. I., and in the bloody battle of Pittsburg Landing, Sunday morning, April 6, 1862 ; he fell shot through the heart with his face to the foe ; Jesse wras a member of the same company and regiment and returned safely to their home ; Amos was a member of Co. I, 71st 0. Y. I., and soon after his enlistment, was detailed to the hospital, where he was installed as steward ; from there he was promoted to Assistant Surgeon, and given charge of the 9th Tenn. V. C., where he remained until he was mustered out, having passed through the battles and encounters of the Army of the Cumberland ; his regiment captured the notorious John Morgan, who was brought to camp by one of the boys, on horseback.

EDWIN J. EBY, of the firm of Eby & Bro., dentists, West Milton ; was born in Pennsylvania, in 1840, where his early boyhood days were spent. At the age of 7 years, he removed to Ohio with his parents, and soon entered mercantile life, which he followed till his location here in 1866 ; since that time he has operated successfully in his profession. Both are gentlemen well educated in their business, all operations being performed with safety, and to the satisfaction of all who patronize them. His education was received in the common schools, where a close application in study and along experience in active business life, bespeak for him a successful and prosperous life. His marriage with Sarah E., daughter of Thomas Yore, occurred June 26, 1873. Her parents were among the early settlers of Miami Co.