Washington Township (part 2 of 2)

The station was at first named Washington, but after the survey of lots the name was changed. William Overmver was first postmaster, the office being at his house. "Loose" was at that time the name of the post office. Its style was changed to Lindsey to accord with the new name of the station, in 1868, since which time W. M. Boyer has been postmaster.

A. J. Monk began practicing medicine in Lindsey in 1868. He remained about three years, and was followed by Dr. Sailer, whose residence was short. The present physicians, in the order of their placing themselves before the people, are W. H. H. Wolland, Dr. Shipley, and Dr. W. H. Lane.

Lindsey Lodge, No. 668, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted June 27, 1877. The charter members were Joel Burkett, Andrew Weis, J. J. Walters,

E. W. Hubbard, Jacob Widener, Andrew Widener, John Widener, W. S. Stevens, Nathan Cochran, F. J. Weis, William Wiseman, Zachariah Clay, and P. H. Overmyer. The lodge has a membership, at present, of fifty-two. The past noble grands, in their order, are J. J. Walters, Joel Burkett, W. C. Wiseman, W. S. Stevens, E. W. Hubbard, Andrew Weis, A. E. Waggoner, William Boyer, and B.

' built up of round logs, covered with long shingles weighted down with poles, and having a floor of split puncheons, hewn on one side and notched in on the other,

; where they rested on the sleepers so as to make the surface even. It may be remarked in this connection that some of the 1 woodsmen of that early day attained remarkable accuracy of stroke with the axe.

; Some of them could dress a puncheon as : smooth as a shingle. The windows were ; the most unique feature of these early ! school- houses. A piece was sawn out of I one log near the middle of each side; a : frame was fitted into the hole and splinters * wedged in diagonally, nails being very j scarce and expensive. Over this opening j a sheet of white paper, previously greased, was stretched and fastened. There were plenty of air holes to supply ventilation.

It cannot be determined satisfactorily where in the township the first religious service was held or who the first preacher was. United Brethren circuit riders travelled the Black Swamp region as soon as any one could be found to preach to, and that church was the first to form an organized ciass. The Evangelical and Methodist churches alsosent their missionaries into the woods, and as a result of all these evangelical labors a sense of the importance of maintaining religious worship was impressed upon the people.

Reformed, Methodist Episcopal, United Brethren, Lutheran, Dunkard, and Evangelical. We have previously mentioned those located in the villages.

Wilson Union class, United Brethren, was formed of residents of Sandusky and Washington townships about 1850, and a meeting-house was built at the township line, between Washington and Sandusky. The leading members were David Bowdus, Rev. Joshua Hatfield, Jacob Dezelen, and Rev. Wesley Harrington. The congregation gradually grew smaller in consequence of the old members dying and moving away, and no new ones being added. In 1857 Mrs. Samuel Skinner and daughter were the only regular members. That year George W. Steward was appointed to the circuit, and held a protracted meeting at Wilson's meeting-house, which resulted in twenty accessions. Since that time the church has had a solid footing. A new brick meeting-house was built in 1876, opposite the old building, in this township.

The first members of the Evangelical church in the south part of this township were: Michael Walter, John Walter, and Joseph Wingard. Services were held at private houses until about 1859, when the brick house, still used for public services, was erected. Rev. D Kerns has been performing the offices of local preacher for more than twenty years. He was an itinerant ten years. The membership is gradually growing smaller, not numbering at present more than ten.

The founder of Methodism in this township was Israel Smith, who was one of the early settlers and a working member of the church. He collected a small class, composed of the following individuals: Israel Smith and wife, William Black and wife, Mrs. Russell Smith, John Lash and wife, Mr. Green and wife, and Andrew Miller and wife. Mrs. Black and Israel Smith are the only original members liv-

' ing in the county. The first meeting- S house was built of stone, and known as ! Washington Stone Chapel. In 1858 a | new house was built further west, and the stone church allowed to go down. The present membership at Washington chapel is about forty. M. D. Love is entitled to special mention for his labors as pastor in 1858.

A society of Dunkards or German Baptists built a meeting-house rforth of the pike, on the Noah Hendrick farm, in 1873. Samuel Fink is principal exhorter. Other prominent members are: Jonas Engler, Noah Hendrick, Mrs. Hettrick, Aaron Mowry, Samuel Mowry, John Hendrick, and Solomon Snyder.

Samuel Skinner

The first settler of Washington township - Josiah Topping - located on the pike in 1826. He was followed by David Grant, then John Wolcutt, and, fourth, in the spring of 1831, came George Skinner with his family.

| They removed to Perrv county, Ohio, at an early period of the settlement of that | county, and accumulated property which was well improved when the Black Swamp became a much talked of land of promise. Mr. Skinner's desire to give his children, fast growing to maturity, a start in life, led him to sell his farm in Perry county and enter land here. His original purchase was larger than that of any man in the township with one exception.

ried, arrived in Lower Sandusky. A short time after they penetrated the swamp and made a settlement in the southeast part of Washington township. The Skinner family consisted of twelve children, three of whom died in Perry county before the family's settlement in this county - Elizabeth, Fanny, and Jane. David, the second child, settled in Morrow county. Those who came to Sandusky were: Rhoda, wife of William Black, settled in Washington township, where her husband died, and she is yet living, being a woman well known for her kindness of heart and neighborly assistance in every time of need; Rebecca, accompanied by her husband, Samuel Black, settled in Washington tcfwnship, where he died, she now living with her children in Illinois; John, accompanied by his family, settled in Washington township and subsequently removed to Livingston county, Michigan ; Samuel, the subject of this biography, came a single man; George married, in Seneca county, Elizabeth Kimes, settled first in Seneca county, then in Washington township, and subsequently removed to Williams county, where he is now living; j Aaron, after the immigration of his family, returned to Perry county, where he married, and then settled in Washington township, and has since removed to Illinois; Nathan married, in Washington township, Sophia Dayhoof, settled in Washington, and subsequently removed to Cass count)', Michigan, where he now. lives; Mary Ann married, in Washington township, John Walters, and died in Tiffin, Ohio.

It was not for Mrs. Skinner long to bear the toils of pioneer life. She died in Washington township September 24, 1831, about eighteen months after leaving the old home in Perry county. George Skinner died September 25, 1838, aged fiftyseven years and three months. He had abandoned the comforts of a well im proved home with a view to providing homes for his children. He came to a country which nature had favored* with richness, but a full generation's labor was needed to make it an inviting dwelling place. He lived to see a part of his large tract improved. He lived to see a cabin on almost every section and quarter-section in his township. This was the beginning of that transformation which half a century has effected.

Samuel Skinner, whose portrait appears in this volume, is one of the few men who has seen that transformation from beginning to end, and, at the same time, has been an active agent in effecting it. He was born in Perry county, Ohio, May 10, 1814, and was consequently about sixteen years old when the family came to this county. His education was such as the primitive schools of his native county afforded. Accustomed to hard work, he was well calculated by physical strength for the life which lay before him. He married in Washington township, October 17, 1833, Elizabeth Geeseman, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1812. Her father, George Geeseman, removed to Perry county, Ohio, and from there to Washington township, Sandusky county, in 1831. When Mr. Skinner was married, to obtain a start in life was not an easy matter. He was unable to provide for the necessities I of life without performing day labor for : his neighbors. Agricultural productions ' could not be exchanged for money, and ! the wages of a day laborer look very small ' in this period of plenty. But these obstacles of early life finally yielded to the continuous hard licks of the pioneers, and eventual success and financial prosperity rewarded hardships endured. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Skinner is somewhat remarkable. There wrere ten children, one boy and nine girls, all of whom are living, all married, and all in promising circum- stances. Their names and places of residence are as follows: George W. was born July 25,1834. He married Theresa Fox, and is living on the old homestead farm, in Washington township. Mary was born December 7, 1835. She was married to Jacob Rearick, and resides in Henry county, Ohio. Sarah was born May i, 1837. She was married to George Rearick, residing in Sandusky township, this county. Cynthia was born January 4, 1841. She is married to David Burgoon, residing in Sandusky township, this county. Eliza Ann, wife of Edward Choate, residing in Monroe county, Michigan, was born May 25, 1843. Margaret E., was married to Eli Hansberger, of Monroe county, Michigan. She was born October 3, 1844. Laura M., wife of Frederick Zorn, lives in Poweshiek county, Iowa. She was born April 4, 1847. Harriet M. was born October 30, 1849. She is the wife ot Lewis Zorn, of Madison township. Jane E. was born September 7, 1851. She is married to Peter Cornelius, and lives at Helena, Jackson township. Emma N., the youngest child, was born August 20, 1853. She is the wife of Jacob Hendricks, of Henry county, Ohio.

Mr. Skinner married for his second wife, in April, 1870, Mrs. Sarah Guyer, daughter of George M. Gunter, who settled in Wood county in 1824.

There is enough of danger connected with a bear hunt to give it a peculiar interest. Mr. Skinner was the discoverer of the track, and one of a party to pursue the last bear, so far as is known, to enter the marshes of Sandusky county. In the winter of 1834 Mr. Skinner discovered, one afternoon, the track of a large bear. The animal at that period was rare in this part of the State, and his track promised a fine day's sport. During the night a light snow fell, which obscured the former track, but the following day a couple of young men of the neighborhood, while returning from an errand to Jackson township, on Muskallonge, saw the track in the snow. The discovery was reported, dogs collected, and on the following morning, at four o'clock, a party of four, consisting of Samuel Skinner, Robert Mc- Culloch, Samuel Geeseman, and James Fisher, with their pack of dogs and well charged guns, were on the track. Patiently step after step was followed by the light of the moon. Daylight came, and the dogs, as the track became fresher, were more anxious and pushed ahead. About noon they bounded forward with fierce barks, and the sound soon came from far away in the thicket. The party hurried in eager pursuit of the pack, for the barking and shrill howls of the dogs, just audible, clearly indicated the progress of a battle. After the pursuit had continued for some time, Mr. Skinner, who was far in advance of his comrades, met two of the battle-scarred dogs returning from the fray. One had been severely wounded, the other considerably scratched. Suddenly the character of the barking changed from sharp yelps and long-drawn howls, which hunters recognize as the rapid advances and retreats of determined fighting, to the continuous noise of the chase. When the party came to the place of encounter, under a large tree, the snow tracks clearly indicated what had happened. The pack had overtaken their game at that place, and he backed himself against the tree, thus being securely fortified in the rear and prepared to give battle with both paws. The condition of the dogs and blood on the ground showed bruin's victory, and as the pack returned one by one from their futile pursuit, the failure of the chase was apparent. The party returned to Miller's tavern, near Woodville. The host was boastful of his dogs, and anxious to give them a trial. He offered to keep the party over night, but Messrs. Skinner and McCulloch returned to their homes. The next day's chase was more unsuccessful than the first. But a week later a bear, supposed to be the same one, was killed near Findlay, Hancock county.

Mr. Skinner retired from the farm in 1871, and has since been living in Fremont. He is a large, good-natured, fullhearted gentleman, on whom time and hard labor have had little effect. As remarked before, he has seen the growth of his township, and contributed his strong physical energies toward that growth. In reply to the question, " Do you feel repaid for your labor, and the hardships which ; nature and the times imposed upon the j early pioneers of the Black Swamp?" he replied: "I would not like to say that I have not been repaid, but if I was again a young man, and could foresee the course of life I have followed, I would not sacrifice society and improvement for what I have accumulated." When we remember that Mr. Skinner is among the most successful of the pioneers of this part of the county, and has certainly been peculiarly fortunate in respect to health, his remark has a deep meaning. If those of the early immigrants who became wealthy do not feel repaid for their toil, what sorrow and suffering must have prevailed among the multitude less fortunate!

But if pecuniary gain has not been sufficient reward, Mr. Skinner and other pioneers of his class can look back over the busy and clouded past with a consciousness of having added to the world's wealth, of having completed nature's work and conferred an appreciated boon upon their descendants and humanity. No feeling of seff-approbation is stronger in an old man than the sense of having been useful. The life of such commands our admiration, and the memory of such is worthy of preservation.