Union Township (part 1 of 5)

Union City

tis, Wm. 24m Anna 17f dis, John 31m Anna 29f Elizabeth 6 Ff Catherine 3Ff end, Jesse 34m Elizabeth 28 Ff Kelliarn H. 8m Joseph 6m Jane Af John 3m George W. 2m ce, Abraham 21m Susannah 60f tis, Hyram 50m ane 43f Jane 16f Isaiah 14m Samuel 11m Elizabeth 8f Caroline 4f er, Joseph 38m Sarah ee Henry 13m Susannah eh th Elizabeth Of Rebecca 4f John 3m iend, Henry 32m Rebecca 28 f Mary 10f George W. 8m Jesse 6m Andrew 4m Bethany af encer, Elizabeth 49f Cool, Albert 24m Susan ah 4F John W. 5/12m

Vugmdssseseqoho Ooc0O00 O0O0O3Z00 S82 O0O000 Coz

Weybright, David 35m Oo Macy, Aaron Nancy 31f 10) Matilda Sarah 13f fe) Elizabeth Catherine 11f Oo Anna Margaret 8f .@] Sarah J. Lucinda 5f ce) James Rebecca 3f Oo Mary

Yount, Jacob 28m oO Carroll, Joseph B. 31m Lavinia 16f 0 Rosanna 28f Emiline 5 f 0 Angeline ial George 3m O Sarah A. 5f Mary 1 f oO Harvey 4m

Daniels, Elisha 50m Mas Emamuel 2m Rebecca AOf Oo Lyman 18m Oo Frye, George 23m John 15m O Catherine 17f Andrew 12m 0 Seth 9m O Dibner, David 23m Soloman 6m Oo Mary 20f Elam 4m Oo Mary 8/12F O Longanecker, 31m

Hatfield, Henry 62m P Caterine 62f P Longanecker, Benjamin33m Henry 23m .@) Magdalina Zat. Susannah ~19f Oo Sarah A. he Sarah 13f oO Jeremiah 7m Mary 76f P Samuel 5m

Welbaum, Jacob 40m P Falkner, Elizabeth 34m Elizabeth 39f Pp Levi 12m Charles 14m Oo Mary 35 David 13m O Harriet 8Ff Sarah 12f 0 John 7m Susannah 11f oO Sarah 55 John 10m O Albert 4m Joseph 8m Oo Margaret 2f Margaret 6f 0) Dibner, Henry 20m Michael 5m O Alonzo 2m Oo Pippinger, Theopholius 32m Henry 6/12m O Anna 26f

Carroll, James 23m Barbara 25f Arnett, Wm. 11m Warner, Mary 38f Elizabeth 18f Nancy 13f Levi 10m Susannah ft Frances Sf Soloman 12m Leas, Jacob 30m Christina 25Ff Andrew 4m Susannah 8/12f Root, Jacob 46m Catherine(Arnold) 34f Sarah 13f Joseph 1im Elisabeth Of Samuel 7m Barbara 4f Carroll, Mary 48f Oliver 22m John 16m Sophia 12f Christian, Philip 35m Mary 32Ff John 10m Mary 8f Joseph 6m Spitler, John 36m Esther 31 f Oliver 11m Barbara Of Elizabeth 8f Soloman 7m Susan 4f Wm. 3m Anna M. 2f Lydia 7/12F

Eisenbarger, Jacob 34m Sarah 20f Arnett, David 47m Margaret A3f David 20m Henry 17m Wm. 5m Elizabeth 16f Susan 11f Warner, John 19m Arnett, Daniel 22m Margaret 18f Arnett, David 30m Magdalena 33 Ff John 14m Rebecca 13f Wm. 12m Catherine 11f Henry 8m Westley 4m Abraham 2m Alexander, John 22m Lydia 18f Fetters, Rosanna Of Arnold, David 33m Esther 24f Sarah og Margaret 2f Hill, Daniel 22m Elisabeth 23f Alvin 10/12m Hill, George 63m Mary 55f Cecelia A 7 Wm. 14m John 11m laborer Fanny 32fB. John 4mB. Clay, Delpheia 15fB. Barney OmB. Wyat 7fB. Cox, Diarma 50fB. Wm. 10mB. Hannah 8fB. Emily 30fB. Giffon, Laura 15fMu Coate, Wm. 34m Mary 30f Jane 11f Elizabeth Of Eliza 8f James 7m Albert 4m Ahijah 2m Daniel 8/12m Samuel 78m Joseph C. 47m Pearson, Enoch J.50m Mary 52f David 20m Martha A. 16f Coate, Isaac 21m Jones, Lucinda 26fB. Presley, Albert 8mB. Julia A. 6fB. Simon R. 3mB. Elleman, Enos 48m Margaret 43f David 17m Wm. 15m Joseph 11m Thomas 10m Rebecca Tf Isaac 5m

Penney, John 71m Esther 65f Penney, Henry 44m Susannah 38f Daniel 18m Elmira 16f Rachael 15f Rosanna 13f Alpha 10f Susannah Sf Sarah 6f Carilla 4f Esther 2f Niles, Wm. 16m Penney, Richard 35m Elizabeth 35f Sarah 15f John W. 13m Mary 11f Hester Of Homer 5m Elisha 3m Crone 10/12m Warren 10/12m Hall, Henry 27m Lucilla 30Ff Jane 3 f Hall, Frances 47f Cynthia 16f Samuel 14m Coppock, John 27m Susannah 24f Westley 3m Coppock, Moses' 62m Mary 49f Esther 13 Ff Samuel 11m

Mary 29Ff Mary J. 1456 Samuel 6m Loyd 2m Harshbarger, Jonas 38m Eliza 40f Sarah J. 18f George 17m John 13m Henry 11m Elizabeth 8f Abram 5m Frederick 2m Davis, Allen H. 34m Nancy 34f Olive M. 10f Almer A. 6m Martha E. 4f Hale, Rebecca 65f Coppock, Wm. 52m Zimi 31 f Mary 24f Martha uF Rachael 16f Coppock, Aaron 31m Mary 24f Anson 6m Amzi 3m Allen 6/12m Susannah FPN i Coate, John 24m Jane 20f Eunice 51 f Gillet, Simon 28mB Priscilla 27.5 James 7mB Jane aril}

Mary A. 29f Elisabeth Of Margaret 4f Stiffner, Peter 53m Sarah 57 f Abram 21m Sarah 18f Elizabeth 25f Coppock, Benjamin 33m Esther 35f David 8m ?leneade 6 f Ellwood 3/12m Coate, Benjamin 38m Phebe 37 Ff Ann 13f Jane 11f Sarah 8f Alfred 5m Mary 3f Sampson 1m Coate, Samuel 42m Elizabeth 35f Frances 12f Abram 9m Julia ies Melvina 4f Pemberton, Wm. 19m Prudenece 19f Sarah J. 3/12F Coppock, Joseph 45m Rachael 43 f Sampson 22m Mary A. 17f Isaac 11m David 9m Isabell Of Sarah Of

Mary 21f John W. 6/12m Huffman, Enoch 40m Catherine 37 f Salome 16f Minerva 14f Jacob E. 12m Sarah C. 8f Mary E. 6f Arnold, Charles 42m Thucinda 40Ff Amanda 16f Edward 14m Ellen A. 10f Julia A. 8f Charles A. 4m James C. 2m

Sarah 25f Westley 8m Noah 4m Minerva 1 Field, Benjamin 36m Lydia 31 f Abagail 16f Hellen M. a Martha Si Alphius 3m Buzaell, Andrew 70m Susan 64f Michael, Sampson34m Elisabeth 26f Lucretia 8f Sylvester 5m Westley 2m

Elizabeth 37 Ff Mark 16m Robert 9m Joseph E. 4m Hill, Temperance 27f (Campbell) Polley, Andrew 26m Mary Z23f Ellen V. 6 f Charles E. 5m Hannah M. 7m Ann J. TTS Tilbrith, Louisa 9fB. Hart, Wm. 52m Rhoda 49f Jackson 25m Layfayette 16m Calvin 15m EAdza T2Hn Charles 5m

P Hickman, John 29m M Mary 25f 0 Alvin 4m Martha A. 2f .@) Harshbarger, Hester 17f Everett, Daniel 66m O Hall, Sarah 30f Vv Elizabeth Of Oo oO Porter, John 42m .@) Priscilla 36 Ff FV Mary oe Alvin im sc Ida A. 10f Oo 0 Filby, George 42m 10) Barbara 42f oO Oliver 16m Te Eleanor 13f Wm 11im Rebecca Of P George 7m 0 Franklin 5m M Albuddus 8/12m O 0 Potter, Joseph 45m Oo Jane E. 36f sc Joseph 6m Asbury 3m P Endora 1f Ky Rafs, Virginia S. tot O Ross, Georgianna 5m oO 1@) Haines, Samuel 42m 1) Sarah 45f O Jesse 19m 0 Daniel 17m Job 11m P Isaac 7m (@) Coffman, Nancy 15f O Masters, Horalio 19m O Oo

Mary 24f Elizabeth 14f Jeremiah 11m James E. 7m Wm. H. 3m Lucinda 1f Carter, Rachael 68f Aaron 12m Lowe, Asahel 39m cabinet maker Margaret 24f Wm. H.H. 13m Ellen 12f Clark 10m John W. 7m Charles A. 3m Fox, Louisa 20f Frelckeiner, Wm.24m Charles 22m Franklin 18m

Irwin, Thomas 57m P pump maker Susannah 47f M Thomas H. 14m Pp Turnpaugh, Elizabeth30f0O Frank, Jacob 22m V Nancy 24f O Barbara 2f Oo Barbara A. 65f Pp Grissom, John P.32m oO Sarah 31 f V Emiline Of oO Martha 7f Oo Nancy 4f O Franklin 2m oO Johnson, Thomas W.50m M blacksmith Mary 48f M Augustus 20m M Newman, Daniel 28m Mas shoemaker Mary Ann (Soule) 27fNY Charles E. 2m Oo Jenks, Glebin 24m RI Covert, John 35m P Eunice 18f RI Elnora 3f oO Mary TIAZT oO Cukbaugh, Philip23m G Luthbarrow, Ann 27f Vv

Source changes here: from The History of Miami County, Ohio, by W. H. Beers & Co, published 1880; 23,482 words in this source stream.

Union City

Nearly eighty years ago the sturdy pioneer might have been seen standing upon the picturesque banks of the Stillwater ; nothing disturbs the sublime and oppressive silence of the primeval forest that surrounds him, save the gentle plashing of the murmuring stream below, and the occasional song of the wild-bird, as it flits from branch to branch. Yet how sweet and beguiling soever may have been the siren voice of nature, his purpose here is not to yield to her seductive influence, but, turning his back upon all her fascinations, he boldly advances still deeper into the profound recesses, and anon the death-like stillness of these umbrageous solitudes is broken by the music of his ax, resounding throughout their illimitaWedepths, which had hitherto re-echoed but to the howl of the wolf, the scream of the stealthy panther, or the savage whoop of the blood-thirsty red man.

The giants of the forest soon yield to the steady strokes of his ax, and erelong the smoke from his cabin chimney may be seen curling through the tree-tops 'T the rays of the sun, piercing the gloom, generate new life ; the germ of civilization is planted, which, through the vivifying influence of advantageous surroundings, has developed into the present thrifty and vigorous community, now known as Union Township.

It will be observed that the local history of the above township is so closely interwoven with the general history of the county that, in many instances, it will he almost impossible to confine ourselves to its specific narration. Notwithstanding we shall use every precaution to avoid repetition of facts, and tautology of language, yet, in our endeavor to disentangle the one from the other, this may, at times, unavoidably occur.

The exact time at which the tract of land, embraced within the present limits of what is now known as Union Township, became an organized body seems rather indefinite.

Diligent research, however, reveals the fact, that prior to July, 1807, when the first election for county officers was held, the entire county constituted but two townships, viz., Elizabeth, comprising all the territory east of the Miami River, and Rmidolph, embracing that portion west of the same river. .

At the October election following, it seems Randolph had disappeared, and . territory formerly known by that name, was subdivided into five townships, of "Union, lying in the extreme southwestern corner of the county, is one. It el?uht ,mUe8 lon8 and si* miles wide, containing an area tf wlte^J ' largest towasiup in the county. Traversed by the SbUand^nmlrnn. ^6 ^ ***? ,two branches of Lndlow Creek on the north and west, rende^^ntlv^ wl streams, a great portion of the township is, therefore, thns forminS a complete system of natural drainage which very materially enhances the prodnctiven4 of the soil.

Eablt Settlement

increased the same niaht if; - 3 ?ar' Caleb Mendenhall, with a family of six next year, 1803 John^MW h s arnvaI bJ the birth of a daughter to seven. The a mill-site hhrher ud" Th ' TS**?' Derick Yount, came, and located eons Jonathat jelmiah ^iZm lr^ "\1804' ft David Mote'Sr- with to 'lies, settling further westward I ^ JeSA6' M excePt William, with fameast of the river was settw/toT^ nortb"ard- About this time the portion lying Benjamin Pike Jacob L,eonard Fl"cher- William Fincher, William Neaf grated to ^ th^to^shi^"1 At A73?.' an^^1S8 doubtless the oldest man who'emi- He and hi. wifXth di^ 5® fSS °f, * 8 arri^ he was seventy-one years old. had been married ovpr aiV?1 1817, at the residence of his son John. They 20, and settled by a SDlendfd^nHn Thfr el^68t ^°n Jonathan purchased Section his home that healed it « I n0t £°? lts center* He was 80 Proud of He camp 1 the garden 8P°t of the world." family nearUMf ma7ledagain in 1806 or 1807, having kept his township and' the first nn^n^f In 1810, he built the first brick house in this and taught his^hildten to^abor^' ^ ^ 0ther immigrants' he cIeared a farm been disowned T ii, The Motes were all Quakers, or Friends. Jonathan had never regained hi*/ t*l?n about tbe close of the last war with England, and years After death. of last ^ he hved for some farm to him reser^in^ h- y uUDgeSt ®?n' dereraiah> marrying, he transferred his not verv lnpo-'o 571 S® ,b s house and a life maintenance on the farm. This was land, it 30f T bad Previously bequeathed and sold the greater part of his interest in th* r however, more than 100 acres. The son soon traded off his of 1839 thp nUlarm' whl°h was again transferred to a third party. In the spring adjoining- and l and unhappy, went to the house of his nephew, who lived

Jeremiah Mote removed from this State at the time of his fathers death, and died soon after. He left a numerous family, a part of them being yet in their minority. Three of his grandchildren are living here at an advanced age.

William Mote married about 1814, and lived here until 1830, when he died, leaving three children. He was a very quiet little man, and is said to have killed more deer than any man in the country.

John Mote, the Doctor, requires particular mention, being the first and longestpracticing physician in the township. He was bom in 1767, the birth-year, also, of John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson. He possessed all their firmness, and, though but slightly educated, much of their ability. He appears to have been the first on the west of the river to settle away from a spring, the first to have a well and sweep, upon which was suspended what Wordsworth calls

The Doctor was an industrious and prosperous man, carrying on farming with Ins medical practice. Vomiting, blistering and blood-letting were his favorite^ remedies. Very tenacious of preconceived opinions, he could hardly be convinced ttist there was each a disease as sick stomach or vegetable poison. When called to a patient suffering with that disease, he treated him for bilious fever, and the patient died. It was not until after he had been afflicted with it himself, and was told by a visiting neighbor that he had the poison, because he (the neighbor) could smell it, that he concluded there might be such a disease, and took remedies for it. He practiced forty years, and died in the harness, for, having returned from visitmg a patient, he fell between his honse and barn, receiving a severe injury in the nip ; he was helped into the house, but never walked afterward, having received, it was thought, a light paralytic stroke. After a few weeks of patient suffering, he died, having survived his wife but a few years. This occurred in 1845. His children were four sons and five daughters, namely, Elizabeth, John, two Daniels, Davtd, Rachel, Anna, Rebecca and Mary, not one of whom is now living. But two of his grandchildren are living in this township. Dr. Mote was a warm-hearted °PP°8ed to ^ret societies, and an Abolitionist of the 70Tl? had more 8uch s® be, it would be better. Jesse Mote, lishing er' ^le<* 80 on8 ago that little is known concerning him worth pubwhom hlfT18 f v 1 805' the family of Samuel Jones, from Georgia, of ties of both land and monev te'their ' Ifu tbey 8uccee(,ed in leaving large quan the denomination of Friends - he Mr- Davis and family belonged i to his wife and ten gurvi i I8.1.??d' to8efbe^witb considerable money at interest, character happened to thil rg e.^I,(lre°- circumstance, most remarkable in its ^ T y- °" lhe mornin8 of May 22, 1817, Mrs. Jones, flashoflightninfffmm 44e"d- to housebold duties, was struck dead by a proceeded® w^f/ a passing cloud. The cloud from which the electric fluid away. y 8ma11 tensions, but the peal was heard miles was never seen to hrMthmeaD8«Were .taken 40 restore the unfortunate woman, she was S - * °i 8t,/kaeain- Her niece was not far from the spot, and dent of Iowa On Sfi,°U ^ ^ tbe stroke, but finally recovered, and is now a resi- Jones were follownH *44>« day succeeding the catastrophe, the remains of Mrs. convened at that nl«o t le grave by the largest concourse of people that had ever the rughter of Fnfc* °"e y^/r0m thi8 time- Mr Jon^married Rebecca, two v3 anH rSO"' of Monroe Township, with whom he lived twenty?

ful in business^ °5 ^e was a "an industrious, energetic and skillable in all tran0COJfClentl*?I!8uin tile ob8ervance of all religious duties, and honor- T Y1 transactions with his fellow-man.

°n ** North Branch of flow's Creek. Strong and itself and .*n at"er' "e encountered and overcame every difficulty that presented adventumna ^ cP.nr^e of years had a large farm under cultivation ; being also of an which hp i/yodSnt' repeatedly built flat bottomed boats upon the Stillwater, bors and not ' °nlv with his own pork and flour, but with that of his neighdamremns n®P?rted to New Orleans. These were enterprises both difficult and work on Joe delighted in them. At such times, he left the management and i farm to his sons. From one of these trips, he brought home the firet telescope ever possessed in this township, which was an object of wonder to his neighbors and their children. They would draw it out and view distant objects with wonder. He reared twelve children, of whom, not one is now a resident of this township, and only about half are living. In 1839, he removed to Indiana, where he died about twenty years ago. His neighbor and cousin, Thomas McCool, settled adjoining him on the west, about the same time ; he was a farmer also, but had in addition, a taste for office. He was accordingly repeatedly elected magistrate for what was called the Creek nation. He settled many a controversy between them, if not with the wisdom of a Hale, at least with the dignity of a Mansfield. Some of these suits, conducted without attorneys, were most unique if not ludicrous in their character. One of these cases I must briefly notice. A man whom I will sail I. F., known not only as the laziest man in the township, but most likely.the laziest in the State, once rented a rather desolate little farm, which he had acquired in early times, to W. F., reserving a favorite apple-tree and little cabin as a residence for himself. W. F.'s geese making a raid upon I. F.'s apples, the latter brought suit against the former to recover damages. The trial ended, the magistrate rendered a verdict in accordance with the facts, which verdict was that W. F. pay to I. F., 6± cents damage, and each party pay his own costs. The laughter of the spectators can better be imagined than described. Squire McCool's chirography was somewhat like the late Senator Choate's, of Massachusetts, which is said to have resembled the track made by a spider crawling out of an inkstand. A transcript from McCool's docket once came to court which could not be deciphered by the writer himself. He remained on his farm during the war, a firm believer in the doctrines of Abolition, after which he removed to Iowa, where he died.

Isaac Hasket, a pioneer noted for his great physical strength, came here about the same time as the preceding ; he came accompanied by his wife and child, the three having journeyed here from South Carolina on horseback. By trade Mr. Hasket was a carpenter ; a barn, built by him in 1819, is still standing ; it is the property of Frederick Yount, and is probably the oldest in the township. Mr. Hasket moved several times, but in 1823 he settled permanently on Section 19, at the age of fortyfive. He was the father of five sons and three daughters ; of these, Thomas is a prosperous farmer, living near his father's last residence, while John, the fourth son, has a farm which joins him on the west, and also a large amount of land in differe!*.. P aces- Joseph, the fifth son, now resides in Indiana. With the help of his . udren, Isaac cleared a large farm and provided land for his children. He died m 1849, leaving a name which for honesty and sobriety cannot be excelled. Henry txiate, with his father and five brothers, came from South Carolina at about the date oi the preceding, and settled on Section *6, on Ludlow's Creek. He was not only ,also a 8kiUful blacksmith ; he did all the work required by the farmers, nVkLf* ^ace-chains, hame-hooks, log-chains, mattocks, hoes, axes and earlv s,v. important of all ilia shop productions were his sickles. In those

TCwhen a^'81te the farmer- No livelier time was known to the farmer into the teeminf^ j f "1,®"^ reaPer8' falling into diagonal line, thrust their sickle® "t£d tnd1feSe eld8.0f golden Much skiff was required to reap with being laid off in I?en themselves in the acquirement The fields cision until the fiS? 81 ^o-handed lands, the work went on with order and prewould Ko to hfs neiahtwf8 ta»hed' when>if the had no more, the reaper® was a day's labor and twenty-flve to thirty dozen of wheat to the hand

Coate's shop funiigbed ^ da-v 'he price. For many years, Henry superseded by the Scythe 8aF°"ndlng country, until they were "earl) clearing of his landman, i f"d adle' Dunng "11 this time, Henry Coate had the land and money by his indush^0* °peratl0"8 going on- He accumulated much in the world. ' The nam ' !!"d was able to give all his children a good start Rachel and Rhoda, all dead Wh»6m wf re_, Lydia, Isaac, Mary', Esther, Samuel, When age had come upon Henry Coate, he gave up l»wev«r, swelled the weak ^rttlemLto h,V*h?f. rinl? part of which, about this time we may emimorntf^L {? 8 township. Among those who came almost unprecedented 10 b?-ttie re8ervoir from which flowed this but also Wa^ C toton Men S?,ch. a0t fed Union Township, the thin settlements of these <xmnti«?^ ^la®' Counties i ; and, while it swelled, the districts from which it flowed. ' eflexlve-v decimated almost to extinction spirit of emigration a wbole energy of the nation, paralyzing the northeastern Md^orth J!f a "atura! consequence, therefore, the southwestern, in the repose of nature P°rtlons of the township remained undisturbed and safe clears off lUt^IhoZJ.^he wW"8hip havin« b^0 occupied, and the labor of desire to Live them to*^ * been accomplished, the inhabitants manifested no late as the vLr^S ,iT?h "7 *°me8 in the ^ "Harness ; therefore, so wilderness uninhahiwi U * u® tfrntoP' Previously referred to remained a vast ries in thei'r glooLy solitude ^ ltS nat''e <,emZen8' who heW forth in wild revel- moredeservins^rAorw^ ^ fu-d 0011(31106 to its settlement, we know of none in our introdu?^mT^1 u0Vn thlS townshiP tban the StiUwater ; and, as we have now^nd^rtnl^^u13^ Cursorily alIu^ to it and its tributaries, we shall more definitely 680113)0 that portion of it within the limits of this township appearir^^1*}^1^8 ^ ?am« from .th.e sluggishness of its current, frequently unbroken volump °f tranquil]it^! or 80 lazily moving along in a deep, the north pa at tuui 8fcream enters Union Township near the northwest comer of of the °f. Section 4, flowing southwesterly until it nears the center re-unitino- s* ' WOen ?3lghtly turning it divides, inclosing a long, narrow island ; of the aSVi Pursue8 its course toward the southeast till it approaches the comer the centpr en takes a line nearly due south, which it continues nearly to south of p + 8°utheast quarter of Section 9, where it takes a course a little when it ArT91 foe aoutheast comer of the southwest quarter of the section, ws south, slightly deflecting to the east, pursuing a meandering course till it reaches the center of the northeast quarter of Section 34, where it flows in a semi-circle ; dividing in its recurve it incloses an island, after which, uniting, it flows southwesterly out of the township, near the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of Section 34.

A peculiar characteristic of this stream is distinguishable in the fact that throughout nearly its entire course in this township, the left or east banks are lofty and abrupt, presenting a bold, rocky front to the water, while on the opposite side the land recedes for a considerable distance, nearly on a level with the river, when it gently rises and stretches away in undulating plains. As a natural consequence, therefore, all, or nearly all, the " bottom " lands are on the west side ol the river.

The Main, or North Braqch of this stream takes its rise from the junction of two small creeks near the center of the northwest quarter of Section 1 1 ; thence flowing across the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of the same section, it passes east through the southern portion of Section 1; deflecting slightly south, it continues about a mile, when turning, after receiving the Southwest Branch, it flows meandering in a generally northeast course, and empties into Stillwater, near its entrance into the township.

Ludlow Falls

A short distance below the crossing of the Dayton and Covington pike,, the stream glides along, gently plashing from ledge to ledge in its descent until it trembles on the brink of the precipice; then, leaping thirty feet over rocks whose dark heads are thrust through the foaming water, it bubbles and boils, then rushes on its mad career along the canon through whose rocky cleft we can trace the meandering course of the stream hewn from the solid rock ; cascade fountains within, a beautiful cedar grove and green ascending sward in the conservatory, wiui an outlook through the descending vista, along which the foaming stream finds its way still tumbling down - massive buttresses, and dark alcoves, in which grow beautafhl mosses and delicate ferns, while springs burst out from the fhrther recesses and wind in silver threads over floors of lime rock.

To these grand and beautiftil combinations is attributable the almost donstant mflux of visitors during the pleasant seasons to this Niagara of Miami ntv wo y omiwater. Without trenching upon the general geoic immediate on Winning 5K.i?n nf?18 oonnection, that these springs issue at 1 gara. The vast ^ Clinton limestone, which is overlapped by the N the water as it percolat^th150^^ Niagara rock, many feet in thickness, receu sinking do^ u^n! ^ihe which grows dee^r as it recedes, gradua outcropping as Clinton> and flowB 004 over '* *° exceUettpfSlIrith^hlch^M^h16 -m?terial for building of the many is also found in vast quantities faWa^ft.1I,teMeCted' Sand of "cement qualify peat amounts Tsugar' Md^h^b^yg^ij^' "hh' su8ar' _maple - from whose sap factored - hickory, elm walnut ^ome-made molasses," was manuappear elsewhere*. ' 5 P°par' beech> and many others, whose names will lighted up the whitewashed ** ^ween, and tbe cheerfhl, crackling blaze rapidly expanding population ^he Hmhi' - B,Ut.wlt^ the influx of people and the erations will have i^eed ere thi ^t,'8 2"* away, and not many gendisappeared, and inttafr stead waving fieU^Tf toT^ of .thia township will have the Indian's wigwam anrl _- F , , wheat and com will be seen, and mansion of completely develop^^vMi*0?'^4 j*aye given place to the stone *ges of the world, have been ' , S?<;h' throughout the countless

Pioneer Times

South Carolina passed throuo-h^h® J^}°ter' "d> th?nTfh tho8e from North and existed, they would not stem thl^H [f416 of Kentucky, where slavery northwest of the Ohio River rv. ' b"t traveled Ion to the land of freedom west or many of them pitched atmuing on above the settlements already made,

$2 per acre render^ u-* land could be entered only by the section, and that at The Government, howeve^a^^^ the P°°I^r to bu^ themselves homes, the land and nav ^ hem' on paying 20 P«r cent down, to pre-empt

Those who ~ 8imP.e, and then their lands were brought under taxation, money together antoJn?**}6 ^ ?ntef a section of hmd would sometimes put their divide it Bv thi» mn^16 !?n<* 18 tbe name of one of the party, then survey and It was nr»f i 18 mfans the emigrants mostly obtained homes, per acre and aia^i bow.ev®r» until Congress reduced the price of its lands to $1.25 of time the ' entry of quarter-sections, or 160 acres. In process > wnward sliding scale adopted by Congress allowed the entay or purchase of public lands to reach, the low amount of forty acres, but we think the lands in this township were taken before this law was enacted.

The next thing after purchasing homes from the Government was to make them such. Like the children of Israel, they found the land possessed (not so much by men, as in their case,) by the denizens of the forest, the bear, the wolf, the wildcat, the deer, the rattlesnake, with numberless minor inhabitants, who seemed disposed to hold it, if not by force, at least by the title of pre-occupancy. The writer well remembers hearing the terrific howling of the stealthy wolf at midnight, causing his hair to rise, and seeing the half-devoured carcasses of sheep that had become their prey in the pasture.

Simultaneously with the extirpation of wild animals came the erection of houses, stables, barns, and clearing away of forests for cultivation. The tools necessary for subduing the forests, and erecting their rude buildings, were at once brought into requisition. The chopping and hewing, or broad ax, the handand crosscut saw, the mattock, the froe, the beetle or maul, and the iron and wooden wedges, were either brought along or procured for the occasion. The sight of the grand and lofty forest trees of gigantic proportions, with interlocking branches, with earth-hiding undergrowths, presented a scene appalling to any heart but those of the heroic pioneer. They came to conquer, and were no more dismayed than were Hannibal or Napoleon at the Alps looming up before them.

A common friendship and fellow-feeling pervaded the hearts of the first settlers. The first who had come and made a start (as it was called), by living Jn their wagons until a tent or house was built, reaaily threw open their doors to those who followed, and assisted them also in making a start , the first object being, after selecting a site, to clear it off, erect a house for the family, and a stable for the horses. On such occasions, they made what were called " chopping . frolics, the neighbors gathering in with their axes, crosscut saws, etc., and assailing the forest simultaneously with a most hearty good will. These scenes continued for many years, and were conducted with sport, animation and gayety. The wnt®r remembers them during the years of long ago , being by them reminded of the description of the poet :

The fall of the forest giants would be attended by shouts of applause from the jolly wood-choppers, who proceeded immediately, if it was an ash, oak, hickory, poplar or black walnut of proper size, to work it into rails, stakes, board* or shingles. I may remark that but few shingles were made in those early times, the roofs being mainly constructed of clapboards, four feet long, upheld by rt'6-pol®* below, and kept to their places by weight-poles above. A mud-and-stick chimney, some eight or ten feet in width, would be joined at one end of the building on the outside, a suitable opening having been cut in the wall for it. The first ten r? CulI1?ney were j°ined to the house or hut, were built of cleft timber 1)61118 8e?rely lined ®tone laid in clay mortar. The upper part wa® detached from the building, and made of riven sticks and thieknA»ft a'bout three and one-half feet in width and two and one-half m caching two or three feet above the roof to secure it against fire. The nround^affordeH ^MJderabty narrowed in at about ten feet distance from the w»t|ng Plac* to poultry from the prowling wolves, and eniovinc the warm *J!Jarter8 winter 5 they even roosted on the chimney tops, °f from the covered fires. A friend^ recognition of mutual^ahf6^? 1between the chickens and their owners m this night Many a time did^t^if &tter .enWing the fire by day, and the former by clarion tones of the eWn*?11 pioneer hear from his chimney's summit the approachi^dTy. ha"tlCleer rin«in« °"t upon the air, and telling him of their windows were not only Uke angels'^o^^f'^r ^ they of li8ht 'hat dimensions, ranging from four to 8 I181.48' ^ew and tar between, but small in well rememW^sXga cIC to wf fob a ' 40 the Tdow' writer having but one window, and that Eo hS7 8even or,.elght resided, even deemed necessary to havelt SSS^bt^S.ST a11 40,3 ? jt was and bureaus, they had^road^L* $ , ,g 8°"ewhat awry. Instead of chests cans, in which they jmt sudl dotMni ^"thf ^ kllb!nt af°und in the form of lardnails around the walls ft mini,, k 0 88 4,beJ ^ad **ot room to hang upon the light coming through its capacious chim^8*6^ «hat ?"8 boU8e received additional blazing fire/reuderfd the^m not e^tf7 ^ i this, with the aid of the forests, killed gdeer aUd md,ust"oue' they cleared away the dense aeemed to possess the Dhilosonhv^f ^ ab"nda"ce, wore deerskin breeches, and ment. I would not have mv ?dpPtat'<?n to condition and animal enjoya sample of the early hf *w 4b?4 4»e above-described family was hook supporting it on the Su ®??b a^°ut three feet long ; the upper part had a a few inchM apart* betwIn^ThTth °,88p 84 '°Wer end- 8nd a~w of holes hook at the lower ^ it ,part bad a at 'he upper end, and a hshed that enabled the S tbf. h?Ie8 and catch, a sliding scale was estababove the fire. The Dot k^ttl^ nlT tbe P?t °r kettle at the proper distance constituted about all ^Utcb oven- 8k*Uet and long-handled frying-pan oil lamp XK In*",b °f tb08e Primitive days. The gnLor was attached afittle h» r 5-!!, ,f *?pd °f Pease, with its curved handle, to which hung or fastened to a ora'JT^ f?0ok' ®.pike and wick-picker, thus allowing it to be able substitute for the t 11 18 4bjiWa,!i wa8 then thought to be a cheap and valu- « brUliant l^hf 8u^ 0|W|Wd,ee The8e '""P8- when filled with oil" gave forth that, durini^colrf w80?^ 8n,d abundant in those days, the reader may well believe require tiro ml , ' larSe fires were not wanting. Back-logs, such as would burning fore-sticks. A fire, such as would send forth light and heat throughout the house, would then be made, around which the inmates would while away the tedious hours in calm domestic enjoyment, thinking that they enjoyed as much happiness as the rest of mankind. Who is there to dispute it ?

In regard to food, it may be supposed that the early settlers of this township were but raeagerly 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 din®* 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 nseager diet. I heard it told a great many years ago, but in what township it happened 1 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 fo°d* This was accordingly made, and the re-animated beetles then descended to the lively tune of, ' Meat, cabbage and bread ! Meat, cabbage and bread j ! ' thus proving that the improved diet, if it did not, l^e Tam chanter s fiddle, put life and mettle into the heels, it did, into the hands of the railsplitters.

ductivenean Jkrt^lteing material that could be obtained to make its proiertilitv of thp^Ati^f-lkeiremuilerative' 80 ^reat was the contrast between the hat an emi^nt wS10^ the «tf«s of the Stillwater and Great Miami, /eareand ^th Carolina in 1803, at the age of seventeen

The fSberCH,t,?t,0nu°.f tobacco and the making of whisky, single wre f^n l^I8i?WnSf*,p were 80 dense tbat tbe smooth clearing-off of a cX? faL wltvM LVaS! a"7nt of labor' As much as two hundred the planting of annle^r 77"* 8?d burned before the ground was ready for 1* sprabbed ud lwfh! or Peach trees. A vast amount of undergrowth had also to no easy matter to hnlTT, "d 7hile tbe8e were in a green state, it was gettimr his n«ua Tbe ^rst object of the enterprising pioneer, after were'cbtained anTattemntS8? ' k*8 i° 77 8 garden and orchard. When these numerous stumns 40 be P1?"^ a new difficulty presented itself. The Her to the plowsha^ TW8' 7th tbe,r green roofs, interposed a formidable barand for --- .*'- - i ^7?^ roots spread out in all directions, crossing each other driver Tim nlnwW°7 777 tl[jed *be mettle of the team and the patience of the and the ti * P, !' by 'he stubborn roots, would have to be drawn back would often SDrimr iL*f?ln-Vi, tbe/oots br°ke and the plow passed through, they spring ud or he 77 W'.tb 8"cb force 88 to make it necessary for the driver to unable tok«L7hiI r thei ir recoilin« bl°ws upon his toes or shins. Being descend too *7* Up more than a moment or two, they would sometimes or bov if a mn 7nd ITfIV'e 4be 8tr°kes as aforesaid. On such occasions, the man of the moralist Th^'Uld-7a7 U8e °f exP]et'ves that grated harshly on the ears but his earlv train;88 misfortunes, the writer, when a boy, full often experienced, itv. Tn q ft training prevented him, on such occasions, from indulging in prof&nsoii thft , owfver> these tenacious roots would decay and fertilize the crons wrtniJ6818 i PlowsIlare would pass steadily through them, and the teeming Th<* ni amPy reward the previous pains and labors of the husbandman, and °f those da^s were verJ simple and unique in their construction; with twai^ ,y were somewhat superior to those which the prophet Elisha used thev wai^e n j oxen' ^®y were greatly inferior to those of the present day ; sheath Vi h ^ ear-shares, having an iron shoe and wooden mold-board ; lie ana 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 being 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 m the forests in great abundance, famishing autumnal and winter food for swine. The mast-made pork, as it was called, though softer and more flaccid that the cora-fed, was 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 confasion. All night long the breaking of overloaded limbs could be heard, crashing on the ground, wounding 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 early 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 -5 > eleven-penny bits of 12£ ; and five or flppennybits (so called) of 6J cents value. For the convenience of change, the larger pieces were many of them quartered, ana 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, no liking a mixed metallic currency, determined to make it all national, and, accordingty, passed an act, during Pierce's administration, cutting down the Spanish com 20 per cent in value, at the same time offering its previous value in national com 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 money 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 foofl 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 : thpir floU . l^ar ** above stated, they obtained sugar and molasses ; from their fields they drew the flax that famished their summer apparel ; and from their checkered in the most animiP flannel® and Imseys would be striped and With the exception of carding and filling 10 tlle Z*6 of tbeir ownerswas done at home, leavin ' but little tofav *- J88 aPplled to doth, the work

"Bed scorched or browned rye barlev Pwh/at ^utside BfBmtanee. Forcoffee, they could get all thev desired from ii, k'i' w,eat flour> potatoes, etc. For tea, they the sassafras They d^nded for be/Z/nd .8Picewood *nd the roots of horse team, and thus combining tho^ tbf requisite number for a foureither for themselves or noin-M^-?' they would start, taking a few barrels of flour, they would start fof«?I "eigbbors and provisions, both for themselves and horses yoimger onM^as with a 8Pirit of hilarity, particularlyTe gather in to receive th^ artbdJ? H^Pi jh®" m/de' m6 neiKhbors would joyfully than twenty v^ , ?flclea ***>' bad Bent for. This custom lasted for more necessary. y ' ' the ""P^bon of the canal to Dayton made it no longer breasted coats with strait® n WOr®, low'Crowned, broad-brimmed hats, shortpantaloons without o,/!/8/1 oobare and no unnecessary buttons, long vests, and that form of dress was defended upon the ground heads they wore im/i?/" P ,a-1*n ?"d conformable to the ancient order ; on their center, ab^fthalf wb*te beavere, having an indentation or crown in the brim was foil »f5ia"i,lb ln dePth> and encircled by a white band or ribbon; the extremities - thov " h 8> Wldth and having also white ribbons attached to the chin, thus wrumi./vf "?wn down over the ears, and the strings tied under the tnre, beine made Jr !t on, *be bead. These hats were of veiy fine texkeep the head fuF> and were rather costly ; they were not calculated to the 8leevMof^ifbln8JU8t be,ow the waist and lapping over a petticoat or skirt; pieces called r C ^own rea°ked only to the elbows, where they were met by other Thev had « lor!11?8- 5 in those days, were made to reach to the elbows.

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 family 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 year, and the only man living who remembers those early scenes.

We refer to Samuel J ones, who came from Columbia County, Ga., and settled here ^ii ^?ar 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 plaoe of estination, with his household goods and family, having stayed the previous P1?- k'a 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 , on tne north bank of a most romantic glen, ftill forty feet in depth, which still remains unreclaimed from the forest His family consisted of seven sons and four sous - John, Jonathan, Francis, Samuel, Jesse, Thomas ?e d^i] ^ters were Dorcas, Mary, Sarah and Rachel. The eldest son aad the youngest daughter about five years of age. There ^ord® of Jesse, the only survivor, and who gave us this history, when we arrived there." Stalwart brothere, with their father min ' 80011 the imPression that betokened in the near future a conoff board -nn f They felled a large white oak ; while some were sawing and nnftino- ts, otb®r8 w®re riving them ; others, still, were cutting forks and poles Wd^ongthLa ^ Before ni*ht they had it coverld and weatherit on the south tk G8' 80uth one being left open ; a small cooking-tent joined taS brosTon main having ttoe groJrnd for floor, was wvered with ber waT^und oT Were placed their P4111^ Whether their first night's slumlong-wished-for hn^' We *51 eft guess, but the thought of having reached their with them it* n e have given them much enjoyment. They had brought pan. During thelrh^7- COOklng utensils, such as pot, tea-kettle, skillet and fryiug* We toT! & th,ey 1111(1 leamed the trade of ^psy-cooking, and wild turkey, fish, etc Wl d meat they had abundance, such as venison, ermen, was teeming with ite fin^v1^!^118 1)6611 88 yet much disturbed by A*' gambols, would snrimr ont inlmkitant8, whole shoals of which, in sportive

The drag-net was madp n* bushels, either with the hook or the drag-net length and four feeUn width101^^ §rapeyine8J some thirty or more feet in the interstices filled with «,ii i 6 8*fandy vines were interwoven with bark and barrier to the larger fish Tho eave<* shrub branches, presenting an impassable ^ "8h- They were thus caught in cteriwd quantities, and fab.

B ^ a port-hole, and waiting in silence for the pointing shoreward unsuspecting animal, being bltoded bv the liLht > me d°,wn and drink- The would allow the canoe to come withfn * he»lng little or no noise crops on it, one of turnip sled and the ^hef o^ T*V T®' theJ 80wed 'wo ttey «,t a good crop of turnips, and in the next 1? J*?m ft> ln December, October, they built a snhow: i , , next summer a good crop of wheat Tn soldier named Conner, who lived on^tUl^te/T bJ an old RevolutioMiy mgger's " for the boar(J 00 Stillwater, that they frequently substituted a the same, and he had the singula satisf^ti^ of siT f°Ur daugbters also did descendants springing ud a3nd h?m S " oftbebo ding quite a community of abode of civilLxfliff Some of ^ g ,wilderne88 and making it the pheasant and other wild an toialf fd ^^fi,g00d hu - ters' manJ a dcerfiturkey, the wolf had no terrors fof fh^ ft thelr ""errmg rifles. The howling of

Jog-rolling which told fPftrfnnxr endunQg was this material, that clearing and Cover of it would h^lf w^ut!1 C°mm0n Cl°the8> hard1^ *®°W ^ A ball-

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 aaid, 11 Mr. Jones, since you have named your township Union , I will call mine Goncord} which name, I think, is about as good as yours." We do not learn that ^!L^0ne8 made an3r 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, I f0i°f ^ voting Pop^ation, a fraction over four-fifths are Republicans. I do npt state this to extol one political party or disparage the other, but merely men- Friends*8 *** b*®torical fact, attributable, perhaps, mainly to the influence of the

- _ or8*n*2**tion of the township government took place soon after this meetthf at .8ame bouse ; at this preliminary meeting, as in all others,

Thio ' u°b Chairman and Clerk or Secretary, have to be chosen viva voce, moatw oiiUT*8 .a^0Pte^» but for some time none could be found willing to serve, and "competency as the reason.

DoinJd Sn^raa ^ ^we would not get organized at all ; at last they api th» ^ktSamuel B Edward*5 who tppe^ed to have more brass than Z asked wh J ^and was at la8t finished When done and signed, some s^ertolunw^i r* lnEdwaT?8' name stood for ; he, being slow to reply, a by- Boobv." This «T for ^un' * * b tell," said he " what it stands for ; it stands for was Edwards' aPP^rs have been accepted by the company, and it seems foun^Ho^f ^Bubse^Mnt^n^f18 *° hav.ej>een a very crude one, yet it v* ** who participated in thSe^iv ^J? 4 penod of seventy-three years, and, of all No person is now l i elections, not one now remains, civil officers of this townahto wbo can tell the names of many of the first elected District, South Carolina Q Coate, son of Marmaduke Coate, of Newberry his place of residence is now^v^^m its flrst elected Clerk, and, though now reached the time when thJ*' Townsbip, it was then in Union. We have most important one in the tnJl^ of Milton was begun, and, as it is far the wnsnip, we propose to give its early history.

Crt8kl11, ttnd such he continued to^'for^n0'161"61'111^0'' °f more than orlfourieen yea,01, 80n of Caleb Mendenhall "!?y Griffith Mendenhall, a informed the author that ho . enaeuhalJ, of whom mention will be mJi* rode them to the sale of these lote^nki^to ^Ham? mounted two steers' aar3 i thejr mode of traveling would hnik u"* to Wltness something extraordi- Evans was the father off"^^ extraordinary at this time. jSSt

Rebecca, Bobert and Susan hisddSrtdL!*? Tk ""i namelY> Elizabeth, Anna, We read Paradise Lost omi! 6 ?est daughter, though young in years is said tA fether to give the village the name ofTts^iltoa^ admir^ that she induced hS Milton only, but, when a « 1 lts lllustnous author. It was at first called

Robert Finney, a hatted Md^h^'v^6,1^ tho8e of John F. Jay, a carpenter others, Oliver Beuton anrli^r/r' in fte town Proper, thou^ two Yorker, and son of a soldi^toe^lWri1^ just ab?v^ BentO" waa a New Joseph Evans in a store in CinrinnJf^ voI"tl5>n' . He had been a partner with to Milton and Mtoblish^d « a 8"d' bavm« married his daughter Ann, fether-in-law, adjoining Milton ^ 8 .drY Fooda store, on land bought of his Post office iteVlX"? This was about 1817 or 1818. The first and kept by Benton h!" h^11 established here at this time (a weekly one) refinement of manner skuLTto we,l ed"c?te<i for those times, of much capacity. He acted tor . T business, and of far more than ordinary mental the employment of teachers Thus JivfJi? rtf Dd hi8^bi1<^,eu' and> being foremost in aPPly to the time before g g 'hem a good education. These remarks holding the post office fift^n?? W6re estabhshed by the State. Benton, after opposite politics He f or. upward, was displaced by C. W. Beebe, of and advancement Ah^tn!lg te10^ ^d addlng to ito faciiitie8 for growth Springfield, Clark Countv* In^iSn1836' Benlb,n removed his store and family to and P«cticed law in the^magistrate'cou^ ®at h® retun,ed' tou«ht school,

Early Manufactories

It is said a carding machine wa3 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. Guns were also repaired, and it is said the Indian chief Tecuraseh 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 auswer would be, that its life-blood has long been drained by Dayton and Troy. 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 trade, in fact, that builds all towns and cities, however much their eligibility of situation may contribute to it In 1840, a turnpike was made from Dayton, nrough Milton and on to Covington. This helped the village to some extent, but d 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 orwJff611 ^mes ^en both by the village and township, to secure one. From

^?"eflca?8e or otheL the schemes have all failed, until the people became incredgf!rg 0ne: The?> however, at last have one, and can hardlv thT^hp^I ", h Sey are lndebted to Mr. Arnold, of Dayton, for it. He conceived sailles and .°n®. from Dayton, through Milton and Covington, to Ver- sequence. From a nn, ' a ®reat revival of house-building and trade is the conlong, doubled or trebled °f ab°Ut eight hundred 80uls> we expect to see it ere- several lots, on one ofwh^hV0^^0 P^uniarily injured him. He still owned merchandising on a rathar ^ n Ul t .a dwelHng and storehouse. He continued Bing on a rather email ecale until late in the autnmn 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 veiy 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 1834, 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 whom taught several terms - all subscription schools.

The village of Georgetown, or New Lebanon, appears to owe its paternity to George Hatfield. It was laid out about the year 1840, in Sections 15 and 22- Its growth has been veiy 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 county 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 Caleb Mendenhall, and subsequently at the neighboring cabins.

According to the discipline of the Friends Church, no branch can be esta lished 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 remov , 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

Thus we see by this record that there has been a recognized Friends Church in uris 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 -rompnsed 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 oonverts, 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 New Light i Church ^ b exists, and is known as the Christian, or generally called,

During the year 1846, a minister of the Cumberland Presbyierian Church of vovington, was m the habit of coming to the town of Milton to preach, and, as Methodist Church0 ^ tllere of bis denomination, he usually occupied the

^inoiKr°K^e re?uJ1*r accommodation of its members, the attempt was made, prinnidividual, to build a church, but, failing to receive the pecuniary vAAm n having partially completed the same, he abandoned it for some the auspice^of EldeTwiUiSa?' * bnU1Ch °f Chri9tian ChUrCh' east a? MniV uhu!?h house was built on the Milton & Tippecanoe road, one mile them until ^ *bo ,®ember® of the Christian Church, which was occupied by De8Trin° '' " *adly lnjured b>' a ®tonn as to render it unfit for occupancy. magniflLnt """ time more centrally located, they sold it, and erected a is the'eG^nana'^^'^?Ur^' - Prominent among the churches in this township, Word of God in ttefri8*' 7^^ Preachers were among the first to proclaim the grated from Swartz reat Valley. The first members of this church immitown, Penn Th^TvS' Genna"Jr' in the year 1719, and settled in German* and fled to America wjfvfeilifevere y persecuted on account of their religious faith, of worshiping God aceorHincJ1?1^^ ,?ainin8 liberty> and of having the privilege their progress was slnw ^ tb? dictates of their conscience. For sixty years in its unsettled state L W1*!F 1° tbe difficulties and hardships of a new country, twenty years later and by the French war of 1755, and the Revolution the new settlements Tn 1 8nhsequent Indian wars all along the borders of in America, also edited « , Christopher Saur published the first German Bible ized their first Sabbath .papSr *yeT 188116(1 fr(>ni the church. They organwe have any knowledge was and the flrst annual conference of which tution of the United State* . ^be Bberty and protection the Constibecame more visible Tho fir?fVe . m» instilled new energy, and their progress ' The first meeting-house of the church we have any account

Virginia, was John Garber, in Flat tock vluev Jim h that Settled in minister, and built up a laro ^ concrreffatinn Fr!^1!^' Wa^ an eminent moved to Ohio, and settled on 5^25** . tbls valley, Jacob Miller man, and did much toward founding tl» ^ ,°n tlf wes? side> was an able gratefully indebted for its present am cb??*b, and to bim the church is members of the church and devofcJ adeIeyen reI,g»°us periodicals printed by leges under control oaiie "hureh ^ There »re ^ree coland one in Berlin, Penn The^tadente of^h" M°!?Si.IU' one in Ashland, Ohio, great care, and are welcomed re.rn.J? °f 86 1.n?t,tut,ons are watched over with the moral standard r^uir^ ' g 688 °f rehg,°D °r Sect- if th<* <*> many that now inhabiththtere"ion ' ^W^'"8 for worship, have sprung the no display of finerv or a cmndv T lesl- people are plain, unostentatious, make best citizens in the 'land ° tJ? f MfP^aratDCe;iare hone8t> temperate, and among the berry and Monrol ' \he ^wnships of Union, Newton, Newnumber of pvnoiia organized churches, which are presided over bv a first preach^ Xis^mreh £e?b. Swank. and hU nephew' Joh" Swank, »«® the harmonTwith themtw " 'd ^1Ch 18 *2* Zg0od condition, being in union and Abraham " " To' Henry Fess, Henry Arnett, in this townshin^ for ^ahon f1 1 i8ee<^ of ^®th°^lsm seems to have fallen in stony places sprang upand^Ih^ the J6ar 18?3' theJ organized and built a church, which it begin to d^Iine f?T a but} after an existence of ten ^ twelve years, occupied mainly by the FriendT'^ * nUmberS but few members> and the house is the chure^este^haH ^au *a are also two churches, one built by the successors of the dtizeM^^Sfei % f Snethen, the other by the united efforts and means of In addJH^ ^l? f denomination and open to all Christian people, of the townqhin tb°?e a rfadv enumerated, tliere is a church in the eastern part ing Sabbato 1,1 connection with the Friends' Church are three flourishyear In *' °^e °f wblck - located in Milton - continues during the entire ant season «!!i° the?e' there are various union schools held during the pleasaccommodation of th** ^ C,°ntlI??. of any Particular denomination, but for the modatioii of the general public, irrespective of creed or sect

1832^nethr^p°?>l8Ji" ^is towmhip were taught at West Branch, from 1808 to it aDnears H, f Meeting-House. From the remains of certain manuscript, and taught the largest school ever collected at this place, but, owmg to inefficiency in government, his school was a failure and finally ended inzera

In 1824, during the summer it was controlled by J^bM' H Jones, who During the winter of 1825, the school was taught b^amel . was said to be rather an extraordinary man, a kind of universal gen ,

During the autumn of 1828, and w nter of 1829, *e "h"'B*h the Alexander!. Wilson. James Hanks a land surveyor held the torch TO ^ winter of 1830. During a part of the autumn of \®3^"1.^°^inauguisted young ideas were directed by W. B. Jones, of South Carolina, ftt departed tWa'lifp ll^T^i^r''6 W,Iliara H . George F. and Edward M. Mrs. C. was celebrated with 'FliT'/^L0 'tW?^ *>T.ni June 30, 1833. His second marriage and Hannah Amlin - i Nov. 13, 1878 ; she is a daughter of Samuel of fine land 'whinh 11 7® P,ace wher? he Qow resides in 1861 ; he has 50 acres lion, and his immvt . 8ltuated west of Milton, all being in a good state of eultivagrounds commJ10'6?0^ ^ nuraher one in every particular. The beautiful more than owlin °US ,^0U8e and ham, in conjunction with other improvements of and his moat character, tend to make his home a very desirable one. He dollar, but b v h i ne i*S °ne °* °ur 8e"'ma(l° men, having begun life without a object in life mi WOr* an<^ S00*! management, he has accomplished the great declinino* vpora e a "(KX ^lomc' which is the fruit of toil and frugality, where his WELT tfn 8um,un(led by all the comforts of life.

are Elizaliotl. i>*?T VlZ0' ^oseph, Harb D., Alice, W. B. and Minerva ; the deceased farm which hn ° w and Elizabeth E. Our subject was reared on the

S. Conawnv i^1 i,ln marriage with Louisa M., a daughter of Lloyd N. and Sarah b°m in 18i5 - u"1 ^arc i 1®> 1842 ; her father was a native of Maryland, and was Miami Co «« 40 alone, when 1 6 3'cars of age ; he departed this life in

Rhode Islam? i!! Tore?*1*8, **er m°thei\ Sarah N. (Aldrich) Conaway, was bora in are living who ° *1 ' and remov®d to Darke Co. with her parents in 1830 ; they departed this ipf taey -settled fifty' years ago, at a ripe old age. Mrs. Cox's mother with Josenh P * 6 1Di ^0,> *n *871. Her second marriage was celebrated riage. he en<m A'i - Win8^ latter deceased, and Francis. After our subject's marmoved tothoi m *ann*ngln Franklin Township, Darke Co., for two years ; then land all in 7 Where he now resides> 1" 1861 ; he has 75 acres of choice fanning character wk^v. state of cultivation, and his buildings are of more than ordinary the homo'or ' 1,1 connection with the beautiful grounds and shrubbery, makes _ umeofMr n»,i n , ' - -« * He is a member the home of 111 connect*on with the beautiful grounds and i °f the Boftwi r ail(l Hrs. Cox a pretty and most desirable place, for two 01 A&rlculture in the county, and has filled the ofl

West Milton; was bom in 1853; in Lost Creek Towns^p jAg" his father, was born in the above township m 1823 , his motlie^'S lld . both nee Cobolt, was born in Auglaize Co Ohio, the year as her 1 usband ^ are living, and reside on a farm in Staunton Tow nship , . 1 wa8 reared doing a Urge trade in his line; in March, 1880, he located West Mdton, esjn lishing himself in the same business ; he carries a full line of the ^ stock of hardware and harness ; though he is young, we pre business princias a live, energetic business man, who, by fair dealing anc © keens1 in his

DAVID DAVIS, farmer ; P. 0. West Milton ; was township. Jan. 27, 1831 ; his father, Benjamin Davis, was hommSoi^bm Nov. 12. 1793, and removed to Ohio with his parents when 01*^ . ^

Co., settling here in 1804. Our subject's mother, Margaret (Fetter ) 'emibom in Pennsylvania in 1802 ; her parents died m Pennsylva , , ted this grated to Miami Co., where she was married to Benjamin Davis ,.sk 1 ^ in the world and engaged in farming, which he has followed unm e p , - d his life ; he first purchased 80 acres of land from his father ; on t i -n

1862 ; he now owns 148 acres of well-improved land, which is all m a © of cultivation and pleasantly situated. He was united in marriage wi * .

Dec. 31, 1797, and removed with his parents to this county in 1805 ; lie Toiltmc Rhoda (Teague) Davis, was born in Ohio April 30, 1801 ; Mr. and Mrs. ' were natives of South Carolina ; they were the parents of three children, two are living, viz., Samuel and Anna M. ; Elizabeth deceased ; her mt c Oct. 28, 1859 ; her mother departed this life Nov. 22, 1834. Mr. and Mr^ ' are the parents of five children, of whom four are living, viz., Osborne, nh,I! o tiPr°9p^Ci here and locate a home- 0n Section 17, he found the desired Lna WaS ,ndu®nic?d by three springs, which were so situated as to give his thia Wltf. fim' 11011168 with the advantage of never-failing water. At nlilimui f' the/ace tlle country was so densely covered with forest that they were u ® 0 cat a ^ad through the woody laby rinth of their new home in order to a fMih;«CeS^ to ,e,r nej£hbora, some three miles south. They set to work to erect ownori 1 \'S1D® °D X ?uc^ "aterial as the forest would give. Their father, Abiatha, thofi^, 0r8ie' and. ' e ^^icd iiis hardy sons provisions, while they were felling its pnm i they camping out while doing the work. After of i«n«iPe *un' .femilJ m°ved into their new quarters, which was either in the fall fathpr S °r tae spring of 1804. His son John settled at the north spring ; Samuel, onp n ?lir subject, at the south one ; Abiatha himself locating at the center his aon en<iai?in mlierited his father's place at the center spring. On these farms Rpniom* "r Permanent homes for years, and reared their families. In after years, sons Tnh dlsp^8^ of hl8 and removed to Iowa, where he died in 1876. The other eldoat q n J0® Samuel remained on their forest homes till their decease. Amos, he on ho 11 Abiatha, settled in Preble Co., from where he removed to Iowa, where 84 ^^ae. y.dlcd. Samuel Davis departed this life June 30, 1870, aged about thni of ' u18 W^e ^avinS died previously. The}' were parents of six children, oi whom are living, viz., Riley, Allen H. and Mary (now Mrs. Curtis). The and thl^IvT6 Keziallj Nancy and Lindley. Abiatha was the father of four sons Our snh^ daughters, viz., Amos, Rachel, Samuel, John, Sallie, Lydia and Benjamin, laboiwiJ^tWa8rearcd on I1*8 fetlier 8 farm, and, until he was 16 years of age, with Joh T^rfi ^en.went Troy, in which place he learned the printer's trade failing 1° |l whom he remained more than a year, when, on account of thereaft ea ta' 'T*18 °Wig®d to abandon the printer's sanctum, and immediately in thia r en^ed in feuching, which he followed about seven years, exclusively dauaht/>COfDT^i' *)ec' 13, 1S38, he celebrated his marriage with Nancy Hale, a in lRqp * ° i q. n who was a native of Maryland ; he removed to this county for aHh°I After his marriage, our subject followed teaching and farming official K tlme' when. he was elected Justice of the Peace. The accumulation of 184ft1 i asmcs® required so much time that teaching had to be abandoned. In vear ' e 10cnted on 120 acres of land, in Section 12, that he had purchased the he HPr°U? ' land was parti}' improved, and he soon added 40 acres. Here Dose nf Un*? . ***67, ali which time he returned to the old home farm, for the purthe niH , maxiI1g the remaining years of his parents comfortable. He now owns old d® l ?me8tead, and his declining years are being spent in the shadow of the h»A e De lias held the office of Justice of the Peace for twelve years, and tion ^ the office of School Director and Superintendent of Public Instruckhn». i education was received in the common schools, in which, by dint of hard of studioU8 habits, he stored his mind with useful knowledge, a great deal irivaw * ^ils ol)tained without the aid of an instructor. Five children have been Marv ii!fein' °f whom four are living, viz., Olive, N., Malcolm H., Alma A., tiimrik ^artlla deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have been members of the Chris- Pliri +- Urcdl 1>or years, in which they are zealous workers, discharging e\ ery fustian duty with cheerfulness. Their children, with the exception of one, are ti ; raers with their parents in the church, which is a source of satisfaction

Nann ^L(^0LM H DAVIS, fanner ; P. O. West Milton ; is a son of Allen and ^RV18' oId and prominent settlers in this township. He was born i m 18 -j e place where he now resides ; he was reared on the farm, attending three months' school, in which he received his education. Feb 22, votonteered in Co B, of the 71st 0. V. L, and was transferred to the front m 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 foughtj and..h.®~Jheftf^f,the was nearly decimated, but Hood was beaten and almost annihilated , abOTtthe close of the war, their corps was sent to Texas, where they were kept till D«»mber, 1865 ; he was mustered out of the service January 1866 ; dunng toe evacuation of Ft Hymen, he received a severe injury from the falling of a pole ot an ambulance wagon, that almost crushed him, which injury is yet severely few y Mr. Davis. In 1864, while home on veteran furlough, he was i married i to Coate, by whom he has five children, viz., Claudie, Eleanor E., Mairnce JI., Mmm A. and William A. He and his wife are exemplary members of the Umstian Church, with which they have been connected since 186 1. He owns 80 acres good land, which is all in a good state of cultivation and well improved, m taci,

HENRY DIBRA, 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 ea y p neers of Miami Co.; he was born in Washington Co., Md., Feb. 21, 1803, son of Daniel and Elizabeth Dibra, who were born in the same place, lneir P ents were bom in the province of Lorraine, France, and emigrated to Am before the war of the Revolution. Jacob Dibra, grandfather of our subject, was a soldier in the army of Washington, and was the first man that ~ e, of American liberty to the breeze in the State of Maryland ; for that ac obliged to secrete himself for fourteen days in Order to escape the fur} merciless Tories ; he was a brave man, a true soldier, and to his countrj e ga his service without recompense. Daniel, father of our subject, was mam Maryland to Elizabeth Friend, and removed to Pennsylvania, where they resmeu nine years, when they came to Miami Co. and settled in Newton lowns P 1815 ; they resided here only three years, when they were stricken down with mysterious complaint, Milk sickness, and died ; his father died the 1st ot JN ber, aged 45 years, his wife followed him to the grave ten days later, lhe} the parents of ten children, who, at the death of their parents, were thrown P° the cold charities of the world, and scattered throughout the community, all ing good homes with the Quaker brethren ; they all lived to be men and wo n, but now only five survive, viz., Susanna, now Mrs. Miles, residing in Kansas , beth, now Mrs. Hall, who resides in Indiana ; David, who resides in Iowa ; bam , who lives in Newton Township, and our subject The deceased are Jacob, OOf Daniel, Mary and Jonathan. At the death of his father and mother, our su J was only 15 years old, and, young as he was, grappled with the stern realities life ; and, in times when men of nerve and experience were taxed to their 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 niuc 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 busmess o it was concerned, and turned his attention to farming. He first purchased o acres of land in this township, east of the river, which he soon after disposed oi, 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 bae 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 Chanty, a daughter of Lazarus and Elizabeth Langston, July 3, 1828. They were natives

They were ** Parente of Children, of foar ^"g viz, Leonard, Betsy, Charity and Mary. The deceased 5S7' Martha, Rachel and Rebecca To* the unio? of Mr. and Mrs. ElminL Minm^w611 have,b?eS given, of whom five are living, viz, Elizabeth, and t p«fjerVK] N"* and Irijah. The deceased are Mary and Susanna. He are exerrmla^Ph "if® have hfen "embers of the Christian Church, and

Rocki nah DIETRICK, farmer and minister ; P. 0. Potsdam ; bom in Pietriok wh^00 ' V^' m. fche /ear 1814, July 7 ; is a son of John and Elizabeth he died whan WGre ^)ni "Virginia, in which State they both met the call of death ; were mron* uPward of years of age, she in 1825, when in middle age ; they Nancif T vrT 0^8nVe? children, five of whom are living, viz, Abraham, John, D lahnrJi IE Catherine ; the deceased are Elizabeth and one dying in infancy ; and toot r.h°n I8!?1 ^ ^lst year, at which time he began life for himself, In 1838 h ai^e °* ^fe ,°d homestead, which he carried on for about seven years, nine of wh WaS m?.n?e^ to Mahala Judy ; to them ten children have been bom, with « m are hving, viz., Rebecca, Mary (who has been afflicted since infancy Jaooh - al?*v °f the mind), Isaac, John, Sarah, Catherine, Chloe, Samuel and movSV^w 1 (d.e(!ea^d)> aged 24 years and 8 months ; in 1846, Mr. Dietrick and woo ^Virginia, in which State he made his home twelve and a half years, near Sale^^ ' n® ' in 18^' he came to Montgomery Co., Ohio, settling residpn in fkID w"c" Piaee he remained eighteen years, then came to where he now Bantinf ^BT. 1877 > " the year 1854, he entered the ministry in the German twenty -ai t h wtlictl he has since labored, and by estimate has preached he onlJ h a. 8ermons> and solemnized one hundred and fourteen marriages ; resnonaiKi ^vantage of the common school, but is amply able to perform the thirty v 6 c*°t1®8 attached to the ministry ; he has belonged to the church for of twa ear8' w^e ^or a period of thirty-six : his children, with the exception

Tear 181 ^^MER, farmer ; P. O. Potsdam; bom in Montgomery Co. in the Penn - «/ 18 a 8011 *^°lm and Susanna Ditmer, who were bom in Lancaster Co, then pq re®oved 40 the above county at an early day, lived there many years, of 62*me i - countJ and resided till their decease ; his father died at the age seven ^>arS,u119 mother at the age of 58 ; they were parents of thirteen children, Geonre - +UJ111 m liv«ig, viz, John, Eli, Henry, Cass, Catherine, David and ham - T k G deceas^d are Elizabeth, Rosanna, Mar}', Jacob, Benjamin and Abra- 1844* h °an Was °n the farm, on which he worked till his 24th year. In whom 6 married to Lydia Mischler, by whom he has had ten children, seven of , are nving, viz, Abraham, Mary, Silas, John, Amanda, Sarah and Martha ; are Harriet, Jacob and Susana; after his marriage, he engaged in state e on, . e Place where he resides ; he owns 80 acres of land, which is in a good i of cultivation and well improved ; in an early day, Mr. D. was a successful at on many deer has he caused to bite the dust, in one instance killing two Start6 ?%A w^e 18 a daughter of Jacob and Mary Mischler, who were born in j -> Ohio, but afterward became citizens of this county, from which they "moved to Kosciusko Co, Ind, in which they died - he at the age of 65 years, she Ivdi*6 i^e 7*> they were parents of ten children, seven living, viz, Mary A, ami8' ^ena» Daniel, John, Jacob and Adam ; the deceased, Solomon, Elizabeth, n ®ne J^ho died in infancy ; he and his wife have been members of the German ptist Church for a period of twenty years, and are consistent Christian people, leading exemplary Christian lives ; he has been School Director for twenty years ; al8° EL? UUNCANOffaSrTr^P°0. West Milton ; he was born on the east bank of ship on the land where he now lives in the year 1826 ; his fathw, Isaac ^ l was born in Sonth Carolina in 1795 ; his early life was f spent . Ten~, an^ removed with his parents to Ohio when only 9 years of age , Co in 1804, entered 160 acres of land, where Ins grandson, our subject, now live , on tb he reared his family and resided till his death, which occurred m 1832 , on uns land, his sons Isaac and Jesse lived and reared their families ^^,epar^b^ life in 1847, aged 52 years, Jesse still later ; upon their death, William, ou j ^ a son of Isaac came into possession, and on this same estate has rearefl a family of children ; thus this farm has been the birthplace of three chn. children, all of the Duncan family ; Isaac Duncan was the fothe rot thirtm^ctn dren ; to the first marriage, with Hannah Pemberton daughter of Isaiah three were given, who are all deceased, viz., Isaiah, Kachel and Johm c®jUlren marriage was celebrated with Elizabeth Dixon, and to t ei Amos Eli and Abigail ; the deceased are Polly, Isaac, Elizabeth and David ; El.za^tl. (Dixon, Duncan, was born in South Carolina in 1800, and departed this was a second cousin to the grim old warrior, Anthony W ayne, ami ftbe ant of the illustrious Adams family, who figure so prominently in the histo country ; Nicholas Dixon was a military man, and took great pride ^ 1013 - rebellious subjects into submission, he was attacked by the Ton , beaten, and left on the ground for dead ; but he recovered and came to Ohio, he passed through all the hardships and dangers incident to pioneer lite. irail!ta ject was reared on the farm, where he assisted his father in agriculture, p until his 21st year, when he began life for himself and took charge of the o place, thereby keeping the family together till grown, when they made hom themselves ; here, in the abode of his fathers, he has lived ever since, with tu ception of two years, when he lived in Greene Co., so that his children ml£ht the advantage of attending the Antioch College. His marriage was celebrated

Union Town8Hip

Mai?ha Langston, who is a daughter of Leonard and Francis Langston ; Trllu Wa! , !n Georgia and tier mother in Maryland ; Mr. and Mrs. Duncan has filial *k a,«^ar^r W! Iam and Mary, and Sarah A., deceased. Mr. Duncan anri n- CAe ^U8^ce °t* the Peace for three }xars, Supervisor one term, thpphriofi n,eCtof years ; he and his amiable wife have been members of aflvonAflm m*. ^?r a number of years ; they are particularly interested in the was a of Chnstianity, and are exemplary Christian people. Isaac Duncan ini? QnnHo^ ^°' 4gt?1 in the bloody battle of Pittsburg Landfacets H ^Vm0ITmg' ^P1^ 6, ^862 ; he fell shot through the heart with his on/i * ' was a member of the same compan\T and regiment and re- !°their home ; Amos was a member of Co. I, 71st 0. V. I. and soon from thoiTment' was detailed to the hospital, where he was installed as steward ; Tenn V n i wa8uProm°ted to Assistant Surgeon, and given charge of the 9th thp hattin * Bre ae remained until he was mustered out, having passed through thp nnf/w* encounters of the Army of the Cumberland ; his regiment captured ^or£an> who was brought to camp by one of the boys, on