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1630666
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
Q.C
3 1833 00825 8508
¥
r
-/^-
20iK CENTURY KISTOEY
OF
AND ' - '■■■■_ ■ ■
■ REFEESENTATIVE CITIZENS ' '
" " ' •• TDITED AND COMPILED BY
J A M £ S R. L Y T L E
DELAWAF.E. OllsO
"Hisioiy is PhilosopKy TeE>.cKing by Kxamples"
PUBLISHED liV
BIOGRAPHICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
JEORGE RICHMOND. Psk?. ; C. R. ARNOLD, St;rv anj 1
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
-■■' A 7 y
1630666
Preface
[HE aim of the publishers of this volume and of the author of tiie
liistory hiis been to secure for the liistorical portion thereof full and
accurate data respecting the history of the county from the time of
its early settlement, and to condense it into a clear and interesting
narrati\e. All topics and occurrences have been included that were
essential to this object. Although the original purpose was to limit the narra-
tive to the close of i()0<5. it has lx:en found exped.ient to touch on many matters
relating to the year 1907, and also, in some measure to the current year 1908.
It is impossible to enumerate here all those to wdiom thanks are due for
assistance rendered and kindly interest taken in this work. We would, how-
ever, mention Rev. A. C. Crist and Dr. S. ^^'. Fowler as those to whom we
feel under an especial debt of gratitude.
In the preparation of the history reference has been made to. and in some
cases extracts taken from, standard historical and other works on different
subjects treated of.
The reviews of resolute and strenuous livt-s which make up the biographical
department of this volume, and whose autln^rship is for the most part inde-
pendent of that of the history, are admirabl\ calculated to fester local ties, to
inculcate patriotism, and to emphasize the rewards of industry dominated by
intelligent purpose. They constitute a most appropriate medium of perpet-
uating personal annals, and will be of incalculable value to the descendants
of those commemorated. These sketches, replete with stirring incidents and
intense experiences, are flavored with a strdng human interest that will
naturally pjrove to a large portion of the readers ot this book its tiiost
attracti\e feature.
In the aggregate of personal memoirs thus cc>llated will be found a viviil
'md^y^^i
epitome <<i tile ,i;ro\.;li vi Delaware C'uLint\ , \\lii>-!i will lilh ~u]p|)lenieii! ti^;
historical statenier.t. fnr the (!evel(<piiKnt i> ideiuifie'l with that ni the men
and women to whom it i.- attnlnuable. The piiMisl-.ers have enileavored to
pass over no feature, of the work sligluiiiyly, hut lo tiniri-l\ supplement the
editor's lahnrs by excrcisitig care over the minute---t detail- ni puhlicat ion, and
thus j^ive to the volume the three-fold value of a leadahle nanative. a useful
work oi reference, and a tasteful ornament to the lilirary. We believe the
result ha-^ ju-Li;:ei| lu>- care tnu- extrcised.
Sp ci.d iirominence ha- beett i:;i\-en tn the [n'riraits :if repn sentative
citi;^en> which ajipear throughout the volume, and we believe tliat thev will
prove not its least interestin;; feature. \\"c liave .■>nu.t^ht in this ilepartmeiit to
illu.-lrate the rliti'erent spheres (>i industrial a)id |n-i.fessi.)ua! achievement as
conspiciKiusly as possible. 'I'o all those who have kindly juteresied themselves
in the snccessftil preparation of this wxuk, and who have voluntarilv contributed
most useful information and data, or rendered oilier assistance, we heieb\-
tender our g-rateful acknowledgements.
THE Prj'.fJSHER.^. •
Chicaeo, III.
•.T!Ji.:.i .,.1, ,.wo .o,.|
All the bi...yrai.hical sketches piiMiMic.I in this volume were submitted to
their rc.-pecti\e sulijecls i^r to the suliscrihers., from whom the tacts were
pritiiarily ol'tained, tor their approval or correction before going to press; and
a reasonable time was allowed in each case for the return of the type-written
coiiie.s. Most of them were returned to us within the time allotted, or before
the woik was printed, after bein;^- corrected >>r re\iseil; and these may there-
fore be regarderl as reasonalih' accurate.
A few. however, were not retirrned to us: and. as we have no means of
knowing whether they contain errcirs or not. we cannot vouch for their
accurac}'. In justice to our readers, and to render this work more valuable
for reference purposes, we have indicated these uncorrected sketches by a buia'l
asterisk ('■'). placed immediately after the nanie of the subject. They will all
be found on the last pages of the book.
THE i'L't'.lTSHERS.
(Ci^ni-ontc^
CHAPTER I.
Geology and Topography
Bid Ro:kG;ologv— The Ice Age— Water Sap,>ly-3
Mineral Springs..
IAN Occupation -41
Prehistoric Kaces-The Red Race-Ths Dclav.ares -Relations i^etween the Settlers and the Indians- War of
ISl 2— Anecdotes.
CH.VrrER III.
Settlement of the Nokthuest Terkitoky and Organization of the State of Ohio -
Boundaries Difinsd — Derivation of Title and Early Explorations — .Aclievement of George Rogers f'lark— St
Ceisicns and Indian Treaties-Settleraant— Indian War,-St. Clair's Defeat— Wayne's Campaign and Kattie
Fallen Timber — Organization of the Northwest Territory-Organiiation of the State of Ohio.
CHAPTER IV.
SlTTLEMENT A.ND ORi;ANi7ATION OF DELAWARE COrNTY •-
Derivation of Title — First Settlement — Growth of Population— "First Events — Pioneer Industries— Early Roads
and Taverns — Organization of the County — Early Political History -County and Other Othcials.
CHAFTFR V. ^ . ■ , w . .
Delaware— The CotrNTV Seat 104
When Laid Oat and by Wh:iro -Its Settlement and History— Early Military Importance— Stores and "fiarly In-
dustries-Growth of Fopulatijn — Incorporation— Citv Government Organiied — Roster of Officials — Public
Buildings- \V .iter Work i — lire Departmrnt — Cemeteiies,
CHAPTER VI.
Transportation Facilities ^'^■'^
Early Roads and Stage Coaches— Turnpikes— Proposed Canal- The Railroad Era— First Successful Railroad-
Other Railroad Enterprises— Railroad Shops Located in Delaware — Electiic Railways.
CHAPTER VII.
Manufactures I'O
Manufacturing Possibilities of Delaware Count\ — Early Mills and Mill .Machinery -A Tranic Occurrence -
Chair Manufacture — Lumbar, Furniture, Etc. — Flour Mills— Distilleries -Leather-Te.'itile Products— Paper
Mills -Oil Enterprisjs-Foundries. Etc. — Artificial Ice-Light, Huat and Power-Brooms-Evanoraied (Joods
— Clay Products — Cigars — Creameries — Lime and Stone— Gas Manufacture.
S CO XT EX TS
CHAPTER Vlll
Hanks and Banking
A History ot the lianks of Delaware Coun.tv— fast and Present.
CHAPTER IX.
.ISil
. ii;c
Public Institltions
■. ., T.;.'i»s Ci,;:..:;.,.' Vui. -.;■;:.:• - ' .. . . :ifi:.;..-_, - ~i.:i.^ . u',. IIo;iie of l1ela\vare--Horac for the
Ag.d-Jane M. Case Memorial Ho.spit.il fiirls^'lodiistri. 1 Home.
CHAPTER N.
The Press '■ I'^S
Newspapers and Editors of the Past and of the Present.
CHAPTER XL
Edlcation (I '■'•'
Introductor)— Pul>lic Schools of the Citv of Delaware— Distrirt Schools and Early Teacher.9 -St. Mary's
Parocnial School- Statistics- Delaware City Library — Delaware County Historical and .Vrchcologica! Society.
CHAPTER XII.
EurCAiioN (III ■ -'■
Ohio Weslevan University.
CHAPTER XUI. ''■■' : ■-•"■•'■'' ■■':■' '- '
Rkligiol's or Church History of Delaware County 2:V?
First Churches and Piouser Ministers— General History of Religious Organizations- Churches and Clergy of
Today.
CHAPTER XIV.
The Bench and Bar -'■''
Early History— First Ccurt and First Lawyers -The Pre.seu: Bar and Its High Standing.
CHAPTER XV. . -
The MiiDicAL Profession ^'2
Delaware Countv Merlical Men of the Past and of the Present.
CHAPTER XVI.
MiLITAF-Y HiSrORY OF T'
.37S
Rev-oUitionary Vs'ar- War of l.SPj -Seminole War- Mexican War- War of the Rebellion- -Spanish-American
War.
CHAPTER XVIL
Fraternal and Benevolent Organizations
Masons -Knights of Pvthias -Independent Order of Odd Fellows— Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
—Ancient Order of Hibernians — Improved Order of Red .Men -Other Societies.
4 If.
CHAPTER XVIU.
Townships and Towns '^•'•'
Settlement and Organization of the Townships— Settlement and Founding of the Towns— Sketches of Ashley.
Galena, Sunbury, Ostrander, Lewis Center, l^owell, Radnor, and other towns.
BiO(;RArH.CAL : . . iVu
■J V, -.iar.fi srii lo V .1,1(1 ;.
iinbcx
JSioorapbical
PACE
Adamsoii, J. 1 7.27
Alhright. Wcrter E 33^
Alexander, Dr. R. C 367
\ ":->,,. Fmpn,-,-! 80.3
Andrews. Dr. Frank 365
.-Vndrcus, Dr. Hugh B 6St
An.lreu-s, Joseph H 681
Armstrong, Charles 738
Arm-trong, George 738
Athcnon. Lee ' 717
Au-tni. Prof. Cyrus B.. D. D. 681
Aven.. Dr. J. \V 37^
Avery. R. M . . . 835
Ayres, Isaac 562
Ayre> John J 669
Ayres, Col. Jacob 562
Bagley. Andrew J 606
Bank of Ashley. The 660
Banker. Judge Gideon G.... 328
Barbour, Dr 349
Barnes, James M 303
Barnes, Dr. Lewis 368
Barry . Geo. VV 341
Bart.'n, Clay \V 79.1
Ba.xter. George W 867
Bean. Hiram 573
Beecher. Harry H 329
Bdl. Stanley 674
Benedict, Griffith G 721
Bennett. Dr. .A. E .^67
Benton. Benj. T 52S
Bcni..n. Burt P... 3,W
Be'M.,.1, F.dw. W 528
Benton. J. R 528
PAGE
Berlett. J. hn 799
Besse. Dr. Henry ;. 371
Bevan. David 667
Bevan, David. Sr 533
Bevan. Wnlliam 535
Bigelow, Dr. Alpheus 346
Bird, Abner J 490
Bird, Oliver Perry 499
Bishop, James 530
Bishop, Levi 5,to
Bishop. Wesley 5,^0
Blakeley. Theodore F 778
Bliss. Dr. David P 362
Blynier. Dr. S ,^69
Bonner. Dr. O. \V 361
Bougher, John F -824
Bove>', Emanuel 504
Bo\ ey, William C 504
Brandebury. Edw F 330
Breece, Lewis 694
Breece, Tobias C 694
Brewster. Dr. Charles B 361
Bricker. William M 896
Brooks. Cyrus C 3^6
Buck. Dr. Arthur H 356
Buck. Israel E .306
Bucky. Dr. Wm. C 365
Bumstead. Dr. Lencius 371
Burkard. Ferdinand J 750
Burnside. Thomas 751
Burr. Dr. Jona H .346
Campbell. Dr. J. C .?73
Caninbell. Willi-im Bazil 759
Carlson, Charles 597
P.\GE
Carney, Dr. Elijah 347
Carpenter. Geo. W 330
Carper, Homer McK 310
Carr, S. T 701
Carr, Wray H 843
Carson, Cicero T 614
Carson, Wm _.. 613
Carter. Hugh 356
Carter, James E 556
Carter, John H 893
Caruthers Dr. Jas 349
Charles, Bruce 5i>S
Charles. Simou 598
Chase. Rev. Ira 634
Cherry, Dr. James M 36<5
Qiidester. Dr. Cyrus W 360
Clark. Elihu 640
Clark. Isaac 640
Cleaver, .Amos G 575
Cleaver, Samuel M 574
Cline, Corrington 662
Cline, Samuel D 662
Cochran. Dr. M. M 367
Cole, Capt. Elias 839
Cole. Edson B 322
Cole, Joseph 5.30
Cole, Thomas 323
Cole. Thcmas M 826
Cone. Cephas 607
Cone. Hon. John A 817
Cone. Judge 'John A 321
Cone. John W.. 608
Cone. Titus King 607
Conklin. A. v., M. D tm
Conklin. Dr. Abraham V 3S8
:/:.AH'ti
!«;.(■; ■■-;..-ia
INDEX
PACE
Coiiklin, Ashtoii Stover 687
Conklin, John 687
Constant. Dr. \Vm. T 356
Cook, John J 894
Cook, Justine 300
Coomor. Dr. H. X 3^5
Copeland, Dr. Eleazer 346
Coiirtcr, irlenry Al yxi
Courter, Peel Teed 720
Courtright, Fleei'.vood 633
C&urtriglit, John 623
Cowels, Dr. G. E 376
Cowgill. Charles C 76/
Cowgill John 723
Cowgill, Otway C 328
Cowles, G. E., M. n 768
Co\vles, Leonard H jgg
Ccx. Robert J 502
Coyner, George 850
Coyner, Judge Geo 334
Crane. Dr. .\. M 368
Crane, Elbert 616
Crane, Ho-vard Clifton. M. D. 616
Crawford, Col. James M 593
Crawfo'd. Col. James W 305
Cray, Dr. C. Churchill 374
Cray. Dr. .Alice B 374
Crego. Charles 699
Crego, J. Monroe 699
Crickard, James 604
Crickard, Dr. \Vm. F 359
Crickard, William P., A[. D.. 604
Crist, Rev. A. C 559
Crist. Hon. Harvey \V 338
Critchfield. Leander J 311
Cruikshank. A. S 782
Crumb, James H 637
Crumb, Lyman Jerome 6^-7
Cryder, Charles 581
Cryder. John M 582
Culver, Henry S 324
Cummins, Dr. S. P 368
Cunningham, Geo 672
Cunningham. Joseph H 672
Curren, Capt. J. F 785
Dalton. Dexter X 732
Davids, Benjamin F 699
Davids, David 699
Davids, Sylvanus 700
Davis, H. H 704
Davi.-.. Robert R 743
Day. Dr. H. M 371
P.\GE
Decker, Alexander X 623
Decker, Frederick 625
De Good, Orlin C 860
Dickcrson. Lewis 609
Dickerson, Ruben G 609
Dill, Augustus B 551
Dill. Joel W 5.^0
Uilsavcr. Guy Ernest 576
Disbennett, I'liomas \V 892
Dona\in. Col. George B 885
Donovon, Taylor 668
Dumm. Dr. A. \V 366
Dunlap. Calvin C 831
Dye, Thomas F 533
Eaton, Henry J 316
Eckelbery. Dr. Frank E 37 1
Edwards. Dr. J 3/1
Ekelbery. Dr. Xorton 367
Elshree. Collins P 701
Elsi>ree, George F 701
Eulenburg, Count Botho.... 657
Eulenburs, Countess XcUy
Lytle : 657
Eury, Jesse M 744
Evans, Thcmas 659
Evans. Wesley Z 659
Fairchild, Ben.i. M 748
Fairchild, Sherman 748
Farmers Savings Bank Co..
The 7.?8
Fay. Benj. A 544
Fay. David -. ... 544
Fay. Dr. D. C 375-344
F-aster. Dr. H. P 359
F.eld, Dr. Erastus 376
Finch, Judge Sherman 302
Foster, Dr. Geo. F 37r
Fowler. Dr. Silas W 376
Fowler. Silas W., M. D 539
Freese. I-aac Marion 771
Freshwater. Judge Beni. F. . 329
Fryman. Geo 588
Fryman Thomas A 588
Fuller. Judge David T 302
Furniss. Dr. Henry .373
Gabriel. Horace 521
Gabriel. Luther 521
Gage, Dr. Fred. L ,361
Gardner. Irvin X 583
Gardner. J.m.i 583
P.\GE
Gardner, Joseph 5S3
Gardner, Seth 777
Gaynor, John 5r3
Gaynor, John Francis 513
Gerhard. Dr. M .uS
Gerhardt, Dr. John H 367
Gerhardt, J. H., M. D 71^
Gill, Judge John S^ .;26
Gillett, Allen 8,^6
Ginn, Moses 692
Click, Lynian T 596
GHck, Meivin Cass 596
Glover, Hon. John J 318
Godman, Henry C 314
Gorselene. Dr. \". H 375
Graham. John 544
Graham. Milo D 543
Crasser. John P 690
Gregg, Dr. Henry 349
Griffin, Thomas J 5.13
Griffith, Mrs. Emma Chain-
berlain S36
Goodrich, A.iron S 876
Goodrich. Allison .Ebenezer. . 875
Grant. Charles T 764
Haas. J. E 616
Haas. Hon. William E 616
Haggett, Dr. Walter M 373
Hall., Dr. Edw. M iSQ
Hall, Edward M.. M. D.... 668
Hall. Wm. A 3-M
Hamilton. Eugene D 3-'8
Hamilton. Dr. Lewis 376
Harris. William. A. B 786
Harsh, Caleb 619
Harsh, James W. . . -. . ^ . . . . . 619
Harter, James.. \. H 8.34
Hawes. Clinton 6c8
Hawley. Dr. X 345
I Hawes, Benj. A 608
I Hawes, Orlando 609
I Hazlton, Wain 815
i Healy, Ebenezer 677
Healy, Erem J 677
Hedges. Dr. W. B 361
Heinlen. .-\hram 693
Hemstead. Edwin Luthben.. 67r
Hendrixson. Dr. .Alex ,367
Hill. Murtlo 879
Hills Chauncey 510
i Hills, Fred Palmer 5'>0
I Hill^. James Harvey 50<j
nQ
INDEX
pai;e
Hills. Dr. James H 346
Hills, Dr. Ralph 347
Hippie, JacU-son 317
Hodges, James B 58r
Hodges, Xathaniol W 581
Hogans, George F 8j5
Hn<t.:ins. Alr.nzo Fleming... 670
Hough, Lieut.-Col. Benson
Walker 712
Hough. Benson W 338
Hoskins, Jacob 679
Howald. Jacob 845
Howald, J. F 605
Howell, Dr. D. W 349
Howland Andrew 605
Hughes, Dr. D. E 35S
Hughes. Rev. Jos. S 524
Hughs, Joseph F. 524
Hubbell, Hon. Jas. H 308
Humes, Edward 337
Humphreys, David 318
Humphreys, Morris 714
Iit,iiHjiirc>>, WiUiaiii M 71,;
Hunt, Dr. John B 372
Hunt, Dr. Maurice P 372
Huntley, Albert 803
ngalls, Joseph B 627
ngalls, Pearl Parker f27
ackson, James B
ackson, James William.. ..
ackson, John S
ackson, Louis B
acobs. Alexander M
ames, Anson
ames. Dr. J. K 357
ames, Jonathan Kelley. Mr
D
unes. Lemuel . . . .
ames, Rev. Evan P
amison, Harry J
arvis, Henry John
ay Hen. Fred. M
ewell, Harry W
ewell. Harry W.. B. A
ewett, James
ohnston. Dr. Wni....
ones, Carrol! H
ones, David
ones, Edward
ones, Edward D
ones, Edgar
Jones.
Jones,
Jones ,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones.
Jone<,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones,
Jones.
Jones,
Jones.
Jones.
Jones,
Jones,
I'.AGE
Evan T 7i^
George W 628
.Hon. Thomas C 863
John P 719
John P 749
Gen. Juhn S 313
Nicholas 689
Herry J 502
Philip 719
Rees T 709
Rees W 709
Thomas 850
Thomas B 689
Thomas Clive 822
Thomas S 503
Timothy Gnmer 7.^0
Dr. Titus K 375
T. K., M. D 673
William 749
Wm 67^
Wm. B m
William W 569
K.iuftmun. Frank A 330
Kearney, Dr. Ben. F 362
Keit'er, Dr. H, A 367
Kellogg. R. H 861
Keudrick, H. E 53'
Kent, Edward 626
Kent, Elijah 626
King, F. D 597
Kinntl. Jacob 854
Kinney. Dr. Charles E 371
Kious. Dr. H. C 365
Kirby. George 556
Kistler. Dr. Henry .366
Kistler. Henry B., M. D.... 89S
Kohler, Charles 7i7
Kreininger, Jacob 833
Kroninger, John 544
Laird, Gilbert W 774
Lanil), Dr. Reuben 344
Langworthy, Dr. James 347
Lathrop, Dr. H 348
Lea, Gen. John C 3'6
Lea, Thomas W 658
Lee. Charles B 759
Leonard. Harry 5,36
Leonard, Harry 337
Letts, Joel 673
Liggett Jriab 553
Liggett. Milton 553
Little, Charles Otis .>«6S
Little, Dr. John .A 351
Little. William 871
Loofbourrow, Dr. B. F ,349
Lupton, Dr. L. S 371
Lybrand, Edwin G . . . .?35
Lybraud. Hon. .Archibald :i,2Ci
Lybrand. R. G 554
Lyon. Rev. Aann J,. D. D... 5^7
Lytle, James Robert. A. M., 603
Maddox, Henry C ' ,'n'^3
McAlester, Fred A 340
Arc.-\Uister, Coridon 760
McCable. Robt. L 3.32
McCann. Dr. J ,:,
.McCarty. Dr. J. T ',6=
McCarty, L T., M. D 670
McClary, Slias C 345
MciCIure. James 521
McCurdy. John 670
McCurdy, Wesley G 670
McDowell. Dr. J'.hn \. ,,60
^rcElroy. Judge Charles H.. . ^Ki
McEUvee, Charles E (iSo
.McElwee. Joseph e.'^o
McGonigal, Dr. M. A 36;
McCk>nigle, Josepli 6.59
McGonigle. RnJney D 639
McGonigle, Robt. J 6,9
Mclntyre. Dr. Wm ^7 •
McKay, Hugh BoyI, 8,33
McKenzie, William W 6,39
McMaster, Benjamin F. and
Lyman P -27
Mc.Araste:, Robt. G 72S
NrcWilliams. William H 771
M.iin. Dr. A. E ;^-^
\raloney.' J. P -^j^q
Mann. Dr. Austin D 374
Mann. Dr. H. C 349
Mann, Silas J ^--j
^fa^ble, Xathan 663
Marks, H. R .S03
Marks. Winfield Scott 800
Marriott, Hon. Francis M. . . 325
Marriott. J. Coleman ,:!4o
Marriott. William H 709
Marsh Lucius P 307
Matthews, W. B isQ4
Ma.xwell. C. H ,41
Mercer, Dr \h-
INDEX
PAGE
Meredith, Meredith 752
Michener. Dr. F. E 361
Miller, Albert C 5^4
Miller Brothers 638
Miller, Charles C 733
Miller, George F 822
Miller. George W 740
Miller. Henry . 734
Miller, Hiel Sig
Miiler, H. H 6,^9
Miller, Dr. J. H '. i72,
Miller, Jacoh 529
Miller, Jacob A 744
Miller, John 740
Miller, John Hiel, M. D 529
Miller. Jr.hn J 730
Miller, John J 743
Miller, Martin 549
Miller, Nathan 524
Miller. O. F 638
MiUer. Dr. \V. M 347
Mills, George P 500
Mcrdi.u.e, Geo. W 374
M'lrri-on. Dr. F. W 371
Mo.-^e.-. Andrew F 652
Moses. Albert Ingham $62
Moses, Flavel 652
Mcses, Salmon 816
Moses, Salmon 652
Mosher, Dr. E. B 367
Moulton, Dr. Samuel 345
Moore, Sidney 497
Moore, Samuel Anderson... 761
Murray, Dr. Francis M 369
Murray. Rich 300
Myers, Christian 573
Myers, Samuel B 573
Xash. John Washington 767
Xewhouse. .Alex 535
Xevvhouse. .Anthony 565
Xewhouse. John Richey 787
Xewhouse. Samuel 534
X'ewhouse, Thomas B 534
Xewhouse. VVm 565
Xye, William C 5^3
Ou.-ey, Edward 546
Owen, Griffith C 512
O.-ey. James 546
Owen John P 512
Ovcrturf. Hon. X'lrnian F. . . ^i\
Owe'i. Eugene S ,->,},$
Owen, Franklin V.
Owens, Thoma> ...
P.\GE
■ 566
Peet, Lester Gilead 678
Peet, Wm. J 673-731
Peet, William L....' 731
Perfect. Dr M^-- 3(TO
Perkins, David T 687
Perkins, Schuyler 687
Perry, Albert T 662
Perry, Henry 662 j
Perry. Piatt H 662
Perry. Robert 683
Peters, .Abram 753 |
Peters, Oscar .A 753 [
Pickett, Dr. Chp.nt- H 347
Plumb. Hon. Prcs-..3n B 823 n/
Pollock, E. 1 680
Poppleton, Hon. E^riy F 315
Poppleton. Hon. E::-rIy Frank- I
lyn 870 j
339 I
-63 I
570 !
368
57t
Pcrterfield, Judge E. Lee.
Porter, William Ross....
Potter, Christopher
Potter. Dr. Lymar.
Potter, Francis
Potter. Geo. F 572
Potter. Israel 753
Potter. Xicholas 570
Potter. Stephen 543
Potter Stephen 571
Potts William ..-. 555
Pounds. Dr. .A. J 362
Powell. Gen. Ecsene 804
Powell, John 574
Powell, Hon. Tl::.rras E.... 789
Powell, Hon. Tv,-~. W ,300
Powell, Hon. Tnr-ras W. . . . 794
Poweil, Robert 574
Powers, Beniamif. 618
Powers, George W 6g8
Powers, Robt. B... 698
P-wers. Dr. Ro}-^! X 346
Price, John H. . 702
Price, John R 704
Price. Rees 704
Prouty. Byron 828
Pugh, John E 827
Pultord. Dr. W. Henry 359
Qi-itman. H.
■ir A.
.301
Ransburge. Dr. C. C 347
Ray. Dr. Kingsley 347
Reid, M. Clason . . .' 501
Reid, Sherman 501
Reid, Col. Wm. P ,^09
Reid, Hon. Wm. P 501
Richey, F. H 722
Richey, Isaac X 520
Richey James 520
Richey, James M 5J0
Richey, James M 722
Rittenhouse, Hamilton W.... 6gC'
Rittenhouse, Henry 691
Rittenhouse, Henry G 5.!2
Rittenhouse^.^oseph H 532
Rittenhouse, Samuel 5.U'
Robinson Bros HoTi
Robinson, Harry W 806
Robinson, Dr. J 365
Robinson. Sherwin S 806
Rodefer, .Albert P 749
Rodefer. Silas 740
Rcgers, Henry M 741
Rogers, Dr. Ivadale 360
Rogers, Jeremiah 742
Rogers, Samuel 741
Ropp, Dr. W. T..' 358
Rosenthal. Jacob G 71 r
Ross, Dr. D. R 368
Rosette. Judge Egan 307
Rutherford, .Archibald H.... 754
Salmon, James Standley 760
Sampsell, Dr. X. S 369
Schaaf, Peter J 504
Schaat. Peter J.. Sr 504
Schaffner, Jacob M 572
Schaffner, John 572
Scheble, Dr. Miranda 365
Scott, Tilden Seymour 758
Sedgwick, Kimball 733
Seeds, Thomas Mercer 781
Seese, George Henry 653
Selcver, James R ^^6
Semans, Dr. Edw. M 356
Semans, Dr. Wm. M 356
Shaffer, Rev. John Franklin. 584
Shaffer. John S 584
Sharp. Clinton E 878
Sharp. Henry E 824
Sheldon. Henry G 331
Shively. Charles M 844
Shoemaker. Adam S 780
; i : :
IXDEX
Slioup. James T 3.^2
Shuey, Dr. A ,^75
Shiir. Samuel P 827
Shuster, Geo 703
Sinister. George Albert 703
Siegfried, Adam 560
c;:,-,,.v..,,l Ticoh ^61
Siegfried. \\ m 5O1
Silv.rwood, Horace .V 74^
Simnis. Dr. \V. M. T .!fi7
Sin>p-on, Dr. L. B 37i
Skeels, Dr. Daniel .?49
Slack, Dr. Geo 361
Slack. Wellington 739
Smart, Joseph Williams 835
Smith. Franklin Ellictt 661
Smith. Dr. Geo. M ,347-
Smith. Dr. Helen K 359
Smith, Hon. Henry R 629
Smith. Dr. Robt. B 37:
Smith. Rodney 691
Smith, Hon. Thomas R 691
Snodiira.s. Dr. J. M 3(^8
Spalding, Dr Xoah .545
Spencer, Dr. Charles H 371
Sperry, Charles F 660
Staley. Charles H 770
Stanbery. Charles , 586
Stanter>-, Jonas 586
Stark. Cepter 757
Stanbery, Charles' 853
Stanberry, John Rathbone... 5S6
Stayman, George F 700
Stayman, V. D 700
Stedman, Charles Curtiss.... 654
Steyle. Rev. Phdip Sjt
Stickney, Dr. Frank A 368
Stickney. Frank .Albert. M. D. 814
Stone, Timothy C 853
Stokes. George 633
Sycks, J. M 711
Tailey, Charles Francis, M. D. 617
Talley. Dr. Charles F 374
Tailey. .\elson E 617
Taylor, Dr. A. P 366
Taylor, Dr. Alonzo W 366
Thomas, James 684
Thoinas, James R 684
Turner. Charles F 513
Turner, Ephraim 513
Uchtritz, Baron Edgar von.. 697
L'clitritz, Barone-- \'ioIa
Lj tie V.3I1 698
Ulrey. Asa 816
L'!rt>, Ciuirics M 503
I'nion Handle aid Mamifac-
tiifiiig Comp.ny. The... 734
Utley, Dr. John 366
Van Denian, Rev. Henrj-.... 540
Van Deman. Hon. Jchn D. . . 540
Van Deman. Dr. Joseph H.. 352
Van Kirk, Dr. Charles C... .?66
^'eley. J, hn 851
Verg.iP. Frederick P jig
\"ergon. John G 70S
Waldron. DeLacy 779
Wallace, John 624
Wallace, John C 844
V.'a'.lacc, Robert 624
\\"arren. John H 773
Was.-TTi. W. McC 714
Watkins. Charles R 327
Watkins. Edward 527
Watkins. John W 777
Watson. Hon. Cooper K 303
Watts Dr. Wm 365
Weiant. Thomas 872
Welch. Dr. Calvin 372
Welch. Dr. Ella D 365
Welch, Rev. Herbert, A. M.,
D. D., LL. D 345
W.Ilcr. Dr. G. B ,376
W^;ler, Victor B. M. D.... 832
Westbrook. Dr. .\lbert Erne^t 613
Westbrook, Solomon 613
Wherry. John : 638
Whipple. Edward 740
Whipple, Frank E 664
Whipple, James Clark 859
Whipple, Lewis 740
Whipple. Xcah 664
Whitacre. Dr. F. R 375
White, .\rthnr J 335
White. Geo 747
White, Dr. Horace .560
While. Dr. J. H 353
White, Zenas Leonard 747
Wickham, A-a (,30
Wickham. Emmett M 333
Wickham, Hon. Emmett Mel- '
ville 649
Wickham, Kitridge H 651
W'igton, Elmer A (.-143
Wigtcn. Sylvester 643
Wigton, Thomas 643
Wiles, Capt. Clifton W 619
Willey, Dr. Arthur J 374
Willey, Dr. Perry W 367
Willey. Perry W.. M. D.... ,^05
Williams, Edson R 339
Williams, Hon. Hosea 852
Williams. Dr. T. B 350
Williams. Dr. Thos J 306
Williams. \"ict.ir Arnold 626
Williams. William 626
Williams, William W 599
Willis Dr. P. A 34Q.
WiNrn. Au-tin B 849
Wilson. Dr. Eugene 375
U"ih. J. F 729
Wintermute. .\. P 682
Wintermme. Dr. J. C 367
Wintermute. J. Perry 500
Wintermute. Dr. Robert C. . 360
Winston. Thomas J 513
Wise, Dr. L 367
Woltloy. George T 6^2
Wolfley. Leo 6S3
Woodworth, Dr. John B 357
Woodworth. Dr. William H.. 337
Wornstafif, Chesley . . . 553
Wcrnstafif. Lewis 553-75-!
Wornstaff. Lloyd K 314
Wornstaff, Sperry 752
Wright. David 707
Wright, Hiram 707
Wylie, .Abraham P 648
Wylie, J. K 64S
Yates Henry D 7:-''
Young, Henry Clay 89 r
Ziegler, Frederick 738
Ziegler, William 738
■A. rn,-;
IFUustrations
Chlkches.
Anbury j\t. E. Churi:h 364
Baptist Church, Ostrander 812
Baptist Ciiurch, Radnor 320
Baptist Church, Sunbury 464
First Presbyterian Church. Delaware 268
Methodist Episcopal Church, Ashley 364
Methodist Episcopal Church, Sunbury 364
Old Stone Presbyterian Church, Scioto Town-
ship 812
Presbyterian Church. Ostrander 812
Presbyterian Church. Radnor 320
St. Mary's Catholic Church and Parochial
Residence 364
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Delaware 268
St. Piiui's M. K. Cliur^ii, l^c'.attdrc 20S
William S*reet M. E. Church. Delaware 268
Crystal Spring Farm 68
Delaware Children's Home t68
Delaware City Hall 112
Delaware City Library 168
Delr-v.are County Court House 112
Delaware County Infirmary 168
Delaware County Infirmary — Insane Ward 168
Delaware County Jail 112
Girls' Industrial Home.
Administration Building l~6
Assepibly Hall 176
Central School Building 176
Cottage Xo, 8 176
Honor Cottage 176
Home for Aged People, Delaware 168
Jane M. Ca,e Memorial Hospi-al. Delaware 168
Knights of Pythias Hall. Sunbury ,464
Masonic Temple, Ashley 158
M(X)re'5 Masonic Temple. Delaware 112
Ohio Wesley.xn Un'iver.sity.
Art Hall 230
Charles Elliott Slocum Library 230
Elliott Hall 230
Gray Chapel and University Hall 200
John Edwards Gymnasium 230
Monnett Halt 230
Perkins Observaton,- 200
Sairges Hall 230
Old Barnes Homestead. Delaware 158
PAGE
President Hayes' Birthplace. Delaware 112
Public Square Looking Xorth, Sunbury 464
Residences.
Residence of .-Mlison E. Goodrich. Liberty
Township 68
Residence of Clay \V. Barton, Berk.shire Town-
ship 792
Residence of F. P. [-[ills. Delaware 320
Residence of V. T. Hills, Delaware 158
Residence of Mrs. Sllaj J. Mann, Harlem
Township 6S
Residence of Dr. Herbert Welch, Pres. O.
W. U 200
Residence and Barn of Hiram Wright, Scioto
Township 706
Sandusky Street Looking South, Delaware 112
Schools.
High School, Ashley 158
High School, Delaware 200
Public School, 0-trander 812
Public School, Radnor 320
Public School. Sunbury 464
West School Building, Delaware 200
Sunbury Co-operative Creamery 464
Three Dollar Bill Issued by Bank of Delaware,
1818 158
Town Hall, Sunbury 464
Y. M. C A. Building. Delaware 364
Portraits.
Atherton Lee 716
Ba.Kter, George W 866
Bevan, David 666
Bevan. Mrs. Eliza D 666
' Bush, Mr. and Mrs. David 848
Cole, Capt. Elias 838
Conklin, .\shton Stover 686
Courtwright, Fleetwood 622
Crawford. Col. James M SQO.
Crawford, Mrs. Sarah H 591
Crist, Rev. A. C 5=8
Curren, Capt. J. F 784
Dunlap, Mr. and Mrs. Calvin and Family &^o
Eulenburg, Count Botho 656
Eultnburg Countess Nelly ( Lytle) 656
Fowler. Silas W.. M. D S.v'^
Gardner, Mr. and Mr>. Seth 776
INDEX
IV/^'
PAGE
Goo'lricli, Aaron S 873
Goodrich, Mrs. Sarah H 874 I
Hazlton, Mr. and M^^. Wain and Dauglijor. . . 814 !
Healy. Erem J 676 1
HilU, Fred Palmer 506 |
Hills. Chauncey 507
Hodires. James B 578 •
Hodgres. .Mrs. M.iry H 57y ^
Huntley, Albert 802 1
Jones, Mr. and Mrs. William W. and Family. . 568 :
Kohler, Charles 736 !
Lyon, Rev. Aaron J.. D. D 5^ '
Lytle. James Robert. A. M Frontispiece j
Lytle, Mrs. Cornelia Chase Frontispiece ;
Lytle, James William 602
Maddox, Henry C 88.2 ;
Mann, Silas J 856 ;
Mann. Mrs. Julia S 856
Miller. Martin 548
Moore, Sidney 496
McMaster, Benjamin F 726 (
McMaster, Lyman P 726 j
Xash. John Washington 766 I
Stark, Cepter 756 ,(
Ste>le, Rev. Fhdip 820 j
Stokes, George , 632 '
Uchtritz, Baron Edgar von 696 ' (
Uchtritz, Baroness Viola (Lytle) von 696 '■■
Vergon. Frederick P 518
Westhrook, Dr. Albert Ernest 612
White. Zenas L 746
Wigton, Elmer A 642 '
Young, Henry Clay 888
Young, Mrs. Emma H 88g
^,1 -f/Liin 1 (V
Bistort? of Beiaf are gotiniy
CHAPTER. I.
GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY
Bed Rock Geo'ogy — The he Age— Water Supply—SoHs—Swrfacc Featun
Agricultural Products — Mineral Springs.
-Timber-
GEOLOGY OF DELAWARE COUXTY.
Geolog}' is the history of the earth as that
histon,' is read from the rocky structure and
surface configuration of the earth iiself. To-
day we find changes constantly taking place
over the land about us. Every shower and
every freshet leaves the surface changed and
sweeps toward the sea land waste. The min-
eral content of such springs as the Odevene
shows that material is being removed from
below the surface, that chatiges are goinf.;- on
there, though concealed from our direct in-
spection. The study of geology teaches us
that we live on a constantly changing earth,
that in a very real sense this earth is not dead
but living. We should be prepared to expect
that a study of the geology of Delaware Coun-
ty would show us that past conditions here
were very different from those today — indeed
that several different kinds of conditions have
held at successive epochs of the long period of
our county's history, geologically considered.
BED ROCK GEOLOGY.
The oldest rocks of the county are the beds
of limestone, shale and sandstone which make
what we may call the bedrock, the solid rock,
as contrasted with "the unconsolidated surface
deposits of clay, sand and gravel which over-
lie and conceal them. The/ run in north and
south belts across the county. West of the
Olentangy River the surface rock is practically
all limestone; between the Olentangy and
Walnut Creek it is black slate; on Big Wal-
nut the Berea sandstone outcrops, and this
formation or an overlying formation of sandy
shales forms the surface east to the county
border. These rock formations are not hori-
zontal but drop or dip to the east at the rate
of twenty feet to the mile, so that the lime-
stones which are at the surface on the western
boundary of the county are .some 800 feet be-
low the surface on its eastern boundary. The
succession of rocks ^vl^ich one would pass
through in going down below the surface on
JHPMij
I'^f.^l'CK- . O'AA YOOJO.
,it;-.Jm
i8
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
the eastern border of the county would be as
follows :
Formation Rock Thiekness in feet
Cuyahoga Sandy Shales —
Simbury Black Shale lo
Berea Sandstone
r. .iford Pod and Gray Shal-.
Huron Black Shale
Olentangy- ..Blue Cliy
Delaware Blue Limestone
Columbus Gray Limestone ....
Monroe Magnesian Limestone
30
to 300
30
30
80
Several of these formations are of econ-
omic importance. The Columbus limestone,
on the Scioto, and near Radnor, is burned for
hme. The Delaware limestone on the Olen-
tangy and especially at Delaware is used for
road-metal and for building. The Olentangy
clay at Delaware is used as one of the mate-
rials in the manufacture of tile. The Berea
sandstone is the extension into central Ohio of
the great sandstone fi^rmatioii of Berea and
Amherst, and was formerly quarried at Sun-
bury.
These bedrock formations point to geo-
graphic conditions very different from those
existing today. The rocks are all old sea-bot-
tom deposits, the lime muds, muds and sands
of an interior sea. Their composition sho.vs
this. The Berea sandstone layers are marked j
by the ripple marks made by the currents of I
the shallow sea of that time. The limestones I
consist in large part of the fragments and
sometimes whole shells and skeletons of the
animals then living. What the exact limits of
that sea '.vere no one knows. It extended be-
yond the present Ohio basin in all directions,
to an extensive land mass in eastern and cen-
tral Canada and to a land mass which we dc- I
nominate Appalacliia, stretching along the At-
lantic coast east of the present Blue Ridge.
For uncounted centuries sands and muds were
swept into this inland sea and organic deposits
ffi-st limestone and later coal) accumulated.
L-ntil forces which had been long gathering
head were able to make themselves felt, and
the area between the Ohio and the Atlantic,
crowded tf.^gether as in an immense vise, was
pushed up alK>ve sea level and in part thrown
into great folds. The strongly folded area
v.-as in central and eastern Pennsylvania; the
Ohio region was raised above sea level but was
subjected to only slight folding. This period
of uplift was the Appalachian Revolution; it
closed the earliest and longest of the geologic
periods, the Paleozoic period. In Ohio it
marked the passage from water conditions and
rock deposit to land conditions and land sculp-
ture by atmospheric agencies and streams.
The land conditions thus inaugurated have
lasted on until the present. Little is known
definitely of the conditions in central Ohio
during this long period. It is a fundamental
teaching of geology that streams will cut their
beds to near sea level, and that then the inter-
stream areas will be lowered by valley-side
wash until the whole land area is not far above
sea level — a lowland plain produced by ero-
sion. It is another fundamental teaching of
geology that broad areas are slowly uplifted
through the action of internal forces; and in
this case a lowland plain formed by erosion
might by uplift be again exposed to erosion,
might ultimately be reduced a second time to a
lovvland plain. It is likely that this process of
uplift and subsequent reduction of the land
surface to a lowland plain has been several
limes repeated in ''entral Ohio. A large part
of the surface of central Ohio today stands be-
tween 900 and 1,000 feet above sea level. It
was probably formed by stream action and near
sea level. Since its formation it has been raised
to its present altitude. In southern Ohio it has
been dissected by streams since its uplift so
that the Ohio River region is a hilly country.
In central Ohio this plain does not seem to
have been cut up to the same degree and what
inequalities it did possess have been largely
concealed beneath a mantle of glacial drift.
THE ICE AGE.
This long period of normal land conditions
was closed by the Great Ice Age and the de-
velopment of the Canadian ice sheet. There
were two centers of accumulation, one east and
one west of Hudson's Bav, These two ice
: bsl>''>"t
iiltfj
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
fields grew and merged into one which ex-
tended north to the Arctic, west in British
Cokimbia nearly if not quite to the foot of the
Rockies, east to the Atlantic and south to the
line of the Ohio and Missouri Rivers. At the
time of its maximum extent its margin crossed
the Pennsylvania-Ohio boundary in central
Loiuuibiaua County, extendea west lo Aiaus-
tifld, then south to Lancaster, and from there
southwest through Chillicothe to the Ohio in
Brown County, the ice sheet thus covering
about two-thirds of the State.
The Ice Age is sometimes spoken of as if
it were the time of the formation, development
and disappearance of a single continental gla-
cier. In reality it was much longer and much
more complex than this. Several times did the
ice sheet form, advance south from its Cana-
dian home, retreat and then readvance. How
long the whole story was, no one knows, but
reasonable estimates make it several hundred
thousand years.
As the ice sheet moved south into Ohio it
found a surface "deeply covered with residual
soil formed from the age-long decay of the
underlying rock. The ice pushed this before
it or dragged it under it; it pushed av.^ay the
more or less rotted rock which lay between the
soil and the sound rock, and it slowly ground
away the upper portion of the sound rock, for
wherever we find the bed rock under the later
glacial deposits it is today sound and un-
v.-eathered. The upper surface of the bed rock
was polished and scratched. The polishing
was done by the finer material, the clay, which
was dragged along between the ice and the bed
rock. Coarse particles and corners of rock
made th.e scratches characteristic of such sur-
faces, and from the study of which the direc-
tion of ice motion can be known. These gla-
ciated surfaces are often well shown on the
limestone and sandstone, but are poorly pre-
served on the shale surfaces. They show well
about the limestone quarries near Radnor.
The ice during its advance was thus erod-
ing. During its retreat it was depositing the
bowlder clay or till, which now lies on the bed
rock. As its name implies, the bowhlcr clay
consists of two parts, a brownish yellow, oc-
casionally blue, clay in which are scattereu
bowlders of different kinds of rock up to sev-
eral feet in diameter. The clay is in part com-
prised of the "rock flour" made by the glacier
as it ground away the underlying rock surface
or rubbed together the rocks which it was car-
rying beneath it. With this rock flour was
mixed the sod which the glacier found over
the surface when it invaded the region. The
bowlders were torn by the glacier from the sur-
face over which it came. In all except the
eastern part of the county a large percentage
of these bowlders is limestone ; they agree then
with the bed rock of the county and need not
have been carried far by the ice. In the eastern
part of the county where the bed rock is sand-
stone the bowlders are in large part sandstone.
A considerable portion of the bowlders are
crj'stalline rock, granite and other rocks and
belong to types not found in the county or even
in the State; those have been brought from
north of the Great Lakes, from the gathering
ground of the continental ice sheet.
The whole surface of the county is covered
by this mantle of glacial drift, a covering \-ary-
ing in thickness up to a hundred feet and a\-er-
aging from twenty-five to forty feet. At the
time of ice occupancy this was spread out to
make a nearly level plain, concealing inequali-
ties in the rock surface much as the mason's
trowel spreads over a rough brick or stone
surface a coat of mortar to give an even sur-
face. When the ice retreated from the region
this glacial plain probably extended continu-
ously across the county. Since that time the
larger streams have cut their valleys below this
surface to a maximum depth of fifty to seveii-
ty-five feet, but that surface still is largely un-
touched back from the rivers, and makes the
present upland surface and the most conspicu-
ous feature in the scenery of the county.
The general drift surface back from the
streams is level or gently rolling. There are,
howe\er, two belts of more rolling character,
some two to three miles across, which run from
northeast to southwest across ■ the county.
These tracts are seen only back from the stream
lines; they may rise to a height of fifty feet
above the upland south of them and they have
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
a steeper slope to the south than to the north.
These belts of higher country are belts of ex-
cessively thick drift deposits, and mark po-
sitions where the front of the melting glacier
stopped in its gradual retreat north across the
State. They are the moraines of recession of
the ice sheet. One. the Powell moraine, ex-
tends irom Jerome, through ir'oweii. soma of
Orange and then runs northeast to Big Wal-
nut at Galena. From Galena its front follows
the west side of the Big Walnut to beyond
the county line. This is the better developal
of the two moraines and all the railways be-
tween Columbus and Delaware have cuts
where they pass from the plain north into the
•moraine. The other moraine is well shown
about Ostrander, makes the high country east
of the Scioto due west from Delaware, but is
less conspicuous near the Olcntangy. It again
shows clearly east of the 01entang\ some four
miles northeast of Delaware and thence con-
tinues northeast through Ashley to ]vIount Ver-
'ncn, where it unites vrith. th.e Powell mo-
raine.
It is interesting to consider what was hap-
pening when the stop was made by which the
moraine through Ostrander was made. The
northwestern part of the county was covered
with ice, reaching southeast to within two
miles of Delaware. The remainder of the
county, but recently abandoned by the ice. was
covered with glacial deposits, probably but
poorly concealed with vegetation. The melt-
ing of the ice produced large streams flowing
away from the ice front. It was these streams
which laid down the coarse gra\els which are
now found in the upper bottoms but wh.ich
at that time made a level floor, twenty to thirty
feet above the present stream beds. These grav-
els were laid down along the Scioto and Olen-
tangy Rivers and Delaware Run.
A considerable part of the drainage re-
sulting from the melting of the ice surface
found its way through cracks in the ice to
the bottom of the ice sheet and then followed
a subglacial course to the ice margin. Along
such courses beneath the ice gravel deposits
were hid down and these, when the ice re-
treated to the north, were left as more or less
continuous sand ridges (^eskers) rising above
' the general level. This is the origui of the
series of ridges which are found in the tri-
j angle between the Scioto River and Hocking
, Valley Railroad, for six miles south of Pros-
I pect. When such streams ended their sub-
i glacial course at the ice margin they deposited
j more or less saud and gravel among the
; knolls of the moraine itself. The most con-
j spicuous area of such origin lies south and a
1 little east of Radnor.
I WATER SUPPLY.
\ The water supply of the county is chiefly
j from wells, the supply of the city of Delaware
1 being drawn from a gra\el well and from rock
I wells sunk in the bottoms of the Olentangy
! some three miles above the city.
i The geology of the wells is simple. On
i the uplands all wells commence in the gla-
1 cial clay. If after reaching the ground water,
j a vein of sand is reached in. digging the well,
either above or at the surface of the bed rock,
1 water may be obtained; if not, the well must
] be carried down into the bed rock until a
j supply is reached. The clay will not furnish
! water, for while it may stand below the sur-
{ face of the ground water, its texture is so close
that water will not flow fast enough from it
into the well to make an adequate supply. In
the bottoms the problem of obtaining water is
simpler. The ground is so low that water is
everywhere near the surface while the open
texture of the sands and gravel gives a good
well as soon as ground water is reached. It
is only where an excessive amount of water is
needed, as in the case of the supply for the city
of Delaware, that the gravel wells are inade-
quate and that it is necessary to eke out this
supply by other means, in this case wells to the
rock.
The most important matter connected with
the water supply of a family or city is its
purity. There is a great underground sheet
of water filling the openings between the rock
and soil particles. This is the ground water.
The surface ''>i this ground water rises in times
I of rain and sinks in times of drought and
AXD REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZEXS
comes to the liglu oi-.ly where it makes the sur-
face of ponds and permanent streams. This
under-ground supply comes, of course, from the
rainfall. All the rainfall which d.^es not join the
iiymediate run-off soaks through the loose up-
])er rock until it reaches the surface of the
^,-,-,'i;ul y.-ptor. In '•■0 doing it nnis ('/>nCTPr of
infection. The rainfall is itself nearly pure. On
and immediately below the >urface it gathers
more or less impurity, either organic or inor-
ganic. Such impurities may not be harmful;
generally they are not, but at the same time
that the chance is offered for the water to
take up these harmless impurities, the water
has the opportunity to take up dis'sase germs,
especially those of typhoid fever. Fortunately,
the water which is thus always impure and
occasionally infected is usually naturally puri-
hed. It is known that the upper layers of the
soil are inhabited by countless bacteria and
these microscopic form': pf plant life feed on
the organic matter which is in the soil work-
ing its way from the surface to the ground
water. By this agency, this organic matter is
destroyed, is reduced to simpler and harmless
forms and any disease germs which may have
been in the water are either destroyed or else
die from lack of food or from other unfavor-
able external conditions. As wells draw their
supply from the underground water which is
normally thus "filtered," or better "disin-
fected" in passing below the surface, they are
usually pure. They may, however, become
contaminated in two ways. If they are im-
properly made, water from the surface may get
into the well "either at the top or through the
sides. Or if wells are sunk in ihe neighbor-
hood of cess-pools, they are liable to infection.
In that case infected matter may work directly
along a buried sand vein from cess-pool to
well, and the well become a source of disease.
In such cases the natural disinfection by the
soil bacteria is impossible, while mere filtra-
tion through sand, apart from the action of
organisms, does not purify. By dilution with
the ground water and by unfavorable environ-
ment the disease germs may have their strength
impaired, but it remains true that wells in
the neighborhood of cess-pools are unsafe.
A large part of the rainfall never gets be-
low the surface. It makes the wet weather
run-off and goes at once to the streams. In
dry weather the stream flow is maintained by
the ground water contributions. In so far as
river water is made of run-off it is liable to in-
fection. Surface water is not suitable for
drinking purposes. Exceptionally it may be,
in the case of small streams whose whole drain-
age area is known to be free from sources of
contamination. But in the case of a stream of
any size, no individual can know that the drain-
age basin above a certain point is free from
sources of infection. The Olentang}' River
has been condemned as a source of water sui>
ply at Delaware because in time of low water
it is exposed to contamination from the sew-
age of Gallon and from private sources, while
in time of the spring freshets it is probably
quite as dangerous by reason of the washing
which the rains give the frozen land sur-
face, sweeping to the streams the winter's
wastes, which may be easily infected by reason
of cases of disease.
One of the most interesting things con-
nected with the water supply of the county is
its sulphur springs. These are so named from
the hydrogen sulphide contained in the water
and which gives it its characteristic odor.
Quite as interesting as this gaseous constitu-
ent, is the mineral content of the water. An-
alysis shows that the water of the Odevene
spring* in Delaware cont?'.ins 361 grains of
mineral matter per gallon -.nd nearly one-half
of this is common salt. The water of these
springs is really salt water. The composition
of the impurities carried suggests that the wa-
ter has followed a long and deep underground
course, reaching levels much lower than those
touched by the water of ordinary springs. In
•InlSl'JTrum.-in ThomusotSunijury hired a man to di? a well.
This well, which resulted in the Oderene sprins. was drilled for ?aa
or oU. The man ffot down about twenty-four feet, when he was over-
come by gas and had to be pulled out. Thinking- it was damp.a U=rht-
ed candle was sent down in a bucket, but it had not descended more
than s't.'c feet when it Isrnited. sending a column of flame up for forty
feet with an explosion like a ten-pound cannon. The well burned
about forty-eljht hours with a Hame about two feet hl^h. wlien wa-
ter seeped in and put it out-
There Is a ?as well on the farm formerb' owned by O. D. Hou?h.
insitle of Sunbnry corpor.ition limits, that is about ilOtJ feel deep, but
which Is DOW iilu;r^f-l. It is supposed by o'.l and g-as men that this
territory is on the outskirts of the gas and oil belt.— [Ed.)
■03C/7 S(f-
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
this course it deri\-es its chlorides from the
limestones which, being old sea bottom de-
posits, probably still contain a part of the salt
water with which they were saturated at the
time of their formation; while the hydrogen
sulphide was derived from the decomposition
of oT-;;^nn'c m^.tter l)i'»"ied in the i^ne^'-O'^'^p "ivd
subject to slow decay.
SOILS.
The soils of the county are derived from
the mantle rock, either glacial till or stream-
laid gravels. As this diiYerence between gla-
cial till and stream-laid gravels corresponds in
general to the difference between uplands and
bottom lands we may speak of upland soils
and bottom land soils. As the valley sides
which run from the upland to the back edge
of the lowland are underlaid by glacial till,
their sf^'ls belonr^ with the unlnnd soils.
Upland Soils. — Almost everywhere under
the upland is found the brownish yellow gla-
cial bowlder-clay. The scattered bowlders
are ordinarily inconspicuous in the soil layer.
As a result of a number of mechanical and
chemical processes the upper foot or so of this
clay has been changed to soil, to a layer ca-
pable of supporting plant life. Two kinds of
upland soils have been distinguished by the
United States Bureau of Soils in its survey
of the southern part of the county — the Miami
Clay Loam and the Miami Black Clay Loam.
The Miami Clay Loam is the common
soil of the county, making up nine-tenths of
its surface. This soil is light yellowish brown
at the surface, passing below into a compact
brownish yellow silty clay, sub-soil. The
"clayey character of the soil is due to its deri-
vation from the glacial bowlder clay. Its
silty character is due to the fact that that
clay is made up of finely ground rock which is
not properly speaking clay and which gives a
different feel to the glacial clay when it is
moistened and rubbed between the fingers,
from the feel of true clay. The Miami Clay
Loam is uniform over wide areas. It is es-
sentially a grain and hay soil and is well
adapted to general farming purposes. Back
from the streams where the surface is level
or only gently rolling the natural drainage is
defective and ditching and tile draining is
necessary.
Two varieties of the upland clay loam are
to be distinguished. The first is the some-
what poorer soil which underlies the valley
=idej. These areas are better drained and
drier than the uplands and hence the soils con- •
tain less humus. They are exposed to rain
wash and so lose much of their finer and richer
portions. For both reasons they are poorer
and the yield is from ten to thirty per cent,
less than on the uplands. The second variety
of upland soil is the Miami Black Clay Loam,
found in the depressions of the upland surface,
either at the heads of shallow streams or in
low basins without outlet. Here the surface
has been moister, vegetation ranker and hence
a larger portion of vegetable matter has be-
come incorporated with the soil. The mineral
content of the soil is not unlike the common
upland soil.
Bottom Land Soils. — The streams' which
flowed away from the ice front as it retreated
north across the county were heavily loaded
with gravel and sand which they laid down
in the valleys. Since that time the rivers have
been cutting into these gravels and into the
underlying rock, so that flood stages of the
present rivers cover a part of the bottom de-
posits but not all. The higher portions are
covered with a soil called by the Bureau of
Soils the. Miami Gravelly Loam. It is open,
usually contains considerable rock fragments,
and is, on account of its position, nearly al-
ways adequately drained. It is admirably
adapted for corn, when the drainage is not
too free and the soil in consequence droughty.
Another type of soil covers the lower parts
of the bottoms which are now subject to over-
flow. Here the annual additions of clay by
the flooded streams and the abundant growth
of vegetation have combined to produce a
dark soil more clayey than any other of the
region, the Miami Loam. It covers the flat
first bottoms and makes an excellent soil.
though subject to the danger of floods.
Lewis G. Westgate,
Professor of Geology in Ohio Wesleyan
University.
■ 1 ' J
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
23
TOPOGRAPHY.
Delaware County is located near the geo-
graphical center of Ohio, and is bounded on
the north by Marion and Morrow Counties;
on the east, by Licking and Knox ; on the
south, by Franklin, and on the west, by Union
County. It comprises 283,289 acres, of which.
;iccording to the 1907 agricultural statistics,
237,966 acres are farm lands, divided as fol-
lows : Cultivated, 72,903 acres; pasture, 142,-
205 acres; woodland, 21,168 acres; King
waste, 1,690 acres. The principal rivers are
the Scioto and Olentangy, which flow nearly
parallel across the county from north to south.
The former, which is the larger stream, enters
the county between Thompson and Radnor
Townships and forms their boundary-line ;
thence it crosses Scioto Township in a south-
easterly direction, leaving the county as a part
of the boundary line between Concord and
Liberty townships. The Olentangy enters the
county aijout midway cf the northern bound-
ary of Marlborough township, and courses in
a southerly direction through the tier of town-
ships south of Marlborough. These streams
with their many tributaries give the county an
excellent drainage system. Since the forests
which held back the water have been cut off,
the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers suddenly in-
crease to great volume after long and heavy
rains, or when the snow melts rapidly in the
warm days of spring. The water-power fur-
nished by these streams is described in the
chapter on manufactures.
SURFACE FEATURES.
The eastern portion of the coimty is rolling,
particularly in the sandstone districts. The
whole limestone district, which embraces all
that part of the county west of the Olentangy
River, except that underlaid by the water-
lime, is moderately undulating, the surface be-
ing worn by erosion into shallow depressions,
which, near their junction with larger streams,
'"ecome ravines bounded bv steep bluffs. The
district of the waterlime is flat, especially in
the townships of Radnr^r. Thompson and Scioto.
The deeply eroded valleys of the Scioto and
Olentangy constitute the most marked topi>
graphical features of the county. In the south-
ern part of tlie county, these valleys are deeply
cut in the underlyinir rock. The divide be-
tween them, at a point west of Powell, is 125
feet above the Scioto. The descent ot the
Olentangy is usually very gentle, occupying
sometimes a space of a mile or more on either
side; while the valley of the Scioto is narrower,
and its banks more frequently rocky and pre-
cipitous. In the northwestern part of the
county, the valley of the Scioto is strikingly
diff'erent from the southern part ; the bluffs are
never rocky, and the general level of the coun-
try is little above the level of the water in
the river. _ The following table of altitudes,
which was prepared by the Big Four railroad,
is interesting:
Ft. .\bove Ft. Above
Lake Erie Ocean
Morrow County Line 403 970
Ashley 412 977
Eden 405 970
Delaware 378 943
Berlin 381 946
Lewis Center 3S7 952
The soil generally is dependent on the na-
ture of the northern drift. In this the various
essentials (State geological survey), such as
iron, lime, phosphorous, silica, magnesia, alu-
mina and soda, are so thoroughly mixed and
in such favorable proportions that the strength
and fertility of the soil are very great. Its
depth has the same limit as the drift itself,
which is, on an average, about twenty-five feet.
The soil is more gravelly and stony in the roll-
ing tracts. The stones come partly from the
underlying rock, but mainly from the drift.
They are common along the valleys of all
streams and creeks and in shallow ravines.
The northwestern part of the county has a
heavy, clayey soil, with some exceptions. This
clayey flat land is comparatively free from su-
perficial bowlders. Very little gravel can be
found, except in the line of gravel knolls that
passes northwestwardly through Radnor
Township. The valleys of the streams, how-
c^-
:, .; j,>I < . I:
iJb
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
ever, show a great many northern bowlders,
as in other parts of the county. Besides these
general characteristics of the soil, a^great many
modifications due to local causes will be seen
in passing over the county. There are some
marshy accumulations which, when duly
drained, are found to possess a soil of remark-
able ammoniacal qualities, due to decaying
vegetatinn. The alluvial ri\er margins possess
a characteristic soil, strongly contrasting with
the general clayey lands of the county ; they are
lighter and warmer, while they are usually re-
newed, like the countries of Lower Egypt, by
the muddy waters of spring freshets, and are
hence of exhaustless fertility. One of the chief
obstacles which the pioneer farmer had to
overcome was the immense quantities of sur-
face-water which covered a large part of the
arable lands of the county. At first, open
drains were dug, but in the black lands these
filled up rapidly, and to avoid this, drains, in
some parts uf the county, ten to twenty feet
wide were plowed. Later, in some of the best
flat lands, oak planks were set up at the sides
of the ditches, and the tops covered over with
staves of the same material, placed just low
enough not to interfere with the plowing.
This method drained off the surface-water,
and at the same time permitted the cultivation
of crops. By this method some of the white-
elm swamp lands were made to produce corn
as well as the best bottoms. Drains were also
constructed of poles and broken stone. As
soon as the method of underdraining by means
of tile was demonstrated to be a success, tile
factories sprang up all over the county, and
thousands of acres have been reclaimed to
bring forth bountiful crops, and the work of
tiling is still going on, year after year.
The entire county was originally wooded,
and in certain localities the timber was heavy.
The prevailing varieties are those common to
this part of the State, and consist of manv
of the different kinds of oak. hickory, black
and white walnut, ash. birch, sugar and other
kinds of maple, and many other species. Many
of the more common shrubs, such as hazel,
willow, sumac, etc., are also to be found in
profusion. The work of clearing the land of
its timber has been going steadily on since the
arrival of the first pioneer. In those days it
was necessary to clear land in order to raise
the necessary crops, and the value today of
the timber that the early settlers were com-
pelled to destroy would in many instances be
more than the present value of the land. It
is to be deplored, however, that while the work
of cutting off the timber still continues, little,
if any, effort is being made by the farmers of
Delaware County to replace the forests. The
shortsightedness of this policy from an eco-
nomic point of view receives so much atten-
tion in the many agricultural journals, one or
more of which nearly every farmer reads, to
say nothing of the va;luable pamphlets on this
subject distributed freely by the federal gov-
ernment. that it is unnecessary for us to dwell
at length upon it in these pages, much as we
would like to do so.
FRUIT CULTURE.
\\'ild grapes and plums were found here
in abundance by those who left the comforts
of civilization to make their homes in this
wilderness, and for some time, these with ma-
ple syrup and sugar sufficed as dessert. It
was not long after the first settlers arri\-ed here
before small apple orchards were set out in
dift'erent parts of the county; but it is impos-
sible at this late day to say when, where or
by whom this was done.
For many years Delaware County has been
kept before the eyes of the horticulturalists
of the country; latterJy, through Mr. F. P.
Vergon. one of our oldest citizens, who is
recognized as one of the great orchardists of
the country and the "Father of the Grass
Mulch System," which is explained in these
pages. In an earlier day. Delaware County
was advertised far and wide as the home of
the Delaware grape, the finest of all American
grapes. Yet, notwithstanding this promi-
nence, fruit-growing has never reached large
proportions as an industry here, and this, no
ti>lA;;V -!':<1
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
doubt, is due, largely, to climatic conditions. !
The variableness of temperature, especiallv in j
the winter season, when the thermometer fre-
quently drops from a point above freezing to j
one registering the extremes of cold, the early '
frosts in the fall and the late frosts in spring, j
give this county a climate which can hardly j
be called ideal fur fruit-raising. It has been
demonstrated, howe\'er, that with proper care
and attention, hardy fruits can be grown here
with profit. Probably every farmer in the
county grows some fruit for his personal use.
and in these family orchards will be found
apples, pears, plums, peaches and cherries;
small fruits are also grown to some extent,
whb a constantly increasing acreage, as the
towns grow in population, affording better
markets.
About 1837. B. J. Heath and his family
settled in Concord Township, bringing with
them from New Jersey a grape vine, which
tliey planted and nurtured with care. In 1853.
Mr. Heath brought a basket of grapes from
this vine to Mr. Abram Thomson, the editor
of the Dclaivarc Gazette, and Mr. Thomson,
who was an enthusiastic horticulturalist, recog-
nized immediately that here was a grape of
unusual merit, and to him belongs the credit
of naming the grape and of bringing it into i
public notice. He sent specimens of the fruit to
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which
presented Mr. Thomson with a vase and a sil-
ver medal. A Dr. Grant, of lona Island, in the
Hudson River, became the largest individual
propagator of the grape, and had Mr. Thom-
son's portrait painted in oil. presenting it to him
as a mark of his ajipreciatif'U. At one time Mr.
Thomson lost nearly 20.000 young vines in a
greenhouse which was destroyed by fire. ]\Ir.
Thomson also brought the grape to the atten-
tion of Maj. P. Barry, who was at that time
editor of the Horticulturalist. Its superior
qualities were instantly recognized. and
brought to the attention of the public by the
Major. A big excitement in the horticultural
world resulted from the introduction of this
grape, and a furor in grape culture was de-
veloped, \\hich has been often referred to as |
the "grape fever." I
The wildest ideas prevailed, and thg most
extravagant anticipations and expectations
were entertained as to the profits of grape
growing, and thousands of persons embarked
in this pursuit without either the skill or the
knowledge requisite for success ; and the result,
so far as the great mass of ine.xperienced culti-
vators was concerned, was just what might
have been expected — failure. During this
time, the demand for vines became so great,
that they were sold in immense quantities at
prices ranging from $1 to $5 each, and even
then, the propagators of the vines were taxed
to the utmost to keep up with the demand.
Thousands of horticulturalists went to New
Ijersey in the hope of finding more vines like
the original. Mr. Heath had secured it from
an old Frenchman named Paul H. Provost,
and this gave rise to the story that his vine
had been sent from France with a lot of other
vines, about the beginning of the nineteenth
century; but the most careful and thorough
searching never brought to light a similar vine,
either here or in foreign lands, and it is now
the opinion of those best able to judge, that the
original vine was a chance seedling which
sprang up in Mr. Provost's garden from some
native grape.
Among the early and most successful prop-
agators of the Delaware grape in this county.
we may mention the late George \X. Campljell
and F. P. Vergon. As secretary of the Ohio
State Horticultural Society for many years. ]\Ir.
Campbell was widely known, and his efforts
helped to make the Delaware grape a success
from a commercial standpoint. In this con-
nection it is hot out of place to mention that
in 1857, Mr. Campbell established a grape and
small fruit nursery with greenhouses in Dela-
ware, from which he shipped all over this
country, and to nearly every quarter of the
civ-ilized world, as many as seventy varieties
of grape vines, including the Delaware. This
nursery was maintained for many years, and
■small-fruit plants of all kinds as well as green-
house and bedding and flowering plants were
propagated here, supplying not only the local
demand, but going to all parts of the country.
Mr. Campbell induced Mr. Heath to take up
c 'H^nL-
26
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
the propagation of the Delaware vine by the
"layering'' process. Some years before the
"grape fever"' broke out, the elder \'ergon had
received a vine from Mr. Heath, and planted
it beside his house. Mr. Campbell suggested to
the youthful F. P. Vergon that he "layer"
his vine. This was done, and young Vergon,
upon selling the vines to ]Mr. Campbell, found
himself in possession of S37, which, as lie says,
"was quite a bunch of money for a young
man in that day." He realized at once, how-
ever, that he had made a mistake in disposing
of his vines, and the next morning, heading
off ]\Ir. Campbell, he \vas at Mr. Heath's place
and purchased all the young vines he had for
sale. Beginning in this way, Mr. Vergon
continued the propagation of these vines for
eighteen years, dating from 1855, on an ex-
tensive ■^cale, selling them mostly to Mr.
Campbell, and always at wholesale. It is de-
plorable that in the county where the Dela-
ware grape originated, there is not a grape
vineyard of any importance.
At an early day, Titus Knox liad an apple
orchard of twelve acres in Trenton Township.
It was a good-bearing orchard in 1845, '^^'^ '^
now owned by his grandson, Alonzo Knox.
Amzi Swallow, of the same township, also had
a twelve-acre apple orchard. William Little
and Rev. VanDeman, whose names are so
prominently identified with the early history
of the county, set out apple orchards. Horace
P. McMasters of Brown Township, at a later
date, had an orchard yielding from one to
two thousand bushels of apples annually, and
this was considered quite an orchard in those
days. About i860. Joim Veley, of Troy Town-
ship, set out an apple orcliard of seven acres,
and about twenty years ago he set out twenty
acres more in trees. Quite a number of good-
sized orchards, many of them quite young, are
now to be found in the county. The excep-
tional success of F. P. Vergon, as an orchard-
ist, no doubt has had much to do with stimulat-
ing the interest in this branch of horticulture.
In another part of this chapter will be found
2 paper by Mr. Vergon. in which he sets forth
the methods to which he attributes his success.
Mr. Vergon's orchard covers between fifty and
sixty acres. Three or four acres of this was
set out fifty years ago, and about three acres
thirty years ago; the balance was planted in
18S8. Reuben L. Hudson, a neighbor of ^Ir.
Vergon's, has a fifty-acre orchard, thirty acres
of which are nineteen years old' and twenty
acres are ten years old. "Cobb" Gavitt. as he
is familiarly known, and who resides near
Ashley, has an orchard of from twenty-five to
thirty acres, which is twenty-five years old.
Samuel Willey & Sons have a sixty-acre or-
chard in Troy Township, which is in its seventh
year. They also have 600 pear trees and 100
cherry trees. James Ousey has twenty acres
of apple trees in Delaware Township, which
are seven years old. William H. Fisher, of
Liberty Township, has an apple and peach or-
chard of about four acres, and a number of
others in this township are starting similar
orchards. Among others in the county who
have orchards, we may mention Ezra W.
Koeple, Thomas A. Kennedy, Walter M.
Glenn, of Delaware Township, who has forty
acres of trees two years old, and Dr. J. H.
Miller, who has a three-year-old orchard of
sixty-five acres, on what is known as the Hana-
walu place. A reference to the statistics which
we include in these pages will show that other
fruits are not grown extensively enough to
warrant extended notice here.
Delaware is fortunate in having as one of
its citizens the most successful apple grower
in the State of Ohio, a man who is known and
looked up to as an authority in all the apple
producing regions of this country. We refer
to Mr. F. P. Vergon, who has been called by
the Ohio Experiment Station, "The Father of
the Grass ^lulch System." The following
article, which has appeared in substance in a
number of the. most widely circulated publica-
tions devoted to such subjects as agriculture
and fruit growing, has been furnished for use
in this chapter by ]\Ir. Vergon : '
"I have said so much on the system of
grass mulch for fruit — in which I am a pio-
neer — that it may seem monotonous for me to
say any more, so I will take the short cut
across the field and be as brief as possible.
"What may be used for mulch? Anvthing
i/1/ ■/;.■ ..: ■: \L
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
27
that grows out of the ground, if sufficiently
decomposed so as not to be in the way about
the orchard, will answer a good purpose. Grass
mulch means not to plow or cultivate the or-
chard. After you once commence this system,
leave it continually in grass. Timotliy is not
desirable.
"How the work is done. ^SIow the orchard
once or twi'-e a year, as the case may require;
rake and drop opposite the trees; place it
around the trees out to or beyond the drip of
the branches ; put on sufficient so that grass
or weeds will not grow through it, say eight
cr ten inches thick, evenly spread. If very
dry and fluffy, put it on heavier ; it will soon
settle down. If the ground is improverished,
coarse manure is very much better. In this case,
let the grass lie where the machine drops it.
It is surprising how trees will grow if not
permitted to suffer for want of moisture ; water
is a wonderful factor.
"Perhaps one of the greatest objections to
this system is, to the minds of many, that they
cannot realize from the crops in the early his-
tory of the orchard ; but I believe there is no
other way so successful to get the land back
to its primitive condition — rich, porous, and
full of humus.
"It should be remembered, if the location
is a good one. good orchard land, rich, you
are laying the foundation for an orchard that
will last for generations, if this system is ad-
hered to. It is true that trees cap be grown
quite successfully by the system of cultivation
up to ten or twelve years old. By this time
the land is impoverished ; the last fiber burned
out of the ground ; humus entirely exhausted ;
something else must be done.
"The mulch system is quite easily managed,
and not expensive until the trees are ten or
twelve years old. After this the problem, or
expense, increases with the growth of the
trees. Fortunately the revenue increases as
well. This is easily understood. As the trees
grow larger, the territory to mow decreases,
and the territory to mulch increases; conse-
quently, a large portion of the mulch must
come from some other source than the orchard.
The greater part of my orchard is nineteen
years old this spring, planted thirty-five feet
each way, on rolling tablelands; frost drain-
age good.
"This territory was a beautiful blue grass
pasture. I had grazed it with short-horn cat-
tle thirty-five or forty years. I am glad to
say this same grass grows in the orchard, was
never plowed up, and we are out of the mml
and dirt, year in and year out, in doing all the
orchard work, which is a very great item in
comfort and pleasure. With this system, the
trees have made uniformly strong growth each
year from the time they were planted. In some
of the varieties that grow fastest and spread
most, the branches in many places have locked
horns, and this means a spread of thirty-five
feet on trees nineteen years old this .spring.
I believe this to be a remarkable growth. Of
course many of the slower growing varieties
will not shake hands for many years.
"To supply the necessary mulch, we seeded
twenty acres of bottom land to mammoth
clover, which yielded at least three tons per
acre, and was all used for mulch. In addition
I bought the straw of nearly one hundred acres
of heavy grain for the same purpose, and com-
pleted the mulch business where most needed,
just before winter set in.
"This is somewhat expensive; but the work
o;i the ground, except clipping and letting the
grass lie where it is cut, is done for years.
After all, it is certainly" cheaper than to culti-
vate every season ; plow, cultivate and harrow
all summer; in the fall seed with some catch
crop, that very often does not catch, and have
the orchard washing away all winter and
spring. In fact, it would be impossible to carry
on this system with our low-headed trees. I
never believed mutilating the roots and mil-
lions of fibers is the right thing to do ; I know
it is not with all other plants that grow out
of the ground, large or small, and I do not
think apple trees are the exception.
"To keep the mice from the trees, we use
fine cinders that come from slack coal (no
clinkers), a bushel to one and one-half per
tree, according to size: Lay it up in cone
style at the base of the trees. It is not a ferti-
lizer, nothing grows in it. It is always clean
t!. ■.:"•.' ! J J J. /:
:V- ^i7:l-/;-i,,ii ..;Vi«^:; .^Tn!.^
I :■.;,!'
,>."j;... ■ /r--t(
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
and doesn't wear out. A little wind or sun
easily gets the snow oway from the little black
cones, and gi\es the trees a safe and com-
fortable appearance. I have not lost a tree
since we began using cinders. We tried wire
screen, which, perhaps looks more plausible
than are many of the things suggested' and
used, but this was not satisfactory. After
placing it around the tre.- and pressing it in
the ground a little, it looked all right, but
was heaved up by the frost an inch or more —
just right for the mice to get in their work.
I cannot emphasize too much the use of cin-
ders. If I were not within hauling distance,
I would have it shipped in by the carload. It
costs but a trifle. Rabbits have done us but
little harm. They seem to be contented with
cutting some of the tips from low brancjies of
bearing trees. \\"e never pasture with any
stock whatever; it cannot be done without dam-
age to the orchard.
"As to the results of the grass mulch sys-
tem, it must be apparent that the ground is
becoming richer all the time, with the best
natural fertilizer, I will call it, for the welfare
of the orchard. We have a reservoir of humus
all over the orchard, but more especially under
the trees, from the slow decomposition of the
mulch on the under side. Here, especially, is
where the bacteria delight most to put in their
good work, where it is always moist.
"Our orchard land is underlaid with shale,
but quite deep ; has a good depth of rich loam
by nature, with a brash red clay si b-soil (no
gravel). Y'et it has become so porous that
practically all the rainfall is absorbed in the
ground. ' I am very sure that the water never
•uns out from the mulch under the trees, not
. -en on the side hills. How different it is
" -th dust mulch, especially after drouths in
uie summer, when rain is so much needed. It
frequently comes in . torrents ; the ground is
puddled in an instant, and the water runs off
almost as slick as from a goose's back; and.
if the land is hilly or rolling (as usually the
best orchard land is), cuts out gullies, and
washes much of the best soil into the valleys
and streams. In the next place the tempera-
ture is in a measure equalized; th.e ground
under the mulch trees is never so hot in the
summer and never freezes much in winter. It
is quite possible for the roots to be injured by
very hard freezing. Some time since, I tested
the temperature of the ground in the heat of
summer, under the trees, with thermometers.
Under one, the ground was perfectly clean ;
the other was mulched. In each case, the bot-
tom of the thermometer rested on the ground,
and both in tlie shade of the trees. I watched
them for several days, at 6 o'clock A. M.. i
o'clock P. M., and 6 in the evening: the tem-
perature did not run quite even, but the aver-
age was two and one-half to three degrees
cooler under the mulched tree. I was quite
satisfied with this experiment. Extreme tem-
peratures are not best, and the escape of hu-
midity is prevented. These conditions also
hold good in spring time; the ground warms
up slower under the mulch and the bloom is
retarded several days.
"Things of less importance — apples that
drop are clean, and are not usually bruised.
Even the leaves' are caught up in the mulch
in the fall, and are where they will do the
most good. It is quite generally conceded
now, that apples color better and keep better
where mulch is used. If this be the case, and
I think it is, they are of better quality also,
and I verily believe the trees are longer lived.
"I 'got onto' this system from my pio-
neer days — clearing up primitive forest. The
leaves, bark, rotten branches, etc., were eight
to twelve inches deep, and are added to each
year, while decomposition is going on under-
neath. A better mulch could not be provided
for the timber by any artificial means. Here
Nature has done her own plowing for thou-
sands of vears. I have never forgotten how
hard it was to walk on this mulch in the winter
time — being heaved up by the little needles
of ice and fine earth, honeycomb fashion, under-
neath. The ground was always moist and rich
I under this mulch. It seemed to me this would
I be an ideal condition to have under my trees.
! Nature is certainly a wonderful teacher, and
I never weans her children. I think it is Shakes-
r>5 -T
AXD REPRESEXTATR'E CITIZENS
29
peare who says that the student of nature may
tind
'Tongues in trees, books in the running iirooks,
Sermons in stones and gocd in everything.'
I have learned most from the voiceless tongues
of the trees.
"I am ver)- sure with this system it is p<is-
sible for the trees to ripen annual cr.ips, and
form fruit buds for the next year. Under
other conditions, the trees frequently suffer so
severely from drouths that the crop is not wdl
matured, and fruit buds are not formed for
the following season. Failure of crops ver}-
seldom comes from freezing-out in spring-
time. It is for want of bloom and vigorous
trees. It has been proved that well grown ap-
ples contain over ninety per cent, of water.
I am glad that it i? possible to retain it in
the ground; otherwise we would not have S(j
much water to haul out at harvest time. In
the fall of 1906, we harvested our eleventh or
twelfth consecutive paying crop annually since
1893 or 1894. I can't recall the season, but
one year, our apples, when as large as big
marbles, were frozen, in June, as hard as rocks.
Xo human being can prevent a calan.iity of that
kind. This section of the orchard that is
twenty years old this spring (1908), and
yields ten to twenty bushels per tree — sorted
in the orchard, all handled in crates of one to
one-half bushels (a tree can easily be mea-
sured), hauled in every day and stacked up
in our cold storage.
"Some trees of my own planting in the sec-
tion of the old orchard ' forty-fi\e years old,
have harvested forty-five bushels and over per
tree. These old friends do not bear such uni-
form crops any more. They can afford in
their declining years to take a little more rest.
"A few weeks ago, looking over the or-
chard, I saw plenty of fruit buds, as I thought,
and cut small branches of different varieties,
and set them up in a jardiniere filled with
water in a warm room. X'ow they are in
bloom, and I am reminded of when the 'apple
trees are in blossom and the bobolinks are
singin'.'
"In conclusion, it seems to me quite pos-
sible to have the orchard in such a condition,
by supplying its every want, as to overcome
sufficiently the unfavorable elements, so as to
have a crop annually."
Joseph H. Cunningham, florist, Delaware,
is the only one in this county who is engaged
in this business on a scale of any importance.
He learned the business with the late George
W. Campbell, who was one of the foremost
Ohio horticulturalists of his day. In 1890,
Z\Ir. Cunningham established himself at his
present location on West William Street, with
a greenhouse 72 x 20 feet in dimensions. His
business has grown steadily, and he now has
10,000 feet of glass. He does a general flor-
ist's business, and a glance at his shipping re-
ceipts for almost any day will show shipments
going to points as widely separated as Phila-
delphia and San Francisco, and X'ew Orleans
and St. Paul, ^Minnesota.
The difficulty the early settlers met widt
in acquiring stock can hardly be appreciated
at this day. Sheep were unknown and horses
were only less unfamiliar. Cattle and hogs
were easily kept, so far as feeding was con-
cerned, but another difficulty involved them.
The woods abounded with wolves and bears
which soon learned the toothsome qualities of
beef and pork. Endless devices were invented
to protect these valuable adjuncts of the early
settlement froin these wild marauders, but with
limited success. Time and again were the
early settlers aroused from their sleep to find
the hope of a winter's supply in the clutches
of a bear or hopelessly destroyed by wolves.
Hogs were allowed to breed wild in the woods.
Occasionally they were brought into a pen for
the purpose of marking them by sundry slits
in the ears. Such occasions were frequently
the scene of extreme personal danger, and
called forth all the intrepid daring inculcated
by a life in the woods. The animals, more
than half wild, charged upon their tormentors,
and then it was expected that the young man
would quickly jump aside, fling himself upon
the back of the infuriated beast, and, seizing
him by the ears, hold him still enough to make
the necessary marking. These hogs were sold
:j ;['-^i"/.
r-i^ .1 ,
', J
V iff»{
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\\
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1 ;
a:. (,i ■>..■■>; -jr''
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
to itinerant buyers^ who collected them in
droves, taking- them to Zanesville, swimming
the ^luskingum on the way. The shrewd set-
tler always sold his hogs with the understand-
ing that the buyer was to deliver them him-
self. This often proved the larger part ot the
bargain, and the dealer, wearied out and dis-
gusted, would be glad to compromise the mat-
ter by leaving the hogs and a good part of the
purchase-price with the settler. A hog turn-
ing 200 pounds was considered a heavy-weight,
and a drove averaging this would be the pride
of a dealer and the envy of his fellows. At an
early day Stephen Bennett and David and Jo-
seph Prince of Berkshire Township followed
the business of driving hogs to Baltimore. The
task of driving such herds of swine as they
took to market can hardly be appreciated at
this day. On account of their wildness they
were likely to stampede at the first opportunity,
and numbers of hogs were lost on every trip.
At an early time Steplien Bennett brought
sheep from, Kentucky and traded them for
hogs, and it took a good hog in those days to
buy a sheep.
This is a good corn country, and raising
and feeding all kinds of live stock has always
been a profitable and popular occupation with
the farmei. The first blooded cattle were
brought to Delaware County about 1S26 by
Judge Rosea Williams and \Vilder Joy. These
were bought in Pickaway County, and among
them was a dark roan short-horn bull that
was a fine animal for that day, most of the fine
breeds in this section having been crossed un-
til the stock was deteriorating. Gilbert Van
Horn brought some Durhams into the county
about 1836. and a few years later a fe,w were
purchased by a JNIr. Jones of Radnor (which
one of the very numerous citizens of that name
we have been unable to learn), from AI. S.
Sullivant of Columbus. From that time to the
present the grade of the cattle bred in the
county has constantly been improving, owing
to the efforts of a few men in dift'erent sec-
tions who have maintained fine herds. Among
those of the earlier day we may mention T. F.
Joy, X. Leonard, Norman Perfect, T. C.
Jones and Chauncy Hills. The latter gentle-
man, in 1S54, purchased a small farm in Troy
Township, which he named '"Crystal Spring
Farm." By subsequent purchases he increased
the size of this farm until it included some
400 acres. This place has ever since been fa-
mous as the home of the best of thoroughbred
shorthorn cattle, Shropshire sheep and York-
shire hogs. The foundation for this reputation
was laid at that time by the purchase of the
fine young shorthorn bull, Master Miller, 693,
and the beautiful young Rose of Sharon heifer,
Fanny Fern by Prince Charles the 2nd
"321 13," from the Messrs. Renick. At this
time, and for the next six years, T. C. Jones
was associated with ^Ir. Hills, the firm name
being Hills & Jones. In 1862 the herd was
divided, ilr. Hills's success as a breeder of
short-horns was well attested many years ago
by the choice of numbers of his herd for ex-
port to Great Britain, where they graced the
pastures of Lord Dunmore at Stirling, and
produced descendants that were most success-
ful in the showering. Two animals that Mr.
Hills bred were shipped to England by the
purchaser and sold for about $7,500. For
many years F. P. Vergon was successful as a
breeder of short-horn cattle. Among others,
we may mention John Worline, of Marlbor-
ough, who is one of the oldest short-horn
breeders in the county, and keeps a heril of
perhaps twenty-five registered cattle. The
breeding business established by T. C. Jones
was continued by his son, Arthur H., until
about 1902. when he sold the herd at auction.
At that time Hough Bros., of Berkshire Town-
ship, purchased some of the Jones stock, and
since that time have been breeding short-horn
and polled Durham cattle. They now have
about eighty head, of which thirty are regis-
tered. Some of their fine animals have been
imported from Canada. Price & Hills, of
Radnor Township, also have a herd of these
cattle. For many years. T. R. Smith, of
Berlin Township, was a breeder of Devonshire
cattle, il. B. Shoemaker and Son bred
thoroughbred Hereford cattle for a number of
years prior to 1900, Their farm was near
Ashley, anrl they had a bull and a small herd
of cows. There are many other farmers who
1 ■-: \' .■:,,vr.:} r
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
have smaller herds of tine stock. In the south-
ern part of the county dair}ing seems to be
growing in favor. The facilities for shipping
milk to Columbus where the demand -is con-
stant, and the close proximity of good cream-
eries, has given an impetus to this department
of agriculture.
Undoubtedly Capt. V. T. Hills as a breeder
of Red Polled caUle has made Delaware
County more widely known among cattle
breeders in the United States than any other
individual. It is claimed by breeders of these
cattle that they combine the capacity of milk
and beef production in the same individual to
an equal if not to a greater degree than any
other breed. In 1887 Capt. Hills purchased
eight cows and one bull — the best that were
to be had in England. By the time the herd
reached Delaware County, it numbered seven-
teen. The Bull Pando, 1254, proved to be a
very valuable animal, leaving his impress on
many of his get. He was one of the very
great bulls of the breed. The cows of this
importation were a useful lot. Chic was never
beaten in the show ring; she was first at the
World's Columbian Exposition, and champion
cow over all breeds in the "General Purpose''
class, twenty-seven prize cows of all breeds
competing. Other importations were made
from time to time, the last, iu 1900, compris-
ing eighteen cows and two bulls. For ten or
twelve years, beginning with the year 1890,
Capt. Hills exhibited at leading fairs all over
the coimtr}-, taking over 400 honors. Two of
the five cows (Tryste, No. 5169, aged thirteen
years, and ^Mayflower 2nd, No. 8025, eight
years) representing this breed in the official
milk test conducted in the Model Dairv at the
Pan-American Exposition, in 1901. were
owned by Capt. Hills, and were it not for the
energA- and personal work of Capt. Hills, who
was prevailed upon by the earnest solicitation
of the committee appointed by the Red Polled
Cattle Club of America, to select these five
cows, the breed would not have been repre-
sented at the test. There were ten breeds,
represented by five cows each, in the test —
Jerseys. Guernseys, Ayrshires. Holsteins.
Polled Jerseys, Shorthorns, Brown Swiss,
French Canadians, Dutch Belted and Red
Polls. Experienced men, furnished by the
various breeders' associations, spent months in
making selections of representative cows of
the several breeds, with the result that the
Ayrshires, Jerseys, Holsteins, Shorthorns and
French Canadians were said by competent au-
thority to be "the finest lot of cattle of these
breeds ever seen together." With these five
herds the Canadian Government sent at its
own expense, one general superintendent, and
with each of the herds was a manager, expert
in compounding, rations, as well as an ex-
perienced feeder or care taker. The Red Polls
were in charge of a herdsman only, Mr. R. E.
Krider, who had never compounded a balanced
ration in his life. Capt. Hills's cow, Mav-
flower 2nd, won second place in butter profit
out of the fifty cows tested, excelling all the
Jerseys, all the Ayrshires, all the Holsteins
and four of the five Guernseys. In writing the
foregoing, we ha\-e made free use of a pam-
phlet issued by the Red Polled Cattle Club of
America, in 1903.
In fat stock shows, steers from Capt.
Hills's herd have been shown with credit. Of
one shown in 1900, the expert of the Breed-
er's Gazette said, in speaking of the slaughter
test: "Star presented one of the most beauti-
ful and profitable carcasses on the hooks. He
had roasts of equal thickness of the cham-
pion's, and much better marbled, and he had
no more excess of fat. His rounds were not
so well filled, however, down in the lower
parts where the meat is cheap."
In October, 1902, Capt. Hills sold the
larger part of his herd at public auction in
Chicago. There were eighty females, four-
teen bulls' and fifteen calves at foot, and the
prices paid at this sale made an average price
of $283 per head for all ages. Capt. Hills
still maintains a small herd at his farm in
Scioto Township. A herd of these cattle is
also kept by Mr. James Raney, of Baltimore,
on his farm in Scioto Township.
The breeding of fine sheep has long been
an important industry in this county. Many
years ago. Miner Tone, of Liberty township,
owned one of the finest herds of sheep in the
ID .n y r.r/.TV:;^:iA> ujt a
32
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTV
State. This flock passed into the possession
of R. K. Wilhs, who for many years gave the
most careful and intelHgent attention to sheep
breeding. Thomas Jones, of Dela-ware Town-
ship, also bred fine sheep. Wesley Bishop, of
Troy Township, has been e'ngai;ed in the Me-
rino sheep industry since iSSo on Pleasant
Hill Farm. He has the largest tlock of pure
bred Merino "sheep in Delaware County, and
has done mucli tov.ard raising the sheep
standard in this section. One of the best
known Merino collections in the country is
owned by C. H. Bell, of Ashley. The flock
was founded more than forty years ago by
the father of the present owner, and for the
past twenty years has been making fame by
its winnings at the big State and international
shows. In 1 888, the Bell flock won all the
firsts and seconds at the Ohio Centennial
show, and the younger Bell has kept the flnck
up to the high standard established by 4us
father. Many of the rams bred here bring
from $ioo to $200 each. In 1904, R. D. Mc-
Gonigle & Sons started in the Merino busi-
ness with upwards of thirty fine sheep. They
have established a notable flock, from which
they- have sent prize winners to State fairs in
Ohio, Virginia, Illinois, ^lichigan and Xew
York. ij. C. Wood, of Delaware, proprietor
of Wood's Big Walnut Farm in Porter Town-
ship, started his flock about eleven years ago.
and has some of the best-bred sheep in the
State. Mr. Wood is one of the active and in-
fluential members of the Delaine Merino As-
sociation. William E. Gallant, of Delaware
Township, also has a flock of these sheep. In
■^larch, 1905, there came to Delaware Town-
ship one of tlie best-known slieep breeders in
'the United States. S. IM. Cleaver. A recent
issue of the American Sheep Breeder says the
coming of ^Mr. Cleaver will bring Delaware
more in the eye of the ]\Ieriao sheep public
than any odier spot in America. The same paper
also says : "As a judge and critic of Alerino
sbeep he is the best man of his time, and has
no equal in the mating of sire and dam."
Maplewood Stock Farm, the present scene of
'Sir. Cleaver's labors, is located in die southern
part of Delaware Township, where the C. D.
& M. interurban line crosses Sandusky Street.
yh. Cleaver has always been prominent in
organizing the different associations of Me-
rino breeders, in several of which he has lield
ofl:icial position. In 1905, he helped organize
the Consolidated Association of Merino Breed-
ers, and has been its secretary since that time.
He is also secretary of the American Delaine
Merino Sheep Associatiun of Delaware. Mr.
Cleaver ceased exhibiting a number of years
ago, and since that time he has supplied many
exhibitors with prize-winning stock. Fie owns
some of the most noted rams in the country-
Gold Standard, Fortune, Improver and Oil
King having a reputation with breeders e\ery-
where.
The Shropshire flock, which was started at
Cr}-stal Spring Farm in 1S76 and is now kept
by Mr. F. P. Hills on Oakland Farm', Peru
iownship, ^lorrow County, is the oldest in
the State of Ohio. The foundation stock was
imported from .several of the most dis-
tinguished breeders in Great Britain, and nu-
merous additions were afterward made from
the flocks of Joseph BeaCh, J. Pulley, J. B'jwen
Jones, H. Lovatt, Thomas Fenn, T. S. Minton,
^ilessrs. Evans & Everell, W. Ward and others
who rank high as breeders of this popular
breed in their native home. The strongest
point in their favor in this country is their
great value for crossing upon other breeds
lacking in mutton qualities — notably the Com-
mon Merino, which compose probably ninety
to ninety-five per cent, of all the sheep in the
United States. The half-bloods make good
feeders and command the highest prices in our
markets, being largely purchased for exporta-
tion to England, there being no embargo upon
them, and sell from three to five cents more
than our beef. Shropshires clip about eight
pounds of medium combing-wool, which sells
higher than any other sort. Rams weigh from
150 to 250 pounds, and ewes from 150 to 200
pounds, when in good condition. Tliey are
prolific, and mature early.
T. R. Smith raises sheep on an extensive
scale, and there are many others who ha\-e fair-
sized flocks of high-grade sheep, raised and
fed for wool and mutton, among which we
caV
^l
Vi!j -r,::* j:;;
AND REPRESEXTATR'E CITIZEXS
33
may mention Lester Peet and Coridon McAl-
lister, of Thompson Township.
Among the large and important flocks of
Merino sheep in the county, is that'of H. P.
Miller, of Sunbury, which has been established
over forty years. ]\Ir. Miller's Delaine rams
are registered in either the Standard or the
Improved Delaine Association. They present
a strong combitiation of desirable features,
rather than any one single feature.
There are many fine herds of swine in the
county, the favorite breeds being Duroc, Po-
land China, Chester White. Many years ago
Chauncy Hills introduced Yorkshire hogs, and
more recently the tirm of Price & Hills, of
Radnor, have introduced the Plampshire
breed. Charles Davis also has a herd of this
breed.
For upwards of forty years the breeding
of fine draft horses has received considerable
attention. The most popular breed, because it
may possibly be best adapted to t1iis section,
is the Percheron or Percheron-Xornian. named
for Le Perche and Normandy, in France,
where they are e.xtensively bred and whence
they are imported into the L'nited States. The
first horse of this breed was brought into Ohio
by Thomas Jones, who later, in 1879, came to
Delaware Township and settled on a farm on
the Radnor Pike, which he named "Alder-
brook." Among the early importers of these
horses to this county, we may mention Covell
Brothers, of Delaware, who were also inter-
ested in the Radnor Importing Company and
the Delaware Importing Company. These
concerns «ent representatives to France at dif-
ferent times, to purchase horses for importa-
tion. Among other individuals who were in-
terested in importing, breeding or dealing in
this breed at that time were W. H. Case, John
and Edward Thompson, Capt. Solomon W'ei-
ser, Stephen Thomas of Radnor, Dr. John 'M.
Rapp. and others. Some of the present day
breeders and dealers are F. P. Hills, W. \V.
Ferguson, H. Domigan, Lewis Slack and
Hough Brothers.
Welsh Mountain Ponies. This breed of
ponies has existed in the mountainous districts
of Wales for centuries, and is a pure and dis-
tinct variety of the horse. Their distinguish-
ing characteristics are beauty of form, docility
and hardihood; in all qualities which make
ponies valuable, it is thought they have no
equal. In England, where ponies are much
used, they are \-ery popular — no other breed
more so, and frequently sell as high as Sjog
a head. Two head of these ponies were im-
ported by the late Thomas Jones of Delaware
from Liverpool in August, 1885, who selected
them in person in the breeding district of
Wales. ■ From that time to the present these
ponies have been bred at Alderbrook Farm,
which has been managed by Mr. Jones's
daughter, Miss Winnifred Jones, snice 1899,
when advancing years compelled her father to
retire from active business life. For alxiut ten
years F. P. Hills engaged in breeding these
animals of which he had some splendid repre-
sentatives. Among those who are now breed-
ing Welsh ponies in this county , are David
Dyer and John Gregg in Berkshire Township,
and R. J. Pumphrey of Delaware.
Shetland ponies. In 1SS7, Corrington
Gavitt, better known by the familiar sobriquet
of "Cobb" Gavitt, of the firm of Cobb Gavitt
& Company, proprietors of E\'ergreen Park
Shetland Pony Farm, near Ashley, imp(M-ted
the foundation stock of his present herd. They
were purchased from the ^larquis of London-
derry, Bressy, Shetland Isle, who has the
largest and best herd in the world. About
seventy-five of these ponies are always to be
found at Evergreen Park, whence they are
shipped all over the country. Twenty-seven
Shetland ponies were raised here in 1907.
Thomas Jones, of Delaware Township, also im-
ported and bred Shetlands. Tom Thumb, which
he brought to this country, died in 1905 at the
age of thirty-six years. In 1898, Livingston
Brothers, of Leonardsburg, purchased from
Mr. Jones two mares by Tom Thumb, and
since that time they have been engaged in
breeding. They now have eleven ponies on
their place.
/]':/:(.--i'-3>i'U2Q'A.
,1 • i.' ye iJJ
34
H13T0RY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
The following intere=;ting figures are taken from the 1907 Abstract of Agricultural Statistics for Delaware County;
PRODUCT
ACRES SOWN FOR HAR-
\-EST IX 1006
BUSHELS PRODUCED
IN 190U
ACRES SOWN FOR HAR-
VEST IN 1007
16,754
Rye
....- t;04 .■
Buckwheat
13
154
12,737
13..;
12,1
39,100.:
l,.i6G,275
Ensilage Corn, 37S acres pla
Sugar Corn 33 acres planted 72 tons produced
Tomatoes 5 acres planted 1.250 bu. produced
Peas 6 '4 acres planted 5,400 bu. produced
Irish Potatoes 629 acres planted 64,521 bu. produced
Sweet Potatoes 1 acre planted 50 bu. produced
Onions 4 J-s acres planted 875 bu. produced
Meadow, acres in grass other than clover, 43,321 ' tons of hay produced, 4S,S94.
Clover, acres grown, 2,100; tons of hay produced, 2,460; bnshels of seed produced,
Alfalfa, acres grown, 234; tons of hay produced, 525.
Milk: Gallons sold for familv use, 278,765.
Butter made in home dairies, 323,331 lbs.
Butter made in factories and creameries, 515,147 lbs.
Cheese made in factories and creameries, 83,844 lbs.
Eg!;s, 070, 0>. I do; en.
Sorghum, 1 acre planted; 169 gallons of syrup produced.
Maple trees from which sugar or syrup was produced in 1907, 22,809; pounds of sugar
Bees: Number of hives, 283; pounds of honey produced, 3,317.
cres plowed under, 93.
gallons of syrup, 3,919.
Orchards Acres of Apple Trees 2,319;
Orchards Acres of Peach Trees l-if's'.
Orchards Acres of Pear Trees 1 ?4 ;
Orchards Acres of Cherry Trees 9^'^ :
Orchards Acres of Plum'Trees H}i;
bushels of fruit produced 133,908
bushels of fruit produced 257
bushels of fruit produced 108
bushels of -fruit produced 71
bushels ot fruit produced I4
Number of Beef Cattle owned in April, 1907 571
Number of Milch Cows owned in April, 1007 9,330
Number of all other Cattle owned in April, 1£07 6,782
Total 16,692
Numberof Sheep owned in April, 1007, 41,208.
Pounds of Wool shorn, 235,436
Number of Hogs owned in-April, 1007,- 1S,.344.
Number of Hogs for summer market, 1007, 6,632.
Number o£ dotaestic animals which died from disease in 1906:
Horses 143;
Cattle 162;-
Sheep 816;
Hogs 279;
value 813,005
value 4,100
value 2, 746
value 1,689
MINERAL SPRINGS.
(By Dr. S. W. Fowler.)
Delaware possesses some of the most valu-
able mineral springs in the world, and each
spring is charged with medicinal and thera-
peutical properties which have the most bene-
ficial influence on mankind, both in health and
disease. Many watering places and health re-
sorts enjoying the patronage of many thou-
sands of people, would be o\'erjoyed with water
;«'
..i 'UT.tX/-' i ..
- ■ ...
' ■"\.r(,l . , ..:..
>jiM,3i!oiq .y.
'5q ;■ ■Aj';£>
1630666
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
35
of such wonderful theraj^eutic \'alues as is
fouiul here. If these waters had been properly
developed, Delaware would now be unable to
furnish accommodations, and if they would
now ad\ance the work, hundreds, yea thou-
sands, of those who know of these waters,
would be the strongest advocates; for they
stand ready to gi\'e testimony of the beneficial
results of these chalybeate and sulphuretted
waters.
Long before tradition taught our fore-
fathers about them, the wild animals could
have been seen here, drinking from these
springs. Not only to ciuench their thirst were
these waters beneficial, but they had a marvel-
ous influence upon their vitality. The Indian
told the white man how he found the buffalo,
the deer, and the bears and cattle congregated
here; how the various tribes came here to se-
cure their meats while the animals visited
these waters, and how the different ' tribes
finally pitched their tents in the valleys and
hills along the Olentangs' River and the Deh-
ware Run. They were wont to relate to the
white frontiersman the marvelous benefits the
old and the young derived from the waters.
They fully appreciated that these mineral
springs possessed something far better, more
pure, and greater than other waters in the river
and streams, as well as other springs in othei
localities.
The white pioneer soon learned also that
these springs possessed something which made
them better than other waters ; and located
near them to enjoy their health-giving prop-
erties. He, too, saw ^vith surprise, animals,
botl; wild and domestic, seeking these springs,
and only ceased coming to them when they
were shut out by the fences.
For .over half a century, thousands of peo-
ple annually followed the same law and in-
stinct, not fully appreciating the medicinal
powers in these mineral waters, until some
years ago, when a few enterprising and pro-
gressive citizens connected with the University
and city, believed that these waters con-
tained valuable medicinal agents of great value
to humanity, and possessed by but few mineral
springs in the world. Acting upon their belief.
they had them analyzed. The analysis proved
that each and every mineral spring possessed
medicinal qualities of uncommon and beneficial
influence to mankind. This wonderful revela-
tion made by them, proved that the waters
were not only similar, but far superior to many
others whose fame had spread far and near.
These white and black and saline sulphur and
chalybeate springs in this locality are far su-
perior in e\ery respect to many in this and
foreign lands. The analysis has pro\-en that
Delaware's Sulphur springs are better and
stronger than those of Virginia, where thou-
sands visit annually. They are better, and
possess more valuable ingredients than those
of Pennsylvania or Colorado.
The temperature of springs, as well as the
waters charged with certain medicinal agents,
render them more or less valuable for thera-
peutical purposes. As a rule, spring waters
have a temperature of 33 degrees. When the
temperature is higher than 36 degrees, they
are known as thermal springs. These are
often of more or less value independently of
the power of the water to dissolve mineral
substances and the gases they contain. Yet
when a spring is thermal, and contains the
important gases, and holds in solution valu-
able mineral agents, they become of far greater
importance to mankind.
Such are the springs in this locality. These
sulphur springs have a temperature of 60 de-
grees, and the chalybeate springs 57 degrees,
while the famous Wildbac Spring of Germany
has a temperature of 61 degrees; the Clifton,
of New York, 54 degrees; Carlsbad, 131 de.-
grees-; the Warmbrunn, Germany, 68 degrees;
the Hot Springs of Arkansas, go degrees to
108 degrees; and the Great Geyser of Ice-
land, 180 degrees. The composition of mineral
waters varies according to the strata through
which the water passes, as well as to the pres-
sure and previous composition under which it
is in contact with the deposits. Waters vary
in composition in the same locality, yet come
to the surface in close proximity to each other,
as is witnessed in this locality. We see the
same conditions at Saratoga. New York.
Coming by pressure to the surface, these wa-
36
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
ters are found to [wssess different therapeuti-
cal values one from the other, yet each and
every one possessing rare and valuable medici-
nal virtues.
When the great mineral strata below has
been thoroughly drilled into, and other springs
have been carefully developed and located,
there will be no reason why the waters will
not be sought after lor drinking and bathing
purposes, and the curing of all forms of dis-
eases equal to, if not far more, than those in
other localities of less value.
The rare mineral combinations so univers-
ally present in these mineral springs, and with
which the people should have been more deeply
interested, are not so dift'erent from those
whose waters have cured many diseases, and
given happiness to many individuals. The
oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbonate
and bi-carbonate of sodium; the sulphate and
chloride of sodium; the carbonate and bi-car-
bonate of calcium; the dift'erent forms of iron
combined and re-combined by nature's law,
are of the highest therapeutical value when
properly used.
The classification of mineral waters is ex-
ceedingly difticult, yet all are based upon the
predominence of some certain constituents, or
constituents imparting to them certain medi--
cinal and therapeutical values to be used in
dift'erent diseases or in various ways. The
special or principal constitutent giving the pe-
culiar character to the mineral waters, acting
as a cathartic or as a laxative, is the bi-car-
bonate of magnesia and bi-carbonate of soda,
and the chloride of sodium. The tonic mineral
waters contain bicarbonate of iron or oxide of
iron. The alterative mineral waters contain
iodide of sodium and chloride of potassia and
sodium. The diuretic properties of the mineral
waters depend upon the bicarbonate of lithia
and the protoxide of hydrogen. It will be well
to remember this when studying and discussing
the qualities and uses of these mineral waters.
That the carbonic acid gas, sulphuretted
hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are the life-
giving principles of all of our mineral springs,
we can no longer doubt. They contribute to
the solubility of the salts contained in the
waters, and render them more palatable and
more agreeable to the stomach. The perfect
solubility of these salts enhances the medi-
cinal power of the mineral waters, and hence
are more valuable for drinking and bathing,
and curing of diseases. Once let the gases be"
driven off or escape, and the water evaporated,
and it will be fuund it will take more than
ten times the amoiuit of rain water to re-dis-
solve them. The absence of these gases in the
strongest iron springs of Europe, render them
worthless, or nearly so. When comparing
these springs with many others, there is found
a much larger amount of gases in them, thus
making them of the highest benefit in curing
diseases and for every day use. The gases
seem to travel through some of the springs and
escape; but in the case of the springs in this
locality, the springs are most thoroughly and
firmly impregnated with them.
While many famous mineral springs con-
tain bicarbonate of magnesia, which acts as a
laxative and an anti-acid in some stomachs,
the Delaware springs contain not only the
same, but added to them is the sulphate of
magnesia and chloride of sodium, acting more
mildly and safely as a laxative and carthartic
as well as correcting the "sour stomach," es-
pecially seen in those addicted to tlie use of
alcohol, and those, too, who overindulge in
eating at unusual hours. By using these wa-
ters, the "heartburn'" and sick headache soon
disappear. These water? start the torpid li\ er,
and arouse the intestinal inaction, and stimu-
late metabolic changes. The medical profes-
sion well know and highly appreciate the use
of the carbonate and bicarbonat^e of sodium,
found so abundantly in these springs, and can
testify to their highly beneficial influence as
medicinal agents, especially in correcting the
morbid secretions of uric acid. As found in
the waters of these springs, the acids hold in
solution aluminates, the phosphates, etc., ren-
dering them thus highly beneficial in all forms
of rheumatism. With a little labor, many
valuable testimonials could be furnished gi\ing
proof of remarkable cures in this disease.
When usecl for bathing and drinking, the ef-
fects have been far more rapid.
,»'.>r
AXD REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
37
The Chalybeate springs, known as the Le-
nape or Hills' Springs, furnish one of the best
tonic waters in the country-. The iron con-
tained in the waters, when taken into -the body,
builds up. the red corpuscles of the blood,
stimulates the appetite, and enriches the whole
body. That most important agent so demanded
by the whole animal creation, chloride of so-
dium, or conimi.n s:ilt, is abundantly found in
the chalybeate springs, and in each and every
one of our springs.
Ever)' physician can testify how this agent
increases the solubility of the albumen of the
blood, and prevents the rapid destruction of
red corpuscles. It stimulates the secretion of
gastric juice, increases the flow of bile, and the
more rapid interchange of the fluids in the
body, called osmosis. Acting on the kidneys,
there are increased secretion and excretion of
the urine. The great influence salt has on the
body one cannot estimate until one has used
the water so remarkably supplied with it. The
only method of proving its action is by care-
fully watching and recording the therapeutical
effects on the patient. The same is true of all
the waters. The effects have been watched and
recorded, and many are ready to give testimony
of astonishing and bewildering^results: Chemical
analysis fails to decide the exact medicinal ef-
fects, independently of the careful and faithful
observation of the beneficiar\-. The afflicted,
who have used the waters and been benefited,
always furnish the best and most reliable evi-
dence. Blessed as the locality is now with
many different mineral springs of the highest
medicinal value,, many more can be developed
by systematic drilling, equally as good, if not
better, and at the same tiine locate them so that
sanitariums, hotels and bath houses can be
erected with great advantage, to accommodate
those wishing to come here for- pleasure and
treatment.
The Odevene Spring will always be of
commercial interest, as the water is finding an
unlimited demand. It is shipped in large
amounts to various parts of the country, and
is having a growth never dreamed of by the
citizens of Delaware. The ste.ady development
of the Saratoga springs has been going on un-
til now they have world-wide renown. What
has been done there can be done here, and
should have been done long before this. Let
five to ten wells be drilled in the most pleasant
parts of the city, and soon we will see hotel and
sanitarium accommodations made for the large
number resorting here for health and pleasure,
and many as permanent citizens, to use the
waters, and will see the population doubled in
ten years.
The first spring at Saratoga was discov-
ered in 1767. "the High Rock Spring," by Sir
William Johnston. Tradition tells of the In-
dians using from it long before this. The Con-
gress Spring was discovered in 1792. Then
followed others in rapid succession, until now
they have over thirty, all properly analyzed and
recorded, each one possessing rare medicinal
properties, and which over 300,000 people an-
nually visit for health and pleasure. Win-
should not the various sulphur and chalybeate
springs of this city cause it to become the Sara-
toga of Ohio and the west ?
All of these springs of any repute ran.ge
from 60 to 200 feet below the surface. With
the exception of the High Rock Spring, all
are tubed.
It is the duty of every scientific and medi-
cal writer interested in our city, to investigate,
write and make reports upon the history, prob-
able origin, chemical properties, the therapeuti-
cal value, and the medicinal importance of each
and every spring. In this manner a vast and
valuable fund of information can be collected
for the city, and for all coming here to use the
water for various forms of diseases. This
should have been done long before this, and the
benefits would have accrued to the town. It
has only bee.n of recent date that the Odevene
Spring waters have been brought prominently
before the people, and its possibilities cannot '
be estimated. The reason for this rapid growth
is the marvelous therapeutic action of the prop-
erties found in the water. It is only too fre-
quently stated by the wise and the unwise, the
learned and the unlearned, that these, as well
as all mineral waters, have no medicinal val-
ues, and the same results can be attained by
using artificially prepared waters. The argu-
■■• w . ■ . . . jj. ._■..• ist'-j:' j
yrii:-)c: J-;ii': ?r i
38
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
ment only confirms tlie benefits arising from
the use of these waters as nature furnishes
them to us ; yet all differing in power as cath-
artics, laxatives, diuretics and elixir waters, as
discussed and taught in medical books. The
action of these same agents chemically pre-
pared, act upon the organs by irritation, caus-
ing secretion and elimination, while these same
agents in these mineral waters are natural to
the body, acting as powerful oxidizers of the
disintegrated or broken-down tissues, and
eliminating from the body by the different
organs, the waste matter. These waters,
charged with important elements, again fur-
nish the blood with powerful restoratives to
build up tissue, and to cure disease. That the
Odevene stimulates the liver secretion, and
acts as a cholagogue, we have abundance of
evidence. Those using it report the laxative
or cathartic eft'ects, and the more rr.pid digestion
and relief from distress in the stomach. The
gastro-intestinal irritability is relieved . and
cured. The dark, swarthy coniplexir>n changed
to a ruddy, healthy color, and tiie whole sys-
tem, through the glandular organs is strength-
ened and invigorated. The weak and debili-
tated heart and arteries gain power and
strength. The nervous system is electrified
and set going. To give a list of the dis-
eases influenced and cured by these waters
would take too much space, and would be
confusing. These mineral waters, like all
others, should be used by the sick under regular
and strict rules, and always under the care of
a physician or nurse, who have carefully in-
vestigated their use. Those in health need
no help, and are ready to testify to the benefits
derived from using the waters for bathing and
drinking.
The Odevene Spring is owned and operated
by the "Odevene Spring Company." It is lo-
cated east of the campus of the Oliio Weslevan
University, and a little west of the Olentangy-
River, and near the junction of the C. C. C.
& St. L. Railroad,, and the Pennsylvania Rail-
road. A company drilled diis well into the
rock and struck this valuable thermal mineral
spring water at the depth of 400 feet. The
well is in the great lime rock strata, and the
sulphur component renders the water valuable
in manv forms of disease. Their bottling
works are nearby the spring, where they work
a number of hands, washing the bottles, filling,
labeling and packing ready for shipping. They
have arranged for a portion of the water to
flow from the well, to accommodate the hun-
dreds of people who visit it daily for drinking
and other purposes. 0\'er twenty thousand gal-
lons flow from the well daily. The medicinal
effects of the water have been thoroughly
tested, and endorsed, not only by the local
physicians, but by other leading physicians.
They preserve it daily with the utmost confi-
dence to those of a sedentary habit, and to
those suffering from bilious disorders. The
water, containing the laxative salts, chloride
of sodium or common salt, bicarbonate of
magnesium, the chloride of magnesia, induce
effects that are mild, pleasant and certain, and
without irritating the intestinal tract, or im-
pairing the digestive functions; on the other
hand, promoting the appetite, and stimulating
digestion and assimilation. The chloride of
calcium acting powerfully upon the glands of
the skin, the kidneys, and the mucous mem-
brane, is an agent of great value as a curative
power. The various forms of eczema and the
enlargement of glands are cured when the
water is systematically used for drinking and
bathing. The same can be said of the Wliite
and Black sulphur waters, as thousands of
people, who have for many years used them,
can testify.
We will speak also of the Magnetic
Springs, properly called Chalybeate Springs.
The Lenape Spring, owned by Mr. C. E. Hills,
has been analyzed and tested for years. The
ingredients contained in these waters are of
great benefit to the blood and the body. Many
chalybeate springs in this country, as well as
in Europe, are visited for the purpose of drink-
ing, bathing and treatment. Those at Rich-
mond, Va. : Sharon, Pa. ; the Bedford. Brighton
and Cheltenham in Europe, where large num-
bers visit annually, are renowned. Y^et the
chalybeate springs of our own city have nearly
the same chemical comiposition ; and in addi-
tion, combine the valuable saline properties
T" -
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
39
making them of far more value as curative
agents than those mentioned.
That we may prove that what has been
said is tnie, we append the following .analysis
of our springs, and a few of the most noted in
when the patient needs a tonic.
The Odevene natural spring water was
analyzed by the celebrated consulting and
analytical chemist, A. A. Drenneman, of New
York. He gives the following composition:
Temperature 60 degrees, density 10,040. total solid
375.1 1 per gallon.
Pot.issium Chloride 18,65 gr.
Sodium Chloride 145-87 gr.
Lithium Chloride Traces
Caicium Chloride 15.26 gr.
Magnesium Chloride 55.93 gr.
Calcium Sulphate 102,47 gr.
Calcium Bicarbonate 33-87 gr.
Magnesium Bicarbonate 2.64 gr.
Alumina and Iron 0.05 gr.
Silica 0.37 gr.
No Organic Matter
Less the Carbonic acid and water of
Bicarbonates 361.32 gr-
The important gases spoken of before, and
of such vast importance in all m'neral wa-
ters, are in large quantities in this spring :
Sulphjretted Hydrogen 2.924 per gal.
Nitrogen 5.810 per gal.
O.xygen 0.158 per gal.
By the analysis, v\"e see the water, as stated,
is not only a strong mineral, but a highly saline
sulphuretted one. This chemist further says :
Tliis sulphuretted hydrogen gas is entirely free,
nu sulphide occurring in the water, except the
traces of sulphide of iron, and this in suspen-
sion. He says further, by way of compari-
son with other mineral waters, that this spring
is exceeded by only one other in sulphuretted
hydrogen gas. A United States gallon con-
tains in cubic inches as follows :
Weilbach well, Germany 1. 161
Cave well, N. Y 2.754
White Sulphur well, N. Y 0.8S4
Florida well, N. Y 3.765
Odevene well, Delaware, 2.924
Taking the analysis of these wells, we find
the Odevene of greater value in this gas and
its combinations in the curing of disease, and
as a valuable mineral water.
The Lenape ^[agnetic Springs were known,
like the other springs, to the Indians long be-
fore the coming of the white man. The Lenni-
Lenape tribe of Indians camped in the vicinity
of these waters.
There are two of these springs only a few
feet apart, giving a discharge of "8.400' gallons
each day. Though so near together, the wa-
ters differ materially in their composition, as
will be seen in the analysis. Unlike the other
springs, it has a magnetic influence, making
it one of the marvels of nature. Its use in
various diseases has been carefully tested, and
found to be of great value. No. i acting on
the liver, kidneys and blood, while No. 2 acts
m.ore directly upon stomach diseases and the
bowels, as well as on the blood. Having such
large quantities of iron, its use is especiallv
adapted to the diseases affecting the blood, or
when the patient needs a tonic.
No. I Lenape analysis is as follows:
Temperature 57 degrees, density 1.0520, total solid
per gallon 55.695.
Sodium Chloride 3-346
Calcium Chloride ." 0.634
Potash Sulphate 1-334
Lime Sulphate 6.201
Magnesia Sulphate 0.934
Lime Bicarbonate 27.421
Magnesia Bicarbonate 15.211
Iron O.xide -j_^
Silica 05^
Organic matter 004
Tctal .55.695
No. 2 Lenape analysis is as follows :
Temperature 57 degrees, density 1.0620, total solid
per gallon 40.64.
Sodium Chloride 2.15
- Lime Sulphate j.j^
Magnesia 2.31
Magnesia Carbonate iV.ii
Lime Carbonate 17.73
Potassia Traces
Organic matter 0,81
Iron Oxide • 0.41
.■Mumina Traces
40
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
When these waters have Ijeen used regii-
larly and systematically, they improve the se-
cretions and the appetite, relieve the decom-
position of food in the stomach, and stop the
eructation of gas, cure the diseased mucous
membranes, and stimulate the torpid liver and
intestine to action, build up the broken-down
corpuscles, and thus stimulate the whole or-
ganism. These waters being strongly anti-
acid, they combine with the gastric juices, and
act as a laxative and cathartic, and act most
beneficially on all cases of rheumatism.
The oldest and most famous' spring is the
White Sulphur Spring on the campus of the
Ohio Wesleyan University. Thousands of
stivdents and visitors from all parts of the
United States and the world have the most
perfect knowledge of it, and are ready to give
testimony as to its value. How long it has
been flowing, tradition fails to tell. The rich,
sulphuretted odor of this, as well as of the
five others of the same nature, appearing along
the Delaware Run tor two miles to the north-
west, can be detected long before reachmg
the springs. The visitor, on the first visit,
is disgusted and nauseated with the taste and
odor, which is so powerful ; but after a few
visits he likes it. and- many are found there
daily praising it in the highest terms. Daily,
hundreds are seen with vessels, drinking and
carrying the water away.
These sulphur springs are more bountifully
supplied with sulphuretted h\.:!rogen and car-
bonic acid gases than any other springs in the
country. In each gallon of water can be
found .96 cubic inches of sulphuretted hydro-
gen gas, and 36 cubic inches of carbonic acid
gas. The large amount of chloride of sodium,
and the different forms of chloride of lime,
compounded with magnesia, renders the water
most valuable as a powerful anti-acid, acting
to cure dyspepsia, toning up the mucous mem-
brane of the stomach and intestines, and restor-
ing the digestion. They start the torpid liver,
and pancreatic and intestinal action, restoring
the digestion, and acting as a mild la.xative
and cathartic. The composition of the
water also shows diuretic properties, to
the beneficial influence of which on the kid-
neys many testify. Thus we find we have a
mild cathartic refrigerant, diuretic anti-acid,
and an anti-septic water, to bless and benefit
mankind, as found in but few other localities.
The gaseous products fuund in one gallon of
water by anah"sis :
Sulphuretted hydrogen gas.... 96 cubic inches
Carbonic acid gas 24 cubic inches
White Sulphur Spring of Delaware — temperature
5o degrees, density 1.0026, total solids; gases — Sulphur-
etted hydrogen 96, carbonic acid gas 24.
The deposit resulting from the evaporation -
of several gallons of water from the White
Sulphur Springs was as follows :
Chloride of Sodium 48 gr
Calcium Sulphate 8 gr. '
Calcium Bicarbonate -. 20 gr.
Sulphate Magnesium 16 gr.
Bicarbonate Magnesium 8 gr.
Carbonate of Soda 5 gr.
The sulphuretted springs known as the
C. O. Little Springs, west of the city, con-
taining white and black sulphur, are equally
valuable, but have never been analyzed.
These sulphuretted waters, possessing these
mineral substances and abundance of gases,
can be readily distinguished from the others
by the odor as well as by drinking. Those
found in Europe, and in \-ariuus parts of the
L'nited States, are far. inferior to those in our
locality. Those in Virginia and in Pennsyl-
vania do not conform to these in power of
medicinal influence. The famous Harrogate
Sulphur Spring has a density of 1.01113, and
a temperature of 48 degrees. The celebrated
Clifton Springs, of Xew York, to which so
many go annually, do not compare with either
the White Sulphur Springs or the Odexene
Springs of Delaware, yet it is classed with
the leading mineral springs of the world.
Of=
CHAPTER II.
INDIAN OCCUPATION.
Prcliistoric Raccs-
-The Red Race— The Delazeares — Relations Betieeen the Settlers and the
Indians— War of 1812— Anecdotes.
Delaware County may have been the home
of mail before the glacial period. There seems
to he evidence, at least, that Ohio was occu-
pied In' human beings prior to this great geo-
logical epoch. Paleoliths have been found in
the Little Miami \'alley similar and under
similar conditions to those unearthed by Dr.
Abbott in the glacial terraces of the Delaware
River. As to whether pre-glacial man ever
had a home in Delaware County. howe\-er, in
uur present state of knowledge, could be
nothing more than a matter of profitless specu-
lation.
That the Mound-Builder lived here there
is abundant evidence. The State of Ohio it-
self, from the standpoint of pre-historic oc-
cupation, is one of the most interesting por-
tions of the entire globe. In no other equal
area have so many of the Mound-Builder's
works, consisting of fortifications, effigies,
m )unds. etc., been "found. _ On this point \ve
quote from the recent work of Gerard Fowke
"n the "Archeological History of Ohio."
"The total number of mounds in Ohio has been
estimated at ten thousand. This is probably
under rather than over the correct figure: for
\vhile diey are almost unknown in the north-
western counties and are comparatively scarce
in s<:)me parts of the rugged hill lands of the
south ancl southeast and along the main water-
"^heds, there is scarcely a township in any other
part where they are not found. In the neigh-
Ix.riiijod of every stream in the southern half
of the State, except some of those flowing
through rough or swampy country, the sur-
face is so dotted with them that. signals could
be transmitted from one to another for a hun-
dred miles or more. There is scarcely a point
along the Scioto below Circleville, or on either
Miami in the lower half of its course, or in the
valley of any tributary to these streams, where
one may. not be within a few minutes' ride
of some permanent evidence of aboriginal
habitation. The same is true of the Cuyahoga
and some other rivers belonging to the Lake
Erie basin. On the summits of steep hills;
in bottom lands subject to overflow, on every
terrace bordering a stream; on plateaus and
uplands: wherever there is cultivable or na-'
turally drained land, a good point of observa-
tion, an ample supply of water, a convenient
topography for trails — the Mound-Builder has
left his mark. Even in places where it would
seem a nomad would not care to go, except
as led by excitement or the necessities of the
chase, and then for as brief a time as possible,
such evidence is not lacking of pre-historic
residence, or, at least, sojourning."
"The most notable mounds in the State
are : The Serpent Mound, in Adam's County,
which is more than a thousand feet in length :
Fort Ancient, in Warren County, the length
of whose surrounding embankment is alxiut
five miles, and estimated to contain 628.800
cubic yards of material: Fort Hill, in High-
land County, enclosing an area of thirty-five
acres ; Graded Way, in Pike County ; and for-
tifications at Newark coverinir over a thou-
,).TA^' J3 .'U l^i^ 'n /(f
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
sand acres. The largest inrmnd in tiie State,
at Miamisburg, is sixty-eight feet, in height
and 800 feet in circumference at the base."
While Delaware County possesses none of
these more irrvportant of the works of the
Mound-Builders, and while there is nothing
characteristic in the mounds and , earthworks
found in the county to distinguish them from
those in many other parts of the State, yet there
are many interesting evidences that these peo-
ple once lived within the limits of the county.
In nearly every township are ta be ■ found
mounds and fortifications of various descrip-
tions, which, though fast becoming obliterated,
still remain to attest the activity of a people
whose character and history are shrouded in
the obli\ion of the past. ^lany relics, such
as stone hammers, hatchets, flint arrow-heads,
spear-heads, pestles, pipes, and fleshers, have
been found at various times, and many inter-
esting collections have been made by citizens
of the county. In June of the year 1906, a
society known as The Delaware County Ar-
cheological and Historical Society was or-
ganized and incorporated by a number of citi-
zens who are interested in the collection and
perservation of relics of this character, as well
as in other matters pertaining to the archeo-
logy and history of the county, and there is
now in the possession of various members of
this organization a large number of relics
which, as soon as permanent quarters are se-
cured, will be open to the inspection of the
public. As illustrating something of the in-
terest which has been shown in matters of this
kind we append a list of the various articles
of archeological interest which have been col-
lected by several Delaware County citizens :
In the Museum of the Ohio Wesleyan Un
versity there is also a large and very interest-
ing collection.
For the past quarter of a century little in
the way of archeological investigation has been
done in the county. There has been no sys-
tematic effort to investigate the various earth-
works that exist, and perhaps much that con-
cerns 'the character and habits of their build-
ers still lies hidden in the unexplored recesses
of the mounds themselves. The larger part
of the mounds within the county are to be
found in the southern portion and along the
Olentangy River. One of the most notable
is in the southwestern part of Orange Town-
ship on a farm now owned by Dr. Peaslev. of
Columbus, and on the east bank of the Oleati-
tangy. "It bears all the marks of having been
a fort, and with the river — -and a large ravine
which enters the river at almost right angles —
forms a semicircle, or, more properly speaking,
a quadrant, and incloses something near ten
acres of ground. Several gateways, or open-
ings, in the wall surrounding it, which is of
earth, from five to eight feet high, are guarded
by mounds on the inside of the enclosure."
It is a misfortune that no scientific exploration
of this mound has ever been made as it would
undoubtedly be replete with interest for the
archeologist. On a farm belonging to A. E.
Goodrich, in Lil>erty Township, there is . a
circular mound, perhaps forty or fifty feet in
diameter, which, until it had been largelv ob-
literated by the cultivation of the land on which
it lies, was one of the most perfect works of
its kind to be seen anywhere. There was an-
other mound on Mr. Goodrich's barn lot a
number of years ago, which has been entirely
removed. During the process of grading there
was found, some distance below the surface,
three skeletons in a good state of preservation.
One of them was apparently that of a man
considerably above medium stature, while the
other two were smaller.
There is an ancient fortification located on
the east side of the Olentangy about four
miles south of Delaware. Like the one farther
down the river, before mentioned as being
built at the intersection of a ravine with the
river, this one is likewise located between two
.{} 'ic. n-yi !!■■ vvc
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
43
ravines at the point of their intersection, about
halt a mile from the river, and could have
\)een intended for no other purpose than that
of defence. The embankment with -the ditch
outside of it contains about twenty acres.
"The height of the eml>ankment is now about
five feet from the bottom of the ditch and the
embankment itself is about five hundred feet
in lergth, with an opening or gatewav near
the southern extremity. There seems to have
been a line of fortifications extending all along
the river for considerable distance, perhaps all
the way ta thje Scioto and thence to the
Ohio."
Mounds, mostly sepulchral, in addition to
those already mentioned, have been discovered
in various other parts of the county. In the
issue of the Delaware Herald for September
25, 1879, there is an account of a mound
which was evidently explored more thoroughly
than most of those which have been known to
exist here. "Saturday we were sliown some
interesting relics consisting of a queen conch
shell, some isingglass (mica), and several
peculiarly shaped pieces of slate which were
found on the farm of Solomon Hill, Concord
Township, Delaware County, Ohio. The
mound is situated on the banks of a rocky
stream. The nearest place where the queen
conch shell is found is on the coast of Florida ;
the isingglass in New York State, and the
slate in Vermont and Pennsylvania. Two
human skeletons were also found in the mound,
cne about seven feet long, the other a child.
The shell was found at the left cheek of the
large skeleton. A piece of slate about one by
six inches was under the chin. The slate was
provided with two smooth holes, apparently
for the purpose of tying it to its position. . An-
other peculiarly shaped piece, with one hole,
was on the chest, and another with some ising-
glass was on the left hand." In an article pre-
pared by Mr. R. E. Hills, of Delaware, a num-
ber of years ago, for a former countv histor\%
he calls attention to several other mounds
which have been located from time to time,
particularly one on the "Broom Corn Farm"
in Troy Township, and another in Porter. In
Ixnh of these many interesting relics have been
found. In more recent years some very inter-
esting discoveries were made by Mr. Burgher
on iiis farm in Radnor Township, and, like
most of the others, on the bank of a stream,
though, in this case, it was the Scioto instead
of the Olentangy. They consisted mostly of
human skeletons, together with some parched
corn evidently deposited with the body at the
time of burial.
In the article of Mr. Hills before alluded
to, he gives an account of the in\estigations
made in certain mqunds in the, eastern part
of the county, and, inasmuch as they constitute
about the only efforts of a strictly scientific
character to discover the important features
and contents of mounds within the county, we
deem it worth while to quote this part of the
article in full. "A mound near Galena was
recently opened by Prof. John T. Short, of
the Ohio University, under the direction and
for the benefit of the Peab<jdy Museum of
American Archeology and Ethnolog}- ; and we
are under obligations to Prof. F. \V. Putnam,
curator of the Museum, for the privilege of
using Prof. Short's report in this connection,
and to Prof. Short himself for kindly fur-
nishing a copy of his report for this pur-
pose."
He says: "In the month of August, 1879.
the writer, in company with Air. Eugene Lane
and Mr. David^ Dyer, opened three mounds
in Delaware County, Ohio. Two of these
formed part of a system of mound works situ-
ated on the estate of Jacob Rhodes, Esq., in
Genoa Township. * * * fhe peninsula
or tongue of land situated between Big ^^■al-
nut Creek and Spruce Run is an elevated area
having nearly perpendicular sides, washed by
the streams over a hundred feet below. The
central figure, the mound A (referring to a
plate) stands within a perfectly circular en-
closure B, measuring nearly 570 feet around.
Now it is but about three feet higher than the
natural level, but formerly was ten feet higher.
Its present owner reduced it by plowing it
down. The trench is inside of the enclosure,
and no doubt furnished the earth for both the
embankment and the mound. Its present
width is twenty-seven feet, and it was formerly
■\r>:\ rrij ,
rf-'' r;;;/--
44
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTV
about seven feet deep. Tlie circle has an
opening about twenty feet in width on the east,
from which a graded way of about the same
width, and priibably 400 feet in -length — no
doubt of artificial construction — affords a de-
scent at ah angle of alwut thirty degrees to
the stream below. On the north side of the
entrance and continuous with the emljankment.
is a small mound mea-uring ten feet in dia-
meter and four feet in height. It may have
served as a point of outlook into the deep ra-
vine below, as from it alone the entire length
of the graded way is visible. A shaft six feet
in diameter was sunk in this mound to a depth
of four and one-half feet, but we discovered
nothing that could be removed. Charcoal, a
few calcined animal bones, and burnt clay, were
all that was found. The large mound situated
in the center of the enclosure, measured sev-
enty-five feet thrLUigh its major axis and sixty-
eight feet through its minor axis. Its present
height is about twelve feet above the natural
level, though the. distance to the bottom of
the trench is three or four feet or more. It
is probable that the mound was perfectly
round, as its symmetry has no doubt been de-
stroyed, in part, by the removal from its sur-
face of about twenty-fi\-e wagon loads of fiat
sandstones (each a foot square, more or less,
and about three inches thick) for the purpose
of walling neighboring cellars. The stones
were brought from the ravine below and made
a complete covering for the mound. Extend-
ing out from the mound on the west, the re-
mains of a low crescent-shaped platform,
twenty-five feet across at its greatest width,
are still visible. A small excavation was made
four years ago in the top of the mound, by the
son of the present owner, but the digging \Vas
abandoned before any depth was reached -or
anything was discovered. I exca\-ated the
mound by causing a trench four feet wide to
be dug from the northern side of the mound
'to its center. * * * \ single layer of
flat stones, like those on the outside of the
mound, was found to start at the base and
to cover what at one time must have been re-
garded as its finished surface. At the center
this inner layer of stones was situated abont
three feet below the present surface of the
mound. This was' the only trace of stratifica-
tion observable in the structure and is sug-
gestive of the section given by Squier and
Davis to illustrate, stratification in altar
niounds. Aside from this, the indications were
distinct that the earth had been dumped down
in small basket- or bag-fulls. This is con-
firmatory of the observations of Prof. E. B.
Andrews in the mounds of southern Ohio
* * * On the undisturbed surface of thf
ground, at the center of the. mound, I un-
covered a circular bed of ashes eight feet ir
diameter and about six inches in thickness
The ashes were of a reddish clay color, except
that through the center of the bed ran a seam
or layer of white ashes — no doubt calcined
bones, as at the outer margin of the bed ir
one or two instances the forms of the bone.'
was traceable, but so calcined that they p<'js-
sessed no consistency when touched or un-
covered. Ranged in a semicircle around the
eastern margin of the ash heap, were severa
pieces of pottery, all broken, probably in the
construction of the mound or by its subsequent
settling. The pottery was exceedingly brittle
and crumbled rapidly after exposure. It was
almost impossible to recover any fragments
larger than the size of the hand, though a
couple of pieces were taken out which indi-
cated that the size of the vessel to which thev
belonged was much larger than any which to
my knowledge have been taken from Ohio
mounds ; it was proba )ly twelve or fourteen
inches in height. The vessel was ornamented
with a double row of lozenge, or diamond-
shaped figures. * * * Adthough the dec-
oration on-these vessels (produced by a pointed
tool .before the clay was baked) indicated an
attempt at art of a respectable order, the ma-
terial employed, was nothing more than coarse
clay and pounded sandstone — instead of
pounded shells, as is more frequently the case.
However, numerous fragments of finer work-
manship were taken out. Evidently an attempt
had been made to glaze the vessel. I could not
help being impressed with the thought that
the mound marked the site where cremation
or possibly sacrifice had been performed,
■/ « I [ '■n:.> ■'/.
[t;;;*. r
■■■ ;>!Ji-
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZEXS
45
* * * About 300 yards southwest of the
mound just descriljed are the remains of a
circular enclosure 300 feet in diameter. The
embankment has been reduced by plowing un-
til it is now scarcely two feet in height. The
precipitins sides of both the Big W'ahiut and
Spruce Run render an ascent at this point im-
possible. Tlie circle i,- \isibie from tlie mmmd
and is possibly an interniedi;'te link between
the .mound and another system hing \\ est at
a point two miles distant.
"On tjie estate of E. Phillips. Esq.. one
mile south of Galena, in the same county. I
opened a mound of 165 feet in circumferance
and about four feet in height. * * * Xo
bones nor pottery were found. * * * y[j-
Dyer states that about a couple of years ago
a large mound, measuring seventy feet in dia-
meter and fifteen feet in height, constructed
entirely of stone, and situatetl on the farm of
Isaac Brimberger, three miles south of Ga-
lena, was partly removed by its owner for the
purpose of selling the stone. Immediately
under the center of the mound and below the
natural level, a vault was discovered. The sides
and roof of the mound consisted of oak and
walnut timbers, averaging six inches in dia-
meter and still covered with bark. * * ■■'
The timbers were driven perpendicularly int< 1
the ground around the quadrangular ^'auIt
\i liile others were laid across the top for a rcMjf.
Over all the skin of some animal had been
stretched. Inside of the vault were the re-
mains, apparently, of three persons, one a child,
and fragments of a coarse cloth made of
vegetable fiber and animal hair. * * *
The preservation of the wood is dr,e, i.robably,
to the presence of water, with which the vault
seems to have been filled.'"
Mr. Hills, in his able article, states the fol-
lowing conclusions with regard to the Alound-
BuildeTs in Delaware County: "Our knowl-
edge of the other remains in the county is
meager, but enough is known to enable us to
classify it with the other counties bordering
the Scioto River to the Ohio. It appears to
have been near the ni.")rtheast corner of the ter-
ritory of the race which occupied Ohio. Indi-
ana and Illinois, as the most of the permanent
works discovered have been suuth and west of
here, although many fine specimens of im-
plements have been found in IMarion Count)-,
north of Delaware."
As was previously stated, ior many years
practically no effort at systematic investiga-
tion of the mounds, or any one of them, in
tlie county has been made, and little can be
added to what was set forth at the time Mr.
Hills prepared his article. In the year 1897
a visit was again made to the Galena mounds
by the curator of the State Museum and to .
various other points of archeological interest
in the county, but his report contains little
that would add to the information already in
our possession. We give, however, the sum-
mary of the present knowledge possessed re-
garding the mounds and other matters of ar-
cheological interest relative to Delaware
County as it appears in the seventh volume of
the Ohio x\rcheologicaI and Plistorical Socie-
ties' publications.
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The Mound-Builders have long since passed
away. Aside from the earthworks which they
constructed and the relics found within them,
no source of information remains to us by
which to determine anything as to their char-
acter, history-, or fate. Even the Indians
themselves had practically no traditions con-
cerning them. All the research and investi-
gation that has been made has led to no defi-
nite or relial.)le conclusions. Theories have
been propounded only to be discredited by
■■•inhn.l -.r. A
:■ ?3fn
■i.-'T
46
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
later discoveries. W'hetlier the AIound-Build-
ers were a race distinct in themselves, ulti- j
mately conquered and exterminated by the j
Indians^ or whether they were sinfply the pro-
genitors of the Indian tribes, are questions
which remain unanswered and are destined,
perhaps, ahvays to be so.
THE RED RACE.
Of the successors to the Mound-Euilders,
however, considerably more is known. In-
deed it has not been much over a hundred
years since the only residents of Delaware
County were the red men, and a hundred years
is a period comparatively brief when we con-
sider the length of time that has elapsed since
the date where historical knowledge begins.
It is scarcely correct, howe\'er, to sjieak of
the Red Men as residents. The term implies
a more permanent attachment to a locality than
could be attributed to them. ■ With their no-
madic habits, they \\ere not long confined to a
single place, and we find the various tribes
wandering over widely e.xtended areas.
WTien the white man first came to the Ohio
Valley he found a number of tribes inhabiting
the Northwest Territory. Among those which
are known to have, been in the region which is
now Delaware County there were the Dela-
\vares, Shawnees, Mingoes, Wyandots, Sene-
cas, and perhaps others. Since the first of
these have given the county its name, and are
known to have had a more permanent location
here than some of the others, it is not inap-
propriate to give some accounts of their char-
acter and ■ hi ^. tor}-.
■ The Delawares took their name from the
Delaware River on the banks of which they
were located when first discovered by the Euro-
peans, and which, in turn, took its name from
Lord De la Warre, who first explored it.
Their real name, however, was Lenni Lenape.
While this name is usully interpreted to mean
"original men," it is stated by Drake in his
edition of Schoolcraft's book on the Ameri-
can Indians that the orthography does not
justify tlie assertion. "Lciini is the same as
mini in the Illinois and Inniiii in the Chip-
pewa, the consonants / and ii and the vowel
and / being interchangeable in the Algonkin
Lenape is in the same language, and, under th
same rule, the equivalent of iiiabi and iabi,
male. The true meaning is "manly men" —
name involving a harmless boast.
According to the traditions of the Lenr
Lenape, their organization antedated that c
most of the other Indian tribes. They regarde
themselves as having occupied in former age
a pre-eminent position for prowess, valor an
wisdom. They pointed to a "Golden Age
in the remote past when their claims to si
periority o\-er the other tribes was recognize
in the term "Grandfather," which these tribt
applied to them. The Iroquois were calle
by the Lenni Lenape, "Uncle," which the Ire
quois reciprocated by calling the Lenni L(
nape, "Nephew." The other tribes wei
called by them "Brother" or "Youngt
Brother." When the Delawares were subdue
by the Iroquois in after years, these traditioi:
of their former greatness, from which the
had fallen, rested heavily in their memories.
It was a further tradition among the Dela
wares that they had once occupied the wester:
part of the country, but, crossing the ]^Iissis
sippi, had gradually moved eastward until the;
had taken up a more permanent atode on th'
river which gave them their English name. ' Ii
the course of their migration eastward thej
had exterminated the AUegans who occupiec
the principal ranges o^ the Allegheny Aloun-
tains. They had formed an alliance with the
Iroquois by whom they were afterward sub-
dued and reduced to "women." Whatever
truth there may have been in their traditions,
however, when the European settler came,
they were found on the banks of the Dela-
ware. The Dutch carried on a friendly traf-
fic with them, exchanging for the skins of
animals the superior products of European art
and manufacture.
In 1682 William Penn, the great Quaker,
who believed that the rules of justice "applied
to dealings with the Indians as well as other
races, came to the American shore. Instead
of seeking to eject the Delawares from their
lands by sheer force of superior prowess, he
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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
met them in friendly intercourse and negoti-
ated with them a treaty by which he bought
their lands, and by which both parties^agreed
that the same moral law should apply to both
races alik.e. This treaty was kept uuhioken by
the Delawares for sixty years. So fa\-orable
was the impression made upon them by Penn's.
fairness tliat the name "Quaker" came, with
them, to be synonymous with "good men."
At the time of' the treaty with Penn, how-
ever, or shortly afterwards, the Delawares
were brought into subjection to the Iroquois.
At the Lancaster treaty in 1 744, in the presence
of a large assembly of tribes, the Iroquois de-
nied the right of the Delawares to sell their
lands. "Canassatego, an Iroquois chief, up-
braided them in public council for some for-
mer act of this kind. Speaking in a strain of
mixed irony and arrogance, he told them not
to reply to his words but to leave the council
in silence. ■ He peremptorily ordered them to
quit the section of country wheie they then
resided and to move to the banks of the Sus-
quehanna." Accordingly, the Delawares,
cowed into submission, left the banks of the
Delaware where their home had been for many
years and turned to the West, from which,
according to their traditions, they had formerly
come. It is said that at the opening of the
Revolution the Delawares shook off the Iro-
quois yoke and that, a few years later, at a
public council, the Iroquois admitterl that they
were "no longer women."
The Delawares first settled on the Susque-
hanna, in their western migration. Here, how-
ever, they were subject to the constant in-
trusiun of the white settlers, as well as the
aggressions of the Iroquois. Proceeding west-
ward they took up their abode along the
Muskingum, and later on the Auglaize in
Northwestern Ohio, and while here they took
part in the various wars which have been men-
tioned in the preceding chapter. They were
represented at St. Clair's defeat and at the
battle of "Fallen Timber," and afterwards
participated in the treaty at Greenville. They
were faithful to the United States duriug the
^\'a^ of 1812, resisting all the overtures of
the British to again take up arms against the
Americans.
From Ohio they removed to the White
River, a branch of the Wabash, in Indiana.
Later, as the advancing frontier of civiliza-
tion encroached upon their territory, they
ceded their lands and removed, for the most
part, to a tract in jNIissouri which had . for-
merly been granted to them jointly with the
Shawnees by the Spanish. From here they
again migrated to Kansas, locating on the
Kansas and Missouri rivers. Finally, they re-
moved to Indian Territory, where they now
reside, and occupy a reservation in conjunction
with the Cherokee Nation. Their present
number is ab"iut 1.750. In the War of the
Rebellion the Delawares enlisted one hundred
and seventy-two men for the Union army, out
of a population of two hundred males. The}-
officered their own companies and made good
soldiers in every respect.
It was to the tribe of the Delawares that
the band, of Moravian converts belonged,
whose shameful massacre at Gnadenhutten is,
cne of the foulest blots that stains the annals
of our early history. The Moravian Mission-
aries, Count Zinzendorf and Pleckewelder. had
labored with great success among the Indian
tribes. Their .first converts were made in New
York and Connecticut. Owing to the preju- ■
dice of the English, however, in 1747 the mis-
sion was transferred from Shickomico, in
Dutchess County, New York, to Bethlehem
on the Susquehanna. Hen. was established an
Indian colony, free from all the savage vices
that characterized the other Indian tribes.
They cultivated the land and abstained
from participation in the Indian wars
that raged all along the frontier from
Quebec to New Orleans. It was the
misfortune of these Delaware Indians
to fall under the suspicion of the English as
being in sympathy with the French. Their
doctrines of peace met with little response
from the other Indian tribes or even from the
rough white settlers on the border. In conse-
quence they were subjected to constant perse-
cution from both the whites and the red men.
Forced from the Susquehanna they took up
A^AHHJ'"} a
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!or,
4S
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
their aixide on the waters of the Muskingiim.
Here, as betVire, they addressed themselves to
the peaceful pursuits of ag-riculture and graz-
ing. They were allowed to remain unmolested
until the war for independence broke out.
When this occurred they found themselves be-
tween Fort Pitt and Detroit, a British and an
American stronghold. They could not under-
stand the struggle and refu^ed to join the war-
like parties that passed through their territories
or to ally themselves with either of the belliger-
ent forces. Their attitude only served to create
suspicion. The white frontiersmen, accus-
tomed only to the savage side of the Indian
nature, could not understand that any other
could e.xist. The Indians themselves were, for
the most part, incapable of appreciating the
doctrines of peace and non-resistance believed
in and adhered to by these innocent Moravian
converts. At length a Wyandot war party,
no doubt instigated by the white renegades.
-Girty, Elliott and McKee, appeared on the
Muskin.c^um and compelled the peaceful Dela-
vvares to remove to Sandusky. >.Iany of their
'cattle and hogs were killed and the inhabitants
of three towns, numbering between three and
four hundred, were removed, lea\-ing behind
the fields which they had cultivated and the
homes and chapels which they had erected.
After living at Sandusl-cy for a year the
Delawares were permitted to return to 'the
Muskingum. The settlers on the Monon-
gahela looked on this return as a hostile
movement. The British posts at the ]\Iaumee,
Detroit and Michilimacinac had not yet been
surrendered, and it was known that the Indian
tribes througliout the Northwest still mani-
fested the most bitter hostility towards the
white settlers, shown later by the fierce strug-
gles with St. Clair and Wayne. Almost any
kind of a pretext would have sufficed, how-
ever, to provoke an attack on the Moravians,
in view of the prejudice which existed against
them. On their return to the Muskingum a
company, headed by Colonel Williamson, de-
termined to exterminate them. Gnadenhutten,
Salem and. one or two other settlements were
taken. "Under deceitful promises the Indi-
ans gave up all their arms, showed the whites
ih.eir treasures, and went unknowingly to a
terrible death. When apprised of their fate,
determined upon by a majority of the rangers,
they begged only time to prepare. They were
led two by two, the men into one and the
women and children inti5 another 'slaughter-
house,' as it was termed, and all but two lads
were wantonly slain. * * ''' Some of
\\'illiamson"s men wrung their hands at their
cruel fate and endeavored, by all the means in
their power, to prevent it, but all to no pur-
pose."
It was shortly after this inhuman massacre
that the ill-fated expedition of Colunel Craw-
ford against the Wy-andots took place. Per-
haps aroused to the fiercest spirit of revenge
by the massacre of their brethren, even th.ough
they could not sympathize with their spirit, the
Wyandots apparently sought to wreak \en-
geance on Colonel Crawford and party. Alter
completely routing them and capturing Colonel
Crawford with a number of the part}-, they
burnt Colonel Crawford at the stake after sub-
jecting him to the crudest tortures that all
their devilish ingenuity could devise.
The Indians probably had several villages
within the present limits of Delaware County.
Little is known regarding any of them, how-
ever, beyond what is stated by Howe in his
History. Two villages are there mentioned
as having been located mostly within the pres-
ent limits of the City of Delaware and belong-
ing to the Delaware Nation. One of them
occupied the ground near what is now the east
end of William Street and on the Delaware
Run. It is probable that the spot on which
]Monnett Hall now stands was once dotted with
Indian wigwams. The other village was in
the west end of the present city. A corn field
of 400 acres is said to have been culti\ated.
There is also a tradition that a battle was once
fought on the Delaware Run between the
Delawares and the Shawnees. It is known that
the red men were attracted to the \icinity of
Delaware in vast numbers by the famous sul-
phur spring located on what is now the Uni-
versity campus. This spring was called "Medi-
cine Waters" by the Indians. There was also
a village belongiMg to the Mingoes located a
i%p; ..i;
.-r!i ..'1
AXD REPRESEXTATI\'E CITIZENS
short distance north of Delaware in Troy
Townsliip.
RELATIONS BETWEEN SETTLERS AND IXDL\NS.
Delaware County was inchuiecl within the
territory cedeil to the United States under the
terms of the famous Greenville treaty, made
on the -Mid of Au^'usi. 1795. It was not long
after that time that the permanent lixation of
the Dela wares and other tribes in Delaware
County ceased. With the coming of the white
man and the alienation of their title to the
land, they betook themselves further north to
the territory that was reserved for them. They
often visited the county afterwards, however,
to hunt and to fish in its streams, and to trade
with the white settlers, and many interesting
experiences with them were related by the
early pioneers. Their intercourse with the
whites was, almost without exception, of a
friendly character, though it is" said that many
of the early settlers entertained towards them
an inveterate hatred and did not consider it
really criminal to kill them. '"They brought
cranberries, maple sugar (sometimes mixed
with meal) and molasses in coon-skins, to sell
to the whites. * * * Cranberries were a
great article of commerce A\ith the Indians
and a drove of fifty ponies, laden with this
truit, has been seen to pass through Delaware
at one time, going to Columbus and other
points south." They would resort to any de-
vice to satisfy their native thirst for "fire-
water." It is related that an Indian came late
one evening .to the house of Colonel Byxbe,
Delaware's founder, and demanded that a keg
which he had with him should be filled with
whiskey. Airs. Byxbe was the only occupant
of the house at the time. She went to the
room used as a bar (the house itself being a
tavern), struck a light and suddenly dis-
covered that she was surrounded by abouL
twenty natives of the forest. On the promi;.e
of the red men that they would lea\-e the place
quietly, however, wdien the purpose of their
coming had been accomplished, the fearless
woman led the w^ay to the cellar where she
4
filled th.eir keg, after which they departed ia
accordance with their promise.
While Delaware County was never the
scene of any of the great battles fought with
the Indian tribes, while it was never so much
as invaded by the red men with hostile pur-
pose, after the coming of the white' settlers,
yet the inb'irn sa\-agery of the Indian nature
could not but be a source of constant appre-
hension to the pioneer so long as these natives
of the forest remained in close proximity to
his settlements. As we have said, the inter-
course of the whites with the Indians was, for
the most part, friendly ; but, should circum-
stances arise to call it forth there was always'
the danger that the white man might become
the prey of the Indian's uncurbed savagery.
An incident is related in the early history of
Troy Township illustrative 'of the dangers
which might arise. The Delawares and
W'yandots, who frequented the locality, sent a
war party into Pennsylvania to ci^mmit depre-
dations upon the inhabitants. Among others,
they captured a, young white girl and started
for their camp on Clear Run in Troy Town-
ship. A party of whites, among whom were
two brothers of the captured girl, organized to
pursue them. They followed the Indians to
a point on the OlentangA' Ri\-er north uf
Delaware, where the old stone mill is situated,
but here they seemed to lose all trace of the
Indian band. They were about to give up
their pursuit as hopeless when one of the party
happened to notice smoke ascending al>ove the
trees a mile or two farther north. Cau-
tiously approaching the spot they suddenly
came upori the savages and drove them into
the woods, rescuing the captured girl un-
harmed. This incident took place on what has
since been known as the Crystal Springs Farm,
owned by Mr. Chauncy Hills.
We have alluded to the hatred which many
of the early settlers entertained towards the
Indians. In this connection we quote two
incidents related in "Howe's History." "One
time, after the last war, a dead Indian was
seen floating down the Scioto on two logs,
lashed together, having his gun and all his
1 accoutrements with him. He had been shot
rit'J'^i;
l3 ur^ti:
ij '. 1.^3 iV.
5°
HISTORY OF delawarp: COUXT^■
and the people believed the murderer was
Georsje Shannon, who had been in service
considerably during the war. and who one
time went out, not far from Lower Sandusky,
with a small company, tell in with a party of
warriors and had to retreat. He lingered be-
hind until he shot and killed one. As soon
as he fired, se\'eral Indians sprang forward to
catch him alive, hut, being s^vitt on foot, he
could easily keep ahead, when he suddenly
came to an open field across which he had to
run or be cut oft". The Indians gained the first
side just as he was leaping the fence on the
other, and fired at him, one ball entering his
hip. He staunched the blood by stufting the
hole with a portion of his shirt, that they
might not track him, and crawled into the
brush, but they gave up the chase, thinking
they had not hit him, and being convinced of
his superior fleetness. Shannon got into camp
and was conveyed home, but he was always
lame afterwards and fostered an unrelenting
desire for vengeance towards the whole race,
not excepting the innocent and the harmless.
"As late as 1820 two Indians were mur-
dered on Fulton's Creek (Thompson Town-
ship). A party came down there to hunt, as
was customary with them every fall, and Henry
Swartz ordered them oft'. They replied, "No,
the land belongs to the white man — the game
to the Indian," and insisted that they were
friends and ought not to be disturbed. A few
days after two of their number were missing.
and they hunted the entire country over with-
out finding them, and at last found evidence
of human bones where there had been a fire,
and immediately charged Swartz with killing
and burning them. They threatened venge-
ance on him. and for several years he had to
be constantly on his guard to prevent being
waylaid. It was never legally investigated,
but the neighbors all believed that Swartz,
aided probably by Ned Williams, murdered
and disposed of them in the manner the Indi-
ans suspected, and at one time talked of driv-
ing them out of the settlement. They were
considered bad men and never prospered after-
wards."
When the war of 1812 broke out. there
was great apprehension on the part of the set-
tlers lest the county would be invaded by tb.e
Indians. The county itself, being just south
of the Green\ille treaty line, was one of the
border counties. Acccjrdingly steps were im-
mediately taken by the inhabitants for its pro-
tection. There seems to have been at least
four block-houses erected within the limits of
the county. One of these was at Norton, one
in Kingston Township, amuher in Berlin
Township and another in Delaware. Inas-
much as it was nearest the torder, the one at
Norton was, perhaps, of most importance, and
was the largest of an\'. It was known by the
name of Fort Morrow, and was built in a dense
forest unbroken for miles around. The fol-
lowing description will undoubtedly be of iii-
terest.
"The fort consisted of two block-houses
situated short distance from each other, in
direction northeast by southwest. Between the
two was the brick, tavern of Nathaniel Wyatt.
The whole was surrounded by a palisade of
strong oaken timbers substantially set in the
ground and then sharpened on the top. One
of the blockhouses \s;as built by the citizens
of round logs. The first story was. run up to a
height of about eight feet, and the second was
made to project over- that of the first about
four feet. The floor of this projection had
small openings or port-holes thus enabling
those inside to better defend against a close
attack or attempt to set the structure on fire
by the besieging party. The upper story c<_-)n-
tained embrasures so arranged that rifles
could be discharged in any direction. The door
was composed of three-inch plank, double
barred across and upright. To test it, a volley
was fired into it at short range. In the story
below slept the children and above the grown
people stfjod sentry. The other was built by
the government and did not diff'er materially
from that built by the citizens, except that the
logs were hewn and the structure more com-
pactly built."' The words "Fort Morrow"
were painted in great, red letters on one of the
logs in the southwest corner.
;^d ::hiM
»t.„,,L. V..^f/J
AXD REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZEXS
The block-house in Kingston Townsliip
was located at the intersection of the north and
south roadj known as the Sunbury Road, with
the Mansfield Road, the place being known as
Starks' Corners. At the time of the war of
1812, there ^vere no settlements to the north
of the Kingston colony, and it was deemed ne-
ces.'^ary to take this precaution against pos-
sible iii.cursions of the Indians. Its use never
became necessary, however, save at the time of
'"Drake's defeat," when the settlers were scared
into it for a brief period.
"Drake's defeat" was in itself responsible
for the erection of the block-house in Berlin
Township. After the panic caused l>y this
rather ludicrous incident, the settlers there de-
termined not to take chances for the future.
Accordingly there was erected just south of
where the roads cross near Cheshire, a struc-
ture of hewed logs, the building having two
stories the upper projecting over the lower,
and being forty feet square. The only aper-
ture in the lower story was closed, by a dour
made of a double thickness of three-inch,
planks, barred and cross-barred. In the upper
story were rifle embrasures and convenient
openings in the floor of the projection Avhich
could be used for defence in case of a close
attack. After the fort had been storked with
ammunition and provisions it offered a compar-
atively secure retreat in the event of an attack
from hostle Indians. There was at least one
occasion ou which most of the settlers betook
themselves to it for protection from an expected
onset, but the alarm proved to be groundless.
The structure was afterwards used as a school-
house.
The blockhouse in Delaware was located
on the northeast corner of Sandusky and Wil-
liam Streets. The structure was not origin-
ally intended for a blockhouse, being a one-
story brick building which had been used for
a store. Around this a high palisade of strong
puncheons was constructed.
While it was no more than a matter of
reasonable precaution that these various
strongholds of defence should have been con-
structed, yet there seems never to have been
any real occasion for their use. The known
hostility of certain tribes, however, and their
sympathy with the British, were amply sutiti-
cient to give ground for the apprehensions of
t'ne early settlers during the War of 1812.
Living as we do in an age when civilization has
long since thrust the red man far out to our
western country, and in large measure tamed
his savage nature, when it is difficult to even
imagine our locality as an unlsroken forest
whose only human occupants were savages,
we perhaps cannot appreciate the real dangers
which our pioneer fathers encountered, and
the real fearlessness which they e.xhibited when
they took the tirst steps towards opening the
way for the ad\-ance of ci\'ilization. The dan-
gers, were, nevertheless, real, and their bravery
as great as that which has characterized any
effort ever put forth by human kind. Dela-
ware County was never actuall}- invaded and
with the termination of the "second war for
independence" the fear of Indian incursions,
for" the most part, ceased.
We have several times alluded to "Drake's
defeat.'' This event, famous in local annals,
was for years after its occurrence, mentioned
by the inhabitants of the county in much the
same manner as other localities will refer to
the time of their "great flood." or fire, or hur-
ricane, or some other equally disastrous visita-
tion. While, as it developed, the Indians were
in reality altogether innocent in the matter,
yet, since it would not have taken place had
it not been for the constant apprehension of
Indian depredations, the narrative of its oc-
curence would seem to properly belong in this
somewhat brief account of the relations which
the early settlers sustained towards the red
men.
After Hull's surrender in the War of 1S12
there was nothing to prevent the Indians from
making hostile raids on the northern frontier.
Inasmuch as Delaware County was directly on
the border, there was, as we have alreadv men-
tioned, ample occasion for dread on the part
of the settlers. Lower Sandusky was threat-
ened with attack, and a company was organ-
ized by Captain William Drake, in die northern
part of the county, to march to its assistance.
On their first night out they encamped a few
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
miles north of the settlement at Xorton, Cap-
tain Drake was something of a practical joker.
It is probable, too, that he wished to test the
courage of his men. After the mtn had all
become securely wrapped in the embrace of
Morpheus he quietly stole out into the bushes.
Here he suddenly discharged his gun and came
running frantically into camp crying, "Indi-
an-.! In'Iians!" at the top of his voice. A plat
of ground had been designated the night be-
fore on which the company would form in case
of attack. Here the more courageous of- the
band attempted to draw themselves up in bat-
tle array to resist the coming onslaught, the
sentinels having previously taken up the cry
of- Indians, supposing that the original alarm
proceeded from one of their own number.
Captain Drake, soon perceiving the con-
sternation and confusion into which his ruse
had thrown the company, and fearing that
they, might all disgrace themselves by a pre-
cipitate flight, quickly proclaimed the hoax and
attempted to c[uiet the panic which he had
created. There was a lieutenant in the com-
pany, however, who, not waiting for any fu-
ture developments or willing to risk even the
chance of the most hasty investigations, took
to his heels with all the expedition which the
fear of being immediately scalped would na-
turally occasion. In his mad flight the shouts
of his companions attempting to recall him
were transformed by his imagination into
the blood-curdling warwhoop of Indian sav-
ages. As he increased the distai ce between
himself and the others wdio endeavored to re-
strain him, and the sound of their voices died
away, it was only so much evidence that they
had all succumbed to the tomahawk and scalp-
ing knife of the red men. This, at any rate, was
the story which he brought to the Radnor set-
tlement at which he arrived at daybreak, his
flight having taken him in this direction, al-
though he had intended to make for his home
south of the place where the company had en-
camped for the night.
The horrible tale of wholesale massacre
soon had its eft'ect on the settlers at Radnor.
The community was thrown into a panic and
preparations were begun for immediate flight.
The story was communicated by each one to
his neighbor, and. no doubt, lost nothing of
its grewsome details in the telling. On foot,'
on horse-back, in wagons, by any. method that
offered the easiest and quickest means of
escape, the people fled from their impending
doom. The same scene \\fjs repeated in most
of the other settlements to which the news^
of the "massacre" was communicated. The
mob of frenzied fugitives struck Delaware just .
a little after sunrise, in their mad haste they
did not take time to stop for the communica-
tion of details but simply cried out as they
rushed along. "The Indians are upon us!''
While great alarm was immediately manifested
in the village yet it is said that not a great
number of the villagers joined in the flight.
They at once betook themselves to the forti-
fications, however, and took immediate steps
to put the community in a state of defence.
Scouts were sent out to ascertain the truth
of the reports. At Xorton they found the
people quietly engaged in their usual occupa-
tions. It was too late, however, to reach many
of whose who had fled.
The demoralization spread to the eastern
part of the county. Most of the settlers, not
stopping to question the truth of the reports,
prepared for flight. Swollen streams and vari-
ous other obstacles, that, under ordinary cir-
cumstances would have seemed insurmount-
able, apparently offered no impediment to es-
cape. Women, ordinarily timid, under the ex-
citement of the hour, became brave as lions.
Many ludicrous stories are related of incLni-
gruities on the part of the panic-stricken set-
•tlers in the preparations they made for flight.
Articles of clothing and food were indiscrim-
inately jumbled together. One woman, after
wrapping a package of tallow candles in her
silk dress stowed it away in the bottom of a
wagon. The result can easily be imagined.
Another, after the panic was over, found a
bag containing pies, bread and various other i
articles of food together with a pair of old .1
boots, in a confused mass, stored aw^ay for j
an emergency. A family named Penry 'dro\e 1
so fast that they bounced a little boy. two or |
three years old. out of the wagon, near Dela-
'fj"i >i 'a:
lii '.■.,f^--...: ;■•• , i!
.: ... yd?
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
53
ware, but did not notice it until they pro-
ceeded tive or six miles further in their flight.
They decided that it would be an unjustifiable
risk to return for him, however, and left him
to his fate. He fortunately escaped the In-
dian tomahawk as well as other dangers and
lived for many years. One woman, in her
hurry, forgot her babe; and returning, grabbed
a stick of wood from the chiinncy corner,
leaving the babe quietly sleeping in its cradle.
^Meanwhile Captain Drake and his com-
pany proceeded quietly on their way to Lower
Sandusky, altogether unconscious of the
widespread demoralization and disaster of
which the captain's joke had been the innocent
cause. The whole incident would seem to us
now. perhaps, to savor more of the charac-
ter of a huge joke than as being of the nature
of a great calamity. A calamity, however, it
really was. In the hurried preparation of the
settlers for flight everything was left in the
wildest confusion. When they returned from
th.eir mad stampede they found everything in
a disorder that required much time and pa-
tience for its restoration. Door and gate had
been left open, and thus free access to field and
larder had been given. Waste and devasta-
tion -everywhere were the result and a burden
placed upon the settlers, ordinarily hard
pressed for even the necessities of life, which
they could ill afford to bear.
Z^Ioreover, so panic-stricken had many of
those who ■ participated in the flight become
and so thoroughl)- frightened by the possible
dangers of living on the extreme frontier, that
they never e\en returned to the homes which
they had so hastily deserted. The larger por-
tion of those who "escaped" had fled to
W'orthington or Franklinton, but many kept on
even so far as Chillicothe. The incid'ent itself
gives us a striking illustration of the terrors
of border life and the strain which anyone
who had the bravery to face them must have
endured. It is easy to see only the ludicrous
side of the occurrence and to forget, in the
security of our civilized life, that the danger,
while only fancied in this instance, might as
easily have been real. Had there been no rea-
sonable possibility of an actual Indian massacre,
no report of that character could e\'er have
created such a panic.
CHAPTER IIL
SETTLEMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY AND ORGANIZATION
OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
Boundaries Defined — Derivation of Title and Early Explorations — Achievement of George
Rogers Clark — State Cessions and Indiaji Treaties — Settlement — Indian Wars — St.
Clair's Defeat — IVayne's Campaign and Battle of Fallen Timber — Organizatioii of the
Northzcest Territory — Organ!::ation of the State of Ohio.
Delaware County is one of the civil sub-
divisions of the tirst State formed out of the
old Xorthwest Territory. Of itself it consti-
tute^ but a small portion of that vast domain
which embraced within its limits all of the
present States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois.
^Michigan and Wisconsin. Yet the history of
Delaware County cannot be properly written
without some account of the more important
events tliat concern the exploration, develop-
ment and organization of the territory as a
whole. Long before the first white man had
set foot on the soil of what is now Delaware
County, her destiny was being shaped by
cv"ents of even greater importance than any
that have transpired within her own borders;
and long prior to her organization as a county,
wars were being fought, treaties made, and
laws enacted through which alone her very ex-
istence was made a possibility. While the
present work contemplates particularly an ac-
count of those events which are peculiar to
Delaware County as a separate civil subdivis-
ion of the State, and while the reader must 'je
referred to the larger and more pretentious
histories of the Northwest Territory and Ohio
for fuller information regarding them as a
whole, yet it is deemed necessary to a proper
understanding of the history of the county
to review some of the leading events that
characterized the development of the entire
domain, and to present, in outline, some of the
chief circumstances that have contributed to
the present condition of prosperity and power
occupied by this widely expended area. Xo
portion or our nation's history is more replete
with interest and imiX)rtance.
Our purp<Dse shall be, not so much to give
a consecutive account of events in the order of
their occurrence as to present, in outline, the
different lines of development that go, as 'a
whole, to make up the history of the state and
territory. The chief topics that will receive
consideration are: i. The derivation of the
title; 2, the settlement; 3, the various Indian
wars; 4, the organization.
c
DERIVATION OF TITLE.
The claims first asserted to lands in the
Western Hemisphere by European monarchs
were based on discoveries made by their sub-
jects. Accordingly we find all that vast re-
gion between the Allegheny and the Rocky
Mountains, originally known by the general
name of Louisiana, claimed by France, in con-
sequence of the explorations, chiefly, of Father
Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, and La Salle.
In 1673 ^larquette, accompanied by M. Joliet,
starting from Mackinac, traced their uav
I .J;:.AT^AK3
,3 vu • trt
;-a
AXD REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
55
southward from there to the \Visconsin River,
which they followed to its junctii.>n with the
Mississippi. They then descended the Missis-
sippi for a i,ooo miles, and, on their- return to
Canada, urged in the strongest terms the im-
mediate occupation of this vast and fertile re-
gion watered by the ^^lississippi and its tribu-
taries. There are other accounts of the discov-
ery of the Mississippi, 1>ut the one ascribing it
to Marquette seems to be the first that is au-
thentic.
Between the years 1678 and 1682 La Salle
with Father Hennepin, conducted a series of
explorations around the great lakes and along
the Mississippi, going as far south as Peoria
Lake, Illinois. Here they erected a fort, after
which La Salle returned to Canada. Father
Hennepin explored the region now embraced
within the limits of Ohio and is said to have
published a volume containing an account of
his discoveries "in the country between New
Mexico and the frozen ocean," together with
maps of Lakes Erie. Huron and ^Michigan,
and a plat of the larger streams of Ohio. In
1683 La Salle went to France and induced
the French Government to tit out an expedi-
tion for the purpose of planting a colony at
the mouth of the Mississippi. The expedition
failed completely, however. La Salle being
murdered by one of his own men.
The French still persisted in their efforts
to gain possession of this vast region, west of
the Alleghenies and the English colonies. Un-
der the command of M. DTberville a second
expedition sailed from France, entered the
mouth of the Mississippi (March 2, 1699).
and explored the river for several hundred
miles. A chain of trading, missionary and
military posts was ultimately established ex-
tending from New Orleans to Quebec by way
of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and
thence, by way of [Mackinaw and Detroit, to
Lakes Erie and Ontario. This route was aft-
erward shortened by following the Ohio River
to the Wabash, and then following the latter
upward and down the Maumee to Lake Erie.
The French colonies, increasing steadily in
numl)ers and strength, aroused the jealousy of
the English, who, to check their advancement.
formed what was known as the Ohio Com-
pany. This company made some attempts to
establish trading houses among the Indians.
The French, however, established a chain of
fortifications back of the English settlements
and thus secured to themselves the entire con-
trol of the Mississippi Valley.
Inasmuch as this same territory was
claimed by the English Crown, it is necessary
to consider the basis of the rights which she
asserted. Her chief ground for claiming title
to the territory west of the Alleghenies, was a
treaty made with the Six Nations in the Ohio
Valley. It was claimed that these nations had
placed their lands under- the protection of the
British Crown. It was further asserted that in
1744 the British had purchased lands of these
Six Nations by treaty at Lancaster, Pennsyl-
vania. In 1748 the Ohio Company, organized
by a number of Virginians and Londoners, ob-
tained a charter from the British Government
with a grant of 6,000 acres oLland on the Ohio.
The English, reverting to the times of the Ca-
bc>ts, claimed that by right they held the entire
country from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
bounded by the parallels of latitude defining
their Atlantic Coast settlements. Inasmuch
as France claimed the region drained by the
Mississippi and its tributaries, together with
the Great Lakes and their tributaries, Ohio
was within the disputed territory. When tlie
surveys for -the lands of the Ohio Company
were begun, the Governor of Canada entered
a vigorous protest by establishing the line of
forts to which we have before alluded. The
dispute over this territory between the French
and English was finally settled by the treaty
following what is familiarly known in history
as the French and Indian War. By the terms
of that treaty, made in Paris in 1763. the
British Crown came into undisputed p<.issession
of all the vast territory northwest of the
Ohio.
The territory included within the present
limits of Ohio, together with the entire do-
main northwest of the Ohio River of unknown
extent, was originally claimed by Virginia.
Her title rested upon three grants from the
British Crown. The first charter was granted
)fi:'.n-4 i..fc / - ,. 4 ' s'la-
••i::>i V'
3,13 )\f. U
-T • .,, I : Ji
56
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
in 1606 by James I. to Sir Th<:>mas Gates. Sif
George Somers and others, authorizing them
to establish two colonies, the first being known
in history as the "'London Company," and the
second as the "Plymouth Company." The
grant to the London Company covered a strip
of sea coast fifty miles broad between the 34th
and 41st parallels. In 1606 King James
granted a second charter to the London Com-
pany. The territorial limits of the first char-
ter were extended to embrace the whole sea-
coast, north and south, within two hundred
miles of Old Point Comfort, extending "from
sea to sea, west and northwest." A third
charter, granted in 161 2, annexed to Virginia
all. the islands within diree hundred leagues of
the coast.
Virginia, however, was not undisputed in
her assertion of title to the whole of this ex-
tensive region. Both Coiuiecticut and 2^Iassa-
chusetts claimed portions of the territory. In
1662 Charles II. granted to certain settlers
upon the Connecticut- all the territory between
the parallels of latitude which include the pres-
ent State of Connecticut, from the Atlantic to
the Pacific oceans. The 'claims of ^lassachu-
setts were founded on a similar charter
granted thirty years later. Xew York also
had claims which she asserted.
ACHIEVEMENT OF GEORGE ROGERS CL.\RK.
By the treaty of peace, signed at Paris.
September 3, 1783, the claims of the English
monarch to the whole of the northwest terri-
tory were ceded to the United States. "The pro-
visional articles which formed the basis of the
treaty, more especially as related to boundary,
were signed at Paris. November 30, 1782. Dur-
ing the pendency of the negotiation of these
preliminary articles, Mr. Oswald, the British
commissioner, proposed the River Ohio as the
western boundary of the United States, and but
for the indomitable perse\erance of the Revo-
lutionary" patriot, John Adams, one of the
American commissioners, who opposed the
proposition, and insisted upon the Alississippi
as the boundary, the probability is that the
proposition of Mr. Oswald would have been
acceded to by the United States Commission-
ers." That the British were prevented from
making a reasonable claim to the territory
northwest of the Ohio was due. in large meas-
ure, to the fact that this extensive domain was
wrested from their hands during the Revolu-
tionary war through the valor and foresight
of General George Rogers Clark. On the out-
break of the Re\olution he saw throug-h the
whole plan of the British who held all the out-
posts, Kaskaskia. Detroit, Vincennes and Ni-
agara. It was the hope of the British that by
means of these 'outposts they might encircle
the Americans and also unite the Indians in
a common war against them. Clark knew
that many of the Indian tribes were divided
in their feeling or but indiflerent in their sup-
port of the British. He conceived the idea
that if the British could be dri\-en from their
outposts, the Indians could be easily awed into
submission or bribed into neutrality or friend-
ship. Acting upon this theory, and first en-
listing the support of Patrick Henry, then
governor of Virginia, he organized an expe-
dition which was entirely successful in \\Test-
ing control of the country west of the Ohio
from the British. To him, as well as to John
Adams, is' due unlimited credit for the fact
that the Ohio River was not made the bound-
ary between Canada and the United State;>.
STATE CESSIONS AND INDIAN TRE.\TIES.
At the close of the Revolutionary war, the
title to the British possessions having passed
to the several colonies, each one, as a sov-
ereign and independent state, claimed tlie
right of soil and jurisdiction over the lands
which had been originally granted it in its
charter. • As we have already observed, sev-
eral states laid claim to portions of the vast,
unappropriated tracts northwest of the Ohio.
It was insisted by those states whose char-
ters gave them no claims to any portion of
this territory that inasmuch as the entire de-
main had been won from the British by the
united efforts of all the colonies, the lands
themselves should be approprated for the V>ene-
fit of all the states. It was repeatedly urged
AXD REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
upon the states tliemselves wliich claimed
ownership in these lands, that they should cede
them for the common benefit of all. Respond-
ing to this demand the State of Virginia, on
Ivlarch i, 1784, ceded to the United States
her claims to ownership and jurisdiction over
the entire part of the country embraced in her
charter lying northwest of the Ohio. She
made a condition, however, that in case the
lands lying south of the Cumberland river
were not sufficient to satisfy the bounties in
land which she had issued to her soldiers dur-
ing the Revolutionary War, then this de-
ficiency was to be made up out of lands in this
territory, lying between the rive-rs Miami and
"Sciotrj. The jurisdiction over all the land,
however, passed to the United States. Like-
wise Connecticut, on September 13, 1786, re-
linquished to the United States all her claims
to lands lying within this same territory, with
the e.Kception of the tract known as the West-
ern Reserve. This she deeded to the United
States May 30. 1800. The president, how-
ever, immediately conveyed the fee of the soil
to the governor of the State for the use of
grantees and purchasers claiming under her,
similar to the manner in which \'irginia had
also been allowed the fee of the soil in a cer-
tain portion to satisfy her military warrants.
Massachusetts and New York also gave up
their claims, thus giving to the United States
a clear title to the. whole of this vast region
in so far as it had been claimed by European
powers.
There still remained, howe\er, the claims
of the Indians to the lands as the original pos-
sessors of the soil It was necessary that these
should be disposed of before the white settlers
could rightfully take possession. Accordingly
a treaty was made with the Six Nations, em-
bracing the ]vIohawks, Onondagas, Senecas,
Cayugas, Oneidas and Tuscaroras, at Fort
Stanwix, October 27, 1784. By the terms of
this treaty, all the lands west of a line drawn
from the mouth of Oswego Creek, about lour
miles east of Virginia, to the mouth of Buffalo
Creek and on to the northern boundary of
Pennsylvania, thence west along that boundary
to its western extremitv, thence south to the
Ohio River, were ceded to the United States.
There were other Indian nations, howe\-er, be-
sides those mentioned, wlio also asserted own-
ership over this territory. They included the
Wyandot, Chippewa, Delaware and Ottawa
Nations. With these also the United States
made a treaty at Fort ilclntosh on the 21st
day of January. 1785. By this treaty the
boundary line between the United States and
the Wyandot and Delaware Nations was de-
clared to begin "at the mouth of the river
Cuyahoga and to extend up said river to the
Portage, between that and the Tuscaroras
branch of the Muskingum, thence down that
branch to the crossing-place above Fort Laur-
ens, then westerly to the Portage of the Big
^liami, which runs into the Ohio, at the mouth
of which branch the fort stood which was
taken by the French in 1752; then along said
Portage to the Great Miami, or Omee River,
and down the south side of the same to its
mouth; then along the south shore of Lake
Erie to the mouth of the Cuyahoga Ri\er,
where it began." "The United States allotted
all the lands contained within said lines to the
Wyandot and Delaware Nations, to live and
hunt on, together with such of the Ottawa
Nations as li\-ed thereon, saving and reserving
for the establishment of trading posts, six
miles square at the mouth of the Aliami or.
Omee River, and the same at the Portage, on
that branch of the Big Mianh which runs into
the Ohio, and the same on the Lake of San-
dusky where the fort formerly stood, and also
two miles square on each side of the Lower
Rapids of the Sandusky River." This treaty
was afterwards renewed and confirmed by
Governor St. Clair, and tlie Wyandot, Chip-
pewa, Pottawatomie, and Sac Nations at Fort
Harmar in 1789.
• On the 3rd of August. 1795, a treaty was
made with the Delawares, Ottawas, Pottawat-
omies and Eel River Indians by General
Wayne after the close of his successful cam-
paign against them. The basis of this treaty
was the previous one at Fort Harmar. the
boundaries made at that time being reaffirmed,
and the whites secured on the lands now oc-
cupied by them or granted by former treaties.
.>^•^;f^■
5S
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
This treaty marked the close <-it the Indian
wars.
A treaty was made with the Indians at
Fort Iiid.ustry, on the present site ot Toledo,
in 1805, Ijy which the United States acquired,
for the use of the grantees of Connecticut, all
that part of the Western Reserve which lies
west of the Cuyahoga. The lands west of
Huron and Richland Counties, and north of
the Indian boundary line lixed by Waj-ne's
treaty at Greenville, to the western limits of
Ohio, were purchased by the United States in
1 818 by a treaty made at St. Mary's. The
lands ceded at this time were called the New
I'urchase. Certain reservations were made
within the purchased tracts to the Delawares,
Wyandots, Senecas. etc., which were subse-
quently ceded to the United States, the last
by the Wyandots in 1842, they then being the
only Indian tribe left within the State. Thus
through a long series of exploratiorls. wars
cessions and treaties has the title of the
United States to lands of Ohio been derived.
The organization of the Northwest into a ter-
ritorial subdivision and the subsequent forma-
tion and admission to the Union, of the State
of Ohio, has been reserved for later considera-
tion.
SETTLEMENT.
The first English attempt at settlement of
which we have any record, within the present
limits of the State of Ohio, was at a point in
Shelby County on Loramie Creek, about six-
teen miles northwest of the present city of
Sidney, and since known by the name of
Loramie's Store. Here some English traders
established themselves about the year 1749,
and gave it the name of Pickawillany from
the tribe of Indians there. The settlement
however, was doomed to be of short duration.
As we have heretofore seen, this location was
clearly within the limits claimed by the
French, and immediately aroused them to
action. They could not endure so evident an
invasion of their country, and gathering a
force of the Oltawas and Chippewas, their
allies, ihey attacked the fort in June, 1752,
having first demanded its surrender of the Mi-
amis, who had granted the English the priv-
ilege of its erection. In the battle that ensued,
fourteen of the ^liamis were slain and all of
the traders captured. They were either burned
or taken to Canada as prisoners.
The real history of the occupation of Oliio
by English settlers begins with the settlement
at ?ilarietta, on April 7, 1788. We have al-
ready traced the various steps by which the
title to the lands became vested in the United
States, and through which alone tlie settlers
could be secure in their possession. The final
cession by the various states claiming rights in
the northwest territory, to the Central Govern-
ment, was the occasion for the formation of
various land companies in the East, having for
their purpose the settlement of this western
country. The Ohio Company, before men-
tioned, emerged from the past and again be-
came active. In the year 1786 Benjamin Tup-
per, a .Revolutionary soldier, and General Ru-
fus Putnam, circulated a pamphlet proposing
the formation- of a company for the purpose of
settling the Ohio lands. It invited all those
interestetl to meet in February in their respec-
tive counties and choose delegates to a conven-
tion to be held at the '"Bunch of Grapes"
Tavern in Boston on March i, 1786. The
purpose -was to be the formation of a compatiy"
and the adoption of definite plans for establish-
ing a settlement in the Ohio Valley. On the
day appointed eleven persons appeared, an out-
line was drawn up, and subscriptions began at
once. The principal features of the plan were
as follows: "A fund of $1,000,000, mainly
in continental certificates, was to be raised for
the purpose of purchasing lands in the western
country; there were to be 1000 shares of $1000
each, and-upon each share $10 in specie were to
be paid for contingent expenses. One year's
interest was to be appropriated for the charges
of making a settlement and assisting those un-
able to move without aid. The owners of
every twenty shares were to choose an agent
to represent them and attend to their interests,
and the agents were to choose the directors.
The plan was approved, and in a year's time
from that date th.e company was organized."
r ■; •. ■if'iTi.-iir
./. ,M-:. !
AXD RF.rRESEXTATR'E CITIZENS
59
On the 8th of March, 1787, a meeting of
the agents chose General Parsons. General Ru-
fus Putnam and Rev. Manassah Cutler, direc-
tors for the Company. The selection -of ila-
nassali Cutler was extremely fortunate for the
success of the enterprise, as few men could
have been better fitted, both in character and
ability, to conceive and execute a project of
such importance a< th's would prove to be. A
contract was made witii the Treasury Board by
Cutler and Winthrop Sargent, as agents for
the Board of Directors of the Ohio Company,
on October 2^, 17S7, by which there was con-
veyed to the company a vast region bounded
on the south by the Ohio River, west by the
Scioto, east by the seventh range of townships
then surveying, and north by a due west line
drawn from the north boundary of the tenth
township from the Ohio direct to the Scioto,
for the consideration of $1 per acre. Later,
in 1792, the boundaries of the purchase were
fixed as follows: The Ohio on the south, the
seventh range of townships on the east, the
sixteenth range on the west, and a line on the
north so drawn as to make the grant 750,000
acres, besides reservations, this grant being
the portion which it was originally agreed the
company might enter into at once. In adflition
214.285 acres were granted as army bounties,
and 100,000 acres as bounties to actual settlers.
\MiiIe these preliminary arrangements for the
occupation of the new territory were being
carried out, Congress was likewise providing
a plan for its government. The famous in-
strument known as the Ordinance of 1787, un-
der which the first organization of the terri-
t</r\- was effected, was pas-"ed on July 13th of
that year, but of it we shall speak more in de-
tail later on.
In the winter of 17S7 General Rufus Put-
nam and forty-seven pioneers proceeded as far
as the mouth of the Youghiogheny River,
and, having built a boat for transportation
down the Ohio, proceeded in the spring to the
mouth of the Muskingum, where they landed
on the 7th of April, 1788. Fort Harmar had
previously been built at the mouth of the Mus-
kingum, and it was on the opposite side of this
river that the pioneers established their settle-
ment which they later called Marietta, in hoiiur
of Marie Antoinette.
This was the first permanent settlement es-
tablished witliin the limits of C)hio. An at-
tempt at settlement within the limits of Ohio
had been made in April. 1785, at the mouth of
the Scioto on the present site of Portsmouth
by four families from Redstone, Pennsylvania.
Difficulties with the Indians, however, com-
pelled its abandonment. With regard to this
first occupation of the soil of Ohio, George
Washington wrote : "Xo colony in America
was e\'er settled under such favorable auspices
as that which has commenced at the Mus-
kingum. Information, property, and strength
will be its characteristics. I know many of the
settlers personally and there never were men
better calculated to promote the welfare of
such a community."
Soon after their arrival the settlers be-
gan the erection of a stockade fort, which oc-
cupied their time until the winter of 1791.
During the early years of the settlement, how-
ever, the Indians were friendly, no hostilities
being experienced. One of the pioneers de-
scribes the progress of the colony during its
first year as being all that could be expected,
arrivals coming faster than provision could be
made for them. By the close of the year 1790
eight settlements had been made within the
Ohio Company's purcha.se, two at Belpre, one
at Xewbury, one at Wolf Creek, one at Duck
Creek, one at the mouth of ]\Ieigs' Creek, one
at Anderson's Bottom, ard one at Big Bot-
tom.
Not long after the grant of lands was
made to the Ohio Company, John Cleves
Symmes, of New Jersey, contracted with the
Treasury Board for the purchase of a large
tract of land lying between the Great and Lit-
tle Miami Rivers. The terms of his purchase'
were similar to those of the Ohio Company.
In July, 1788, he got together thirty people
and eight four-horse wagons who started for
the West. After meeting with Mr. Stites and
a company from Redstone. Pa., they pro-
ceeded, under his leadership, to the mouth of
the Little Miami, where tliey arrived before
the 1st of January, 1789, and located on a
■::.fy^^ 't. it-
6o
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
tract of lo.ooo acres which Stites had pur-
chased from Synimes. This settlement, which
they named Cokmibia and which was located
about five miles above the site of- Cincinnati,
"was the secoiul settlement within Oliio terri-
tory.
In 1788 Mathias Denman purchased of
Symmes a tract of land opposite the Licking
River, and, in company with Robert Patterson
and John Filson, to each of whom he sold a
third interest in his purchase, projected the lo-
cation of a town on the present site of Cincin-
nati. There is some uncertainty as to the ex-
act time when a settlement was first made here,
but it seems to have been late in 178S or earl\-
in 1789. Symmes himself had contemplated
building his main town at North E>end, near
the mouth of the Great Miami. The fact,
however, that this point, as well as Columbia,
suffered severely during a great flood which
occurred in 1789, while Losantiville, as Cin-
cinnati was then called, escaped, had much to
do \vith the fact that the latter soon out-
stripped the others in its growth. Ensign
Luce, wdio had been commissioned by General
Harmar to establish a fort, decided that Xorth
Bend was not a suitable location for that pur-
pose, and, contrary to the wishes of Symmes,
selected Losantiville. Fort Washington was
thus established here. .About the ist of Janu-
ary, Governor St, Clair organized the county
of Hamilton and constituted Cincinnati its
seat of justice. The settlement at once began
an active growth, outstripping that of allthe
others in the Ohio Valley.
At the time Dr. Cutler secured the grant
of lands for the Ohio Company, he likewise
secured a large additional tract, as he him-
self writes, "for private speculation, in which
many of the prominent characters in America
are concerned; without connecting this specu-
lation, similar terms and advantages could not
have been obtained for the Ohio Company."
A company was at once formed known by the
name of The Scioto Land Company, which
contracted with Cutler and Sargent on behalf
of the Ohio Company for a tract of land west
and north of the Ohio Company's purchase.
Joel Barlow was sent to Europe, as the agent
of the company, to make sales of the lands thus
contracted for. He sold parts of the land to
companies and individuals in France. It de-
veloped, however, that the lands which Barlow
had presumed to sell were included within the
Ohio Company's purchase, and that the pur-
chasers were without title. In ignorance of
this fact, however, two hundred and eighteen
of these purchasers sailed from Havre de
Grace, in France, on the 19th day of Febru-
an,-, 1 79 1, and arrived in Alexandria, D. C,
on the 3rd of May following. On their ar-
rival they proceeded to Marietta, where fifty
of them landed, the remainder going to the
present site of Gallipolis, which the agent of
the campany assured them was within their
purchase. Prior to their arrival General Put-
nam had had the site cleared and buildings
erected for their reception. As before stated,
however, the lands to which alone they could
lay any claim, were still farther to the \\'est.
Moreover, the Scioto Land Company, by hav-
ing failed to make good the payments on its
contract, forfeited its title to the land which it
had purchased, thus leaving the settlers them-
selves without any vestige of title. These set-
tlers, unlike the hardy pioneers who came,
from New England, were little accustomed to
toil or to the privations of frontier life. Tl\eir
condition was pitiable in the extreme and many
gave up in despair, some seeking homes in the
East and a few returning to France. Every
effort to secure titles to the lands on which they
had settled having failed, they petitioned Con-
gress for assistance and in June, 1798. a grant
was made to them of land on the Ohio above
the mouth of the Scioto River. The tract in-
cluded 24,000 acres and is known as the
French Grant.
During the progress of the various cam-
paigns against the Indians, conducted succes-
sively by General Harmar, General St. Clair,
and General Wayne, and of which some ac-
count will be given later, the settlement of
Ohio was interrupted to a large extent. Prior
to the treaty made with the Indians by Gen-
eral \\'ayne in 1795, however, a start had been
made in several counties, in addition to those
in Washington and Hamilton counties alreadv
f:K' r-
AXD RErRESEXTATI\"E CITIZENS
6i
mentioned. The settlement at (jallipolis lias
already been described. There were also small
settlements in Adams., Belmont and ^lorgan
Counties. They were block-house settlements
and were in a continual state of defence. The
tirst was settled in the winter of 1790-91 by
General Nathaniel ^Slassie. near where the
town of Manchester now is. This. was the
first srttlement wit'iin the bounds of the Vir-
ginia Military District and the fourth in the
State. In spite of the dangers clue to the hos-
tility of the Indians, it continued to grow and,
in two years after peace was declared, Adams
County was constituted by order of Go\ernor
St. Clair.
During the Indian war a settlement was
commenced near the present town of Bridge-
port in Belmont County, by Captain Joseph
Belmont, a noted officer of the Reyolutionary
War. Shortly afterwards a fort, called Dil-
lie's Fort, was built on the Ohio, opposite the
mouth of Graye Creek. In 1794 a company of
men located on the present site of Hamilton
in Butler County. The town was first laid
out under the name of Fairfield. These \yere
about all the settlements begun prior to the
close of the Indian \\'ar and they were, for the
most part, of a temporary character and main-
tained only at constant risk and great loss of
life. With the termination of the war. how-
e\er. and the cessation of Indian hostihty emi-
gration took a new impetus, and from that
time the growth of the State's population was
constant and yigorous.
Early in the spring of 1796 the first set-
tlement was begun in. Montgomery County.
The town '■l Dayton was laid out in Noyem-
ber of 1795. It was within the tract originally
coyered by Symmes' purchase. Judge Symmes,
haying been unable to pay for his purchase,
the land reyerted to the goyernment and the
settlers found themsehes without title. Con-
gre.ss, however, came to their aid. permitting
them to enter their lands at the regular gov-
ernment price.
It was likewise in 1796 that the first settle-
ments were made in the Western Reserve.
The mouth of the Cuyahoga River had always
been considered an important place in the
West and destineil to become a great commer-
cial mart. A corps of surveyors laid out the
town of Cleveland in September, L796. It
was named in honor of General Aloses Cleave-
land, the agent of the land company which
had made large purchases in the Western Re-
serve along the Cu)-ahoga River. Mahoning
County was settled about the same time, as
were also the counties of Ashtabula, Ross,
Licking, Madison, Trumbull, and Warren. In
a sketch of such a, limited character as this we
cannot pursue the history of the individual set-
tlements further. It was not long until the set-
tlers had penetrated to every portion of the
State, clearing the land, starting industries of
various kinds, and preparing the way for the
marvelous prosperity which has ever since
characterized the history of the Common-
wealth.
INDIAN WARS..
Ohio has had its full share of conflict with
the various tribes of Indians which were the
original possessors of its soil. Being the first
State in the vast region northwest of the Ohio
River within whose limits settlement by the
English was begun, it naturally became the
scene of the early struggles through which
the savage tribes were subdued and the land
made possible of habitation for the white man.
While we have given, in tracing the deriva-
tion of the title to the lands, the various Indian
treaties which formed a link in that title, we
have reser\'ed for statement, here, -a brief ac-
count of the wars which led up to the making
of these treaties, or their enforcement. With
regard to the wars which took place prior to
the organization of the government of the
territory, we quote the concise account given
in Howe's History :
"After Braddock's defeat in 1755 the In-
dians pushed their excursions as far east as
the Blue Ridge. In order to repel them, ^Major
Lewis, in January. 1756, was sent with a party
of troops on an expedition against the Indian
towns on the Ohio. The point apparently
aimed at was the upper Shawanese town, situ-
ated on the Ohio, three miles above the mouth
62
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
of the Great Kanawha. The attempt proved
a taihire. in consequence, it is said, of the
swollen state of the streams and- the treachery
of the guides. In 1764, General Bradstreet,
having dispersed the Indian forces besieging
Detroit, passed into the Wyandot country by
way of Sandusky Bay. He ascended tlie bay
and river as far as it was navigable for boats,
and there made a camp. A treaty of peace
was signed by the chiefs and head men. The
Shawnees of the Scioto River and the Dela-
wares of the Muskingum, however, still con-
tinued hostile. Colonel Boquet. in 1764. with
a body of troops, marched from Fort Pitt into
the heart of the Ohio country on the Mus-
kingum River. This expedition was con-
ducted with great prudence and skill and
with scarcely any loss of life. A treaty of
peace was effected with the Indians, wh(j re-
stored the prisoners they had captured from
the white settlements. The ne.\t war with the
Indians was in 1774, generally known as Lord
Dunmore's. In the summer of that year an
e.Kpedition under Colonel 2vIcDonald was as-
sembled at Wheeling, marched into the Mus-
kingum country, and destroyed the Indian
town of W'apatomica, a few miles above the
site of Zanesville. In the fall the Indians were
defeated after a hard-fought battle at Point
Pleasant, on the Virginia side of the Ohio.
Shortly after this event Lord Dunmore made
peace with the Indians at Camp Charlotte, in
what is now Pickaway County.
"During die Revolutionary War most of
the western Indians were more or less united
against the Americans. In the fall of 177S
an expedition against Detroit was projected.
As a preliminary step it was resolved that the
forces in the West, under General Mcintosh,
should move up and attack the Sandusky In-
dians. Preliminary to- diis. Fort Laurens, so
called in honor of the President of Congress.
was built upon the Tuscarawas, a short dis-
tance below the site of Bolivar, Tuscarawas
County. The expedition to Detroit was aban-
doned, and the garrison of Fort Laurens, after
suffering much from the Indians and from
famine, was recalled in August, 1779. A
month or two previous to the evacuation of '
this fnrt Colonel Bowman headed an
expedition against the Shawnees. T'-ieir
village, Chillicothe, three miles north ui
the site of Xenia, on the Little ^li-
ami, was burned. The warriors showed an
undaunted front and the whites were forced to
retreat. In the summer of 1780 an expedition
directeil against the Indian towns in the forks
01 the ]^Iuskii-igiim. moved from Wheeling
under General Broadhead. This expedition,
known as the 'Coshochton campaign," was
unimportant in its results. In the same sum-
mer General Clark led a body of Kentuckians
against the Shawnees. Chillicothe, on the
Little ]\Iiami, was burnt on their approach,
but at Piqua. their town on the Mad River,
six miles below the site of Springfield, they
gave battle to the whites and were defeated.
In September, 17S2, this officer led a second
expedition against the Shawnees. Their
towns, Upper and Lower Piqua, on the 3.1iami,
within what is now ]\Iiami County, were de-
stroyed, together with the store of a trader
'"There were other expeditions into the In-
dian country, which although of a later date,
we mention in this connection. In 1786 Col-
onel Logan conducted a successful expedition
against the ^ilackachack towns, on the head
waters of [Nlad -Ri\er, in what is now Logan
County. Edwards, in 1787, led an expedition
to the head waters of the Big [Miami, and, in
1788. Todd led one into the Scioto \^alley.
There were also minor expeditions at various
times into the present limits of Ohio.
"The ]\Iora\-ian missionaries, prior to the
war of the Revolution, had a number of mis-
sionary stations within the limits of Ohio.
The missionaries, Heckewelder and Post, were
on the >^Iuskingum as early as 1762. In
](Iarch, 1782, a party of Americans, under
Colonel \Villiamson, murdered, in cold blood,
ninety-four of the defenceless Moravian In-
dians, within the present limits of Tuscarawas
County. In the June following. Colonel Craw-
ford, at the head of about 500 men, was de-
feated by the Indians three miles north of the
site of L'pper Sandusky, in Wyandot County.
He was taken prisnner and burnt at the stake
with horrible tortures."
-iKrij .iv;
id
AND REPRESEXTATn^E CITIZENS
63
Althougli by the various treaties which we
have heretofore mentioned, the English had
secured title to the lands northwest of the
Ohio, yet the Indians did not take kindly to
the coming of the white settlers, and it was
not long after their arrival that the_\- began
to show themselves hostile. That they were
instigated, in some measure, by the British,
cannot be doubted. Much could' be traced to
the malicious intiuence of the British superin-
tendent of Indian affairs. Colonel }.IcKee. his
assistant. Captain. Elliott, and the notorious
white renegade, Simon Girty. A treaty con-
firming the former one made at Fort ]^lcln-
tosh. was made with the Indians at Fort Har-
mar in the year 17S9. It had little effect, how-
ever, in staying Indian hostilities. In 1790
a company of 36 men went from ^Marietta to
a place on the Muskingum known as Big Bot-
tc>m. In view of the apparent unfriendliness
of the Indians, the postponement of the set-
tlement was advised by General Putnam and
others. ^loreo\er proper precautions were not
taken against possible attacks. In an un-
guarded moment these settlers were set uix^n
by the Indians and twelve of them killed. The
settlers throughout the new territory immedi-
ately became alarmed and block-houses were
erected for their protection. In 1789 Fort
Washington was built within the present limits
of Cincinnati, and a few months later General
Harmar arrived with 300 men and assumed
command. It was determined by Governor
St. Clair and General Harmar to send an
expedition against the ]\Iaumee towns and se-
cure that part of the country. While St. Clair
was forming his army and arranging for this
campaign three e.xpeditions were sent uut
against the Miami towns. One against the
^liami villages, not far from Wabash, was
led by General Harmar. With about fourteen
hundred men, of whom less than one-fourth
were regulars, he marched from Cincinnati in
September, 1790. When near the Indian vil-
lages an advanced detachment fell into ambush
and was defeated with severe loss. General
Harmar. however, succeeded in burning the
Indian villages and destroying their standing
com, after which he commenced the return to
Cincinnati. Ha\ing receix'ed mtelligence.
however, that the Indians \\ere returning to
their ruined towns, he detached about a third
of his remaining force, with orders to bring
the Indians to an engagement. In the en-
gagement which followed, more than one hun-
dred of the militia were killed and all but
nine of the regulars, the remainder being
driven back to the main force. The expedition
served little purjwse other than to make the
Indians, if anything, bolder than liefore. An
army under Charles Scott was sent against
the Wabash Indians. Nothing was accom-
plished save the destruction of towns and
standing corn. In July another army under
Colonel Wilkinson, was sent against the Eel
River Indians. It became entangled in ex-
tensive morasses on the river and accomplished
nil more than the other expeditions which had
preceded it.
ST. Clair's defe.vt.
. Encouraged by the meager success of the
whites in these expeditions, the chiefs of the
Miamis, Shawnees and the Delawares now be-
gan the formation of a confederacy among
all the tribes of the northwest territory, which,
they conceived, would be strong enough to
expel the whites beyond tlie Ohio. While'
they were making ready, iTowever. Governor
St. Clair was engaged in the organization of
a new army. He gathered together a force
consisting of 2,300 regulars and 600 militia.
It w-as his purpose to establish a chain of
forts from the Ohio, b\- way of the Miami and
Maumee Valleys, to the lakes. The plan was
favored by W'ashington and General Knox,
then secretary of war. -It was said that a spirit
of idleness, drunkenness and- insubordination
characterized the amiy at this time and had
much to do with the defeat which followed
later. On September 17, the army began its
march and mo\-ed to a point on the Great
Miami, where Fort Hamilton was established,
the first in the chain mentioned above. The
army then proceeded forty-four miles further
on and erected Fort Jefferson, about six miles
south of the present town of Greenville, in
A 'A
64
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTV
Darke County. On the J4th ot October it
again began its march tlirough tlie wilderness,
marshy and boggy and infested with savage
foes. By the 3rd of Xovemljer a stream was
reached which St. Clair supposed to be a
branch of the St. Mary of the Maumce. hut
which in reality was a tributary of the Wabash.
The point was on what is now the line between
Darke and Mercer Counties. The army had
been so far depleted by de.-ertiun at thi'^
time that only about 1,400 men were left. St.
Clair sent the first regiment, under iMajor
Hamtramck, to pursue the deserters and secure
the advancing convoys of provisions which
it was feared the deserters intended to
plunder. \\'hen they halted on the banks
of the stream before mentioned, it encamped
in two lines and threw up some slight fortifi-
cations against the Indians who were known to
be in the neighborhood. C)n the next morning,
about half an hour before sunrise, it was at-
tacked furiously by the Indians. The evil ef-
fects of the insubordination Ijefore mentioned
and the lack of sufncient drill \\'ere now made
manifest. The army was thrown into hope-
less confusion. It is probable that the whole
disposable' force of the tribes in the North-
west participated in the attack on St. Clair's
army at this time. After losing about 800
men it began its retreat, which was a di'-'grace-
ful, precipitate flight. After reaching Fort
Jefferson.it proceeded, by way of Fort Hamil-
ton, back to Fort Washington.
This defeat was one of the worst e\er suf-
'fered.by an Ainerican army at the hands of the
savage tribes, outrivaling even Braddock's de-
feat in this regard. It left the entire frontier
exposed to the onslaughts of the savages, who
were determined now, more than ever before,
to exterminate the whites entirely. Execra-
tions were heaped upon St. Clair who led the
army to its terrible defeat. Under a more
forceful commander, perhaps the result might
have been different, yet the defeat was due,
not alone to the inefficiency of St. Clair, but
to the general demoralization of the soldiers
whose insubordination we have before men-
tioned.
Plans were immediately formed for another
campaign against the Indians. General
Wayne, whose bravery and ability, as well as
his e.xperience during the Revolution, rendered
him peculiarly well fitted for the task, was
called to take command of the army which was
raised. He innnediately began the work <-)f
drill and organization.
Aleanwhile effijrts were being made by the
United States to conciliate the Indians and
avoid the necessity of warfare. The Iroquois
were induced to visit Philadelphia, and were
partially secured from the confederacy which
we have before mentioned. Five independent
embassies were sent among the western tribes
in an eft'ort to win them o\'er and prevent war.
All the embassadors were slain, howexer. ex-
cept Putnam, who succeeded in reaching the
Wabash Indians and effecting a treaty which
was later rejected by Congress on account of
its terms. A great council of the Indians, in
which were represented all the tribes of the
Northwest, and niany others, assembled at
Auglaize during the autumn of 1792, and pre-
pared an address to the President wherein they
agreed to abstain from hostilities until they
could meet with the whites at the rapids of
the Maumee in the following spring for a con-
ference. The President appointed commis-
sioners who, in accordance with the arrange-
ment, met the representatives of the tribes at
the appointed place. The Indians, however,
would consent to nothing save the Ohio Rii\'er
as the boundary of their lands. This being
out of the question for the whites, the negotia-
tions came to an end.
W.WNE's campaign and B.A.TTLE OF
FALLEN' TIMBER.
Nothing was now left save war. General
Wayne, on being informed of the termination
of the efforts at securing a treaty, immediately
began active preparations for a campaign
against the Indians. Pending the negotiations
with the Indians he had been sending out
scouts and spies on errands of discovery and
he had his plans by this time practically rna-
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZEXS
65
tureil. All his information showed plainly that
the Indians were receiving constant aid and
encouragement from the British. He had
spent the winter of 1793-94 at a fort w-liich he
had built on a tributary of the Great Miami,
and which he called Greenville. The present
town of Greenville is near the site of the fort.
On the 26th of July, 1794, General Scott, with
1,600 mounted men from Kentucky, joined
General Wayne at Greenville, and two days
later the entire army moved forward, re.aching
the junction of the Auglaize and Maumee on
the 8th of August, where they erected Fort
Defiance. As Wayne's army moved north-
ward the Indians abandoned their towns and
collected their entire force, amounting to about
two thousand men. near a British fort, erected
in violation of the treaty of 1783. at the
rapid.s of the Ataumee. Before attacking the
Indians, however, Wayne made still another
attempt to conciliate them. He sent Christo-
pher }vliller, who had been naturalized among
the Shawnces, and taken prisoner by Wayne's
spies, as a messenger of peace. [Miller returned
with the message that if the Americans would
delay for ten days the Indians would, within
that tiniQ, decide the question of war or peace.
Knowing the Indian character, however.
Wayne determined to move forward. On the
1 8th of August, having niarcheil forty-one
miles from Auglaize, and being now near to
the enemy, a fortification was erected which
they called Fort Deposit. They remained here
until the JOth, when they again took up their
March. After having proceeded about five
miles the foe was encountered. In striking
contrast with the condition of St. Clair's army
at the time it had suffered its crushing defeat,
the army was now well disciplined and fully
able to cope with the enemy. The conflict
which ensued was one of the fiercest in the
history of Indian warfare. The Indians were
completely routed and many of them were
slain, while the American loss was compara-
tively slight. This celebrated engagement is
what is familiarly known as the battle of Fal-
len Timber. It was fought almost under
the walls of the British fort. When the c<:«m-
mander of that fort demanded an explanation
of Wayne as to why he had fought so near
and in evident hostility to the British, Wayne
replied, not only by telling him he had no
rights in the country, but by also marching for-
ward and devastating the Indian country.
While the Indians were not immediately
subdued by the crushing defeat receixed from
Wayne, yet it went a long way towards break-
ing the str,ength of their hostility. Recogniz-
ing, at length, that opposition to the encroach-
ments of the whites was useless, and that their
ultimate subjugation was only a matter of
time, they were willing to sue for peace. They
arranged to meet General Wayne in June.
I795- at Greenville and form a treaty. This
plan was carried out and the Greenville treaty,
which marked the close of the Indian wars in
the West, was the result.
ORG.VNIZATIOX OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY.
After the title to the lands northwest of
the Ohio had become vested in the United
States, and active- perparatioas for their settle-
ment began to be made, it became necessary
for Congress to provide some form of govern-
ment for the territory. The matter was one
calling for the exerci.se of the highest states-
manship, and various plans were under dis-
cussion before a final settlement was reached.
At one time Congress, under the influence of
the Southern States, voted down Jefterson's
proposition excluding slavery forever from
the territory. It was likewise proposed to di-
vide the territory into ten states to be known
as Sylvania, }vlichigania. Ch.eresonisius, Assen-
ispia, Metropotamia. Illinoia. Saratoga, Wash-
ington, Polypotamia and Pelisipia, the ultimate
arrangement being, however, that there should
be no less than three nor more than five states.
The instrument which' was finally adopted for
the government of the Northwest Territory,
and ever since popularly known as the "Or-
dinance of 1787," was, in large measure, the
result of the efforts of Rev. Manassah Cutler,
before mentioned as being instrumental in se-
curing the grant of lands to the Ohio Com-
pany. It was passed on the 13th of July,
1787. Its cardinal principles were: ist. — The
66
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
exclusion of sla\ery from tlie territory for-
ever : 2nd. — Pro\ ision for public scIuhjIs, giv-
ing one township for a seminary and every
sixteenth section (this gave one tliirty-sixth
of all the land for public education) ; 3rd. —
Freedom in religious worship and opinion;
4th. — The equal distribution of estates ; and
5th. — Protection in civil liberty. It also pro-
vided for the appointment of a governor who
should likewise lie commander of th.e militia,
a secretary, and for three judges. The gover-
nor and the judges were to have the power to
adopt and publish such of the laws of other
states as should be suitable to their circum-
stances. Whenever there should be 5,000 free
male inhabitants, of full age, in the district,
they were to ha\e authority to elect repre-
sentatives to a General Assembly, which ^^■as
to consist of the Governor, a Legislative
Council and a House of Representatives.
There was the further provision that not less
than three nor more than five states were to
be formed out of the territor\-, the states to
be admitted to equal standing with the original
states of the Union whenever they had a popu-
lation of 60,000. or sooner if consistent with
the general interest. The principles embodied
in the ordinance were in the form of
a compact irrevocable save by consent
of both Congress ' and the states that
should be formed out of the territory. It w-as
by reason of this fact that the South was af-
terwards powerless when they endeavored to
have the territory opened to the admission of
slavery.
In October, 1787' Congress appointed Gen.
Arthur St. Clair, who had been an officer in
the Revolution, governor of the new territoiy,
Winthrop Sargeant, secretary, and Samuel H.
Parsons, John Armstrong, and James M. Var-
num, judges. Subsequently Armstrong de-
clined the appointment and John Cleves
Symmes was given his place. Governor St.
Clair arrived at the Marietta settlement on
July 9, 1788, and immediately began his du-
ties. On the .25th, the first law, relating to
the militia, was published, and the next day
the governor issued a proclamation creating
all the countrv that had been ceded bv the In-
■ dians, east of the Scioto River, into the county
of Washington. After organizing the militut
he next erected the Courts of Probate and
Quarter Sessions, and proceeded to appoint
civil officers. Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Tup-
per and Winthrop Sargeant, were made jus-
tices of the peace. The 30th day of August,
the day the Court of Quarter Sessions was ap-
pointed, Archibald Gary, Isaac Pierce and
Thomas Lord were also appointed justices.
Return Jonathan Meigs was appointed clerk
of this Court of Quarter Sessions. Ebenezer
Sprout was appointed sheriff of Washington
County and also colonel of -the militia; Wil-
liam Callis, clerk of the Supreme Court; Rufus
Putnam, judge of the Probate Court, and Re-
turn J. Aleigs, Jr., clerk.
On September 2nd, the first court was held.
It is thus described by the American Pioneer:
"The procession was formed at the Point
(where most of the settlers resided), in the
following order; The high sheriff, with his
drawn sword; the citizens; the officers of the
garrison at Fort Harmar; the members of the
bar; the supreme judges; the governor and
clergy-men; the newly appointed judges of the
Court of Common Pleas. Generals Rufus Put-
nam and Benjamin Tupper.
"They marched up the path that had been
cleared through the forest to Campus ]\Ianius
Hall (stockade), where the whole counter-
marched, and the judges, Putnam and Tupper,
took their seats. The clergj-man. Rev. Dr.'
Cutler, then invoked the divine blessing. The
sheriff, Ebenezer Sproat, proclaimed with his
solemn 'Oh yes" that a court is open for the
administration of even-handed justice to the
poor and to the rich, to the guilty and to the
innocent, without respect of persons; none to
be punished without a trial of their peers, and
then in pursuance of the laws and the evidence
in the case.
"Although the scene was exhibited thus
early in the settlement of the West, few e\'er
equalled it in the dignity and exalted char-
acter of its principal participators. JMany of
them belonged to the history of our country
in the darkest as well as the most splendid
I)eriod of the Revolutiuuar}- war."
?:■■ ■-'.
%. -::-))'.i f.: L:...
mtsi
iferihair<v;;raaBiTiiiirAi'i'n-Tri''fi>^^i«*iffirr ... »u..
CRYSTAL Sl'ki:
1^'
■HE ALLISON E. GOODRICH HOME,
LIBERTY TOWXSHIP
RFSTDEXCE OF MRS. SILAS J, MAXX,
HARLEM TOWNSHIP
i>
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZEXS
69
About the ist of January, 1790. Governor
St. Clair, with his officers, went to Fort W'ash-
int,^ton, on the present site of Cincinnati, and
established the county of Hamilton, in which
was comprised all the country contiguous to
the Ohio, from the Hocking River to the
Great !Miami. He also appointed a corps of
cixil and military officers and erected a Court
of Quarter Sessions. A short time later he
likewise organizLj the county of St. Clair,
whose limits, however, were comprised within
the present State of Indiana, and Illinois, in-
cluding the country from the Wabash to the
]\Iississippi. Before the close of 1795 the gov-
ernor and the judges published sixty-four
statutes. Among other things they provided
that the common law of England, and all its
statutes made previous to the fourth year of
James I., should be of full force in the terri-
tory. Wayne County was organized m 1796,
Jefferson and Adams in 1797, and Ross in
1798.
As has before been stated, the Ordinance
of 1787 provided that whenever there should
be 5.000 persons in the territory they should
be entitled to a representative assembly. On
October 29, 1798, Governor St. Clair pro-
claimed that the population had reached the re-
quired number, and ordered an election for
the third !\Ionday in December. The repre-
sentatives thus elected met in Cincinnati, Janu-
ary 22,\i799, and, under the provisions of the
Ordinance, nominated ten persons, from whom
the President should select five to constitute
the Legislative Council. The persons chosen
were: Jacob Buniet, James Finley, Henry
\'arderburgh. Robert Oliver and David Vance.
The Territorial Legislature again met at Cin-
cinnati on the 24th of September, when a
great amount of business was done. They
repealed some of the laws that were already
in force, adopted otliers, created and filled new-
offices and devised various plans and methods
for carrying on the government of the new
territory. The only lawyer in the body was
Mr. Burnet, upon whom, by reason of his
profession, a great amount of the work de-
volved. He seems to have acquitted himself
well in the position in which he was thus
placed. The whole number of acts passed and
approved by the go\ernor was thirty-seven. It
is worthy of note that a bill authorizing a
lottery was passed by the Council but rejected
by the Legislature.
Among other duties which devolved on this
session of the Legislature was the election of
a delegate- to Congress. The choice fell upon
William lienry Plarrison, the secretary of the
territory at that time. He at once resigned his
office and proceeded to Philadelphia \o take
his seat in Congress which was then in ses-
sion. He was successful in obtaining many
important advantages for his constitutents,
among others a measure subdividing the sur-
veys of the public lands and permitting them
to be sold in smaller tracts, thus making it
possible for them to be purchased by individu-
als without first coming into • the hands of
speculators.
At this first session of the Legislature Gov-
ernor St. Clair saw fit to veto eleven acts which
were passed by it. The greater part of them
related to formation -of new counties, a right
which the governor claimed was vested in him
alone. The attitude of the governor served
to increase his unpopularity with the people,
whose confidence he seems to have lost, in
large measure, after his disastrous defeat at
the hands of the Indians.
In the year 1800 Congress took up the
matter- of dividing the Northwest Territory
into two parts. The great extent of the terri-
tory rendered extremely difficult and unsatis-
factory the operations of the government. By
reason of the loose administration of justice
in its western part, that portion had become a
rendezvous for criminals of various character,
with the consequent effect of deterring better
citizens from settling there. The judiciary
was likewise \\-holly inefficient as regarded
civil cases. The far western frontier, being
at such a great distance from the seat of both
the national and territorial governments, could
neither feel for them the attachment or fear
their restraint to the extent that a closer re-
lation would establish. In consequence, on the
7th of May an act was passed dividing the
territory, the hue of division being '"a line be-
'J v'l :•
■JO
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
ginning at the Ohio, opposite to the mouth
of the Kentucky River, and running thence to
Fort Recovery, and thence north until it inter-
sects the territorial line between t4ie United
States and Canada." The siune form of gov-
ernment was provided for the new territory
as prevailed in the old. Chillicothe was made
the seat of government for the old territory
and St. Clair retained as governor, while St.
\'inctnt's on the Wabash River, was made the
capital of the "Indiana Territory,"' and Wil-
liam Henry Harrison appointed its governor.
ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE OF OHIO.
, . The second session of the General As-
sembly was held at Chillicothe in 1801. Gov-
ernor St. Clair had, meanwhile, been growing
more and more unpopular. The abuse heaped
on the governor and the Legislature at Chilli-
cothe became so great that they decided to re-
move the capital from that place to Cincinnati.
Out of this agitation, however, and the general
discontent with the governor, there had been
rapidly arising a general sentiment in favor
of th.e formation of a State government. This
sentiment was in a minority, however, so far as
the General Assembly was concerned. A
measure was introduced there proposing that
the Ordinance of 1787 be so changed that the
Scioto River, together with a line drawn from
its intersection with the Indian boundary to
the western extremity of the Reserve, should
be the we-tern limit of the most e^! stern State
to be formed out of the territory-. To protest
against this proposition the minority sent
Thomas Worthington to Washington. While
he was on his way a resolution introduced into
the Legislature for choosing a committee to
address Congress with regard to the proposed
state was defeated. x-V further attempt pro-
viding for taking the census of the territory
was postponed by the Council.
Worthington, however, was successful in
his mission to Congress, and on the 30th of
April that body authorized the calling of a
state convention for the purpose of forming a
constitution, provided it was found expedient.
"The act of Congress, providing for the ad-
mission of the new state into the Union, otteretl
certain propositions to the people. These were,
first, that Section Si.xteen in each township,
or. where that section had been disposed of,
other contiguous and equivalent lands, should
be granted to the inhabitants for the use of
schools ; second, that thirty-eight sections of
land, wJiere salt springs had been found, of
which one township was situated on the Scioto,
one section on the 2vluskingum, and one section
in the United States ^Military Tract, should
be granted to the state, never to be sold or
leased, however, for a longer term than ten
years ; and third, that one twentieth of the
proceeds of the public lands sold within the
state, should be applied to the construction of
roads from the Atlantic, to and through the
same." These propositions were offered on
the condition that the convention should pro-
vide, by ordinance, that all lands sold by the
United States after the 30th day of June, 1802,
should be exempt from taxation by the state
for five years after sale.
The convention met at Chillicothe on the
1st day of November, 1S02. While it believed
the consideration offered to the state hardly
sufficient for the tax exemption required, it
decided to accept the conditions of Congress,
pro\'iding their propositions should be suffi.-
ciently enlarged "so as to vest in the state, for
the use of schools. Section Sixteen in each
township sold by the United States, and three
other tracts of land, equal in quantity re-
spectively, to one thirty-sixth of th.e Virginia
Reservation, of * the United States ^ililitary
Tract, and of the Connecticut Reserve, and to
give three per centum of the proceeds of the
public lands sold within the state, to be applied
under the direction of the Legislature, to roads
in Ohio." Congress acceded to this modifica-
tion and there was thus nothing to pre\"ent the
formation of the new state.
The time for the meeting of the General
Assembly came while the constitutional con-
vention was in session, but. owing to the prob-
ability that the territorial government would
so soon be superseded by that of the state, they
tleferred meeting. On the 2gth of November
the convention having framed a constitution
■aiT:>lH
i ;/
-H v.,-h
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
71
and completed its labors, adjourned. The
constitution, though never submitted to the
people, was submitted to Congress and ac-
cepted by that body, and an act passed" admit-
ting Ohio to the Union, February 19. 1803.
The constitution framed by this convention
continued in force until the adoption, in 1S51,
of the present one. The territorial govern-
ment ended and the state govern'nent began
on ;March i, 1803.
By the new constitution it was provided
that the first elections under the new govern-
ment should be held the second Tuesday of
January, 1803. Accordingly at that time Ed-
wartl Tiffin was chosen governor and Jere-
miah' Morrow sent to Congress. A General
Assembly was also elected, which met on
]March 3rd and chose the following officers:
]\Iichael TaUUvin, speaker of the House,
and Nathaniel Massie of the Senate;
William Creighton, Jr., secretary of state;
Colonel Thomas Gibson, auditor; William
]N[cFarland, treasurer; Return J. Meigs, Jr.,
Samuel Huntington and William Spriggs,
judges of the Supreme Court; Francis Dun-
levy. Wyllys Silliman and Calvin Pease, presi-
dent judges of the First, Second and Third
Districts, and Thomas Worthington and John
Smith, United States Senators. The Assembly
also passed such laws as were necessary. Up
to the time of the adoption of the state consti-
tution there had been organized the following
counties: Washington, July 27, 17SS; Hamil-
ton, January 2, 1790; Adams, July 10, 1797;
Jefferson, July 29, 1797; Ross, August 20,
179S; Clermont, Fairfield and Trumbull, De-
cember 9, 1800; Belmont, September 7, 1801.
Eight additional counties were created by the
Assembly at its first session, viz. : Gallia,
Scioto, Butler, Warren, Greene, Montgom-
ery. Frankdin and Columbiana.
The seat of government was first located
at Chillicothe. In the year 18 10 an act was
passed changing its location to Zanesville, but
at tlie next session of the General Assembly
it was again taken back to Chillicothe, and
commissioners appointed to determine upon a
definite location. It is said that they first re-
p<3rted in favor of Dublin, a small town on the
Scioto about fourteen miles above Columbus.
At the session of the Assembly of 1813-14,
however, the proposal of parties owning the
site of Columbus was accepted and in 1816,
the first meeting of the Assembly was held
there.
ji ;i .■-j'T-?"--
■]o
CHAFTBR IV.
SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION OF DELAWARE COUNTY
Derivation of Title — First Settlement — Grozut/i of Population — First Eve>!ts — Pioneer In-
dustries — Early Roads a)id Taverns — Organization of the Comity — Early Political
History — County and Other OfHcials.
We have already traced in a former chap-
ter the various steps by which the title to the
lai'ds of the Xovthwest Territory, and thereby
of Delaware County, became vested in the
United States Government. It now remains to
say a word as to the manner in which the
first settlers in Delaware County derivtd title
from the United States. Previous mention
was made of the fact that Virginia, in ceding
her claims to the territory northwest of the
Ohio to the general government made a con-
dition that she was to retain the right to ap-
propriate a certain portion of that land, if ne-
cessary, to satisfy her military bounties, issued
during the Revolutionary War. In accordance
with this understanding the State of \'irginia
ultimately appropriated a tract ncrth of the
Ohio and west of the Scioto Rivers. All that
part of Delaware County which lies west of
the Scioto is, in consequence, within the tract
kn(_>wn as the Virginia Military Lands. Ail
that part of the county which lies east of the
Ssioto is within the tract known as the United
States Military Lands, excepting the "salt res-
ervation" in Brown Township, which will be
mentioned later. The United States Military
Lands are so called from their having been ap-
propriated by Congress, through an act passed
June, 1796, to satisfy certain claims of the
officers and soldiers of the Revolution. There
is a difference in the method of survey of
these lands and that of the Virginia Military
Lands. The United States Military Lands
were divided into townships of five miles
square and these again into quarter-town-
ships of 4,000 acres each. Further subdivi-
sions of the quarter-townships into forty lots
of 100 acres each \yere made in some cases.
The place of each township is ascertained by
numbers and ranges.
The Virginia Military District is not sur-
veyed into townships or any Tegular form.
Every person holding a Virginia military land
warrant was permitted to locate it at any place
1 in the district and in whatever shape he pleased,
' in so far it did not conflict with some else.
In consequence, there has been much more liti-
gation growing out of a conflict of Iwundaries
in this district than in the United States ]\Iili-
tary Lands.
It will be recalled that in the act passed
by Congress through which the State of Ohio
was constituted, certain tracts within the state,
known as salt reservations, were granted to
the State of Ohio and reserved from sale. One
of these tracts was in Brown Township, in
Delaware County, and consisted of 4,000
acres in the northeast section. On the failure
of the reservation, however, to fulfill expecta-
tions so far as salt production was concerned,
permission was granted to the State by an
act of Congress of December 28, 1824, to sell
the lands, and an act was likewise passed for
this purpose by the State Legislature on Febru-
.^1 m^l^AHO
AXD REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
73
ary 2-j lS.26. From one of these various
sources liave the first settlers in Delaware
gained title to their lands.
FIRST SETTLEMENT.
Something over a hundred years has now
passed since the first white settler in Delaware
County cleared tlie unbroken forest for the
erection of his cabin. The lips that could re-
count from personal recollection the tale of
hardship and heroism, of peril and privation,
that marked this event of such prime import-
ance to the county's present populace, have
long since been sealed in death, and the story
itself has, to some extent, become enshrouded
in the misty uncertainties of the past. There
is always a romantic interest that attaches to
first occurrences, especially such as this; and
had the record of toil and struggle that marked
the opening up of Delaware County to civili-
zation been carefully chronicled and preserved,
it would now be read with intensest interest
by those who claim the county as their home.
Pioneer life here, perhaps, was different in no
marked degree, from pioneer life in general ;
yet incidents that might be trifling to the world
at large would be far from being so to us wath
whose present well-being and happiness they
are so indissolubly linked. Everydiing that
might concern the early struggle with the
wilderness here would possess for us the inter-
est felt in our own kith and kin. At the pres-
ent day when e\en the poorest has comforts
and luxuries that the whole world scarce
dreamed of for a thousand years, when space
itstlf presents no difficulties to easy communi-
cation with our fellow-beings, it is difficult to
even imagine the lonely cabin in the great,
deep forest, which gave scant shelter to the
pioneer, from driving storms and winter's
cold, or to think of him as being far from the
sound of a friendly voice, often endangered by
attack from savage beast or savage red man.
and hard-pressed for even those things with-
out which life itself could not be sustained.
Vet all this was gladly assumed and cheer-
fully enrlured by those who paved the way
in Delaware Countv for the coming of the
white man's government and the white man's
civilizaition. All this was necessary that we
might enjciy our present security and comf<.irt.
And while we celebrate the heroes of the camp
and the battlefield, while we applaud great
achievement in every sphere of human activity,
let us accord a place equal to that of any to
the pioneer, and to the pioneers of our own
county in particular.
Delaware County drew its early popula-
tion from widely separated sources. Natur-
ally the larger part hailed from the states in
our own country already populated. Some
came from beyond the seas. The restless energy
that led the hardy emigrants to seek homes
in our land soon after its discovery again led
their descendants to move further to the west-
ward. The battle with the wilderness was
fought and won ; and the population of Dela-
ware County today inherits the same elements
of intelligence, enterprise and strength that
might be expected from such an ancestry.
It is generally conceded that the first set-
tlement in Delaware County, at least the first
to have a marked influence on its further de-
velopment, was in Liberty Township. The
claim has not been allowed, however, to go un-
questioned. It is asserted that a man by the
name of Gilbert Van Dorn settled within the
limits of Trenton Township as early as 1783.
There is also said to have been a white settler
named Saybrook who came to Orange Town-
ship in 1798, and another in Troy in 1801.
The time is now too far past, however, to de-
termine as to the accuracy of these statements,
and there would seem to be justice in claiming
the honor of the first settlement for Liberty
Township, inasmuch as that is the first of
which we have definite knowledge, and is un-
doubtedly the first that had a marked influence
on the subsequent development of the county.
In the year 1801, on May ist, after a jour-
ney from the State of New York lasting for
two months and eighteen days, during which
all the experiences incident to travel through a
new and undeveloped country were encount-
ered, Nathan Carpenter and Avery Powers .
landed on the east bank of the Olentangv '
River, or Whetstone, as it was then called, '
74
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
five miles south of the site of the present city
of Delaware. Carpenter was a man of wealth,
of indomitable enterprise, and had been a
captain in the Revolutionary War; an experi-
ence in hardship and endurance which was
well calculated to fit him for this enterprise
which he undertook not many years after the
war's termination. He had liveel first in Con-
necticut, but at tlie close of the Revolution
had remo\-ed to Chenango County, New York.
It was while here that he fell under the in-
fluence of the excitement, prevalent at the time,
over the opening up of the territory north-
west of the Ohio to colonization, and he de-
termined tc> become one of the pioneers in its
settlement and development. From his home
in Chenango County, in company with Avery
Powers and several oUiers, he started out in
the dead of winter and when the ground w"as
covered with snow, for the unknown and un-
tried region which was to be his liome for the
future. Carpenter's family accompanied him,
but the family of Powers did not come until
later. On their arrival cabins were erected
and the lonely life in the wilderness was be-
gun.
It was not long, however, until others ar-
rived. In April of the year 1802, Thomas
Cellar and Josiah [NIcKinnie established them-
selves on the Olentangy-. two miles below Car-
penter in the same township. Thomas Cellar
being the owner of a tract of 4,000 acres
within the present township limits. About two
years later three brothers, John, Kbenezer and
Aaron Welch, together with a brother-in-law.
Capt. Leonard ^lonroe, settled in the neighbor-
hood of the Carpenters. A few years later
there \vas added to the Liberty Township set-
tlement Ebenezer Goodrich, George and Seth
Case, and David Thomas.
Before the Liberty settlement had received
all these additions, however, colonists were be-
ginning to erect their cabins in other parts of
the county. One of the earliest after the ar-
rival of Carpenter and Powers, was Henry
Perry, who, unlike most of the others, was
not a New Englander, but came direct from
Wales and thus liecame the fore-runner of the
\\'elsh colony, which has numbered among its
members many of the county's most substantial
citizens. He settled in the region wdiich has
since been organized into Radnor Township,
and his cabin stood about three-fourths of a
mile from the site of the present village of
Radnor. There is an interesting story re-
lated iii connection with this settlement.
Perry had brought his two boys, then only
nine and eleven years of age, with him. When
it became necessary for him to return to Phila-
delphia to pilot the remainder of his family
to their new home, he left the two boys all
alone in the cabin in the wilderness. The win-
ter was one of exceptional se\-erity, the cabin
open, "having neither daubing, fireplace or
chimney." and food extremely scarce. Yet
these boys withstood bra\-ely all these hard-
ships, fearlessly encountered all the dangers
of the unbroken forest, and in addition made
a considerable clearing by the time their father
returned. It was such courage as this which
conquered the wilderness and appropriated it
for the purposes of a civilization of which the
native red men ne\-'er so much as conceived.
The ground on which Perry settled had been
originally purchased by David Pugh. This
man laid out a village on his land which he
called New Baltimore and which he antici-
pated would some day develop into a large and
flourishing town. It was not the first town,
however, which was laid out in Delaware
County. That honor belongs to Berkshire.
The date of Perry's settlement in Radnor
Township was 1803. The next year marks
the coming to the county of a man who was
to have perhaps more to do with the shaping
of her destinies during the early years of her
history than any other. Colonel" JNIoses Byxbe
w^s a native of Berkshire County, Massachu-
setts. He was a man of exceptional energy, with
great decision and force of character. He had,
feefore his coming to Ohio, accumulated large
wealth and acquired a position of commanding
influence in his pative town of Lenox. In his
business of tavern and store-keeper he had
come into possession of a number of military
land warrants, which he located in what are
now the townships of Berkshire and Berlin.
The tract which he first owned comprised
AND REPRESEXTATI\"E CITIZENS
75
8,000 acres. He threw all his energies into the
task of colonizing his western possessions and
soon succeeded in organizing a colony of emi-
grants who set out for their new homes in
June of the year 1804, arriving at the place
on Alum Creek which was afterwards called
Berkshire in honor of their native county.
There is said to have been a still earlier settle-
ment within the bounds of Berkshire Town-
ship, however, in the person of Thomas Cow-
gill, who is reputed to have built his cabin in
the southern part of the township in 1801.
As ^^■as the case with the other settlements
which we have mentioned as having perhaps
preceded the Liberty Township settlement.
howe\'er, if this one in Berkshire Township
really did exist it had little influence on the
later development of the county. At a point
where Colonel Eyxbe's colony located was
laid out the first town in Delaware County,
preceding by a year the town which had an
existence on paper, at least, in Radnor Town-
ship, and which was platted in 1805. Had
Colonel Byxbe adhered to his original inten-
tions, Berkshire would now have been, per-
haps, a place of much larger p(jpulation and
proportions than it is. For reasons which will
appear when we come to speak more particu-
larly of the township and of the city of Dela-
ware. Colonel Byxbe abandoned his efforts in
behalf of Berkshire and devoted himself to the
building up of the town of Delaware. He
made a number of journeys between his native
state and his possessions in Delaware County,
and many am.ong the early settlers were in-
duced to become such through his influence.
The next township to receive the pioneer
was Berlin, and here, too. the first settlement
was maile on a tract owned by Byxbe. The
first settler was George Cowgill, who came in
1805, 3"d he was closely followed by David
Lewis, Sr.. and his family, who located on a
tract which had been purchased by Joseph
Constant of Peekskill, Xew York. Xot long
afterward came Joseph Eaton. Sr.. and John
Johnston, with their families, from Hunting-
don. Pennsylvania, and later David Isaac.
Philander Hoadley and Chester Lewis, from
Waterburv, Connecticut.
A beginning having been made, it was mH
long" until every township in the county had
been started on the padiway to civilization
through the advent of the \vhite settler. In
1S06 Scioto was occupied, die first family here,
that of Richard Hoskins. like the one in Rad-
nor, having come originally from ^^'ales.
Genoa, Kingston, Delaware, Marlborough.
Trenton, Harlem, and perhaps Porter, received
their first inhabitants as early as 1807. Be-
tween this period and die year 181 2 all the
remaining townships in the county were oc-
cupied., and what a few years before had been
a desolate, unbroken wilderness, now began to
teem with the life of the new population which
was henceforth to render the region forever-
more an uncongenial habitation for the native
child of the forest.
GROWTH OF POPULATION-.
It may be interesting here to note the
growtti of the population. The first year in
which a census seems to have been taken was
in 1810, before all the townships, even, had
yet been occupied. -In that year Delaware
County had 2.000 inhabitants. It is to be re-
membered, however, that the extent of the
county's limits were greater at that time thaij
they were later on after a part of its territory
had been taken to help in the formation of
other counties, a matter which will be dis-
cussed hereafter. In 1820 there were 7,639
people in the county, in 1S30. 11.523. and in
1840. 22.060. At the time of the next census,
in 1850. the present boundaries of the county
had been fixed and the population then was
21,817. In i860 it was 23.902; in 1870. 25.-
175; in 18S0. 27.381. This was the high-
water mark in the county's growth in popula-
tion, as the census in subsequent decades shows
an actual decline. In 1890 the number of
inhabitants was 27,189. and at the last census
in 1900 it was only 27.401. There is nothing
in this decrease of population in the past few
years that would indicate an unhealthful con-
dition of affairs, and the experience of Dela-
ware County is not. in this respect, an ex-
ceptional one. A number of counties in the
Lj^T ('
76
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
state could be cited where an exactly similar
condition exists. Yet their condition, as well
as that of Delaware County, has been one of
constant and unbroken prosperity. The causes
which brought the early settler to the com-
munity have simply ceased, in later times, to
operate, and where there has been growth in
recent years, as there has been in some cases,
it has been from an influx uf laborers into the
county seat towns, where especial facilities for
the establishment of manufacturing plant's ar*e
afforded.
FIRST EVENTS.
There seems to be considerable uncertainty
as to who has the honor of being the tirst ad-
dition to the population of Delaware County,
not from emigration but l^y birth upon its soil.
There have been at least three claimants for
the distinction, two of them in Liberty Town-
ship and one in Berlin. If the dates which have
been handed down to us are correct, Jeremiah
Gillies was born in Liberty Township on Au-
gust 7, 1803. In the same township Benjamin
Powers was born OctC)ber 6, 1803. The
"County Atlas," published in 1875, asserts
that J. C. Lewis, who was born in Berlin
Township, September 29. 1806, was the first
white child born in the county. If either of
the dates given above, however, are correct,
there would appear to be little ground for the
claim which is made for Le^vis.
The first death, as well as the nrst birth,
is a matter of interest. Death did not enter
the pioneer settlement until three years after
its founding, and then it cirimed the wife of
Captain Carpenter. She died on the 7th of
August, 1S04, and was buried on a knoll on
the Carpenter homestead which is supposed to
have been a burying ground of the ancient
inhabitants of the territory. The next to suc-
cumb was one of the Welch brothers, men-
tioned among the early settlers of the town-
ship.
PIOXEER IXDU.^TRIES.
Much has been written on the varied ex-
periences encountered in pioneer life; and, to
those of us who have come on the scene of
action long after the forests were cleared and
all the various enterprises and intlustries that
characterize the modern community were in
full swing of their activity, the details of life
in this former day are always of absorbing
interest. As our particular purpose here, how-
ever, is to recount those facts which have to
do exclusively with Delaware County, we
must refer the reader to other works for the de-
scription of pioneer life in general. Could the
facts now be obtained, through which the story
of the beginning of each enterprise that is now
interwoven with the social and business life of
Delaware County could be written, it would
possess for us an interest equal to that which
we have in events of much larger importance
in themselves, though not so vitally interwoven
with our own personal aftairs. It perhaps did
not occur, however, to the humble tavern-
keeper of the early times, or the pioneer mer-
chant or miller or black.smith, that they were
making history ; and the record that has come
down to us of the early activities in these vari-
ous hues of enterprise, are extremely meager.
As regards the early store-keepers of the
county we can not do better than quote the
statement found in the county history pub-
lished in 1S80: "With all our research we
have been unable to learn who opened the first
store in Delaware, or whether the first store
in the county was in Delaware or Berkshire.
We are inclined to the opinion, however, that
the honor belongs to Berkshire, as it was laid
out as a town sometime before Delaware, prol>
ably three or four years before, and doubtless
a store was established soon after. Major
Brown is said to have been the first tradesman
at the place, but did not remain in business
very long. Stores were not so much of a
necessity then as they are now. After Brown
sold out a man named Fuller brought a stock
of goods to the place, but neither did he re-
main long. * * *■ The first merchant at
Delaware of whom we have been able to learn
anvthing was Hezekiah Kilbourn, but at what
date he commenced business we could not
learn. Lamb and Little were also among the
pioneer merchants of Delaware, as was An-
thony Walker. The latter gentleman had a
9?,;lS':)'- a-
hr'b..>-f\ti
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
17
store — a kind of branch concern — in Thomp-
son Township at quite an early date, which was
carried on by one of the Welches as agent of
Walker. Williams & Cone were early mer-
chants at Delhi, and a man named Dean kept
a store on Goodrich's farm in Liberty Town-
ship for a number of years. In what is now
Concord Township, was est'iblished one of the
early stores of ^tlie county. It was owned and
operated by a couple of men named Winslow,
* * * and consisted of a box of cheap
goods exposed for sale in a small tent, at the
mouth of Mill Creek. Shortly after this mer-
cantile venture Michael Crider opened a small
store on the farm of Freshwater and eventu-
ally moved to Bellepoint." In the early days
the mercantile business was no slight under-
taking. Without any of our modern facilities
for safe and rapid transportation, all goods
had to be brought overland from points in the
far distant East, principally Philadelphia, at
L;Teat expense and risk, and it is not strange
that we find that many a person wlio attempted
the enterprise was compelled to abandon it
after a loss. Naturally the stores were not
of the specialized character that they possess,
at least in the larger places, today, but con-
tained conmiodities of every variety that could
be used in the primitive settlements. The set-
tlers depended, too, on providing themselves
with many of the necessities for which we are
now accustomed to look to our merchants.
There were two commodities which, to
most, are almost absolute essentials to exist-
ence and which the early settlers had the
greatest difficulty in obtaining. These were
flour and salt. In consequence we find among
the earliest activities of tlie Delaware County
pioneer, an effort to provide a supply of these
articles. It will be remembered that mention
has already been made of the fact that there
was supposed to be a "Salt Lick" in Brown
Township, and that by reason of this very im-
pression a whole quarter section of land therein
was reserved to the State.
One of the earliest attempts to produce
salt in the neighborhoixl was by Dr. John Loof-
bourrow, one of the first settlers of Brown
Township. Having learned from the Indians
where diey obtained their salt, he, in com-
pany widi a colored servant, began the manu-
facture of the commodity and, for several
years, succeeded in obtaining a moderate
quantity. Some years later, however, some
other parties wdio thought they saw possibili-
ties of salt production greater than those which
were being used, leased a larger area of land
in this section from the State and commenced
boring wells. They failed to find salt water
in paying quantities, however, and the entire
tract which had been reserved was ultimately
sold by the State as has already been stated.
An effort was made near the present village
of Stratford, at one time, to find salt water. A
shaft was sunk and there really was found to
be salt water in the vicinity. As the digging
had to be done by hand, however, witliout
an}- of our modern facilities, the attempt was
soon abandoned. It was likewse thought at
one time that salt could be obtained in the re-
gii">n which is now Porter Township, but here
too the expectations proved to be ill founded.
The price of salt ranged from $5.00 to $6.00
per bushel. As illustrating the difficulties en-
countered and the hardships wliich the early
settlers were compelled to undergo in order
to obtain this article we quote the following
incident from the "County Atlas" : "David
Lewis, Jr., (a resident of Berkshire) dug out
a canoe and prepared for a voyage in quest of
of salt. From the time of leaving until his return
his chances for a fire with which to cook food
depended on his flint in tne musket-lock and
his 'punk' which lie carried with him. The
tiny craft completed, he loaded it with deer,
raccoon and other skins, shoved out into Alum
Creek and started down stream. The first
night found him at Worthington. He went to
Chillicothe and. selling his load, bought a
bushel of salt for which he paid five dollars.
Lewis could not ascend the current and,
abandoning his canoe, shouldered his purchase,
and started by way of Indian trail and bridle
path for home. His shoulders were worn by
the weight of his precious burden, but he was
near home, when, in crossing a stream on a
log, unfortunately his feet slipped and he fell
into the water. The salt was gone and he
jr;J j'., ,')■■,■}
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTV
was home again, his shoulders smarting with
the brine and his mind chafed at the loss."
Flour was just as difficult to obtain as salt.
The even greater necessity for its production
led the early settlers to turn their attention first
of anything, so far as manufacturing enter-
prises were concerned, to the establishment of
mills. It is related of Jacob Foust, one of the
earliest settlers of Troy Township that, wluni
his wife was sick and could obtain nothing
to 'eat which she relished, he shouldered a
bushel of wheat and carried it all the way to
Zanesville, seventy-five miles distant, to have
it ground. Owing to the limited capacity of
the few mills that really did exist in the early
times great hardship was entailed on the pio-
neers. It is recounted of one man that he
traveled a distance of one hundred and fifty
miles, from mill to mill, in a vain effort to
have a sack of \vheat ground, finally return-
ing with the wheat. The rude block and
pestle served the purpose of the pioneer before
the erection of mills, but it was a very imper-
fect and laborious method' of obtaining meal
and hominy.
E.\RLY RO.^DS.
Another matter to which the settlers early
gave attention was the construction of roads.
At first there were nothing but the "blazed"
pathways and the old Indian trails. These
could suffice, however, for but a short time
as the population increased. Accordingly we
find that the first business transacted by the
county commissioners on the organization of
the county related to the construction of a
road. The entry on the commissioners' record
is as follows: "'June 15, 1808. A petition for
a county road on west side of W'hetstone
(Olentangy) River, beginning at the Indian
line; thence to south lines of the county, as
near the river as ground and river angles will
permit. Petition granted, and Messrs.
By.Kbe. Nathaniel W'yatt and Josiah McKin-
nie appointed viewers, and Azariah Root, sur-
veyor." This road was afterward abandoned
when the Columbus and Sandusky Pike Road
was given a charter. The road as first con-
structed was used as a military road during
the War of 181 2, the supplies to our army at
Fort Meigs being transported over it. The
road constructed later by the Columbus and
Sandusky Pike Road Company runs a little
west of this road and about where the pres-
ent pike is located. The old road is still made
use of by some of the farmers as a lane. Tlie
first road company chartered in .central Ohio
by the legislature was this Columbus and
Sandusky Pike Road Company, and Delaware
County had several of the incorporators —
\\"illiam Little, Reuben Lamb, Hosea Wil-
liams, Ezra Griswold and Milo Pettibone. In
about a decade, however, the charter was re-
voked, as the road was not constructed ac-
cording to specifications, and the matter was
placed in the hands of a Board of Commission-
ers. The toll gates were done away with, but
for a long time the road was in a very unsatis-
factory condition. It is hard to realize, in this
modern era, the anno}"ance to which travelers
were subjected by the' toll gates. It is easy to
understand, however, the mood which led
many a one to evade them, when possible, and
to appreciate the state of mind which would
be experienced when the traveler, after floun-
dering through the mud would be compelled to
pay directly for the privilege. The stage-
coach was the only public means for transpor-
tation of passengers and, in the palmy clays of
this institution the fare was five cents per pas-
senger.
Delaware County is abundantly blessed
with good roads at the present time, having ap-.
proximately 1600 miles of road, at least one-
fourth of which is already piked or in the proc-
ess of being so. The pikes have, until re-
cently, been largely confined to the western
part of the county, their cost of construction
here being much less than in the east. At the
present time, however, in accord with the gen-
eral movement for good roads that is asserting
itself throughout the State, many miles of road
in the eastern part of the county are being
I piked and it will not be long until this portion
I of the county will compare favorably with
anv other.
.\:■'^
J ■ ■ • .:■( • J1..!. ".: ,:-!//
.CT I
AND REI'RESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
The pioneer tavern was an institution of
great importance, just as it is in later times,
thongh in lesser degree, under another name.
It was not long after the county began to be
settled until we find these hostelries being es-
tablished in various parts of the county as the
need for them arose. They were compelled to
pay a license in early times and, among ilie
first records of the couuLy commissioners is to
be found an order lixing the price of licenses
at $6.00 for the town and $4.00 for the coun-
try. It was afterwards raised, in 1814, to
$13.00 and $7.00. As descriptive of the first
ta\-ern established in the town of Delaware and
typical of the institution itself, we quote from,
an .article by Dr. Ralph Hills in the Western
Collegia)!, a paper formerly published in Dela-
ware : "The Pioneer Ta\ern was a few rods
south-east of the "Medicine Water.' It was
on the plateau just east of th.e ridge that lies
south of the spring, and terminated near there,
some three or four rods onward from the pres-
ent street. The first hor.se was a double
roomed one, with a loft, standing north and
south, facing the east, and was built of round
logs, 'chinked and daubed." In course of time, a
second house, two stories high, was added, built
of hewed logs, and placed east and west, at
right angles with ' the south end of the first
building, with a little space between them. In
this space was the well with its curb, and its
tall, old-fashioned, but easy-working 'well-
sweep.' Around at the southwest of this was
the log barn and the biacksmith siiop, and a
double granary or corn-crib, with a space be-
tween for its many purposes, as necessary, in-
deed, as the kitchen is for household purposes.
Here was the grind-stone, the shaving-horse,
the hewing block, the tools of all kinds and the
pegs for hanging up traps of all sorts. Here
the hog was scalded and dressed, the deer,
raccoon and 'possum were skinned, and their
skins stretched and dried, or tanned. Here
also were the nuts cracked and dried. For
many reasons it has a bright place in the
memories of boy-hood. How few know the
imp^irtance of the pioneer tavern in early days.
It was, of course, the place of rest for the
weary traveler, whether on foot or on horse.
It was many a day before a "dearborn" or a
"dandy-wagon' was known on the road. But
it was much more than this and seemed the
emporium of everything. It was the market
place for all; the hunter widi his venison and
turkeys; the trapper with his skins and furs;
and the knapsack peddler — the pioneer mer-
chant — here gladdened the hearts of all with
his 'boughten' wares. At this tavern, "too,
were all public gatherings called, to arrange
for a general hunt, to deal out justice to some
transgressor of the unwritten but well known
pioneer laws. In fact it was here, at a later
period, that the first organized county court
was held, with the grand jury in the ta\-ern
loft and the petit jury under a neighboring
shade tree."
It was only seven years after the Liberty
settlement was started diat Delaware County
was organized into a separate civil subdivis-
ion of the state. It is interesting to trace the
evolution of the Ohio counties. We have al-
ready mentioned the fact in a former chapter
that the first county to be established in the
present territory of Ohio was Washington,
which, in the beginning, embraced about one-
half of the present area of Ohio. The second
county to be established was Hamilton. Al-
though it included, at the first, only a strip be-
tween the two Miamis, it was afterwards en-
larged to include an area extending to the
Scioto River which was the western boundary
of Washington. It would seem that the terri-
tory which is now Delaware County was on
the boundary line between these two original
counties, portions of it lying in both of them.
It had likewise been included within the boun-
daries of several other counties before it was
set ofif as a separate division. The sixth
I county to be formed was Ross, which included
Delaware. Franklin was formed from Ross
and Delaware was taken off of Franklin. The
original boundaries of Delaware County, how-
ever, were originally more extensive than they
are now. Three different times has its terri-
tory been taken to form other counties. In
1820 a large part of Delaware County went
to the formation of Union County. In i8_'4
Marion Countv took a slice otif of the northern
' ills r.r. ^JU.q
So
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
part, and in 1S4S Morrow County took live
whole townships, leavinj;- the present area of
Delaware County about 500 square miles.
ORGAXIZATIOX OF DELAWARE COLN'TY.
The Act of the Legislature creating Dela-
ware County was passed I'ebruary 10. 1S08. It
provided that from and after the first day of
the next April the county of Delaware should
be vested with all the privileges, powers and
immunities of a separate and distinct county,
and stipulated that an election should be called
for the first iloxiday of the next ]\[ay. At this
election the following officers were chosen,
viz. : John Welch, Ezekiel Brown and Aven,"
Powers, commissioners : Rev. Jacob Drake,
treasurer : Dr. Reuben Lamb, recorder : Solo-
mon Smith, sheriff, and Azariah Root, sur-
veyor.
The first thing necessary after the passage
of the act establishing the county itself, was
the location of the county seat; and for this
purpose special commissioners were appointed
by the General Assembly. Only a short time
previous to the organization of the county the
town of Delaware had been laid out by Moses
Eyxbe and Henry Baldwin, a resident of
Pittsburg. By the act which created the
county, Delaware was made the temporary seat
of justice, pending the choice of a permanent
location; and both Delaware and Berkshire,
laid out some years before, as has already been
ineutionerl, now became contestants for the
honor. Had Moses Byxbe retained the early
interest which he had in Berkshire, perhaps it
might have been successful, but he had now de-
voted all his energies to building up the town
of Delaware and this, together with its natural
advantages, decided the matter in its favor.
The inhabitants of Berkshire, however, per-
sisted in their efforts for a numl^er of years,
in the hope that they might still secure the
honor.
A court house was not provided for until
the year 181 5. when the commissioners let a
contract for the building of one at a cost of
$S,ooo. This structure was afterwards burned j
and business, as well as court, wa:^ cmducted
in various roi^ms in the town until the erection
I of the present structure in 1870, at a cost of
$So,ooo. The Court House is a substantial
brick building, well adapted to the require-
ments of such a building. The first session of
the Common Pleas Court was held in the tav-
ern of Joseph Barber, already mentioned, and
was conducted by Judge Belt, of Chillicothe.
Owing to the diminutive character of the
building, the grand jury were under the neces-
sity of conducting their deliberations under a
shade tree nearby, while the petit jury occu-
pied similar quarters in the neighborhood, both
under the espionage of constables. The first
civil case was an action brouglit by Jacob
Drake against Elias Palmer- for boarding,
money loaned, and other claims. The first case
to be considered by the grand jury was that of
the State of Ohio against Valentine ^vlartin.
The first jail was built of logs and was lo-
cated on the hill overlooking the Delaware run
at the corner of Franklin and what is now Uni-
versity Avenue. It was twelve by twenty-four
feet and a rather crude affair. The pris-
oners showed their contempt for it by securing
an exit to die roof and then crowing lustily
before taking their departure. There have
been three other jails built since then, one in
1814 and another in 1850. The present jail, ,
which is not without claims to architectural
beauty, was erected in 1S78. The contract
for the building was let at $22,000. but extras
were added until the total cost amounted to
$25,845.35-
The original act creating Delaware County
authorized the Associate Justices to divide the
county into such townships as were necessary.
The first division was into three townships, as
follows : "All east of the eighteenth range
was made the township of Berkshire; all west
and north of the north line of the fourth tier
of townships, and a continued line west was
made the township of Radnor; all south of
Radnor and west of Berkshire was made the
township of Liberty. As the population in-
creased, however, other divisions were found
necessary. Townships were established from
time to time by the commissioners until the
county, at one time, contained as high as twen-
tj •?
;.■>
1 »
^*fii
^ q
1
■'■'>:.
:>4
■r ■■ - : ' ; ivcii
AXD REPRESEXTATI\^E CITIZENS
tv-tour. The names of these were: Berk-
shire, Benningtun. Berlin. Bruwu. Concord.
Delaware, Genoa. Harlem, Harmony. Kings-
ton, Liberty, Lincoln, Marlborough, -Orange.
Oxford. Peru, Porter, Radnor, Scioto, Sun-
bury, Thompson, Trenton. Troy and \\"esl-
tield. As has already been mentioned, a num-
ber of these townships have gone to form other
counties, and one^ Sunbury. has been entirely
obHterated in the re-arrangement of iown.-:hip
lines, though its territory still remains witliin
the county.
We have already mentioned the towns of
Xew Baltimore and Berkshire as having been
laid out during the first years in w-hich settlers
came to the county, the former, however, never
ha\ing had any existence except on paper. The
next town to be platted was Norton, laid out
b\- James Kilbourne, and the next, the present
county seat, which was laid out by Henry
Baldwin and Moses Byxbe, the first site having
been on the east side of the Olentangy. but
afterwards removeil ti:' tl e 've.-t side oi the
river. This was on March lo, 1808. We give
herewith a tabular statement of the towns
which ha\"e since been laid out within the
cou!itv :
The following excellent re\ie\v of the enrlv
political history of the county was written a
number of years ago by Hon. James R. Hub-
bell, a sketch of wh(xse notable career will be
found in the chapter on the "Bench and Bar" :
"In the early history of Delaware County
there was but little party strife. The act of
the General Assembly creating the county was
passed die last year of the administration of
Thomas Jefferson, and the exciting events of
the War of 1812, which soon followed, wiped
out the old Federal party which so bitterly as-
sailed Mr. Jefferson. The war measures of
Mr. ]\Iadison and the Republican party in Con-
gress were earnestly supported by the citizens
generally throughout die county.' The scram-
ble for the 'loaves and fishes' of office, com-
pared with a later date, was almost nothing.
But few offices were sought for their emolu-
ments. The most lucrati\-e offices were filled by
appointment and not by popular election. The
■most important offices, then as now, was that
of county auditor, wdiich was filled by appoint-
ment of the county commissioners. It was not
until the year 1821 that the office was made
elective by the popular vote. The county treas-
urer, sur\-eyor and recorder of deeds were also
Xame.
Galena (originally called Z
Date. Original Proprietors.
. .\pril 20, 1816 William Carpenter.
Siin'jiiry .' Xovember g. 1S16 William and Laurence Myers.
Delhi (now Radnor) .\ug115t 7, 1S33 Edward Evans.
Bellepoint September 16, i8j5 James Kooken.
East Liberty March 16. 1836 William Page & E. Lindenberger.
nli\ Greene May 0, 1S36 C. Lindenberger and Festus Sprague.
Rome September 2, 1836 D. Price and Amos Sarles.
Eden September 27, 1836 D. G. Thurston and Isaac Leonard.
Wiiliam-ville December 8, 1836 Anson Williams.
l-reodon April 2}, i?-4l Jesse Locke and J. G. Jones.
Centerville . March 2, 1848 Edward Hartwin and B. Roberts.
^"heshire March 10, 1849 F- J- Adams.
Ashley (originally Oxford) May 15. 1849 L. Walker and J. C. Avery.
Harlem Jnly 2.^. 1S49 A. Washburn and James Budd.
Stratford May 11, iSw Hosea Williams and H. G. Andrews
Edinburg
Leonardsburg March 13, 1852 S. G. Caulkins.
Ustrander March 20. 1852 James Ligget.
Orange Station July 29, 1852 George and H. J. Jarvis.
Lewi, Center July 30. 1852 William S. Lewis.
Tanktown (now Berlin) Aorit ^. 18:8 John B. Black.
^""■'^» February- l" 1876 •-•^- A. G. Hail.
"> -Tt^ville February 6. 1876 " H. A. Hyatt.
R^'Jnor March 9, 1876 Thomas Edwards.
•9ily
■v;. :-i't •>!'■
..■1 'mU-
82
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXIA"
app<:)inted hy the connnissioners. The prose-
cuting attorney and clerk ')f the court were
appointed by the court. These ytticers were
made elective by the law of 1833. ,In most
cases tlie offices were tilled by faithful and
competent men. The appointing ixiwer con-
ferred ijy the legislature upon the commission-
ers and the court, although anti-Republican
in principle, seems to be. judging from the ex-
perience of the past, the best calculated to se-
cure efficiency and competency in office. Ex-
perience has shown that the less frequently
changes are made, the better it is for the pub-
lic service. The early records of the county
show, under the appointing power, but few
changes. From 1820 until 1830, the duties of
the county auditor v.-ere faithfully discharged
by Solomon Smith, an honest and competent
officer, and he was succeeded by General Sid-
ney Moore, who efficiently and sntisfactorily
performed the duties of the office during the
period of another decade.
"In 1822 Thomas Reynolds succeeded his
brother-in-law, the Rev. Joseph Hughes, in the
office of clerk of the court, which he retained
until i838_, when he voluntarily resigned. ]\Ir.
Reynolds was a man remarkable for his per-
sonal attractions, and possessed ciualifications
for public and official duties of a high order,
and his resignation of the office was a matter
of universal regret with both bench and bar.
as well as the public. The office of county
surveyor, for about twenty years (from 1822
to 1842) v>-as filled by James Eaton, a skilful
and accurate officer: he was subsequently pro-
moted to the office of county auditor and State
senator. Of those who figured most' conspicu-
ously in early politics and on official stations
were Joseph Eaton, Azariah Root, Solomon
Smith, Elias ]\Iurray, Pardon Sprague and
Sidney Aloore and his brother. Emery Moore.
During the eight years of the administration
of James ^Monroe (the fifth President), be-
tween the years 1817 and 1825, there was no
party politics. This period in our national his-
tory has been called the "era of good feeling," j
and during this time Delaware County seemed \
peculiarly favored and exempt from political 1
animosity and strife.
"The Presidential election of 1S24 was at-
tended with unusual excitement — probably the
most exciting of any election that has ever
taken place in the country, with the exception
of the Presidential election of iSoo, which re-
sulted in the success of ~SIt. Jefferson over the
elder Adams. At this election the Presidential
candidates were General Jackson, of Tennes-
see ; Henry Clay, of Kentucky : John O.
Adams, of ^^lassachusetts, and William H.
Crawford, of Georgia. Each of these dis-
tinguished gentlemen had his friends, who
supported their favorite candidates from per-
sonal preference and not from considerations
of party. At that election ^Xlr. Clay was the
choice of a majority of the voters of Delaware
County, as he was of a majority of the voters
of the State of Ohio, but he was not elected.
In the Electoral College General Jackson led
^Ir. Adams by a small plurality, and [Mr.
Crawford was in number the third on the list
of candidates and Air. Clay was dropped from
the canvass. Xeither candidates having a ma-
jority of the electoral vote under the constitu-
tional rule, upon the House of Representatives
devolved the duty of making' choice of Presi-
dent, each state by its delegation in Congress
casting one vote. ^h. Adams was chosen by
the casting v9te of the State of Kentucky. ^Ir.
Clay was a member of the House of Represen-
tatives, and its speaker, and it was doubtless
owing to Ohio's great influence and popularity
that the delegation from Kentucky was in-
duced to cast its vote of that state for yir.
Adams, an Eastern man, in preference to Gen-
eral Jackson, a Western and Sotitliern man.
By that act ilr. Clay was instrumental in or-
ganizing political parties that survived the
generation of people to which, he belonged, and
ruled in turn the destinies of the Republic for
more than a quarter of a century. In the new
Cabinet Mr. Clay was placed by Air. Adams at
the head of the State Department, which gave
rise to the charge of 'bargain and sale' be-
tween the President and his chief secretary,
that threw the country into a blaze of excite-
ment from center to circumference. At this
time no one doubts the patriotism and honesty
of Henry Clay, but the charge was so [jersist-
II tif.
?>■ .■,i:^^-,'.i
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZEXS
83
ently made by tlie partisians of (Seneral Jark-
son, it greatly injured Mr. Clay in the public
estimatir^n, and contributed largely to the gen-
eral's success in the Presidential race_of 1828.
At the Presidential election following party
lines were closely drawn between General
Jackson and Mr. Adams, but the result of a
hot and bitter contest was a small majority
for the Adams electoral ticket in the county,
as there was in the State. Geieral Jackson,
the hero of New Orleans, was most trium-
phantly elected Ixjth by the electoral and popu-
lar vote, and oit the following 4th of ]March the
political power and official patronage of the
country passed into his hands. At this time
parties were known here, as elsewhere through-
out the country, as the Jackson and anti-Jack-
son party. Delaware was almost uniformly
classed by her vote as anti-Jackson. In 1S24
Governor Jeremirsh Morrow. anti-Jackson, was
re-elected Governor of Ohio, receiving a small
majority over Allen Trimble, of the same poli-
tical faith and his principal competitor. Cap-
tain Elias Murray, aiiti-Jackson. was, at the
same election, returned to the House of Rep-
resentatives in the State Legislature, and re-
elected in 1S25. Allen Trimble was elected at
the October election in 1826 to succeed Gover-
nor [Morrow, receiving cpiite a large majority
in the county and State: Pardon Sprague,
anti-Jackson, was chosen successor to Captain
Murray in the State Legislature, and re-elected
in 1827. In 1828 Governor Trimble was re-
elected over Hon. John W'. CainpbeH, the Jack-
son candidate, long a distinguished memljer of
Congress from Ohio. Governor Trimble's ma-
jority was little less than three thousand in
the popular vote, and a little over two tliou-
sand in the county. Milo D. Pettibone. anti-
Jackson, at the same election, was elected Mr.
Sprague's successor in the Legislature. Mr.
Campbell was a member of Congress when yir.
Adams was chosen President by the House of
Representatives, and was known to be opposed
to Mr. Adams and for General Jackson. Im-
mediately upon the accession of General Jack-
son to the Presidency, Mr. Campbell was re-
warded for his friendship and fidelity to the
General's fortunes with the appointment of
I United States District Judge for the District
I of Ohio. While holding a term of his court in
Columbus, in the summer of 1833. he was
taken suddenly ill. came to Delaware for the
benefit of the sulphur spring water, and in a
few days died — we believe, of cholera. At the
election of 1829, Col. B. F. Allen, who was
known as a friend of the Administration, was
returned to the Legislature. Lie was succeeded
by Amos Utley. of Berkshire, in 1830. The
senatorial district, of which Delaware County
was a part, was composed of Crawford, Mar-
ion and Delaware Counties during this period,
and from about the year 1828 to the year 1832,
Charles Carpenter, anti-Jackson — a merchant
living in Sunbury— then quite a young man,
represented the district. He was from Lu-
zerne County, in the Wyoming Valley, and the
family connection in the eastern part of the
county was quite numerous and influential in
its early history. Senator Carpenter subse-
quently moved West — we think to Missouri —
where he held several official positions and
died soon after the close of the late Civil
War.
"In 183 1, General Storm, who was anti-
Jackson, was elected to the Legislature by a
small majority, over B. F. Allen, the Jackson
candidate. General Storm obtained his mili-
tary title by being elected by the Legislature"
to the office of Major General in the "Peice
Establishment.' He died before the close of
his' legislative term, greatly lamented by his
constituents and a numerous family connec-
tion. He was quite young and his friends had
predicted for him a successful political ca-
reer.
"Tn the Presidential campaign of 1832
such was. or had become, the popularity of
General Jackson, he swept everything before
him. Colonel James W. Crawford, who was
a lieutenant in the company commanded by
Captain Elias Murray in the War of 1812,
was elected as the Administration candidate,
the successor of Senator Carpenter, and Cap-
tain John Curtis, Administration candidate,
was returned to the House of Representatives
and re-elected in 1833. General Sidney Moore
was re-elected auditor and his brother, Emery,
!• "K:
'•a Iml;
•j-iini,
•■■J nof
S4
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
re-elected sheriff. The entire anti-Administra-
tion county ticket was elected, except the Whig
candidate for the Legislature. At the election
in 183J, Robert Lucas, the Jackson candidate,
was elected governor over Darius Lyman, the
candidate on the Clay ticket, by several thou-
sand majority, although Delaware County cast
a majority of her votes for ^h. Clay for Presi-
dent and ]\Ir. Lyman for Governor. It was
alx)nt this time thr.t the t\*-o great parties as-
sumed distinctive names. The Administration
party took the name of Democrat, and the op-
position that of \\'hig. Delaware County was
a Whig county. In 1834 Emery Moore was
elected to the State Legislature, and General
Andrew H. Patterson, then postmaster at
Delaware and a Democrat, was elected sherift
as the successor of Mr. Moore. General Pat-
terson was a most remarkable man in many
particulars. He was a saddler by occupation
and his education in early life had l^een neg-
lected, but he had great tact and shrewdness in
the management of men, and was the most
successful electioneer Dciav,-arc Count)' ever
had. He was re-elected sheritY in 1836, and
in 1838 was elected to the Legislature over
Judge Hosea Williams, \Yhig, by a majority
of twelve votes, and in 1S39 was elected by a
majority of several hundred votes over Hon.
T. W. Powell, the Whig candidate. General
Patterson met with pecuniary losses in late
life, moved West, and it is believed he never
retrieved his fortune.
"The Whigs carried the count v in 1836
for General William H. Hanison for Presi-
dent, and Joseph Vance. Whig, for Governor,
over -their opjxjnents, by large majorities, and
the entire \\'hig ticket was elected, except Dr.
Carney, the Whig candidate for the Legisla-
ture, who was defeated by Colonel B. F. Al-
len, Democrat, by a majority of nine votes.
The importance of one vote is to be seen in
the result of this election. Upon the Legisla-
ture chosen at this election devolved the duty
of electing a senator in Congress to succeed
the Honorable Thomas Ewing. whose term
would expire the 4th of [March following. :Mr. j
Ewing was a candidate for re-election and was |
the favorite of his party in Ohio and the West. '
Colonel Allen had known Mr. Ewing in early
life and his friends claimed, or represented in
all parts of the county, that he would support
Mr. Ewing if he were the choice of the countv.
On election day printed petitions were pre-
sented at every election precinct for names,
asking the Representative to support Mr.
Ewing for re-election. The ruse accomjilished
■ its object. Colonel Allen was elected by a ma-
jority of nine \-otes and his vote elected the
late Governor William Allen over Mr. Ewing.
To what extent, if at all. Colonel Allen was a
party to the fraud, it is not known. He was a
man of great firmness, but he was a zealous
partisan, and jxissibly he may have yielded to
the influence and demands of his party, his
conviction of duty, against his will, although
ordinarily an honest man. At the following
election in 1837, Dr. Carney, on the 'Ewing
Fraud,' as it was called, was elected over
Colonel Allen by over a hundred; and, in 1838
Allen was elected to the State Senate. It was
at this election the late \\'illiam Shannon, of
Lawrence, Kansas, was elected Governor of
Ohio over Governor Joseph Vance, Whig, but
the W^hig ticket for the county offices was
elected, except Judge Williams, who was de-
feated by General Patterson for Representa-
tive. In 1839 the entire Democratic ticket,
for the first time after its organization, was
elected, viz. : William W. Warner, commis-
sioner; Albert Pickett, Jr., recorder; George
W. Stark, treasurer, and Mijrgan Williams,
assessor. The a\'erage majority for these
candidates was 300. The 'hard' cider' cam-
paign of 1S40 .greatly increased the forces of
the Whig party, and the Whig ticket was
elected by an average majority of over 600,
viz. : Emery Moore was again chosen to the
State Legislature; Colonel John F. Dimlap,
county auditor ; Peleg Banker, re-elected sher-
iff; Horatio P. Havens, commissioner, and D.
T. Fuller, prosecuting attorney. It was during
the memorable campaign of 840, the 'Liberty
Party" was organized, and a ticket for Presi-
dent and Vice-president nominated. For sev-
eral years previous the anti-slavery agitation
had been making, slowly but unmistakably, it*;
deep impressions on the public mind, and m jre
I'je'-jvv;.- • 3'ij -it,
.1 .I
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
85
especially the minds of the religious portion of
the people, but it was not until about this pe-
riod that the friends of the cause of emancipa-
tion proposed political action. James G. Bir-
ney, a former slave-holder of Keniucky, but
then a resident of Michij;an, was at the head of
the ticket, and Thomas ^ilorris, of Ohio, placed
second. The electoral ticket for the candidates
received about one hundred votes in the county.
This vote was taken principally from the Whig
party. Four years later the vote of the party
was largely increased. This organization was
possibly premature and misguided, but no
party was ever actuated by loftier and purer
motives. The Anti-sla\ery movement was
not, at that time, larger than the cloud the
Hebrew prophet saw, that so rapidly spread
over the whole heavens, and filled the earth
with refreshing showers. At this time no one
e.xpected to live to see the institution of negro
slavery in America abolished, but in less than
the period allotted by Providence to a genera-
tion oi men, by an amendment to the b^ederal
Constitution, slavery and involuntary servitude
of every species, in all the States and terri-
tories belonging to the .American Union, was
forever aI)olished.
"But nothwithstanding the drafts the An-
ti-slavery party, the Temperance party and
other parties from time to time, made upon
the Whigs, they continued to be the dominant
party until the repeal of the Missouri Com-
promise in 1854, which led to the organization
of the Republican party which then was, and
still is, in the ascendency in Delaware County."
.. Vote of Delaware County for Governor
beginning with the first vote after the organi-
zation of the county :
180S — Republican, S. Huntington (elec-
ted), 123. Republican, T, Worthington, 21.
Republican, T. Kriker.
18 10— Republican, R. J. Meigs, 21. Re-
publican, R. J. Meigs, Jr., (elected) 17. Re-
publican, Thomas Worthington. 152.
181 2 — Vote for Governor, Delaware
County, omitted in the Senate Journal. R. J.
Meigs, Federalist, elected.
1814 — Republican, Thomas Worthington
(elected), 131. Federalist, O. Looker, 196.
i8i() — Republican, T. Worthington (elec-
ted), 300. James Dunlap, 167. Ethan A.
Brown. 42.
1818 — Republican, Ethan A. Brown
(elected), 57S. James Dunlap, 132.
1S20 — Democrat, Ethan A. Brown (elec-
ted), 726. Jeremiah 3.Iorrow, 34. Wm. H.
Harrison, 5.
1S22 — Democrat, Jeremiah Morrow (elec-
ted), 50. Wm. W. Irwin, 742. Federalist,
Allen Trimble, 419.
1824 — Democrat, Jeremiah ]\Iorrow (elec-
ted), 141. National Republican, Allen Trim-
ble, 950.
1826 — National Republican, Allen Trim-
ble (elected). 846. Democrat, John Bigger,
127. Reptil;lican, Alex. Campbell, 103.
1828 — National Republican, Allen Trim-
ble ( elected) , 758. Democrat, John W. Camp-
bell, 379.
1830— National Republican, Duncan :Mc-
Arthur (elected), 769. Democrat, Robert Lu-
cas, 381.
1S32 — Democrat, Robert Lucas (elected),
769. Whig and Anti-^NIason, Darius Lvman,
841.
1834 — Democrat, Robert Lucas elected),
850. Whig, James Findlay, 660.
1836 — Whig, Joseph Vance (elected), i,-
357. Democrat, Eli Baldwin, 1,158,
1838 — Democrat, Wilson Shannon (elec-
ted), 1,668. Whig, Joseph Vance, 1,770.
1840 — Whig, Thomas Cor win (elected),
2,386. Democrat, Wilscn Shannon, 1,761.
1842 — Democrat, W'ilson Shannon (elec-
ted), 1,876. Whig, Thomas Corwin, 2,141.
Abolitionist, Leicester King, 112.
1844 — Whig, Mordecai Bartley (elected),
2.456. Democrat, David Tod. 203. Abolition-
ist, Leicester King, 159.
i84f>— Whig, William Babb (elected). 2,-
01 r. Democrat, David Tod, 1,576. xAboli-
tionist, Samuel Lewis, 195.
1848— Whig, Seabury Ford (elected), 2,-
205. Democrat, John B. Weller, 2,006.
1850 — Democrat, Reuben Wood (elected),
2,015. ^^'hig. W'illiam Johnston. 2,347. .Aboli-
tionist, Edward Smith. 150.
uns' 'ii'f.
i:-}H
86
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
1 85 1 — Deniucrat, Reul)en Wood (elected;,
1,787. Whig, Samuel F. \'intun, 1,670. Ab-
olitionist, Samuel Lewis, 158.
1853 — Democrat, William ]\IediH (elec-
ted), 1,787. Whig, Nelson Barrere, 104.
Abolitionist, Samuel Lewis, 1,639.
1S55— Republican, Salmon P. Cha,se (elec-
ted), 1,602. Democrat, Wm. Medill, 1,245.
American, Allen Trimljle, 259.
1857 — Republican, Salmon P. Cha.se (elec-
ted), 2,007. Democrat, H. E. Payne, 1,576.
American, P. VanTrunip, 24.
1859 — Republican, \\"m. Dennison. Jr.,
(elected), 2,358. Democrat, Rufus P. Rannev,
1,776.
1861 — Republican, David Tod (elected),
2,661. Democrat, Hugh J. Jewett, 1,437.
1863 — Republican, John Brough (elected),
3,173. Democrat. C. S. Vallandigham, 1.475.
1865 — Republican, Jacob D. Cox (elected),
2,480 (Home Army) 11 — total, 2,491. Dem-
ocrat, George W. Morgan, i,66S (Home
Armyj i — total, 1,669.
1867— Republican, R. B. Hayes (elected),
2.J2J. Democrat, A. G." Thurman, 2,311.
1869 — Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes
(elected), 2,685. Democrat, George W. Pen-
dleton, 2.043.
1871 — Republican, Edward F. Noves
(elected), 2,610. Democrat, George W. Mc-
Cook, 2,072.
1873— Republican, Edward F. Noyes
(elected), 2,095. Democrat, Willia.n Allen,
1.937-
1S75 — Republican. Rutherford B. Haves
(elected), 2,835. Democrat, William Allen.
2,708.
1877 — Republican, William H. West
(elected), 2.3S3. Democrat, Richard M.
Bishop, 2,501.
1879 — Republican. Charles Foster (elec-
ted), 3,246. Democrat, Thomas Ewing, 3,014.
1881 — Republican, Charles Foster (elec-
ted), 3.066. Democrat, John W. Book waiter,
^.643.
1883 — Republican, Joseph B. Foraker, 3.-
403. Democrat, George Hoadley (elected),
1885 — Republican, Joseph B. Foraker
i (elected), 3.179. Democrat, George Floadley,
I 2,915-
I 1887 — Republican, Joseph B, Foraker
I (elected), 3.1^9. Democrat, Thomas E. Pow-
j ell, 3,048.
1889 — Republican, Joseph B. Foraker. 3,-
[ 335. Democrat, James E. Campbell (^elected),
j 3.0I7-
1891 — Republican, William McKinley
I (elected), 3.149. Democrat, James E. Camp-
bell, 2,625.
1893 — Republican, William ^IcKinley
(elected), 3.490. Democrat, L. T. Neal, 2,-
526.
1895 — Rciiublican, Asa S. Bushnell (elec-
ted), 3,405. Democrat, James E. Campbell,
2,426.
1897 — Republican, Asa S. Bunhnell (elec-
ted), 3,386. Democrat, Horace L. Chapman,
3.051. Prohibitionist, John C. Holliday, 112.
Total vote of county, 6,747.
1899 — Republican, George K. Nash (elec-
ted), 3,587. Democrat, Jobn R. ^^IcLean. 3.-
031. Prohibitionist, Seth 11. Ellis. 175. Total
vote cast, 7,109.
1901 — Republican, George K. Nash (elec-
ted), 3,550. Democrat, James Kilbourne, 2,-
962. Prohibitionist. E. Jay Pinney, 117. Total
vote cast, 6,692.
1903 — Republican. Myron T. Herrick
(elected), 3,552. Democrat, Tom L. Johnson,
2.871. Prohibitionist, Nelson D. Cramer, 1C8.
Total vote cast, 6,771.
1905 — Republican, Myron T. Herrick. 3,-
130. Democrat, John AL Pattison (elected).
3,419. Prohibitionist. Aaron S. Watkins. 126.
Total vote cast, 6,842.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZEXS
87
Tabulated Vote tor Governor, Representatives and Principal County Officials
From October, 1824, to October. 1834. and for October. 1838
October. 1824
GOV.
r..oi-
R
epre^
.u.atlve
Commtasioner
Sheriff
coroner |
Auditor
TOWNSHIPS
2
t
K
r
1
i
i
1
1
1
1
1
5
5
^
1
1
1
K
1
5
1
5
1
g
1
136
33
To
3a
4
16
u
2
1
3:<
g
le
To
i
»
31
38
"2
13.5
34
Toncofd
?J
25
'jj
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12
51
10
5
......
i
.5
s
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m
5
10
?
,i
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H
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10
12
1
i
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8
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3
3
2
1
5
1
ii
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i
24
10
ii
a
i
10
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-j-
1
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11
1
1
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117
IM
■1
Berkshire
Sunbury '...
Ii
S'J
1
13
11
^,
1
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4
20
2
11
25
Oraufe
15
7
w
1
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2
1
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3.0
29;t
136
2!J
»S
29
S-JO
4BT
tH
3W
3u;
-'is
1S4
t!62
sa;
60
October. 1825
Representative
Commissioner
TOWNSHIPS
2
i
1
k
V
1
1
{
8
1
1
1
1
1
{
1
III
Delaware
3i
l
1
i
11
40
13
I
..."
6-
26
"""3
48
26
11
9
2
6
i
2
1 1
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3
3
■■"3
i)
i| iS
ij
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i
1
ij
■is
"io
53
12
U i
|1
Marlborougrh
2
5
-.'' ^
Burno'toa
....
11 19
2, 3
"4
■'4
65
20
1
l\
Berlin '
Oranje
i
1
....
»
■"s?:::;:
Westfield
liT
150
90
33
26
IS
610
3-33
121 44
^ff.Lnh-::
88
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
TABULATED VOTE— Continued
October. 1826
Gov
rnor
Congress
Represent
atlve
Sheriff
Com
n„.s
oner
t^-
_
in
1
1-OWNSHTr
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i.
1
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1
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1
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1
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oi
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31
Delaware
v
,
,
1
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11
1
)
i
1
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5?
1
5
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: larlboroueh
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71
3*4
i
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24
13
J
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4
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40
'1
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2
30
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103
127
19
-
393
3.1 1 lo;
110
ItU
in
IIS
1«
657
2«7
.«.,
30
1.7
m [ 3.T
ll.«2
Ocl«ber. 1827
Coneress
Representa-
tive
1 "sZn"e'/-
Treasurer
Assessor
TOWNSHIP
^1
II
n
A
if
■i
1
1
si
li
4
«
1
«
i
6 =
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BerUn
i
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1
1?
1
1
10
1
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61
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t
4
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17
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17
15
1
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15
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751
152
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123 i «U '
523
4«, ;
7&; 1 OTj
85 ,
*;4
1.7
4U ; 16 1
TTAJua/.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
89
TABULATED VOTE— Continued
October. 1828
-■
aove.no. 1
Represent!. '
.„.„., i
She
n« 1
Commissioner
TOWNSHIP
^1
6
4
5
!'
^
1
2'
1
3
a
r
1
i.
1
1
1
1!
19
12
1
25
4
1
1
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20
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WfHilield '
4<«
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758
K.'
155
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41U
412
October. 1829
Representative :j Commissioner j Treasurer
Assessor
TOWNSHIP
<
t
1 S 1
5 3 1 s
1
=
a
1
III
1
i
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1
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32
11
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21
1
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24
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174
111
us ! \M
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90
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
TABULATED VOTE- Continued
October, 1830
Governor [ Congresh | ,|V^P^f"
Sherm
Auditor
Conimissloner ' Recorder
!
Coron-T
TOWNSHIP
1
t.
f
n
5^
1
1
1
i
1
s
i
1
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5 ^
1 i 1
1 } 1
1
1
1
°
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=
5
1
Brown".
Concord
DeUwarP
125
1
»
1
1
f
1
i
30
f
i
' 12T
i
i 1
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27
i
i
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1
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102
i
1
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51
12
1
35
" 20
1
21
1
lUO
12
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1
10
1
3
IW
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3.5
1
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11
22
A
I
19
3
1
17
25
I
55
I
16
1 41
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32 i; 40
23
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33')
-no |«1
5a
178
6a7 ; 5:a
U3
IS. 213
233
October. 1831
Repr«ieu-j
Conimlsaioner j
Treasurer
Assessor
TOWNSHIP
1
1
1
1
i
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
J
1
1
=
1
S
1
1
1
5
s
Berkshire
Burr'ugton::'.!
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13
i
1
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1
22
1
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32
i
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51
1
12
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15
1
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Harlem
23
i
......
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9
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1
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12
1
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1
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3
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12
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10
24
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1
5
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1
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1
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2S0
214
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5-2
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124
15
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Ot.-;I .i«d-i>0
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
91
TABULATED VOTF.-Continued
October. 1832
Governor;! Congress
!F.epresenta.lve
SliPr
1 "*
Aua
Commissioner
Coroner
TOWNSHIP
1
a
1
r
1
d
1
r
=
1
1
.
1
I
1
a
J
1
f
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1
5
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1
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127
1
fi
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3
21
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72
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1
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1
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73
31
1
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i
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4113
170
6.M
its
440
li<n
ljil2
404
m
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lis
145
1B9
vs
4S4
1.V
132
October 8. 1833
Representative i| "^sSne'r" f Recorder
P-|: Treasurer j Assessor
TOWNSHIP
1
1
" §
ill!
1
1 \
1
1
1
1
i
1
1
1
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i
77
30
37
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King-ston '..'..'.'.'.'.
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f .S'lBiiO
9-'
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
TABULATED VOTE-Continued
October, 1834
i
li
i
1
1
TOWNSHIP
1
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u
1
12
1
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1
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30
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into
1
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g:i^"^vv:!
Harlem
glS^i^^^!-!!!!-
f:;^?Jii-!!!!!!!!
MHrlboroufh..
Trento'n'!!!!!!!!
Westtiew".'!!!!!
i
1
1
-
850
m
SU
969
5l'.l
r«
601
1 1SS4 CO 1836 and then nothine until 1869.
October. 1838
Governor
Congress
Represen-
tative
■..a,,..
Sheriff
Commis.
sloner
At°torne'/
Coroner
TOWNSHIP
rj
1
i
1
1
1
1
J
1
^
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
S
s
1
1-
•|
1
B
3
I
j
X
1
1
griSg;:;^^:::!!!:!!!
11«'
li
i
i
i
1
1.
1
iS
i
iiju
'is
a
\
i
9B
89
i
1
1.^
1
lEJ
mi
1
60
1S4
1
75
1
35
i
'*
72
«
88
1
a
1
78
i
76
70
i
117
i
1
40'
'if
I2
1
1
33
56
i
i
1
i
89
i
H
lol
i
'1
20
......
116
69
I
30
3
"i"
"I"
i
3
3
5
1
■15-
1
......
I
}
190
101
79
79
i
47
73
49
i
1
n
61
88
m
1
152
1
•s
1)7
1
1
i
1
81
il
1
i
r
6.3
60
ii
1
81
79
fr
1
1
72
1
IS
Cenoa
Harmony
1
......
3
"ii"
1
Marlboroueb
n
1
1
i ^
portef'.".";::"..'.':.'!:!!:!!!
46
"ra"
"'29 ■
,s
1
......
1
6:{
1-0
\m
1755 1«1
1732 !l7Ul
]1,.2
15117 '[mi ! 2b-
■^
195
V28
5:)
..„
i„„
11^
il77J
1M2
biimi.soD-a^ / CiTAJUijA 1
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
93
The Vote for Governor, Secretary of State, and President, of Three Lea-ding
Parties. From 1869 to the Last State Election in 1906
(In igOo a cons!itu;ioDal ametidment was parsed making all National, State and County elections come in the
even-numbered years, and the. terms of all State and County Officials were extended until after the lOOS election.) -~
«°II^'-
Secretar.v of
State. iSTi)
VOTING
PRECINCTS
1
s"
=5
iJ
S
il
Berkshire
1
lu:)
i
1S6
IM
1
5."
no
1
i
1
1
1
VJ5
IW
1
Delaware II."""
Genoa
pxioTxi;:::;:.:..
w
Tfemo^n".'!:::;".
M
26So 1 2<J«
2541
liOT
i
VOTING
PREClNC'i
Berkshire....
Berlin
Brown
De?aware;ii;
Genoa
Harlem
Klnsston
Lioerty
Marlboroug-h
Orange
Oxford
Porter
Scioio. .■.".".".".".'
'riiompson...
Trenton
1 Governor i
1,-3 1
Secretary -I
of State. l=Ti :1
VOTING
PRECINCTS
6.'
1^
1 ;
■•i ;
<
ii
=1 !
Berkshire
Harfem".".'.';::;:;
ITT
M
i
4T
9S
St;
1
1
1
1
i
1
lil
TO
17
ai
il
1
'J
1
1
1
.1
SI
45
ei
1
1
1
1
5|
23
i
1
1
21
1
U
li
!
Porter
Thomp'son:";:
Troy .....'.'.'.'.'.'.'.
209S
wn
m
2034
i',«)
317
Governor
1375
Seoretar.v of
State. ISTG
Pre^oent
VOTING
PRECINCTS
IJ
=1
If
II
li
il
i
1-^
1
il
Berkshire
ierlln
Brown
"oncord
Delaware twp...
Delaware, Ist wd
:: iSS!
Liberty
Marloorouffh ....
'S
li
1
1
1
1
i
i
15
1
iJ
7
1
IS
1
i
lV|
1
!|
a>
217
l|
2rt)
1
1
127
3
20
'J
38
i
I
......
1
1
1
(B
242
247
11
i
1
1
1
12!)
105
i
a
4U
■i
1
2»
1—°";;;;:;;
IS
ici 'i
"
27«t
■i<:a
...1
•r«5
3140
1.1
280)
,«r
11-
■
/I""'' ';
4 330V s.
94
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
TABULATED VOTE-Contlnvied
VOTING
PRECINCTS
Berkshire
Berllu
Concord
Delaware twp
Delaware, lat
Deln ware. 2(1 >
Delaware. 3(1 '
Delaware.4tli
lielaware.5th
Harlem.".;;!";
Kingston
Liberty
Marlborough.
Oransre
Oxlorcl
Rail niK! ;.".;;;
Thompson.;'.'.
Treuton
Troy
■
nr
renr
•or
nf
13.^
isu
1>*
iu
Ki
.1
,
y:^
S
VOTING
^-^
-T
«--i
a
^1
9?
It
n
1^
K
i5
-■^
^•-
S-
■.'M
in
1M
in
If.
Xrown
lis
16
Delaware Tp..
13
^^liVt'-tfa^S'.'.'
1^
10
Second "
IST
lie
'«.
2
Harlem . .
3
Lib-iyPre.No.'i
,-'
,''";
tio
au
S.joto
'^.
1
'^^
Tt?
^S
'f4i
■^
lUS
:..
sou
m;
wm
.r:,
1st
S.-,0S
.....
,51
Governor
retaryot
i«l
S.
>-
...•
tJ
■-,
VOTING
|t
^1
i|
II
l1
PRECINCTS
-s
t«
-- 5
^^
."■^
■g
"•
Berkshire
■'.".i
l.Vi
10
22:i
V.
If)
llU
HO
4
Delaware Twp..
a:i
lo
i;k
Second - ....
Thinl '• ....
1T9
120
151
310
4
OS
SI
"4
70
TO
9
5
Marlborough....
M
au
UT
lU
T^^
T:1
^i
i:;0
1
WJIi
•..*,
3.S8
30.
■roi
270
■
VOTING
PRECINCTS
Concord
Delaware twp..
Delaware Cll
First Ward...
Second " ...
Third ■• ...
Harlem
Kingston
Liberty
Precinct No. 1.
Precinct No. 2.
Marlborough....
Orange .
O.vlord..
Porter..
I m
:i 2?
b ..i.i.ioU, C.fj'f O^TAJ'jaAT
i\'
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
TABULATED VOTE-Conlinued
1
1
ti~
tf
=1
kl
= 1
;.
I'fvECINXTS
•1*
||
'■^
I ||
S
^
T4
20
SunburyProct
IJi 1 IM
15
Liberty Pre No. 1
'J-'roy
"-"■
-"
K3|
mi
61ti
30...
2-5
oto
Govern
or
Ser
vof
1 P
,,,
eut
1*:
II
ate. 18SS
1.-.
vii'sim-.s
«l
11
ft
11
rr,
■rl
?l
II
= :
r
;;-
K
S
"
-5
Berkshire
Rome ■■ -.
73
.. 2
118
53
2l>i
.. ^
SO
ISU
32*
.324
Genoa
i:>3
95
27
98
Liberty
76
tit)
15
217
9
i;c
65
T'J
17
22
Thomp'aoa
4
- S)
27
m
Troy
lUi
.1
■JO
7
112
ia
315=.
3U48
503 '
oiZi
3010
450
sta
im
45U
Goven
or
secretary
IIJS'J
Of State.
ISO
VOTINO
^3
rs
II
PP.ECIXCTS
J5
M
z:^
•r ?
■
I""
Rd
■
lialetia PreclULt
.54
3
Rome ■;
i£'':=
}^t
]r-
i
m
i-!^
1
St^n^^^e^-"--
132
117
30
i:«
120
First Ward
310
lis
Fourth •■
l«l
4i;
14.1
!??
40
l.O
15
H>i
^?S#^""
U3
3
W.l
2S
2
8
4.S
Orans-e
20
205 l?i
Porter
Radnor
135
I'.l
,r
■.■:S
40
71) j 115
lO'.l
'
5
3335
3017
506
3l:a 1 2741
41jl
Go^
ernot
isei
h^lS?-^
.?'
j President iai2
VOTING
5^
J
S^
^•
J?
!•§£.
^1
=~
PRECINCTS
if
•?!
II
is
-J-"
^5
K;--::::-:::;:
Concord
P.
i:u
23
120
1!
5-t
i
20
59
Pi
ii
13
54
Ii
i
i
5
1
Delaware Twpt.
Delaware
m
I'.l
142
104
30
31
1-
i--
1
35
1
!i
05
1
207
'^^
iS
^3
120
Kingston
'r
M
itf!
Precinct 2
^S
5-'
-^
'i
wi
4
54
M
145
(11
2t)
145
iiti
i:<«
127
i;b
58
207
irj
57
10
222
10.1
27 '
127
S)
Ji
1
S(
101
lUO
i
;i4'j
.•i;-25
352 j
■««
-■i-S
440
■^'^
no
4.a
>'■• a-?TA "/MA ■
96
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
TABULATED VOTE-CoMtinued
Governor
1^1
Secretary ||
ot State ISM 1
VOTING
PRECINCTS
li
t.Kr
_ !j
Berkshire
Berkshire Prct.
Galena
ii=
"Fl"7wa*rd
S ^- ;;:;;;
Fifth "
52
lin
1
i»i
2t3
iil
1
ify
1
i-ifi
1
li
1
79
39
,S
1
5l
iJ
il
"if
1
1
i
-I
1
'1
1
128
irei
1
101
G8
1
1
TiS
«2
i
1
54
76
1
il
i
24
i
31
23
19
i
n
11
MHrlborou.-h
Orange
gS^v:?;;-.-.:;:;::;:
l"Si?,-:Bon:::::::;
■irx
2.i2tj
3S3
;e20 1S51
3VU
Governor
Secretary of
-President
VOTING
PRECINCTS
l|
3
Is
5g
BIP
1
Berkshire
Berkshire Prct
Galena
Delaw are Ivt wd
tith "
.5«
St;
154
125
Ui'
;i
lb
109
li
s
llti
iU9
i
1
2:16
1
1
56
33
2
10
13
36
i
1^
4
i
u
!t
2b
■1
1
HI
1
123
1
i:i4
i
ii
i
1
i
ii
"1
i
56 j 2sl
ii I
123 i 137 2
Liberty. Pr'ctl..
Marlborough .'.'.'.
^l:::::::::::
Thompson':::;":
131
92
32
i
7
.....
:""6.
^^1 ^^l--2-
11-"-
1 il::z
101 j 113
i 1
3113
2421-.
„
37'.»i
:..-
78
37S9;.V»li «
VOTING
'RECINCTS
Delaware Tw
HarlenV:::
Klnsaton.
1397 Secret
Governor
1S>9
Sec
S
SSK'
President
VOTING
PRECINCTS
1
3
=5
US
P
= E
li
=^ Ei ^5
Berkshire
Berkshire Prct
Galena
Siinbury
Berlin
Concord"::::::::::
Delaware Twp..
■ SS :
6th •■
^ariem
52
i
1
1
92
24
1
1
1
-i
i
i
53
1^0
80
2«
lio
1
1
1
3
23
2
?
Mi"
......
......
34
1
157
1
25
s
i
.19
131
......
19
17
1
Liberty. PreiH'i
^^?™"^:::-
f'xford
Scioto ..".'.'.'.'::::::
??°„^T°-:
t
243
112
114
1
.....
1
III
iSjill
12
1
......
^
:bs7
3031
119
3329
126
|..
3337
■i;,4
h ...i.if»or» '-f f'f aa i a.
ce^i T<?ei
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
97
TABULATED VOTE— Continued
1902 1903
Governor 1101
^-SSii-i^'
-
VOTING
PBECIxCT.S
1^
?5
ii
\4
1!
Delwareui Wd
5th •;
IplJlpltci.
bSSV....:...
Deuwar'e'Twp;
Harlem'"'!"!"!!
L'Sp."fst^Pf;c,
Marlboroug-h ...
Orange
Thomp's'o'n"!!!!!!
i\i
us
I'i'
;;?
1
S!
110
lio
1
141
IT
1
3
!?
2
"T
2
'"i
1 251
3-2t
l|i
12S
m
i
V-'O
li«
i
'1
11^
1
l.w
s
1
"I"
6
13
i
y
«0
117 1
:)1?.
ate
"1
*'°u'ii!,"°'" Ii Secretary ot Ij
l!iU3 ll State. 19W 1
VOTING
PRECINCTS
n
ll
Is; S3
ilii
Delaware. 1st wd
Berkshire "Pr'ct
Berlin
Coneorij .. .!!!!!!
"elaware Twp..
Llhe?tyfl9"t"p'r'ct
Marlborough ....
Oxford'!!!!!'!'!!!"
■ .A.shleyPrct
i
■16
12a
"f
1211
1
SB
'1
15S
1
li
83
K«
lOU
123
I'lS
125
2W
13 •; .■»;
Jl 'i
!!.■!!!!! ^^
3:i ??
S ' IS'.l
3 ', m
""I] i
21)0
2ao
47
17
137
h7
57
1
15
25
i
11
9
1
j
Thompson
iSJ
'1
i\i
:i65'.'
2871
IRS ! 4111
■2rai 1 2:i8
GOTeruor V.Vo
Secretary of
Statu VM\
VOTING
PRECINCTS
1^
-1
<i
ll
sis
ll
Del-ware 1st Wd
2nd ••
" .'.rd ••
Berkshire
Berkshire Pr'ct
,|Si^iiia;o
«
32
1
r7
so
ll
lis
:io
42
70
81
'i'-
25
1
s
1
lie
lis
IS
i
J
......
1
147
38
5:!
1
i
72
1
i
11!
131
i
i
5U
ir:
77
1*
7ti
ibr
......
J
I
......
1?
i
?
4
13
I
9
ii
i
1
i
jl
S^"T^;
Liberty ls"l"Pr''ct
Marlborough...
SitS^!!!!!!!!!!!
■■ AshleyPrct
Porter
Radnor
Scioto
SS^"
Thompson
il30
-1
:».-
•i-i7S
1
j.M'T coe>
98 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
MEMBERSHIP OF THE OHIO sEXATE FOR DELAWARE COUXTY, DELAWARE DISTRICT, CuMPOSED
OF DELAWARE, M L-SKIXGUM, FRAXKLIX, MADISON AND UXIO.X COUNTIES.
„, , /- , \ , , o i Robert McConnell
Eleventh General Assembly. ibi2 - j^j^^ g^^.^.
„ , . , „ , , , , o ( Robert McConnell
Tweltth General Assembly, 1S13 j j^hn Barr
„, . , „ , . , , o . Robert :^IcConnell
Thirteenth General Assembly, 1814 1 Joseph Foos
, , , , o * F. Buckindiani, Jr.
Fourteenth General Assen.bly, 1&15 "( John Foos ^ ^
T-T , ^ 1 \ 11 o r J E- Buckingham. Jr.
F'^teenth General Assembly, 1816 ] ^j^^^^, j^j^^^^^^^^ , - ■
c- , r- 1 \ ui o * George Jackson
5'--^^^'^"^'^ General Assembly, ibi 7 I Thomas Johnson
o ■ /- T \ 1 1 o o -! George Tackson .
Seventeenth General Assembly, ihib ) josei^ii Foos
^. , , „ , , , , o * Samuel Sullivant
E'S'iteenth General Assembly, ibiQ ) j^^^p^ poos " / ;
„,,,,„ I Joseph ]\Iatthews .
^"'^^^■"1^'^ General Assembly, 1820 y^^^^^^^ ^^^^
^ . , r- 1 » I 1 o ( Thomas L Janes " •
T^ventieth General Assembly, 182 1 -^j^^^^pj^ ^^^^^ .
r r- 1 \ 1 1 o * Thomas I. Janes
^^^•"^t>-fi^-^^^ General Assembly, 1822 -J ^^^^^.g^^-^.^
]Marion, Crawford and Sandusky Counties Added.
_ , r- 1 s 1 1 o > Ebenezer Buckingham
Twenty-second .... General Assembly, 1823 ( j.^^^s Kooken
„ , . , ^ , . . , o i Ebenezer Buckingham
Twenty-third General Assembly. 1824 ^, ^^^^^^ ^^^^
i
District Changed to Include only Four Counties — Delaware, 3iIarion, Sandusky and
Crawford.
Twenty-fourth .... General Assembly. 1S25 David H. Beardsley \ . .
Twcniy-fifth General Assembly, 1826 James Kooken
Twenty-sixth General Assembly, 1827 James Kooken
Twenty-seventh . . . General Assembly, 1828 Charles Carpenter
Twenty-eighth .... General Assembly, 1829 Charles Carpenter
District Changed to Include only Three Counties — Delaware, Marion and Crawford.
Twenty-ninth General Assembly, 1830 Charles Carpenter
Thirtieth General Assembly, 1831' Charles Carpenter
Thirty-first General Assembly, 1832 James W. Crawford
Tliirty-second .... Geenral Assembly, 1833 James \V. Crawford
Thirty-third General Assembly, 1834 Robert Hopkins " .
,■■.1, . .-. ,'
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITiZEXS
99
Thirty-fourth General Assembly, 1835 Robert Hopkins
■J'hirty-fifth General Assembly, 1836 Hezekiah Gorton
Thirty-sixth General Assembly, 1S37 Hezekiah Gorton
Thirty-seventh .... General Assembty, 1838 Benjamin F. Allen
Thirty-eighth .... General Assembly, 1839 Benjamin F. Allen ■ •' .
Thirty-ninth General .\ssembly, 1840 James 11. Godman
rVyrtieth General Assembly, 1841 James H. Godman
Forty-tirst General As?embly. 1S4J James McCutchen
District Changed to, include only Delaware and Crawforil Counties.
Forty-second General Assembly. 1843 Janies McCutchen
Forty-third General Assembly, 1844 Thomas \V. Powell
Forty-fourth General Assembly, 1S45 Thomas W. Powell
Forty-fifth General Assembly, 1846 James Eaton
Forty-sixth General .Assembly. 1847 James Eaton
District Changed to Include Franklin and Delaware Counties,
Forty-seventh .... General Assembly, 1848 William Dennison, Jr.
Forty-eighth General Assembly, 1849 ^^'illiam Dennison, Jr.
Forty-ninth General Assembly, 1850 Abram Thompson
Si.xteenth District — Delaware and Licking Counties.
Fiftieth General Assembly. 1852 John C. .\lward
Fifty-first General Assembly, 1S54 Charles Follett
Fifty-second General Assembly, 1S56 Daniel Gardner
Fifty-third General Assembly, 1858 William P. Reid
Fifty- fourth General Assembly, 1S60 Thomas C. Jones
Fifty-fifth General Assembly, 1S62 John A. Sinnett
Fifty-si.xth General Assembly, 1864 James R. Stanbuiy
Fifty-seventh General Assembly, 1866 Willard Warner
Fifty-eighth General Assembly, 1S68 Lewis Evans
Fifty-ninth General Assembly, 1870 Early F. Poppleton
Sixtieth General Assembly, 1872 John B. Jones
Sixty-first General Assembly, 1874 William P. Reid
Sixty-second General Assembly, 1876 John W. Owens
Sixty-third General Assembly, 1878 John W. Owens
Sixty-fourth General Assembly, 1880 F. AL ^larriott
Sixty-fifth General Assembly, 1882 John D. Jones ■ ;;
Sixty-sixth General Assembly, 1884 John O'Xeil
Sixtv-seventh General Assemblv, 1886 ■ v /"• c- ^' ^.
I Ldwm Smnett
c- . • wi r- IN Li 000 ) Joseph G. Huffman
Sixty-eighth General Assemblv, 1888 -rL ' „ ^
^ * - ' I Daniel H. Gannon
Sixty-ninth General Assembly, 1890 Edwin Sinnett
Seventieth General Assembly, 1S92 Xo Senator
Seventy-first General Assembly, 1894 Xo Senator
t'*c*' :.:--. T/
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
Seventy-second ... General Assembly, 1S96 Charles X. Shryock
Seventy-third General Assembly, 1S9S William E. Miller
Seventy- fourth .... General Assembly. 1900 Xo Senator
Seventy-fifth General Assem]>ly, 1902 Xorman F. Overturf
Seventy-sixth .... General Assembly, 1904 Xomian'F. Overturf
SeveiUy-be\enth . . General Assembly. 1906 W. L. Atwell
MEMBERSHIP OF THE OHIO HOUSE OF REPRESEXTATIVES.
(Delaware County had no representative until the Eleventh General Assembly)
Eleventh General Asseml>ly, 1S12 James Curry
Twelfth General Assembly, 1813 James Curry
Thirteenth General Assembly, 1814 James Curry
Fourteenth General Assembly. 1S15 James Curry
Fifteenth General Assembly, 1816 Benjamin Carpenter
Sixteenth General Assembly. 1817 Joseph Eaton
Seventeenth General Assembly, 1818 Reuben Ljnnb
Eighteenth General Assembly, 1819 Joseph Eaton
Xineteenth General Assembly. 1820 Aaron Strong
Twentieth General Assembly, 1821 Joseph Eaton
Twenty-first General Assembly. 1822 Leonard H. Cowles
Twenty-second .'. . General Assembly, 1823 Leonard H. Cowles
Twenty-thirt! General Assembly, 1824 Elias Zv.turray ■ .
Twenty-fourth .... General Assembly, 1825 Pardon Sprague
Twenty-fifth General Assembly, 1826 Pardon Sprague
Twenty-sixth General Assembly, 1827 Pardon Sprague
Twenty-seventh . . . General Assembly. 1828 'Slilo D. Pettibone
Twenty-eighth .... General Assembl}-. 1829 B. F. Allen
Twenty-ninth .... General Assembly, 1830 Amos Utley . -.
Thirtieth- ;.. General Assembly, 1831 John Storms
Thirty-first General Assembly, 1832 John Curtis
Thirty-second .... General Assembly, 1833 John Curtis
Thirty-third Genera! Assembly, 1834 Emery Aloore
Thirtv-fourth .... General Assenblv, 1S35 Emery Moore
Thirty-fifth General Assembly, 1836 B. F. Allen
Thirty-sixth General Assembly, 1S37 Elijah Carney
Thirty-seventh General Assembly, 1838 Andrew H. Patterson
Tliirty-cighth General Assembly, 1839 Andrew H. Patterson
Thirty-ninth /General Assembly. 1840 Emery Moore
Fortieth General Assembly, 1841 James Griffith
F"orty-first General Assembly, 1842 Geo. \V. Sharp and L. E. James
Forty-second General Assembly, 1843 John Casey and Wm. Smart
Forty-third General Assembly, 1844 Janies E. Shaw
Forty-fourth General x\ssembly, 1845- James B. Shaw .
Forty-fifth General Assembly, 1846 T. B. Fisher . ' '' " '' ";
Forty-sixth General Assembly. 1847 Alljert McWright
Forty-seventh .... General Assembly, 1848 David Gregory
Forty-eighth General Assembly. 1849 James R. Hubble
Ftjrty-ninth General Assembly, 1850 \\'ray Thomas
Fiftieth General Assembly, 1853 John Converse
Fifty-first General Assembly, 1854 John Converse
:i ,rr-
:);■' ../IT ■.'■ •ir^-W^ii'
A t-.y,
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
t"i'ty-se-n,l General A^.^enll.ly, 185^, ^yniiam Hendren
1857 \
l'i"y-tliir,l General A>seml.ly. 1858- r^^^^ ^ Hubbell
1859* •'
f^'fty-^^'^rth General Assembly, i86o ( j- j,„; Burr
186 1 I
t'ltty-hfth General Assembly, i86j i James R Hubble
1863 I -^
F"i;ty-sixt!i General Assemljlv, iS'^j, I James R. Hubble (resigned)
1S65 *' O. D. Hough
Fifty-seventh 'General Assembly. 186(1/, ^^ j^ Hou^di
Fi"y-eighth General Assembly. 1808 / ^.^^-^^j ^ ^ee
18O9 *
Fiftv-ninth General Asseml)Iv, 1870 > ^, r- t^,.
' ^glj (■ Thomas F. Joy
Sixtieth General Assembly, 1872 I. r- n n
r, 1 Eugene t oweU
Sixtv-iirst General Assembly. 1874 ' „ ,, a,--i,- - '
>j '^ ; T. B. W illiams
Sixtv-second Genera! Assembly, i87n / t t v /- .1
- ^1_ J- John A. Caruthers
Sixty-third General Assembly, 1878/ ,^ ., ,, „„.
■ j^l (■ l^ayid tl. Elhott
Sixtv-fonrth General Assembly, 1880 1 -, , „ ^
' iggi \ John S. Jones
Sixty-fifth General Assembly. 188.^ I _ , ^ ^
' jQ.,;., c John S. Jones
Sixty-sixth General Assembly. 1884 I ^ ^ , ,
' jg;^; ( George L. Sackett
Sixtv-seventh General Assembly, 188^) ) _ ^ ^
' 188- i" G^'^^^S's L. Sackett
Sixty-eightlf General Assembly, 1888 \ , , ^ ^.
' 1S89 i J'^''" S. Gill
Sixty-ninth General Assembly, 1800; ^ ,,. ^,
- jg^^j - Roihn K. Willis
Seventieth General Assembly, i8u2 1 ^ ,,. ^,
- jgg J- Rolhn K. W ilhs
Seventy-first General Assembly, 1894 Samuel Lewis
Seventy-second . . . General Assembly, 1896 Samuel Lewis
Seventy-third General Assembly, 1898 Thiis. R. Smith
Sevcnty-f(iurth .... General Assembly, 1900 Thos. R. Smith
District again Changed, this time to include Delaware and ^.lorrow Counties.
Seventy-fifth General Assemljly, 190.' Arthur H. Jones
Seventy-sixth ..... General Assembly. 1904 Arthur H. [ones
Seventy-seventh . . . General Assembly, 1906 H. W. Crist.
?ll -Sili^lii ■
', i-//.) ,
.MfKV-
t .'A .-.uri.f
'v^'-'-'
'■In.s;-/
i;!.c: ,f,VL>i
i J ■■' ^
/<fr!o-./
fIiV'..i-,--i-l
AND REPJ^ESEXIATIX'E ClTIZEXS
103
[t it in the
ifty-fifth Cono-ress,
ftv-sixtli Con2,'ress,
J
PROBATE JUDGE
|:)XER
SFRVKrOR
INFIRMARY DIRECTR
CORONER
1869
* Jacob Sheets
1 Georse Nelson
Hosea Main
ir.-o
!;.-n;,,m!,i C. Walters
*
S. Davidson
M. L. Gr.mn
A. A. Welch
1.S71
1- ^ .•:^' .' r^ Walters
S. Davidson
A. A. Welch '■'
1.ST2
!■ ■■.<.'- <-y, I.'. Walters
S. Davidson
John V. Jones
A. A. WeL.h ■
1S73
l;-:.,i.- .i C. Walters
S. Davidson
Geors-e W. Stover
A. A. Welch ■''
is;4
l;.nj„r.iin C. Walters
ws
S. Davi.lsr.n
Chas T. Grant
Marshall L. Gritfin
1S75
fn^nklin B. Sp.-apue
L. B. Den i son
Chas T. Grant
Marshall U Griffin
16r<S
Franklin B. Sprasue
iUey
L. B. Denis..n
Henry C. Olds
Elani C. \dnin:? i",,-
isn
Frankhn B. Sprague
L. B. D-nis.^n
George W. Stover
Elam C. Vir.ins
1S7S
I'Vanklin B. Snrasiie
ra
L. B. Denis, n
Jonas Waldron
Elam C. A'inins
1S79
Franklin B. JJpracue
on
L. B. Der.ison
John Shea
J. W. N. \-ogt
ISSO
Franklin B. SpraKU»
■A
L. B. Denis.. n
M. Smith
James H. Hughes
18S1
Rhfus Carpenter
L. B. D-nison
I.^on.5well
James H. Hut-hes
18S2
Rufus Carpenter
L. B. D-nis,.n
Henry B. Cullins
James H. Hughes '*'
18S3
R.ilus Carpenter
L. B. Denis. .n
.M. Smith
James H. Hughes
1SS4
L. B. D. :,!...!,
D. Main
R. C. wmtermute
1SS5
Riifiis Carpenter
L. B. D-ros.n
Henrv B. Cullins
R. C. Wintermute
1S.S6
Rnf,;s Ca-Unter
.>s
L B. r..r,-on
Henry B. Cullins
R. C. Wintermute
1SS7
Rufiis Carpenter
rsii'in
Edmiiri.! .<. Miner
H.jrace Strong
R. C. Wintermute
N. F. Overturf
Edmiin.l .-;. .Mmt-r
J. C. Main
R. C. Wintermute
1SS3
N. F. Overturf
M
E.lmund <, M.ner
Samuel .\. Moore
Wilbur X. Leonard
ISSO
N. F. Overturf
Kdmon.l S M.n^r
James .\- Wilson
Will. or N. Leonard
1S91
N'. F. r,.-.rtprf
Edmur..| .-^ M!i;.r
Clark P. Dwinnel!
Will.ur N. Leonard
.\'. F. Cv-rtiirt
Edmund S. M.ner
Samuel A. .Moore ■
Will.ur N. Leonard
18&3 ; .'
N. F. Ovorturf
"V
Edward S. .M,^n.lenhall
James .\. Wilson
C. W. Chidester
ISM
Benj. F. Freshwater
Iron
UL-^er
:rkpatrick
Edward S. Mendenhall
Clark P. Dwinnell
C. W. Chidester
1855
Benj. F. Freshwater
E'iward S. Mendenhall
Thompson Clark
C. W. Chidester-
1S96
Benj. F. Freshwater
rev
Edward S. Mendenhall
Thos. E. Siark
C. W. Chidester
1S97
Benj. F. Freshwater
iron
Edward S. Mendenhall
John Lane. Sr.
\ E Main
1S9S
Benj. F. Freshwater
■Master
Edward S. Mendenhall
Thompson Clark
A. K. Main
1899
Benj. F. Freshwater
rev
John B. Tasrsart
Chas W. Blymer
A. J. Pounds
1900
E. Lee Porterfieli
redith
John B. Tas--art
J..hn I. an-. Sr.
A. J. Pounds-
1901
K. Ree P.irtertieM
John E. Tas-L-art
I-"Mu-ar.l W.d.'h
Frederick L. Gage
1902
E. Lee PorterfieUi
er
John E. Tat.-u-art
Chas, W Bi-.-mer
Frederick L. Gage
]»?
E. Lee PortertieUl
i(!
John E. Tatfsart
I-- if Will'.-ilH.l.i
Frederick L. Gage
J^M
E. Lee Porterfielrl
redith
John B. Ta---L'art
1 J. \\-. FTiiY,-i..r, unexpired
1 te-m of B. Mcpherson
Freilerick L. Gage "
1905
E. I.ee PortertieW-
er
-.--.Is
Ed-.'-,-! ^ ^- - ^-nhall .
H. J. Jnrvi.s
Perry Wiiley
19^ "..
Johj-. .VCone
i-:i',- - ■ . I'.all
F. H TShi:-l.eail
PcM-c Wdlev
'vn... '..
John A. "Cone
over
Fd-; , : ^ d ■ -r'^ia"
J.hn W. Pi,:>ner
Perry Wiilev designed)
)9i,'^.'.
John A. Cone
o\er
J. Van W. Ptiffner
Dr.A.H.Buck (ap(..ninted)
HISTORY OF DEL.WVARE COUXTV
Delaware Couniy has Ka.d 4he foliowing
Congress of the
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
103
named persons <o represen! it in iKe
United Sta.tes:
lames R. Hubble. Thirty-ninth Congress,
Eighth District. 1865-1866. '
Early F. Pnppleton. Forty-fourth Con-
gres.s. Ninth District. 1S75-1S76.
John S. Jones, FVirty-fifth Congress. Ninth
District, 1 877- 1 SrS.
Archibaltl Lybrand, Fifty-fifth Congress
Eighth District. 1897-1808
Archibahl Lybrand, Fifty-sixth Congress
Eighth District, 1899-1900.
Ta.ble of Covinty Offi
cials
rrom 1S70 to Da.te
PROBATE JUDGE
SHERIFF
PROS. .ATTORXEY Al DITOR TREASCREF.
1 RECORDER
COMMJ.SSIOXER
SI-RVErOR
INFIRMARY DIRECTR
COROXER
i 1
1
j
.1 Jacob Sheets
1 George Nelson
Jonas Waidron
John Shea
i'Lftl'igwel.
Henry B. Culllns
ti.' ifain
Henry B. Cullms
c'iark" P.' Dwin'rilll
IS
i
IS!'
i
ISSS
li
1™
Benjamin C. Walters
lenjamin c! Walter!
ffalililir" I. illftSul
Franklin It. Sprague
Ri.fij.. Carrwnter
Ik: V. ol-erturf
Einj.' R Freshwater
Ben]. F. Freshwater
Benj. F. Freshwater
Benj. F Fr.<- ,-.-.r
Eenj. F i - -,-., .-..
. F;enj. F ; --^ .-
e! Lee Pnrterfieid
E. Lee PorterfieM
.'J-.te'l^r^n'"''"'
^•John 1; Cone
Benj. F. Loofbourrow
Benj. P. Loofbourrow
John Chapman
John Chapman
ioSi; ?.-E^Tn"s
^h',; ?: i^:rn^
Si ?s~
rhStiS^?n^fkl?
John A. Shoemaker
John A. Shoemaker
Xewton M. Miller
Xewton M. Miller
Xewton IL Miller
'^:^^ ^!: ^S^
■■•v. ton M. Miller
I'Nrlon p! Bemon
liunon R Benton
Burton P. Benton
Burton P. Benton
Edson R. Williams
Edson R. Williams
|Kdjon R. Williams
William Brown
£liii¥?S?oS
George L. Sackett
.pf^-J i, w/nt-
fS.: v.. Wli'ite
Wnirj' 'Davis"'
Wm. j. Dav-is
wS: j: Davll
Si- i- lis
ThSI: r! Griffith
Stephen P. Thrall
Stephen P. Thrall
Stephen P. Thrall
Stephen P. Thrall
Jacob ^L Schaffner
Jacob M. Schaffner
A. C. Williamson
A. C. Williamson
]o{;s 1 iz%
Jackson Hippie
Jackson Hippie
F. M. Marriott
nil '
Frank A ':
Geo W. Carpenter
George Coyner
George Coyner
George Coyner
George Coyner
George Coyner
George Coyner
Edward T. Humes
Edwar.l T. Humes
|f: a! McAllister
1
Lyman P. Lewis
Lyman P. Lewis
Frank Warren
Frank Warren
Frank Warren
Frank Warr"
A. S. Conklin
Klias Cole
Elias Cole
Ellas Cole
Cyrus B. Adams
Cyrus B. Adams
Lewis Slack
Lewis Slack
Lewis Slack
Lewis Slack
J. L, -Anderson
Walter S. Pollock
Walter S. PoU"' k
Walter s' Pollo.-r.
■ i:i:jah p. Adams
: Adams
AilLl Rawn
'!, C. Dunham
G. C. Dunham
q. C. Dunham
t':'\ ^- ■'■■'
James E. Rodg-ers
James E. Rodgers
James E. Rodgers
James E. Rodgers
James E. Rodgers
> James E. Rodgers (died)
"V, w. Tracy fappointedl
Joseph h: Andrews
Joseph H. Andrews
Jos..ph K. Andrews
Roswel! Cook *
Chas'.Vrthur
Wells'' An.'u-ews
W. Siegfried
Xe'lson'R.^Tairey
Zenas Harrison
Louis Bush
Geo7 W'! ''.I'oi.es
-[ R. J. Pumpi.rey
' Geo. Cleveland
Mere.lith .Meredith
Stephen Pofer
Geo. Cleveland
Meredith IMtredith
H^SS^r
i; Blv!1;°n
S, Davl.ison
1: Davidson
1 1: B:niso;;
L. B. De.n.ison
t i: genllllil
L. B. Denis..n
Y:. 1: grnl^oH
L. B. Denison
L. B. Denison
Edmllnll |: Miner
Edmuri.l s! Miner
Edward S. Mendenhall
Edward S. Mendenhall
Edward S. Jlendenhall
Edward S. Mendenhall
Edward S. Mendenhall
Edward S. Mendenh.ill
John B. Taggart
John B. Taggart
johH B. TaSJarE
John B. Taggart
Edwar.l S. Men.lenhall
Edwai-d. S. Mendenhall
Edward S. Mendenhall
a' a' ttvlch
:' ^vr.ioh
' - - ': L. Griffin
James H. Hughes
James H. Hughes
James H. Huihes
James H. Hughes
R. C. Wintermute
i: C' wi'l-'rmate
S; w; ciliaester
DOT
!»■
an
UK
Thompson Clark 1 c. W. Chidester-
Thos. E. Sxark 1 C. W. Chidester
jQhn Lane. Sr. A. E. Main
Thompson Clnrk 1 A. E. Main
Chas W. Blymer j A. J. Pounds
.lohn Lane. Sr. 1 A. J. Pounds
'•■'^' y. '■' ■ ' ■•' ■■ '! k l.'. olge
i' I'l W hi:"el ,.ail 1 !^■:l^ W.iie.v
J.lin VV. PuttiuT ! Perry Wiil.'y (r*si*n#d>
John W. Prtftnor t.r.A.H.B«ek (apvxiintwO
11 ! 'i' ' .'./.li
chapte:r V,
DELAWARE— THE COUNTY SEAT.
When Laid Out and by Whom — Its Settlement and History — Early Military Importance
— Stores and Early Industries — Groieth of Population — Incorporation — City Govern-
ment Organized — Roster of Officials — Public Buildings — Water Works — Fire Depart-
ment — Cemeteries.
At tlie time of the creation of Delaware
County by the Act of the Legislature, Febru-
ary lo, 1808, the town of Delaware had no ex-
istence either on paper or in fact. There can
be little question, moreover, that had Closes
Byxbe retained the interest which he originally
had in the Berkshire settlement, the history of
the county seat would be altogether different
from what it is. Its very establishment seems
to be a monument to the bad faith of its
founder. It was the original purpose of Mr.
Byxbe to make Berkshire Corners not only
the county seat of the new county which he
knew would soon be erected, but if possible,
the capital of the State as well. It was on this
expectation and on the promises of By.xbe to
use his influence to this end that many of the
first settlers were induced to join his enter-
prise and become purchasers of land in the
large tract which lie had originally acquired.
It was not long, however, until the plans of
Byxbe seem to have unrlergone a change. He
disposed of the larger part of his holdings in
Berkshire Township, as well as those in Ber-
lin, Kingston, Genoa and Brown, and we
shortly find him interested in an entirely diiter-
ent part of the county. In the month of De-
cember, 1800, Abraham Baldwin, of Xew Ha-
ven. Connecticut, purchased of the Government
a tract of eight diousand acres, which included
the northeast sectirm of Delaware Town-hip
anil the third section of Brown. Mr. Baldwin
was a man of unusual attainments and enter-
prise. He was a graduate of Yale University,
and later a tutor in that institution. He serscd
in the Revolutionary War and afterwards
practiced law in Savannah. Georgia. He was
a member of the State Legislature, for some
time president of the University of Georgia, a
Representative in Congress and a United
States Senator. He was never married, and
at his death the large tracts of land which he
owned in Ohio as well as other states
went by de\ise to his three half-broth-
ers and two half-sisters. As these
heirs were widely separated it was not
long before this property passed into the
control of one of them. Henry Baldwin, a
lawyer in Pittsburg. Shortly after tlie erec-
tion of Delaware County, an arrangement
was entered into l>etween Baldwin and By.xbe,
through which By.xbe came into possession ot
the undivided one-half of the tracts in Dela-
ware and Brown Townships, with tlie excep-
tion of two tracts of two hundred and fifty
acres each out of the northeast corner of each
section, previously sold by .\braham Baldwin
to one William Wells. Jndge Baldwin was,
for many years, a part owner of the land on
which Delaware was located, although from
the first he delegated the entire control of it
to Bv.xbe and seems to have given little active
.\r ..^3':"*^i^H3
I.A3-:' ■. 1^V>0:} Hni-~-::iJ;AHA.l3U
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
105
attention of his own to the founding of the
city. He came from a family noted for their
intellectual qualities and attainments jand was
himself one of the (.listinguished men of his
time. Eorn in 1779, and graduating from
Yale in 1797. lie went to Pittsburg, where he
became a noted lawyer. He was a representa-
tive in Congiess from 1S17 to 18^2. He was
appointed by President Jackson an associate
justice of the Supreme Court of the United
States, in which capacity he served for many
years. Though brilliant intellectually, he is
said to ha\'e been a man of somewhat dissi-
pated habits, through which he ultimately lost
a considerable portion of the large fortune of
which he was. at one time, possessed. He died
in 1S44.
With the shifting of Byxbe's interest from
Berkshire to his newly acquired ;K)ssessions in
Delaware Township he immediately set to
work to secure for them the advantages which
the settlers of Eerkshire had all along expected
to enhance the value of their own property.
The first matter of concern was the location
of the county seat. As no town as yet existed
in their territory it was necessary for Baldwin
and Byxbe to establish one. The first location
chosen by them was on the east bank of the
Olentangy. Here they platted a town and
recorded the plat in Franklin County, although
it was never recorded in Delaware County.
E}xbe. with all the resources at his command,
at once began bis efforts to secure the location
of the county seat at his newly founded town.
As might have been expected, his efforts met
with bitter opposition from the Berkshire set-
tlers, who had relied on h.is firmer promises
and had just reason to accuse him of disloy-
alty to their interests. Byxbe had a consider-
able lollowing, however, among those who
were under obligations to him in various ways
and whose interests vrere largely involved with
his. and this, together with the natural ad-
vantages of Delaware itself, terminated the
controversy in his favor, the special commis-
sioners locating the county seat at Delaware in
^Nfarch. 1S08. "
For reasons which are not now definiteh'
known, but probably owing to superior ad-
vantages on the other side of the river, the
first site chosen for the town on the east bank
w-as soon abandoned, and on May 9. 1808, a
new site on the west bank w as selected and a
town platted which was the real beginning of
the present city of Delaware. The following
extract taken from the plat as recorded, will
indicate the original location and extent of the
town. "This town is laid off into 1S6 lots,
containing, by estimation, 77^2 square j:>ole3
each, be the same more or less, 6j4. rods by
i2>4 rods, excepting lots Nos. 53, 54, 55, 56,
89, 90, 91 and 92, which by the variation of
William Street from west 17 degrees to the
north, from Washington Street to Liberty
Street. The streets which run from north to
south are Hem-y, Union, Sandusky, Franklin,
\\''ashington and Liberty Streets and those
running from east to west are North, Winter,
\\'illiam, Abraham, Tammany and South
Streets, which cross the other streets at rigliL
angles. All the streets are four poles wide ex-
cept William, Abraham and Sandusky Streets,
which are six poles in width. The lots or
squares including Delaware Run, or which are
not numbered, extending from east to west
through the town, are reserved for future dis-
posal, or for the benefit of tlie town, as the pro-
prietors may think proper hereafter." There
was included in this plat that part of the pres-
ent city of Delaware bounded by Central
Avenue. Henn,-. South and Liberty Streets.
South Street at that time running through to
Liberty. It is apparent that patriotic impulses
evidently inspired the founders in the naming
of the streets of their newly created town, and
it is said that it was the purpose of Byxbe.
originallyto call the town itself Warrentown in
honor of General Warren. Some of the streets
were named after those who were connected
with the early history of the town. _ Most of
the original names remain to the present time,
although North Street is now Central Avenue,
while Abraham Street has become Uni\-ersity
Avenue and Tammany, Park Avenue. Abra-
ham Street was named for the original owner
of the property; Henry, for one of the proprie-
tors; \\"illiam. for a brother of Plenrv Bald-
win, who had an interest in the property, and
,::^X-/ .r,'iV';:/;3^:Tii'i3;;i qy.i
\\'/'
4-1^ i 171
ih fliiV/
io6
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
Winter, developed from a corruption of Wit-
ter, the maiden name of Z^Irs. Moses Byxbe.
Delaware Run then flowed in its natural
couise, and William Street deflected ' to the
north after crossing Washington Street to
avoid it. The square bounded by Union Ave-
nue, Washington Street, Park Avaiue
and Liberty Street, was reserved for a
parade ground, and was usedi for iliat purjxise
for years. About the time the city was or-
ganized, it was converted into a park, and Dr.
Merrick, who was then president of Ohio Wes-
leyan University, was instrumental in having
hundreds of shade trees planted here. Another
square bounded by Abraham. Franklin and
Sandusky Streets and Delaware Run was set
aside for public buildings. The square
bounded by Central Avenue. Sandusky. Frank-
lin and Winter Streets, was given by the pro-
prietor for a burying ground, and for religious
purposes. The little town remained as thus
originally laid out for a period of nearly thirty
years, no additions being iiiade until the year
1836. On the occasion of his final visit to
Delaware in 1S24. Judge Baldwin presented
the parade ground and the sulphur spring
property to the village.
With the location of the town anrl its selec-
tion as the county seat, the actis'e settlement
of Delaware began. Indeed even before this
the first settler had made his appearance. In
the fall of 1807 Joseph Barber erected a log
house just southeast of the sulphur spring on
the ground now constituting a part of the uni-
versity campus. He did not remain in the
neighborhood for any great length of time,
however, and his influence on tlie further
growth of the village was slight.
As soon as his efforts to have Delaware
made the county seat had proved successful,
Mr. Byxbe began preparations to transfer his
residence from Berkshire, there. He erected a
frame dwelling on the north side of William
Street, between Henry and L'nion Streets, re-
serving the whole square on which his house
stood for his own use. Having sold his house
and farm in Berkshire, in the early part of
May he removed his household goods to his
new residence and with his family came to
Delaware to reside. In the settlement of
nearly every community there has always been
some one man who, through superior energy
and ability, as well as through firmer faith in
the future development and passibilities of
the place, has taken the lead in ail the various
enterprises necessary to insure its success. Col.
Byxbe certainly bore this relation to Delaware
in its early history. His fertile mind was con-
stantly planning for the future of the town ;
his indomitable energy was constantly expend-
ing itself, both in inducing new settlers to take
up their abode in the village, and in providing
for the establishment of the various en-
terprises which were necessary for tlie
comfort and prosperity of the incoming
settlers. Self interest, no doubt, was his ani-
mating motive. He seems never to ha\-e had
the genuine respect of the community. e\en
though they were ready to follow him as their
leader and recognized the great value of his
ability in shaping the early progress of the
town.
Along with Byxbe came a number of other
settlers who were to have a prominent part in
the early history of the communit). In Berk-
shire were a number of families who were
closely attached to the Byxbe interests who had
just recently come to that settlement from
Pennsylvania, and who. as soon as the interests
of Byxbe himself had shifted, followed his for-
tunes likewise in the newlv estabhshed settle-
ment. Among them may he mentioned Solo-
mon Smith, Azariah Root, Xathan ^lessenger,
Reuben Lamb and Rev. Jacob Drake. The lat-
ter built the first brick house to be erected in
Delaware, on the southwest corner of William
and Franklin Streets,, it being notable for the
fact that his wife laid all of the inner wall her-
self, masons being a scarcity in those days.
Drake was a Baptist preacher and a sur\-eyor
as well, and he also served as the first treasurer
of the newly established county, and as the first
mayor of Delaware. His resignation addressed
to William Little is now in the possession of
Robert Powers, of The First National Bank.
It was he, too, who, in connection with the
Rev. Joseph Hughes, established the first paper
in Delaware. Azariah Root built a house of
!r-jv/-, :,ij:
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,!yv:, ih /.•
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
i hewed logs on the corner of Abraham and
f Henry Streets. He was the first county sur-
i veyor. Xathan Messenger was the son-in-
I law af Colonel Byxbe, who erected a house for
' him on the southeast corner of Sandusky and
; William Streets. Solomon Smith was the first
sheriff of the county and came from Chilli-
cothe where he had been a teacher. Aside from
Byxbe himselt, few persons, perhaps, occupied
a more prominent position in the early life of
the community than Reuben Lamb. He prac-
ticed medicine for a number of years and was
also the first county recorder.
Among other settlers who came in a short
time may be mentioned Silas Dunham, who
came from the Berlin Settlement; Xoah
Spaulding, from Berkshire; Joab Norton,
from Orange; Aaron Welch and Ira Carpen-
ter, from Liberty; Nathaniel and William Lit-
tle, Paul D. and Thomas Butler, from Worth-
ington, and Jacob Kensell. The settlement
soon took on a vigorous growth. Colonel
Byxbe was the guiding .spirit in all its various
activities. He was constantly devising and
putting into execution plans for the prosperity
of the community. He was an associate judge
of the newly created court. He promoted the
building of the new road which should unite
the settlement with the older communities al-
ready established. He established the first
store, in which he placed his son, and he also
erected the first saw mill and grist mill within
the limits of the town. In addition to this he
was the first postmaster, and later he w as pro-
prietor of a tavern. He was his own sales
agent in the disposal of the large tracts of land
which he owned joincly \\'ith Baldwin. It is
easy to see the stimulating eft'ect tiie restless
activity of such a one must have had on the life
of the village.
From the time he first became interested in
that part of the county, it had probably been
Colonel Bixbe's ambition to make the town
which he should found the capital of the State.
Up until iSio the capital had been at Chilli-
cothe, and from that time until 1812 at Zanes-
ville. It finally became necessary, however, to
determine upon a definite location, and a num-
ber of places became competitors for the honor.
There seem to have been nine of them in all,
and they held out widely varying inducements
to the special commission appointed by the
Legislature to select the site. The ott'er of
Byxbe and Baldwin was as follows, viz., that
they would give the grounds, erect the build-
ings, and lay off four thousand acres in town
lots, one-half the proceeds arising from the
sale of which should go into the treasury of
the State. The only other oft'er which bore
any comparison to that of Baldwin and Byxbe
was the one maile by four parties who were
interested in the tract on the Scioto
opposite the town of Franklinton. For quite
a while the contest was in doubt. At length,
however, the special commission reported in
favor of the proposition of Byxbe and Bald-
win. When the legislature came to act upon
it, they rejected the report and decided in fa-
vor of the site opposite Franklinton.' The loss
of the capital was, no doubt, a se\-ere blow to
Delaware and its immediate prosperity. The
possibility that the capital would be located
here had undoubtedly served to enhance the
value of property and to attract settlers. With,
its prospects in this direction suddenl}- cut oft",
there could not but result a depression in the
general activity of the community, from which
it took many years for it to recover.
E.VRLY MILIT.VRV IMPORTANCE. ,(>
Delaware was a place of considerable mili-
tary importance during the War of 1S12. It
was situated on the most practicable route l)e-
tween Chillicothe. the state capital at that time,
and the scene of operations around Sandusky
and Detroit, and it was, for a time, the head-
quarters of General Harrison. ".Among the
earliest troops to be called out was a company
of light horse belonging to the State ]\Iilitia.
on the muster rolls of which were to be found
the fam.iliar names of Elias Murray, as cap-
tain ; James W. Crawford, as first lieutenant ;
David Prince as second lieutenant, and Joseph
Prince, Robert Jamison. Sylvester Root, Mor-
ris Cowgill. Alexander and William Smith,
Ralpli S. Longviell. John Slack, J. Harter,
Forest Meeker, John Wi!-on, Thomas Dun-
■ :. > -Aiv' Mil
io8
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
ham and James Carpenter, as privates. This
company was employed as a raiding force, and
was called out at different times for a period
of service not exceeding at any time-over forty
days. Each man furnished his own horse and
equipments, and over his shoulder was slung
the inevitable canteen of whiskey. * * * The
company was ordered to Detroit and made a
raid into Canada. Tearing down some fine
farm buildings west of ilie river, they made
rafts of the lumber thus obtained and crossed
to the Canadian shore. There they destroyed
property of all kinds, burning mills, hay and
grain, and recrossing without loss. * * *
A company of infantry, raised by Captain Foos
in the northern part of the county, drew a
number of men from Delaware Township and
village, and, among others. Erastus Bowe,
who settled in Brown in 1S09. This company
went to Fremont, then known as Lower San-
dusky, and helped to build Fort Croghan, Air.
Bowe breaking the ground for that purpose.
After Hull's sunender this c<;inii>any disbanded
and returned to Delaware.
The war, coming as it did so soon after
the misfortune Delaware suffered in failing to
have the state capital located here, did much
to relieve the depression of business conse-
quent on that unfortunate event. The forces
of General Winchester and others were cen-
tered along the line of L'rbana, St. Mary's and
Fort Defiance, while the troops, artillery and
supplies from Pennsylvania came by way of
Canton, Wooster and Mansfield to Fort Aleigs,
the place of rendezvous, while the \'irginia
and Kentucky re-enforcements came by way of
Chillicothe, along the various roads leading
through Delaware County. In Februarv'.
1813. General Harrison concentrated the
greater part of his troops at Fort Meigs and
then retired with his headquarters to Delaware,
where he occupied rooms in Colonel Byxbe's
house. Also Governor Shelby, of Kentucky,
came in command of the troops belonging to
his state, and made his headquarters in the
cabin which had formerly been erected by
Barber, heretofore mentioned as the first house
built in Delaware. Later the \'irginia troops
arrived and camped just north of the village.
Naturally the presence of so many soldiers
gave a great impetus to the general business
activities of the place. As usual. Colonel
Eyxbe was alert to the opportunities thus pre-
sented, taking large contracts for supplying"
the army with the various necessities required
during their stay in the community. The one
store in the village, had, for the time being,
a great increase in its patronage, and the set-
tlers found a ready market for whatever they
had to sell that could be consumed by an army.
A recruiting station was opened in Delaware,
and many, inspired by motives of patriotism
or lured by love of adventure or expectation of
gain, joined their fortunes with the troops.
General Harrison had sold all of his teams and
pack animals to save wintering them, and when
the time came for the army to move north-
ward all the available teams in the community
were pressed into service.
STOKES AXD E.A.RLV INDUSTRIES.
As is always the case in a newly started
settlement, the mercantile business for the first
few years was one of little importance. There
was but one store in Delaware up to the time
of the war of 1812, and that was conducted
by Moses Byxbe, Jr.. a son of Colonel Byxbe.
The son, however, seems to have been wholly
lacking in the business ability and enterprise
of his father and soon came to grief. A'arious
unsuccessful speculations finally landed him in
the county jail. One of the earliest merchants
in Delaware was William Little. He was a
.saddler by trade, and, coming originally from
Connecticut, first located in Worthington.
Later, however, attracted by the outlook for
the newly established settlement at Delaware,
he came here and shortly went into trade. He
bought out a stock of goods which had been
sent up from Worthington as a branch busi-
ness and established himself in a small brick
building on the southwest corner of Sandusky
and Winter Streets, where he continued for a
number of years. Joseph L. Webb was another
of the early store-keepers of Delaware. He
came in the year 181 9. induced to do so
through the representations of Colonel Byxbe.
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AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZEXS
who happened to meet him on one his trips
east. Webb came of a weaUhy family in Xew
York, lured away from the comforts of his
eastern home by the apparent iwssibilities of
great wealth in the western frontier. The
\ ear after his arrival he set up in business in
the same building in which ^Moses Byxbe, Jr.,
had conducted his unsuccessful venture, but
he seems to have had no greater success thao
had the building's former occupants. After
continuing in business for a time he closed up
with a loss of Sio.ooo and returned to the
East. Horton Howard, a Quaker, was an-
other of the early store-keepers. He occupied
a yellow wooden building on the east side of
Sandusky Street. Elezekiah Kilbourn opened
a store in 1823 on the northwest corner of
Sandusky and Winter Streets but sold out in
the following year to Caleb Howard and An-
thony Walker, who went into business in his
building. After they dissolved partnership
Walker went into business with Hosea \\'i\-
liams. Dr. Lamb, the first physician in the
community, next occupied the Kilbourn build-
ing, and, as was natural, a considerable part
of his stock consisted of drugs. In 1831
Alexander Kilbourn erected a frame building
on Sandusky Street and started a general
store. This building is still standing, having
been moved, ho\'.e\er, to a location just south
of the present oftice building of ^larriott &
Freshwater.
The mercantile business in the early day
was fraught with difficulties such as can scarce
be imagined at the present time. We quote,
in this connection, some interesting facts from
a former county history: "Philadelphia was
the nearest point from wdiich the western mer-
chant could buy his goods from original
sources, and from there they had to
be shipped in huge wagons over a
tedious and uncertain journey. Mr. Lit-
tle was in the habit of going to Phila-
delphia once a year, spending some weeks or
two months on the trip. and. waggoning his
goods home, frequently at a cost of $18.75
per hundred. These invoices included, at a
later day, a full line of dry goods, embracing
velvets, satins, silks, cassimers and the com-
moner goods. Then there were hats, shoes,
crockery, hardware, medicines and groceries.
For year after year money was very scarce,
and all business became a system of barter,
and goods were exchanged almost exclusively
for produce. The trade with Lidians was very
large, the natives coming in for fifty miles
around, sometimes fifty at a time. ' They
brought cranberries, maple sugar and svrup,
pelts and furs, and b(jught only the finest
goods. The women would take only the finest
broadcloths for blankets and petticoats, while
the men chose the brightest prints for shirts.
The ordinary prints which now sell for 8 cents
per yard sold then for $1.00, while the higher
priced sold for $1.50 per yard. Every store
had upon its counter a flask of whiskey with
a glass and it was expected that every one
who came into the store would avail himself
or herself of the hospitality thus set forth.
Sugar made by the Indians or settlers found
its way in large quantities to the stores where
ft was traded off to the Kentuckians, who came
with large wagon loads of tobacco every
spring to exchange for commodities. This
was in large demand among the Indians, who
made a mixture of tobacco and sumac leaves,
calling it 'Kinnikinic' "
In the early days there was no institution
of greater importance, perhaps, than - the
tavern. The most prominent and influential
citizens did not hesitate to engage in it, and
the number of taverns in existence at that
lime in the village would now, perhaps, be con-
sidered out of proportion to the size of the
place. We have, in a formei- chapter, quoted
a description of the pioneer tavern from the
pen of Dr. Hills. Barber's cabin, the first to
be erected in Delaware, was, likewise, the first
building to be devoted to the purpose of tavern
keeping, and Barber himself was its first
keeper. It was a sort of center for all the
various activities of the neighborhood. Here
the people gathered to exchange their gossip
as well as to hear news of the outside world
from any chance stranger that happened along.
Here all the public gatherings were arranged,
all the notices were posted, and even the first
court was held. Barber did not lono- con-
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
tinue in the busineis, but soon sold out to ;■
man by the name of Spaulding, wlio. in turn,
sold out to Robinson. While it was without
a competitor for a time, yet it was not long
until Colonel Byxbe joined the business of
tavern keeping to his various other activities,
erecting a brick house for that purpose east of
his dwelling on William Street. It was un-
doubtedly of great advantage to Colonel Byxl>e
to be in a po.>ition where he could have the
opportunity to early impress every incoming
stranger with the possibilities of his newly
founded town-. "A long wooden building was
built at an early date where §olomon Smith
first entertained the public, and ^Irs. Byxbe,
desirous of entertaining thc>se who canie t')
attend court, persuaded Colonel Byxbe to buy
him out, and for some time continued the
business. He was succeeded in the same busi-
ness, after an interval of some months, by
Ezra Griswold, in 1821. In the meanwhile
Aaron Welch built a tavern opposite the Epis-
copal Church, on Winter Street, where he
entertained the public several years, and in
1S16 built a large brick building on Sandusky
Street. Mr. Welch died before it was com-
pleted, but it served its purpose for years.
Contenijxirary with the later years of Mr.
Welch as tavern keeper, was Elam Vinitig,
Sr., who occupied for several years the Mes-
senger House, on the southeast corner of \Vil-
liam and Sandusky Streets. Another hotel
stood on the northeast corner of Winter and
Sandusky Streets. An early proprietor was
Major Strong and another was a Mr. Hinton
— a distant relative of Otho Hinton, of later
fame — who was succeeded by a iMr. Dunbar.
It was during the tiiiie of the latter gentleman,
in 1S17, that President Monroe, making a
trip through the West, came with a large suite
on horseback from Sandusky, and stopped
with Dunbar over Sunday. The death of ^Ir.
Dunbar's wife soon forced him to retire from
the business and. in 181 8, General Sidney
Moore and Pardon Sprague bought him out.
'Sir. Moore was married on Sunday, February
1st. and the following day the new couple took
possession of their new business. In 1822 Mr.
Griswold moved from the buildine he first
occupied as a hotel and printing office, into a
brick building erected by Jacob Drake, on the
southwest corner of North and Sandusky
Streets, where he continued the double busi-
ness for many years.
On September 9. 1826, Colonel Moses
Byxbe died. For two 3-ears before his death
he had been deranged. During all tb.e early
years of the town he had been the prime mover
in all her activities. Being a man of indomi-
table energy combined with exceptional execu-
tive ability, he was remarkably well fitted to
successfully combat the difficulties encountered
in establishing a settlement on the frontier.
The beautiful city of Delaware, as she exists
I today, is a monument to his enterprise and
j courage. While he thus possessed these quali-
i ties so necessary to the performance of the
i task which he set for himself, yet he seems
I never to have had the sincere love and respect
of the community with which he surrounded
; himself. Hard and grasping in his disposition,
I and knowing no criterion but success, his
methods were not alwa\s such as could com-
I mand the approval of those who believe in
I justice and fair dealing at alJ times and under
j all circumstances. All his efforts seem to ha\-e
! been inspired solely for the purpose of acquir-
i ing wealth rather than through the patriotic
I desire of reclaiming the wilderness for ci\'ili-
I zation for its own sake alone. In his life
purpose he was eminently successful, amassing
j a fortune which, in those days, might well have
j been called princely. Yet. towards the latter
part of his life, he became involved in financial
; difficulties, largely through the recklessness of
I his son, who seems to have inherited little of
his father's capacity for business : and it \vas
probably owing to this fact that he lost his
mental faculties before the close of his life.
Byxbe had, beside his son Moses, already men-
! tioned, another, Appleton, who was an im-
' becile. He also had three daughters v.ho
j married respectively Hon. Elias [Murray, Rev.
; Joseph Hughes. and Hon. L. H. Cowles. all
I men of prominence and influence in the com-
I munitv at the time.
As descripti\e uf Delaware in the early
day we cannot do better than quote the larger
1 ■" ■;0 :':.< -T^Iii
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DELAWARE COUNTY COURT HOUSE MOORl^'S MASO.MC TEMPLE, DELAWARE
(Showins part of Jiil in lower left-hand corner.)
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■1
PRESIDEXl HA\tbS LIRIHLLVCE DLL \\\ ARE
b\\DLSK\ ^ IKI [ I [ (. H kl\G
SOLIH DLi \.\\ \.Kt
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di:laware coux rv JAIL.
)1lL,.U\ '.KL LI iV IL\LL
\ .
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
113
part of an address delivered by Cyrus Piatt,
for years one of tlie prominent citizens of the
lown, at a meeting of the Delaware Pioneer
Association, August 25, 1898: ''That old
brick house at the southwest corner of William
and Union Streets was built and occupied by
Dr. Reuben Lamb as his residence about the
year 1810. He was one of the first settlers
of the town. * '^ * It seemed to be the
intention of the original proprietors and early
pioneers of the town to make William Street
the principal street of the town, both for busi-
ness and residences. Nearly all the buildings
put up on William Street, east of Sandusky
Street, were substantial brick houses, generally
two stories high, with front door in the middle,
opening into the hall where the stairs were lo-
cated. The original Byxbe residence was built
in this style, as many of you may remember.
A short distance east of this Byxlie house,
fronting on the street, was a small, brick
building, say about 20 feet square, used by
Mr. Byxbe, 'Sr., for his office. * * * in
this office building the first post-office was.
opened and continued there for several years.
Henry Street, north of William, was not then
opened, and an apple orchard extended from
the Byxbe residence clear do\\'n to tlie river
bank, north side of William Street.
''Dr. Lamb owned considerable ground ad-
joining his residence on the west side, extend-
ing south to the run. Directly south of his
residence he put up a frame building near the
run in which he and Mr. Hayes, the father of
the late Ex-President R. B. Hayes, conducted
the business of distilling whiskey, an article
which, at that time, wa-: considered one of the
necessities of life, if used in moderation. The
taverns all kept it in their bars for the speci.d
accommodation of travelers.
"I do not know just wheii the exodus of
residents on William Street to Sandusky
Street commenced. As new settlers came in
wiio wanted to engage in business they gave
the preference to Sandusky Street. Mr. Wil-
liam Little built a one-story brick house on the
southwest corner of Sandusky anfl Winter
Streets and ojiened a store there. * * *
Joseph L. Webb rented a room on the north-
east corner of William and Sandusky Streets.
opened his goods and commenced business
there. In the year 1S21 Mr. Webb put up a
two-stor}- frame building that combined store-
room and residence, where S. P. Shur's store
now is, and opened his stock of goods in this
store-room, and his family occupied the resi-
dence. The ground between this building of
Mr. Webb's and Mr. William Little's one-
story brick store on the corner above, was
vacant and used by Air. Webb as a garden,
and was enclosed by a high board fence ex-
tending from the corner of Mr. Little's store
down to ]\Ir. Webb's house. The only other
structure on the west side of Sandusky Street
between \\'inter and William, were Thomas
Butler's saddle shop and residence, on the
ground now occupied by Templar Hall build-
ing, and a two-story frame near the corner of
William Street, built and occupied by Dr.
James H. Hills with his family, wh.o were
among the early settlers here.
"The only buildings on the east side of
Sandusky Street, between Winter and William,
were a frame on the corner where the Hotel
Donavin is now ^located, in which Pardon
Sprague kept tavern; the residence of Air.
\\'illiam Little, a large two-story brick, stand-
ing on a large lot, some twenty feet back from
the street, on ground now occupied by the
First National Bank, and the large building ad-
joining it on the south. The residence and
cabinet shop of Mr. William Alansur were
about wdiere the 'Gazette office is now located.
Air. Hezekiah Kilhourne. an eastern man.
bought the ground extending from Winter
Street north on the west side of Sandusky
Street to the alle}-. and built a one-story
brick store room on the corner of Sandusky
and Winter and opened a general stock of
goods in it. I think it was he who built the
large two-story brick residence that was owned
and occupied for se\-eral years by Airs. Kil-
hourne, widow of Alexander Kilhourne. de-
ceased, that stood on the ground now- occupied
by the Steeves Block and the Hill's Eros,
wholesale grocery store.
"In due course of time Dr. Lamb bought
the Kilhourne corner store, and all the irround
7ii;.T/::i^3>n:3.) QV.h
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WWJ. !.
114
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
ailjoining, of Mrs. Kilbourne, and added to
tlie building on the west end. fronting on
Winter Street, and on the north side fronting
on Sandusky Street, witli a wide parch on
that side, carrying the building up two lull
stories, thus making of it a commodious an-.l
pleasant residence. When the work of re-
modeling this house was completed Dr. Lamb's
family left the William Street house and
moved into their new house which soon be-
came noted for hospitality by entertaining
visitors from neighboring towns and social
e\'ening gatherings of neighbors. When Bishop
Chase and other clergy came here to hold
service in St. Peter's. Church, they were enter-
tained usually at the Lamb mansion, as I learn
by mother's diary. * * * There were no
houses south of the run, no 'Srjuth Delaware'
in those early days. That part of town was
all open commons and used for pasture. Cows
would be turned loose in the morning and
allowed to roam where they pleased in search
of pasture, and we would have to hunt them
up and drive them home in the evening."
One of the most historic mansions in Dela-
ware, built in the early day, and which, by rea-
son of its being later the birthplace of Presi-
dent Playes, ought to receive mention here, is
what was known as the Messenger House on
East William Street. When it was first built
it was regarded as the finest residence here
although it has long since fallen from its for-
mer glory, so far as appearances are con-
cerned. It is thu; described by one of the
older citizens who has long been a resident of
the town : "It was a small brick house, two
stories high, with a pitched roof, one side
facing William Streei. The front door was
in the middle of this side, with a room on
each side. There were four frame windows
in the lower story, two on each side of the
door and five in the upper. The roof was
shingled and a log L added to the back side.
The brick part was about jo by 30 feet, and the
log part 10 by 15 feet. The log part has since
been rebuilt and a frame addition takes its
place. With this and a few other slight
changes the house remains the same as it did
three-quarters of century ago." It was in
this house that one of the first schools in the
place was established. For a time it did duty
as a store room, but for a number' of years
now it has again been doing service as a
dwelling.
GROWTH OF POPULATION-.
F'or a number of years after the War of
181 2 the growth of Delaware was slow. The
lands of the "New Purchase" coming into the
market, sadly arrested the prosperity of the
town and interfered greatly with its expan-
sion. In 1S36 Judge T. W. Powell and
Samuel Rheems platted a tract of land just
south of the original boundaries of the town
between Sandusky and Liberty Streets, and a
little later '^[. D. Pettibone made another ad-
dition just south of that of Powell and
Rlieems. The unsold Baldwin lands just north
of the town limits were also platted about the
same time, and there were then no further ad-
ditions made until 1S43. Since then the town
has gradually expanded in various directions,
new additions being made as its growth in
population would seem to warrant.
The village, as incorporated in 1S16. in-
cluded the tract originally platted b}* Baldwin
and Byxbe in laying out the town on the ^^•est
side of the river. As new additions were made,
however, from time to time, the town outgrew
its orighial boundaries, and it was but natural
that an agitation should arise for an extension
of the corporation limits. It was not until 1S52,
however, that any measures were taken Avith
this end in view. In that year the question of
extending the corporati<5n limits across the
river was submitted to a vote of the people
and was carried by a vote of 270 to 12. The
territory taken in at this time included the
larger part of the present limits of'the corpora-
tion on the east side of the Olentangy, extend-
ing as far south as Vine Street, and including
a part of the fair grounds. In 1868 there was
a general extension of the corporation limits on
all sides, bringing the dimensions of the town
pretty near to what they are at the present
time. There have been several extensions since
then, however. In 1874 a tract was added on
'/..l.-IG -iO />:<:
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i: .. :;>. ibm'i
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
the nortli which fixed the northern IxHindary
of the town wliere it is at present. In the
next year Lot 13 on the east side of the river
was added. Tiiere was no further enlarge-
ment of the cori)oration boundaries then until
1S93 when the west portions of lots 18 an.l
19 were brought within the corporation limits
and the western boundary of the town estab-
lislied as it is to<lay. The only extension ':ince
then has consisted of a small tract jusi nortli-
east of the bend in the Olentangy River in the
north part of the town. The corporation
boundaries, as thus established, embrace an
area of nearly four scjuare miles, extending
approximately two and one-third miles both
from north to south and from east to west in
its most" extended portions.
The growth in the population of the town
is a matter of equal interest with the extension
of her physical boundaries. "In the fall of
iSoS thirty-two votes were pjlled, and. adopt-
ing the ordinary rule of counting five persons
for each vote, the number of itihabitants for
the whole township would reach 150. But,
without invalidating this rule it will be ob-
served tliat the circumstances of the early set-
tlement of Delaware were unusual, and that
this number is ah overestimate. A number
of voters are known to have been men with-
out families, or whose families were not in
the township (the law in this latter respect not
being then in vogue, or not enforced as now) ;
others, as Dr. Lamb and Jacob Drake, had
very small families; and other fanTlies were so
grown to maturity as to have more than their
proportion of voters, as in case of the Byxbe
family. These conditions were imusually
prominent, and it is probable that there were
n()t over 100 inhabitants in the whole town-
ship. In the winter of 18 16 a wtK)d chopper
standing on the hill where Monnett Hall now
stands, on one of those clear frosty mornings
when the smoke goes straight up into the air.
looked over the valley and counted the evi-
dences of thirty-two houses in the little town.
In 1S20 we meet with an estimate that places
the number of houses at fiftv and another, by
actual count, places the number near sixty in
1823. Adopting the ordinary rule uf five to
a dwelling, we find the nimiber of inhabitants
in the town in 1816, 150; in i8jo, about 250;
and in 1823 nearly 300." The census of 1830
gives the city a population of 532; of 1S40, :
898; of 1850, 2,074; of i860, 3.S89; of 1870. ;
6,ooo;-of 1880, 6.894; of 1890, 8,224: of '
Z900, 7,940. It would seem from this that, ;
just as in the case of the entire county, there '
has been an actual decrease in the city's popu-
lation in the preceding decade. Many, how-
ever, were inclined to doubt the correctness of
the census of 1900, as there is every indication j
that the population of the city has been con- j
stantly increasing. At the present time, from
a careful enumeration made in the interest of
the Sunday schools of the city, during the past ]
year, it is a conservative estimate to place the
numlaer of inhabitants at 10.000.
INCORPORATION.
Delaware was first incor^xirated in 1816,
a special act for that purpose having been
passed by the Legislature. The powers granted
to the village do not seem to have been \ery
extensive and many of the various functions
necessary for its government were still per-
formed by the township' officers. The general
management of the aftiairs of the village was
placed in the hands of a Board of Trustees,
elected by the people. This form of govern-
ment continued until 1849. '^vhen. through 'SI.
D. Peltibone, who was the member of the
Legislature from the county at the time, an-
other act was secured from the Legislature
providing for a Town Council consisting of
eight members, with powers considerably
greater than those which had theretofore been
given to the Board of Trustees. This new
Council chose from their number a ma}or,
recorder, treasurer and assessor. They also
elected a marshal, though from outside of their
number, together with a street committee of
three men, two of whom were not members
of the council. In 1841 the people again
sought a change in their giivernment. and
again an act was passed conferring- still larger
powers upon the Council.
CITY GOVERNMENT 0RGANi:^ED.
It was not until 1S73 '^'^''^^ Delaware rose
from being a village to the tlignitv of a citv.
ij'//
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
In that year, after a petition had been pre-
sented to the Council, the matter was sulimitted
to the people at the spring election and decided
in favor of the change. In the following July
the cit}- was divided off into three wards. In
1S75 't was re-apix^rtio.ned into five. This di-
vision continued until 1891 when there was a.
re-di\ision of the cit}" into six wards. Again
in iSgij ther-j was a change in the boundaries,
though not ill the iniinbcr of the wards. A
few years ago came the decision of the Su-
preme Court rendering void all of the Special
.Acts passed from time to time for the gov-
ernment of the various municipalities through-
out the commonwealth and making necessary
the enactment of a code which should apply to
all alike. Under this act, passed in 1902,
the city of Delaware was again re-urganized.
in common with e\-ery other niunicij>ality in
Ohio, and has continued on the basis tlion
established to the present day. Under the
former regime, after the village had been
merged into the city, the officers consisted of a
mayor, marslial, solicitor, street commissioner,
two members of the Council from each ward,
a clerk of the Council and a city engineer, the
two latter, together with the p<Mice, being ap-
pointed by the Council, while all the others
were elective. The county treasurer served
also as the treasurer of the municipality. The
changes made by the code in the various mu-
nicipal offices, inasmuch as they are common to
■every municipality of the same class in the
State, need not be enumerated here. We givc
herewith, however, a complete list of the per-
sons who have filled the various offices in the
municipality since it rose to the rank of a city
in 1S73. Although tl e chief of pulice has not
been an elective officer >ince the enactment ot
the code, yet we include him with the other
officers since he is the direct successor of tiie
mershal, who was elective under the old
regime :
1872 — Mayor. John D. \'an Deman ; clerk.
Edward A. Pratt; marshal, C. V. Owston ; so-
licitor, Jackson Hippie; street commissioner,
William Owston.
1874— ^rayor. W. O. Sen.an^; clerk, Ed-
ward A. Pratt; marshal, }. A. .\ndersi.!n ; so-
licitor, Jackson Hippie; street commissioner,
W, H, Adams,
1876 — Mayor, J. A. Barnes; clerk. Ed-
ward .\. Pratt; marshal, C. \'. Owston; so-
licitor, G. G. Banker; street commissioner,
William Hollenbaugh.
1878— Mayor. C. H. McElroy: clerk. Ed-
ward A. Pratt : marshal, C. V. Owston ; so-
licitor, G. G. Banker: street commissioner,
George Clark,
18S0— Mayor, F. M. J.n-; clerk, Edward
A. Pratt: marshal, W. J. Davis; solicitor. G.
G. Banker ; street cominissioner, George
Clark.
1S82— Alayor, H. L. Baker; clerk, George
Clark: marshal, W. J. Davis; solicitor, G. G.
Banker; street commissioner. Peter F. En-
gard.
1884— :Mayor, H. L. Baker; clerk, }.latt.
H. Wagner; marshal, Chas, F, Miller; solici-
tor, Frank A, Kauffman; street commissio'i.er,
Geo. Dennis.
1S86— :\Iayor, Henri E. Buck; clerk, Man.
H. Wagner: marshal, Chas. F. :\[iller; solici-
tor, N. F. Overturf (resigned as solicitor
Alarch 5, 1SS8. and H. H. Beecher was ap-
pointed to fill out his unexpired term) : street
commissioner, Peter T. Engard.
18SS — :\Iayor, James K. Newcomer; clerk.
Matt. H. Wagner; marshal, P. S. English; so-
licitor, H. H. Beecher; street commissioner.
Peter T. Engard.
1890 — Mayor, Henry S. Culver; clerk,
John T. Evans; marshal. ,^. S. English; so-
licitor. H. FI. Beecher; street commissioner,
P. T. Engard.
1892 — ]\Iayor, FI. S. Culver; clerk, Abner
Geirier; marshal, P. S. English: solicitor, H.
H. Beecher; street commissioner. R.ichard
O'Keefe.
1894— Mayor. H. L. Paker; clerk. Abner
Genier (succeeded before expiration of term
by W. H. Altrock); marshal, P. S. English;
solicitor. Clarence Jones: street commissioner,
Richard 0"Keefe.
1S96 — Mayor, W. R. Carpenter; clerk, E.
E. Naylor; marshal. H. ^V. Vogt; solicitor,
Clarence Jones: street commissioner, JuJius
Bobo.
.1 ;a : :» Y>Kyr>j,
:-y- -,•■•- '.^ .11 .J ,■■-.-.;■ -'■■- .1 i I. .
- '; : - _■:...•! , : , ' ,j ■;..;;!; I • •
Ol Si
AXD REPRESENTATR'E CITIZENS
1S9S— Mayor, John McClure; clerk. E. E.
Naylor; marshal, P. \\\ Keefe: sohcitor,
Cluirles W. Knight: street omimissioner, Ju-
lius Bobo.
1900 — 3iIayor, Juhn McChire : clerk. E. E.
Naylor: marshal. William Matthews: solicitor.
Chas. \y. Knight; street conanissioner, W. \V.
"Williams.
, 190J — ^Mayor, H. C. Clippinger: clerk, E.
E. Naylor ; marshal, William Mattliews ; so-
licitor, B. W. Hough ; street commissioner,
W. W. Williams.
1903 — Mayor, H. C. Clippinger: president
of council, E. 1. Pollock: auditor. F. D. King:
treasurer, 11. L. Clark; solicitor, B. \\'. Hough;
Board (if Public Ser\ice, F. T. Evans, E. S.
Mendenhall, John Shindoler; chief of police,
William Matthews.
1905 — Mayor. H. H. Beecher ; president
of council, E. I. Pollock; auditor. F. D. King;
treasurer, H. L. Clark ; solicitor, E. S. Owen ;
Board of Public Service, Prof. Richard Per-
sons. W. B. Can^pbeM, J. C. Swickheimer;
chief of police, William ^latthews.
Delaware officials elected or appointed to
serve during 190S-09 — Mayor, W. E. Haas;
president of the Council and vice-mayor. J.
R. Selover; auditor, F. D. King: solicitor,
E. S. Owen; treasurer, H. L. Clark. Mem-
bers of Council : J. R. Selover, president :
F. D. King, clerk; ist \\'ard. F. J. Klee : 2nd
W'ard, Victor " Hardin ; 3rd Ward, W. J.
Davis; 4th Ward. J. F. Gaynor; ]\Ienibers-
at-large, Dr. J. FI. Miller, Adam Siegfried,
A. J. Arehart. Board of Public Service:
Prof, Richard Parsons, W. B. Campbell,
Chris Potter; clerk. F. D. King; superintend-
ent of streets. Frank Rutter; superintendent
of cemeteries and parks. D. Grinton; city en-
gineer and superintendent of sewers. George
Irwin. Board of Public Service ; Dr. A. J.
Willey. Edward R. Thompson. Board of
Education ; Dr. A. J. Pounds. W. F. Dodge,
Dr. E. M. Seinans ; superintendent of schools,
W. McK. Vance; truant officer, T. M. Baily.
City Examining Board: William McK.
Vance, Henry T. ^lain ; clerk, John Shoe-
maker. Board of Lihrarv Trustees : D. H.
Battenfield. V. D. Stavman, H. T. :\Iain.
Board of Health : E. C. Hudspeth, Dr. J. K.
James, J. W. Pfiffner, J. J. McGough and j
Alayor Haas. Chief of police, James W. j
Spaulding. j
PUBLIC nriLDINGS.
For a number of years the government of
the village and city was administered from the
old building on West Winter Street, erected
in 1S24, for use as a Alethodist Church. Late-
it had done service as a school building: and
when the corporation came into possession of
it in 1S60 it was fitted up as a market-house,
council-room and lock-up. Court was, for a
time, held in the council chamber, and the
lower part of the building was used as an
engine house. Its usefulness, however, was
ine\ itably bound to diminish sooner or later,
as the constantly enlarging city required more
extensive and commodious Cjuarters for the
maintenance and gxn-ernment of its various
interests, and for which the facilities affi:irded
by the old church building w-ere wholly inade-
quate. Consequently, in the latter part of the
seventies, there began to be an agitation look-
ing towards the erection of a building which
should meet the needs of the city. In March
of the year 1S79 a committee which had been
appointed by the Council for that purpose, re-
ported favorably on a project to erect an en-
gine-house, council-room, mayor's office, etc.,
calling attention to the fact that the time was
especially opportune, inasmuch as the entire
indebtedness of the city. $16,000, would be
cancelled within the next two years, and recom-
mending that the Legislature be asked to au-
thorize a bond issue of $6,000. Later the
■plans seem to have undergone an enlargement
in the public mind and in the spring election
of the year 1879. the people voted, by a ma-
jority of 449, to build a City Hall. The
Council, soon after, took steps to secure a bond
issue of $35,000, advertised for plans for the
construction of the building, and appointed a
building committee, consisting of C. B. Adams,
W. T. Watson and F. Bonneman, meml>ers of
the Council. The plan submitted by Va'. F.
F. Schnitzer was accepted and the Shoub
property at the southeast corner of William
I] ■;
Ii8
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
and Sandusky Streets was chosen as the site
for the new builchng. and purchased at a cost
of $10,000. The work on the building was
done, at first, under the direct supervision of
the Council, through their committee, but later
a contract was let for its completion. It was
finished in the year i88_\ having cost some-
thing over a hundred thousand dollars, and is
now one of the most commodious and ser-
viceable structures of its kind to be found in
any city of the. size of Delaware, providing as
it does, aside from its beautiful auditorium, a
place for the administration of all the various
departments of the city go\-ernment.
WATER WORKS.
An improvement w hich meant much to the
city \\as the introduction of a system of water
works. In iSSS, The Delaware Water Com-
pany was incorporated by eastern capitalists.
The same year the City Council granted the
company a franciiise for the use of the streets,
and the follov.-ing year the mains were laid,
machinery was installed and the plant was
completed. The water was turned on and the
system was accepted and approved by the city
oji October 30. 1889. Up to the present time
about iiYi miles of water-mains have been
laid, and 256 fire hydrants have been placed.
The water was originally taken from wells in
the gravel flats near the Olentangy-, about
three miles north of the city. Later, four
wells, each 225 feet deep, ■were bored through
the solid rock. Three of these are eight
inches and one is six inches in diameter. Sev-
enty-five or eighty per cent, of all the water
served t(j the people of Delaware comes from
these wells, and it is claimed that not a case of
typoid fever in this city has ever been traced
to this water supply. The plant consists of
two pumping-engines having a daily capacity
'of 2,000,000 gallons each, and an air com-
pressor for forcing water from the deep wells
to the surface. One new 1 50-horsepower
boiler was installed about a year ago. and be-
sides this there are two 75-horsepower boilers.
The steam and pumping- outfit is in duplicate,
one set being always idle, wh'ch insures a
never-failing supply of water. About 9,000
people are served with water. There are
about 1.550 individual services, fifty per cent,
of the water being measured through meters.
Hon. F. ]M. Marriott has been president of the
company for a number of years, and Capt.
C. W. \\'iles has been secretary and superin-
tenden.t since 1S92.
FIRE DEP.XRTMEXT.
No department of the city is characterized
by greater efficiency than that of the fire de-
partment, evolved from the self-constituted or-
ganization of pioneer days. In the infantile
days of Delaware, the fire alarm was a signal
for e\-ery able-bodied citizen to rush forth,
bucket in hand, and do his utmost to put out
the fire, and this continued to be the method
of fighting fires until the middle thirties. In
1834 two engines were purchased by the
Council, small affairs described as "small rec-
tangular boxes, with a pump worked by levers,
at which four men, by crowding could find
room to work." In October, 1834, the Coun-
cil took the first steps in the organization of a
fire department, laying out the city in two dis-
tricts. No. I, of which Flenry ]Moore was made
Captain, including all that part north of Win-
ter Street, and No. 2. captained by Edward
Potter, all south of that street. In each^ a
company was organized to include a captain,
one or two subordinate officers and twenty-
five men, the director of operations at the fires
being the captain whuse engine first arrived
at the scene of action. In 1838 two small
engine houses were erected, one on the south-
west corner of William and Sandusky Streets,
and the other on the Court House lot. In
1846 a large hand-engine of the Hunneman
pattern was purchased for $675, and other
necessary apparatus brought the expenditure
at the time up to S978.50. The Council also
purchased a hose-reel and hook and ladder
truck for $147.58, and these additions to the
departmental equipment necessitating more
room, the west end of the William Street mar-
ket-house v.as fitted up as a fire station. A
fire association was next formed, consisting
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
nrj
of a company organized to take charge of the
new engine, known as the Olentangy Engine
Company ; the Xeptune Hose Company ; the
Rough and Ready Hook and Ladder- Com-
pany ; and the Protection Company, which
worked one of the smaller hajid engines. It
was ofticered l)y a chief engineer and two as-
sistants. The Protection Company disbanded
after a brief existence. Another company
was organized in 1856, Washington Fire
Company Xo. 2, for which a new engine and
hose-reel were purchased, at a cost of Sr,-
1S4.88. In 1S57 two substantial brick struc-
tures were completed at a cost of $1,500, one
on the corner of the parade grounds and the
other at Franklin and X'orth Streets. The
east part of the city made a demand for bet-
ter fire protection, and in 1864 a second-hand
engine was bought of the city of Cleveland for
$800, a company was organized, and a station
erected for the sum of $3,294.76. but the lat-
ter was not completed until in 1868. De-
ceml>er 15, 1870, the city bought a brass-plated
Silsby Rotary engine of the third size, for
which the old market-house was fitted up.
The first fire team was then purchased and
George FI. Aigin appointed engineer. This
was an important step in advancement, and
was followed in 1874 by the purchase of an-
other Sil.sby rotary of the second size. Mr.
Aigin was transferred to the new engine,
known as W. E. Moore, Xo. 2, and W". E.
Kruck became engineer of the old engine.
Delaware X'n. i. The hose-reels, until this
time manned by \"olunteer companies. v\-ere
next replaced by a horse hose-reel, and in
1876 the hook and ladder wagon was fitted
for htrse power. All of the apparatus was
housed in one building, and the company con-
sisted of seventeen men and the chief. The
city fixed the annual appropriation at $3,500.
out of which came the expense of keeping the
teams, and the yearly salaries of two engineers
and two drivers, the others receiving fifty cents
per hour for ser\ice.
The engine-house at City Hall had, when
it was installed, at the time of the building's
erection, two steam fire-engines, a hook and
ladder wagiSii and hose-cart, with four hor-e^.
In 1S95 a new hose-wagon was purchased.
One of the steam engines was replaced with
a chemical in 1885. January i, 1908, Station
Xo. 2, on Potter Street, was completed and
occupied. It is a two-story brick building and
was erected at a cost of $3,767. When the
city purchased the lot on which Station X'd.
2 was built, there was a two-story brick house
there which cost Si. 500, in which two men
belong'ing to the station reside. The water
pressure being 65 pounds, it is not necessary
under ordinary circumstances to use the
steamer, which is kept in reserve.
The last hose-wagon purchased was re-
modelled into a combination hose and chemi-
j cal, and a new combination hose and chemical
I was purchased for Station Xo. i at a cost of
j ST.650. The department now has six head of
I horses and 4,500 feet of hose. There are six
j permanent men in the department and ten
i minute men. C. W. Keiser has been chief
j since October 15, 1906, succeeding C. O.
j Jones, who had been chief for two or three
years previously. Chief Jones" predecessor
was Mont Battenfield, who succeeded E. 'Si.
Heller, whose predecessor was W. E. Moore.
j CEMETERIES.
i
It will be remembered that in laying ou\.
I the town of Delaware, the square Iwundeil by
j X'orth (now Central Avenue), Sandusky.
Winter and Franklin Streets was set apart for
I church purposes, including the cemetery.
i After a short time a change was made in thi>
plan, and lots in different parts of the town
were given to the churches, and the square
originally set off was utilized for building pur-
poses. A few burials were made in the lot
now occupied by the Court House and Library,
then known as Briar Hill, but on April 4, 181 1,
a part of lot X'o. 5, situated on the southeast
corner of X'orth and Sandusky Streets, was
sold to the trustees as a burying ground, for
which they paid S50. This property was not
used as a cemetery, however, the trustees de-
ciding that an acre of ground situated east
of Henry Street, wdiere the railroad now
passes, and owned by Dr. Reuben Lamb was
l)etter suited to their purpose. This was pur-
chased and began to be userl in 1812. The
i-^"i>n;[yi (jv^a
J'
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
foilowing winter am.l spring- a number of sol-
diers were buried tliere. ^[any of the old
settlers were buried there without anything to
mark their graves, and the place ,of their
burial was long ago obliterated. In excavat-
ing for the railroad, all vestiges of remains
were taken up and reburied in the later ceme-
tery just north of the old one.
About 1S20 an association was formed
whicii purchased about two acres of ground
adjoining the old cemetery on the north, and
this was added to from time to time until it
extended to Delaware Run. By 1850, it be-
came necessary to have more ground for burial
purposes. Accordingly, on the 13th of July
in that year, the citizens of Delaware held a
meeting at the Court House for the purpose
of forming a cemetery association. Emery
Aloore acted as chairman and C. C. Chamber-
lain as secrelarv. A committee composed of
Dr. R. Hills, C. C. Chamberlain. D. F. Mc-
Cullough, James Eaton and B. Powers, was
appointed to inr|uire into the wisdom of en-
larging the cemetery in Henry Street or se-
lecting a new location. After giving the mat-
ter most careful consideration they reported in
favor of purchasing the Kilbourn farm, which
was located about a mile south of the central
part of the cillage, on the west side of the
river road. This property extended about
eighty rods on tlie road, and was about one
hundred rods from east to west. The surface
is undulating, alx)unding in situations which
make it admirably adapted to the purpose.
A little rivulet runs through the northern part
of the grounds from east to west, reaching out
its branches into all parts of the tract.
After the committee had made its report,
T. W. Powell presented articles of association.
the name of the association to be "The Oak
Grove Cemetery Association." C. Piatt was
appointed clerk of the assix:iation. The articles
of association were signed by the following
gentlemen : C. Hills, R. A. Jones, Judge T.
\V. Powell, George F. Stavman, C. Piatt, E.
Moore, S. Rheems. A. A. Welch. H. Williams,
G. W. Campbell, G. W. Little, W. S. Little.
M. L. Griffin. G. W. Stark. H. \'an Horn, A.
Welch, Judge S. Finch. The constitution and
by-laws were drafted by Dr. Hills. B. Powers,
and James Eaton. The following gentlemen
were appointed trustees: Messrs. Dr. Flills.
I Eaton, McCullough, Chamberlain and C. Hills.
! Of these, Dr. Hills was the first president; C.
j Piatt, clerk; B. Powers, treasurer; James
Eati.n, surveyor; D. F. McCullough, agent,
and Samuel Parks, superintendent.
[ The impressive ceremony of dedication was
held in the grove, in the northwestern portii^n
of the grounds, Thursday morning. July 20.
185 1. The day was beautiful, and the con-
course of citizens large and attentive. The
first burial in the cemetery was on the dav of
dedication, immediately after the ceremonies
of the occasion. An amiable old lady. ]^Irs.
McCracken, who had lived just her allotted
time of three score years and ten. was thus
fitly appointed by Providence to lead in "the
way of all flesh." The cemetery failed to be
self-supporting, and after a conference be-
tween the trustees and the City Council,' it
was unanimously decided to deed the cemetery
to the city. This was done on May 25. 1863.
j The management and supervision of the
! cemetery was placed in the hands of the follow-
ing named gentlemen from 1S63 to 1SS7:
1 Benjamin Powers. 1863 to 1864; James
Eaton, 1864 to 1868; Benjamin Powers,
1S68 to 1870; J. A. Clippinger, iSjo.to 1872:
W. T. Watson, B. T. Bell.^ J. S. Cox. 1S72;
Jas. L. Slough, — Albright. J. S. Cox.
1S73; Jas. L. Slough. L D. \'an Deman. F.
Kurrley, 1874; W. T. \\'atson. J. R. Lytle. B.
I Loofbourrow. 1875; George Clarke. ^1. C.
I Eroderick, F. Kurrlev. 1876; Silas Peirson.
[ Geo. Clarke, R. X. Tones, 1877; \\'. T. Wat-
I son, J. H. Pumphrev, R. \\'. Revnolds. 1S78;
I W. T. Watson, T. ^I. Bvers. S. B. Weiser.
1879; S. B. Weiser. R. W. Reynolds. S.
Hutchinson, 1880; N. Wagner, R' W. Rev-
nolds, T. M. Bvers. 1881 ; X. Wagner. T. M.
Byers, E. Highwarden, 1882; X. Wagner. T.
M'. Bvers, John Firtch, 1883; X. Wagner, T.
M. Byers, Jacob Klee, 1S84: X. Wagner. M.
P. Hunt. John Firtch. 1885; X. Wagner. :M.
I P. Hunt. Philip Lacher, 1886.
I In 1878 the handsome front gate was
j erected at a cost of $500 by private subscrip-
,1 -v:-T^i ::e'.:-;i_.' J" •?^::^
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
tion, through the instrumentality of B. W.
Brown and J. H. Pumplirey.
In April, 1887, Mayor Henri E. Buck or-
dered an election of cemetery trustees in ac-
cordance with tlie revised statutes. Section
25 iS. The election took place April 4, 18S7.
The following gentlemen were elected: V.
T. Hills, for three years; John \V, Watkins,
for two years; H. J. ^McCullougli, for one
year.
The board organized at the office of the
city clerk on April Stli, when the following
officers were elected : President, H. J. Mc-
Cullough; treasurer, V. T. Hills; secretary,
Matt. H. Wagner.
The superintendent, J. J. Reeder, who had
charge of the grounds for twenty-four years,
resigned, and the trustees appointed superin-
tendent, David Grinton.
The following trustees have held office
since— 1888. V. T. Hills, J. W. Watkins,
Isaac Wachter; 18S9. V. T. Hills. Frank
Burns, Isaac Wachter; 1890, Frank Eurn^,
Isaac Wachter, R. J. Cox; 1891, James R.
Lytle. F. Burns, R. J. Cox; 1892, Geo. Clarke,
James R. Lytle, R. J. Cox; 1893, Geo. Clarke,
James R. Lytle, R. J. Cox; 1894, R. J. Cox,
Dr. E. M. Hall, Geo. Clarke; 1895. Dr. E. M.
Hall, Geo. Clarke, R. J. Cox; 1896, Dr. E.
M. Hall, Geo. Clarke, R. J. Cox; 1897, Dr. E.
M. Hall, Geo. Clarke, R. J. Cox; 1898, Dr. E.
M. Hall, Geo. Clarke, R. J. Cox; 1899. Dr. E.
M. Plall, R. J. Cox, D. D. Beck; 1900. Dr. E.
M. Hall. R. T. Cox, D. D. Beck: 1901, Dr. E.
M. Hall. R. T. Cox. D. D. Beck: 1902. Dr. E.
M. Hall. R.'l. Cox, Dr. C. G. Lewis; 1^03,
Dr. E. y[. Hall, R. J. Cox. Dr. C. G. Lewis.
In 1S91 the trustees started condemnation
proceedings on a tract of land comprising alxjut
fifty acres adjoining the cemetery on the west,
and extending through to Liberty Road. Title
to this property was acquired in 1893. I'^'*^
following year a stone chapel and vault was
erected and dedicated. In 1901 the bodies
that had been buried in the old cemetery on
Henry Street were removed to Oak Grove
Cemetery.
On ^Nlay 4, 1903, the trustees were legis-
lated out of office and the cemetery was turned
over to the Board of Public Service. On Au-
gust 31, 1905, the lot owners held a meeting
at the First National Bank, at which were
present: R. W. Reynolds, J. D. VanDeman,
R. J. Cox, George H. Waldo, J. J. Shur and
D. H. Battenfield. ^Mr. Reynolds was chosen
chairman and yh. Battenfield secretary. As a
■ result of this meeting a corporation under the
name of The Oak Grove Cemetery Company
was formed. On February 13, 1906, the fol-
lowing gentlemen were elected trustees : Dr.
E. M. Hall, president: Dr. C. G. Lewis, vice-
president ; George W. Powers, treasurer : D.
Grinton, secretary and business manager. On
February 19th of the same year, the cem.etery
was turnerl over by the Board of Public Ser-
vice to these trustees.
■oil. .,^
chafti:e VI.
TFLANSPORTATION FACILITIES.
Early Roads and Stage Coaches — Turnpikes — Proposed Canal— Tlic Railroad Era — First
Successful Railroad— Other Railroad Enterprises — Railroad Shops Located i)i Dela-
-ware — Electric Railzeays.
For the first few years after the pioneers
from Xew England landed in what is now the
State of Ohio, they were so fully occupied in
providing for their immediate needs that the
question of roads could receive no attention.
In 1795 Governor St. Clair wrote to the ofti-
cials at Washington, "There is not a road in
the country." Broad tracks must have been
made, however, by the various military expe-
ditions passing between Cincinnati and jNIad
River on one route and out to the ^^laun'.ee on
others. One of the earliest internal improve-
ments by the United States Government was
the road for the mail route between Wheeling
and Limestone. This was built by Ebenezer
Zane, of Wheeling, and was known as "Zane's
Trace." He received three sections of land
along the route as pay. Isaac Shaffer, the
grandfather of our esteemed citizen, Rev. J.
F. Shaffer, assisted Zane in surveying this
road, and it was he who suggested to Zane
that the little settlement of a half dozen fami-
lies from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, be
called Xew Lancaster. Zane adopted the sug-
gestion, and the town was called Xew Lan-
caster until 1845, when the Legislature passed
an act dropping "X'ew." So far as we know,-
this is the first time this fact has been re-
corded in history, and Dr. Shaffer, who was
told the facts by his grandfather, is our au-
thority.
This and the other roafls built in these
early days were not much like the crushed-
I stone pikes of the present day. Mud was then
the only top dressing of the roads — often of
tmknown depth, though of well known ad-
hesi\'e qualities. Goods were very high, and
none but the most common and necessary mer-
chandise was brought here. This had to be
packed on mules from Detroit, or wagoned
from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, thence down
the Ohio River in flat boats to the mouth of
the Scioto, and then packed or hauled to its
destination in the interior. The freight was
enormous, often costing $4.00 a hundred
pounds.
E.\RLY ST.\GE CO.\CHES.
j It was a great event when, on May 8, 18 17,
j a stage coach began to run between Columbus
and Chillicothe. The fare to Circleville was
$1.25, and to Chillicothe, $2. 00. Way pas-
sengers paid six cents a mile. As early as
1820, a line of four-horse stage coaches ran
between Columbus and Mt. Vernon, passing
through Galena and Sunbury, making the half-
way stop at the latter point. The coaches met
daily at Galena, and for that point this was the
great event of the day. This was the main
artery that connected the Berkshire settlement
with the outside world, and the appearance of
the passengers, the change of mails, and the
marvelous stories of the drivers, afforded
abundant material for gossip. The coaches
were of the regulation pattern, so often seen
'7 }i3T'i .^i:y
I. i' ■/•uo-'.iii/lA.n'
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-;if;M 51,
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
123
in old prints. Tliey were painted a fawn color,
ornamented with red. The l.«)dy was swung
high above the wheels on heavy leather springs,
so that every lurch of the coach seemed to
threaten sure destruction to the pa?>engers.
•Azel and David Ingham were the noted Jehus
of that line, and their exploits were the theme
of mnny a thrilling story told about the roar-
ing fireplace of the settler's cabin. At times,
the road was cut up so as to be almost impas-
sible, and the theory of the drivers seemed to
be to gain sutticient momentum in rushing into
these ruts to carry the coach out of them at the
other end. The result of this theory to the
passenger can better be imagined than de-
scribed, and was endured with a patience not
handed down to the modern traveler. A tale
is told of a driver who was given to drinking,
and when "under the influence" was inclined
to give an exhibition of his skill by some fool-
hardy driving. One moonlight night, having
someone on the box with him whom he wished
to frighten, he whipped his team into a full
gallop, and, taking to the Avoods beside the
road, wound in and out among the trees and
then to the roadway again without a mishap,
enjoying as only such a character can the ter-
rified expression of his companion. In 1S30,
-fare by the coach on the old mud pike was
seven cents a mile from Columbus through
Delaware to Portland — now" the city of San-
dusky. A journey to Cincinnati or an eastern
city \vas talked of, planned and dreaded for
weeks ahead. Friends came to bid the traveler
a tearful good-bye and wish him God speed.
As late as 1845, ^^^ coach w^as sixteen hours on
the way from Columbus to Delavvare. The
poor male passenger was happy if lie could re-
tain his seat the whole way; often he would
have to walk and carry a rail to pry the coach
out of the mud. Once, a traveler appeared in
town, several hours in advance of the coach,
carrying his trunk on his back. When asked
why he did not come by the coach, he replied
that he was "willing to pay his passage and
walk, but I'll be hanged if I will pay my fare,
walk, carry a rail all the way, and help to pr\-
the coach out of the mud." It took Delaware
citizens three or four days to reach Cleveland
or Cincinnati or Pittsburg, while Toledo was
blockaded by the mud for months of the year.
Lots of money was lost or won in betting on
the speed of the horses and the time that would
be made between different villages.
TURNPIKES.
The first charter issued by the Legislature
to a turnpike company to build a macadamized
road, running through the central part of Ohio
from north to south, was dated February 8,
1832. Nearly one-half of this turnpike from
Columbus to the Lake was over the route now
traversed by the interurban electric line. The
Radnor plank road, twelve miles long, was
built in 1855; the Delaware and Worthington
pike in 1868; the Delaware and Sunbury pike
in 1870. and the Delaware and Marys ville pike
in 1 87 1. These four roads were toll roads, a
total of thirty-three miles in lengtli. The
Delaware and Troy pike was built in 1S69,
and the Ashley and Delhi in 1870, and were
free.
PROPOSED CANAL.
The subject of canals early agitated the
people of the State. In this movement, how-
ever, the people of Delaware took but little
part. On February 5, 1840, at "early candle
lighting," a meeting was held at the Cottrt
House to talk canal news — to talk about build-
ing a canal from this town to Lake Erie.
Speeches were made and considerable enthu-
siasm on the subject was evinced, but nothing
practical ever came of it.
THE RAILROAD ERA.
Ohio was not far behind the older eastern
states in inaugurating its railroad era. The
first steam railroad in the world was that built
by George Stephenson in England about 1825.
The first railroad in the United States was built
j the following year in Quincy, Alassachusetts.
i This was merely a horse-car line, and was usel
I only to haul granite from the nearby quarries.
' In 1830, the Baltimore &; Ohio railroad com-
>{ u/:/
rnn.-i. \S
124
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
nienceJ a line extending westward from Bal-
timore. Somewhere between 1830 and 1835,
the old Sandusky & Mansfield road was com-
menced in this State; Sandusky and Cincinnati
being the terminal point as originally planned.
The Little Miami was the next road. About
this time we find the citizens of Delaware tak-
ing considerable interest in several railroad
enterprises, some of which were never car-
ried out. We quote the following from the
Ohio State Gazette under date of July 5, 1S32 :
■"At a meeting of Railroad Commissioners,
held at Springfield, of the Mad River & Lake
Erie R. R. Co., books were ordered to be
opened at Delaware by Ezra Griswold and
Solomon Smith, and at ^Marion by Geo. H.
Busby and Hezekiah Gordon, in addition to
places mentioned in last meeting." A resolu-
tion was passed, asking Messrs. Vance, Finlay,
Grain, Cook and Corwin. who were then mem-
bers of Congress from the sections of the State
through which the road was to pass, to "re-
quest of the I'resident of the United States an
engineer to make a survey, etc." In the same
paper of November 14, 1833, is the following
statement: "It appears from statements in
New York papers that the stock-books were
closed without the requisite amount of stock
being taken in eastern cities, and the New
York Advertiser expresses a doubt as to
"whether the great work will be accom-
plished."
At a much later date other railroad enter-
prises were promoted but never completed.
One of these was called the Newark, Delaware
& Northwestern. At one timethe prospects of
completing the road seemed quite proi-iising.
Counties and people along. the proposed route
subscribed liberally to the stock. Delaware
Township subscribed for $100,000 worth of
stock by a vote of 735 to fifty-six. On Sep-
tember 5, 1872, a meeting of this Company,
was held at Ottawa, Putnam County, at which
4,150 shares of stock of $50 each was repre-
sented. The meeting therefore proceeded to
the election of directors, among whom was J.
C. Evans, of Delaware, who v.as also elected
president of the Board. Measures were taken
to secure a favorable vote in each township
through which the proposed road was to pass.
All interest in the venture suddenly died out,
just why, no one seemed to know.
The Lebanon &: Nenia Railroad was an-
other of the "paper railroads" that never gut
beyond the promotion stage. Starting at Nenia,
it v,-as proposed to run the road through Dela-
wre. Mount Gilead and Alansheld to some
point at or near the mouth of the Cuyalioga
River.
FIRST SVCCF.SSFUL RAILROAD. -',
The first railroad venture that proved a
success in this part of the State, and one which
especially interested the citizens of Delaware
County was that running between Cleveland
and Columbus, later known as the "Cleveland,
Columbus. Cincinnati & Indianapolis Rail-
way ;"' popularly called the "Bee Line," or the
"Three C's and I." This became a part of
the "Big Four" system, January i, 1890. The
question of building this road was discussed as
early as 1835, and on March _i4th of the fol-
lowing year, a charter was granted "for the
purpose of constructing a railroad from the
city of Cleveland through the city of Colum-
bus and the town of Wilmington to Cincinnati.
Before the work was begun, a number of
amendments were made to the charter, among
them one that relieved the company of any ol>
ligation to "construct its road through or to
any particular place." Engineers and survey-
ors ran several lines between Cleveland and
Columbus, and for some time it was undecided
v.-hether to run the road through Delaware
or Alt. Vernon. Work on the road was com-
menced in 1848, and it was finally decided to
run the road through this county, provided the
county would subscribe $100,000, in addition
to the amount that would be subscribed for in-
dividually. This proposition did not, at first,
meet with popular approval; many of the citi-
zens who resided at considerable distance from
the proposed line of the road reasoned that
they could receive little, if any, benefit from it,
and therefore they should not be taxed to help
build a railroad which would be almost beyond
their reach. At a meeting which was held at
/.'■,fi^ Vs i.
I :.'.•
■■■■• iMM J),;;
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
the Delaware Court Plouse to consider the
matter, Judge T. W. Powell made a proposi-
tion that the commissioners on the part of the
county, subscribe the required amount, and
that the people who felt interested in the suc-
cess of the enterprise should give mortgages
on their individual property to indemnify the
county for any loss that might occur. This
prop<3>ition was agreed to, and the commission-
ers subscribed $100,000 on behalf of the
county, and at the some time, individuals sub-
scribed for about the same amount. While
this brought the road through Delaware
County, it did not pass through the city of
Delaware, as it now does. The original route
lay on a straight line through Oxford, Brown,
Berlin and Orange Townships, but passing to
the east of Delaware Township. In 1851. they
began to run trains over the line. In order to
secure tlie subscription from the people of
Delaware, they had been promised that a con-
nection would be made with the city by a curve
Lir arm. At that time the citizens of Colum-
bus, who were watching Delaware with a jeal-
ous eye, did everything in their power to pre-
vent the road coming to this city. President
Kelly was finally prevailed upon to fulfill this
part of the contract and came to Delaware to
learn whether the people preferred that the
connection be made by means of an arm or a
curve. The curve was chosen and built, and
then — only one train a day, an "accommoda-
tion." passed through Delaware, all "through"'
trains continuing to run on the direct route,
three miles out of the city, as before. Finally
the officials of the road .woke up to the fact that
the four or five hundred •students attending
Ohio Wesleyan UiuversiLy at Delaware made
several trips over the road each year, and con-
cluded that it might be worth while to cater
for their patronage and that of the other resi-
dents of that city. Then a regular passenger
train was sent over the curve daily, and this
was soon followed by all passenger trains,
leaving the direct track for "through" freights.
Finally, the track between the extreme ends
of the curve, a distance of about three miles,
was taken up, and all the traffic passed through
Delaware. It is interesting to note that the
first passenger train that came into the city '
of Delaware' brought Louis Kossuth, the dis-
tinguished Hungarian exile, who .accepted the |
invitation of the city of Delaware to make a !
short stop here on his way from Cleveland to
Columbus. It was not until some time after j
the completion of this road that it became a i
part of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & j
Indianapolis Railway.
OTHER RAILROAD ENTERPRISES.
In 1S50, a movement was started to build
a railroad from Springfield to I\It. Vernon via
Delaware. The following quotation from the
Olcnfangy Gazette of April 25, 1851, gives an
excellent account of the early work in connec-
tion with this venture : "The directors of the
Springfield & [Mansfield Railroad Company,
accompanied by a corps of engineers, have
been in this place and neighborhood for several
days past, exploring the countn,- and making
the preliminary surveys, preparatory to locat-
ing the road through the county. The sur-
veys show the county to be admirably adapted
to the construction of a road, and that it will
be speedily built may be regarded as a fixed
fact. A single glance at the map will show the
vast importance of the work. At Springfield,
it will connect with two roads to Cincinnati
and one to the lake, and by reducing the dis-
tance from the river to the lake so as to make
the route over this road considerably shorter
than any other route can be, it will defy all
competition for through travel. At this place,
it will unite with the Cleveland and Colum-
bus road, and on the east, at ;\It. Vernon, with
the Pennsylvania & Ohio road, now being con-
structed west through Pennsylvania and this
State to Indianapolis. It must necessarily be a
very important road, and the stock cannot but
pay well." The Gazette in its June 13th issue,
printed the following under the head of
"Springfield & Delaware Railroad:" "On Sat-
urday last, a vote of Delaware Township to
take $25,000 stock in the above road, was de-
cided in the affirmative by 303 votes for and
thirteen against it. A meeting was held at the
Court House on Wednesday night, for the pur-
pose of discussing the proposed subscription on
the part of the of the county to the Springfield
[26
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
iS: Delaware Railroad. After remarks by Pow-
ell and •Little of Delaware, and Whitley of
Springfield, in favor of subscription, the fol-
lowing resolution was oftered by Powell, and
passed with but three dissenting votes:
'Resolved, That, in the opinion of this meet-
ing, it is expedient ti:> vote a county subscrip-
tion of $50,000.' ■' A few days later, the of-
ficers and directors of the Springfield & Mans-
field Railroad and the promoters of a proposed
rc)ad between' ]\It. Vernon and Loudonville.
and ]\Ir. Roberts, the chief engineer of the
Ohio & Pennsylvania road, representing the
directors of that Company, held a meeting in
Delaware, and consolidated the Springfield &
^Mansfield and Alt. A^'ernon & Loudonville Com-
panies into one company for the construction
of a railroad through ]^larysville, Delaware,
Alt. A''ernon and Loudonville, where it \vould
intersect the Ohio & Pennsylvania road. On
]\lay II, 1869, this consolidation was incor-
porated as "The Pittsburg, ]Mt. Vernon, Co-
lumbus & Louden Railroad Company." A large
and enthusiastic meeting was held on the
evening of this day at the Court House in
Delaware, where speeches were made by Judge
Powell, General Anthony, and Mr. Roberts,
tlie engineer. As a result, Delaware County
voted a subscription of $50,000. and Delaware
Township subscribed $25,000 to the venture.
The paper on October 17th, stated that the en-
gineers had permanently located the route be-
tween Marysville and Delaware. The bridge
over the Olentangy at Delav.are was built in
1S53, and the road was completed early in
1854. For a number of years after its com-
pletion, this road was called the Springfield,
Delaware & Mt. Vernon Railroad. That part
of the old grade from the city of Delaware to
Centerburg has never been completed. The
grade between Centerburg and Mt. Vernon
was sold to the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon & Co-
lumbus Railroad, and is now part of the Cleve-
land, Akron & Columbus road. The unfinished
portion above referred to was graded and
ready for laying down the ties, when the com-
pany became involved in financial reverses,
which made it necessary to sell the road. The
Cleveland & Columbus Railroad purchased it
in January, 1862, for $134,000. A number of
years after this, it was consolidated with the
Cincinnati &: Dayton road, thus giving a more
direct route to Cincinnati than by way of Co-
lumbus. This change in route made it possi-
ble to connect directly with the road running
to Indianapolis via Gabon and Bellefontaine.
It was in this way that the road came to be
called the "Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati &
Indianapolis Railway."
Its report to the railroad commission in
1868 shows that the road had twenty-fi\'e sta-
tions, nine engine-houses and shops, forty-tive
engines, about 800 cars of all kinds and 1.3 15
employes. The main line had 138 miles of
track, and the Springfield branch fifty miles.
Average cost of the road, $34,000 per mile.
R.\ILR0.\D SHOPS LOC.XTED IN DEL.\W'ARE.
A movement was started in the early 50's
by the people of Delaware to have the shops
and offices of the Springfield, Delaware & ]Mt.
Vernon Railroad located here. The company
sent a representative here to solicit subscrip-
tions to enable the company to erect shops and
build cars here. The county subscribed $50,-
000 to this enterprise, and a similar amount
was raised in three of the townships, besides a
liberal subscription by individuals. Nothing
was done, however, until after the consolida-
tion of the Springfield, Delaware & Mt. Verngn
and Cleveland & Columbus roads. The new
company agreed to locate th.' shops, offices and
dejxDt buildings of the road at Delaware if the
city would pay S35.000 towards the expense
of erecting the buildings. This was agreed to ;
the money was paid and the railroad company
erected large brick buildings, in which they
established fully equipped shops. In 1901, a
new and larger roundhouse was built on the
site of the former roundhouse, and in 1904, a
brick boilershop was erected, 55 by 70 feet in
dimensions, part of which is two stories high.
Including all departments, there are now about
325 men employed in the shops, and this does
not take, into account the large number of train-
men and other employes who make their home
in Delaware. The company was not so prompt
in erecting the depot buildings which had been
— -.-q
-■;> --J li .-'.iiv-
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
\2^
agreed upon, and it \vas not until 1S65 or '66
that they were put up.
The Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Rail-
road enters Delaware County at the north-
eastern corner of Trenton Township, where it
has two stations, Condit and Big Walnut, and
runs in a southwesterly direction through Sun-
bury and Galena, passing into Genoa Town-
ship about midway of its nortliern lioundary,
and thence in a direction a little west or south
to Franklin County. This road was incorpor-
ated March 17, 1851, as the Akron branch of
the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad. This was
a separate and distinct company, organized to
build a railroad from Hudson, Ohio, to con-
nect with the present Pittsburg, Fort Wayne &
Chicago Railroad. On November i, 1S69, it
received by assignment from the Pittsburg,
Mount Vernon, Columbus & Loudon Railroad
Company, all that portion of the Springfield,
Mount Vernon & Pittsburg Railroad extend-
ing east from Delaware through IMount Ver-
non in the direction of Alillershurg. .\s al-
ready stated in this chapter, the part of this
roadbed which lies between Delaware and Cen-
terburg was never made use of. The present
line of road was completed and trains began
running over it in the early winter of 1S72.
The railroad which is now commonly
called the "Hocking Valley" was originally in-
corporated on ]May 28, 1S72, by a number of
Columbus men. under the name of '"The Co-
lumbus & Toledo Railroad," The line of the
road was permanently located in the fall of
1873. I" Liberty Township, which the road
enters on the south, it has two stations, Powell
and Hyatts. It passes through the western
part cf the city of Delaware, and runs in a
northwesterly direction across the southwest
corner of Troy Township, where it has a sta-
tion, and on through Radnor Township to
Marion County. The station in Radnor Town-
ship is about a mile east of the village, and is
known as Meredith. It was intended, origi-
nally, to run the road due north from Dela-
ware, but the purchase of $10,000 worth of
stock by Radnor citizens influenced the com-
pany to run the road through their township.
The road was begun Novemijer 17, 1876.
and was fully completed in July, 1877. The
work of construction had progressed so well,
that the company, in response to urgent re-
quests of stockholders and business men, be-
gan, on January 10, 1S77, to run trains over
the road between Columbus and Marion.
On August 20, iSSi^ this company and the
Ohio & West Virginia Railway Company were
consolidated with the Hocking Valley Railroad
Comany, under the name, of the Columbus
Hocking Valley & Toledo Railway Company.
Ever since the consolidation, the company has
struggled against heavy indebtedness and
much litigation, with great reduction in the
value of its stock, and difficulty in meeting the
interest on its bonded debt. The result was
the appointment of a receiver of the company
on February 28. 1897, by order of the United
States Circuit Court for the Southern District
of Ohio.
In the late 70' s, a road, known as the At-
lantic & Lake Erie Railroad, was surveyed be-
tween Pomeroy on the Ohio River and Toledo.
As originally planned, the road was to pass
through Newark, 'Sit. Gilead and Bucyrus, the
object being to develop the coal fields through
■which it passes in the counties south of New-
ark. It was completed south of that point and
ecpaipped with rolling stock, but for a long time
it looked as if that portion of the road which
runs through Delaware County on 'north
would never be built. It was completed, how-
ever, in the early So's. It crosses the north-
east corner of Porter Township, where it has
one station, Peerless. The Toledo & Ohio
Central, as the road is now called, does not
run througli Newark, but passes a few miles to
the west, through Central City.
The present line of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road running through Delaware County was
originally known as the Columbus & Sandusky
Short Line Railroad. It enters the county on
the north a little west of Norton, in }iIarlbor-
ough Township, and runs southeast through
Troy Township, where it has a flag station,
Troyton, and on to Delaware. From this city
the road runs southeast . through Berlin and
Orange Townships to Franklin County. There
is one station, Gregory, in Berlin Township,
and two stations, Lewis Center and Orange, in
Orange Township. The original promoter of
'! ' ) ■r-^T.x rx/iv.!;, ^-<^ ci/:/,
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
this ruad was \V. E. Guerin. a citizen of Co-
luinbi:
who married
Delaware ladv,
daughter of R. W. Reynolds. The present
station in Delaware was built in the WHUter of
i8g2-'q;^. and the first through train passed
through the city on April 15, 1S93, although
during the first part of that month locals be-
tween Delaware and Marion had been run, but
not on scliedule.
Later this road was re-organized, and took
in a line running into Zanesville. known as The
Columbus, Sandusky & Hocking Railroad,
\vhich name the new organization adopted.
Almost from the beginning this railroad
venture was beset with financial difficulties,
and before the Pennsylvania Company took
over the road, it had been in the hands of re-
ceivers four times. In 1893. the year, of the
panic, business was very light. After the con-
solidation with The Columbus, Sandusky &
Hocking Railroad, a heavy expense for re-
pairs was incurred, and the road became so em-
barrassed, financially, that it went into the
hands of a receiver. This was four years after
the consolidation. The receivership lasted nine
months, and Mr. Guerin was again appointed
president. The road struggled along for an-
other eighteen months, and then went into the
hands of another receiver, and so things con-
tinued getting into the hands of a receiver and
getting out, like the freedom, debt and jail ex-
perience of :\Iicavvber, until the Pennsylvania
System purchased the road in November,
I go 2.
ELECTRIC K.VILWAYS.
Early in I'JOt,. the Delaware &: Magnetic
Springs Railway Company was incorporated to
build an electric railway from the intersection
of the west line of the city of Delaware with a
public highway known as the Radnor Pike,
through Delaware and L'nion Counties to
Magnetic Springs. March 31, 1903. the fran-
chise of the Union Electric Railway Company
to build such a road was transferred to this
corporation, and soon afterward the work of
building the road was begun. It runs \vest
from Delaware, through the southern part of |
Radnor Township, crossing the Scioto River i
I at the famous old Broad ford, and thence
I across the southern end of Thompson Town-
ship to Magnetic Springs in Union County.
The power-house in Thompson Township was
built at this time. On June 23, 1904, the first
car was run over the road from ilagnetic
Springs to the intersection of the Radnor and
Troy pikes just outside Delaware city limits.
It seems that the Railway Company and the
city of Delaware have never been able to
agree on the terms of a franchise which would
allow the road to enter the city o\er. its o\\ n
tracks: however, since September, 1905, the
company has had an arrangement with the Co-
lumbus, Delaware & itarion Railway Company,
by which their cars enter the city over the
tracks of the latter company.
On October 15, 1906. the Delaware & INIag-
netic Springs Railway Company and the Rich-
wood & iSIagnetic Springs Railway Companv
were consolidated unde.r the name of The Co-
kuTibus, }vlagnetic Springs and Northern Rail-
way. This comi>any now owns about eighteen
and one-half miles of track, which, with power-
house and rolling stock, represents an invest-
ment of about $250,000. While it has not
been successful as a financial venture, the road
is destined to fill an important place in the net-
work of electric lines which is rapidly over-
spreading this section of the State.
Delaware Electric Street Railway Com-
pany. — On November 16, 1891, the City Coun-
cil passed an ordinance granting a franchise
lor a street railway in Delaware to James K.
Newcomer. The Delaware Electric Street
Railway Company was incorporated ^Mav 31,.
1892, with a capital stock of $60,000, the par
value of the shares being $100 each. The
names of the following gentlemen appear as
incorporators : James K. Newcomer, Captain
Velores T. Hills, Hon. John L. VanDeman.
Beverly W. Brown, William A. Hall. C. Rid-
dle, Hon. Frank M. Marriott, Robert G. Lv-
brand. Harvey J. AlcCullough, Henry A.
Welch and Colonel James M. Crawford.' The
company was organized on June 6. 1892, at
which time, the following Board of Directors
was elected: V. T. Hiik, J. D. VanDeman.
James K. Newcomer. C. Riddle. W. A. Hall,
F. .M. ^larriott, B. W. Brown, H. J. ^vIcCul-
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
longh and R. G. Lybrand. The following of-
ficers were then elected : President , J. K.
Newcomer; vice-president, T- D. VanUeman;
treasurer, V. T. Hills ; secre'tary, W- A. Hall ;
uianager, J. jM. Crawford.
Bids to build the road were called for, and
in order to keep the money in Delaware, Colonel
Crawford put in a bid, which was twenty per
cent lower than an_\ ot'ier. Work upon tr.e
road was started the same month, and by the
following December, the North Belt hne was
cotnpleted, also the line from the Hocking Val-
ley station to the Big Four station, and the
line to Greenwood Lake. The Soiith Belt Hne
was not completed until 1894. The road, in-
cluding rolling stock and power plant equip-
ment, cost about SSo.ooo. The money for this
enterprise was all furnished by Delaware citi-
7en5, and the labor of building the road was all
performed by home people. Th.e \enture has
never been a success from a financial stand-
point. After a time it went into the hands of
a receiver, John A. Cc^ne be'mg apfx^inted to
that position. On July 30, 1898, the road was
sold bv order of the court, the purchasers be-
ing B.'W. Brown, F. :\I. ^larriott, F. P. Hills
and John A. Shoemaker. The purchase price
was S 1 3.525, These gentlemen con.tinued to
operate the road until 2vlarch 20, 1902, when it
was sold to Jolm G. A\'ebb. who purchased it
for the C, D. & ]M. Railway, of which he was
president. The consideration was S50.000.
The hrst cars were run over the tracks of the
Delaware Electric Street Railway in Novem-
ber. 1892. ^Ir, Newcomer had charge of the
road for the first month, after which Colonel
Crawford managed tlic road for a short period.
The Columbus, Delaware & I\Iarion Rail-
way Company. There were exciting times
when the Columbus, Delaware &■ Marion Elec-
tric Railway Company and the Columbus,
Delaware & Northern Railway Company be-
gan to secure consents for an interurban line be-
tween Columbus and [Marion, Their rights of
way for considerable distances, where secured,
were parallel, and it was at a most opportune
moment that the "C. D. & M.." as the com-
pany is miw popularly called, appeared on the
scene and purchased the rights and franchises
of the two competing companies, and began to
build the road. In entering the county, the
road crosses the southwestern corner of Or-
ange Township, and runs a little west of north
in almost a straight line, about midway be-
tween the Hocking \'alley and Pennsylvania
Railroads, through Liberty and Delaware
Townships to the city of Delaware; thence it
runs in a northwesterly direction, paralleling
the tracks of the Hocking Valley Railroad,
tlirough Delaware, Troy and Radnor Town-
ships to Marion Copnty, The first car began
running between Columbus and " Delaware in
September, 1902, and about a year later the
line was completed to Marion. The old paper
mill at Stratford was purchased and rebuilt for
a power-house. In 1903 a spacious building
was erected adjoining die power house.
In addition to cardiarn facilities, this
building contains a fully equipped ma-
j chine-shop, blacksmith-shop, carpenter-shop
and paint-shop, where all the repair work of the
j company is done. This Stratford property of
j the company represents an investment of prob-
I ably $200,000. When the power-plant was es-
j tablished. it was equipped with }^IcIntosh &
Seymour horizontal engines. Init in 1905. a
large steam turbine of 2.000 kilowatt capacity
was installed, and in 1906. an auxiliary turbirie
j of 800 kilowatt capacity was put in. These are
I direct-connected to the generators and are the
! latest type of three-phase generators manufac-
j tured by the General Electric Company. The
j smaller turbine furnishes power at night. The
j plant runs twenty-four hours a day. There is
I a steam-driven exciter of 25 K. W. and a mo-
tor-driven exciter of 75 K. W. There are four-
I teen pumps for various purposes. Steam is
furnished by a battery of seven boilers having
j a total of 2,000 horse-power. Forty-eight tons
I of coal are consumed every day. An alternat-
ing current of 2,300 volts is generated: that
I is stepped up to 19,050 volts and sent to the
i sub-stations at Chaseland, Prospect and 2\Iar-
I ion, where it is stepped down to 370 volts and
[ enters rotary converters where the current is
changed from alternating to direct and raised
from 370 to 600 volts, which is the current
carried by the trolley wire. An average of
about fifty men find employment in the various
departments of the Stratford plant.
■A cr
IJ .;.<;-. ■!.«>'
CKAPTBR. ¥11.
MANUFACTURES.
Mamifactnriiii; Possibilities of Dclazvare County — Early Mills and Mill Machiiicrv — A
Tragic Occurrence — Chair Manufacture — Lumber, Furniture, etc.— -Flour Mills — Dis-
tilleries — Leather — Textile Products — Paper Mills— Oil Enterprises — Foundries, etc.
■ — ArtiUcial Ice — Light, Heat and Poieer — Broo)ns — Evaporated Goods — Clav Pro-
ducts — Cigars — Creauicries — Lime and Sto)ie — Gas ypinufacture.
This has ahvays been an agricultural coun-
ty, and most of the manufacturing enter-
prises that have found firm footing here have
been tiiose whose products consumed the raw
materials that were a\ailable, or contributed to
the needs of an agricultural people. But there
seems to be no reason why manufacturing in-
dustries should not be developed here with
great profit to the county. Located in the geo-
graphical center of Ohio, it has excellent rail-
road facilities, and is within easy reach of all
kinds of raw materials and fuel. Thus far, the
community has been practically free from such
disturbances as originate with the labor agita-
tor. One has only to look at some of our
neighboring counties to see and appreciate the
advantages of inviting and fostering manufac-
turing enterprises; and it would seem un-
necessary' to enumerate the benefis, such as
enlarged markets for farm produce, increased
value of real estate, more business for the mer-
chants, etc., that would accrue to the commun-
ity through a policy of helpful friendliness to-
ward the establishment here of manufacturing
industries. The last few years have witnessed
an awakening in Delaware. The present Com-
mercial Club of Delaware, which numbers
among its members nearly every in^xirtant
business man of the city, is doing all in its
power to develop Delaware as an industrial
center.
E.VRLY MILLS AND MILL MACHINERY.
Such has been the improvement during the
last half century in machinery and methods of
manufacture, that the present and coming
generations must gain their conception of the
primitive mills and methods of pioneer days
from the printed page : and in tracing the de-
velopment of manufacturing in Delaware
County, we believe it will prove interesting, at
the outset, to glance brietly at the conditions
and problems that confronted the early set-
tlers in providing themselves with such neces-
sities as meal, Hour, lumber, leather, cloth, etc.
At first, mills were fifty to seventy-five miles
away, and "going to mill" involved a long
and arduous horse-back ride through trackless
forests and unbridged streams. Usually, it
took about a week to make such a journey, and
as only a small quantity of corn or wheat could
be carried, the busy frontier farmer could not
well afford to sacrifice so much valuable time,
^lany, therefore, contented themselves with
"corn-crackers,"' such as were used by the In-
dians. To make a "corn-cracker" a stump
was cut off level on the top and a large basin
was burned out of it. A nearby sapling was
bent o\er to serve as a spring-pole, and to the
end of this was attached by a piece of grape-
vine a heavy wooden pestle.
:IIY- .^h:
,.ti.jij^u ^^A'^'^ry^J^\l
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
131
As the frontier settlement grew in size,
mills were built at sites offering the best prom-
ise lit [jower, an(,l \vbere dams could be con-
structed with least dit^culty. In those days,
people had little knowledge of the science of
civil engineering, and the dams constructed
were crude affairs, the like of which the people
would not now waste their time in building.
Log pens were constrvicted about six feet
square, roughly locked and pinned together at
the corners. A number of these would be built
across a stream, with short spaces between
them. The pens which were filled with stone,
and thus served as anchors for the dam, were
further strengthened by placing masses of
stone in front of them. Behind the pens, brush
was piled to serve as a support for the earth
which was placed upon it. These structures
oft'ered but little resistance to the dislodging
power of a freshet; they had to be repaired so
often that milling under such conditions was
truly a discouraging business. Before the land
was denuded of it;- virgin forest, the streams
of the county furnished greater and more con-
stant' power than they do now. The power on
the Olentangy, or Whetstone, as it was then
called, at Delaware and at the "Old Stone
JMill" about a mile north of town, was good
nearly all the year, and Cone's mill on the
Scioto River in Thompson Township and the
other mills on the river south of there, had
power sometimes for ten or eleven months in
the year ; but with these exceptions, it is doubt-
ful if there was a location in the ooimty whose
power was available for more than six to eight
months out of twelve.
The machinery in these early mills was as
crude as all else. The mill-stones were made
from large round stones called "nigger-heads,"
such as still abound in the county. A section
was cut from the" middle of one of these "nig-
ger-heads" and split. Furrows were cut in
these stones, radiating from the center. At
the circumference, these furrows were about
three and one-half inches wide and one-half
an inch deep, while at the center of the stone
they were much narrower and of little, if any,
depth. When die stones were in position, one
was revolved to the right and the other to the
j left, thus crushing the corn or other grain fed
! between them. The ignorance of the people
! in thiise times regarding the most elementarv'
laws of physics is indicated by the fact that
their object in cutting these furrows was to
provide a way of escape for the corn or meal.
In actual practice, however, the furrows l>e-
came solidly packed with the grist, and the
j miller was robbed of a very large portion of
I what would have been the grinding surface
! of his buhrs. Some of the "old-timers"' are to
I be found who still contend that the theory was
right, though no furrows are to be found on
modern mill-stones. Such mills as these were
also used at a later time for grinding flaxseed
in the manufacture of oil.
I The sawmills bore no resemblance to those
j of the present time. They were known as "up-
and-down" mills. A long saw-blade, looking
something like the large cross-cut saws now
used for cutting logs and heavy timber by
hand, was fastened in an upright position, the
lower end of the saw being attached to the
side of a wheel, which when it revolved, gave
the saw an up-and-down motion. On each side
of the saw were placed upright stanchions,
made of flat boards, perhaps six inches in
width. These were pushed against tlie sides of
the log and held in place by wedges, the ob-
ject being- to steady the log in its position on
the carriage. The log-carriage was propelled
toward the saw by power, but it had to be re-
turned to the starting point by hand. The
boards were sawed only to within a few inches
of the end of the log. and after all the cuts had
been made, wedges were inserted between the
Ixjards, at the end of the cuts, and these wedges
were driven down, thus splitting that part of
the log remaining uncut. When the circular
saw was introduced, it inspired many dark
forebodings of the disasters which were sure to
follow the starting of its rip-roaring racket,
and that the mills were not torn to pieces and
everyone connected v.'ith them killed was in-
deed a miracle.
While mills were started at a number of
different places in the county at alx)ut the same
time, there seems to be little question that the
' first one was built by Nathan Carpenter in
132
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
1804. This was 011 the Olentangy in Liberty
Township. It was used at first for a sawmill,
but a pair of "nigger-heads" were soon in-
stalled. We do not know just how long this
mill was in commission, but we know that for
several years it was the only mill in the county,
and was a boon to the pioneers in furnishing
them with meal and lumber.
In 1807, Richard Hoskins built tht first
saw mill in Scioto Township, at the m.nuh of
Boke's Creek. He ran it for some years, but
for how long is not known.
The first mill in Berlin Township was built
by Nathaniel Hall in iSoS. It was located on
Alum Creek, near the present Delaware and
Sunbury pike. Probably it was used for saw-
ing lumber as well as for grinding grist. In
1S14, Joseph Lewis built a grist-mill and saw-
mill near Cheshire. Philip Plorshaw settled in
Scioto Township in 1809 and immediately
built tlie first grist-mill. It was located on the
site of the present mill at Warrensburg. This
site has, undoubtedly, the best water-power in
the county, enough to develop 300 horse-pow er.
At present, only one hundred horse power is
used. The piower is constant throughout the
year. The mill has a capacity of fifty barrels
of flour per day. and for the past five years has
been operated by C. K. Cunningham, whose
flour brand is "Triple Star." The mill, wh^"ch
is owned by Frank \\in Brimmer, was remod-
eled and enlarged to its present size of three
stories, many years ago by Fred Decker. The
machinery, however, was installed at a more
recent date.
Colonel Byxbe was alive to the needs of
his new settlement in Delaware, and soon after
coming here, he set about erecting a sawmill
and a grist-mill. A wooden dam was built
across the river at the site of the present dam.
and Erastus Bowe constructed a race from that
point parallel with the river to what' is now-
East Central Avenue, where it emptied into the
river. This race still remains, a monument
to its faithful and skilful builder. The saw-
mill was like others of its time, and likewise
the grist mill, which was located on the race,
south of the sawmill, quite near tri the present
front of the lot on East Central Avenue. In
1S09, C.ilbert Carjjenter, Sr., built a race be-
tween Big and Little Walnut Creeks, near the
present village of Galena, and erected a saw-
mill. About 1810, Nicholas iNIanville built a
grist-mill about half a mile southeast of the
present \illage of Sunbury, and in 1815 he
built a sawmill in connection with it. In 18 18,
Benjamin Carpenter. Jr., built a race between
the two Walnut Creeks a little south of Gilbert
Caqi^^nter, Sr.'s race, and erected a grist-mill.
This mill was in operation for many years,
and was doing good service in the early '8o's.
For some years, the early settlers of Har-
lem Township had to go to Chillicothe for their
milling. The first mill in Harlem was operated
by hand, but it is not known when it was built.
In 181 5 or 1816, a horse-power mill was
started, and not long afterwards, John Budd,
Sr., built the first water-power grist-mill and
sav.-mill. It was located on Duncan Run. Ben-
jamin 'SI. Fairchild also built a saw nn'll and
grist-mill on this Run, and at an early day
Benajah Cook built a sawmill on the same
stream. A saw mill was erected on Spencer
Run at an early day by Colonel D.- Keeler.-
Tlie first mills in Genoa Township were
built by Jeremiah Curtis, on the Big \\'alnut
in. the northern part of the township. After
running the mills a. year or two, Curtis sold
out to Elisha Newell. Fle ran the mill only
a year, and in 1816, he sold it to Hezekiah
Roberts. The dam and the buildings had be-
come undermined and unsafe, so Roberts built
a race across his farm, and erected a three-
story, hewn-log grist-mill, to which he trans-
ferred the running gear and "nigger-heads",
of the old mill. This mill was operated until
1839, when it was destroyed by fire. The
owner at that time was a man named Duncan.
The mill was rebuilt, and soon after was sold
to R. C. Barnum, who was succeeded in own-
ership by Lewis ]\Iahany, who installed a steam
power-plant. After a number of years, busi-
ness began to decline and Mahany sold out to
Mathias Roberts. He shipped the engine and
gearing to Illinois, where he started a new
mill. About 1826 or "27, Squire Sylvester
Hough and Dr. Eleazar Copeland erected a
grist-mill and sawmill down where Yankee
iA'^^ I
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
133
Street crosses the Big Walnut. It was not
long before they were joined by I. S. Carpen-
ter. He induced them to build a brick dry-
house, and installed machinery in the' mill for
breaking flax, which at that time was the prin-
cipal farm product.
A TRAGIC OCCURKEXCK.
Dr. Copeland met his death in a
tragic manner through his connection with
this mill. W'e quote the following ac-
count of the sad aft'air; ''During a continuance
of low water, there had accumulated a great
many logs about the mill. A sudden and heavy
rairi having raised the water in the creek, the
logs were floated oft, and began going down
stream in the current. ^Irs. Copeland, notic-
ing this fact, suggested that her husband, who
was an excellent swimmer, should eiiter the
water and try to save them. The doctor leaped
in, for the purpose of gaining the other side,
but when in about th'.; middle, he was seized
with cramps, and after a vain effort to reach
the bank, sank under the turbulent waters and
was drowned. This occurred on \\'ednesday,
and although people gathered from every di-
rection to search for his body, it was not found
until the following Sunday, and then' under
circumstances that were very peculiar. It was
understood throughout the section that a thor-
ough search was to be made on that day, and
a great crowd had gathered for tliat purpose.
John Roberts and his brother-i".-law, ^h.
Smith, had left the main party, who were ex-
ploring near where he went under, and be-
gan to search farther down stream, on the west
bank. Having sat down nearly opposite the
mouth of Spruce Run to take a rest, John Rob-
erts' attention was attracted by the hum of
flies, and watching them closely, he saw them
go in and out of a small hole which had been
made by one of the searching party in a small
sand-bar. He went down tii the spot, and,
after scraping away the sand, he discovered
the body, face downwartl, completely covered
with sand and driftwood." About 1838, a
man named McLeod, who came from Pennsyl-
vania, put up a saw mil! on the Big Walnut,
just a little south of the middle line of the
township.
The first sawmill in Kingston Township
was built in 1819 by Leonard Lott on the Lit-
tle Walnut. Peter Van Sickle built a saw-
mill on the same stream somewhere about the
year 1S30. The exact date of the establishment
of the first sawnn'U in Marlborough Township
is not known, but as early as 1820, Robert
Campbell, who came from Philadelphia, had
one in operation. It was located on the \Vhet-
stone Ri\-er, in the southeastern part of the
township, and as late as 1880, was said to be the
best water-power saw mill on the river. About
1820. John'Xettleton set up the first sawmill
in Orange Township. It was located in the
southeastern part of the township. It was
changed to a grist-mill about 1S35, and at once
achieved a reputation for the fine quality of its
flour. This mill was operated for many years,
during which time it passed through the hands
of a number of different owners.
Joseph Cole, who settled in what is now
Troy Township, built the first sawmill here in
1820. About 1823, he erected a gristmill. The
first meal that was ground was used in powder-
ing the hair of Xewman Haven, the mill-
wright. The first dam that was b'uilt was a
crude afifair of the type we have already de-
schibed. It was carried away by a freshet, and
was replaced by a more substantial one. The
owner of this dam had a narrow escape on one
occasion, that illustrates the hazards taken by
the early pioneers, while the rescue by his son
shows their ability to quickly grasp a situation
and to do the right thing at the right time on
the spur of the moment. W'e quote the fol-
lowing narrative of the event : 'Tt seems that
the water had forced its way throitgh a weak
place in the dam, gradually increasing the
crevice until it had washed out a large hole in
the bottom, through which the water was
pouring with great velocity. 'Mr. Cole, seeing
the danger that threatened the rest of the dam,
immediately got a corps of workmen and be-
gan repairing the break. While standing,
looking down into the hole, superintending the
filling, he lost his balance and fell into the boil-
ing, foaming vortex. In an instant he was
134
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
swept through the dam into the deep water be-
yond. Hugh Cole was engaged in hauhng
logs to help repair the dam, and was just re-
turning with one when he saw his father fall
into the hole. The next moment he saw him
struggling in the I>ranche^ of a submerged
sycamore tree, which had lioated over the dam
a few days previous, and into which the cur-
rent bad carried him. He sprang to the
ground, and, cutting the hame string, took
one of the horses out, jumped upon his back,
swam him across the river to where a "dug-
out" was tiedj and, pushing that into the
streams, paddled to where his father was. and
brought him to shore. It was found ujwn ex-
amination that Mr. Cole's right arm was dis-
located and that he was otherwise badly
bruised. He told his son that in three minutes
more be would ba\e been compelled to release
his hold, and in all probaliility, ho v.X)uld liave
been drowned. It may not be out of place to
give another instance connected with this dam,
that resulted more fatally to one party, at least.
In 183.', Thomas Willey and Nathaniel Cozard
attempted to cross the river just above the
dam, in an old "dug-out." It seems that neither
of the men had had much experience with that
kind of a craft, and, as tlie river was high and
the current swift, they were carried over the
dam. By a strange coincidence, Hugh Cole
was riding along the bank and saw the men
pass over. Dashing his horse into the angry
waters just below the dam, he seized Willey by
the hair as he was going down the last time,
and brought him safely to shore. Cozard was
carried down the stream and drowned. His
body was found soon after about a mile below
tlie dam." Lyman ^lain built a dam and saw
mill on "Horseshoe Creek," in 1S32, and ran
the mill for a number of years. Two years
later, Timothy 'Slam erected a saw mill on the
same stream, near the line between Oxford
and Troy Township. It did service for a
number of years, but disappeared like the other
mills of those days.
The first mill in Thompson Township was
one for grinding grist, erected near the mouth
nf Fulton's Creek by James Cochran, about
1827. Previous to this time, milling for the
settlers in this township was done at ]Millville,
which, as distances were counted in those
days, was "handy." A few years later, Ros-
well Field, who came into the settlement from
Canada, about the same time as Cochran, built
a saw mill on the same site, and rebuilt the
grist mill, which by that time was showing the
ravages of time. The mill now owned and
operated by Bruce Charles on Fulton Creek,
in Thompson township, was built in 1834 by
Roswell Fields on the site where James Coch-
ran had built a grist mill in 1827. At his death,
the- mill passed to Roswell b'ields' son, Sam-
uel, who sold it to Simon Charles, the father
of the present owner, in 1859. The original
up-and-down saw and gearing are still pre-
served at the mill. The sills, braces and all
of the siding used in the construction of the
building are of black walnut. Power is now
furnished by a 25-horse-po\\er steam engine
and a 14-horse-power gasoline engine. The
oldest mill building now standing is that owned
by George Mulzer of Liberty Township. Mr.
Mulzer says that be has records that show that
this building was originally erected during the
first few years of the nineteenth century by a
man named Hinder. D. W. C. Lugenbeel
states that one of his classmates at the Ohio
Wesleyan University was Harry Lathrop,
whose father began operating this mill about
the time of the second war with England, and
continued to do so until late in the 4o's. At
that time a grist mill and an up-and-down saw
mill were located here. The next owner of
whom we have knowledge was James Walcott,
who had the property for ten years, and sold it
to 2^Iurray Case, who. a few months later,
transferred the mill to Herman ■Mulzer, the
father of George Mulzer, who for many years
was a partner in the business and now retains
an equal interest in the property with his fa-
ther's estate. The hewn timbers of the original
building are still in a perfect state of preserva-
tion. Nineteen years ago a new saw mill was
installed, and in 1897, a 50-horse-power en-
gine was purchased. This power is supple-
mented by the natural water-power. Flour,
buckwlieat flour and chop feed are still manu-
factured here.
//■Jt ,
.'f; oil
x> ;< -I 1 A,
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZEXS
'35
Tlie first saw mill in Thompson Township
was built in 1S30, by Jacob Swartz. About
1S63, Clark Decker built a saw mill in the ex-
treme northeaster!! portion of the township on
the Scioto River, and in 1S87. H. P. Pickrell,
who had run a mill at Ostrander, built a large
grist mill on the site w hich had been occiipied
by- Cone's woolen mill.
The first saw mdl in Concord Township
was built on ]\Iill Creek by Col. Seburn Hinton,
one of the first settlers. He did a large lumber
business, and also rafted logs and lumber down
the Scioto to Columbus, and even down to the
Ohio River. He also built a grist mill. The
date when this mill was erected has long been
forgotten, but we know that it was enlarged
in 183S, and that on account of the growth of
tlie business, new machinery was placed in it
a few years after that. He sold the mill to
Jabez Cole, who sotrl the property a few years
later to Fred Decker, who finally sold it to a
man named Cruikshank and bought the mill at
Millvil'e, (jr W'arrensburg, as the villap.e is
now called. After that it passed througii the
hands of several owners, one of whom, Dr,
Blymer, made extensive improvements in it. At
a later date it was owned by Dr. ]Morrison, at
one time a practicing physician of Delaware,
It is not known when or by whom the first saw
mill was erected in Brown Township, but it
was several years prior to 1S30. The mill was
located on Alum Creek, about three miles north
of Eden, and never attained any importance.
In 1S30, Ezekiel Longwell built a saw mill on
that stream, within the limits of the village of
Eden. Later, when it was becoming some-
what rlilapidaled, it came into the jxissession of
William K, Thrall, who repaired it and also
built a grist mill to run in connection with it.
The mill was operated by different owners un-
til about twenty or twenty-five years ago,
when it was destroyed by fire.
Th^ first saw mill in Porter Township was
built by Samuel Dowell, a native of Mary-
land, who settled in this locality about 1830.
The "County History," published in 1S80,
says that the mill v.-as built on the head-wa-
ters of Sugar Creek, and passed from Dowell
to his adopted son, George Deets, who ran it
for many years. About 1832, Rev, Henry
Davey, a "Dimkard" preacher, built a saw
mill about half a mile down the stream from
the Dowell mill. Another early mill was
owned by Gedrge Synder and was also located
on Sugar Creek. About the same time, Cham-
ber's mills were built on the Big Walnut, about
a mile and a half north of Ea.st Liberty. A mill
of much more recent origin was operated by
Emmett Carnes for sawing lumber and grind-
ing feed. It is probably twenty years since
this mill was abandoned. Because of the mill-
ing facilities -established in the older nearby
settlements, no mills were Ijuilt in Oxford
Township until 1832. In that year Milton
Pierce and Henry Riley erected a mill where
Basin Branch empties into Alum Creek. It
was operated many years until it became
decrepit from old age and hard usage. In
1846, Lewis Powers bought the mill from Joel
Coles and rebuilt it. He ran it until about
1849, ^vhen he sold it to Rev, Benjamin Mar-
ton, a Baptist minister. He raised a good deal
of fiax, and so changed the mill into a flax
mill. The property still remains in the Martin
family, but the mill is no more, having been
abandoned about twenty years ago. About the
same 'time that Pierce and Riley built their
mill, Hosea Waters started a grist mill a lit-
tle farther up the stream. The "nigger-head"
buhr-stones were run by horse-power. Slow
as was this method of making flour, it was a
great improvement over the old custom, bom
of necessity, of going from ten to twent}" miles
to mill.
The first saw mill in Trenton Township was
built in 1835, by Middleton Perfect and Haz-
ard Adams. The same year. John Van Sickle
built the first grist mill in the township. It
was located on the Big Walnut, about half a
mile northeast of Sanburv. E. M. Condit
bought this mill from Van Sickle in [835 and
operated it until 1862, when lie sold it to
Jacob Boyd. What was known as the old
Brailey mill was built on the creek, about half
a mile below the Van Sickle mill, in 1845.
This mill came into the possession of Plenry
Boyd, and at a later date he purchased the
Van Sickle mill from his brother, [acob Boyd,
."19i?(
3ttE&
■■ ) r.M pi'
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
and transferred most of the machinery frmn it
to the Brailey mill. Other early saw-mills
tliere were, of which little is known. One of
these was owned by a man named Stuckwell;
another was located on Perfect's Creek and
was n:n for a number of years by J. Condit.
Alvin P. Condit had a mill on tlie north branch
of Rattlesnake Run. At an early date a man
named Crane built a spw mill on Big Walnut
at the mouth of Rattlesnake Run. just on the
township line. This was operated by one,
Williams for some years. The "Old Stone
Mill," as it has long been known, located on
the west side of the Olentangy, about a mile
north of Delaware, -^vas built by Fred Decker
and 11. J. L. Brown, at an early day, probably
during the '30's. Many men identitied with
the early milling interests of the county were
at one time or another owners or part owners
in this mill. Among them we may name Reu-
ben Zeigler, James Slough, Charles Wottring
and Anthony Smith. The latter was the last
one who operated the mill, which was aban-
doned perhaps thirty }'ears ago.
About thirty-five years ago. G. W. Brown
and G. W. Hughes bought what had been a
carding-mill in Galena, and began the manu-
facture of ■ corn-planters and hay-rakes in a
small way. A few years later, James R.
Smythe bought Brown's interest, and the firm
name of Hughes & Smythe was adopted, and
has been retained to the present time. The
factory was destroyed by fire in 1896, and was
at once replaced by a two-story frame building.
The busines's employs about fourteen people,
who annually turn out about 1,200 hay-rakes,
8.000 to 10,000 corn-planters, and 15,000 to
20,000 animal-pokes. The lirm of Wheaton
& Cummings of Sunbury also manufacture
from 8,000 to 10,000 pokes annually. A rake
factory was started in 1853 in what is now^
the village of Ashley, but was operated only
about a year when the property was sold to the
Methodist Episcopal Church.
CHAIR MANUF.\CTURE.
In 1870, :\Iessrs. R. G. Lybrand, T. E.
Powell and Charles W. Clippinger formed a
co-partnership under the name of The Dela-
ware Chair Company, for the manufacture of
chairs. John G. Strain, an old chair-maker,
who had been making splint chairs and selling
them from a wagon in a small way, induced
these gentlemen to take up the manufacture
of these chairs on a larger scale. A frame
building, 28 x 60 feet, two stories high, was
erected 011 East Winter Street. Power was
taken by a wire cable from the planing-mill
of Clippinger & Company, to the south, now
a part of the ^IcKenzie mill. Mr. Strain was
placed in charge of the factory, and while he
was not so successful as had been anticipatea,
he demonstrated that there was a demand for
the product. ^Ir. R. G. Lybrand, who was
engaged in the stove business at that time,
gave it up in order to devote his entire time,
to the chair factory. The first year's business
was small, but the Chicago fire, which occurred
in 187 1, created a demand for all kinds of
furniture, and these chairs rose rapidly in
popular favor. The business increased so
rapidly that additions to the factory were built
in 1872, 'jT, and '74, giving the Company
a building finally that was 74 x 100 feet and
three stories high. In 1S71 ^Ir. Clippinger
sold his interest to Samuel Lj'brand, and the
business was continued as a co-partnership un-
til 1S85, when it was incorporated by R. G.
Lybrand. T. E. Powell, A. Lybrand, Jr., and
Samuel Lybrand. The capital stock is S150,-
000. The present officers of the company are :
R. G. Lybrand president and treasurer; A.
Lybrand, vice-president and secretary. In
1880, they moved the business to the buildings
that had been erected and used by the Dela-
ware 3>Ianufacturing Company on Flax Street.
The property now comprises eight acres of
land and six or seven substantial stone and
brick buildings. The company manufactures
all kinds of chairs. They were pioneers in
the manufacture of the double-cane seat, and
all this class of work has come to be known
in the trade as the "Delaware chair.'' The
product of this factory is shipped all over the
country. About 125 people are employed in
this factory, to say nothing of the large num-
ber who cane chairs at their homes.
I"-' •' I -"
AXD REPRESEXTATR'E CITIZEXS
^37
LUMBER AXD FURXITURE.
The McKenzic Lumber Ci'initany. Tlii>
company's plant is located un the site of an
old ashery. Here John A. Clippinger and
George \V. Perry Iniilt a three-story brick
mill in iS66. the tirst two stories of which
were used for a planing-mill. They manu-
facUired all kind:^ of interior finish, including
doors, sash and blinds. Later ^Ir. Clippinger
became sole proprietor, and after a time failed
in business. The mill then remained idle for
some time. In the spring of 1896 McKenzie
& Thompson came to Delaware and bought the
old Clippinger mill. At first they employed
about thirty people. In 1902 Mr. Thompson
retired, and F. E. AIcKenzie and P. H. Said
became members of the firm, the name of
which became Tlie [NIcKenzie I>umber Com-
pany. They have Uvq mills : One at Delaware,
where they employ about forty-five people :
one at Norton, where they employ about twenty
people. This was established in 1899. The
company also has a portable mill at Sunbury.
The other mills are outside of Delaware
County. Altogether, about one hundred peo-
ple are employed by this company. Their
plant in Delaware is on a lot including about
five acres. The teaming and logging work
requires sixty head of horses. About thirty-
six carloads of sucker-rods are manufactured
each year. A large -business is also done in
buggy and wagon stock. From 4.000.000 to
5,000,000 feet of lumber is manufactured an-
nually, and this is shipped all over the L'nited
States and to foreign countries.
In 1900 C. C. Dunlap started a steam saw-
mill on land leased from the Hocking \'alley
Railroad. A building 75 x 125 feet was
erected. In 1903, a planing-mill was also es-
tablished. About 300,000 feet of hardwood'
lumber are sawed and manufactured annually,
including a large quantity of wagon stock,
which is marketed principally in South Bend,
Indiana. About 300 carloads of softwood lum-
ber is handled annually, the business being
conducted on both a wholesale and retail
basis.
The firm of Clark & Lattenfield was estab-
lished January I. 1904. Their business, how-
ever, is one that dates its beginning back at
least thirty-five years, when Frank C. Ger-
liart started in the lumber business at the rail-
road crossing on South Sandusky Street. Dur-
ing all these years a planing-mill has been run
as a part of tlie business. The manufacture of
cement building blocks was begun here in the
spring of 1903. All kinds o\' building ma-
terial and supplies and coal ar; handled by this
firm.
Jeffrey Brothers saw- and planing-mill at
Ashley. This mill was established about i860
by Lewis Powers. Sometime in the early
'8o"s Mr. Powers took his son into partnership.
Evidently the business was not successful, be-
cause in August, 1906, it v>as sold at sheritt's
sale to A. L., O. S., M., and I. B. Jeftrey. who
with their father, composed the firm of F.
M. Jeffrey & Sons. The saw-mill building is
22 X 86 feet and the planiug-mill is 40 x 50
feet. Each mill has its own engine and boiler.
They manufacture about 500,000 feet of hard-
wood lumber annually, and they also do a
retail business in softwood lumber and interior
finish amounting to Sio.ooo to Si 5.000 an-
nually. They also have a well-equipped ma-
chine-shop, in which they do all kinds of ma-
chine repairing.
J. T. Erwin established a saw-mill at Sun-
bury in 1898. He handles about a hundrerl
carload of hardwood lumber each vear. He
manufactures hardwood frames for buildings
and wagon stock, and also exports a large
atuount of white oak in large dimensions. At
times as many as twehe men are employed
here.
The Ashley Lodge and Church Furniture
Company. This business was established by
W.- \\\ Stratt(Mi, in 1869, to manufacture a
line of furniture such as the name of the com-
pany implies. Until 1900. he sold direct to
lodges and other organizations. In 1900 the
policy of selling only at wholesale was adopted.
In 1905 the business was incorporated under
its present title. C. S. Aldrich is president,
Edward Keltner is treasurer and W. W.
loS
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
Stratton is secretary and manager. The pres-
ent bnililing, which was originally an opera
house, has been occupied for nearly thirty
years. The company numbers among. its cus-
tomers e\-ery regalia house in the United
Stales. Some of the outfits which it manu-
factures for lodges sell for as much as St. 500.
The business totals from $15,000 to $20,000
a yei'v and furnishes employment to al)out
iwenty mcii.
About 1903 Messrs. Keys & W'orboys of
Xew York City established a plant in Dela-
ware for the maimfacture of barrel hoops and
sta\es. This business was purchased on De-
cember I, 1906, by J. K. Wylie, who has
doubled the capacity of the plant. About
thirty men are employed, and about 30.000
hoops and 36.000 sta\-es are turned out daily,
the product beir.g shipped to cooperages all
over the country.
The Union Handle Manufactory, at Ash-
ley, was established in the spring of 1905. by
Harry D. Hale. He makes all kinds of fork,
hoe. rake, shovel and "D" handles: also runs
a saw-mill, and ships alx)ut a hundred car-
loads of lumber a year. He ships ai.tout a
carload of wagon stock each week. The main
building is 200 .x 46 feet, and in the spring of
190S, an addition 36x50 feet in dimensions
was erected and equipped with special machin-
ery for the manufacture of '"D" hantUes. The
power is furnished by one 60 H. P. and one
50 H. P. engine and one 70 H. P. and one
So H. P. boiler. About thirty-five men are
employed in the mill and a like number in
logging.
FLOUR MIILS.
Flour-mill at Sunbury. The history of
this mill dates back to about 1842, when
Samuel Peck and T. P. Meyers built a saw-
mill half a mile due east from Sunbury. This
was sold to James Bailey in 1848. He added
a grist-mill, and in course of time sold the
property to John and Henry Boyd. In 1872
they sold the mill to G. J. Eurrer, one of the
present owners. Three years later Mr. Burrer
moved the mill to his present location in Sun-
bury. The mill was remodelled in 18S2 and
new machinery was installed. About that
time improvements in milling m.achiuery were
being invented at a, rapid rate, and so in 1S87,
the mill was again remodelled. Six years
later, his present elevator, having a capacity
of 16,000 bushels, was erected. In 1907 Mr.
Burrcr's son, Parker, was admitted to part-
nedship. the firm name of G. J. Burrer & Son
being adopted. Their brand of flour is "White
Loaf," and the present capacity of the mill
is eighty barrels per day, in addition to the
meal and other feed which they grind. Power
is furnished by an 80 H. P. Cooper engine.
The flour-mill at Ashley was estalMished
in 1875, when the Ashley Milling Company
was formed by AI. B. Shoemaker, Dell Coomer
and Joseph. Cole, whose firm name was Shoe-
maker. Cole & Company. They erected the
present mill building, in which they installed
old-fashioned buhrs. It had a capacity of
fifty barrels a day. and their brand of flour,
"Diamond Wedding," was widely known and
used for many years. It has always been a
steam mill, the power being supplied by a
65 H. P. slide-valve engine. The mill was
])urchased by J. B. }vliller & Company in the
late '70's, and in 1SS2, they remodelled it,
installing modern flour-making machinery and
increasing the capacity of the mill to 100 bar-
rels. They sold out to O. Jones, John Doty
and Frank Miller about 1886 or 'Sy. After
being owned by several other parties, the mill
came into the possession of the present own-
ers. L. E. Shoemaker and W. M. Shoemaker,
who have adopted the firm name of the Shoe-
maker JMilling Company. "Mother's Choice"
is the brand of flour now made, and besides
having a large sale in all the surrounding
towns, an average of 650 barrels a month is
shipped to Columbus.
The Powell [Milling Company was organ-
ized in August, 1907, by Frederick H. Jaycox,
H. E. Sharp and Dr. Charles F. Talley. They
installed a Miller 40 H. P. gasoline engine,
which consumes only three gallons of gasoline
per day. "Straight Grade" is the brand manu-
factured, the capacity of the mill being forty
barrels per day. Everything in the line of
AND REPRESEXTATR'E CITIZEXS
139
feeil is also ground. As the macliinery which
was installed in this mill was brought from
an old mill on the Scinto River, it may !;ie well
to state here such tacts as we have been able
to oljtain concerning that site, which is in
Concord Townshij). about two miles below
Belle;)oint and a mile north ot the Girls' In-
tlustria! Home. So far as we know, the first
mill lure was built by a m.m named Fred-
ericks. It was burned in 1SO9, and at that
time was owned by Lee Went. ■ In 1876, David
W'illey and Thomas Slough built a mill at this
point. W'illey sold out to his partner after
two years. After some time, the mill passed
into the hands of James Slough. About 1880
his estate sold it to Daniel Stokes. About
1889 he sold the mill to Erastus Stone, -who
sold it about 1893 to John Jaycox. From, him
the property passed to his son, Frederick H.
Jaycox. He put in a steam plant, which he
later replaced with a gasoline engine. As
above noted, Air. Jaycox dismantled the mill
and reiuoved the machinery to Powell, in Oc-
tober, 1907. so the old Magnolia mill, as it
was called by Willey S; Slough, has doubtless
seen its last days of service.
\Vhat is now commonly spoken of as
Snyder's mill, which is located at 69 East
Central Avenue, Delaware, will soon be torn
down and even the building will be a thing
of the past. In 1846 Fred Decker started a
flour mill here, the building having been pre-
>'iously u-ed as a woolen-mill by Col. Benjamin
F. Allen. Later tlie mill was purchased by
Charles Wottring, Frank Miller and J. H.
Pumphrey. The mill changed hands fre-
quentl}-, Charles W'cttring being identified with
it most of the time until about 1880, when
E. Snyder purchased Wottring's interest. Up
to that time the capacity of the mill had been
fifty barrels. Snyder remodelled the mill, in-
creasing its capacity to two hundred barrels
per day. Later his sons Edward. Arthur and
Peter ran the mill under the firm mame of Sny-
der Brothers. Edward Snyder eventually be-
coming the sole proprietor. In 1880. the ele-
vator was built and other improvements made
at an outlay of something like S-io.ooo. On
.'*pril 20, 1906, the property was sold to the
Electric Roller Milling Coni[)any, and they
cl(.)scd the mill.
The Electric Roller Alilling Company of
Delaware was established in 1904 by Kaiser
& Gwynn. At that time a 25-barrel mill was
built, the dimensions of the building being
90 X 40 feet. Mr. Kaiser retired from the
firm in 1905, and a corporation having the
present title was formed. The following gen-
tlemen comprised the Board of Directors and
held the official positions indicated: E. F.
Gwynn, president; T. J. Griffin, treasurer; J.
G. Rosenthal, secretary ; John F. Gaynor. The
same year the capacity of the mill was in-
creased to 100 barrels, and the elevator ca-
pacity was increased to 20,000 bushels. The
principal brands of flour made are. Pride of
Delaware. Acme, Electric and Silver Dust.
This is the only flour-mill now in the city.
The company also does a large business in
grain, feed, salt and coal.
DISTILLERIES.
There are men yet living who can remem-
ber when' it was thought necessary to serve
liquor at a church "raising." and it was the
usual thing for a man who made wdiiskey to
contribute as many gallons as he could afford
to the salary of the minister. It was also
customary for merchants to keep whiskey and
glasses where they were freely accessible to
their customers, on the theory that a liberal
use of this lubricant facil'tated trade. While
the early settlers brought their taste for liquor
with them, it was not so much the demand
for whiskey as it was the market which its
manufacture made for corn that led to the es-
tablishment of numerous stills at such an early
date. The first still in Berkshire Township
was operated by Nicholas Manville in con-
nection with his grist-mill, which was located
near the present town of Sunbury. This be-
came the pniperty of Alajor Strong about
181 7. He ran it until 1825, when he sold the
still to Eleazar Gaylord. When the business
was it its height, it was carried on in a two-
story stone building. Here a large part of
the surplus corn raised by the settlers was
iSTORV OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
converted iiUu wliiskey. In those days there
were no re\eniie Mthcials to bother distillers,
who had' a home market f'jr their product,
thus eliminatint^- the expense of transportation
and a selling force. The result was tliat pure
whiskey was sold for twenty cents a gallon.
While the whiskey of th(j.-;e days was th.e
"straight goods," and the use of prune juice,
etc.. in connection therewith had not 1 een dis-
co\ered, its intoxicating C|ualities were m .t in
any way diminished, and there were those who
macle intemperate use of the beverage, to their
own shame and the disgust of the community.
The boys had a method of punishment which,
while it afforded them amusement, gave seme
expression to the sentiment of orderly citizens
and at the same time taught the offender to in-
dulge his tastes in the seclusi(^n of some private
retreat. When a man was discox'ered in a
state of helpless inebriation, each arm and leg
would be seized by a boy. and laying their
victim face downward on a barrel, the boys
would roll him until his disonlered -tomach
was relieved of its conients and the man was
in some measure sobered up. It was seldom
that more than one or two applications of this
remedy were necessary to accomplish the de-
sired result. A story is told of one inveterate
individual in Sunbury, who was familiarly
known as "Uncle Tommy." which we will
quote. He "seemed to defy the correctional
force of die old method, and a more stringent
method had to be adopted. He was seized one
time, thrust into hogshead, and rolled some
fifty yards into the creek. The treatment was
se\ere. but the cure was radical for tiie time."
Colonel Byxbe had a sti'i in the cellar of
his g;rist-inili on what is ni;)w East Central
Avenue. Here his customers were wont to
regale themselves with sundry strong potations
while waiting to be served by the other de-
partment of the establishment. Another still
which is often referred to in the records of
those early days was built by Dr. Reuben
Lamb on Delaware Run. nearly opposite the
spot where the Edwards gymnasium now
stands. For several years Rutherford Hayes
(the father of President Hayes) who came
to Delaware in 1817, was a partner with the
doctor, but he was noted for his temperate
use of the whiskey he made.
Flis grist-mill at what is now Warrensburg
proving unprofitable, Philip Horsliaw, in 1S15,
began the manufacture of liquur in a small
still-house near his mill. He continued in
this business until 1S22, when he sold out to
Thomas Jones. He reniained in the business
a numl.'er of years and then S'lld out to Jo-
seph Dunlap. whn ...perated the still until 1836,
when the entire business died nut. David Bush
built a small distillery in Troy Township at
an early da_\-, Init it never amounted iu much.
Two distilleries were set no in Berlin
Township at an early date by Nathaniel Hall.
Li 1S16 Isaac and. Chester Lewis built a still
near Cheshire. Armstrong & r'rost carried
on the business. These resorts did not last
long, for it seems, the drinking habit was not
so general here as elsewhere. Jeremiah Curtis,
wdio was the first settler in what is now Genoa
Township, had a still in connection with his
saw and grist mills.
In 1826 C. P. Elsbre and a man named
Trip formed a partnership and began the
manufacture of liquor in the southwestern part
of Orange Township. They located their still
near a spring in the woods, but the water be-
ing so strongly impregnated with injn as to
be unsuited to their purpose, they changed their
location to a point on the Whetstone. Here
they manufactured about two barrels of whis-
key a day for over a year. Mr. Elsbre then
sold his interest to a man named Thomas, and
about six months later the business was dis-
ciintinued.
It is said that near the close of the war
\\"alter Bump ran a "moonshine" distillery in
a quiet way in Kingston Township, but the
Government officials soon put an end to his
operations. - ^ ,,..,,,.
LEATHER.
The early pioneers had not been here long
before there was a strong demand for leather,
but those who established tan-yards -found it
difficult to supply this materia! because of the
scarcity of hides. At first, nothin"- larjrer tnan
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
141
wciudchuck skins and an occasional deerskin
cuiild be had. There was no market for cattle,
and the settlers, therefore, iiad only as many
as \vere needed for the working- of their farms
Later the hogs which had been turned loose
in the woods and had lired prolitically were
a source of supply. After running wild for
six or seven years they hatl hides of remarkable
thickne:-s, and these, wlun tanned, supplied a
coarse tough leather which was used in mak-
ing harness and horse-ctjllars. Later a mur-
raine got among the cattle, large numbers of
which died, thus furnishing for a time a good
supply of leather, but at a serious loss.
The first tannery in the town of Delaware
was started by Capt. Joab Norton in 1S09. in
a two-story building which he had purchased
or erected in the fall of the pre\-ious year. It
was built into the side of the hill just north
of where the Edwards g_\-muasium stands.
The ravine south of this hill has been tilled up,
but at that time, only the top story of the
building showed above tlie hill on its southern
face. The lower story of the house was used
for the works, the vats l.)eing located just north
of the building. A free-flowing spring a little
east of the building and well up on the hill-
side supplied the family and the tannery with
water. Here he also made boots. Norton be-
came aftlictcd with the ague, and jn 18 10. he
sold the property to a man named Koestcr.
The latter was a carpenter, and purchased the
tannery as a speculatioit. In 1813 he per-
suaded Norton to rettirn and work it for liim,
but the Captain was here only a few mouths
when, he died. The old building soon fell
into disuse, and fur yca'-s st>iod in a rickety.
tumble-down condition, with its leaky roof oi
loose warped-up shingles.' its windows stutted
with old hats and ra,gs, the doors with broken
hinges and latches, slamming with every gust
of wind, and bearing all the other marks of
an abandoned, tottering old tenement. This
old buildin,g stood for thirty or forty years
unused,' and needed but little more than these
signs of decay to get it a reputation of being
haunted. Later a man named Hull had a tan-
yard at this location, whicli he operated until
sometime in the "6o"s, when he si-.ld tlie prop-
erty to Ohio Wesleyan University. George
Storm, who came to Delaware in 1S09, worked
in the okl Norton tannery for a while, and
then started in business for himself on the east
side of Sandusky Street, about a square north
of the present Court House. He continued in
business here for many years, supplying the
country for miles around with leather. At an
early day Tom Wasson estaljlished a tannery
on Washington Street, just north of Delaware
Run.. Robert O. Brown bought him out and
ran the business until 1S55, when he aban-
doned it and divided the property into town
lots. John Lee had a tan-yard on the nonn
side of Central A\'enue, just west of Franklin
Street. This jiroperty passed into Robert O.
Brown's hands about 1852, and he closed
it u]>.
The first tannery m Berlin Township was
built by Wilbur Caswell in 1817. It was lo-
cated on Alum Creek flats in Cheshire for a
number of years, antl was then mo\ed on the
hill, where the business was continued until
1 858. As earl}- as 1816, William ^I}-ers sank
vats and began the manufacture of leather a
half a mile southeast of Sunbury, across the
creek from the saw and grist mill. Three
years later, a man named Whitehead started
a tannery at Galena, and did r thriving busi-
ness. The enterprise was carried on by dif-
ferent owners until 1873, when the business
was discontinued.
The Dunhams had a tannery on the Berk-
shire Road at an early date. A tanner}- was
started in Oxford Township in 1S24 by
George Claypool. just south of Windsor Cor-
ners. It was owned at a later date by Jonas
Foust, and still later by James J. Sherwood.
In 1845, Israel Waters started the first tannery
in Thompson Township. It was located near the
site later occupied .by Pickering's mills. The
first tan-yard in Trenton Township was oper-
ated at an early date by Silas Ogden, but
no definite knowledge of it has been pre-
served.
TEXTILE PRODUCTS.
In the days of which we write, the presen*;
highlv organized state of the manufacturing
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
industries was not even dreamed of, and even
if factories had been establislied, wherein were
made ail the articles of apparel that constitute
the clothing of a family, the expense of -getting
the goods to the consumer would have placed
them beyond his reach. The same conditions
placed the markets for his products beyond
the reach of the farmer, and so it was that
each piimeer family was reduced to the ele-
mental state of providing for its own necessi-
ties with its own labor and materials produced
at home. Every farmer raised flax, and this
with wool from his sheep constituted the sup-
ply of raw materials. The operations of card-
ing, spinning, weaving, fulling, etc., were all
performed at home, and as with cjuilting, and
corn-husking, where\'er possible, '"bees"' were
held in order to combine pleasure with the
work, the opportunities for social intercourse
in those days being few indeed. And so it
was that when a family had twenty-five or
thirty yards of cloth to full, a company of a
dozen or fifteen of the young men of the neigh-
borhood would gather. Taking ofi boots and
stockings, they would seat themselves in a
circle, just far enough apart that their feet
would meet near the center. The goods to be
fulled were piled into this ring, hot water and
soft soap were poured on, and the goods were
fulled by the men kicking the pile towards the
opposite side of the circle, all hands kicking
in unison, is it were. An endless rope, held
tightly by all, kept them from falling oft their
seats. Of course, it would not be long before
the suds upon the floor would be knee deep,
and then some mischievous chap would ac-
cidentally kick his neighbor's seat from under
him, sending the unfortunate victim into the
suds which were splashed to the ceiling. On
these occasions pumpkin pie and cider were
served as refreshments. Later, it was dis-
covered that goods could be fulled equally well
by placing them in a tub or barrel with soap
and warm water and pounding the mass with
a heavy wooden pestle attached to the end of
a stick, a method which was also used in wash-
ing clothes before the days of washboards.
After a time fulling-mills were built, provided
with apparatus for carding and spinning. The
moti\e power was a tread-wheel worked by
oxen, and is described as follows : "The wheel
was laid flat upon its hub, the axle being in-
clined a little from perpendicular so as to af-
ford an inclined surface on the v,lieel. In place
of spokes, the upper surface of the wheel
formed an inclined platform provided with
cleats, upon A\hich the oxen traveled. The up-
per end of the axle was provided with a spur-
wheel, which, acting upon gearing on a hori-
zontal shafting, communicated the motion to
the machinery of the mill." One such old mill
is now used by Charles Wheaton of Sunbury
as a stable. It was built early in the last cen-
tury by B. H. Taylor and B, Chase and did
service for many years.
In 1818, E. Barrett & Company started a
woolen-mill, just north of where Colonel
Byxbe had his saw and grist mills. This old
woolen-mill is known to the present genera-
tion as the Snyder & Star flour-mill. A large
two-story brick building was erected near the.
mill, in which to board the hands. This build-
ing, the roof of which has been lowered thir-
teen feet, is now owned and occupied by the
Delaware Ice and Coal Company. It was
generally understood that L. H. Cowles was
Barrett's partner, and the prime mover in the
enterprise. Titus King afterward took
Cowles's place in the firm, the name of which
became Barrett & King. In 1827 the prop-
erty and business were sold t(j Colrmel Ben-
jamin F. Allen, who, two years later, intro-
duced a carpet-loom. He wove one piece of
carpet that attracted considerable attention.
During this time, his mill was rented for a
period by J. W. Cone, who had learned the
trade there. In the latter part of 1829, John
Moses and Seth H. Allen purchased the mill.
These men were not more successful in the
business than the -others, and the mill finally
lay idle for a long time until it was turned into
a grist-mill. In 1829 Colonel Meeker added
machinery for carding and fulling to the equip-
ment of his flour-mill at Stratford. Gunn &
Pickett operated a woolen-mill for some years
in Liberty Township, about two miles below
Stratford. The property was bought by James
Hinkle, and he continued it until the business
l!-'i ; n,/
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
143
went down. In 1S44 J. \V. Cone established
a woolen-niill in Thompson Township, whicii
for tliirty years was tiie pride of this section.
The mill was run by water-power until 1868.
when steam-ixMver was introduced. In 1874
sparks from the chimney set fire to the mill,
and it was destroyed. Luther Cone, a brother
of J. \V. Cone, built a \vn,_i|en-mi!l in .Marl-
boroagh Townsb.ip about 1846. Thi^ mill
was operated successfully for a number of
years, and was then purchased and remodelled
into a grist-mill by a man named Kline. In
1869 the firm of Page i.K: Stevenson started a
woolen-mill in the third story of the Clippinger
planing-mill. A little later. \\\ K. Algire pur-
chased Page's interest, and the firm name be-
came Algire & Stevenson. .In August, 1873,
a stock company with a capital of S30.000
was incorporated under the mme of The Dela-
ware Woolen Company. The following men
were directors and officers: Chauncy Bradley,
president; Charles Arthur, Dr. J. PI. White. J.
G. Grove. PI. F. Brown and John \Volfiey. A.
B. Stevenson was superintendent. They built
a brick building 40 x 90 feet, on P'nion Street,
besides a boiler and engine-room and a dye-
room. It was well equipped v.ith textile ma-
chinery, and the company started in the manu-
facture of flannels and blankets. Later a line
of cashmeres was added. The industry fur-
nished employment to about twenty-five peo-
ple, but was never much of a success from a
financial standpoint. About 1877 or 'jS, the
company failed, and was sold at auction by the
sheriff for $13,840. The following gentlemen,
all of whom had been connected with the com-
pany, were the purchasers: Charles Arthur,
who became president of the companv; lohn
Wolfley. Charles Steinbeck, J. Hvatt, J. G.
Grove. Dr. J. H. White. H. F. Brown. They
ran the mill until some time late in the "So's.
when,- the business proving unprofitable, it was
closed up. After that several different manu-
facturing enterprises were carried on in the
building for short periods of time, and it was
also used for a skating rink. Finally, in 1893.
the building and lot were sold t(j Delaware
County for use as an armory.
In 1S55 James M. Hawes and D. S.- Brig-
ham, wh.^ came from the East, saw an oppc^V-
tunity to make profitable use of the .large
quantities of flax straw produced here, but for
which there was no market. They interested
Judge T. W. Powell in the venture, and a
two-story factory, 40 x 50 feet \\ as built and
equipped with machinery for preparing the
straw for market. It was f(_Hmd that the heavy
freight expense absorbed all the iirofit, so in
T^37, the firm installed machinery for the
manufacture of cotton baling. At the end of
the first year, ;Mr. Hawes became the sole pro-
prietor of the business, and at a great expense
re-equipped the factory for the manufacture
of twines, burlaps, woolsacks and seamless
grain-bags. In the meanwhile a company with
a capital stock of $150,000 was incorporated
under the name of the Delaware Alanulactur-
ing Company, of which W. W. Scarborough
was president, Geoge F. Pierce, secretary, and
James AI. Hawes, agent. A large mill, two
stories high, w-ith an attic. 50 x 100 feet in di-
mensions, was erected, and a 125-horsepower
engine installed. At the close of the Civil
War, the machinery was changed for the
manufacture of bagging and cotton haling, and
a w-arehouse 40 x 100 feet was added. The
volume of business ^vbich was deveIoi)ed- mav
be imagined from the fact that in 1870. 182
persons were employed, the pay-roll amounting
to $4,000 a month. The company went under
in the panic of 1873, and the property is now
used by The Delaware Chair Company.
The Delaware L'nderw-ear Company was
established in the fall of 19OJ by Messrs. E.
D. Egerton and W. A. Morrison, and is the
only enterprise of the kind in the county. In
July. 1903. the business was incorporated with
a capital stock of $50,000. The present offi-
cers and directors of the company -are : W.
.A.. Morrison, president; F. 'SI. Bauereis, vice-
president ; J. L. Anderson, secretary and treas-
urer: John A. Shoemaker and Robert Sellers.
The latter gentleman manages the factory at
Gabon. Muslin underwear was at first the
product, hut during the last three years, the
company has manufactured ladies' skirts and
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
flannelette underwear, tl;e latter at a branch
establishment at Galion, Olii'i. in the summer
of 1907. During the busy season about one
hundred hands are employed in the Delaware
factcry, and five traveling- men are kept busy
disposing of the product, which goes all over
the caintry.
PAPER MILLS.
Some time in the early "3o"s, Caleb How-
ard, an enterprising, speculative sort of man,
conceived the idea of establishing a paper-mill
at what is now Stratford, and succeeded in
interesting Judge Ilosea Williams, a safe,
cautious business man. in tlie project. In the
.spring of 1S3S, the n!(j tliuring-mill with the
mill privileges and property were bought, the
old dam replaced by a fine stone structure, and
a paper-mill put in operation Octolxr i, 1839.
John Koyt was the first superintendent, and
gave the cla.ssic name, of Stratford to the place.
On October 30, 1840. a lire origin.ating among
the Old rags by spontaneous combustion, did
considerable damage to the interior of the
building. In three months it was repaired and
improverl, and in the fall of 1844 Howard sold
his interest to Hiram G. Andrews. In 1849
the old tlouring-mill was fitted up for the
manufacture of wrapjiing paper, and turned out
alraut half a ton a day, employing some ten
hands. On February 27, 1857, the entire mills
were burned, entailing a loss of S-25.000. with
an insurance of not over Si 0,000. In No-
vember of 1857, a stone building, two stories
high, abijut 50 .x 80 feet, with several additions,
was built at a cost of some 830,000. By this
time the mill was recognized as the most im-
[jortant paper-mill west of the Alleghany
^Mountains. At the time of the fire in 1840,
the firm had accounts to the amount of Sio,-
000 due it from the State., and in 1861, they
had a large cnutract with the State, which,
owing to the unforseen and extraordinary rise
of the paper market, they were compelled to
ask to have rescinded. In 1871 J. H. Menden-
hall became a. partner: later Mr. Andrews re-
tired. In 1877, C. Flills, V. T. Hills. F. A.
Hills and F. V. Hills, organized the Hills Pa-
per Company and operated the mill for five
years. F. P. Hills had charge of the business;
Frank Hills had charge of the manufacturing
department. In 1S72 they sold the business
and property to Edsall & Alills, who operated
it for a number of vears. The propertv was
finally sold to the C. D. & M. Railway, who
conxerted the building into a power-house.
OIL ENTERPRISES.
In former times, when fiax was an im-
portant crop, a valuable part of it was lost
because the farmer had no facilities for ex-
tracting the oil from the seeds which this plant
produces in abundance. In 1S35 -^^>^^ Moore
began the manufacture of oil. At first the pro-
cess was crude indeed. A large log with a
hole mortised in it was set upright, and in
this, bags containing the ground seed were
placed. Wedges were driven in at the sides
of the sacks, and in thi.-, way a pressure was
maintained until a large part of the oil was
extracted. A few years later, Robert Cun-
ningham purcliased the busin.ess and introduced
a compound-lever press. Soon after that, in
order to increase his capital, he gave C. F.
Bradley an interest in the business in return
for the use of certain sums of money. In a
short time ^Ir. Bradley purchased his part-
ner's interest, associating Edward Pratt with
himself in the business. About a year later,
Alexander Kilbourn bought Pratt's interest,
and the business was remo\-ed from Franklin
Street to Central Avenue, east of the river,
where a hydraulic press and other water-
power machinery w ere used in er(uipping the
mill. In the winter of 1846, the dam washed
out, and because of the uncertain power whicli
the river afforded, they changed their location
and steam-power was introduced. The busi-
ness was enlarged and William Davis. Alex-
ander Kilbourn and J. A. Burnham Ijecame
members of the firm, which was known as Kil-
bourn, Davis & Company. A foundry was
added to the business in 1847. Se\'eral changes
were maile in the firm within a few }'ears. re-
sulting finally in simply replacing Mr. Da\ is
with Juhn J. Burnhhm. Their building was
AND REPRE5EXTATI\-E CITIZENS
145
burned in 1S50, but was immediately replaced.
In 1855 -Mr. Kilhourn died and IMessrs. Finch
and Lamb were taken intu the firm. In this
vear the business was divided, the nil emerprise
being sold to Manley D. Covell and Edward
Pratt, who renio\'ed the business to where th»e
present stone structure stands. It clianged
bands several times until iSoj. when it was
purchased by J. A. liarm-'S. He built a stone
mill, three stories high. The tirst-story walls
are ..three ■ feet thick, the second two and one-
halt feet and the diird two feet. This is now
occupied as a creamery by W. Z. Evans, at
the northwest corner of Lake and Winter
Streets. Barnes continued in business tmtil
the growing of flax in this part of the coun-
try was abandoned.
I'OUXnKIES, ETC.
\\"hen Killxiurn. Davis &: Company started
a ttiundry as ab(5ve mentioned, they fitted up
the building at the ci rner of Spring and Sa;i-
dusky Streets. Vuv the first year or two sto\es
were the only product : but Air. J. A. Burnham
being a practical machinist, the firm decided,
in 1850. to engage in the manufacture of
steam-engines. The first of these vras made
for Elijah Alain's saw-mill. They also made
the engine used by J. iV. Barnes in his stone
oil-mili. The business increased so rapidly
that by 1854 they erected the large stone build-
ing east of the river and beyond the railroad
on William Street. In i860 the pniperty was
purchased by J; C. Evans and Eugene Powell,
but the following }'ear Powell sold out to his
partner and entered the army. For ten year<
a large business was carried on. As many as
thirteen hundred plows were turned out here
in a single year, besides engines and other ma-
chinery. A revolving scraper, the invention
of the proprietor of the machine shops, was
manufactured cjuite extensively, as many as a
hundred a week being made.' In 1S73 the
property was sold to Smith, W'ason & Car-
[lenter, car-builders of Cleveland and Chatta-
U'joga. but on account of the panic, the plant
was closed up a year later, there being in-
sufficient business to keep it running.
Numerous other manufacturing enter-
prises have come upon the scene and passed
off. either because of mismanagement or for
other reasons. Among these we may mention
a company that was formed to manufacture
wagons. For many years John AIcElroy had
been manufacturing wagons in a small way,
which, because of first-class materials and su-
perir.r workmanship, gained a big' reputation.
Seeking to cai)italize this reputation, a com-
pany was formed, but in their eagerness far
large and ciuick profits, lumber of inferior
quality and not properly seasoned and cheap
labor were employed, with the result that some-
time early in the '8o's. the enterprise failed,
after having sunk, it is said, $60,000. Halleck's
Glove Factory uas another venttire that was
started with great prospects about 1901; but
went under after sinking thousands of dollars.
The Delaware Fence Company was or-
ganized in 1868 by A. J. Richards, the in-
ventor of a fence, who secured for his partner
in the enterprise, Eugene Powell. In 1879
Cyrus Falconer succeeded to Richard's inter-
est in the business, and in the winter of diat
year, the company secured control of Frilchy's
patent shifting-rail for buggies. J. F. Alunz's
patent wrought-iron sulky for: plowing, culti-
vating and harrowing, and an improved patent
harrow designed by the same in\-entor. These
articles were all Delaware inventions, and the
future looked bright to those who had em-
barked in the venture, but by 1883 the com-
pany had gotten into debt to the extent of
S8.000. and for want of proper management,
it was decided, in 1S84. to wind up its aitairs.
The Cook Alotor Company is the (lut-
gruwth of a repair shoji which was started in
1895 by JMessrs. C. E. ami F. E. Cook, and
located on the east side of L'nion Street, be-
tween William and Winter Streets. They
soon began experimenting on motors, ami in
19OT. the present company was incorporated
under the laws oi Ohio. The capital stock is
$50,000. and- the following gentlemen were
the incorporators : W. C. Denison. J. F. Deni-
son. L. L. Denison, C. E. Cook and F. E. Cook.
When the present company \\as organized it
was the intention to manufacture autoiriijltiles,
'!<:,. 3^.''(.V:'(l 13.-
146
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
but the increasintj demand tor stationary en-
gines led to a change in their plans. In 1903
they abandoned the idea ot building auto-
mobiles, after ha\ing manufactured a sample
machine for the Columbus Buggy Company.
In the meantime, however, the company iiad
been e.Kperimenting with the stationary engine
designed by the Cooks. Up to that time, no
data was available that showed the jiroper
priiiciple- on \^■hich to base the construction oi
gasoline engines. Some of the more im-
portant features wdiicb were developed were
the connecting-rod. cushion-valve, enclosed
case and jump spark. In 1905, their engine
having reached such a degree of perrection
as ti;i be considered thoroughfy reliable and
practical, an additional $20,000 of treasury
stock was sold. At that time C. C. Stedman
became secretary and general manager. The
business has grown from an output of from
three to five horse-power per month to an aver-
age of 225 horse-power per month. The plant
is now located in a new brick building, So x 200
feet in dimensions^ which stands on a six-acre
tract of land a short distance southwest of the
Hocking \'alley Station. The plant is equif)-
ped with the most modern machinery, and
ernpIo}-ment is given to a force of about
twenty-eight men. The engines manufactured
here go to all parts of the world, and are sold
for every purpose where power is required.
The present ot^cers and directors of the com-
pany are: W. C. Denison, president: H. \V.
Jev. ell, vice president ; E. L. I^enisou, treas-
urere : C. C. Stedman, secretary and general
manager.
1I.\Y-BAILEF3.
The Square Deal 3,Ianufacturing Company
was incorporated in February, 190S, for the
manufacture of power hay-presses. The style
of press to be manufactured was designed and
invented by Luther Trebue. and embodies de-
sirable features not to be found in any other
hay-press. They are now erecting a factory
on North L'nion Street, -52 x 90 feet in di-
mensions. This will be.equipptd with mo'lern
machinery. The Company has a paid-in capi-
tal of 825,000, all of which was furnished by
Delaware citizens. The officers of the com-
pany are: H. F. Owen, president: Joseiih J.
Neville, vice-president: Ashton Conklin. secre-
tary and treasurer: Luther lYebuc. genera!
manager and superintendent.
The Sunray Sto\e Company was incor-
porated January i, 1908. by the following gen-
tlemen, who now hold the office indicated after
their names: S. S. Blair, president: B. W.
Hough, vice-president : M. C. Russell, secre-
tary and treasurer: O. D. Hunt, manager; O.
G. Knoske. The capital stock of the com-
pany is $15,000. The company manufactures
gas ranges, heaters and furnaces. At present
fifteen people are employed, but the success
of the enterprise during the few months since
it was started, indicates that in the near future
it will require thirty people L1.1 make and handle
a large enough product to meet the demand.
The territory in Ohio is covered by two travel-
ling salesmen, and outside of the State the
pr<jduct is handled by jobbers.
ARTIFICIAL ICE.
The Delaware Ice and Coal Company was
incorporated in 1898. It handled natural ice
until the summer of 1907. In April of that
year, a brick dwelling, formerly the old woolen
mill boarding-house, near the Armory on North
Union Street, was purchased and remodelled.
An ice plant with a capacity of eighteen tons
daily was installed. Twelve men find employ-
ment in the manufacture and ileli\-ery of ice.
The following gentlemen were the incorpora-
tors, and now hold the offices indicated : WW-
lard Galleher, president: L. K. Galleher. vice-
president and secretan.': F. P. Hills, treasurer;
B. F. Freshwater andR. E. Hills.
LIGHT, HEAT AND POWER.
The Delaware Electric Light. Heat and
Power Ciompany was incorporated }i larch 4,
1S90, by Widiam S. I'arks, Leopold H. Holz-
'i I -■■
AXD REPRESEXTATR'E CITIZEXS
H7
miller. Carey B. Paul, Jacob G. Rosenthal,
Martin ^Miller. The first oflicers elected were :
C. B. Paul, president; J. G. Rosenthal, secre-
tary; }il. Miller, treasurer. That sai'ne year a
brick pijwer-plant was erected just east of
where the Big Four railroad crosses South
Sandusky Street. Since then an addition has
been built, niaki'ig; the pre-ent dimensions of
the plant about 140 by So feet. The pre^enr
equipment comprises horizontal reciprocating
engines of a total horse-power of Soo, and a
battery of seven boilers with a total of 1,100
horse-power, and eight dynamos. . In 1900 a
heating plant was installed to serve the citizens
of Delaware with hot-water heat. Tlie same
year a franchise for the use of the streets was
secured. The company now has abi^ut two
miles of underground mains, and supplies heat
to about 185 customers, some of whom are
located a mile from the plant. The present
officers and directors of the company are: Dr.
.A. J. Lyon, president; Adolph Frank, vice-
president; Martin Midler, treasurer; E. F.
Gwynn, manager; J. G. Rosenthal.
Brooms have been manufactured in this
county for many years, mostly by blind men,
as at present. S. J. W'ottring of Delaware,
who has been blind for about twenty years,
started to make brooms in 1898, and worked
along foi- about a year and a half. Since then
he has had help, some of the time two men be-
sides himself finding employment in his fac-
tory. At present he is making, with the aid
of W. Harris Siegfried, another blind man,
fifteen dozen brooms a week. The product is
marketed in Delaware and surroundmg towns.
Other makers of brooms in the county at the
present time are James Kline, a blind man,
residing west of Ashley, near Water HiW. and
R. yi. Perfect, a blind man, who lives a mile
and a half east of Sunbury. E M. Freese ijf
Cf^ncord Township is also engaged in this
industry.
EV.\P0RATED GOODS.
The Benedict Evaporating Company. Dela-
ware Township, is the only industry of its kind
in the county. It was established by the pres-
ent owner, Griffith G. Benedict, in 1876. Be-
ginning in a small way with a home-made
dryer, by 1888 his business had increased to
such an e.xtent as to warrant the erecti(5n 01 1
special building, which he equipped with the
most modern machinery. He now evaporates
from 25.000 to 50,000 pounds of sweet corn,
and as high as 2,000 bushels of apples during
the short season when the work can be carried
on, which is seldom more than two months.
CL.VY PRODUCTS. , 'i
The Delaware Clay ^Manufacturing Com-
pany. In 1S7S Wesley Denison and his son.
L. L. Denison, formed a partnership under the
firm name of Denison & Son, and erected what
is known as a summer factory, i. e., a factory
where tile is dried in the air. This was located
in the northwestern part of the city of Dela-
ware, on the line of the Hocking Valley rail-
road. Here thev made small drain tile up to
and including six inches in diameter, which
was sold to the farmers throughout the county.
At the end of three years they increased their
capacity so as to make tile up to and includ-
ing eight-inch. In 18S4 W. C. Denison and
his brother L. L. Denison formed a partner-
ship and started a new factorv at Mt. Gilead,
Ohio, under the firm name of Denison Broth-
ers, leaving their father to run the Delaware
p]->nt. The Mt. Gilead plant was equipped so
as to use artificial means of drying the tile
thus making it possible to operate all the year
round. Here they made tile up to and in-
cluding the 12-inch size, and gradually in-
creased the capacity until they were making
die 18-inch size. In 1890 all of the Denison
interests were consolidated, another brother,
J. F. Denison, entering into the business, and
a new plant was built in Delaware. The old
plant at Delaware was abandoned, and the
Mt. Gilead plant was sold. The new plant was
built at the old wagon-works on East William
Street, which were purchased by the new com-
pany. The first year the business was carried
on under the name of Denison Brothers, but
in 1S92 a corporation was formed under the
:-i':t ;•■'-, nil. '
•1:1, .,r!j i?f .'ifric't'.
[48
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
name of The Delaware Clay Manufacturino
Company. They hegan wirh twelve kilns, and
made drain tile up to aiul includint^- tlie 24-nic"i
size. At the time of incorporating, the- com-
pany hranched into a line of the busines.s known
as fu-e-proofint;, and made about fifty tons of
that per day for the next ten years, all the
.time carrying on the manufacture of drain tile.
DLU'ing the time they wore making the hre-
proo.lng, the c.'m]),uiy kept in cl.i.-e tnuch with
architects, and by them were asked to make
a standard-size brick weighing only three
pounds, the loss in weight being accomph,--hed
b}- having two holes running through the brick.
These were known as hollow brick. At first
only a few were made to acc'immodate certain
architects, but their utility was (juickly ap-
preciated, and gained in popularity so rapidlv
that they were soon in use in over a dozen
states. By 1901 tlie business had outgrown
the capacity of the plant, and the compan\
purchased more clay land and built a new
pl.-uit about one-half a mile farther southeast
in Delaware t(wvnship. This plant was es-
pecially adapted to the manufacture of these
hollow brick, it Ijeing their ex]jectation tri con-
tinue the manufacture of drain tile and fire-
proohng at the old plant on East William
Street. Just about the time tlv: new plant w as
ready for operation, a trust was formed for llie
manufacture of fire-proofing material, known
as The Xational Fire-Proonng Company. The
East William Street plant, including the fire-
proofing interests, were sold to this nev." com-
pany, and in order to take care of their drain
tile business, the Denisons erected an addi-
tional plant in connection with their new brick
plc'.nt. Since tliat time they have run con-
tinuously, making" an average of 1,500 car-
loads of hollow brick and dram tile per year.
They have, a tract of eighty acres and furnish
employment to about seventy-five men. At the
time of the incorporation, L. L. Denison was
elected president of the ci mipany. Wesley Deni-
son became vice-president and W. C. Deni-
son and J. F. Denison were directors. About
three years later another lirother. L. B. Deni-
son. became interested in tlu business in a
financial way, but has never given it his per-
sonal attention. He made the fifth director,
and no change was made in the organization
until the father. Wesley Denison, died, when
his place was taken on the board by ]^lrs. L
L. Denison. Mrs. Denison was succeeded by
her son, Charles W._, when he became of
age.
By loo-i the business had grown to such
an extent that it became necessary to increase
the capacity (if the plant. The Denisons in-
corporated another company under the title of
The Ohio Clay Company, having the same
directors and officials as the Delaw-are Com-
pany, and jjurchased a plant in Cleveland w hich
was in process of construction. After c<.im-
pleting the plant, they operated it in the manu-
facture of hollow brick exclusive!}'. ]\Ir. W.
C. Denison moved to Cleveland when that plant
was opened, and has had charge of the plant
there ever since.
\\'. A. Fleming & Son ojjcrate a tile mill
in Oxford Township. We have Iteen unable
to learn wdio established this mill. It was
owned at one time by John Hunt, who sold it
to Samuel Prince. He was here abrmt seven
years when he sold the property to G. J. Hull.
Potter Brothers & Fleming purchased the mill
from him in September, 1904. Up to this
time the mill was operated by horse-power, but
the new firm installed a steam-engine and
presses and a new kiln, which has a capacity
of about S125 worth of tile at a burning.
About twenty kilns are burned annually.
George Standforth started :i tile factory in
Berlin Township over a quarter or a century
ago. It passed through the hands of different
owners until October 2^. 1899. wdien \\". Z.
Evans purchased the property from O. E.
Foster. 'Mr. Evans has not operated the mill
since [906. luit up to and including that year
he kept about half a dozen men at work there.
The Delaware Department of the Xational
Fireproofing Company occupies the old Deni-
son plant on East William Street, which they
inirchased in the spring of 190J. They keep
about fifty men employed there, and manu-
facture about I. .SCO tons of terra cotta fire-
liroofins: a month, besides a large amount of
drain tile. ... . - - ,
AXD REPRESEXTATf\"E CITIZEXS
149
In 188S George T. \\'oiriey and his son
H. \V. W'oUky lonned a partnership under the
linn name ot Woltley & Son, and erected a
tile factory in Radnor, a short distance east of
the raih'oad. Thomas W. Disbennett pur-
chased the Wolticy Tile .Mill in 1504, and has
developed a large business. His plant is
ecjuipped for the manufacture of all kinds of
drain tile from three to eighteen inches in
diameter.
Benton Brodicrs Tile Factory. Scioto
Township, near Ostrander. was e.-taMidu-d
here in 1895, in which year ]Mr. I'.ciULm alsu
established a saw-mill. The business wa>;
started on the home farm in the fall of 1884
by J. R. Benton, but it was moved to its
persent location in the year abuve named.
Here he ni)t only has excellent shipping fa-
cilities over the B)ig Four Railroa.d. but he
has a very superior grade of clay, which en-
ables him to make a drain-tile especially
adapted to the requirements of the railroads,
which consunie all he can prL.ducc. At present
about 25,000 rods of tile are made annually.
The Galena Clay Products Comp:my was
incorporated in the spring of 1907, by the
following gentlemen, who hold the offices
indicated: \Y. C. Roberts, president; J. J.
Adams, vice-president ; James Rose, secretary ;
E. B. Cole, manager; E. C. Bennett. They
manufacture tile, ha\ing one kiln with a ca-
pacity of about S200 worth of tile at a burn-
ing. Tliey have about four acres of clu}
land and employ from six to eigh. people.
The manufacture of cigars in Delaware is
an industry that has developed to some im-
portance. In the early '50's. Charles W'ottring
began the manufacture of cigars in a small
way, and continued until just after the Civil
War. So far as we have been able to learn,
he was the pioneer cigar-make; in this ceiunty.
Riddle, Graff & Company. This is the
oldest firm of cigar manufacturers in the
county. Mr. Christian Riddle learned his trade
with Charles W'ottring. and in iSf'i6, he fcrmeil
a partnership with John Eiebienclerfer and
Jacob Eolinger, under the tii-m name of
Licbienderfer. Bolinger & Company. This
firm purchased Charles Wottnng's business.
The following year Mr. Riddle withdrew from
the firm. The business was continued, with
various cha-nges in the personnel of the firm
until sometime in the earlv 'No's, when it was
assigned to Charles Wnitring, wh<i closed it
out. In 1867. when Christian Riddle with-
drew from the firm just meiuiijned, he started
in the manufacture of cigars doing a small
wholesale and retail business. The first thou-
sand cigars he shipped out of the city went to
a man in Gallon, Ohio, whu never paid for
them. In the early '7o's George E. Graft:' be-
came a partner, and the firm name of Riddle
& Graff was adopted. EeJv)y W. Battenfield
became a partner in 1S74, and the firm name
was changed to Riddle. Graff & Company.
Mr. Graff retired fnim the firm in the early
"90's. Their present thrt?e-story factory at
Xo. 10 Xorth Sandusky Street was erected in
1S78. From 120 to 150 cigar-makers are em-
ployed in this business, to whom are paid be-
tween $35,000 and $40,000 annually in wages.
From six to eight millions of cigars are made
annually. This means the consumptiiiu of
about $75,000 worth of tobacco leaf, and the
payment of from $17,000 to Si8,ooo in reve-
nue ta.x. Five travelling salesmen are em-
ployed in marketing this product, which is sold
principally in Ohio. Indiana, part of 3ilichi-
gan, Illinois and western Xew York, as well
as in a few towns in Pennsyhania. The ex-
pense ■ for outgoing prepaid exjjress charges
is about $2,500 annually,
T. Hessnauer & Company. In 18S0 Fred-
erick Pfiffner and Jacob Hessnauer established
a cigar factory under the name of Pfiffner &
Plessnauer. They employed five or six people.
At the end of five years, ^Ir. Hessnauer be-
came sole proprietor of the business, wdiich he
carried on in his own name until 1902.' when
his son. Frank AI. Hessnauer, became a part-
ner, and the firm name nf J. Hessnauer &
Company was adopted. Their principal brand
is a five-cent cigar called the "Commercial ;"
they also make a high-grade ten-cent cigar
called "Eynette."' About twenty-five people
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
find empluyment in tlie niaiiufacture of these
cigars, wliicli are sold principally in Ohio.
The Delaware Co-Operative Cigar Com-
pany, whicli is no longer in existence, did quite
an extensi\-e business in its palm}- days. The
comjiany was incorporated in July, 1S84. and
the following gentlemen were its tirst officers :
Charles Smith, president; Henry Eayerlein,
vice-president; Charles Pfister, secretary and
manager; P. Pfister, treasurer. At one time
the business gave emplo}-meiit to about a dozen
cigarmakers.
Crasser & Haas. In 1SS6 John P. Crasser
l>ecame a stcjckholder in the Delaware Co-
Operative Cigar Company, and continued in
its employ until 1S93, when he formed a part-
nership with A. Dauernheim. under the firm
name of Dauernheim & Grasser which pur-
chased the business. This partnership con-
tinued until 1896, when Mr. Crasser purchased
his partner's interest, and ran the business
alone until a year later. Then W. E. Haas,
who is U'-iw Ma}-or of Delaware, became a
partner, and the firm name was changed to
Crasser & Haas. About 400,000 cigars are
manufactured annually, giving einployment
to eight or nine people including the mem-
bers of the firm. Their leading brands of fi\e-
cent cigars are "Henry Gray"' and "The Rip-
per;" "Tom Watts" is the name of their ten-
cent cigar. These cigars are sold principally
in Ohio.
William Hanitsch started in 1895 to make
cigars on his own account. He keeps two or
taree hands busy, and makes about 200,000
cigars yearly. His brands are "The Best
Handmade" and "Anclior."
Wells Brothers started in the business of
making cigars in July, 1904. Three people,
including one member of the firm, are em-
ployed in this factory, which turns out aljout
100, coo cigars a year. These are sold prin-
cipally in Delaware. "Standard" is their
leading brand.
Charles AI. Ulrey is the only cigar-box
manufacturer in the county. This business
was established in the early '8o's by John
Bradbeer. whn carried it nw until 189^. when
Mr. Ulrey purchased it. .\bout fi\-e hundred
cigar boxes are made daily, giving employ-
ment to six or seven men. These boxes are
marketeil largely in Delaware Ciumty. al-
though Mr. Ulrey has customers all over the
State.
CRE.VMERIES.
The Sunbury Co-Operative Creamery
Ci mpnny was organized during the winter of
1892. and was chartered on January 28th of
that year, with a capital stock of $6,000 paid
in. There were originally forty-three stock-
holders. The first Ploard of Directors was as
follows: L. James Wilson, president; Milton
Utley, vice-president; John Landon, William
D. Miller, James Cockrell. Roswel Edwards
and E. D. Palmer. J. H. Kimball, secretary
and general manager; O. H. Kimball, treas-
urer. In addition to those who served as of-
ficers, the following appear on the charter as
incorporators : Jasper Boyd. Thomas Andrews.
W. P. Roberts and Kimball Sedgwick. After
sixteen years' continuous service on the part
of Messrs. Wilson. Landon. ?\Iiller. Boyd and
Cockrell without compensation as officers, the
Board of Directors for 1908 is as fullows; L.
James Wilson, president; William D. Miller,
vice president; John Landon, Sam L. Rose-
crans. Jasper Boyd. Edwin Phillips. James
Ciickrell. Kimball Sedgwick, secretary and
general manager; Charles ^ O. .\rmstrong,
treasurer. This company is one of the most
successful in the State of Ohio. It was estab-
lished by farmers for farmers. The company
acts merely as agent. The farmer delivers the
milk to the cream.ery, and recei\-es the net
proceeds of the business after deducting the
actual running expenses, including a "royalty
or rental" (which goes to the shareholders) of
five cents per hundred pounds on all milk re-
ceived. The creamery began receiving milk
May 2. 1892. taking in on that day 2,298
pounds. ^Iilk. cream and all the products of
the same, or nf which these are an ingredient,
and their bv-products are handled and manu-
f'^ctured. The reputation of the creamery.
hiv.\e\"er. has been established on die merit of
it.s butter. From a small beginning, the terri-
AXD KEi'Rl-SEXTATIVE CITIZI- XS
151
tory from which the company ch^aws its raw
material has spread over the entire eastern halt
of Delaware County and into Morrow, Lick-
ing- and Franklin Counties. Frrm a total of
$8,(/,'5.3i in 189J, the business has grown to
$_'j^^549.oi in 1907, and tlieie is every
prospect that it will reach the qu:'.rter milliun
mark in 1908. The company ha> ci'tuinuaUy
expcndetl its surplus capital in txien^i.jii .iinl
improvements, and trKla>- p'jsscs.scs one of the
tinc>t brick Iniildini^s in Delaware County,
equipjjed with the mi_>st modern machinery and
every facility for handling its materials and
products in the most sanitary manner.
The Delaware Creamery Company at the
northwest corner of Lake and Winter Streets,
was established .in 1901 by W. Z. E\'ans. t'.ut-
ter and condensed milk are the products manu-
factured, this being- the only condensing plant
in the county. A busine--^ amdunting h< S75.-
coo was done in lyoj, giving employment to
fn^ni twelve to fifteen pei>plc.
The Ashley Co-Operative Crean-ier_\- Com-
pany was incorporated in May. 1892. Benja-
min Stitler was president and "Chesley Worn-
staff was treasurer of the company. The farm-
ers could not be interested sufficiently to fur-
nish milk enough to carry on tlie . business
profitably, so in Octijber, 1895, the enterprise
was abandoned.
LIME AND STOXE.
The Scioto Lime and Stone Company is
one of the flourishing and growing industries
of Delaware County. The plant is located in
Scioto Township on the east side of the river
near the northern boundary of Concord Town-
ship. A spur runs from the plant to the Big
Four Railroad. The company has the only
hydrating lime machine in this part of the
State. It has a capacity of i.ooo barrels of
lime per day, and employs forty to fifty men
in the busy season. Besides doing a large
local business, the company ships extensi\-ely
to eastern and southern states. H. E. Kendrick
is the manager of the plant, having his office
on Xorth Sanduskv Street, Delaware.
The White Sulphur Stone Company of
Scioto Township was established m 1904 jjv
Oliver Perry Bird and James Richey. under
the firm name of Bird & Richey. At first they
operated two stone (.|uarries in Concord Town-
ship, but in 1906, sir. Christian was admitted
to tiie firm, and at that time they acquired
eight acres of quarry land where they are now-
located a little west of White Sulphur station
on the Big Four Railroad. They emplov about
twenty-five men, and do a large business in
crushed stone, and also have contracts for fill-
ing about twenty miles of county turnpikes.
In Berkshire, Trenton, Harlem and Genoa
Townships are to be found quarries of fine
building stone, tho.se of Berkshire and Tren-
ton being of superior quality. On account of
the poor facilities for shipping, these quarrie?
have never been worked extensively. The first
quarry in Trenton Township was opened at an
early day by a Mr. Allison. Upwards of thirty
years ago a large quarry was opened on the
Landon farm on Big Walnut Creek. Williams
lK: Knox oper.ed another large quarry years
ago. Many others were opened in different
parts of the township, but largely for the per-
sonal use of the proprietors. The Sunburv
Stijue Company was incorporated in 1907 b\-
Columbus capitalists, although some citi.^ens
of Sunbury have stock in the enterprise. They
are working what is known as the Bunyan
quarry, adjoining the Landon quarries.
Frank L. Campbell has a 12-acre blue lime-
stone quarry on \\'est William Street. Tliis
was opened originally by Willian-i Little, whose
name figures prominently in the early history
of Delaware. From him the quarry passed to
George W. Campbell. After running the
quarry for a long time, he sold to George Lit-
tle, a son of William Little, and from him it
passed to Frank Little Campbell, who is a
grandson of the original proprietor, in 1S96.
Mr. Campbell employs about thirty-five men,
and gets out about a th'.:iusand carloads of
building stone annually, and as a by-product,
between tioo and 700 carloads of crushed stone
per year. The fine quality of this sti^ne is in-
dicated by the fact that 3.1r. Campbell saws it
, I
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL".\TV
into blijcks. It is nuirketeil nmstly in Coluni-
l)us, althougii it is sliipped all over the State.
Wain iiazeltun has abuut two and one-
half acres of land situated in Delaware north-
west of the Hocking- X'alU'v station. Kere he
has operated a st^ne ([I'av!;, l<ir ahont tliirteen
\ears. During the Im^y ^eas.nl he employs
from forty tu lOO men in his bnsinoss. He
Ointracts f^r turnpike- and city .-ireets. and
si) far a- i^ kn.)wn, the hr>': complaint ha: yei
to be made regarding the quality ut his work.
G.\S MAXL-FACTUKE.
P.efi.ire success was finally achie\ed, sev-
eral attempts were made by different parties
to establish a plant fur ih.e manufacture gf gas
in Delaware. As early as iS'^Ck llar\ey P.
Piatt made a proposal tij the Council ami they
granted him the n^c "f t'lc city strecis. re-
stricting the price of ga^ \." the Corporation to
$3 per thousand cubic feet, and the jirice to
citizens to §4. In the latter ijart nf tlie suc-
ceeding year. Piatt having fail..! t. fu':":! h-s
part of the contract. Israel I. Ricliard<. ui and
J. C. Evans were granted like pri\ileges for
the same purpc'se, the price of gas being made
to city and citizens alike. at S4. These gentle-
men were given until iS'^iO in which h.' com-
plete their project, but they. too. failed, and
the rights granted were re\Tjked. During 1S59.
however, The Delaware Gas Light and Coat
Oil -Company was organized by William Stev-
enson. Joseph Atkinson. Jacob Riblet and oth-
ers. These gentlemen, were from [Mansfield.
Gabon and elsewdiere. and were granted the
usual privileges on April 2\, i860, the price of
gas being fixed at Sj per thousanl feet to thie
city, anil S3 to private cc^nsumers. The fol-
low-ing men were the first officers of the com-
pany: Jacob Riblet, president; A. S. Caton.
secretary: J. Atkinson, superintendent, and
Charles Wottring. treasurer. They at once
set about erecting their works on Estella
Street. The first pipes put down were of wijod.
but in 1S70. these were replaced by iron pipes,
and the whole establishment enlarged. A new-
purifying house was built, a gasometer wuh a
cafiacity of 18.000 feet replaced the old nne,
and a new bench of .five retorts added, making
an effective force of eleven retorts. The com-
pany continued to exteiul its distributing sys-
tem, and in 1S88, built a gas-hokler with a ca-
pacil}- of 36.000 feet. The following year a
new uffice building was erected on Estella
Street at a cost uf about $2,000. As the de-
mand increased, the capacity of the plant was
enlarged until it was 100,000 feet per day. On
January 15, 1894. the name was changed to
the Delaware Gas Comjiany by an amendment
to the charter, and in July, 1902, the charter
was again amended so as to permit tlie com-
pany to distribute natural gas. This was the
second gas company in the United States to
make a change fnun the manufacture of arti-
ficial gas to distributing natural gas. The
change involved great expense, but was made
without inconveniencing the consumers in any
way. The company owns one of the finest dis-
tributing plants in the State of Ohio. It com-
prises nine regulators and twenty-four miles
L.-f mains. It has 1.500 meters in use, and
selL gas to the city and citizens at a net price
of 2j cents per thousand cul)ic feet. The capi-
tal stock of the comijany is now Si 20.000.
Judge T. C. Jones was elected president of the
comjiany in 1877, and served- until August,
1892, when he was succeeded by Chauncy
Llills. y[r. Hills held the oft^ice at 'the time o'f
his death, February 8, 1901, and was suc-
ceeded by Captain \'. T. Hills, w-ho ser\'ed im-
til January. 1904. Captain Archibald Lybrand
was then elected to the position and served a
year. !\Ir. T. C. Jones, who is now president
and manager,' was elected ti5 the ot'fice in
January, 1905. Mr. C. M. Converse became
secretary and manager of the company in 1877,
and was followed in 1888 by J. M. Armstrong.
In December, 1891, he was succeeded by T. C.
Jones, who held the office until he became presi-
dent, and was succeeded by John L. Shaub,
who is now secretary of the compai-iy. In
1902. the office building abo\'e referred to was
co-nverted into a workshop, and the offices of
the company were renn^ved to their present lo-
cation on West Winter Street.
CHAPTER. VIII.
BANKS AND BANKING.
A History of the Banks of Dclaz.'c
Tlie citizens of Delaware County liave been I
most fortunate in iiaving the banking business
of the community in the hands of men wlio
have proven themselves not only honorable,
but capable a'ncl conservative financiers. They
have safely piloted the banks of this county
thniug-li all the panics and financial storms
which base periodically swept o\'er the coun-
try, so that tlie history of banking in Delaware
County has yet to record its first failure. In
making this statement, we except, of course,
the first attempt at banking which from the
following account of its brief career, seems at
this late date like a joke, while it illustrates the
loose business methods of those early times. |
Xo one. but the founders of this bank suffered j
by its untimely collapse, and their anguish, j
probably was .largely mental.
The first bank in Delaware was organized
about 1SI17. and was called the Bank of Dela-
ware. It was a bank of issue. William Lit-
tle was the principal stockholder ; Moses Byxbe.
Sr., was president, and Leonard H. Cowles
was cashier. Mr. Cowdes. who was a son-in-
law of Moses Byxbe, Sr., was one of the earli-
est resident lawyers of Delaware, a graduate of
Vale and a classmate of John C. Calhoun. The
bank was opened in a building which stood on
the northeast corner of Sandusky and William
Streets, where the transfer station of the Co-
lumbus. Delaware & Marion Railway now is.
After the bank had been in business a few
days, Mr. Little concluded to examine its con-
dition and assets. He went to the bank and
asked the cashier what his success was. and re- 1
ceiving a favorable answer, asked the cashier !
Tt- County — Ir'ast and Present.
if he was loaning any money. "Oh, yes!" said
the cashier, "Lots of it." Mi\ Little then re-
quested to see the notes. "Oh!" replied the
cashier, "I didn't take any notes ; I just charged
the loans up on the books." ^Ir. Little, be-
coming suspicious that the institution was be-
ing run rather loosely, stepped into the back
room, where he found the bills of the bank
[.iled up on a table, tie gathered them all up,
wrapped them in a paper, put the bundle under
his arm, and going into the front room, said
to the cashier, "You may lock the door; this
bank is broke." We commend that method of
winding up the affairs of a bank without the
vexatious delays of a resort to receivers and
courts.
One of the bills of the bank, in some
miraculous way, weathered the storms of pio-
neer days, and was found under the floor of
the old Court ILjuse when it was torn down.
It is now in the possession of Hon. John D.
Van Deman, and through his courtesy we are
able to show the accompanying photographic
reproduction of this most interesting relic.
The Del.a.w'.\re X.\tiox.\l B.\xk. The
following history of this bank, including the
banks that preceded it, is given substantially
as it was written by Air. Sidney Moore, shortly
before his death. The necessary data has been
added to make the chronicle complete to the
present time. On February 14, 1845, the Gen-
eral Assembly passed an Act entitled, "An Act
to Incorporate the State Bank of Ohio and
other Banking Companies." Under the pro-
visions of this Act, a Board of Bank Commis-
sioners, consisting of Hon. Gustavus Swan
nv .ii:^T'^!i\H3
154
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
and others, met t)n March i8th, and organized
a Board of Control, electing Mr. Swan as presi-
dent, and Josepli Olds as secretan,-. On June
14, 1845, thirty-three persons organized the
Delaware County branch of the State Bank of
Ohio, with a capital stock of $100,000. At
subsequent meetings of the Board of Control,
to and including June 19, 1S45, applications
tij establi--;h brancli banks at sexen cities and
towns were tileti. Amriig those making ap-
pHcation, the one from Delaware was accepted
by the Board of Control, and the Delaware
County Branch of the State Bank of Ohio
commenced liusiness on October 12, 1845. ^'^^
a meeting of the stockholders, H(jn. Hosea
Williams, William Little, B. Powers, W. D.
Heim and C. Howard were elected directors.
Judge Williams was elected president, and B.
Powers, cashier. Sidney ]Moore. Jr., was ap-
pointed teller and bookkeeper. Judge Wil-
liams was president of the bank until the e.x;-
piration of its charter in 1865. ^Nlr. Powers
served as director and cashier until 1855, when
he resigned as cashier, a.id was succeeded by
Sidney 2\Ioore. who filled the position until
the expiration of the charter.
The Del.wvare CofXTv X.vtiox.vl Bank
was organized under the Act of Ccingress, en-
titled, "An Act to Provide a National Cur-
rency,'" etc., which was approved June 3, 1864.
Articles of association for organizing this bank
were signed January 6, 1865. and an election
of directors was held on the loth of the same
month. Hon. Hosea William^. B. Powers, \V.
D. Heim, PL G. Andrews and Sidney Moore
were elected. Judge \\'illiams became presi-
dent, and Sidney Minire w-as app:iinted cash-
ier. March i. i8r.3, Hon. Hugh McCullough,
comptroller of the currency, issued his Certifi-
cate of Authority to commence the business of
banding, and on iNIarch 8th, the business of
the old bank was transferred and assigned to
the new organization. The charter granted at
this time expired January 7, 1885, and was
then renewed or extended for twenty years.
The original Board of Directors served until
1S67, when Mr. Andrews resigned, and John |
R. Hillianl was appointed in his place. The
board as thus constituted continued until Jan- ]
uary 9, 1872, when John Woltley succeeded
Mr. tlilliard. No further change occurred in
the per-sonnel of the board until February 18,
1S76, when Chauncy Hills was apijointed to
the \acancy caused by the death of Judge Wil-
liams on February 12th. On July 28, 1876,
Lion. T. C. Jones became a director in place
of B. Powers, resigned. On June 13, 1880,
the same board was elected, except that V. T.
Hills succeeded John WolHey as a director.
This board served until 188^. From that time
until 1885, .Messrs. C. Hills, T. C. Jones, V.
T. Hills, Sidney .Moore and Rev. John W.
White composed the Board of Directors. ^Ir.
White resigned in 1S86, and W. Little took
his place. No further change was made in the
membership until the death of Hon. T. C.
Jones, August 13, 1892. A. H. Jones was
elected to the \ acancy August 22. 1892, and
no other change occurred in the board until
September, 1900, when A\'. Little resigned.
At this time E. L Pollock was appointed cash-
ier of the bank. In 1901, ^Messrs. C. Hills.
\'. T. Hills, A. LI. Jones, Sidney Moore and
H. J. McCullough were elected as directors.
;\Ir. C. Hills died T'ebruary 8, 1901, and on
the nth of March following. L. L. Denison
was appointed in his stead. The death of Mr.
IMcCullough, June 27, 1903, made the next
change in the board, and E. I. Pollock was ap-
pointed as his successor, on .-Vugust 17th. The
Board of Directors as thus constituted w as re-
elected January 12, 1904. The charter of this
bank expired on January (>. 1905, and at that
time it went into liquidation.
The Delaware National Bank began
business on January 7, 1905. The applicatinn
for a charter for this bank was made Novem-
ber 7, 1904, and was signed bv Sidney Moore,
V. T. Hills, L. L. Denison, A. H. Jones and
E. I. Pollock. The charter was dated Decem-
ber 7, 1904, and an election was held on the
loth of the following month, at which time
the number of directors was increased from
five to seven, and the following Iward was
elected : Sidnev Moore. V. T. Hills, L. L.
Denison, E. I.' Pollock, Lewis Slack, T. J.
Grittin and J. L. Anderson. The board cijn-
tinued w-ithciut Changs' until the death of Mr.
•J , sn,.!
AXD KEPRESEXTATIX'E CmZEXS
155
Moore on JMay 27, 1907. the vacnncy thus
created being fiUed by T. }vE Thompson, who
\\as elected on June 10, 1907. The present of-
ticers of the bank are: V. ']'. HiUs, president:
L. L. Deni>on. vice-presid.eni. and E. J. Pol-
loci<. cashier.
I'h.e Ijank occupies a fine two-story build-
inn- at 34 Xnrth Sandusky Street. This lot
was deeded to the bank on February 13. 1868,
by John R. Hilhard, the consideration Ijeing
S3, 250. On the 17th of the following yiay.
the president and cashier were apjwinied a
cuniniittee to make all arrangements for the
erection of a building suitable for the busi-
ness. In^ 1886, the building was remodeled, in-
cluding the erection of a new front, and at that
time was entirely refurnished. In 1905. the
buikling was again remodeled, a new addition
built to the rear of the building, and the old
vault replaced with one thoroughly up-to-date
in every respect. When this bank opened in
1905. it made a new departure, in starting a
savings department. The toUowiig statement
of the affairs of this institution dated February
29. 190S, may be of interest:
RESOURCES.
Loans an.i Discounts $440,256.16
United States and other Bends .227,700.31
Real Estate, I'urniture and Fixtures 22.51x1,00
Due from Banks and U. S. Treasurer 72,003.30
Cash 43.879.99
Total $Sc^6, 339.76
LI.-\BILITIES.
Capit.il Stock : $150,000,00
Su I plus and Profits 36,955.87
Circulation 9S.700.00
Due to Banks .- 948,25
^^POiks ..: 47.J.733-64
Bond .Account 47,000.00
Total , , $.''06,339.76
The following is the list of officers and
their terms of service : Presidents. Hon.
Hosea Williams. Januarv 13, 1S65. until his
death. February' 12, 1S76: William D. Heim,
February 14. 1876, until his death. January 8
1^83: Sidney ^h^ore, January 8. 18S3. until
his death, May 27, 1907. He was succeeded
by Y. T. Hills, who is now president. Vice-
presidents, Chatmcy Hills. January 9, 1877, to
F^ebruary 8, 1901 ; V. T. Hills; January 13,
1892. until his election as president on June
10, 1907; L. L. Denison, who now holds the
office, became vice-president on last named
date. Cashiers. Sidney JMoore. January 13,
1S65, to January 9, 1S83: William Little,
January 8, 18S3, to September i, 1900, when
he was succeeded bv the present cashier, E, L
Pollock.
The First X.\tiox-\l B.\xk. \Miile this
is not the oldest bank in Delaware, it was the
first national bank established in this city un-
der the "Act of Congress to Provide a Na-
tional Currenc}', etc." The present institution
is built, as it were, upon the foundation of The
Bank of Delaware, v,hich was organized Au-
gust 3, 1857. under the provisions of the law
for incorporating State banks. The original
stockholders were: Tlon. H. Williams, B.
Powers, P. D. Hillyer, Sidney ]\Ioore, Jr., C.
A. Powers and W. E. Moore. These men,
with the exception of \V. E. JMoore, constituted
the Board of Directors. On August 10, 1857,
'Mr. Flillyer was elected president and C. A.
Powers, cashier. The Ijank opened for business
in what is now the Flotel Donavin block on
Xorth Sandusky Street. At that time the first
fioor was reached by a short fiight of steps
from the sidewalk. The application for the
charter of the First X'ational Bank was signed
by sc\enteen persons. The charter was granted
on February 23, 1S6.]., Hon. Hosea Williams,
B. Powers, H. G. Andrews. Isaac Day and Sid-
ney Moore, Jr., composed the first Board of
Directors. On January 16, 1864. the First
National Batik took over the business of the
Bank of Delaware, and on January iSth, B.
Powers was elected president and W. E.
Moore, cashier. J. E, Gould became cashier
on February 15. 1876, and on January 8, 1884,
he was succeeded by G. W. Powers, B, Pow-
ers resigned as president on February 16, 1880,
and C. B. Paul was elected to fill the vacancy.
]Mr. Paul continued to serve as president un-
til his death. January 11, 1901. and on January
17th. Hon. J. D. Van Deman. who is now
MISTORV Ol' DELAWARE COUXTV
presiileiu, was elected tu the (jftice. The other
otticers lit the bank at tiie present time are:
M. -Miller, vice-president; G. \V. Powers,
cashier : R. B. Powers, assistant casljier. The
present Board of Directors is composed of the
following gentlemen: Hon. J. D. Van De-
man. M. Miller, G. \V. Powers. H. W. Jewell.
W. y[. Aliller and L. W. Battenfield. Of the
seventeen men who applied for the original
charter of this bank, onlv three are now liv-
ing—Y. T. Hills. M. Miller and \V. E. Moore.
The lot at 2p North Sandnsky Street, on
which the bank is now located, was purchased
in 1S65 for Si. 700, and the building was
erected in that year. The bank began business
in their new building on January i, 1S66. The
building was remodeled in-iS83. and plans
have been made for the erection of an addi-
tion to the rear of the building this year, and
a large vault embodying the latest improve-
ments will also be built at the same time.
The fi/illowing statement shows the assets
and liabilities of the bank on February 24.
1 90S .
ASSETS.
Loans and Bonds S3J5.fU5 §6
United States Bonds 100,000.00
Real Estate, etc 12.500.00
Cash and Exchange It2.856.35
Due from' U. S. Treasurer 3,000.00
Total . . .' 8564,002.21
LI.\P.ILITIFS.
Capital Stuck $100000.00
Surplus and Profits 23,494.50
Circulation 100.000.00
De;iosit^ ,740,^07.71
Total $564,002.21
This bank has been justly, distinguished
for its conservative manageinent. It has never
passed its dividend, and in all the financial
panics which have disturbed the country it has
never failed to meet, on demand, all claims
upon it. Depositors have felt that their money
was as safe in the keeping of this bank as it
would be in the \-aults rif the govenmient.
The Deposit B.\xking Compaxv. In
1S67. as a result of the efforts of Henry A.
Welch, a co-partnership was formed for c^n-
ducting a banking business in Delaware, un-
der the name of the Deposit Banking Com-
pany. The f(jllowiiig men were members of
the company: H. W. Pumphrey, William G.
Williams. .H. M. Carper, -Hon. John D. \'an
Deman, E. R. Thompson. William Warren.
Sr.. Archibald Lvbrand, John Brundige. S. P.
Shur, J. J. Shur' and Henry A. Welch. The
bank upened for business in December. 1S69.
The business was continued as a co-partner-
ship until ]\lay 14, 1890, when it was incor-
porated under the State Banking Law. The
following are the names of the incorporators:
S. P. Shur. Prof. W. G. Williams. H. A.
Welch, R. G. Lybrand and Samuel Lybrand.
At the first election after the incijrporation. the
following officers were elected : S. P. Shur.
president; PI. A. Welch, vice-president: X. P.
Ferguson, cashier; R. R. Welch, assistant
cashier. The following named gentlemen have
filled the various offices of the bank dr.wn to
the present time: Presidents. H. W. Pum-
phrey. John Mendenhall. Archibald Lybrand
and S. P. Shur. who now fills the office. Cash-
iers. H. A. Welch until 1896: X. P. Ferguson.
Fred T. Jones, and from 1S98 to April i. LCioS.
R. M. Averv was cashier. The latter was suc-
ceeded by A. S. Conklin. H. W. Jones is the
present assistant cashier. The present b'jard
of Directors comprises the following gentle-
men: S. P. Shur. president: Christian Riddle,
vice-president; R. ]M. Avery, cashier; R. G.
Lybrand. E. J. Healy. W. ^L Heseltine and A.
S. Conklin. Since its incorporation, the bank
has been paying interest on time deposits. The
bank has a capital. $50,000: surplus and un-
divided profits. S37.300: deposits. $414-^1-0:
cash and due from banks. S138.700; loans.
5316,400; Delaware Countv and Citv bonds.
S3-'.858.
The Del.\w.\re S.wixgs B.vxk Compaxv
which is the oldest savings l)ank in the county,
is patterned after The Fremont Savings Bank,
in which President Hayes was largely inter-
ested. He recommended something of the kind
f.,r his native city, and with this in view, tiie
following gentlemen, Chauncy Hills, H. J.
/sr- s^
^^ VV.'"
/-/- vihv;c'0viluu-5 //. .////////./: , .— £-,^; ' =
THREE DOLLAR BILL
(Issued by the Back of Del.iua.e in 1
' //
^^
^
----;-^ ■
THi; OLD BARXES HOMESTEAD
(Now tbe Residence of Prof. \V, \V. Davies. Delaware)
->I..U-.t .
I— j
,4i
RESn)E\'CE OF V. T. HILLS, DELAWARE
4 mW^
1"] n::^.-^
V-
^
i MASOXIC TEMPLE. ASHLEY HIGH SCHOOL, ASHLEV
AND RP.PRESEXTATI\'E CITIZEXS
^^cCullou.2:ll. \': n. Stnyman and J. L. W'olfley.
inciirj-orateil The Delaware Savings Bank
Company, on Eebrnary 19, 1S90.
T!ie bank opened for business on July 27.
i8yi, with the following directors and officers:
C. Hills. H. T. McCullough. John Towell, B.
W. Brown. F. P. Hills. H. M". Perkins. J. PL
Grove. Charles Brundige and R. K. \M'lis. H.
.\1. Perkins, president; B. W. Brown, vice-
president ; C. O. Little, cashier. A new field
seemeil to have been opened up. and the bank
inimdiately started on a prosperous career.
The opportunity to make large or small de-
])nsits that could be withdrawn at any time,
was immediately taken advantage of by a great
number of Delaware County's thrifty ]icople.
]Many of the thousands of accounts wliicli ha\'e
been opened with the bank are in the names of
children, some of whom, today, have reached
the age when they can realize Vs'hat foresight
their parents displayed years ago.
This bank has paid to its de^xisitors over
Si 30.000 in interest since its or;;:anization, and
its deposits have steadily grown, until now
tbev are larger than the deposits of any bank
in the county. The present officers and direc-
tors of the bank arc : Dr. A. J. Lyon, presi-
lent: Prof, C. B. .Austin, vice-president: F. P.
Hills, cashier since January i. 1S92: \\'. H.
Bodurtha. assistant cashier. Besides the pi'esi-
dent, vice-president and cashier, the following
men are members of the Board of Directors:
Charles Brundige. Hon. B. F. Freshwater. |
Colonel J. M. Crawford. W. Shawakcr. T. C. j
Jones and J. E. >iIcCulIough. The following
is the statement of the bank's assets and liabili-
ties on February 29. 1908:
RESOURCES.
Loana and Disccunts $441,770.19
Bonds 9S.127.25
Cash 32.509-33
Due from Banks 75.697-iS
Furniture, Fi.xtures and Real Estate 4,450.00
Total $652,553.95
LI.\BILITIES.
Capital Stock $ 50,000.00
Surplus and Profits 34,705.16
Deposits 567,848.79
• $652.55395
The F,\rmers B.vxk, Sunbury, Ohio. This
bank was organized in October, 1872, with a
capital of $50,000. The original stockholders
were F, Kimball, John Hall, Alanson Knox,
George .-Vrmstrong. George Grist. E. R,
Thompson, O. D. Hou.gh and B. :\Ioore. The
first officers were: Elias Kimball, president;
W. .\. Thompson, cashier. The directors were
Elias Kimball. E. R, Thompson. Alanson
Knox. O, D. Hough and B. ^vloore. AL.
Kimball died soon after the organization of
the bank, and was succeeded in the presidency
by Ml-. Moore. In 1875, -^I''- O. H. Kiiuljall
became cashier, ^Ve have been unalde to se-
cure a connected liistorv of the bank since the
last named date, or a statement of its financial
condition for publication. The following gen-
tlemen are the present officers: John Landon.
president: J. J, Stark, vice-president. These
gentlemen, with C. W. Parton and G, J, Burr,
are the directors, Owen A. Kimball is casliier.
The Baxk of Ashley was establi.slied in
1884. and is owned by the private banking tirm
of Sperry & WornstafT. It has resources of
$150,000, Both members of the firm are men
of wealth. Mr. Sperry devotes his entire lime
to the banking business, while Mr. W'orn-
staff's time is occupied in looking after his
large farming interests.
The F.\rjiers S.vvixgs B.\xk Compaxy.
of Ashley, is a State bank, incorporated An--
gnist j6, 1904, It was opened for business on
February 9. 1905, It has a capital stock of
SJ5.000. and on August 7. 1907, its deposits
were $128,943.56, The following gentlemen
are the, officers of the bank : President, V\' .
Slack : vice-president. T, J. Cole : cashier. F. E.
Whipple; assistant ca.shier. F, T- Riley. Direc-
tors: W. Slack, J, F. Wilt. H, B, Blair, T, I.
Cole, B. F. :\[cMaster. Isaac Clark. R, D, .Mc-
Gonigle.
The Baxk of Gaeex'a Compaxy. of
Galena, was incorporated in January. 1902. Its
capital stock is S50.000. and its cash capital
paid in is $25,000. The following are the di-
rectors and oflicers of the bank: -William D.
]\liller. president: Jnhn H. Dustin. vice-presi-
dent : J. J, Adams, cashier : George W, Bright.
' .r- .-.-.^^ ■.■■ ,!r,-:;i
-r • , ,( >■
I Go
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
Chnrle. Horiun, Eduar.l Hall and W. F. Ben-
nett.
The Ostraxdkr Bankixc Cumpaw, of
Ostrander, Ohiix was organized iu }*Iarch.
1903, under the banking laws of Ohio. W". H.
Carr is president, and William Harris is cash-
ier. The directors are W. li. Carr, J. C.
Maug-ans, Marion Kirkland, !1. W. Ritlen-
liouse and J. I. A(hnu--on. The res(.iurces of
the bank amount to Sij 1,000. Since its or-
ganization, the bank has had a health}- growth
and gives substantial promise for the future.
BuiLDixG AND Lo.\x AssociATiox. As far
as the records show, the tlrst associatir.m incor-
porated in Ohio was '"The Delaware Building
Assolriation" of Delaware. The articles of in-
corporation were filed with the secretary of the
State on February 20, 1S67. There were few
sucli institutions in the State at that time, and
these were modeled on the German plan. Build-
ing and Loan Associations soon became very
popular in the cities of Ohio. The original
idea was to furnish cheap money, on long
time, tiT poor people, th.us enabling them to
purchase or to build homes, or to pay oil in-
debtedness on homes already accphred. Hun-
dreds of people in Delaware have reason to
bless these beneficent institutions. Nothing
ever gave a greater stimulus to the building
of homes in our city than the old Delaw-are
Building Association.
The plan on which the association was
based has been brnught to the attention of
Hon. J. D. Van Dcnian by a citizen of Day-
ton. He studied tlie plan, and with the aid
of Mr. C. E. Hills, wdio was always a leader in
all public enterprises, a Building Association
in Delaware was started. A cliarrer was ob-
tained, as already started, and Messrs. Van
Deman and Llills can\assed the city for stock
subscriptions. It is said that during this time,
there was more figuring in interest and weekly
payments, and calculating when the association
would probalily pay out than was e\-er seen
before ; the fences about town were covered
with figures. The full amount of stock was
soon subscribed, and the association opened its
doors with Hon. John D. A^m Deman as
president, and John J. Glover, now in the De-
Wash
•ton
partmcnt ot justice,
tary.
The money was put U;> at auction, and
loaneil to the bidder offering t(j pay the highest
premium above the rate of interest. The as-
sociation was successful from the beginning,
and jjeing on the terminal plan, it paid out
in a little over seven years. ]\lan}' a family
had a hon]e through this institution who wouli]
always have been homeless were it not for its
methods.
When the association cxjiired by limitati.iu,
all the stockholders met in Templer Flail : the
president cancelled all the mortgages and de-
livered them to the stockliolders, who thus
had their homes free from incumbrance. Other
associations followerl. but the first was the
most successful of them all.
There are now^ two budding and loan as-
sociations in Delaware, but their 7:>lan of or-
ganization and operation are quite different
from the one we have just notefl. Money is
no longer put uj) at auction, nor are shares sold
on the terminal plan. Money is loaned on
mortgages in the regular way, at a stated rate
of interest, the mortgagor having the pri\i-
lege of paying any part or all of the principal
at any time.
The Pf.ople's Bvildixg and Loax Com-
P-JiXY was incorporated in October, 1SS5, by
J. Hippie, James M. Jones, John Donahue,
Hon. F. M". :Marriott and H." L. Baker. At
first its capital stock was $800,000: this was
later increased to $1,000,000, and when this
was all subscribed, the stock in 1905, was in-
creased to $2,000,000. W'lien the company
started, it did business like any other building
and loan association of those days, charging a
legal rate of interest, and in addition, by put-
ting the money up at auction, it secured a
premium, which amounted to e.xtra interest.
A good many years ago this plan was aban-
doned, and a fixed rate of interest (se\en per
cent.) was charged. In November, 1899, the
rate of interest was fixed at six per cent., anrl
this rate has remained unchanged to the pres-
ent time.
The Board of Directc-rs consists of nine
memlers, three of whom are elected each
isq '!■■■■ '.' fiT'l ,M ! • to •( 7
.1. . -liM.H'; Ml- . l.vir.>! : /!>^„!:
J (
AXD RI':]'RESEXTATI\'E CfTIZEXi
\t'ar Iiy tlie stnckhukleri^ for a term of three
\ears. Tliis hoard manag-cs tlie affairs of tlie
cc nii'any. [n Octoher. lyoj, there were 1.644
menihers. and their deposits- aniounted to
8345,000. 'J"he vahae of loans ixitstanding
was 8354,971.09. The reserve fund fur con^
tingent losses was $12,179.85.
The present otficers of the company are:
C. Riddle, president: R. G. L\ brand, vice-
president; H. C. Clippinger, secretary; E. F.
Young, assistant secretary, and R. ^I. Avery,
treasurer. The following gentlemen consti-
tute the present Board of Directors : C. Rid-
dle, R. G. Lybrand, \V. Kurrley, R. J. Pum-
phrey, J. G. Hoft'man, James Ousey. J. H.
Cunningham, J. E. Campbell antl T. J. Grif-
fin,
The company loans only on first mortgages
on city and. farm lands in Delaware County.
Settlements are made semi-annually, and all
sums paid in excess of the interest due are
applied on the principal. The careful manage-
ment of this coiTi])any is indicated by the fact
that it owns no real estate.
TiiF. Fidelity Buildixg Associatiox
A\ij Lo.\x Com PAX V was incorporated Jan-
uary 19. 1S87, by H. J. .McCullough, H" A.
Welch. J. D. \'an L)eman and William T.
Gessner. At that time the capital stock was
8400,000, and on June 9, 1890, this was in-
creased to $1,000,000. The present Board of
Directors is composed of tlie following gentle-
men : D. H. Battenfield, Dr. W, P. Caldwell,
Harry L. Clark, Robert J. Cox, M. :\liller,
Eugene P. Xash, F. J. R. Pfiffner, \'. D. Stay-
man and John D. \'an Deman. The officers
are: D. H. Battenfield. pre^i<h'nt: V. D.
Stayman, vice-president; Frank S. W'atkins,
secretary; R, B. Powers, treasurer. So care-
ful has the management of this company been
in making loans that at .the present time it
holds no real estate. This company is the
onlv one in Delaware that loans -money in
build. The purpuscs of the comijany are well
stated in the fitllowing paragraph, which we
quote fron-i its prospectus :
"It is the purpose of the company to place
the resources of the investors at the disposal
ijf the borrowing classes upon a safe, sound
and eciuitable basis, affording the investor ab-
solute security and a reasonalile rate of inter-
est, and the borrower convenient facilities for,
paying both interest and piincipal. with every
safeguard that human ingenuity can suggest
thrown around both." ,... , ,.,
-(,'■-;- :; ■<
CHAPTER IX.
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
The Liulics' ClirisliiUi Union — Delaware Count
Home for the Aged— Jane M. Case Menu.
y Infirmary — Chihlren's Home of Delaieare-
rial Hospital — Girls' Industrial Home.
THE LADIES CHRISTIAX VXIOX.
The Ladies' Cliri.stian Union, the oldest
charitable organization in Delaware, had its
beginning in response to the cry of a babe born
in February, 1S69, to a mother so [loor that she
could provide no clothing for its coming. This
sad case came io the attention of James Jami-
son and Judge M. L. Griffin, who were then
trustees of I)elaware Township. They con-
sulted with ilrs. T. E. \\'illiams. whose ready
sympathy aroused lier to immediate action.
She set out to call upon ]\lrs. C. C. Chamber-
lain and Mrs. W. P. Reid, two ladies whose
names, during their lives, were identified with
ever}- charitable and public-spirited movement
in this city. Mrs. Williams met these ladies
on the sidewalk in front of Mrs. Chamber-
la ii's residence and made known her errand.
-\Irs. Chamberlain at once said, "We ought to
call the ladies together and organize a so-
ciety.'' So, on the followi'ig Sunday, the
clergymen of the city, at the request of the
ladies, announced from their pulpits that all
ladies who would be interested in organizing
a society for charitable work were invited to
be present at a meeting called for that purpose
at the residence of ]\[rs. C. C. Chamberlain on
a certain day of the following week. ]Mrs.
Chamberlain's home was located on Sandusky
Street where the Delaware Hardware Com-
panv now d"es bu=;iness. Her parlor=; ban a'l-
reidy bec'ime historic, not only sociallv. but as
the place where many a religiou^ and benevo-
lent enterprise had had its birth — becoming,
finally, a very ■"storm center'' of woman's
patriotic word and work, as she kept brightly
burning the home fires 'mid the stormy days
of ■6i-'65. The meeting was largely at-
tended, and an organization effected, of which
Mrs. Joanna ^Murray was elected president,
l\irs. Abram Thomson, first \ice-i)residcnt ;
Mrs. Hosea Williams, second vice-president;
Mrs. Charles ^IcElroy, secretary: ]Mrs. W. F.
W'hitlock, treasurer. At the following meet-
ing, the name of the organization was sug-
gested by ^Irs. Abram Thomson, and was
adopted. The make-up and work of the Union
i^ reilected in its name — "Ladies" denoting its
womanly character — ''Christian" the spiritual
as well as temporal work contemplated —
"L'nion" its cosmopolitan or undenominational
character. Soon after, a constitution and by-
laws were adopted, and these have undergone
but little change during the nearly forty years
of good work accomplished by this society.
The object of tlie Union is to help, mainly,
sick women and children, or families where
the husband and father is sick or disabled for
work. Clothing, food and such other helps
as the circumstances may require are provided,
but mone\' is ne\'er gi\-en, the ^\'a^d Workers
making such purchases as may be necessary.
An important feature of the work is keeping
children warmly and decently clad, so they can
attend the pulilic schools. Some years the
nii ney exjiended has am')unted to $400, but
in recent vears it has a\'eraged about Sr^o. be-
ri:iT^^^.^\..:v
,.-}T i. '. Jjr.in
AXD Rl-:rRESEXTATi\"E CITIZENS
16-,
sides clothing, food, etc., which has been do-
nated to the Union.
Eor se\'en years the treasury was re-
plenished by membership dues, public a'nd pri-
vate donations, and au annual dinner that
usually netted from S300 to, at one time, S600.
Tlie most largely attended dinner was that at
winch Rutherford B. Hayes, who was then
gucernor of Oh.io, and Mrs. H.'yLS, \\\re th(
guests of honor. Eater the payment of mem-
bership fees was discontinued, and while the
Union has never been A\"ithout muney, and its
wardrobe has never been empty, there came at
one time a falling off in its financial resources
that caused some anxiety cm the part of its of-
ficers. The day is well remembered by some
of the older workers, when General J. S. Jones
stopped one of their number between the Court
House and Jones' Rlock, and said : "Did vou
know that there was a law aulhcri/ing the
levying of a special tax for the poor of a city
the size of this? The machinery of your
"Christian Union" is iu gond working urdcr — •
only money lacking: why not avail yourself
of this help that the law provides?" The law-
referred to provided for a tax to be voted
b_\- the peo]5le, not to exceed three-fi:iurths of a
mill, the fund so raised to remain under the
control of the City Council, and to be dis-
tributed by a committee appointed by the
Council, and making to it monthly reports. In
1S76, a vote having been carried at the spring-
election to levy this tax_, the Council so or-
dered, appointing as. its committee three ladies
from the Christian Union: and from that time
funds flowed into its treasury. About this
time it was deemed advisable to incorpo'-ate the
Union under the laws of Ohio. Later th.is
supi^ort fn.im the city was withdrawn, and
since that time, the Union has depended for the
means to carry on its work upon donations of
money, clothing, food, etc. For man_\- years
before her death, one of the benevolent ladie.'
of Delaware sent the Union $50 every Christ-
mas, and many times provided a Christmas
dinner for every family which it was helping.
"The Union has always had the co-operation
if the city officials, the township trustees, and
the truant officer, by whom cases are often re-
ferred to the workers.
Meetings are held once a month, except m
times of especial need, when they are held
twice a month. At first, the meetings were held
in ;Mrs. Chamberlain's parlors, and afterwards
! at the homes of the different officers : later the
Union was given the use of a room in the
Court House, and ^vheu the needs of the county
made it nece.ssary to withdraw this privilege,
a room was provided in the City Hall, where
the members met until the Masonic Temple
was completed. The Union then moved into a
room in the Temple which had been especially
adapted to its need, and which had been con-
veyed to the organization by a [jerpetual lease
g'iven by 'Sir. Sidney Moore, and ]\Irs. Moore,
by whom the building was erected and pre-
sented to the Masonic order.
The following are the names of the ladies
who have filled the different lattices since die
organization of the L'nion. though at this
time we are not able to give them in chron-
ological order. Presidents. ]\Irs. Joanna ?\Iur-
rav. Mrs. Abrani Thomson. Mrs" T. B. Wil-
liams, Mrs. E. Merrick. .Mrs. ]. C. Evans. }>Irs.
James Barnes, .Mrs. \V. P. Reid. Mrs. W. O.
Semans. Secretaries. Mrs. Charles McElrov.
Mrs. William Little, Miss F. Perkins, ^Irs. t.
C. O'Kane. Treasurers, Mrs. W. F. Whit-
lock. Mrs. J. W. Lindsev, Airs. John A. Little.
Ah-s. \\'. W. Davies.
From the beginning, there have been two
visitors appointed for each ward of the city.
It is the work of these ladies to discover the
needy cases, visit them and report the result
of their investigations and efforts to the or-
ganization. It should be stated here that no
one connected with the Ladies' Christian Union
I recei\-es any remuneration, except that blessed-
! ness which comes from giving both time and
1 substance to those in need. We are unable to
I give a complete list of the ward visitors from
! the beginning, but among them are the follow-
j ing: Mrs. T. B. Williams, \vho is the oldest
I ward visitor: she has worked continuouslv in
the East \\'ard from the beginning. Airs. W.
1 0. Semans was a ward visitor continuouslv
I from iStj until within a short time, wdien the
! co.nditiin oi her health made it necessarv for
her to give up a little of the more arduous
I work: Mrs. J. J. Shur, Airs. Loofbourrow.
i!;- .o-t •; ^■..!/,-;
1 64
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
-Mrs. Charles Crawford, Airs. Shatluck. .Mrs.
Tluiuias Evans. .Mrs. George Eaton, }ih\-.. H.
M. Carper. Miss .Matilda Dickinson. .Mrs. T.
F. Joy, Mrs. E. Rutler, Mrs. Dr. Goldrick, and
many others.
The present ofiicers of ilie org-anization
are: Mrs. \V. O. Semans. president: Mrs. X.
Wagner, vice-president; ]\Irs. W. !M. Semans,
secretary; Mrs. W. 11. Pattnn, treasnrer : Mrs.
\V. W.' Davie.s, assistant ticasvrcr. Ward
Visitors: Mrs. C. B. An.stin, :\Irs. T. D.
'I liar]). Mrs. W. B. Patton, .Mrs. I. Markle,
Mrs. X. Wao-ncr. .Mrs. T. B. Williams, .Mrs.
.:. W. Wiles^
While the work of the Ladies' Christian
L'hion has heen unostentatious, the amount (jf
good it has accomplished will never be known
tliis side of eternity. It has the approval and
support of every public-spirited and generously
disposed person, ^\'herever there is need,
there these unselfish women are i-juml ni:nis-
tering to it with words of clieer and ^L'lace for
the mind, and physical necessitic.-, and comforts
for the body, given with an intelligent S}'m-
pathy, and regardless of the personal sacrifices
that may be involved. They cannot fail to
hear the words : "Come^ ye blessed of my Fa-
ther, inherit the kingdom prepared for you,
* * * for I was an hungered, and ye gave me
meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I
was a stranger and ye took me in : naked, and
ye clothed me : I was sick, and yet \ isited me."
DEI,.\WARE COUNTY l.VFIRM.\RY.
The early pioneers of Delaware County
were, as a class, energetic and industrious,
thrifty, self-reliant and provident; among theni
pauperism was practically unknown. As time
went on, however, and the population in-
creased, families were found who became ob-
jects of charitable consideration. Some of
these were adventurers who had been attracted
hither by the apparent prospects of wealth
without work; others were thriftless or im-
prudent ; then there were those who were men-
tally or physically incapacitated for the battle of
life, and some who were victims of misfor-
tunes. Kind-hearted neighbors and friends
cared for cases of this kind until the burden
became too great to be borne by pri\-ate indi-
viduals, and so, in 1852, we find the county
commissioners, Ezra Olds, O. D. Hough and
Joseph Cellars, appointing three directors to
see what pro\ision could be made for the care
of these unfortunates. The directors, Hora-
tio P. Havens, .-Vmos Utley and William M.
Warren, interviewed many of the leading citi-
zens, and it was rinally decided to purchase
a farm and erect suitable buildings for the
care of the destitute.
In iS54,"the Joseph Blair farm, consisting
of iiT^Yi acres of land in Brown Township,
and located about half a mile west of the \il-
lage of Eden, and five and one-half miles
northeast of Delaware, was purchased. .\.
substantial brick building was erected. fort\- by
140 feet in dimensions. The wings on the
east and west sides of the main building are
each forty feet long and two stories "high.
These wings, and the rear of the main build-
ing, are uesd by the inmates, while the front
of the house is used by the superintendent and
his family. There is a large basement under
the entire building. On the first floor is the
store room, w^ash room, kitchen, dining rooms,
pantries, and a few bed rooms. The second
story is divided into sleeping apartments.
When this farm was first purchased, the
wisdom of the commissioners in selecting this
location was called in cpiestion. For the
larger part of the year the place was almost
inaccessible, owing to the condition of the
mud roads leading to it. Part of the farm was
covered by water, and much of the rest of it
was swamp and forest. The buildings on the
f;irm weie not worth considering for the pur-
pose for which the farm was purchased. But
this description does not apply to the farm as
we find it todoy. Aluch of the land has been
cleared and tilled, giving the county a farm of
great fertility, adapted to raising fruits and
vegetables as well as general farm crops. An
excellent orchard was planted, and this pro-
vides a large part of the fruit consumed.
Exerything is done to make co'.nfortable the
unfurtunates who are de]ien(lent upein the char-
ity of the county in their declining years.
AXD REPRESF-XTATIVE CITIZEXS
165
Up to 1S56, no special pn:ivision had bce'i
made for the care oi the insane, and as these
wards of the county increased in nunilier. i;
became necessary to provide suitahle-quarteri
for them. Accordingly, a stone and brick
buildiiii^- was erected in the rear of the infirm-
ary. Heavy iron bars guarded the windows,
w hich were set high up in the walls, and the
cell doors, v.-hich opened into small hallways,
were protected with iron gratings, firmly se-
cured by a wooden door on the outside. This
pen-like affair was far from comfortable, and
as it was unsatisfactorx- in other ways, it soon
was deemed necessary to replace this with a
larger building, better adapted to the care of
the 'insane.
The Legislature, during the session of
iS7-i-'75. passed an act which authorized the
CLmimir-sioners to le\'y a tax. anrl the ilirectors
to build "a prison for the insane." A large
and commodious brick building, 50 b}" ;^o feet
in dimensions and two stones high, was
erected at a cost of $10,000. Under tlie build-
ing is a good basement, which is used as a
furnace room. The building is fire-proof, and
is provided with every necessary comfort and
convenience. Large hallways run through the
center of each of the floors from one end of the
building to the other. The cells, built of stone
and brick, are eight feet by ten. and open off
these hallways on either side. The doors are
of iron, and the winrlows are heavily barred.
In 1903. a law was passed reiiniring all insane
persons to be sent to the State Asy! im. Since
then, the building has been used only as a
place of detention for insane persons, until
such V.me as they could be taken to the State
Asylum. Because of its superior conveniences,
a number of the older inmates of the Infirmary
are now housed in this building.
There are two capacious barns on the farm,
The new barn, built in 1S95, is forty by sev-
enty feet in dimensions. About forty-five
head of cattle are kept; sixty hogs are fed. of
which, about forty-five are butchered annually.
In 1907, the crops were short, excepting hay.
ri:e following were the quantities raised :
^\ heat, 500 bushels; oats, 700 bushels; corn,
2,000 bushels. About 150 tons of hay are
raised each year, of which abnul fi\'e carloads
are sold each spring. In 1S70, it became evi-
d.enl that the farm v.-as too small, and 105
acres of land were purchased fr<.>m John L.
Thurston. In 1905. fifty acres of land were
added to the farm on the east, making a total
of 26Sy2 acres now in the place. Only a very
small number of the inmates of the Infirmray
are able to lend any assistance in the farm
work.
The Infirmary is in charge of a Board of
Directors, who are elected by the people. They
empby a superintendent to manage the faini,
the buildings and the inmates.
The following gentlemen ha\e served as
superintendent: Eli Jackson, 18^2-:;^; ]\Ir.
-Meeker, 1855-5S; GeJrge Hall, 1S58-60; John
L. Thurston, 1866-66; John Heverlo. 1S66-67;
James Green, 1867-68; John .\. Caruthers,
186S-74; John Heverlo. 1874-76; X. Glass.
1876-80; John Long-well, 1880-85 ; N. A. Cole-
man. 1885-89; George Coyner, 1889-92; A.
Linn, 1892-1901 ; April i, 1901, the present
superintendent, 'Mv. C. O. Domigan. took
charge of the Lifirmary.
The following items from the last annual
report will be of interest. At that time there
were sixty-eight inmates in the institution.
Tiie largest number e\-er cared for at one time
was ninety-seven, while the average runs be-
tween sixty and eighty. The profx^rtion of
men to women is usually two to one.
FROM REPORT FOR YE.AR FADING
.■\UGUST 31. 1007.
Salary of superintendent $ 860.00
Wages of other employes i42gX>o
Medical attendance at Infirmary 62,50
Minister 10.00
Stack 925.00
Groceries and provisions 2039.27
Fuel and lights 991.47
Clotliing and shoes ■ . . 398.90
Coffins and funeral expenses 76.75
Furniture 35. 55
Fe«d fcr horses, cattle and hogs 415-44
Ordinary repairs 1872. 3S
Drugs 254.00
All .nher ordinary expenses 503.34
Total current expenses of Infirmary S9S74.20
1 66
PIISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
Received troin Iinu- law tax ai.J
cigarette tax $oSjS.S8
Received from le\y for poor fund... 6045.3J 9874.20
■ OUTDOOR RELIEF.
Physicians' fees $ 25S.20
Food, fuel, clothing 3443-3-2
14 parents and 45 children helped.
Total $3;oi.-52
Received from sale of farm products and stock $2951.76
Received from sale of other articles 2.97
Received from e.xpenses of inmates paid by
themselves or their friends 534-00
Received from all other sources 5.00
Total amount paid into County Treasury." $3493-73
Xct Expense, exclusive of permanent improvements
during year ending .\ugust 31. 1907, ^'^ 001.82. Number
of inmates: Male, 44: Female, 24. Total 68.
C.^V.SES OF P.-M-PERISM.
Number of insane 17
Number of idiotic inmates 1
Number disabled by old age • 38
Number disabled by disease 2
Number disabled by loss of meinlier or members.... 2
Number disabled by deformities 2
Number disabled by blindness 4
N'ATIVITY.
Nimiber of inmates born in Ohio 50
" other states 3
foreign countries 15
I.WE.VTORY.
Estimated value of land $12,250.00
" buildings 36000.00
furniture 1,300.00
machinery 2,200.00
live stock 2,800.00
" agricultural implements,
tools, etc ■; = 0.00
Total
.$55,100.00
THE CHILDREN S HOME OF DEL.-WVARE.
The Children's Home of Delaware is real
the child of the "Ladies' Christian Union," a j
benevolent society representing all churches, |
which has for its object the care of the poor I
of this city. The constant experience of tlie |
workers of the '"L'nion" during its early years I
deeply impressed upon their minds the need of '
some wa^• to rescue innocent children from
homes of sin and ign(jrance — children, help-
less, and with almost hopeless futures. Out
of the needs of these innocent children came,
finally, the thought of a Children's Llome. .\t
this time, more than a quarter of a centurv ago,
there were but few children's homes, and the.se.
with kindergarten work, were little under-
stood; so we can look liack with most charitable
thought to the really conscientious c|uestion-
ings that met this work the first year or so, re-
garding not only its practicability, but also the
moral feasibility of establishing this Children's
Home in Delaware.
Some of the chief arguments raised against
this enterprise were: "Institutionizing chil-
dren" — taking children from parents and thus
"rending the most sacred of relationships" — ■
the prophecy most often repeated in discour-
agement being, that parents would not give
up their children — that only unlawfully born
children would ever come to till this Home,
thus making of it simply a "Foundling Hos-
pital," to relieve unworthy mothers of bur-
dens, and thus, instead of benefitting the pub-
lic, encourage the "Social Evil." After much
earnest thought and discussion had been
brought to bear on the momentous question,
the final crucial hour came. It was a band of
noble women who gathered in an "upper room"
of the Court House at Delaware in the early
months of 18S1, and with faith alone in God
as its christening, launched on such an un-
certain sea. this life-beat of rescue. Soon
after, on April 19, 1S81, a preliminary meet-
ing of women and pastors of the various
churches was held to consider the question of
formally orgam'zing this Children's Flome. as
decided upon by the ladies of the "Christian
Crnion." and ]^Irs. Abram Thomson was asked
to present to the meeting the object to lie con-
sidered. This was done, and then the first
question before the meeting seemed to be.
What shall be the plan of organization ? Two
plans u'ere presented : Fir.st, a city or county
home, to be supportCfl by private contributions
and to be under private management: second,
a county Ik me to he organized under the sta-
tute providing for "County Children's Homes."
-^-^
'mss
ni'LAWAkl'. COL'.ViA' l^i•IRMAR^•,
iiROWX TOW XSHIP
IXSAXK \\AKi)-[>[:i. AWARE
COUX'IA IxriRMARV
m.
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li
^' •'^'^M! 1^^ il J
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THE IIOMI-; lAiR Ai.l-h J'EoRi j:, i tl.l.AWAR!
Ill-: JAXE .\r. CASI' Nn:MORlAL
HOSPITAL, I)r:LA\\ARE
.A
■■%,.
DELAWARi': LirV EICRARV
DELAW'ARI-: CHILUREXS HUMP, DELAWARE
AXD REFRESEXTATR"E CITIZENS
1 09
Alter a general tliscussioii oi these plans, a
cunmiittee was apiJnintL.l tn consider the entire
([ue^ti'in. Tins cmnmittec was cnmp. .•:ed of
Mrs. Irilm Little. Mrs. Ab.ram Thonisnn. Airs.
Wil'iJn^: P. Reid. ?^Irs. Eugene Powell and
]\Iis. J. W. Icenberger. At a meeting held
on .-ipril -'7, iSSi. the report of the committee
was prcstntcd and accepted, being in substance
as follows: First. The naire nf this coriiorri-
tion shall be -The Children's Home ot Dela-
ware." Second. That it sh.ill be maintained
bv private and public subscriptions and do-
nations. Third. That it be organized at pres-
ent as a City Tlomc, with the hope expressed
that abundant support will soon widen it out
into a County Home. Fourth. It shall be
located within the city limits, at such place as
its trustees may arrange, and near enough for
its children to attend public schooi.s and
churches.
A constitution had also been ])repared. and
with slight changes was adopted. The nfucers
were to be a E'^ard of Trustees, consi-tip.g uf
three gentlemen and ten ladies, and a pjoard
of Managers numbering twenty-four. Mrs.
Abram Thomson was elected President., ami
to a history written by her we are indeb-cd for
a large part of this sketch.. Mrs. Thompson
passed to her reward April 23. 1003. and at
this prn'nt we will digress to quote f f >m a trib-
ute written by the present presiilent of the
Home, ]\lrs. K. B. Shaffer, which appeared m
the Delaware Gacctfc, April ?./, 1903:
"In the coronation of ilrs. A. Thomson,.
Delaware loses one of its most queenly women,
the Children's Home its mother, and a multi-
tude of people a friend and companion. The
life of this noble woman has stamped itseli
upon the well-being of the community, ami
her deeds of love and kindness live in the
hearts and lives of those who knew her and
loved her. * * * ]\[rs. Thomson was
ever ready to lend a helping hand to any cause
that was for the uplifting of humanity. Twen-
ty-two years ago today, Mrs. Thomsijo was
elected president of the Children's Home As-
sociation of Delaware. She was the leading
spirit that lead to the organization of the As-
sociation, and through all the years that fol-
lowed, she gave the best of her life's service to
the building up of this instituti..)n for help-
less children. Xo sacrifices were too great for
her to make, and nothitig was too good for
her to lay at the feet of the little ones she had
under her fostering care. The Home was the
pride of her heart, her 'well-beb>ved,' and the
one thousand or more little ones who have
been nurtm-ed and cared for, rise up to call
her "blessed." "
Vice-presidents were elected — one from
each of the churches, and the following are
the names of the other otlicials elected at that
time: Mrs. C. H. AIcElroy, secretary; }*lrs.
W. G. \\'illiams, treasurer. The trustees were:
Mr.-. J. W. Icenberger, Mrs. Thomas F. Joy,
Mrs. W. O. Senn-is, .Mrs. \\'m. P. Reid. Mr-,.
V. T. Plills, Airs. J. D. X'anDcman, AIr=. Ra-
chel Carter, Dr. F. .Merrick, Judge T. C.
Jones, Sidney Aloore. The Board of Man-
agers w^as elected as iV,llows: Airs. John Lit-
tle, Airs. C. C. Chamberlain, Airs. E. T. But-
ler. Airs. Al. D. Covell, Airs. J. J. Glover. Airs.
Eugene Powell. Airs, lohn Armstrong, Airs. L
F. Curren, Airs. T. c" O'Kane, Alrs.'z. HanV
mond. Airs. James Slough, Aliss Lvdia
Alitcheil. Airs. "William Bowver. Airs. E' E.
Xeff. Airs. A. D. Plawn. Airs.' Thomas Evans.
Airs. Shattuck, Airs. A. S. Clason, Airs. H.
AI. Carper. Airs. R. B. Cowan. Airs. P. Heibv.
Airs. J. Alarkle.
An investigation as to the number of chil-
dren needing the help of the home was made,
ancl it was discovered that twenty-six children
had been in the inlirmary during the previous
two years, and thirty-two children had been
found in homes that were worse than no homes,
with no hope for their future, if left amid such
eiu'ironments.
From the trend if the meetings of the
trustees held up to this time, it was plain
that the gentlemen of the Board, while most
respectful and deferential, were, and consci-
entiously so, not in sympathy with the w-ork.
They doubted if money could be raised to
support a Flome — advised delay in incorpora-
tion, or any attempt to organize a Children's
Home — thought the whole thing impracticable,
and concluded by offering their resignations
>/.nv. .-.: ,;n I ,.,1/ .,-,.;
^.•J,.^.i!:;. rf
I/O
HJSTORV 01- DELAWARi: COL'XTV
and retiring- from the work. How true it
is, tliat woman's faith and wi.iman's enthusiasm
so often outstriij man's nnue slow conckisions
- — reaching, inttiitively, results finally ajjprovedi
equally by both. At the ne.xt meeting of the
P.oard, the resignations of the gentlemen were
accepted, and the resignation of the ladies re-
maining on the Board were presented, but
arceptance of die same was positively refused.
This meeting was soon followed by another
at which the ladies voted unanimously against
incorporating the enterprise. The outlook was
truly discouraging — a treasury without one
dollar in it, and with nowhere to look for
needed supplies — without the prestige of suc-
cess, and public confidence }-et to be won —
so many faint hearts among their own num-
ber growing discouraged and walking no more
with them — the air all around full of doubts and
ijuestionings as to the actual need of under-
taking so great a work.
Jn May a dying mother in Xorth Delaware
Iffl her two little cb.ildren to this prospective
"Children's Home." Again, in June, a little
girl, ragged and neglected, but with a sweet
face, came to the home of the president, l:o!d-
ing in her hand a note, writtln on the yellow
fly-leaf of some old book, which read thus:
"Mrs. • , I ain going to die, and I hear
there is going to be a Children's Home —
when it is built will you take my little chil-
dren?" There were four of these, one a little
babe. The hand that wrote this badly spelled
and written note, it was learned soon after,
was e\en then growing cold in death. Was
not God thus speaking through the lips of these
dying mothers to discouraged hearts bidding
them go forward and establish a Home?
The six children were cared for bv the
"Christian Union" during the summer months,
temporary accommodation being provided for
them in the homes of some of the big-hearted
women whose sympathies were with this work.
The youngest of the children, a baby boy, died
in July.
As the winter of 1 88 1-83 approached, in-
terest seemed once more to revive in this Chil-
dren's liome. Meetings of the Board of
Trustees, which had never been formallv dis-
banded, were again held, and "'incorporation"
was once more pressed as a necessary measure,
and seemed to be more favorably regarded.
I'he Boards of Commissioners and Inlirmarv
Directors were interviewed and found to be
in fullest sympathy, giving their endorsement
and promise of assistance. The couiuy so-
licitor gave his opinion that a portion of the
"special tax fund," provided for the "Ladies'
Clirlstian Union" could be used for the sup-
port of these children, but not to rent or to
pin-chase property. Only a small amount of
this fund, however, w-as ever used ii-i the sup-
port of this Home. A law prohibiting chil-
dren being kept in infirmaries made help from
Infirmary directors now possilile. they promis-
ing to board all such children at tins Home,
paying per week as much as it would cost at
the infirmary to keep them. Si. 70 per week.
The commissioners promised to pay the rent
of such a hcnne and coal bills, allowing for this
purpose ?33.oo a month. The city was
th.oroughly canvassed, and some $600.00 was
raised, which, with membership dues and this
help promised, made it seem practical in De-
cember, 1 88 1, to open a temporary Hon-ie on
Union Street. Two sisters, Mrs. Slough and
Mrs. Wise, took charge, the Home opening
with ten children, six of whom were from the
Infirmaiy, Of these Infirmary children, two
beautiful sisters, twins, some months old, were
early adopted into lo\-ing homes, in the pure
atmosphere of w-hich they h.a\-e grow n up into
equally beautiful girlhood and womanhood,
making glad today the hearts of proud foster-
parents.
On January 2, 1882, the following ladies
appeared before Owen L. Davis, notary pub-
lic, and signed papers of incorporation : Delia
L. Williams, Sarah W. Thomson, Elizabeth
Butler, Abigail ^l. Semans, E. J. Richardson,
Caroline McElroy, Lettie S. Joy, H. A. Rey-
nolds, Louise E. Powell, E. J. Icenberger.
Two days later these papers were tiled w-ith
the Secretary of State at Columbus. This
act of incorporation seemed to give new life
and dignity, and to -win a public confidence
hitherto lacking.
I -v.
■u-^r
AXD RI- PRESEXTATIVE CitlZEXS
i7i
.\iui now, having' been successfully started
once nil lie in its work of cliild-savin_t;-, it will
l,c wise tii compress into a brief space the his-
tory of the succeedino- nine years <r\ "■'riie
Children's Home of Delaware," until March.
1890, when it was pernianenily located in its
own heantit'ul home. Soon after the incorpor-
ation, a lew changes were made in its consti-
ti [ion: The number constituting its Board of
'I'ru.^tees was changed from thirteen to ten,
thus eliminating what had certainly, in this
case, proved to be the unlucky number: its
name, too, was changed to that of "The Dela-
^\are Home for Children and Aged People"
so as to widen the scope of its work, f'ul
this was earlv felt to have been a mistake,
although scvt'n worthy old ladies, who were
not properly subjects for the Intirniary. were
tenderl) cared for the lirst few ye<ars. until
from want of ro.jni the work had to be aban-
doned in the year 1885. and the original name.
"Children's Home of Delaware," was re-
stored.
It may be well to preserve as part of this
history, aiul as ha\-ing been \ilal. pcrhajis. in
the successful founding rnul subseiiuenl career
of this Ht)mc. three [.Links in the princiiiles
governing it that never ajipearcd in consti-
tution or b\-laws. but v\hich were gcnerallv
understoo.l and religiously observed.^ Failing
in the start to gain the su^jport and induence (if
the men, the management realized that if it
developed at all. women alone must lay both
corner-stone and cap-stone — be their own
builders and assume all control. Realizing
that in the make-up of this society all religions
and church creeds woukl be represented, it
was early .seen that any conflict of these creeds
or discords of religion must be carefully I
avoided. So Plank Xo. i was unconsciou->ly
recognized, wrote itself on hearts alone. ;md I
read thus — "We will take our religion with |
us to this work, but we will carefully lea\'e our |
"creeds' at home." Plank Xo. 2 was adopted :
b\- a rising vote: "Whereas, we believe it to i
.be the curse of rum more than any other cause |
that has made homeless these children of (.mr |
Home; with many of them, perhaj)-. inherit- |
ing these appetites, thus requiring more than '
usual care and [jr^/tection — and that as a Ch.ris-
tiaii associ;ition \\c are responsible for their
nii.ral as well as physical welfare, therefore
Resolved: J'hat th.e use of no form of intoxi-
cants be ever pernn'tted in our Home, either
as a beverage or in the preparation of food;
and that we also assume the responsiliility of
excluding it as a medicine, believing that He
who remembers the "Little sjiarrow as it falls.'
will not forget these. His little ones, but will
bless the use of other means when sickness re-
quires. Resolved, That these resolutions be
placed on our minutes as a living protest
against this greatest of all e\'ils."
"'Plank Xo. 3. It was always understood
that the doors of our ] lonie were always open
with warm welcome tij the ])ublic at large;
the line was tlrawn alone on one individual —
a maiden lady oi uncertain age. that fortun-
ately or unfortunately, had drawn upon herself
this prejudice of the managers of the H(_ime.
This ma}- ha\e seemed a strange prejudice,
as this person was c\er an unuMially welcome
guest at all other penal, reformatory and bene-
volent in>titutions di the State, :md where, toi.i,
she has often baiiMueted ■ m. st;ite occasion^.
and reallv
seemed
u>
hold unli
nitt
d
uul d
iini-
nalmg po
\er. 11
It
leverthelc
s^.
.\i
ss "T
irks'
—Miss "J
'ollv ■{
ick
s' s(l W
ell
ki
tjwn
aufi
popular el
■.ewhcre
h
IS never
)eei
i
1 VI ted
re-
ceived or
allow e.
a
Omittance
ni
ll
is H
)me.
managed 1
V womc
11.
And thu
sh;
\e
ever
jeeii
excluded
Church
C
reeds.' "I
Ito
-.ic
mts,'
and
•Politics.' ■
In establishini.
tl
e govern
•l^^'
I'l-
ncii)le
s of
this Honit
. an<l ki
ow
inghuw
dte
buses
had
crept uito
mstitut
on
s of this
kin
d.
with
chil-
dren as the sufferers
It was e;
rlv
dc
cided
that
'"Love, instead of the Lash." must be the cor-
rective force employed. And in the first
"Rules and Regulations of the Household,"
this rule was placed: "Corporal punishmeiit
can only be inflicted in extreme cases, and
alone by the Matron when lighter ijunishment
has lailed." d'his principle of the fullest pro-
tection to these helpless children has always
been acted upon.
On the first of April. tSSj. the Home was
rcuKned from its temixjrary (juarters on Union
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
Slrcet tn the P.ixln- Imnio uu I'.ast William
Struct. The rent, i;ij^.no a iivinih. wa-^ paiil
hy the c iniiiii''siiiiK'r.s. with ail'litMiial in"iicy
for CMal. The ilifTereiit rooms werx coiii-
tortahly fiiriii.-hed hy iiu!i\ iduals am! churches.
Miss l-ucMida joy hecame the first regular
uiairou. April i, 18S2. During the months
paeceding the first annual meeting in A])ril,
iN8.^. ?\li-. 'flioniso-.i. on accmnt o! ilonie>tic
. as in-eMdent. Mrs. W. C. "\\ illiam>^\va^ elected
to hll [lie \acancy, and .Mr-, 'fhomsoii \\;is pre-
\ ailed upon to accept the ireasuiership. which
ofhce had heen hlled hy Mr.-. Wdhain-. and
which iiixoK'ed less time antl responsibility.
Mrs. ?vlch^lro\- hail also resigned as secretarv
and .Mrs. ITigenc Powell had taken her place.
'I'hese change.-^ were ratified at the annual elec-
ti(..n. .\])ril j;. iSSj. with the exception that
.Mr-. .\. .M. Senians hecame .-ecrciarv. Witli
a few changes in each, the old ho:ud-'of Trus-
tees and ^Managers were also re-elected.
.\t the aminrd m.-etniL; held in uSS;,. the
treasurcr'.- rcp^ ^rt -howed as recci[i;< i,.r the
preceding year. S^;;.oc)i.')3 ; expeii-es, Sj.-
4_7.IV: halance in trea-ury. S374.44. 'Ihe
liresident. ,-ecret.ary and treasurer were re-
elected. Increasing rcsponsil>ilties in con-
nection with other lines of work- made it neces-
sary for Mrs. Williams to tender her resigna-
tion, which was with great reluctance ac-
cejited. Her kjss to the association was re-
garded as seri(.ius. ^Irs. Williams having heen
a i)ower during its lormatixe period in bring-
ing into shape and successfully stru-ting this
child-saving- enterprise. .Mr.-. Sciuans ])o-i-
ti\-ely refused to acccjit the ofi-cc of pre.-ident
to which she was elected, .so .Mrs. Thom.-ou
was again pre-^ed into service as president for
the reniaind.er of the year, and Mrs. J. W.
Lindsey was elected treasurer. Mrs. Lind-ey
continued to perform the duties of this im-
pcirtant office with efticiency and faith fulne.-s
for eighteen years, until ill health comi)el!ed
her to resign in September, njot.
In 18S4 the saine officers were re-electetk
with the exception that Mrs. Eugene Pinvell
became secretary. In Xo\'ember Mrs. Thom-
son was again compelled to resign, and Mrs.
John .\. Little was elected to fill out the un-
expired term.
■fhe s.anie • ■llicers. with boanl- of Trustees
and .Managers were re-elected in 1885. and the
incidents of rcmo\-ing the Lb :me to the Cum-
mins house on Xorth Libertv Street, where
it remained until firmly anchored in its present
location, and the necessary abanck-inment of the
work for aged peo[)le, were all that marked
e-peciahy the bi.-iory of the Home that year.
In .\pril. r88d. anotlier change was made
necessary owing to the failing health oi the
beloved .Mrs. Little, under w h.o-e tirm but
eflicient and gentle leadership the Home had
more and more won public conhdence and fa-
vor. During these years the number of chil-
dren had increased to an axcrage of aijoiit
forty, and the hearts ami hands uf the com-
mittte on "Placing Childreif were kept bu<v
in finding homes for so large a number. This
finding right homes w-as ever regarded as tb.e
most important ])art of the work — the [ilacing
these children where each character. .«> care-
lully studieil while under the care of the Ibane.
would tind as far as possible its litte-t environ-
ment — the Home being re,L;arded only as iIk'
pl;ice to do tlie nece-sary jireparatory work of
fitting these little ones, both to merit and to
hold the more iiennanent homes found for
diem. U-ually the-e children are placed in
homes in the county, where tlie Society can.
through committees \isiting them, keep in
touch with their treatment and surroundings.
.Xotwithstanding the ia\-orabJe public senti-
ment won during the-e years, up to this time
a c<.Mistant battle was being waged from time
to time t(.i keep the wolf from the door, and
make ends meet in financial su.iiiiort of the
Home.
In the resignation of .\[rs. Little and the
dn' scon ragement that folldwed, .Mrs. Thomson
was again persuaded to come back to her old
place a> president, and .Mr-. INiwell and ^Mrs.
Lindsey. as secretary and treasurer, respec-
tively, were elected 111 iNSo. and these again
in 1887. In .\pril. 1888. .Mrs. Powell to<.)k
the office of president, once more vacated, and
.Mr>. Henry A. Welch took .Mrs. Powell's
idace as secretar\-. . ■. - ■ .■ -
AND RKPREsrLXTATR'E crnzp:xs
-i7Z
So poorly adapted to the wants of this large
family were the rente.! liL'Uses that had been
occupied up tu this time, and so circum-
scribed was the room, that it seemed imixissible
ti I estalV.ish the order and discipline so neces-
s.iry in the de\elopnient of y<;ung lives whose
chief need is diis sort of training. And so,
during all these years, the need of a permanent
li'jme so adapted to its wants that all of the
great possibilities of this enlcrprise might be
realized, pressed more and more ujjon the
hearts of the management. Years had jiassed
without seeining to come any nearer the reali-
zation of this wish, until in the summer of
18S9, discouragement seemed to resolve itself
into despair through the resignation and re-
moval from the city of the president, Mrs.
Eugene Powell, who from the inception of the
work had been an inspiration to it. After once
more recalling Mrs. Thomson to the presi-
dency, a committee was appointed on June 5.
1SS9. to see what steps could lie taken toward
securing a pemianent It me. Mr'--. }Ienr\ A.
\Velch,^Mrs. Rachel Carter. Mrs. J. W". I'.md-
sey and ]klrs. Thomson composed tliis cupmit-
tee. They found in the Board of Cnunty C^ni-
missioners most stanch and s}'nipathizing
friends, ready to help to tlie fullest extent the
law allowed. In their la\v-al)iding devotion to
the county's interests, no less than in their
brave stepping out into this new field of rescue
to the perishing, J. L. Tliurston. S. J. Mann,
and M. Field wrote each his name with most
honorable mention on the county's history.
A law, seemingly lost under the legislati\-e
debris of twenty years, was resurrected by this
coinmittee of women. Under its provisions
the commissioners of a county were permitted
to assist a charity of this kind to the extent
of S6,ooo in buildings. The Potter property,
just north of the city, beautifully located for
this purpose, and with seven acres of ground,
improved at an expense of 820,000, was of-
fered to the committee fr,r less than halt of
its real value, $8,500.00. So lost and seem-
ingly forgotten had this law become that much
and quite distinguished legal talent was exer-
cised in trying to influence the commissioners
against acting under it. So persistent were
the efforts in this clirecli. n that had it nut
been for the cuurageous and gallant frght
made Ijy Gen. J. S. Jones and Hon. George
W. Carpenter, prosecuting attorney, in de-
fense of the law, and the perfect legality of the
coaimissioners' acting under it, the case would
have been lost. As soon as the commissioners
were assured that they could safely act, they
encoiu-aged the trustees of the Home to se-
cure the projjerty, the commissioners assuming
$6,000.00 of tlie purchase money, the trustees
expecting to mortgage the property for tlie
remaining $2,500.00. In ]\Iarch, ]8go. this
val Liable property was transferred by the
owner, ]\Ir. Robert Xeal, of Columbus, to the
trustees of "The Children's Home '.{ Dela-
ware" — Mr. Xeal making to the ladies a do-
nation of S200.00. Kind friends n«jw came
to the relief of the v.'omen in the large debt
they had assumed. The w hok'-Miuled Jmlge
Jones .(one of the doubting Tlr n.ia^es (..n the
original Board of Trustee,-, but nevertheless.
a stanch friend of the Hume for twenty years)
was the first of them. A petition gotten up
by him, with the assistance of yir. E. E. Xeff
and ^Ir. J. P. Thompson, was circulated, and
a liill lor S2. 500.00, with S500.00 added for
repairs' was gotten thruugh the Legislature by
another stanch friend, R. K. Willis, then mem-
ber from this district. The "Committee on
Permanent Home" having done its work. \vas
discharged, and in March, 1S90, the large and
now happy family was moved into its truly
beautiful home, which was formally dedicated
the following September. At this time, the
following boards of Trustees and Managers
were in charge of the Home :
]\Irs. A. Thomson,
^Irs. R. Carter.
^Irs. H. A. Welch,
Mrs. J. W. Lindsev,
Mrs. E. E. Xeff. '
Mrs. J. D. Van Deman
:^Irs. R. Lvbrand,
Mrs. J. J. Shur,
Mrs. R. Reynolds,
:\[rs. J. M. Crawford.
Mrs. I. F. Shaffer,
Mrs. H. L. Baker,
Miss McCullough,
:Mrs. H. G. Sheldon,
Mrs. P. Heibv.
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTV
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
^[rs.
Mr.s.
INfrs.
Airs.
Mrs.
Mrs.
J. Markle.
|. L. Thurston,
T. M. Byers.
V. T. Kingman,
\'. D. Stavman,
jn... P. Tlu'.mpsoi
Dr. Con.stant,
Bacbeliler,
D. Plotncr,
Mrs. L. A. Luttgen,
Mrs. J. Snodgrass,
Mrs. l-:imer Hills,
Mrs. Geo. Powers,
Mrs. DuvalL
Mrs. J. P. W inlermute
Mrs. Wm. Culler,
Mrs. Huff.
.Mrs. I. R. iiruun.
Sevmour Harrukl.Mrs.
Wolfiev.
The total number of children cared for
in these nine years was 168; returned to par-
ents, thirty-seven ; placed in homes, seventy-
one; returned to other counties and placed in
asylums and hospitals, sixteen. The expense
of keeping- up the Home averaged each year
$2,000.00, or a total expenditure of $17,171.74.
This property now purchased by consent of
Board of Commissioners, was deeded direct
to Trustees of the Children's Home, to be
held by them so long as it was used for the
purpose of a Children's Home. When not so
used, the property to revert Ijack to the county.
On the removal of the Home to its new quar-
ters, Gen. J. S. Jones made arrangements to
board at this Plome. and thus as=ist in its
support, children from the overcrowded quar-
ters of the "Soldiers' and Sailors' Home" at
Xenia. The management deciding at the same
time to board children from other counties
where there were no Children's Homes. The
Association, thus newly equipped, seemed en-
dowed with a new life, as it started out on a
future so full of possibilties.
The chief incidents of note during the fol-
lowing years, 'yi. '92, '93. were: In Septem-
ber a lot was kindly donated by the cemetery
trustees, with the understanding that as soon
as the Association was able, a suitable monu-
ment would be erected. Such a monument was
placed in February. 1895. at a cost of $135.00.
In September, 1891. an Advisory Board of
three gentlemen was decided on, with by-laws
to that effect. Gen. J. S. Jones, Rev. J. F.
Shaffer. D. D., and Mr. E. E. Xeff comprised
this Board. In Alay, 1892, the need of re-
modelling and adding more ronrn to the build-
ing so as to accommodate the largely increased
j family, now numhering from hity to sixty, re-
j suited in the appointment of a conrmittee —
I Mesdames Baker, Welch, Lindsey and Tliritn-
son — to secure means somehow for this i)ur-
pose. A few months later, by compromising
a law-suit with the Short Line Railroad, a
right-of-way, taking 16S feet from the north-
east corner of the yard, was conveyed to the
railroad for $3,000.00. and this sum was ap-
plied to the new building, the county commis-
sioners promising to supply the balance of the
necessary money. In December, a kindergar-
ten was started. This was suspended while
the Home was being remodelled, and since that
time it has seemed impractical to renew it.
In January, 1893, a handsome donation of
books from Mrs. W. 'C. Ginn became tlic
nucleus of a library, christened the "Ginn
Library." Mrs. Ciinn was an active member
of the Board of Alanagers, who for two or
three years gave an hour each week to the
children of this Home in interesting talks or
lectures on familiar subjects.
The work of remodelling the Home was
completed in the fall of 1S93 at an expense of
$7,369.13. and dedication exercises were held
Xovember i. 1893.
Two delegates ha\e been sent each year
to represent the Home at the Annual Aleetings
of the '"'Associated Charities," so that the
broadest and most intelligent thought might
be given to the management of this child-sa\--
ing work.
By August. 1S95. the v.-ork of placing the
large number of children that ^^•ere coming
into the Home became so great that it was
decided to appoint an agent, not only to find
such homes and adjust the children to them,
but to visit the children and keep the Associa-
tion in touch with diem. Mrs, J. W^ Lindsey
was appointed to this work which she has
performed ever since in a most efficient
manner.
On the night of February 19, 1896, an
inten.sely cold night, the thermometer register-
ing twelve degrees below zero, this beautiful
Home was entirely destroyed by fire. The
family of fifty children, some of whom were
quarantined with scarlet fe\-er, were carried
t\l
.J:jJ ./
/X^'' -/^
^5«>|»ftV;W4^
:^ei.S&j.Jti.:^
^^N
1";
i -
*feSi^5S=l! ifi^J \
|-.y4^^^^fc^.«^v:^:- yi^
'/I
s';;l
:4«^?S
AND REPRESENTATIVE CmZEXS
out of the biirningf building in their night
clothes, and with only such wraps as could be
iiastily caught up. to shelter elswherc. Heroic
action by matron, employes and citizens that
hastily gathered from near and far sa\-ed witli-
out hurt the lives of these helpless little chil-
dren. The Opera House was thrown open,
and here the children were soon gathered and
made comfortable for the time. The Wilson
liDine in South Delaware was finally secured,
and' here the children were comfortably c|uar-
tered until the Home was rebuilt, ampl.e in-
surance having been carried to do this. So
fully has this once-ciuestioned charity estab-
lished itself in the contidenceof the citizens that
about $500.00 was received from different so-
cieties and individuals, besides groceries, pro-
visions of all kinds, clothing and bedding in
abundance.
The following ladies composed the boards
of Trustees and Managers who bravely at this
time met the disastrous work of the fire fiend,
and v.'ith the help of almist the en' ire citiz-en-
ship of Delaware, warmed, fed, clothed and
housed the fifty little children turned out of
home in the cold of that night.
Mrs. A. Thomson. President;
]\Irs. J. F. Shaiter, Vice-President :
^Irs. H. A. Welch. Recording Secretary
Mrs. J. D. VaTiDemaii. Cor. Secretary;
Mrs. J. W. Lindsey. Treasurer ;
Mrs. E. E. Neff. Historian;
ilrs. H. L. Baker,
Mrs. Wm. Cutlet.
:Mrs. D. Plotner,
^liss ]Mary JklcCullough.
M.\N.\GERS.
Mrs. Ed. Semans, Mrs. T- Markle,
Mrs. Robert Lvbrand. [Mrs. \V. C. Ginn,
Mrs. T. M. Bv-ers.
"Mrs. Prof. Hormell.
Mrs. X, F. Overtnrf,
Mrs, T. M. Crawford
Mrs. T. Snodgrass.
^Irs. Dr. E. M. Hall,
Mrs. L. A. Luttgen.
Mrs. |. P. Wintermute,
Mrs. "P. Phillips,
Mrs. W. H. Hague,
Mrs. L. B. C. Lahr, Mrs. Dr. AIcDowell,
Mrs. Y. T. Kingman, Mrs. J. J. Shur,
Mrs. Prof. Stevenson, Mrs. S. A. ]Moore,
}\lrs. Geo. W. Powers, Aliss Cummins.
Mrs. H. yi. Loofborrough,
In December, 1896, the commissioners ap-
propriated .S660.00 for a new barn, and in
May, 1897, $150.00 was allowed for sewerage
by the same Board. In September, 1897, the
old boards of Trustees and Managers, with
a few changes were re-elected. Mrs. H. A.
Welch, after long and faithful service gave
up the secretaryship, and ]\lrs. Anna Joy Halli-
day was elected in her stead, ^ilrs. Welch,
however, remained on the Board of Trustees
as chairman of the "Building and Grounds
Comm.ittee."'
The year 1898 was marked by no special
incidents other than some changes in the
boards of Trustees atid 2^Ianagers. In April.
1899, eighteen acres of pasture land were pur-
chased, it being necessary to keep quite a num-
ber of cows to supph' inilk for so man}- chil-
dren. Si, 100.00 was the price paid; $700.00
of this coming from the treasury, the balance
being borrowed from the bank for a short
time.
At the aimual meeting, in September,
1S99. the constitution was changed reducing
the number of managers from twenty-four to
eighteen, and restricting the voting power to
the members of boards of Trustees, Managers
and Advisory Board of Women from Town-
ships. At this election the old officers were
continued, except that ]Mrs. H. A. Welch be-
came historian and corresponding secretary in
place of Mrs. Van Deman, resigned.
In August, 1900, a cold storage and ice-
house was built at a cost of $549.29.
At the time of writing this brief sketch of
the Home, it has accommodations for alx)Ut
sixty children, though the average number of
inmates is about forty-five. The AssiDciation
owns thirty-si.x acres of land in Delaware,
keeps five cows and a horse, raises garden
truck and poultn.^ and a large part of the meat
consumed in the Home. The present ofticials
of the Home are as follows: President, ^Mrs.
Uir: llrt:, i>fi; :,
ijS
1-lISTOK^' 01- DELAWWRE COUX'l'^■
J. F. Shalter; vicc-pre.ulent, .Mrs. V.. M. Hnll;
recording secretary, Mrs. J. W. Xclsoii; cor-
responding sccretar}-, 2\hs. H. A. Welch;
treasurer, Mrs. I'rcd iJauereis. Tnistees:
Mrs. C. A. Walker, ,Mrs. J. Markle. .Mrs. V.
T. Kingman, ]Mrs. X. F. Overturf. ^lanagers:
Mrs. 1. \V. Lindsey, Mrs. |. P, Wintermute,
Mrs. E. L Pollock^ Mrs. P. Heihv, .Mrs. L.
Lewis. .Mrs. I.. B. C. Lahr, .Mrs. (;. G. (]-.llo-
way. Mrs. Wni. Cutler, .Mrs. H. C. Ckppmoer.
Mrs. C. \V. Wiles, .Mrs. Paul K. Hickuk, .Mrs.
X. Wagner, Mrs. S. B. Brown, :\lrs. F. Al-
bright, \Mrs. L. L. Denison, .Mrs. M. J. Ross,
.Mrs. T. AL Byers, :\lrs. F. .A. Owens, }.irs.
C. C. Stcadman.
Delaware County may well be proud of
its "Children's Flome!" .-Vnd wdiat shall we
say of the noble Christian women to whom the
community is so deeply indebted fijr this
beneticent institution? Some ha\e already
been called to hear the words : "Well done,
good and faithful servant;"' others remain, still
identified with tlie v, ork which ha.- claimed
their heart and hand these many years. In-
difference, opposition, obstacles apparently in-
siumountable, they have overcome. Inspired
by the crying needs of the little ones, with
faith in the children's God, and working with
the energy of conviction, they have built a
lasting monument to woman's higher intelli-
gence, sympathy, lo\-e and devotion.
HOME FOR THE AGED.
The need for a home for worthy old ladies,
who are not properly subjects for the County
Infirmary, was rccogn.ized many yen.rs ago by
the Delaware' women who were f'^remost in
philanthropic work. The first step in making
a pro\-ision of this kind was taken in the early
'So's, when the name of "The Children's Home
of Delaware" was changed to that of "The
Delaware Home for Children and .Aged Peo-
ple," and a number of worthy old ladies were
admitted. It was soon felt, however, that a
separate home should be provided for the
aged, and in 18S5, the growing work among
the children made it necessary, for the time
being, to abandon the work of caring for the
aged at the Children's Home. This was a
keen disappointment to Mrs. .-\bram Thomson,
the founder of the Home, and to the other
bene\-olent women who were interested in the
wurk. They were not disheartened by tliis
setback, but were strengthened in their desire
and determination to establish an instituton de-
voted exclusi\ely to the care of the aged.
.Mrs. Elmer Hills was the Icidiiig s[iirit in
the movement which resulted in establishing
the present Home; closely associated with her
in the early work of arousing interest in the
enterprise were ^Irs. Martha Lybrand and
Mrs. Ella Battenheld. ^.leetings were held
from time to time in the homes of different
ladies; and beginning March 10. 189J, interest
had reached a point wdiere meetings began to
be held at frequent intervals. The clergy-
men and leading business men of the city were
invited to confer with the ladies regarding the
project. .A meeting was held in a vacant store-
room ; besides the ladies and the ministers only
two or three business men were present. It
can hardly be said that the enthusiasm of tlie
men ran high. The ministers plied the women
with such ciuestions as these : "Where are
the old ladies to come from?" How many
have you in view?" "How much money have
you to start with?" "How mucli would be
required to start such a home?" The effect
of their wise counsel was so disheartening that,
for the moment, many of the ladies felt like
abandoning the enterprise; but courage re-
\ived, for those engaged in this work were
inspired by their noble cause with a zeal that
could not be quenched. .A committee was sent
to the Home at Columbus. There they were
given much good advice, and learned that the
Columbus institution was started without a
dollar, and in spite of the apathy of those
from whom the organizers naturally exjiected
moral and financial support. Uprm hearing
the report of this comniittee, the Delaware
ladies voted unanimously to push ahead. .An
organization was formed, and a committee ap-
pointed to look for a suitable house. After
searching for a week without finding a place
such as was desired, Mr. Elmer Hills offered
the free use of his large h(juse on X'orth
AXD R}LPRIZSEXTAT!\'E CITIZKXS
Franklin Street iov tliree moiitlis, as it was
ihuu.L;lit that in that time rc-ults would show
whctlicr the cx[)e]-inient winild |.iru\-e a success
or a failure. If, at the end of the trial -period,
it was decided to go on with the work, the
.Association was to lease the properly for five
)ears. The Home was established here on
July 4. 1892, with three old ladies from the
Jnlirmaiy. the directors of which promised to
pa_\- one dollar a week for the Lioard of each.
The first regular meeting of the Associa-
tion at the Home was held on July 12th, and
at that time, :Mrs. J. L. W'olfley, who has held
the office continuously ever since that time,
w as elected treasurer.
The Home was furnished by the different
churches — one furnishing the parlor, an'>ther
the dining room, others the chambers, etc.
.Many liberal-hearted citizens also contributed
to the good work.
The wisdom of incorporating the As.-ocia-
tion soon became apparent, and ■March i.
1893, p<'pers of incorporation of "The H'^me
for the Aged" of Delaware were issued at
Columbus, in which the names of the following
ladies appear as incorporators: Mrs. Susan
Hills. Airs. Alartha C. Lvbrand. }.Irs. I. L.
Wolflev. Mrs. Frances I. Gill, IMrs. Isabella
Riddle! Mrs. Elizabeth Uttord and Airs. Abi-
gail AL Semans.
The following ladies comprised the charter
members and the original officials of the As-
sociation : President, Airs. Elmer Hills: First
vice-president. Airs. A. R. Carter: second
vice-president. Airs. J. S. Gill: third vice-presi-
dent. Mrs. R. Parsons: secretary. Airs. A. Ly-
brand: treasurer. Mr-. J. L. Wolfley. These
ofticers and the following ladies constitute the
Board of Trustees : Airs. Abigail Semans,
Mrs. Eliza Perkins. Airs. Chauucy Hills. Mrs.
Christian Riddle. Board of Managers: Mrs.
Eva Thomp.son, Airs. Will Smith, :Mrs. \V.
W. Davies.AIrs. W. R. Carpenter, Mrs. James
Smith. Airs. B. W. Brown. Airs. Edward
Welch, Mrs. F. A. Hyatt, Aliss AI. Dickinson,
Mrs. Sidney Aloore, Mrs. John Hills. Airs. E.
Uff.^rd. Airs. Frank Alarriott, Airs. G. Ala-
theas. Airs. F. Rutter. Airs. Woodlawn. Airs.
F. Chamberlain. Airs. Lucv Patton. Airs. L.
Batlenfield. Mrs. Helen lavnes. Airs. John
Ander.-on, Airs. I. H. liuiilap,' Airs. W, S.
Little, .Miss Fidefia Perkuis. Mrs. John Arm-
strong.
In 1S97 the Infirmary directors were pre-
vailed upon to furnish coal to the Home, and
since that time have continued to pay the fuel
bills. Xatiiral gas has been used for the last
couple of years for heating purposes.
Ill 1901, and indeed before that, it began
to be felt that the Home was too small for
the ever increasing demands made upon it.
and the question of erecting a building received
earnest consideration. A number of building
lots were kindly offered by pulilic .spirited citi-
zens and by the People's Building Association.
Before any definite action had been taken in
regard to building. Air. and • Airs. Sidney;
Aloore offered the Board of Alanagers a ninety-
nine-years' lease of the propert}- the FFjnie
now occupies, with the privilege of the lessee
to purchase the property at an}- time for a cer-
tain price. The conditions attached to this
generous offer were that the Association put
the building in perfect repair, pay the taxes
and that it shall never be put to any other
u.«e than as a home for aged people. This oh'er
was eagerly accepted. There are t\\-enty
rooms in the house, giving acconimodatinns
for fourteen or fifteen inmates, besides the ma-
tron and help. As far as they are able, the
inmates are required to help in the necessary
household work. Including boarders, there
have been admitted up to this time thirty-
eight aged ladies, and there have been twenty
deaths. At present there are tweh'c inmates
of the Flonie. and there is usually a number on
the waiting-list to gain admission. Ladies
fifty years of age or older, who have resided
one year in Delaware County, are eligible, the
fee being S300.00 for women between the ages
of fifty and seventy, and $200.00 for those
over seventy years of age. Aside from these
fees, the Home depends for its maintenance
upon the generosity of the public, its principal
source of income being a large dinner given
annually, to the alumnae of Ohio \\'esleyan
University : more or less money is also received
from Har\'est Home bags, entertainments.
?i\L .'■-■■ u-..' \\ .1 .^ ;/ . . ..-■.■
.1 >J ft > ^ --/,
:So
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUX'TY
book C(jllectioiis, etc. Tlie Huiiic has received
financial assistance beyond what its founder;,
dared hope for; yet there is stiU much work
to be d(jne, in which every dolkir given by a
generous pulihc will tind a worthy and chari-
table use.
The present ofikers of the Home are:
Mrs. Chri.stian Riddle, president; Mrs. John
Cowgiil, first vice-president ;'}ilrs. Martin 3ilil-
ler. second vice-president; IMrs. J. H. Gardner,
third vice-president; Mrs. Lewis Slack, secre-
tary ; Airs. J. L. Wolfley, treasurer. The
Board of Trustees includes the foregoing offi-
cers and the following ladies: iMrs. Abigail
Semans, Mrs. Sidney Aloore. ?klrs. H. C.
Thompson, ]\Irs. F. A. Hyatt. The Board of
Managers is ci,)mp(iQed of thirty-four ladies
clioscn from the different churches of the cit}-.
THE J.^-NE M. CASE MEMORI-VL HOSriT.XL.
The Jane ^l. Case ]\Iemorial Hospital, so
named in honor of the donor, is an institution
such as few cities of the size of Delaware can
boast. It has been said by visiting physicians
to be the most successful institution of its size
and kind in the country.
Afrs. Case was a widow, whose husband
had been a practicing physician of Columbus,
and who, for a time, was associated with Dr.
John A. Little of Delaware. After her hus-
band's death, Mrs. Case made her home with
her son, who was a practicing physician in
Cleveland. The climate of that city did not
agree with Mrs. Case, so in i8SS she came to
Delaware, where she resided until her death
in 1904. In her will, after making certain be-
quests to friends and relatives, she provided
that part of her estate be devoted to benevolent
or charital>le purposes, and appointed trustees
to carry out her intentions. Dr. A. J. \\'illey,
her attending physician, ha\ing been a witness
to ]^Irs. Case's will, and conversant with its
provisions, went, soon after her death, to the
trustees of her estate and presented the claims
of Delaware for a hospital. His suggestions
received favorable consideration. At this
point, it ought to be said that Delaware is
deeply indebted to Dr. \^'iIley for his prompt
action in this matter, and for tlie time and
effort he devoted so unselfishly to this cause.
The first time Dr. Willey saw the trustees, he
proposed the purchase of the present propertv.
Dr. \V. H. Hague and Hon. F. M. Marriott
were called upon for assistance and counsel,
and it was decided to purchase the Edwin G.
Lybrand homestead on the southwest corner
of Franklin and Winter Streets. Dr. Willey
was asked to secure an option on the property,
which authority he delegated to F. M. Mar-
riott, by whom the option was secured. The
property was purchased August i, 1904, by
Guy H. Buttolph and Ellen G. Whiting,
trustees of jMrs. Case's estate at a cost of S8.-
500, and by them was transferred to the
trustees of the Jane ;\1. Case Hospital Associa-
tion on December 23rd of the same year.
On August 10, 1904, the Jane AI. Case
Hospital Associatiuu was incorporated by \'.
D. Stayman, Frank M. Marriott, Arthur H.
Jones, Christian Riddle and W. H. Hague.
The objects of the Association are: (i) 'fo
pro\ ide medical and surgical aid and nursing
for sick and disabled persons, free of expense
to those unable to pay, and at a cost to those
who are able to pay the amount to be de-
terminC'I by the trustees. (2) To instruct and
train suitable persons in ,the duties of nursing
and attending upon the sick. The first meeting
of the Association was held August 15, 1904.
and the following trustees \vere elected iox
life: V. D. Stayman, president; Dr. W. H.
Hague, vice-president; Fran': ]M. }iIarriott.
secretary; Christian Riddle, treasurer; Arthur
H. Jones, C. C. Stedman and Stephen Potter.
Besides the Board of Trustees, there is an
Auxiliary Board -of not less than thirty ladies,
residents of Delaware, to assist the Trustees
in raising funds for the maintenance of the
institution. Knowing that failure had marked
the history of so many other small hospitals,
great care was exercised to secure an organ-
ization that w-ould .prove permanent and in-
sure the success of the Hospital after it was
started. The institution has been kept out of
politics and free from the turmoils of religious
strife, nor is it under the domination of any
individual. The staff comprises nearly all the
AXD REPRESEXTAT1\"E CmZEXS
|)h\-siciaiis in Delaware Count}-. Dr. W". B.
il edges lias been chief of staff since the or-
ganization of the Hospital. In the summer and
fall of i905, the old building was eiuii'ely re-
modelled and a new addition was built at an
expense of $9,000.00. While ways and means
nf furnishing the Hospital were being dis-
cu^.^ell. yh. S. S. Blair kindly came forward
with an offer to do tliis for an advance of
ten jjcr cent, on the cost of the furnishings,
and to carry the accuunt until such time as
the trustees were in a position to pay it. Alto-
gctlier there are twenty-two rooms, including
a fully ecjuipped operating-room, nine rooms
for private patients and tliree wards, one each
for men, wi->men and children, ha\'ing a t';)tal
uf fourteen beds. Each of the following
cluux'hcs and individuals furnished a room :
W'illKuu Street M. E. Church, St. Paul's M.
E. Church, St. Peter's Episcopal Cluirch. of
which Mrs. Case was a member, funiish.cd the
room which Mrs. Case had occupied for about
i.-ree years \>hile she bo.irded at that h-u^e;
St. -Mary's R. C. Churcli, First Presbyterian
Church, Asbury 'M. E. Church, Epworth
League of Lewis Center, :\I. L. Wolff; the
women's ward was furnished by Zion's Re-
formed Church in memorv of their late pastor.
Rev. L. B. Lahr, D. D. ; j. F. Dodd furnished
the ward known as the "Ruth Children's
Ward." Dr. J. K. James presented the Hos-
jiital with a L'nited States Observatory clock,
which he maintains at his own expense.
The trustees recently purchased the most
modern high pressure sterilizer that money
can buy. On July 21. 1906, the Hospital,
fuily furnished and tqu^pped for the reception
of patients was opened with an efficient chief
nurse and a comj)etent corps of assistant
nurses, eight in number. The training school
for nurses gives the standard three-}'ear coiu'se.
An electric elevator and a dumb-waiter were
installed in the fall of 1907 by the Ladies'
Auxiliary Board. They pro\-ide and make all
the linen used in the Hospital. They have also
assumed and paid a note for $1,500.00 which
the Association owed. One of the unique
wa\s by which they secure funds is known as
"tag day." On this dav, which comes once
a year, the ladies sally forth into the street
ami tag every pedestrian they meet, allowing
none to escape until he has jiaid for his lag.
by contributing to their Hospital funds.
$3,ooo.qo a year is paid by the county toward
the maintenance of the Fiospital, there being
a legislative enactment making it possible to
raise this sum l.w taxation. IJie annual meet-
ing of the Association is held the last ^Monday
.in January of each year.
A fiumber of changes in the personnel of
the Board of Trustees have occurreil : Arthur
H. Jones removed from the city, and Dr. A.
J. Willey was elected in his place; V. D. Stay-
man resigned, and S. S. Blair was elected to
111! the vacancy ; upon the death of Dr. Hague.
R. K. Willis was elected a trustee, and is now
president of the Board.
From the report issued in January, IQ08,
we learn that during the seventeen months
since the opening of the Hospital, 216 patients
haxe been admitted. The average cost of car-
ing for each patient, not including wear and
tear on fixtures and furnishings, was Si 1.05
per week. Of these cases, no were medical
and 106 were surgical. There were sixty-three
charity cases, whose treatment covered a period
equal to 191 weeks for one person.
THE girls' ixdx:strial home.
Ilie Girls' Industrial Home, one of the
benevolent and reformatory institutions of
Ohio, is situated upon the west bank of the
Scioto River, in Concord Township, about ten
miles southwest of Delaware. The nearest
railroad .station is Hyatts, on the Columbus,
Hocking Valley & Toledo road, three and one-
half miles distant. There is an excellent pike
between the home and the city of Delaware.
The telephone between the Home and Dela-
ware was the first long-distance 'phone in-
stalled in Ohio.
A locatii:in more beautiful or better suited
t(5 an institution of this kiiul would be difficult
to find. There are 189 acres of land in the
property. The campus surrounding the build-
ings is covered with beautiful shade trees,
manv of which are of the original forest. The
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
while >uli)hur sprin^q' is practically inexhausti-
ble, anil is used constantly anrl almost ex-
clusixely for (lrinkin<f. It is unsurpassed by
any of the most healthful waters at the most
popular public resorts of the country. The
proj-ierty itself has an interesting history _. dat-
ing from 1820, when Davis S: Richards bored
a well here, about two and one-halt inches in
diameter, in the hope of findin;^- salt. The
Will was sunk 460 feet, the lasl ninet\- feet
being through solid rock, when the augur
suddenly dropped about two feet, and up
gushed with great force a stream of strong
white sulphur water. The water is piu'e. and
is sujjposed to be driven by its own gas; it
has a temperature of fifty degrees. Davis
&• Richards considered they had made a failure,
and left the well luitinished. Nothing fur-
ther was done in the way of development un-
til about 1842. when a man named Naihahisl
Hart, bought the land of the owner. Christo-
pher Freshwater, erected a large building and
several ci'ttages. and from that time on it
became widely k'.iowa as a \\alering place and
exceedingly popular. Mr. Hart sold the prop-
erty to Andrew Wilson. Jr.. who conducted
the enterprise until 1S65. As the patrons of
the place were largely southerners, the war
badly crippled the enterprise, and the hard
times at the close of the war. as well as the
feeling then existing between the North and
the S.outh. made it imijijssible for Mr. \\'ilson
to continue the business on the large and
profitable scale to which he had been accus-
tomed, so in 1865 he sold out to Col. John
Ferry. The new owner, at considerable ex-
pense, enlarged, remixlelled and refurnished
the h(_)use, besides building an addition 10 it:
but it seemed as if the place were doomed as a
resort, and after a year or two the venture was
aliandrir.ed.
Seeing this fine property .going to rum and
dec'iy, a numtjer of pulilic-spirited .'iud bene-
volently disposed citizens of Delaware County
petiti' ned the Legi.slature to establish here a
home i><r unprotected girls. May 5. 1869. the
General Assembly passed an act creating the
in-iituti.m and a Ei.ard of Trustees was ap-
pointed, consisting of Prof. F. Merrick, Abram
Thomson. M. D, Leggett, Clark Waggener
and Stanley ^ilatlhews. The Board met and
organized at C'llu.mbus on the .79th of ]May.
The property was purchased for $53,000.00
on the 2 1st of July following, and the Home
was formally opened on the 15th of October
of that year. The institution was then called
"Reform School for Girls:" but in 1872. by a
sjiecial Act of the Legislature, the present
name was adopted.
The buildings consisted of a three-story
frame hotel, with a stone basement, situated o\)
the ground now partially occu.pied by Cottage
No. G, and facing the east (as does the present
alignment of brick cottages ) ; south of the
hotel, and ninety-five feet distant therefrom,
stood a two-story frame building known as
the Mansion House. A short distance south
from this house was the he.ginning of a row
of cottages, which extended south to the pres-
ent site of Cottage No. 2. This line of smaller
buildings, knoAvn as "Cottage Row." was com-
posed of ei.eht frame structitres; four two-
story, and four one-story buildings: all of
these, from the hotel to the last cottage on
this alignment, were connected by a covered
wooden promenade. South of this row of
cottages stood a two-story frame chapel.
Southeast of this building, and about seventy-
five feet distant therefrom, stood another row
of frame cottages known as "Southern Row,"
running east and west and facing the north,
consisting of two double frame buildings, lo-
cated on the ground which was later occupied
by Cottage No. 7. These, together with the
bath-house, bowling alley, and the "Burnett
Flouse," constituted- the tenements that passed
to the State.
These buildings were all dressed in white
paint, with green blinds, which lent a peculiar
charm to the beautiful .grounds that had been
tastefully laid out and set with groves of
young indigenous and exotic trees.
On the igtli of N(n-ember. the superin-
tendent. Dr. John Nichols, made his first re-
port, which shows that six girls were enrolled
as pupils in the new school. We also glean
from that report that the Iniildings. though
beautiful and extensive, did not po^ses5 e\ery
( ,■ I
AND REPRESEXTAT1\"E CITIZENS
183
requirement necessary for comfortable winter
quartern. This was evidently understood at j
the time of the purchase, as the whole
premises had been designed and the bmldings j
ci'iistructed for summer use only; but with '
hasty repairs on some of the more substantial ,
houses, they were made tenable aq-ainst the :
approaching storms of winter. However, just '
a-- those connected with the wcrk began \o feel :
secure in the permanency vi tlieir plans, the
Lc.L^islature passed an Act. April 14. 1870,
which seemed to transfer to the Board of ^lan- ;
agers of the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Or- j
phan's Home, all of the premises so recently ■
purchased by the State for the establishment 1
of the State Reform and Industrial School for |
Girls, save and except the '■Burnett House," [
and five acres of land adjacent thereto. After ;
some correspondence between the officials of |
the two institutions, the matter was finally
submitted to the attorney-general for his
opinion, the result of which left the trustees :
of the Iveforni and Industrial Sdiool in pos-
session of their purchase. |
On February 24, 1S73. \vhile a deputation '
from the Legislative Committee was making ;
its annual \-isit to the Home, and while in the
very act of commenting fax'orably concerning
the satisfactory workings and prosperit}- of the '
institution, tire suddenly broke out in the old :
Mansion Blouse, wdiich was soon destroyed, i
together with the chapel and superintendent's ;
homo. The larger buiklings wei'e attacked,
but enough were saved of "Cotiage Row" and
"Southern Row'' to furnish crowded accijm-
niMlations for the othcers and pupils of the
Home.
During the session of 1S72-73. the Legis-
lature appropriated $24,000.00 for the erection
of two new- brick buildings, which are now
kn.iwn as Cottages Xos. i and 3. They were
the tirst brick structures erected on the farm.
The ""Administration," or "Central Building."
as it is sometiines called, from its location, was
liuilt at a cost of $25,000.00, and was com-
pleted, ready for occupancy in May, 1874.
blere the business of the institution is trans-
;icted and the superintendent and his family
reside. In 1S75, "'Cottage Xo. 2," sometinle^
known as the "Fire-proof Cottage, was built
on the site formerly occupied by the old frame
chapel. This was the fourth brick building,
including the "Central," in the order of con-
struction by the Slate. It is now being en-
larged and remodelled. "Cottage X'o. 6." al-
though the fifth in order of construction, was
completed and ready for occupancy in January.
187S. It cost, including gas lutings and water
pipe. $12,500.00. and wa> built on the ground
occupied by the old frame h' itel wdiich was
destroyed b}- fire in 1873. ^^ '^ '^'''" noi'therly
terminus of the row of brick buildings that
face the east.
The buildings now known as Cottages
X'os. 4 and 5 were completed and ready for
use in the month of jinie, t88o. They were
paid for out of an approjiriati'tn of $25,000.00
made by the Legislature. In <,irder to secure
a proper location for them, the three old frame-
cottages standing between the Administraticin
: Building and Cottage Xo. 2, were remo\ ed to
the east line of the road running north and
I south through the farm, where they now
' stand, the only relics ( except the "Burnett
; House'') of tiie "beauty and glory" that
adorned the gn^unds of this once famous wa-
tering place.
' Work on the erection of "Cottage X'o. 7"
: was begun early in 1881, but the striicture was
i not cijmpletcd until the spring of '82. It cost.
; including pipes for steam heat. Si 5. 500. 00. It
\ was located on ground formerly occupied by
what was known as "Southern Row." ami
faced north. This building was destn>yed by
fire on July 21, 1004. In 1907 it was replaced
i bv an attractive buikling. known as "Honor
Cottage," located just in the rear rif the site
wdiere X'o. 7 stood. The building cost ab'Xtt
$32,000.00, and the furnishings about $6.-
, 000.00 more. It was opened on Xo\ember
■ T5th and occupied by the sixty-six girls hav-
ing the highest rank in the institution.
"Cottage Xo. S." which faces south, is lo-
; cated on an elevated piece of ground alx/ut
! 200 feet northeast of "CottaL;e Xo. G." It
was completed in the fall of 1888. afa cost of
$13,054.14. and was at that time used as the
■"Honor Cottage." ' . ■
1 84
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
All the builiJiugs describcJ above are tu'i
stories in height above tlie ttiundatiims, except
one wing on "Cottage No. 8," and the Admin-
istration Building, which has a tall nwusard
roof on the main part of the structure.
■ A visit to the institutii..m is necessary in
order to gain e\cn a fair conce])tion of its
magnitude and iniptjrtance. . At present there
arc 507 girls liere, and these together with the
ohicials and emploj-es make a total population
of about 550. The pupils of the institution
are housed ni the eight "Cottages," just
described. It should be imderstood that these
"Cottages,'' so called, are very large and
spacious buildings. Tliose living in each cot-
tage are under the direct care of the matron,
house-keeper and cottage school teacher.
In the rear of the Administration Building
is the chapel, where religious exercises are con-
ducted. The Sunday services consist of Sab-
bath school at 10 A. M., which is followed by
jniblic worship and preaching by Rev. W. F.
Whiilock, D. D., who has been chanlain uf the
institution for many years.
Instruction is given at the "Central School
Building," which was erected in i<S97. at a
cost, including- furnishings, of about $25,-
000.00. It contains eleven rooms. Besides
the eight grammar grades, there is a two-year
high school course, in which such branches,
including bookkeeping, shorthand and type-
writing are taught, as will be most useful to
the pupils when the have left the home. In-
structiiin in vocal and instrumental music is
also given under the direction of a competent
teacher.
A "Technical and Industrial Building" is
being constructed, which will cost, including
furnishings and fixtures, al;out ?i5,ooo.oo.
Domestic science, dress cutting and sewing,
fancy needle-work, basketry — in fact, ail
classes of industrial work, many of which are
already taught at the institution, will be taught
in this building. The instruction will be under
the direction of a graduate of Pratt Institute
or some similar school of eciual standing. The
Flome has a library which now ainounts to
about 2,000 volumes. The ladies" clubs
throughout the State have shown much inter-
est in this department of the Home by giving
book showers and .-^ujiplying othci valuable
literature.
Assembly Hall was built in 1904. for the
acconmiodation of the population 01 the in-
stitution, at a cost of $25,000.00. Besides the
spacious auditorium, the building contains a
bathing pool, hot and coKl shower baths, dress-
i ing rooms and toilet rooms. It is the intention
I to equip a gymnasium in the building in the
I near future.
There are a number of other buildings that
should be c<jnsidered in this connection. In
187S a brick pimip and boiler house was
erected for the purpose of supplying the build-
ings comprising the institution with water.
I For this purpose the Legislature had appro-
I priated $25,000.00. The same year a gas
i plant was established from an appropriation
I of $3,000.00. In the winter of 18S3, the
j building and gasometer, with its" attachments
j were destroyed by tire, but were immediately
rebuilt from an appropriation of $1,050.00
for this purpose made by the Legislature. This
was replaced in 1S98 by the present splendid
acetylene gas plant.
The next building erected was a boiler
house, in which was placed a battery of boil-
ers for the purpose of heating the buildings
from one central point. This building was
completed in 18S2, but did not seem to answer
all the requirements of the Home. The Board
of Trustees, being impressed with the impor-
I tance of a system of water-works, both fur
j protection from fire and to supply water for
! domestic purposes, requested in their annual
j report of 1882 an appropriation of S20,-
I 000.00 for this purpose, and on April 17, 1S83,
I secured the following: "For change of steam-
I heating and water-works, $24,000.00." The
power or engine and boiler-house was located
I on the river bank. The boiler and other ma-
[ chinery were transferred to the neAV location,
I and the present system of steam-heating and
water- works was completed early in 1884.
I With little expense, the old boiler-huuse was
converted into a general laundry. Recently
this has been equipped with the most modern
( ■^. '■)■■.-'- 1
AXD REPRRSEXTATn'E CITIZENS
185
!;iuiulrv machinery for tlie convenience of the
iniijii.-, by whom all laundry work is done.
'J'lie building erected in 188S as a Hospital,
at an expense of $3,000.00, .is now used 'is a
Deu-ntion House. It is a two-story frame
building, located tni a delightiul elevation in I
the snutheast part of the Home lot. .A nev.- I
liu-pital is to be erected under the provisions 1
of a special act passed by die Le:^-isla'au-e ih; |
January 16, 190S, authorizing, the Board of j
Trustees to employ an architect and proceed j
t(j construct and ecjuip a suitaljle and adequate
hospital, to cost not to exceed $30,000.00. i
In i8gi, the Grocery and Cold Storage
riant was built at an expense of $1,200. This
will soon ])c equipped with refrigerating ma-
chinery to provide cold storage and to manu-
facture the ice used at the institutoii, thus ren-
dering it independent of the uncertain natural
ice supply. There is also a central hake-oven,
where all the bread, to the amount of 600 to
1.000 loaves per day, is baked by the pupils at
tlio Home.
There is a spacious barn and otiier farm
buildings. Part of the milk consumed at tlie
institution is produced by a small dairy of
abmit sixteen cov,-s, and most of the vegetables
consumed by the present population are pro-
duced on the farm.
The following men hax'e serx'ed as super-
intendent of the institution : Dr. John Xichols
of Geauga County was the first to hold the of-
fce; in 1877, he retired and Dr. Ralph Hills of
Delaware was appointed to the position, which
he filled until his death in October, 1879. He
Vvas succeeded by Rev. Nathan Smith, D. D.,
who served until' 1881. when Dr. D. R. Miller
was appointed to the office. Colonel Jamts M.
Crawford was the next sunerintendent, taking
charge December 15, 1884. We are indebted
to this highly esteemed citizen of Delaware
for the data regarding the early history of
the institution as given in these columns. In
March, i88g. Colonel Crawford resigned. His
successor was Captain Albert W. Stiles, whii
held the position for fourteen months, when
Ci>li.jnel Crawford was reinstated in the posi-
tion, which he held for two years, until 1902.
He then resigned, and Captain Stiles was
again appointed siiperintendcut, remaining in
office until April i, 1904, when the present
efficient superintendent, Thomas E. Dye, was
appointed.
Few people have any idea of the great
good accomplished by this institution. Hun-
dreds of the girls who have been trained here
are now the wives of prosperous men in nearly
every walk in life. ^Nlany are married to suc-
cessful farmers in this and neighboring coun-
ties. One js the wife of a prosperous business
man in Cleveland, and a ver\- active worker in
the Methodist Episcopal Church ; another w ent
to New ]\iexico. where she married an imp'jrt-
ant railroad ofticial. A jxiung woman who
has made for herself a reputation as a writer
of poetry and prose, was de\'eloped from the
ranks of these girls; another married a million-
aire and shines in society; still another has
been a successful school teacher for the past
nine years in Clarion County, having earned
for herself the means to \):iy for her ad\-anced
instruction. A superintendent (jf a large de-
partment in an extensive business came from
the home, and the number of such young la-
dies who hold positions of resiionsibilily and
trust in the business world is almost legion.
From the time he was superintendent of
the Home, Col. J. ^1. Crawford and his good
wife until her death, has kept in touch with a
large number of the girls who came under
their care. We wish we could reproduce even
a few of the hundreds of letters, many of them
of recent date, which he has received from
them, but we forbear doing so, as we have re-
frained from relating -the intensely interesting
and romantic experiences of some of the young
ladies to whom we have alluded, rather than
take any chance of embarrassing them in the
present high positions which they hold in the
social and business world.
Many of the girls who are brought to the
Hoiue, are not, according to the provisions of
tl;e Act creating the institution, proper sub-
jects for commitment here. In many cases,
step-fathers or step-mothers, wishing to shirk
the expense or responsibility of caring for
their step-children, trump up charges on which
thev are committed to t!ie Heme. One such
tS6
HISTOliV OF DL-.LA\\'.\RT: COl'XTY
case recei\'cd considerable pul.ilicity during
Colonel Crawford's term.
A man brought a bright, hunc.■^t'a;)pearing
little girl to the Home, who had been commit-
ted on a charge of stealing. \\'iiile the man
was being shown about the institution, the
Colonel learned the girl's side of the story, and
had his suspicions confirmed. The offences of
which she was guilty were of .the sugar and
pie-stealing class, such as most of us have
committed during a certain period in our lives.
Colonel Crawford confronted the man with
the facts, saying: "Y<.>u are simply this girl's
step-father, and you are trying to get rid of
her." The Colonel also told him a few things
that exery such person ought to hear. It de-
\eloped that the man and the girl's mother
were going to Europe, and the man said that
when they came back, he w ould come and claim
the child, fie was informed that he was un-
worthy of the child, and that if he left her at
the Mome, its authority to kee[) her until she
^\■as of age would be enf'jrced. The man left
in high dudgeon, and Colonel Crawfr.rd im-
mediately commenced an investigation. He
found that two brothers of the girl had been
disposed of in a similar manner, and also found
that there was some property in the family.
The Colonel had a friend who was a reporter
on one of the Cle\'eland papers, to whom he
told the story, requesting the reporter to try
to (.liscuver who owned the property. X'othing
more was heard of the matter, until, one day.
the paper came out with flaring In ;.(llines —
"An Heiress in the Girls' Industrial Home."
The article, which occupied considerable space,
told the story and explained that the girl's
mother was a property t.'wner. Someone sent
copies of the paper to the girl's grandmoth.er
in Flallybeen Park, in the north of Ireland, who
at once began a correspondence with the super-
intendent of the Home. She was entertaining
the child's mother and step-father, and had
been given the impression that the children
were being cared for at iwarding-school. Upon
learning the facts, the old lady ottered to pro-
vide a home for her granddaughter, and was
told that the institution would be glad to re-
linrpiish th.e child to her, if she would furnish
satisfactory evidence of her ability to care
properly for her. The evidence, together with
her formal application, came in the shape ol
a letter of highest recommendation from a
member of Parliament, anrl another letter from
the American consul at Belfast, speaking in
highest terms of the grandmother, and of!er-
ing the ser\-ices of his son, who was about to
return to America, in seeing the girl properly
scarted on her ocean voyage. Upon his ar-
rival in this country, the young man came to
I the Home after the girl. In the meantime, the
I developments in the case had made it secn.i de-
sirable for her mother and step-father to cut
short their visit in Ireland and return home;
but the girl hail no irresistible im]julse to cill
i upon them as she passed through Cle\'elanfl on
her way to Xcw York. There she was ]j!accfl
aboard a steamship liy her escort and iilaced
in charge of a chaperone, and safely started for
Ballyijeen Park, the home of her well-to-do
and generous-hearted ancestor. The last that
was heard from the \"t.>ung lady, she was at-
tCTiding a college, where it would have been
embarrassing fiir her to continue to receive
correspondence on the stationery of the "Girls'
Industrial Home.''
The institution was established as a "school
for the instruction, employment and reforma-
tion of exix'^ed. helpless, evil-disposed and
vicious girls." Girls between the ages of nine
and seventeen years may be committed to the
Home for ( i ) committing any offense known
to the laws of Ohio, punishalile b_\- fine or im-
prisonment, other than imprisonment for life:
( 2) any girl leading an idle, vagrant or \icioiis
life; (3) or if fL'und in any street, highway or
public place in circumstances of want and suf-
fering, or neglect, exposure or abandonment,
or of beggary, or truancy. Every girl so cm-
mitted shall l)e kept, disciplined, instructed,
employed and governed until she be either re-
formed arid discharged, or shall be bound out
as an apprentice or servant, or shall have at-
tained the age of twenty-one years. .\11 com-
mitments to be rnade In' the probate judge of
the county having jurisdictirm. The object
of the institution is to instruct the ignorant, to
aid. the unfortunate, tcj reform the erring, to
O^i
AXD RErRI-:StXT.\TJ\'L- CITIZENS
187
lilt up tlie fallen, and to furnish a home for
liie exposed and friendless of tender age. where
they may be kindly cared for. trained to habits
of industry and receive such intellectual and
moral culture as to fit them lor respectable po-
sitions in society.
In seeking to attain these aims, the pres-
ent management has reorganized the institu-
tion in many particulars. All unitVirmity in
matters of dress, etc., such as will be found m
many similar institutions, is carefully avoided.
So far as is practicable, an effort is made to
develop the individual taste of each girl. The
pupils have been classified and griided accord-
ing to their age and merits, both from the
standpoint of conduct and mental abilitv. It
is felt that the girls are at the Home, not for
l)unishment, but to receive training and correc-
tion. Each is therefore placeil upiin her honor,
and made to feel that s"me respon-^ibility rests
upon her. Under this system of classification,
the most worthy girls to the number of sixty-
six live in the ■"Mouur Cottage." Thus the
pupils admitteil to the Home Iiave an oppor-
tunity to rise to a [joint of proficienc}-, where
they are recommended 1)}- the superintendent
to the Board of Trustees f.ir p.j^itions, and
under his rec-^nimendation, some of the jiupils
are now holding salaried positions in the in-
stitution. It is predicted that the time is not
far distant when the institution will be entirely
self-.sustaining. so far as expense for labor is
concerned, through the work done l)y pupils.
CHAPTER X.
THE PRESS.
spacers and Editors of the Past and of the Pr
The Dclazvare Gazette is one of the oldest
newspapers in Ohio and probably the onl}' one,
thar has been controlled by one family for
nearly three quarters of a century. In the
year iSi8 the Dekn^'are Gazette first made its
appearance, published by 'Drake, Hutdies and
Olmsted. Judge Ezra Griswold purcha^ed the
paper in 1S21 and it was published by him
until 1834, when he sold it to ]vlr. George \\".
Siiarpe, who had just come to Ohio, fiom
Frederick. Maryland, where he had owned a
printing oltice. At the .solicitation of Mr.'
Sharpe, Abraham Thomson, a relative, emi-
grated from ilaryland to Delaware and in
September, 1834. became a partner in this
journalistic enterprise. Soon afterwards ]\Ir.
Sharpe sold his interest in the business :o
Judge David T. Fuller. Two years later Mr.
Thomson purchased Judge Fuller's interests
and became sole proprietor, which he remained
from that time until January i, 1S97, when on
account of ill health, consequent upon the in-
firmity of age, he sold the Gazette establish-
ment to his two sons, Henry C. and Kober'; C.
and reluctantly retired from the labors that
had been so congenial to him fijr over a half
century.
From 1S65 to 1S71 a half interest in the
Gazette was held by Captain Alfred E. Lee,
who had served his country as a soldier with
distinction and bravery during the War of the
Rebellion, ha\ing been severely wounded at
the battle of Gettysburg. Captain Lee during
this time was elected a member of the Ohio,
House of Representatives and afterwards was
j appointed by President Hayes to be consul-
I general at Frankfort-on-the-Main. In both
' positions he rendered capable and creditaWe
I service. After retiring from Frankfort he was
editorial writer on the Ohio State Journal and
odier ];ronnnent newspapers. Caj)tain Lee
i died in 1905.
From 187 1 until he retired iMr. Thomson
i was assisted in tlie management of the paper
j by his son, Robert Carter, and also a portion of
the time by his son, Frank G. In 1897 his
j oldest son, Henry C, returned to Delaware
from Dayton, where he had lived for twenty-
I six years, and with R. C. Thomson as part-
ner, purchased the Gazette establishment from
their father and continued its publication un-
der the firm name of Abram Thomson's Sons.
In October, 1898. Flenry C. Thomson pur-
chased his brother's interest and since that time
has been sole owner and publisher.
Abram Thomson, who for sixty-two years
was owner and most of that time editor of the
Delaxeare Gazette, was a remarkable man. It
is doulitful whether there is in the history of
the State another case where one man has con-
tinuously held a like position for such a length
of time. As a man he was of a charming per-
sonality and noted for uprightness and integ-
rity of character; as an editor he was able and
fearless: as a citizen he was public spirited and
useful.
Born at Taneytown. Md., in 1814. and hav-
ing acquired his knowledge of printing in some
of the chief newspaper offices of Xew York
citv, he came to Delaware when a voung man
.x 3:s:r
1- ■ '^ 'I
I I'M ru
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZEXS
[89
of twenty and grew up with the ti_iwn. Abram !
Thuni:iiin and lii.> newspaper were prominent ■.
factors in its grciwth and prosperity and he i
was universally honored and respected by its '
inhabitants. - In addition to his long life in the ;
editorial harness, he held many public posi- |
tions. Ill 1S4S-49, without any solicitation on ;
his part, he was nominated and elected Repre- |
sentative of Delaware County in the Ohio |
Legislature. Eor personal reasuns he declined •
a n_u!nination mianimously tendered him for !
re-election. In 1850-1 he was clmsen to sue- '
teed William Dennison as senator from the
district composed of the counties of Dela- \
ware and Frankhn. In die year 1S54 }.Ir.
'Jdiomson was a memlier of the Whig State ',
Central Committee when it assembled, and de-
clared the Whig organization disbanded and
merged its party into the Republican. . i
in iSCo he was. a member of the liuard ui '
Presidential Electors of C)hio which cast the i
vote of the State for Abraham Lincoln. By :
President Lincoln he was appninteA p<j-tmas- 1
ter I if Delaware and re-appointed in [863. ;
When the State Industrial Home (<«.■ Girls was i
established in. 1869 }>Ir. Thomson became. Ijv I
appointment of Governor LLiyes, a member of
its first Board of Trustees, and he served as a
member and secretary of the Ijnard for nine ;
x'ears. i
Henr_\- C. Thomson, the ]iresent owner of ■
the Ga::cffi\ was born in Delaware in 1842. ,
and was practically brought up in the Caccttt-
office, having in liis youthful days delivered >
the paper to its town subscribers for about five {
years. Jn the year 1865 he was taken intu
partnership in the printing busin.ess by his fa- J
ther, and continued a partner until 1871. when
he moved to the city of Dayton, where he re- [
mained for twenty-six years, being engaged ui <
the grocery business. January i, 1897. he re- i
turned to his first love, the Gacctfc. an<l still j
directs its destinies. He has been assisted in its 1
publication for about eight years by his son, I
Walter D. Thomson, to whose efticient man- i
agement and industry its success and prosper-
ity is largely due.
In the year 1888 the size and business im-
portance of Delaware seeming to warrant the
venture, a daily edition of the Gazette was
launched and the favor with wiiich it was re-
ceived by the citizens, insured its immediate
success, in 1.S97 a "Mergenthaler linotype type-
setting machine \vas added to its ec|uipment.
enabling the pulilisher to give its patrons much
more reading matter than had before been pos-
sible. In 1905 a secoiul linotype machine was
installed, making the Gazette's type-setting fa-
cilities unexcelled by any office in a city oi the
same size in the State. For a number of years
the Gazette has received the Scriiips-McRae
telegraph and cable service, b)- which it has
been able to furnish its readers with the latc.-t
news on an equality w-ith any of the afternoon
papers of Columbus or Cle\elar,d. This serv-
ice has recenti}- been merged with the United
Press Association with improved facilities.
In the spring of the present year (1907)
the circulation of the Daih Gazette, having
outgrown the capacity of the press in use. a
Campbell multipress was purchased and in-
stalled m a new ])ressroom provided for its oc-
cupancy in the basement of the Gazette build-
ing. This press prints at one operation ail
eight pages of the Gazette which has been en-
larged from six to seven columns to the pag'?,
and is capable of a speed of six thousand copii.^
per hour.
The semi-weekly edition of the Gazette.
which has a large circulation in the count}" out-
side of Delaware City, was also eiilarged to
the same size. There are few cities the size I
of Delaware that can boast of as up-to-date and j
attractively printed daily paper as the Gazette. \
A well equipped job printing department is an '
important adjunct of the Gazette establishment ;
and a large quantity of catalogue work and i
commercial printing is turned out annually.
THE FIRST DEMOCR.^TIC NEWSPAPER.
For some time prior to 184 1, the need of a
Democratic organ in the county of Delaware
began to be felt. Colonel B. F. Allen. .Andrew
H. Patterson, Andrew Stephen, James W.
Crawford. John Lugenbeel. .\lbert Pickett. Jr.,
Ahab Jinks'. Th.^mas Reynolds. .Moses By.xby,
Jr., W. B. Ficim. George W. Sharp and others.
190
HISTOID" Ol- DELAWARE COUXTV
liad, at diftereni limes, been in currespondcnce
willi printers at numerous places almut estab-
lishing a Deniiicratic paper in Ueiaware
Cuunty, but, as the saying goes today, jio '•oil"
was struck until early in the year of 1841.
Among tlie legisl;:ti\-e reporters on the Ohio
Stotcsiiuiii during the session of 1840-1. was
a [iractical printer named Forest Knapp. Jl re-
quired a ]iractical printer at thai, dale to suc-
cessfujly manipulate all of the departments of
a printing office. On the advice and recom-
mendation of Colonel Saniuoi Medary. a
proposition was m.ade to yir. Knapp which he
accepted, resulting in the establishment of a
Democratic paper in Delaware called Tlw
Democratic Eagle. The jiaper was small,
worked oft on a small hand-press, the circula-
tion very limited, the job department consist-
ing of a couple of fonts of wood type made of
apple or beech tree. The con':posiiioa w a^ done
by three apprentices, Thomas J. Crawford,
Andrew J. Crawford and Samuel J.- Albright,
all natives of Delaware. The thst ciiiijin w.-i-^
bright, showing ability in its ediim-ials, ci irres-
pondence and scissorings. taking at once with
its friends. .Mr. Knajjp conducted the paper
for several years, it growing in every depart-
ment and with his party and the people. Theri
he left for othei fields of labor, placing the
paiier in the hands of Mr. John Converse. The
latter not being a practical printer, soon tired
of the business and retired. , For some lime
no paper was published. In the meantime.
Hon. George W. Sharp, a practical printer,
who had had. much newspaper experience in
]Maryland and some years prior in Delaware,
secured the ownersliip of the plant and sent
back to Frederick City. Md., lor one of his
former proteges, named George F. Stayman.
to come to Delaware to take charge of the pa-
per and the plant, and he would give him his
own time to pay for it. Mr. Stayman ar-
rived with his family early in the fall of 1S45,
took charge of the plant, secured some new-
newspaper and jrib type and started a little
paper under the title of Loco Foco. This con-
tinued a year, \vhen there was an enlargement
of the paper, press and all departments, the
name of the paper also being changed to The
Di'hviearc Staiidanl. In a few years b\ work-
ing hard, day and night, himself, and making
p.ractical printers out of al)out all of his chii-
ilren. although the portion of the county print-
ing was not large, he built up a. very satisfac-
tory and readable paper, generally apjireciated
by old and young. Under the title of Staiid-
ard or DcnuKratic Standard, for nineteen
years, under the management of Mr, Stayman,
this paper was continued. It was Democratic
after the leffersonian and Jackson stamp. For
a short time in the early li flies. D. W. C.
Lugenbeel had a half interest in the paj^er. at-
tending to the 'local department. It must !rj
said that The Stajidard establislied the first
local department of any paper ever published
in Delaware. L'nder the administration of
President Pierce and part of that of President
Buchanan, Mr. Stayman was postmaster, hue
lost out a year under the kitter owing to his
support given to Stephen .\. Douglas and
"Squatter Sovereignty." 77k- Standard was
the first paper in Delaware to run up "Old
Glory" when the Civil War began. In 1864.
The Standard was sold to W. P. Reid. his
brother, Theodore P. Reid look charge of ir
and started a neutral paper under the title of
i The Delaiearc County News. In 1866. Sam-
uel J. Albright established a Democratic paper
under the title of Tlie Herald. It was bright
and newsy from the start.
After it was firmly established, he retired.
when the paper uniler the management of
I Hosea W. Chamberlain liad a number of edi-
tors including Dr. F. H. Flyatt. Hon. E. F.
Poppleton and John A. Cone. The next pro-
prietor and publisher was Robert G. Hurlburt.
He continued to publish the Herald down to
the latter part of the seventies, when be died
of cancer of the tongue. The next was Daniel
Flannagan. He secured the plant and r^iier-
aled it but a short lime when he was followed
by James K. Xewcomer, then Newcomer &
Fisher ( D. S.) George Padgett was the next
owner, until the i)lant was purchased In- The
Journal Company, which started an independ-
ent newspaper in Delaware in igoo. under the
editorial administration oi Dr. F. M. 3.1urrav.
who was associated with Mr. J. D. Knowles.
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZEXS
The latter became iiianayei- and operated the
paper until 1903. At this time, J. D. Knuwles
became editur of the Journal-Herald, the pur-
chase of the Herald having been made by Mur-
ray & Knowles. The Joiinial-Hcrald is op-
crated in an up-to-date manner and is equipped
as a modern newspaper should be. It has a
Mcrgenthaler type-setting machine, receives
the only telegraph service by wire every after-
noon and makes its own illustrations.
After the purchase of the Herald by the
Journal Company, J. D. Knowles liecamc the
editor and for six years has conducted that
department in an able manner. Through the
increasing influence of the paper, several Dm-
ocrats have been elected to important county
positions and at this time, th.e Democrats have
the mayor and the City Council. In lyoS 'Sir.
John H. Byrne was admitted into the fii'm of
The Journal-Herald and holds the position as
city editor. An eight-page daily is published,
with sixteen pages on Saturdaj-s. The Jl'eekly
Jo.irnal-Hcrald is printed on Thursdays and
contains sixteen and sometimes twenty-eight
pages. It is considered one of the best publi-
cations in Ohio from a county of its size, show-
ing its able management and the confidence of
its readers and patrons.
AStlLEV NEWSPAPERS.
In 1875, a paper called the Ashley Star was
started b}- Washington Granger. It was short-
lived, and there was then a period of several
years when no paper was published here. The
Argus was the next local purveyor of news.
After a time it came into thr- possession of the
firm of Shoemaker S: Cocnner, who changed
the name of the publication to the Enterprise.
After running the paper about a year, they
sold it to C. B. Benedict, who sold it after a
short time to A. D. Rowe. He adopted the
name of the Ashley Times, and published it
until his death. Karry Wood then purchased
the journal and remained its proprietor and
editor until 1904, when it was sold to C. Slu'ie-
maker.
In 1900, Wilson C. Shoemaker, a native
of Ashley, started a paper called the Ashley
Star, which name he changed, in .AIav.~ 190;,
to Tri-Couniy Star. This journal has a circu-
lation of about one thousand and is indep-.^nd-
ent in politics, its policy being to use all the in-
fluence it exerts in the direction of enhancing
the growth and betterment of Ashley. It is a
four-page, seven-column paper, printed en-
tirely in Ashley.
SUNBURY NEWSPAPERS.
The Sunhury Enterprise was the first paper
published in that town. It was started in 1873,
and was owned by a stock company composed
of local citizens. The paper was issued once a
week, and was managed by D. M. Pyle. He
was to have purchased tlie paper and paid for
it out of the earnings of the office, l)ut not-
withstanding that the people ga\-e the new ven-
ture their support, it was plain at the end of
the first nine months that the ir.anager was
not adapted to journalism, and the paper was
sold to \\"a\man Perfect, who chai^.ged the
name to the Speetator. The publication im-
mediately took on new life; it seemed to please
tlie people, and it was not long before there was
a list of 600 paid subscribers. The advertising-
columns were also well patronized, and the pa-
per was a success from a financial point of
\'iew. J. S. \\'atson purchased the paper in
1876, and it was successfully conducted by him
until the spring of 1879, when he suspended
the publication in order to take advantage of
a better opening elsewhere. About 18S0 a pa-
per called the Monitor was established by T. G.
Sharpe, but we ha\-c been unable to learn anv-
thing of its career or of its demise. In ]\fay.
1880, .v. R. Letts began the publication of a
Dem.icratic pa])er called the Sunburv A'ctix
It ran until the summer of 1894, when it was
suspended, and the people in that part of the
county were without a home paper until the
fall of 1894. when the Delaware County
\ cz;'s-Itein, a weekly, independent paper, was
started by A. R. Letts and William F. Whit-
tier, under the firm name of Letts & Whittier.
In 1900. Mr. Whittier purchased his partner's
interest and has since conducted the paper
alone. The issues of the paper contain from
192
HISTORY 01- DELA\\'ARE COUNTY
four Uj eiglit pages, and it now has a circiila-
tiun of t~20.
'['he iK'liizcarr Signal, which was the first
organ ot the Prohihition party in Ohig. was
started by a juint-stock company on Septem-
ber 23. I07J. 'J"he principal promoters of the
enterprise were Thomas Evans. Jr.. Colonel
Tindsay, Dr. L. Barnes and J. W. Sharpe.
Their oiganization adopted the title of the
Delawnre Printing and Publishing Associa-
tion. In 1S72, a small paper called the Dela-
ware Pro/iibitioiiisl had been started by Alilton
R. Scott, and the association published this pa-
per for a short period, not more than a month
or two, until they could get in a position to
pnhtlish a paper better suited to their purpose.
The Sii^iial was then started as a large-sized
nine-column folio, with Alessrs. Sharpe, P.arnes
and Lindsav as editors, and Mr. Evans as
treasurer and manager. The paper was pub-
lished at a loss uiuil 187G. when Mr. Evans
took it otT the hands of the association to pay
the debts of the concern. He abandoned his
other business interests and de^'Oted his entire
time and energy to building up the paper, which
he continued to publish until some rime in th.e
early go's, as nearh- as we are able to ascer-
tain. Mr. Evans reduced the size of the paper
to eight coluirins, and, by rigid economy, suc-
ceeded in making it ])a_\' the full e.xjjenses of
the office. Although the publicatirm paid its
])roprietor nothing for the time and labur he
bestowed upon it, it was a labor of love on his
part. The circulation of the paper grew to
.large proportions for those days and for a
paper of that kirid. and was accepted as the
State organ of the I'rohibitian party.
CMAFTER. XL
EDUCATION (J). V Z: ;,. ,. ,.;'„\,;\„
])itroJnctor\ — Public Scliools of the City of Dclai^'arc — District Schools aiiJ Earlx Teachers
— St. Mary's Parochial Schon! — Statistics — Dcla-:eare City Library — Delazcare Coiuitv
Historical and Archaeological Socictw
The sturdy pioneers who sought religious
freedom on New England's barren shores be-
lieved education to be the handmaid of relig-
ion, and so they reared the schoolliouse along
side the village church. Only twenty-seven
years after th.e arrival of the Pilgrims, a law
was passed compelling every t'Vwn or district
of fifty householders to maintain a common
school, and every town or district having a
population of a hundred families to have a
grammar school, presided o\-er by teachers
capable of preparing the pupils for college.
This is the first instance recorded in history
where a civil government undertook to pro\-ide
for the education of its youth ; and the wonder-
ful progress of our nation is a continual attes-
tation to the wisdom of those who embarked
upon this experiment of a go\-ernment of, by.
and for the people.
The history of education in Ohio is unique
in this respect.: That in 1785, before there was
a settlement in the territory now comprised
within the State, it was provided by Congress,
in an ordinance for the survey and sale of the
western lands, that section sixteen, or one-
thirty-sixth of every township included under
the ordinance, should be reserved from sale for
the maintenance of public schools within the
township. The "Compact of 1787" declared
that "schools and the means of education shall
forever be encouraged."' As a rule, the ques-
tion of providing educational facilities is an
undeveloped region are not considered until
the need actually arises and presses home
uix>n an established comiinmity; but here we
have the federal and futiu'e state govern-
ments both pledged in advance to provide in
some way for the support of [lublic schools.
As these lands were at first only reserved
from sale and settlement, no steps were taken
b)- the territorial legislature to apply them to
the purpose for which they were set aside.
\Mien Ohio was admitted as a State, these re-
served school lands (of which there were 740,-
000 acres) were granted to the State and
placed at the disposal of the Legislature.
The Constitution of 1802, repeating the
famous educational clause of the Ordinance of
17S7. made it the duty of the Legislature to
carry out its intent. It also provided that all
schools, academies and colleges founded upon
or supported by rexenues from the land graiits
should be open "for the reception of scholars,
students and teachers of every grade without
any distinction or preference whatever."' The
Constitution of 185 1 goes still farther, and de-
clares in plain terms that the General Assem-
bly shall provide by taxation or otherwise, "a
thorough and efficient system of common
schools throughout the State." What has the
State done in fulfillment of these constitutional
obligations which it assumed? Xearlv all the
school lands were sold long ago. and tlmse
that have not been sold are held under per-
* ; :':.Lti i A,.-*UV.i'
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
pt'tual lease at an extremely low rental. Tlie
money received from the sale ot these lantls
was paid into the State treasury, the State
pledging itself to pay six per cent, .interest
thereon forever, the interest to be distributed
annually among the various townships and
districts for school purpo.^es. As a matter of
fact, the fund itself has been borrowed and
spent by the State, and the annual interest the
State is obligated to pay is raised b\ taxation.
The fund is now, therefore, merely a fiction of
bookkeeping, and represents the legal and
mora! obligation on the part of the people to
ta.x themselves a certain ainount each year for
school purposes.
Plaving thus briefly reviewed the early pr.j-
visions made for the support of inibiic schools
in Ohio, and having seen how the immensely
valuable reservations of school lands have been
piactically frittered away by politicians, we
will now consider the conditions that actually
confronted the courageous pioneers who
braved the perils of wild Ijeasts, .>Hva<a'S and
disease to briiig civilization into this wilder-
ness. Coming from New England, they
brought with them the same ideas ol tlie value
and importance of education that were so
earl) formulated into the law we have already
noticed; but in this new and unsettled coun-
try there were many obstacles to be overcome.
At first, comfortable shelter must be provided
for the family, and then land must be cleared
and crops raised to provide sustenance for man
and beast. Arduous as such work now is, it
is not to be compared with the toil of these
brave men and women of a hundred years
ago. Little tirne or strength, if any, was left
for study to anyone of either sex who was able
to bear any part of this burden of labor; settle-
ments were small and scattered ; teachers were
scarce, money and books were scarcer and
school houses — there were none. All honor is
therefore due these sturdy and ambitious pio-
neers for the way they surmounted these dif-
ficulties, and provided for the education of
their children just as soon as there were
enough settlers in a locality to maintain a
scliool.
The old log schoolhouses, with their rude
furniture, have been replaced by accommoda-
tions and facilities for securing an education
that transceitd the wildest dreams of the teach-
ers and pupils of those primitive days. There
are few people now left in the county who are
old enough to recall these earl}- "temples of
learning," and a brief description will doubt-
less interest the pui)ils of the present as well as
those of coming generations. The early schools
were not public schools in any true sense "of the
word, and not free schools in any sense. Land
grants were not yet available, and school taxes
were unkriown. The schoolhouses were not
built by subscription ; the neighbors would
gather at some point previously agreed upon,
and. with axe in hand, the work was soon
done. These early structures all belonged to
the log-cabin style of architecture. They were
fifteen to eighteen feet in width, and twenty-
four to twenty-eight feet long, with eaves
about ten feet from the ground. The chinks
between the logs were filled with clay mor-
tar. The floor was of earth, puncheons, or
smooth slabs. Ptmcheons were logs split and
smoothed a little with an axe or hatchet on
the fiat side. To make a window, a log was
cut out, usually the entire length of the build-
ing, and the opening thus made was covered
with greased paper mounted on sticks. The
people in [Marlboro to\vnship were particularly
proud of their schoolhouse, \vhicli had two
such windows, in one of which greased sheep-
skins were used instead of paper. The room,
or at least one end of it, was heated from an
immense fireplace, and it usually took iiiost of
the time of three boys to fill its hungry maw
with logs. The furniture consisted principally
of rude benches without backs, made by split-
ting logs into halves, and mounting theiu, fiat
side up on four stout wooden pins about fif-
teen inches long. Just under the window, two
or three strong pins were driven into a log in
a slanting direction ; on these pins a long
puncheon was fastened, which served as a
writing desk for the whole school. There was
no blackboard, and no apparatus of even the
rudest description to assist the teacher in ex-
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
195
pounding the lessun. Reading, spelling, writ-
ing and arithmetic constituted the course of |
study. Text-books were few. The favorite |
reader, when it could be procured, ,was the j
Xew Testament; Murray's reader was owned
by a few, and here and there would be found
a'copy of the "Columbian Orator ;"' Webster's j
Speller was the first used, later, the '"Elemen- |
tary Si^eller" was introduced. Tiiey learned
to "figure" from Pike's and Smiley's Arithme-
tics. W'hen grammar was taught, which was
not often, ^Murray's and Kirkham's grammars
were the text-books used. These were the
books comprising the primitive outfit of the
teacher, while each pupil usually had one or
more of them. As there was but little work
to do on the farm in mid- winter, a three
months' term was taught at that season, so
that the boys could attend. The teachers were
paid by subscription, and "boarded around."
the terms being from one to three dollars per
pupil for a term of three months. In those
days there was little nv-ncy with -which to
pay salaries, as nothing was raised to sell, and
gold and bank notes were unknown before the
War of iSi:?.
[Many peculiar characters found their way
into the teaching profession in those early days
on the frontiers of civilization. In Berkshire
To\vnship. one of the early teachers was a
man named Nathan Diistin. He was possessed
of a very fine sense of "propriety," and was
much given to lecturing his pupils on the rules
of behavinr. He wanted his girls and buys to
grow up to be ladies and gentlemen. Another
interesting character who taught in Berkshire
Township v.as an Irishman named Lexton. He
was fond of his whiskey. \,hich he often car-
ried to school. The use of this stimulant did
not tend to soften his naturally high temper.
Partially intoxicated, he frequently fell asleep,
and. on waking, punished at random the first
one his eyes fell upon. Such were the teach-
ers of those early days. Some set before their
pupils the example of an upright and worthy
life, while they tried to impart their own
limited st.^'re of knowledge; others, inditterent
hi the intlnence of their example, or to the
progress of their pu[)ils. were time-ser\ers
only. Plowever, such instruction as they couM
give, or did give, was better than no instruc-
tion at all. Probably none of those early
teachers could measure up to the standards re-
quired of the teachers now in our schools;
but, fortunately, the conditions of life in those
pioneer days did not call for the edttcational
qualifications that the boys and girls of the
rising generation must ha\'e to hold their own
in the battle of life.
Institutions which, for many decades, filled
an important place in the life of the community
were the spelling-schools, or spelling-matches,
and singing-schools. Both of these branches
of study have for many years been incorpor-
ated in the curriculum of the public schools,
and so these early institutions have passed
away; though, if the spelling of the present
generation be a criterion, it may be doubted
if the modern method of teaching spelling is
any improvement on that of a generation ago.
But these early schools were not only a means
of education, they filled a place in the social
life of the people w-ell suited to the times, and
this combination of pleasure and study doubt-
less had much to do with the lively interest
manifested in these functions. A story used
to be told by one of the old residents of Berlin
Township, which shows the rough and rcjiJy.
if good-natured manners of those days. As is
often the case nowadays, two boys had their
hearts and attentions set upon one girl, and
both proposed to himself to escort her home.
While one of the contestants was lighting his
hickorv torch at the old block-house fire-place,
his rival, who had been quicker than he. just
placed his torch in close proximity with the
other's coat-tail. Of course, there was a sudden
hurrying about to, extinguish the blaze, but,
in the meantime, the shrewd incendiar}- had
gone oft with the girl. leaving his rival to
grieve over the lacerated state of his feelings,
as well as the damaged condition of his coat-
tail.
We find that it is impossible to secure a
connected story of the schools in each tow-nship
from the earliest times down to the present
day, and w-e shall have to content ourselves
with a brief glance at so much of the early
J 96
HISTORY 01' DELA\\'ARE COUNTY
schcul history as \vc have been alile to obtain
and a statement of the conditions of the
schools at the present time. To aid in compar-
ing these two periods, we have prepa-red a
statement (see elsewhere in this chapter)
showing;- the tax rate lor schools, the total
expenditure for schools, the number of school-
houses, total value of school property, num-
ber of teachers ;'.nd number of clemcnt;a-y and
high school pupils in each of the eighteen town-
ships and thirteen school districts in the county.
These I'gures are for 1907, except in a few
cases, which are indicated, where we were able
to secure the 190S figures, or where the 1906
figures are the latest that can be obtained.
It is gratifying to note that, throughout the
county, progress in school matters and im-
provement in the facility for educating our
yontli ha\'e kept pace with the demands of the
times.
PUliUC SCHOOLS OF the city of DELAW.M-IE.
In iSSo the late Trof. William G. W'illianif
prepared an article on the public schools of the
city of Delaware, which appears in the History
of Delaware County that was published at that
time. Prof. Williams was at that time a mem-
ber of the School Board ; he was a writer of
recogm'zed ability; his historical researches
were thorough, and as he then had sources of
information upon which we cannot draw at this
late day, we will quote the article referred to,
making only such changes as may be necessary
to indicate that persons then referred to as
living are no longer with us, and to avoid con-
fusing the period in which he wrote with the
present time.
"The early settlers in Delaware were
mostly from the New England States, and were
generally educated and intelligent. They ap-
preciated the \alue of education for their chil-
dren ; but they were pixjr, and the school-
master had not yet followed them to the
wilderness. Accordingly, what book-learning
the children of the first generation got, was
imparted to them by the pareiUs in the long
winter exenings. Sometimes, when families
were close neighbcirs the ciiildren. and e\en
the older folks, would unite in these exercises,
under the instruction of the best scholar of
the neiglihorhood. Such for a number of
years, from 1S08, was the educational status of
the community.
"After the village became large enough to
have day schools, and until the school law of
1825, the schools were subscription schools,
and were held in private houses. ]^uring this
time there were still but few professional
teachers. The office was mostly held by some
middle-aged person who had the physical, as
well as the intellectual ability thought to be
necessary for this work. The first teacher
whose name has been retained, and perhaps
the first actually employed, was Pelatiah Mor-
gan. He is repiesented as a man of sufficient
scholarship, but of intemperate haljits. and of
harsh discipline. His schnol dated from 181 5.
and continued at intervals for several years ;
but, being a private school, "the record of its
alumni is lost.'
"About the year 1S17, 'Sh. Russell E. Post
had a private school in a building on Winter
Street, a short distance west of Sandusky.
Xothing further is related of this schonl.
In 1 82 1 ]\Ir. James B. Weaver was the
oidy teacher in Delaware. He was a man
of middle age and married, and had probably
taught before coming to Delaware. His first
schoolroom was in the upper stor)' of a house
belonging to the Rev. Jacob Drake, where now
stands the Reid and Powell Block, but he soon
removed to the upper story ^if a building on
the site of the City Hall. Mr. Weaver was a
man of violent inipulses, and in one 01 his pas-
sionate moments he fatally injured a little
pupil in his school. No prosecution followed,
but the act broke up the school and drove
the teacher from his profession and from the
town.
"In 1823 he was succeeded at the same
place by Captain Elias Murray, the son-in-law
of Colonel Moses Byxbe, original proprietor
of the town. Captain Murray was also a mid-
dle-aged man, but of kind feelings, and as in-
dulgent in his discipline as his predecessor hail
been morose and rigid.
"Ab'.'ut the same date there was an in-
r ..r. ;i .r,:-:-i/ I " \ :.
AND REPKL'SEXTATR'E CITIZEXS
197
stance of private tutorsliip that dc?crves men-
tion. The tutor was Jolm A. Ouitnian, then
a yc ung- clerk in the United States Land Oflice
at l^elaware. His pupils were tiie children of
l^lalt Brush, Esq., an eccentric old gentlemen,
his superior in office. Mr. Quitman subse-
quently went South, studied" law. and became
ncled as a politician; and v/as afterwards a
distinguished general in the Mexican war, and
then governor of ^Mississippi.
"In 1S21 ]Miss Sophia Moore, sister of die
late General Sidney Moore and of Emery
]Moore. built the house occupied in 18S0 bv the
Misses Welch, on Eranklin. near William
Street, for an orphans' home and school. This
was 'not a charity school, though undertaken
with charitable intent. Miss Moore taught this
school, including day scholars, very accept-
ably fur si«me yeaa"s, until her marriage to Mrj
Gorton. i
"In 1S25 Richard ^Murray, E'^q., nephew I
of CajJtain Murray, became as'^ociated with i
Mi-^s Moore in ;he conduct of her scho.il. After I
her marriage he carried it on alone for two |
or three years, and then with hi- wife, formerly |
iliss Joan Hills. }ilrs. Murray was a born I
teacher. When quite a young girl, in 18J4-25. j
she taught in Berkshire, and after her mar-
riage, in 1826-27, in Delaware, with her bus- I
band. In 1833, after the death of her husband. I
she resumed teaching, and taught continuously,
with short respites only, until 1S68, a period of
foity-four years. A few years of this was
in the public schools of tlie town, bit most of
the time was in her own private house on
Franklin Street. In this unpretending, but ad-
mirable sclioc>l, were educated many of the
most cultivated ladies of the city.
"A little later, somewhere from 1827 to
1S30, Mr. Asa Messenger, another relative of
Colonel Byxbe, taught, for two or three vears,
in the huuse Ijuilt by Miss Moore on Franklin
Street. Mr. Messenger subsequently went
South, and afterward became an editor, in
Tuscumbia. Alabama. Xtarly at the same
time, his sister. Miss Messenger, attempted to ,
establish a girls' seminary, and taught a few 1
terms, but the eft'ort eventually failed. I
i "L'p to tliis time, in the hi.-tory of the
i State, there had been no organic legislation on
j the subject of schools. Sjjecial charters were
I granted to the cities, but no adequate provision
I had been made for the non-coriiorate parts of
I the State. All the schools in Delaware, thus
• far. as in the rural districts and smaller towns
elsewhere, v.ere private and independent. The
population of the town was small, not 3-et
reaching 500. and most of the time, a single
school met all the educational wants of the
place. The tuition fees were very small; at
hrst scarcely reaching $1.50 per 'quarter of
thirteen weeks, and. at the last, in the case of
the best teachers, not exceeding .'^3.00 per quar-
ter. Xor was the pay alwa) s certain, . .r gener-
ally made in money. ■"Store pa}," i-r "trade,"
was a very comnn.n method of balancing ac-
counts, and largely prevailed to a much "later
date than this.
"Yet. even after the enactment of scb.ool
laws providing for a public system of educa-
tion, the private schools were long. continued,
until the new system was in compiete working '
order. Of these later teachers of private
schools, the following may be mentioned as
most successful : Albert Eickett, Jr.. had a
reputable school from 1S3-I to 183(^1", He was
a son of Albert Pickett, a famous teacher in
Cincinnati, and inherited much of his father's
genius for literary work. He afterward held
oftice in the county, and died aliout 18^0.
"Horatio Sherman was a professional
teaclier, from the State i,f Xew York. He was
in the prime of life when he brought his family
to Delaware. Here he taught manv vears, at
first in tlie public schoi.ls. but, in 1840 and
afterward, a private school in his own house,
on William Street. His advertisement savs :
'Young gentlemen preparing to teach, will
be particularly attended to; tuition. S2.50 or
S3. 00 per quarter." At last he was laid "aside
by a failing of sight, and died, in Upper San-
dusky, about 1 8
79-
".About 1S32 two highly accomplished
ladies from Ireland. Afrs. Howison and her
sister. ?^Iiss Johnson, opened a girls' seminary
in the house of Colonel Evxlie. An extensive
198
HlS'IOin' OF DELAWARE COUXTY
OHirse of study was marked out. Miss .Meeker,
afterwards ^Irs. Sprague, whose son was pro-
bate judge in 1880, assisted them in the lower
classes. But the school was not successful,
and, in a few years, was discontinued. After
the close of tiiis school, jMiss .Meeker had, for
tv>-o years, 1834-36, a very popular infant
schuol in the town.
'■'J"!ic schuol law of 1825 c^tal/lislitd a gi-n-
era! system of public schools of low grade,
which were destined largely to supersede the.
private schools of the same grade. But this
result could not be effectetl at once. The tax
which the Legislature of 1825 ventured to au-
thorize was but one-half a mill on the dollar,
one-fourteenth as much as school boards were
empowered to levy in 1880. For many }-ears
this tax wa.s insufficient to maintain the district
schools for the requisite time — rarely for more
than two quarters of the year.
"The schools had an average enrollment of
about sixty pupils, of both sexes, and w ere un-
graded as to age or attainments. The teacher's
^\-ork was hard, and his pay light, being about
$20 per month. This was drawn from the
public funds as long as the money held out.
\yhen this was exhausted, voluntary subscrip-
tions enabled the directors to continue the pub-
lic school another term; or the building was
granted, free of rent, to the teacher for\n pri-
vate school, for tlie remainder of the school
year.
_ "Under this law, the f^rst public school
buildings in Delaware were ereaed. One wa<
a stone building at the corner of Franklin and
Winter Streets, on the lot occupied in 190S
by the Jane ^L Case Memorial Hospital. An-
other was a small frame house, also on Frank-
lin Street, at the northwest corner of the Court-
house lot.
"Miss Eliza T. Thompson, afterward Mrs.
^^'i!liam Carson, was the first ladv that taught
a district school in Delaware. Tlie school was
in tlie stone school house for the winter. The
next summer she had a select school in the
same house. Among her pupils were Ruther-
forcl B. Hayes and his sister Fannie.
'"Some of tiie teachers already mentioned
taught in die newly organized district schools ■
but it is impossible to name all who from this
time forward helped to train the youth of Dela-
ware in the paths of learning and of virtue.
"As only primary or ungraded schools
could be organized under the law, the wants
of the community were not yet all niel. Indi-
vidual attempts to establish a seminary of a
higher grade having failed, a number of pub-
lic-spirited citizens, among whom were AL D.
Pettibone, Sherman Finch and others, at length
combined in 1834. to build up such a school
for the beter education of their children. The
attempt resulted in the erection of the Dele-
ware Academy. It was a large frame build-
ing two stories high, beautifully located on
Hill Street, in Sr>utli Delaware, at tliat time
'out of town.' Ill this building there wa^ a
succession of teachers, among whom were Giles
3.1. Porter (183S-40), Rev"; James ^IcElroy.
George S. Lee, Miss L. A. Emerson, after-
ward Mrs. Porter (1S40), R. E. Rice, P.. A.
(1840), and Flavel A. iJickinson, a recent
graduate of Yale College (1S41). The tuition
fee was $5 per term for languages; $4.50 for
higher English, and $4 for elementary studies.
But, laudable as was the attempt, excellent and
expensive as was the instruction, the time for
these things was not yet, and tlie .\cademy
was a failure. It not only paid no iiuerest to
the stockholders: it could not support the teach-
ers. The building long stood emjily. then
passed into other hands for a ladies' school,
and finally was sold to the City School Board,
and was occupied for some years as one of the
ward schools. It was torn down in 1879.
"In the year 1847. the Legislature felt
strong enough to take an advanced step in
school matters: and the law was so improved
as to permit the establishment of Union schools
with graded classes. This is what is p-jpularly
known as the "Akron Law." The t.nvn of
Delaware was for this purpose made into one
district, and the old Methodist Church at the
corner of William and Franklin Streets, was
bought by the School Board, and reconstructed
into suitaljle school rot^ms ; those below for the
boys, and tlmse above for the girls. Whether
this separation of the sexes was an advanced
step, we need not pause to discuss, as it was
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soon abandoned, and botli sexes again united
in die same rooms and recitations.
"The first members of the Board of Di-
rectors under tlie new lav; were ' Sherman
Finch, Israel Breyfogle and Stephen W. Little,
and the tlrst superintendent was Lucius P.
Marsh, a young man from the State of New
York, ilien twenty-four years of age. His
salary wa-; fi.\ed at S40 per month. The girls
were placed under the special care of ]^Irs.
}ilurra\- at ?:?^ per month. Their assistants
were Mr. A. 'R. Gould. ^Irs. Dr. Rowland
and Misses Renette Brown, Charlotte Wash-
burn and Jennelte Sherman. The salaries of
the young ladies were Si 3 per month. After
two years of service, 'Slv. ]^Iarsh, upon being
refused an increase of salary, resigned his
place and began the practice of law. * * *
In like manner, ]\lrs. ^Murray was retired from
service in these schools, after a tenure of five
years. Pier salary was reduced to $20 per
month , whereupon she immediately oi>ened a
pri\ate school, from which she realized over
$50 per month for many }-ears. These meager
salaries were adjusted by the amount at the
cominand of the Board. The funds u-ere sufti-
cient to sustain the schools for only se\'en
months; and a private subscription was raised
to continue the schools for the normal period
of nine months. When the income of the
Board had grown larger, the usage of having
a long vacation in the summer had become
fixed, and the schools are held even yet (iSSo)
for but about thirty-six weeks.
'"Before the adoption of the schoc)] law.
any person, however incompetent, might take
up the ofiice and the ferale of teacher; and
often, no doubt, the office was thus filled by
persons wholly unworthy. Such persons
might, indeed, even how, intrude themselves
into the calling of teacher, if they could find
private patronage. But the State commc->n
schools are so excellent, so satisfactory to the
people at large, that private tuition has almost
ceased, e.xcept in denominational or expensive
select schools. This is owing to the legal
exclii-ion 'if unfit teachers Xo one is permitted
to teach, in the pulilic schools, or draw pay
therefor, who has not been examined lv>th for
scholarship and moral character. The first
Board of Examiners in Delav/are County,
mider the State law, was composed of Solo-
mon Smith, Esq., Dr. Eleazar Copeland and
Dr. Silas C. AlcClary. These were appointed
by the Court of Common Pleas. The couiUv
owes much to these worthy gentlemen and
their successors for their faithfulness in keep-
ing out of the schools the dissipated and the
ignorant. Among those subsequently appointed
were Drs. X. Spalding and Ralph Hills; Rich-
ard }ilurray. Sherman Finch. David T. Fuller,
Cooper K. \\'atson and Homer M. Carper,
Esqs; Revs. William L. Harris. James
:McElroy. Prof. William G. Williams," Rev.
James S. Campbell and John Ufford. * * *
All the teachers in the city of Delaware as
well as in the county at large, passed diis
Board; but in 1878, a City Board of Examin-
ers was appointed, before \vhom the city teach-
ers are examined with more care and on more
subjects than are required on the County
Board.
"In the Central Building, though ill suited
to academic uses, the schools of the town were
held for a period of about ten years from
1S47. T'le records of the Board during the
first part of this time ha\e been lost, and the
names and dates of service of the teachers can-
not all now be recalled. Of those who taught
during the later years, we give the names of
Mr. John W. Hyatt, who was appointed prin-
cipal, in 1S56, at a salary of $60 per month.
He served one year, and then went into busi-
ness in Toledo. * * * After him. Wil-
liam F. Whitlock served one year, while car-
rying on his studies at the University. He is
noAV Latin professor in the Universitv.
* * * As the town grew, and the enroll-
ment of pupils gradually increased, one or two
other houses were occupied as scliools. At
length.- the limited accommodations at the Cen-
tral Building compelled the Board to seek new
quarters. In 1859 they bought a large lot of
the Little estate, at the west end of' William
Street, on which they erected a building of
six rooms, larger and better adapted to school
uses.
"A better organization, and a uniform
course of studv. was now deemed desirable.
To this end, uniform and effi'^ient supervision
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
seemed c>seiuial ; and William Carter, in 1862.
was apixiinteel superintendent, at a salary of
$700, which was soon raised to Si. 000. He
brou.qlit the schools into a very good degree
of elTiciency. To provide for the increased at-
tendance, the Board iHnight for $2,000. the
old academy building- in South Delaware, and
opened there two new rooms, which soon grew
into foiir. After tlirce years' service. Mr. Car-
ter resigned for a more lucrative calling. His
successor was Rev., James S. Can:pl)ell. who
entered upon the duty in 1865 [and held the
position until his death, February 28, 1891].
His salary was fixed at $1,000 per annum,
but the next year it was raised to $1,200."
Later it was raised to $1,600. "Ten other
teachers were appointed at the same time, all
ladies, with pay from $35 to $45 per month.
The assessment for the support of the schools
was four mills on the dollar.
"The growth of the town during the pros-
perous years after the war. was such that the
Tjoard of Education w-as compelled, in rapid
succession, to double the accommodations of
the schools. In 1869. a new school house of
four rooms was built in Xorth Delaware; in
1870. a house ^vith the same number of roc>ms.
but larger, was built in East Delaware: in
1875. a yet larger building of six rooms was
erected in South Delaw-are. and a year or two
later, two rooms were added to the Central
school house, and two more to the school in
East Delaware. By a judicious economy, these
improvements were all effected without the
creation of a debt, and with but small increase
in the rate of taxation. In the last ten years
(' 1870-80) the annual levy has but once reached
the limit of seven mills on the dollar, author-
ized by law ; two years it was six mills, four
years it was five mills, and, for the last three
years (to 1880) it has ranged from three to
four mills. The "enumeration of youth nf a
legal school age is now (1880) 2,300; the
numl:)er of teachers appointed in 1879-80 was
twenty-five ; and the aggregate salaries paid to
them are $10,500; and the incidental expenses
of the schools are about $3,000 more.
'"The ci.urse of study is .so arranged that
pupils leaving die school at the age of twelve.
are able to read and write well, ha\-e an under-
standing of the fundamental principles of arith-
metic, and a general knowledge of geography,
esentially that of their own country. Those
who stay to complete the entire course, ex-
tending through eight years, get a very good
general preparation for business, or for en-
trance upon college studies. Graduates of the
High School are pre]iared for the freshman
class in colleges, with the exception of Greek.
"Among a free people, the thirst for knowl-
edge and culture is unquenchable; it not satis-
fied in one direction, it will seek to be staked
in anodier. In the earlier years of this town
the educational and literary cravings of the
community were just as marked as they have
shwwn themselves since, but- the opportunities
for indulging them were not the same as now.
In the absence of public reading-rooms, schools,
libraries, and newspapers, a tribune for public
discussion was a pleasant and profitable fomi
of entertainment and means of cultivation.
Such was found in the 'Delaware Lyceum.'
an organization formed by the young men, but
largely attended by all classes of citizens. Of
the date of its organization, and the length
of its career, the writer has no information,
but. as showing the character of its meetings,
the grave and practical matters discussed, the
fullowing illustrations may be given. The
nntices are from the OlcntaUi:;\ Gaccttc: and
the meetings were held in the Thespian Hall,
an upper chamber in the range of public build-
ings on the Court-house plaza. This name
indicates that the hall was originally designed
inr entertainments of a musical and dramatic
character.
" 'Alonday evening. February i. 1841.
a public discussion is appointed on the
following resolution : 'Rcsok'cd. That
the right of suffrage should be extended
to females." Adz'ocatcs. S. Dunham. P.
Bunker. T- -A. Barnes; Rcshomlcuts. R.
Hills. T.'C. Jones. R. E. Rice.
" T. Ranney, Scxrcfary.' "
"From the names here and following, it
seems, as might Ije expected, that the legal
.) T
AXD REPxRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
203
profession was most largely representeil All
these geiUlemcn were lawyers or law -students,
c\ce))t IJunker, Sheriff; Hills, phvjieian ; ami
Rice, teacher.
••Feb. i^.—'-Rcsol-jcJ, That the youth
of the country should be educated at pub-
lic expense.' Jih'Ocatcs, T. AV. Powell,
V. Hoir. j-i. Hills: Rc^-f^cndcuts, D. T.
Fuller, I. Raiuiey, P. Bunker."
••Feb. 22.— Rcsolird. That capital
punishment ought to be abolished." Ad-
zvcatcs. T. C. Jones, J. A. Parnes: Rc-
sf^oiidciits. R. E. Rice, P. Bunker."
'•.March 25.— '7?r.v)/zr(/. That the
right of suffrage ought to be extended tii
females.' Adrocatcs, P. Bunker, T. C.
Tones: Respondents. 1. Raiincv, R.
Hills."
"Evidently thf; was a question of unusual
interest. The discussion six weeks before had
aparently not settled the matter in debate; but
it had at least wrought conviction and con-
version in the mind of one of the champions;
and he now appears in arms in the opposite
camp. How the great debate at la.^t termi-
nated, the muse of history has not recorded,,
but the renewed struggle on this question in
the Ohio Legislature, in this year of grace.
if^So, too plainly declares that the vote upon
the occasion should have been put on record
for the information and guidance of succeed-
ing generations.
"July 12. — 'Rcsolz-cd, That the legal
rights of women should not be impaired
by marriage.' Adz'ocatcs. T. C. Jones. I.
Ranney. Respondents, P. Bunker, C. T.
Solace."
"With this notice our extracts must close.
but we need n^^t doubt that the discussion of
such questions by thoughtful and earnest men.
and that listening to such discussious by the
retlecting part of the community, mu^t ln\e
<l<Mie as much in directins: and molding the
thought as the more recent lecture .system,
••In regard to popular lectures, this com-
munity has been specially favored. For sev-
eral years, a citizens' lecture association ex-
isted, and was the means of introducing many
distinguished men and women to Delaware
audiences. These lectures have generally paid
well, but the large number of excellent ad-
dresses and lectures delivered annually at the
University, and free to all listeners, has had a
tendency, in recent years, to make ;: Delaware
audience content to pay for nothing inferior to
the best. So what has been made matter iif
complaint against Delaware, is, in reality, when
rightly understood, complimentary to the in-
telligence and taste of her people. This is a
lecture-going community, but it goes to hear
only first-class lectures."
The following notes regarding several of
the early schools is quoted from an article
entitled. "Pioneer Institutions of Learning."
which was contributed to the Western Col-
legian by Dr. Ralph Hills.
"The Morgan Academy or Fligh School,
was number one of the pioneer institutions.
Its first name was deri\-ed from the name of
its principal preceptor, and the second from
its location in the upper story of the house it
was in. This was our old acquaintance, the
Pioneer Tavern, near the Medicine Water.
Soon after the War of 1812, this tavern gave
up the ghost — as a tavern — and its spacious
ballroom was used for a high school. It had
in part, also, the character of a boarding-
school, for it is remembererl that a family liver}
in the other part of the old tavern, wdio kept
boarders, etc. * * * q-j^g [Morgan High
School was only of a few years" duration. It
was conducted on the Solomonian principles,
now so thoroughly obsolete that few under-
stand them. The record of its ahunni is
lost.
•"The Female Seminary, the next institu-
tion, was a pioneer of the "O. W. F. C." — •
but was located on our campus, in the old
Haunted Flouse — the old brick tannery. This
was in charge of a lady principal for some
two or three years, and we are inclined to the
opinion that it was mainly for th.at reason that
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i ..H-
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTV
it was termed tlie ladies' seminary, for, accord-
ing to most reliable traditions, it !iad about the
usual admixture of the sexes.
"Quitman's Academic Grove was an insti-
tution that recei\ed its name from the proprie-
tor, president, preceptor, etc., all in the person
of jolm A. Quitman, afterward governor of
]\lis-iissippi, major-general in the Alexican
War, and also from its being in the actual
grove, with its fallen log seats, its tree columns,
festooned with their \vild-grape hangings, and
having the clear canopy of heaven abo\'e
S-. =;= * ji^Q exact location of Quitman's
Academic Gro\e was on the promontory of high
ground running off south of the present library
building. Here was a cosy little opening in
the dense woods around, with a little of sun
and plenty of shade, as season required. It was
here that young Quitman took his pu[)ils. the
sons of a queer, eccentric old gentleman, when-
ever they could stealthily get there, for they
were closely housed in town by the old gentle-
man, and only got ont lor exercise, and wdien
the old man went along, he and the tutor
headed the column, marched off a mile or sn
down the dusty road, and then returned to their
prison-like house."
The city of Delaware now lias five fine
public school, buildings. The west building,
which was completed in 1904, is notable is be-
ing one of four such buildings that have thus
far been erected in this country, ail the class-
rooms being lighted exc!usi\ely from the left.
This idea originated in Germany. The theory
is. that if rays of light enter a room from
two or more directions, they collide, and the
interruption- thus caused in the waves produces
vibrations injurious to the nerves of the eve.
The building contains twelve rooms and a l.iase-
ment which is a full story in height. This
building cost, including furnishings. S42.800.
-\ new addition to the High School building
is nearly completed, the dimensions of which
are ninety-two feet from east to west by sixty-
two feet from north to south : it is two and one-
half stories high, and when completed will cost
|'>\er ."520.000. Besides gymnasium and tv,-o
locker-roTjms in th.e basement, it will have four
classrooms on the first floor and superintend-
ent's offices; on the second floor it will ha\-e
one classroom, and a combined study-room and
auditorium. As an auditorium, this room will
have a seating capacity of 700. On this floiir
there will also be a teachers' rest-room. Whh
the rooms in this new building, there will be a
total of fifteen classrooms in the High School.
The last census, in April, 1907, showed 2,626
children of school age in Delaware. There
are now (March, 1908) a total of forty-eight
teachers on the pay-roll of Delaware, which
amounts to $2,691.74 per month.
DISTRICT SCHOOLS .'iXD E.\RI.V TE.A.CHERS.
No authentic record can be found of who
taught the first school in the county or where
it was located. The fact is, that schools were
started in several of the early settlements about
the same time, and \vithin a \ery few years
after the first settlers came to the county.
There vrere settlements at three different
points in Berkshire Towxship; a school was,
started as soon as practicable in each one, but
it is impossible to say which was the oldest.
The first school house at Berkshire Corners
was binlt on the east side of the street, about
thirty yards south of the Granville Road. The
first two teachers. ]\Iiss Clara Thomjjson and
Miss Cynthia Sloper, came from \\'orthington.
Four local teachers came next, the first of
whom was Solomon Smith. He was followed
by Adonijah Rice, who also kept the first tav-
ern at the Corners and was the first postmaster.
A man named Jones and Sophronia Brown
were the next teachers. Th"; first definite date
we are able to find is 1810. in which year ]\Iaria
Denton taught a school of ten pupils in a log
cabin near the farm at one time owned by Hon.
Ezekiel Brown. The history of the first school
house and teacher at Sunburv is shrouded in
the mists of years. A hewed-log school house
stood for many years on the southwest corner
of the sciuare as one of the oldest landmarks
of that section. Among the names of the early
teachers we find Julia Strrmg and Xath.an
Dustin. to the latter of wiirim we have already
referred in this chapter.
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AXD REPRE5EXTATIVE CITIZENS
The establishment of Berkshire Academy
at the Corners during, the winter of 1S40-41,
was th.e first attempt to provide more advanced
instruction. The institution was chaj'tered,
and the shares sold at ten dollars each. The
money secured in this way was expended in the
erection of a small frame building, wdiich cost
?300.oo or $400.00. The first term was held the
following winter, with an attendance of about
thirty students under the instruction of G. S.
Bailey, a teacher from Oberlin. The Academy
was maintained for about fifteen years, but was
finally closed for lack of support. Later the
building was used for a dwelling. The good
infiuence of the Academy upon its patrons anil
the township at large cannot be estimated. A
large number of the young men and women
trained within its walls achieved more than or-
dinary distinction : One became a governor, an-
other a congressman, and another gained Iot^
herself an enviable position as a lecturer in
the temperance and anti-slavery movements.
Until this school year (1907-0S) there
were seven district schools in the township;
one of these is now suspended. In 1871 the
first brick school house was built at a cost of
$1,000. This was in District Xo. i. Two
years later another school house somewhat like
it was erected in District Xo. 2. at a cost of
$QOO. Similar schools have been built in the
other districts.
SuxDUKV and Galf.x.v are special school
districts which were organized in 1S6S. The
school building at Sunbury was built in 187S
at a cost of $'5,000, and at that time was the
• finest school luiilding in the county outside of
Delaware. Sunbury has one of the three first-
grade high schools in i:)elaware County.
Galena has one of the fbur second-grade high
schools in the county. This was established in
1903. The graduating class of 1908 numbers
fifteen, the largest in the history of the school.
The statistics of these schools will be found
in the table accompanying this chapter.
Berlin Township. The first scho<jl in this
township was taught by Joseph Eaton. The
cabin in which he gathered the youthful as-
pirants fi>r knowledge, stnod on the we-t side
of Alum Creek, a little less than a mile nordi
of the old Baptist Church. In iSio Lucy
Caulkins, who later became ^Nlrs. Ripley, and
often is referred to by the name of Julia, be-
gan to teach the second school. A cabin stand-
ing near the old block-house served as her
school room. The first structure erected es-
pecially for school purposes stood on a ridge
of land just south of the block-house. This
was one of the rudest of that type which we
have described in this chapter, and \vas used
but little. Another school was taught in a
cabin near Vidiere the bridge on the Delaware
and Sunbury pike crosses Alum Creek. Later,
the block-house, ^\•hich is referred to in the
chapter devoted to the military history of the
county, when it was no longer needed for de-
fence, was used both as a school and church,
and w-as far more comfortable than most of the
structures used in th^it day for such purposes.
As early as 181 1 Prof. Burr held sway in that
"temple of learning."
In 1818 there were about 100 pupils in
the township, and four school houses: One
opposite the Presbyterian Church, suuth of
Cheshire; one in what is known as the Dun-
ham settlement and one in the Eaton neigh-
borhood, both of these being in the northeast
part of the township, and the fourth school
house was located in the northwest quarter.
One of the early teachers in Berlin Township
was an old Revolutionary soldier by the name
of Pelatiah [Morgan. He taught in the school
house south of Che.shire. and had for his in-
separable companion a wooden bottle of whis-
key, which,, tradition says, received fully as
much attention as did his pupils. Li 1826 this
structure was replaced by a brick school house,
in which Joseph P. Smith was the first teacher.
In 1S37 the enumeration showed 340 pupils:
in 1S58. 530. Our table shows that there are
now 212 pupils in the schools. There were
seven school houses in 1837: thirteen in 1853.
and ten at the present time.
Browx Tow^xship's first school house was
built north of the cemetery at Eden, or Alum
Creek settlement, as it was called at that time.
Da\-id Eaton was the first teacher, and he was
succeeded by Anth.ony Griffith. It was not un-
til 1840 that a school house was erected at
206
HISTORY OF DELAWAI^E COUXTY
Eden. Ijrowu 'lownsliip now has be\en school
houses and 114 pupils, and Eden School Dis-
trict has one school house and iliirty-three
pupils.
Concord Township. 'J'he hrst school in
this township was taught in th.c home of James
Kooken, tlie founder of Beliepoint. The name
of the pioneer teacher long ago passed from
memory. Later ;\lr. Kooken donated an old
granary, which was made to ser\-e the duuble
purpose of school house and church. Some
time after this, one oi' the early citizens. Henry
Cryder, built himself a new house, and gave
his old home for school purposes. It was here
that John Wilson, who was the first teacher
of whom we have knowledge, held forth.
IMoney to pay him was raised by subscriptic^n
at the rate of $2.50 per pupil. He was not
much of a teacher, but doubtless was belter
tlian none. His habits were not sucli as wrmld
have recommended him at a later time fur
membership in the Sons of Temperance. He
often fell into a drunken sleep in the school
room, on which occasions the irreverent "boys
would shoot their pop-guns at him. John C.
Cannon, who taught a school at Bellepoint in
1835, was a similar character. He died in an
unused cabin in the neighborhood, of exposure,
resulting from protracted dissipation. That
the youth of those days learned anything at all
is a wonder, ami that they were not corrupted
by such evil examples shows the fine moral
fiber of which that generation was made. To-
day, thib township is not one whit behind the
foremost communities in educational matters.
It maintains a high school of the third grade
at Bellepoint, and is one of the two townships
in Delaware County that ha.=-. a township super-
intendent of schools.
Genoa Township. The fir^t schoil hou?c
in this township was built in 1841 on the farm
of Ralph Smith. Lawson Gooding was the
first teacher here. The first school house on
"Yankee Street" occupied a site on land owned
by Marcus Curtiss, and here Sanford Bennett
was the first to wield the rod and teach the
three R"s. The time and opportunity for the
pursuit of even these elementary studies were
so limited in thuse davs that going to schoul
was treated as serious business, and the young
men and young women applied themseKes
with diligence to their mental ta.sks. It may
be interesting to some to compare these sta-
tistics for the school year 1S78-79 widi those
shown on our table. Tax Rate, .0039; total
expenditures. Si. 803: numloer of schoolhouscs,
9; total value ot school property, 54,500;
number of teachers, 9: number of pupils,
305.
H.\RLEM TowNSiiii'. David Gregory, a
brainy man frum Berkshire, \\as tlie first
teacher here of whom we ha\'e au}- reccird.
He became a prominent citizen of this county,
serving as justice of the peace, county commis-
sioner, member of the Legislature in 1848, di-
rector of the State Prison at Columbus. He
was a man of much more than ordinary ability.
The first school house was erected on the site
of Harlem chapel. Ilie statistics for 1907
show that Harlem Township is holding its
own in the educational advancement of the
present day. It has, at Centerville. a third-
grade high school, and is one of the two town-
ships in this county that provides township
supervision of schools.
Kingston Township. There is no rec-
ord to show just when the first school house
was built in this township, but it \vas probably
about the year 1820. This was known as the
Curtis ■ school house, from the owner of the
farm on which it was built, on Little. \Valnut
Creek, about a mile from the southern bound-
ary of the township. School House No. 4
now occupies the same site. JMiss Eliza String
was the first teacher here. The next school
house was built on the cross road, about a mile
west of Olive Green. Those who attenfled this
school were especially favored in having for
their teacher, James Wheeler, a young man of
about twenty-one years of age, who was well
educated for those days, and whose mental
ability and high moral principles won the
esteem of everybody. He afterwards became
a Methodist clergyman. The third school
house was built in what became known as the
Virginia School District. These schools, like
all others of that day, were maintained by pri-
vate subscription, but in school affairs Kings-
ri-|.ii' •> .ii srn
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
207
ton Township kejit in step with the march of I
progress, antl in chie time inau,s?urate<l a puii^ I
lie school system suited to the demanUs of
the times.
Ltbkktv Towxsmr. It was nnt long after
the first settlement was U'.ade in this ti>\vnshiii
that the first schcxil was started. It was taught
by Miss Lucy Carpenter (who afterwards mar-
ried James Swinilon). a daughter of the ori-
ginal settler. Capt. Nathan Carpenter. She
used for her school-room the log cabin her
father had erected to provide shelter during
their first summer. Among the early teachers
in this township was a native of the Emerald
Isle, named Haligan. Resides elementary
s9hools that are second to it 'ue. Liberty Town-
ship now has a high schO':'l of the third grade
at Powell, and outside the city of Delaware,
Ashley is the only place in the county, the value
ol whose school property exceeds that of
Liberty Township.
MARi.KOROuciJi Towx.siTip. Robert Lou-
ther was the pioneer teacher in this township,
and the scene of his labors was a small log
school house east of the Olentangy River from
Nortrm. John Milliken, from South Carolina,
taught in a log school house a quarter of a
mile north of Norton. This is the schO(jl house
referred to on a preceding page; as having a
greased sheepskin window. Beyond the most
elementary rudiments of learning, it was not
thought necessary to go in those early days,
and the acquirement of knowledge was neces-
sarily subordinated to the acquirement of the
means of subsistence. The value of a record
of ediucational matters to coming generations
probably never entered the minds of these
fiontiLTsmen, and this accounts for the meager-
ness of our information regarding these pio-
neer (lays. The present status of the schools
in Marlbiirough Township is indicated in our
table.
Or.\xge Township. In 1S15. eight years
after the first settler took up his abode in this
township. Jane Mather, the daughter of an
early settler and the widow of a soldier of the
War of 1812, opened the first school. This
was the beginning of District N'l >. i. The
cabin of one of the pioneers, John .W'imsett.
served as a school house. Later, as the set-
tlement grew, a log school luiuse was built on
the east side of the State Road, not far from
Wimsett's cabin. Alost of the school-books
used at this time were brought from the East
by the mutbers wIk.i foresaw the need they
would supply in the w ilderness, and as may be
imagined, they constituted a motley collection.
In 1827 this old school house w-as destroyed
by fire, and was replaced by a hewed-log struc-
ture fitted with windows, and with such other
improvements in its furnishing as were pos-
sible to provide. In 1822 Cliester Campbell
taught a school in the northeastern part of the
township, and in 1825, a Mr. Curtis taught a
singing-school here. Somewhere about 1850,
a frame scho'.)l house was erected in this ncigh-
lx)rhood. The first brick school house in the
townshi]> was built in i^oS in District No. 4,
at a cost of about $1,000. Eor many years
Lewis Center has been a special school district.
The 1907 statistics for both township and Lewis
Center will be found in the table accompany-
ing this chapter.
0;cFOKD TowxsHTP and Ashli:v Spkci-*lI-
ScHOOL District, h was not until 1826 that
the first school house was built in this town-
ship. Its location has long been a matter of
dispute, and at this late date we do not feel
like passing a judgment on the insufficient
and conflicting evidence at our command. Rev.
Levi Phelps, a Baptist preacher, was the first
teacher. The structure was of the log-cabin
tyjje, common to those days. 18 x 22 feet in di-
mensions. About that time, another school
house of the same kind was erected a short
distance south of Windsor Corners. After a
few years a hewed-log cabin replaced the first
structure, and later, when the times required
and facilities permitted, it was replaced by a
frame building, which was used until the
Methodist Church purchased the property. As
is shown by our table, there are five district
schools in the township. Ashley was incor-
porated as a village in 1855, and seven years
later, a special school district was formed of
the village and a number of adjoining farms.
A new school house containing two rooms was
built. This met the requirements until 1877.
c: ' ■. :i
20S
HISTORY 01' DELAWARE COUXTY
wlien it became necessary to provide increiised
accommodations, and a fine two-story scliool
house, with four commodious rooms was
erected. In 1901 it again became necessary
to have more room, and two rooms were added,
at. a cost of $3,006. The vahiation of school
property in this district is tlie largest in the
cuuntv, outside of the city of Delaware. It
has p well sclcctC'l school library of 500
volunve-,, and laboraiory apparatus w^irtli abjut
$150. ' ;
PoRTKU Township. The "Block School-
house," as tl\e hrst "temple of learning" in this
township wa.s called, was built in 1825 where
Sugar Creek empties into Big Walnut Creek.
William \\'olfe, who took his pay, or part
of it, in dried apples, was the first teacher.
A pretty little romance in connection with him
has floated on the wings of tradition down to
die present time, and we give it as ilhi-trating
the directness of the people of those days in
their personal relations. Delaware, fifteen
miles away, was the nearest point at which
]\Ir. Wolfe could dispose of his apples, and
as he had no horse, he was. compelled to carry
the fruit lij market on his back. On the first
day out, about noon, having reached a little
settlement, he stopped at a "small cabin and
asked for dinner and the privilege of resting.
His hostess, a stranger to him, proved to be a
charming widow, who refused to accept any
remuneration for her hospitality. On his
homeward journey, on the following day, ]\Ir.
Wolf stojiped again at the little cabin, and as
he was leaving the place, informed the kind
lady that it would be necessary for him to
make another trip to Delaware to sell the bal-
ance of his apples. lie .said he would call
again, and that unless on that occasion she
consented to become his wife, he would con-
sider himself, of all men most miserable, and
that she must have a positive answer for him
upon his return. The next time she saw him
she told him she couldn't say no. It is said
they were soon married and lived happy ever
after. There are now nine excellent school
houses in this township, and in the matter of
providing for the education of their yontli, the
citizens of Porter Township are fully abreast of
the times.
Radnor Towxship and School Dis-
trict. The following record of the early his-
tory of the schiinls in Radnor was con-
tributed by Re\-. B. W. Chidlaw to
the old County History, and we quote
it because we believe he was the best
authority"' of 'his time ' and had access to
information that is not now available. "The
pioneers of Radnor were the friends of edu-
cation, and Avhen their children became of
suitable age, they united together, built a log-
cabin school house, and 'employed a teacher.
Xo record or tradition points out the spot on
which the cabin school house was built, nor
by whom the first school was taught. Before
the day of the school laws in Ohio, the people
of Radnor were a law until themselves, and
educational interests were cherished accord-
ingly. In 1821 there were three log school
houses in the townshii> — one on the farm of
John Phillips in the southern part, another on
the farm of Ralph Dildine, in the center, and
another, in the northern part, near where the
old block-house stood on the farm of Benja-
min Kepler. The school term embraced three
or four months during the inclement season.
The teachers received from $9 to $12 a month,
and boarded around. Their pay was largely
in trade, produce, and goods manufactured
with the help of the spinning-wheel and the do-
mestic loom in the skillful hands of the mothers
and daughters that lionored and blessed the
early homes of Radnor.
One of the early teachers who taught abodt
I Si 8 was Roger Penry, a native of South.
Wales. He was a fair scholar, especially in
arithmetic and grammar, and in general knowl-
edge, lie was in advance of the age, therefore
his services among the youth of Radnor were
not fully appreciated. Small scholars, both as
it regards age and proficiency in letters, were
not his delight. But his disciples in Pike's
Arithmetic and ]\Iurrav's Grammar were
greatly benefited by his instruction. Another
contemporary was Christopher ^loore, whose
specialties in teaching were orthography and
:i , •;.' JMCi 1'
AND REPRESENTATIVE CJTiZEXS
209
chirograj)!!}', and in these branches ot learn-
ing he was a genuine enthusiast. In Webster's
spelling-book he \vas at home, and in writing
copies he was unexcelled. His spelling-schools
and matches were always great occasions, and
attracted crcuvded houses. Gathered on a win-
ter evening on the puncheon floor of the log
school house, ^Master Moore with a radiant
face, comfortably seated on his three-legged
stool, and his scholars on split-log benches;
with the blazing light of a capacious and well-
filled fire-place, the work of the evening would
commence. The master knew the text-book
by heart; with closed eyes, smiling face, and
quick ear he ga\-e out the words. It required
about four hours to spell from "ba-ker" through
the hard words in tlic pictures and the solid
columns of proper names at the end of the
bonk. In a word, the earnest, interested
teacher had scVioIars like-minded; spelling was
a great business, and enchained the altentiMU
of all concerned."
Since the foiegoing was originally Vv-ritten.
a room has been added to the school house in
Radnor Village, at a cost of $1,260. In 1907
a second-grade high school was established at
the village. The southwestern part of the
township is now in the Eagleville Special
School District.
Scioto Township. Besides the township's
distict schools, there are in Scioto the special
school districts of Ostrander and Warrens-
burg. The northeastern corner of the town-
ship is included within the Eagleville Special
School District,, and the southwestern corner
of the township is included in the Jerome
Special School District, most of which is in
Union County. Hut little is known of tlie his-
tory of the schools of this township from the
time of its settlement until a comparatively
recent date. A Mrs. Xidy taught the first
school in the Scioto settlement, a rude hut.
once owned and used by James McCune as a
cattle-shed, serving for her school-room. For
many years Ostrander has had a commodious
brick school house, which provides accommoda-
tions for the elementary and high schools.
Thehigh school, which is of the second grade,
is one of the oldest in the countv. Warrens-
I burg also has a second-grade high school, which
I was established in 1894.
I TucMPSOx Township. James Crawford
i was the first school teacher here, and the scene
of his labors, a small and uncomfortable
hewed-log cabin on Fulton's Creek. At that
time, this was the only school house in the
township. As the township became more
thickly settled, the educational facilities w^ere
improved. As some may be interested in mak-
ing a comparison with present conditions, as
shown in our table, we give the figures for
1879. Total expenditures for schools, $(,-
85S.02 ; number of school houses, 8 : total value
of school property, $2,200; number of teachers,
8; number of pupils, 180. At present the
southeastern corner of the tmvnship is included
in the Eagleville Special School District :
Special District Xo. i, also known as the
"Tliompson Chapel School." is at the south-
west corner of the ri\-er road and "Smoky
Row." These new districts, which have their
own statistics, should be taken into considera-
tion in making a comparison with former
days.
Trenton' Township. The first school
house in this township was located near the
Big Walnut, about eighteen rods north of the
bridge on the Mount Vernon Road. A man
named Good taught the first winter school,
and the first summer term w-as taught bv
Clarissa Sturdevant. Like others of their
day, these were subscription schools. For the
purpose of comparison, the following statis-
tics for the school year 1878-79 mav be of in-
terest. These are for the entire township, the
special school district of Trenton not having
j been set off at that time. Expenditures, Si,-
429.05; number of school houses. 7; value of
school property, S3. 200; average dailv attend-
ance, 195.
Troy Township. The year 1814 marks
the beginning of the history of education in
this township. The first pedagogue was Miss
Electa Wilcox, who taught for several winters
in a cabin that stood in a sugar-maple grove,
and had been used as a sugar camp by Joseph
Cole, one of the earliest settlers in the town-
ship. As soon as they were able, the settlers
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
subicribed lor and buili a log ichool house of
tlic tvpc coinnion in tliose days. The progress
in fducalional matters since that time is shown
by the following- statistics for the school year
1878-79 and the table of figures which we have
prepared from present figure?: Total ex-
penditures. $1,624.39; nunil.-er of school
linuses, 8; value of school properi}-, $3,200;
average daily attendance, 152. Of the eiglil
school houses now in the township, seven are
brick, and one is a frame structure ; four were
built in 1883, at a cost of $1,400 each. Troy
Township has the honor of being the first lown-
sliip in the county to have its funds on de-
posit drawing interest for the benefit of the
to\vnsliip.
Tiicre has been a steady growth in the way
of more thorough preparation of the teacher
for his work. A fair idea of th.e development
of the public sentiment of Oliio in regard tc
the professional preparation of tlie teacher for
his work can be gained by a glance at the in-
crease in the requirements for teachers' certifi-
cates since 1852. Prior to that time, teachers
were examined in reading, writing, arithmetic
and spelling. In 1852 the Legislature passed
an act requiring teacliers to be examined in
grammar and geography in addition to the
branches just mentioned. In 1S82 history was
made a required brancli of common school
study, and in iSSS physiology and hygiene
were required on teachers' certificates. In
1897 civics was required in connection with
the study of United States history, and teach-
ers were required to pass an examination in
both these subjects. In 1904 a law was passed
requiring teachers to be examined in English
and .\mericar. literature, so ihrc of the ten
branches of study in which teacliers must now
pass an examination in order to secure an ele-
mentary certificate, six have been added since
1852. Teachers are also required to pass a
rigid examination in theory and practice in
order to obtain a certificate of any grade. Dur-
ing these years tliere has also been an increase
in the severity of the tests, so that an examina-9
tion in a given branch of study todav is far
more searching than it was even a few years
Formerly each separate- board of exannln-
ers prepared its own list of questions, and the
scope of the questions depended largely upon
the point of view of the examiners; today, all
the questions used in the eighty-eiglit counties
of Ohio are prepared by the State school com-
missioner, and are uniform throughout the
State. The scope of the questions is broader;
technical and catch questions have been laigely
eliminated.
In general, the teachers of Delaware County
are up to the spiric of die times in pijint of
scholarship and other attainments, and com-
pare favorably with the teachers of any other
coimty in the State.
In 1904, a minimum salary law was passed,
provi(Hng that no teacher should be empioved
for less than .$40 per month, and fixing the
school year at not less than thirty-two weeks
nor more than forty weeks. This law effected
an increase in the wages of the rural teachers
of from five to ten dollars per nionth, though a
lew of the townships were already paying the
minimum of $40 a month. One or two town-
ships have, since the passage of the law in
cpiestion, paid salaries exceeding the required
amount. While the requirements of teachers
have been more than doubled during the last
few years, the increase in their remuneration
has not been more than twenty per cent. Prior
to the passage of the minimum salary law,
many of the brightest young male teachers in
the county were compelled to seek more re-
munerative work in other lines; but within the
last year or two, the tide has turned, and the
number of young men who are fitting them-
selves for the work of the sclioolroom is in-
creasing.
In 1890 what has since been called the
"Boxwell" law was passed by the General As-
sembly. This law gave township boards of edu-
cation in townships where there was no high
school, authority to pay the tuition of pupils
uho could successfully pass an examination
for admission to a high school that they could
reach. In the session of 1901-02 this law was
amended, and since that time has been known
as the 'T)Oxwell-Patterson" law. This amend-
ment made it mandatory upon township b<jards
«\ :■
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
of educrUion to pay the tuition of pupils passing
the examination for the high school. This law
lias heen a great boon to tlie youth living in the
rural districts, and has had the eft'ect o-f reduc-
ing the number of older pupils attending the
district schools, many of whom formerly went
term after term and reviewed studies with
which they were already familiar. A large
proi)ortion o' such p;ipils now take the exam-
ination and enter some of the high schools in
the countv.
year 1885. It is built on the property of St.
Mary's Church, and is, therefore, under the
exclusive control of said church, which
it serves as a parochial school. It has
always been held by the Catholic Church
that no etlucation can be considered
complete and adequate from a moral and social
point of view, unless religious and precise
moral instruction forms a part of a school cur-
riculum, wlietlier in the elementary or in the
secondary and higher, departments; and as
Educa^lional Statistics
1
1
?
a
No. of Pupils
TOWNSHIPS
1 1 1
^ ! c
1 i 1
1
I
if,
1
Bcrk'^hlre
m4
■iiib
11
10
i
11
j
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1
I
ITliiKI. 1 7
103
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l:u
if
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•rm.
im.
sm.
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f
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1
61
iV
Harlem
2.;.
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14
Radnor;;.;::::::;::;;;:;:;:::;::;:;::;;:::
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Jehiware ■
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Earfleville "
■ .-^,--! --
Jerome
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^SSh ■■■■ ::::::.;.;;..:::::
2I+
Special ■• No. 1
•!«.■. +1S0S
ST. MARY'S PAROCHIAL SCHOOL.
We are indebted, to Rev. Philip Steyle, rec-
tor of St. Mary's Church, who kindly wrote
the following article for this history :
This is a plain but substantial school build-
ing on South tienry Street, consisting of five
commodious rooms and a large and well ap-
pointed hall on the second floor. The building,
although unpretentious, answers the purpose
f<ir which it was erected by private subscrip-
tion among the Catholics of Delaware in the
such a course cannot be had in th; public
schools under our present school laws, and as
this matter is considered by the higher church
authorities of vital importance, parochial
schools, supported by the private funds of the
parish have been established everywhere ; and
these schools are attended almost without ex-
ception by the children of Catholic parents.
Such a segregation of the Catholic children,
means, of course, first : A double tax for all
Catholic freehoklers, who have to be taxed for
the support of the public schools, although they
ISTORV OF DELAWARE COUNTY
do not make use of tlieni. Second : It means,
in many places, where prejudice and narrow-
ideas seem to prevail a little mure than in oth-
ers, a conii)kte ostracism of teachers Avho ma)
be Catholics in religion by the official school
1.11 'ards, though the public schools are buill and
kept up by taxation upon all, without distinc-
tion. This, of course, is the grossest injustice;
but the majority ruling; in that direction, there
seems to be no remedy for it. It is the more re-
markable, in that so far from hampering or in-
terfering with the public schools, the parochial
schools are every year an immense saving to
the taxpa)'er and to the school boards, since
without them, many more teachers would ha\'e
to be employed and more school houses would
have to be built. Here in Delaware. St. Mary's
Parochial School, attended on an average by
250 pupils, saves the school board and the tax-
payer the hiring of at least six more teachers,
and the erecting of a large new school build-
ing, and yet, in the last fifteen years, not a
teacher belonging to St. Mary's Clmrch has
been hired by the Delaware Public School
Board. Fi\-e Sisters of Charity, whose convent
adjoins St. Mary's School, have had charge of
said parochial school from the l>eginning. For
all secular branches, the course of studies is
precisely the same as in the public schools. The
difference is this, that the sessions begin and
end with prayers recited in unison, and the first
half hour is devoted to catechetical and relig-
ious instruction. In late years, a higher de-
parlnitnt has been added to the course, which,
before that, was considered sufficiently complete
with the eighth grade.
J>EI.AWARE CITY LIBRARY.
The early settlers win. purchased land of
the Ohio Company brought with them the Xeu-
England traditions of religion and education.
We find them early planning to secure for
themselves and their children the best educa-
tional facilities that their circumstances would
permit, and it is not strange, therefore, that
among people w hose ap'preciation of knowledge
\vas so keen, the public library began its work,
even before the first log school house had been
built. When General Israel Putnam died in
1790, his fine library, ric'i in history, travel
and belles-lettres, was divided among his
heirs. His son. Colonel Israel Putnam, brought
a large part of this library to Belpre, Ohio,
where we fmd it established under the title of
the "Putnam Family Lilirary" as early as 1795.
Soon after, a stock company was formed, and
the library was put into circulation for the
benefit of those settlers who were willing to
share in the expense of its maintenance. The
second library was established at Cincinnati in
1802, and in 1804, the celebrated "Coonskin
Library" was organized in Ames Township,
Athens County. The limits of our space will
not permit us to follow the extension of li-
braries through the territory. The history of
some of these early libraries reads like ro-
mance, and it is gratifying to know that at an
early day. Ohio held high rank in this import-
ant field.
Naturally, the first steps toward establish-
ing a library in Delaware were taken by repre-
sentatives of Ohio Wesleyan University in lay-
ing the foundation of the present Slocum Li-
brary; but as this library is a department of the
university, though many courtesies in the use
of its books are extended to the citizens of FJela-
ware, the history of the Slocum Librarv will
be found in connection with that of the Uni-
versity.
For the following sketch of the history of
the free public library in Delaware, we are in-
debted to the very courteous and efficient li-
brarian, Mrs. Nellie Pratt Stayman.
The question of establishing a free public
library in Delaware had been agitated from
time to time for many years. A corporation
for this purpose was organized as long ago as
1855, '^"•it 'f \\'^3 then found impracticable and
the project was abandoned. The subject was
agitated frequently at different periods, but all
efforts were spasmodic and without results.
Some years ago, however, twenty-si.x enter-
prising ladies organized themselves into a read-
ing circle, called the ''Book Club," and main-
tained a small circulating library, consisting of
about thirty volumes, that were passed around
and read by the members of the club. These
ladies subsequently formed themselves into a
AND REPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
213
library association. This association was unin-
corporated. Tliey asked for donations of books
and secured additional members. The mem-
bership fee was tixed at fifty cents a year. It
opened its library November 12, 1S97. in the
private office of Dr. \V. H. Hague, who loaned
the association the use of his Ixiokcase, and
tendered to the ladies the use of his otifice as a
place of meeting. The extent of the library, at
this time, was ninety-seven volumes, anu the
association consisted of thirty-five memljers.
Strenuous efYorts were made to increase the
membership, and to^add to the number of
books, but it was found difficult to enlist atten-
tion and secure support. The ladies met \\ith
great discouragement on every hand. With the
small means at their command, their progress
was very slow, and the opening of a reading-
room, which they regarded as very desirable,
was simply out of the question. They made a
canvass of the city, which resulted in increas-
ing the membership to one hundred and ten.
and in April. 189S. the Hbrary, by the courtesy
of Mr. C. D. Young, was placed in his jewelry
store. It was sub.sequently tra.nsferred to a
small room, rented for the purpose, and the as-
sociation continued to operate a circulating li-
brary among its members, until it was moved
into what were thought at the time would be
its permanent quarters in ^lasonic Hall.
Some idea of thte difficulties and dis-
couragement under which the ladies labored
can be formed from the fact that the total re-
ceipts foi the entire ye:^r preceding the incor-
poration of the present library association, from
all sources, was less than two hundred dol-
lars. It v.-as perfectly apparent that if the li-
brary was to he made generally useful, some-
thing must be done to interest the public in it,
and to establish it on a more permanent basis.
Under the auspices of the Ladies' Library
Association, a meeting of the citizens of Dela-
ware was held July 21. 1S9S, at St. Peter's
Ciiurch, with the view of enlisting public in-
terest and attention to the importance of the
enterprise. At this meeting the matter was
generally discussed, and a committee appointed
to cmsult with the City Council to ascertain
■whether the organizatirm of a freepuMiclibrary
and reading-room could be secured through
the action of the city authorities, under the act
providing for the creation of public libraries,
and also to fully investigate the whole subject,
and report at a future meeting th.e best method
to be lairsued.
The next public meeting was held at the
William Street ^^lethodist Episcopal Church,
September 13, 189S, and the committee for-
merly appointed, among other things, reported
that after a consultation with a committee from
the City Council, it was found impracticable
to induce that body to establish and maintain
a free public library and reading-room, and
recommended that the most feasible method to
be adopted would he the incorporation of an as-
sociation to be known as "The Delaware City
Library Association," for the puri>ose of "es-
tablishing and maintaining, in a public place in
the city of Delaware, a public lilirary and read-
ing-room, free to all the inhabitants ihereof.
and to all persons residing within the territory
known as the Delaware City School District ;"
the necessary funds to be secured in such man-
ner as might be authorized by law. and by such
other means as such association might deem
advisable, and recommended that immediate
steps be taken to secure the incorporation of
such an association. The report of the commit-
tee was adopted. The ladies were requested to
consider the propriety of incorporating their as-
sociation for the purpose, and a committee was
appointed to lc)ok up a site for such library.
Subsequently, a public meeting called by
the president, was held at St. John's Lutheran
Church. October 20, 1898. At this meeting
the Ladies' Library Association rep<5rted that
they would incorporate as requested, when the
time would justify such action. It was made
known, quietly, to the officers of the Ladies' Li-
brary Association, and to the committee to
look up a location for the library, that Mr.
Sidney ^Moore, one of Delaware's leading citi-
zens, had decided to erect a building, and pre-
sent the same to Hiram Lodge, No. 18. F. and
A. M., and that he intended in behalf of him-
self and wife to reserve therein a room for the
u-e of the Delaware City Library Association :
the association to be at the expense only of
'>;'in;i av.i.
214
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
finishing, fitting up and furnishing the same.
Thereupon the ladies of the Library Associa-
tion immediately procured articles of incor-
poration, dated February 2^, 1899, which \vere
presented at the next public meeting of the citi-
zens, held at the Presbyterian Church, March
\G, 1899. The articles of incorporation were
approved at this meeting, and the proposition
of .Mr. and ^Irs. Moore grate iully accepted, ^fr.
Sidney Moore, and ^Irs. Sarah A. ]\Ioore, his
wife, by perpetual lease, conveyed the library
room to the association, conditioned "to C')n-
tinue as long as the association shall keep up
and maintain therein a puljlic library and read-
ing-room, and pay such part of the insurance
on the Alasonic Temple as the value of the
part so used and occupied by the Library Asso-
ciation bears to the whole building."
Sufficien.t ftmds were secured by mcmber-
1 ship fees, subscriptions and donations to hn.ibli
I the room, to provide for heating and also
I lighting the same with both gas and eleclricitv.
' and to furnish it with the niost approve 1 and
i modern style of library furniture. The ladies
I turned over to the new association the books
they had accumulated, numljering 535 volumes.
The Board of Education of the Delaware
j City School District have loaned the use and
[ control of such portion of the Public School
;i Library as is not needed for daily use and
reference, upon the condition that the books
be receipted for by the association and la-
beled "From High School Librar)'," subject
to return, however, at any time the Board of
Education may so direct, and upon condition
that all books purchased by the funds re-
ceived under the t;ix levkll by tlie School
Board shall be marked and labeled "From
Board of Education Tax Levy." and upon
the further condition that in case the Associa-
tion shall cease to maintain a public librarv,
said books shall be returned to the Board of
Education to become a part of the High
School Library. The books so turned over
consisted of 375 volumes, making a total of
910 volumes on the shelves of the new library
j when it was opened to the public on the even-
i ing of April 5, 1900.
The Dewey system of classification and
cataloging the books is used in the adminis-
tration of the library. It will be seen from
the report of the committee on the best
method to be pursued in the organization of
the library and reading-room, that it was in-
tended to bring the organization within the
provisions of the act of the General Assem-
bly, entitled, "An act to authori;:e cities of the
fourth grade of the second class to levy a tax
for the maintenance of a free public and
school library," passed February 15, iS'iS,
v,-hich requires school boards to Ie\y a tax of
not less than tliree-tenths nor more than five
tenths of one mill on the dollar, to be used
by the library association in the purchase of
books and periodicals, and for running ex-
penses.
L'nder this act. the Board of Education
levies three-tenths of one mill on the dollar,
and through this source, the library receives,
and will receive annually, between eleven and
tv;eb.-e hundred dollars. The association is
thus enabled to add to its number of books,
and to full}' supply the library with papers,
periodicals, and to meet running expenses.
The library at that time consisted of 1,359
volumes, thirty-one periodicals, and received
eight daily papers. Through the persever-
ance of the ladies, the generous gift of Mr.
Sidney 'Mwrc, and }drs. Sarah A. Moore, his
wife, the hearty co-operation of the School
Board, the active assistance of a large num-
ber of her public spirited citizens, and the
beneficence of the General Assembly, herein-
before referred to, Delaware City now had a
public library and reading-room established
on a permanent basis.
In the early spring of 1902. it occurred to
Mr. T. C. Jones, that if other cities of the size
of Delaware were helped by Mr. Andrew
Carnegie to build libraries, would he not do as
much for Delaware. Mr. Jones brought the
matter to the attention of the Board of Trade,
and a committee was appointed, of wliicb INIr.
Jones, \-. T. Hills, Dr, \V. :^I. Semans and
Dr. J. \V. Bashford were members, to trv to
enlist Mr. Carnegie's aid in erecting a public
■i'>'::M ■,':[[{
iO .-r^/- 7-:;,-in,,i
I P-.
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZEXS
I lilnary building in Delaware, yir. Jones, ac-
j cordingl)-, began a currespondcnce with ^Ir.
I Carnegie, through his pri\-ate secretary-,
j which extended over many months, n'ntil De-
I cenilier 22, 1902, when ]\[r. Carnegie ad-
j dressed a letter to Mr. Jones, as chairman of
the Library Committee of the Delaware
lioard I'f Trade, making' a pioposition to
erect a libiary huiidin.-. The T'ity C'Hincil
referred the offer of yiv. Carnegie to a spe-
cial committee on January 5, 1903. This coni-
mittee reported favorably on the plan. Janu-
ary I2lh, and on its recommendation a com-
mittee of three was appointed to select a site
for the propcised library building. Sticb a
committee \\as appointed, and on April 9th
reported in favor of the Lybrand property,
now known as the Jane AL Case Hospital. A
mf;tion was made 'and passed, recommending
that the incoming Council ( Afay 1st) acccjil
the Lybrand property. Nothing further was
cl'^ne until after the new Council was installed,
when its library comr.iittee reported a res^hi-
tion favoring the \\"illiams-Little site, lying
between the property of r^Irs. Beverly Brown
and the private alley south. This report was
signed by Parsons, McGough and Alden. and
was laid upon the table until the next meet-
ing. On October 5th. the motion to pmxhase
the Wilhams property \vas lost. The same
exening the motion to purchase the Sampsell
or Georgia Brown Allen property was lost,
and a third resolution \vas offered to purchase
the H^ycs and LeCrone property which carried,
and the city solicitor was directed to purchase
the property. On December 7th, a petition
was received from the library trusuees appoint-
ed under the new code in favor of the Samp-
sell site, and on motion of Parsons an ordi-
nance was passed authorizing its purchase.
The first levy for a site had been reported by
the b^inance Committee during the preceding
summer, through Prof. Parsons making a
levy of one mill for this purpose.
No action had been taken to purchase the
sites previously recommended, and the pre-
ceding resolution was repealed by the new
ordinance. F"inally, on January 4th, a resolu-
tion was passed to issue bonds to the extent
of 85,000 for the purchase of the Samp.-^ell
site from Mrs. Georgia Brown .Mien; the
remaining .$1,000 (the site costing ?6.ooo)
was to be paid out of the levy alreadv marie
for a site. Thus the matter was finally settled
after a great deal of annoyance caused by the
oppi.siiiun of some meniljers of the Council to
a site in the northern jiart of the citv.
This site' has an interesting history; to-
gether with the ground now occupied by the
Court House and jail, it was originally plat-
ted for a cemetery — the first in Delaware
Township — by Byxbe and Baldwin. At that
time, this was located outside the limits of the
village, which extended only as far as the
south side of North Street — now Central
Avenue. The first persons who died in the
x-illage of Delaware, as well as some who died
north and east of here, were buried in this
ground.
^layor Clippinger ajjpointed a committee
to lake charge of the erection of a library
building. Before nnich, if any, definite work
was accomj)!ished by this committee, several
changes occurred in its personnel, which fi-
nally included the following gentlemen : V.
D. Stayman, D. H. Battenfield. T. J. Griffin.
Henry E. ]^Iain, Judge B. F. Freshwater and
Capt. C. \V. Wiles. "" Architects E. \V. PLart
and John M. Marriott were associated in the
preparation of plans, the latter gentleman la-
ter becoming architect and superintentlent in
charge of construction. The building was
begun in the fall of 1904 and was opened to
the public on September i, 1906. The cost of
the building, $21,500, was paid by ilr. Car-
negie; $1,500 was spent in furnishing it. The
present Board of Trustees is as follows: V.
D. Stayman, president; D. H. Battenfield,
vice president: Captain C. \V. Wiles: Henrv
E. Main ; T. J. Griffin ; Judge B. E. Fresh-
water.
The number of books in the library is 4,-
666, and thirty-two magazines and five daily
papers are received. The last annual report
shows 12,850 readers and a circulation of
22.067 books.
The Df.l.\w.\re Countv J-Iistorical
AXD Archaeologicai, Society was incur-
2l6
HISTORY OF DELA^^'ARE COL'XTY
porated February 8. igo6. The following
■gentlemen were charter meinl>ers : J. L.
Smith, president: D. L. Ziegier, vice-presi-
dent: Frank L. Grove, secretary; H. E. Buck,
soliciting ag'ent ; John B. Taggart, curator. In
addition to the foregoing, the following- indi-
viduals are now members: Howard O. Core,
who is the present curator; Dr. William E.
Kniidit, Arthur Sheradi'.i ^nd Hon. V^. AI.
Wickdiam. D. \V. C. Lugcnbeel. the veteran
journalist, whose historical sketches over the
signature "Looking Backwards"" have inter-
ested so many readers of the Delaware papers,
was recently elected to honorary membership.
At present the society is without a place in
\vhich to make a public display of the collec-
tions owned by its members, but it is hoped
to secure suitable accommodations in the near
future. The limits of our space will not per-
mit of a list of the thr)usands of relics of a by-
gone age which ha\e been collected. There
are upwards of ten thousand Indian relics,
hundreds of pieces of old china, many spin-
ning wheels, reels, swifts, old blue coverlets,
school books, American cut glass, fireplace
cooking utensils, reflectors for bakings in the
fireplace, old wooden cradles, hand-spun
woolen carpets, ^vooden-whee! clocks and other
furniture.
,t.- C'Tdi
CMAFTBE XII.
EDUCATION ill)
OHIO WESLF.VAX UXIVERSITV.
[This chapter is based largeh- on a history of the Uni-
versity prepared by Prof. \Vm. G. Williaras for the vol-
ume entitled "Fifty Years of History of the OhioWesleyan
University," permission for the use of which was kindly
granted by the University.]
The city of Delaware is largely indchteil
for its present size and importance to the lo-
cation here of an educational institution of
highest standing, of which it may well be
proud. It was large!}- because of Ohio We?-
leyan University that the first railroad was
brought into the city of Delaware, and today
the university brings a volume of business
amounting to at least 8400,000 per annum
into the city. It can be truthfully said, there-
fore, that the education of young men and
young women at Ohio W'esleyan University
is the leading industry of Delaware. The
University was founded in 1844 and owes its
location, if not its establishment at that par-
ticular date, to the famous White Sulphur
Spring in Delaware. This spring had early
attracted the attention of tourists and seekers
afler health. In order to accommodate these,
and to encourage further patronage, two en-
terprising citizens. Thomas W. Powell, Esq.,
and Columbus W. Kent, erected, in the year
1S33. o" ^ spacious lot. embracing the spring,
a fine hotel, which sc)on became known to the
citizens as the Mansion House. The waters
were salubrious and the locality healthful;
and for some years the Mansion House was
kept in successful operation. But the town
of Delaware was not very widel_v known, and
was not easily accessible, and it was perhaps, j
too early in the history of the State to hope |
for large returns from a business enterprise ot '
Judge Powell, who had become the sole pro-
prietor, concluded to abandon the attempt to
establish a Western watering place.
About this time the ^^lethodist College
at Augusta, in Kentucky, to which the Ohio
Conference was contributory, had been sus-
pended. Augusta was on the wrong side of
the river to suit the growing anti-slavery sen-
timent of the ^lethodists in Ohio; and it was
already manifest that the school could never
secure their patronage or contributions. Prac-
tically this largest Protestant denomination in
the State was witJiout a home institution for
tlie education of her sons. The thoughtful
men of the church were naturally solicitous
in regard to the educational future of Ohio
^Methodism, but as yet no forward steps had
been taken toward providing for these wants.
At this juncture it was suggested by the
Rev. Adam Poe, the Methodist, pastor in
Delaware, that the citizens of the place should
purchase the Spring propt rty, and oft'er it to
the Ohio and North Ohio Conferences of the
^Methodist Church, jointly, as a site for a col-
lege. This suggestion met with cordial ap-
proval.
The property thus proposed for a college
site comprised about ten acres of ground, ly-
ing in the suburbs of Delaware, towards the
southeast quarter of tlie town, ami separated
from the rest of the town b)- the insignificant
"Delaware Run." Of this ground a part, on
which the ^Mansion House stood, was held in
fee simi)le; and the remainder, including the
spring, by a perpetual lease without rent,
from the corporation of Delaware. The in-
\'estnient in the grounds and buildings \vas
al>iut S2t,ooo; but the r»uner ottered to con-
'-'A "I"
i\ M/CVH
I /'^.vv-i .7/
2lS
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUX'J"Y
\ey liis interests in the entire jM-operty for
Si 0,000. This sum, it was thought, cuuld be
raised l)y a subscription among the citizens of
the town and county, and, accordinigly. a
delegation was apjiointcd to wait un the con-
ferences, and ascertain \\hethei- tlicy w<3uld
accept the jiroiiert}' it con\eyed to them as
proposed.
'J lie Xortii Ohio Conference met August
II, 1S41, at 'W'ooster. To tliis body the dele-
gation first applied. The conference consid-
ered the matter favorably and appointed a
committee of five to confer with a like com-
mitee ti;« be appointed by the Ohio Conference.
August 25th the delegation appeared befi.ire
the Ohio Conference, at Urbauc'r. On the
following day Dr. Charles Elliott and Wil-
liam P. Strickland were deputed by the con-
ference to visit Delaware and examine the
|irenn'ses. They carried back a favorable re-
port and many long remembered the Irish en-
thusiasm with which Dr. Elliott advocated
the establishment of a Methodist college and.
the acceptance of this property. The confer-
ence was ready for the measure, and voted
that it was expedient to establish a ^Methodist
college in Ohio; that the two conferences
(embracing about two-thirds of the State)
should unite in the enterprise, and that, ii
the Sulphur Spring property was conve}'ed to
the church, on the terms proposed, Delaware
should be selected as the seat of the college.
A comnn'ttce of five was ajipointed to act with
the committee from the Xorthern Confer-
ence.
The joint comnn'ttee thus constituted met
at Delaware, September j, 1841. The com-
mittee consisted of Revs. John H. Power.
Adam Poe, Edward Thompson, James Brew-
ster and William S. ]\Iorrow, from the North
Ohio Conference, and Revs. Jacob Young,
James B. Finley, Charles Elliott, Edmund W.
Sehon and Joseph M. Trimble, from the Ohio
Conference. Of these distinguished men, to
whom was committed this weighty responsi-
bility. Dr. Joseph M. Trimble was, for many
years, the last survivor, and died May 6, 189 1.
The committee voted to accept the property if
the citizens should perfect their oft'er, and if
the title should be made satisfactory to the
Conferences.
The way being thus prci)ared, a suliscrij)-
tion was opened by the citizens and was signed
by one hundred and seventy-two persons. No
subscription exceeded $500 and the aggre-
gate amounted to but $9,000. That the
movement might not U'ail, certain parties,
trusting to future local subscriptions, obli-
gated themselves for the deficit. But no fur-
ther subscriptions were obtained, and some
years afterwards, $500 were raisetl by \-olun-
tary contributions among- the ministers in the
X'orth Ohio Conference, to relieve the Rev.
Adam Poe from the payment of a note given
on this account. Such was the difficulty, at
that time, of raising even this small sum for
an enterprise which, as the citizens said in
the preamble to their subsrription. "would
greatly add to the \-alue of property in the
town and county, and he of great public utility
and benefit.'"
But the town was small ; at the L'nited
States census the year before, 1840. the popu-
lation was but 893; there was not much lousi-
ness and there was but little accumulated
wealth in the community. The inducement
they offered to secure the location of a college,
destined to be the central institution of a great
church, was -absurdly small. But the amount
raised in Delaware was the just measure 01
the ability of the place at that time. The
University was welcomed to the town, and it
has often since met with a generous response
from the citizens to its appeals for aid. On
the other hand, it has brought with it popula-
tion, and wealth, and prosperity to the town.
The Conference Committee met Novem-
ber 17, 1841, and received from Mr. Powell
a Ixind for the conveyance of the property do-
nated by the citizens. The title was finally
passed in 1S50, to the Board of Trustees. In
afldition to the tei: acres thus conveyed, the
committee purchased from Judge Powell an
adjacent property on the south, of five acres.
at a cost of $5,500, and the furniture of the
Mansion House at about $2,000 more. Dr.
Trimble paid Judge Powell fifty dollars as an
earnest to bind the contract for th.e additional
AXD KEPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
■19
purcliase, the fir.st iiKuiey g-ivcii to the Uni-
versity, the first money paiJ on its debt.
Inimechaie steps were now taken loLiking
to a formal organization. A committee com-
posed of Jacob Young-, Joseph M. Trimble
and Adam Poe was appointed to apply to the
Legislature for an act of incorporation. .\
special charter, under the old State Constitu-
tion, conferring university powers, was grant-
ed by the Legislature ^larch 7, 1842. The
corporate powers were vested in a board of
twenty-one persons from different parts of the
State. These were William Xet¥, Samuel
Williams, ex-Governor Allen Trimble. Lem-
uel Reynolds, Thomas Orr. William Bishop.
William Armstrong. Rev. James B. Finley,
Rev. Jacob Young, Rev. Edmund W. Sehon,
Rev. Leonidas L. tiamline. Judge Patrick G.
Goode, George B. Arnold, ex-Governor !Mor-
dacai Bartlev, hVedcrick C. Welch. Wilder
Joy, Henry Ebbert, John H. Harris, Rev.
Adam I'oe. Rev. William Burke, Rev. Leon-
ard B. Gin ley. These men were ot promi-
nence in state or in church. They ha\e long
since yielded their places to others. Dr. Gur-
ley, the last survivor, died in iSSo, at the ripie
age of seventy-six years. Of these trustees,
though the charter did not so prescribe, four-
teen were laymen and seven were ministers:
and this ratio of ministers and laymen has al-
ways been kept in filling vacancies. By the
provisions of the charter, the corporators at
first held their oftice for life. The right of
perpetuation of the Board was vested in the
two patronizing conferences, each appointing
to all existing vacancies, alternately. These
conferences were afterwards divided into four,
each wdth the same right of appointment. The
arrangement for alternate ajjpointment co)n-
tinued until 1S69, when, by a general law of
the State, under the new Constitution, the
president of the University was maile. e.\--of-
ficio, a member of the Board, and the remain-
ing twenty members were di\ided into four
classes of five each, which were assigned,
severally, to the four conferences, and the ten-
ure of office was reduced to five years, so that
each conference should annually elect one trus-
tee for the period of five years. In 1S71 the
charter was further so modified as to give the
Association of Alumni a representation on the
Board e(|ual to that of each Aiuiual confer-
ence: and in 1883 the West Virginia Confer-
ence was admitted as one of the patronizing
bodies, with equal right of representation in
the Board.
One of the conditions of the donation to
the church was that the academic work of the
college should be begun within five years; but
the committees from the conferences did not
wait even until the organization of the Board
of Trustees. It was thought best to com-
mence this work immediately, and a sub-com-
mittee was appointed to secure teachers and
open a preparatory school. This committee
at once engaged Captain James D. Ci'ilil.i, a
graduate of West Point .'ind an ex-army of-
ficer, as instructor in the new sch'iol for 1S41-
42. Captain Col)b was about fifty years of
age and was assisted by his son. It was ar-
ranged that he should have the free use of th.e
Mansion House, but look to tuition for his
compensation. He had a mixed school of
boys and girls. At the end of the school year
Captain Cobb resigned his place and moved
to the South for liis health.
The Board of Trustees held their first
meeting at Hamilton, where the Ohio Con-
! ference was in session, October 1, 1842. At
I this meeting the Board elected the Rev. Ed-
ward Thomson, at that time the principal of
Xorwalk Seminary, to the presidency of the
University, with the understanding that the
appointment was only nominal lor the pres-
ent, but a pledge to the church and the public
that a college faculty would be appointed and
the college opened at no distant day. The
I Board, however, determined that a Pre])ara-
! tory School should meanwhile be maintained,
and appointed the Rev. Solomon Floward as
principal, with authority to employ his own
assistants. He w-as given the use of the build-
ings and furniture, and was expected to get
his support from the tuition fees of the pu-
pils. Prof. Howard began his school X'ovem-
ber I, 1842, and continued it successfidly for
two }'ears. Both sexes were still admitted,
and the atendance was largely local, tie had
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
at first but four little boys as his pupil-,, but
the number fur the year was 130. During the
second year ot his school he was assisted by
Mr. Flavel A. Dickinson, a recent graduate
of Yale, who had taught one year as principal
of the Delaware Academy, and who brougb.t
ills school o^■er '"en masse."
Though no large immediate income was
to be expected from snl-scriptions or frum tu-
ition, _,-et the Board of Trustees felt great con-
fidence in the final success of a school sup-
ported by the large numbers and the growing-
wealth of the JNIetiiodist Church in Ohio. Re-
lying upon these the Board, September :?5,
1844, resolved to organize a faculty to open
the institution v,-ith a college curriculum and.
college classes. Dr. Thomson, who had re-
cently been elected editor of the Ladies' Re-
pository, Avas re-appointed president, though
ag;'in with the under.standing that lie should
not immediately enter upon duty. As it was
foreseen that the school would for a while
be s.mall, and the income limited, the Board
established but four additional places, and
made the following appointments : Rev. Her-
man 1\I. Johnson, professor of Ancient Lan-
guages ; Rev. Solomon Howard, professor of
■Matliematics; William G. Williams, principal
of the Preparatory Department; Enoch G.
Dial, assistant in Preparatory Department.
The salaries paid, or rather promised, to
these men were gauged by the resources
which the Board hoped to have at their com-
mand by tb.e end of the year. The president's
salary, when he should enter upon duty, was
fixed at $800; the professors were to be paid
$600 each, and the teachers in the Prepara-
tory Department $400 and $350 respective!}-,
but it was many years before even these
n-ieager salaries were paid as they becan-ie
due.
Wednesday. Xovember 13, 1844, '^^'^s the
day appointed and advertised for the opening
of the school, but the opening was less en-
couraging than had been hoped. Dr. Thom-
son was present but for a day or two, and did
not enter upon duty lor nearly two years aft-
erward, and Prof. Johnson was detained for
nianv weeks. The other three tcacliers of the
five who were appointed to positions in the
faculty, met in the basement of the Mansion
House, the former dining room, which had
been temp<jrarily fitted up as a chapel, and
proceeded to enroll the students applying for
admission to the classes. Only twenty-nine
presented themselves. This was a smaller
number than had pre\-iously attended the pre-
paratory schools under Captain Cobb and
Prof. Howard. But the students now were
all males of a mature age. and more advanced
standing, and most of them were from other
parts of the state. From this small number
the faculty were able to organize all the col-
lege classes below senior, though the repre-
sentation in the upper classes was very small.
Bv the end of the year there were only two
juniors, two sophomores, fourteen freshmen,
and there were ninety-two in the Preparatory
and other courses. Such was the initial cata-
log-ne of a university, which, long before its
jubilee year, enrolled more than forty times
the first nun-iber of students, annually, and
graduates more than a hundred at a time.
ENDOWMENT.
Education, the world over, is largely a
gratuity, and especially so in the higher insti-
tutions of learning. In the older and better
endowed colleges, no student pays a tenth of
the actual cost of his education. Grounds,
buildings, cabinets, libraries, endowments, and
all the educational appliances of science and
art, are the gifts of the founders of the sclioul
to the students who attend it. A college to be
eminently successful in its work should ha\e
all these before it opens its doors to the public.
Fortunately, this is something realized in the
benefactions of wealthy men. But in former
times, in the AX'estern country, neither State
nor denominational schools could afford to
wait for the accumulation of all "these before
beginning their work, and the result was, that
n-iijst of our schools were started upon \-ery
meager foundations. Such ^^•as the case with
Ohio Wesleyan University. The Board of
Trustees started with nothing, and were in
debt. To secure a present support and a fu-
AND REPRESEXTATIAT. CITIZEXS
tare growth was, of course, a matter of vital
mncerii.
The only resources of the iustitr.tiou were
the contributions of its friends, and tlvese, at
first, came slowly and sparingly; and it was
not until 1S49 "-''"t the indebtedness of S7,-
000 for the purchase money was all paid. We
have seen that the conferences early devised
I'lans for the endowm;-nt of the Univeisity.
In 1843 '^l''c Ohio Conference appointed Revs.
Frederick Merrick and Uriah Heath, agents
to raise funds from donations to the I'ni-
versity. or by the sale of scholarships entitling
the bearer to tuition, at the rate of $100 for
five years. The following year the North
Ohio -Conference appointed similar agents to
work within- its boiuids. These agents, in tlie
course of two years, obtained subscriptions
and notes for scholarships to the amount of
atoul 830,000, and some donaiions of lantl
worth, perhaps $15,000 more. The interest
on these notes and some tuition fees, consti-
tuted the sole reve.iue of the institution for
the support of tlie faculty. Tuition for the
regular Academic studies was early fixed at
$30 a year; and it has never been changed,
tiiougli, since the era of cheap scholarships,
no student has paid tuition. Art studies
alone are not covered by the scholarships. As
the sale of scholarships progressed, the tu-
ition gradually fell to nothing. Perhaps two
or three hundred of these higher priced schol-
arships were sold, mostly "on time," but, un-
fortunately, many of them were never paid
for, though the tuition had been promptly
claimed and enjoyed. The faculty was then
v.holly dependent on the income from the en-
di>wment notes. Rut though agents were
continued in the field for the sale of scholar-
ships, the aggregate did not perceptibly in-
crease. At the end of six years, the total net
assets were estimated at only $70,000, and,
of this, the endowment money and subscrip-
tions reached only $34,000. The institution
was still on the borders of inanition. R was
evident, that, unless a more effective policy
was adopted, the schcxjl was cFestined to fail-
ure, or, at Ijest, to a feeble existence.
At length, in the summer of 1849, the
faculty, upon the suggestion of Prof. John-
j son, devised and proiwsed to ttie P.oard of
j Trustees a system of scholarships at a much
j cheaper rate than those at first .'^old. R wa^
j hoped that these would be popular, and be
I sold to an extent sufficient to give the institu-
j tion both money and students for, at least,
all present necessities. The trustees held a
special session to consider the subject, Sep-
tember 24, 1849, '''t Dayton, where the Ohio
Conference was in session. The measure was
felt to be perilous; a failure would jeopardize
all, and they deliberated a long time before
they came to any conclusion. Finally with
the approval of the Conference, the Board
adopted the plan, and ordered the sale of
scholarships, entitling the holder to tuition,
at the following rates: (i) for three years'
tuition, $15; (2) for four years' tuition, $30;
(3) for six years' tuition, $25; (4) for eight
years' tuition. $30. Unlike the old series of
scholarships, the new ones were to be paid for
in full before they were used.
The system was needlessly complex; the
second and fourth rates alone would have been
better than the four, and the price could have
been one-half higher Avitliout lessening their
salableness. But the success which crowned
the efrort quieted all criticisms. Three agents
j wer appointed by each Conference to put the
I new scholarships upon the market. Rt two
years they had sold nearly three thousand,
and paid into the treasiuw of the University,
besides the expense of the agency and the sup-
port of the faculty meanwhile, a sum suffi-
cent to raise the nominal endowment, in 1854,
to a round $100,000.
The exact number of scholarships sold
was 3.740, calling- for a little^ more than 25,-
000 years of tuition. R was estimated that
an a^■erage annual attendance of 500 students
would exhaust this large ag-gregate in fifty
years. As the attendance has not averaged
this figure, the period for the final retirement
of the scholarships may be somewhat pro-
longed. Sul)sequently, the agents, under the
authority of the Board, issued a few hundred
additional scholarships to the value of money
or lands ostensibly given to the University,
Init for which the institution paid a full
equivalent. But this policy has now been
n .Cii; li (I;
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
stoppeil, and the Ixiard has ortlered that no
more scholarships be sold.
Part of this amount was still in un[)ioduc-
tive land, and is in uncollected scholarship
notes. But the income for the following year,
1855, was estimated to be SS.500, which the
committee of Ways and Means, in their re-
p<.)rt to the Board, say "will be amply sufti-
cient to meet and defray all current c.k-
jjenses." In view of this hopeful conditi .>n
of the iliiances, the salaries of the faculty
were now increased as follows; The presi-
dent was paid $1,400; the professors, $1,000
each; the tutors, $500 each. The value of
the real estate and other property of the Uni-
versity had also largely increased, and
may be estimated at another $100,000. Thus,
the end of tlie tirst decennium saw the in.stitu-
tion in a healthful financial condition, and
with good prospects for the futui-e.
The conference agcjicies for the endow-
ment and building fund were continued for
some years and the endowment slowly in-
creased for a number of years. x\.t length, in
1866, the centennial year of American }vleth-
odism, a general advance was made through-
out the connection. Educational interests
were everywhere the foremost, and, in Ohio,
the result of the effort was a larg'e addition
to the funds of the University. A portion
was devoted to building and general improve-
ment, and the endowment was increased to
considerably more than $200,000. Unfor-
tunately, the resources for building and
grounds did not prove as ample as was hoped,
and, after the "hard times" of 1873 set in. it
was deemed necessary to draw upon the en-
dowment fund for these puri)osc5. Ab'iut
$40,000 were th.us corisumed. The growth of
this fund has, nevertheless, been so constant,
that the hea\-y draft upon it was soon more
than made good.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS.
! The original college campus included the
I ten acres donated by the citizens, and the
j five acres bought by the conference commit-
i tees. Additional purchases of ground were
subsequently made at an expense of over $JO,-
000, until now the campus contains about
twenty-five acres lying in one continuous tract,
besides the ten acres where Monnett Hall
stands. In addition to these tracts, the Uni-
versity purchased at a cost of a little mure
than Sio.ooo. what is commonly spoken of as
"The Barnes Property," where Prof. Davies
now resides and where the Observatory is lo-
cated. On the added lot of five acres (al-
ready referred to), purchased from Judge
Powell, was a comfortable cottage near the
street, the home of Mr. Powell. This was
subsequently occupied by the president of the
college, or by one of the professors, until
1856, when it was sold and moved off the
campus. In the rear of this cottage, and in
front of the present Sturges Hall, was a row
of a hrdf-dozen or more summer cottages,
built for the accommodation of the guests of
the Mansion Elouse during- the watering sea-
son. In 1855, all these buildings were re-
moved, leaving the space in front ol the Uni-
\ersity buildings open lor the planting c>f ad-
ditional shade trees.
The College Campus has a dix'ersihed
character, which art has greatly improved. In
1872, JNIessrs. Wright and Z\last, of the Board
of Trustees, spent almut $5,000 in reconstruct-
ing the surface, making walks and drives,
draining and planting. Since that time the
low ground in the later additions has been
filled in and regraded. Since i860, more than
1,000 varieties of domestic or e.xotic trees and
shrubs have been planted and properly la-
beled.
The college buildings rank among the
best for architectural beauty and convenience.
Elliott Hall, formerly "The Old ^Mansion
House," was built for visitors seeking the in-
vigorating climate and the health-giving wa-
ters "of Delaware. It is three stories and a
half high with a basement. It was of frame,
lathed and cemented on the outside, but the
interior was finely finished in walnut and
tastefully decorated with plaster mouldings.
The drawing-room and parlors on the first
flocT, and some of the large rooms on the sec-
i ond floor, were cju verted into recitation
O'^l^J
AND REPRESENTATIVE CmZENS
223
a)ums or the pnifcs^ors' studies. The cliani-
LvTs on tlie thiid tloor were let to students,
until., some years later, they also were needed
for general purposes. In the basement, the
old r^lansion House dining-room was recon-
structed into the cr>llege chapel, atul the large
kitchen, with its huge tireplace and brick
o\en, became the lecture-room and laboratory
I'nr t'.ie professor of Natural Science. On the
si.uth side of the main building \vas a large
two-story annex, which was let as a boarding
house to a steward for the accommodation of
two or three of the faculty and a half-score of
students who had rooms in the building. In
the rear of the Mansion House, on the east
side, were long wide porches, level with the
first and second floors, 12 and 25 feet fr^jm
the ground. In 184S, the Iwarding house
was discontinued ; the cement outside of the
main building was replaced with a good
close-jointed covering. The lofty and un-
safe porclies were torn down, and the annex
removed to a location near the sjiring. Here
it was let to students, and. happily, was soon
burned down. In 1892, Elliott Hall was re-
moved to its present location, and placed in
good repair. It has served educational pur-
poses well for upward of sixty years, and its
desirable recitation rooms ma}- be in use fur
at least another half century. The depart-
ment of physics occupies the first two flLxirs
of this hall. On the third and fourth floors
are the rooms of the School of Business. In
the rear of the building and connecting with
it is the Engineering Annex, erected during
the summer of 1905, at a cost of S5.800,
which was borne by Messrs. David S. (,iray
and William R. Walker, both of Columbu-,
Ohio. It contains the apparatus necessary
for instruction in the courses in wood and
metal turning, and in engineering.
Thompson Ch.xpel. The corner-stone of
this building was laid c>n July 26, 185 1. dur-
ing Commenceirient Week, and was dedicated
the following year. Its cost was about S20,-
000. The structure was in the Doric stvle
of architecture, three stories in height, and
measured 85 by 55 feet. The main audience-
room, 23 feet high, covered the entire upper
lluor. The capacity of this room was about
600 sittings, which was then thought the ut-
most probable need of the institution for lung
years tp come. The building stood on the
site of the present library, and was named in
honor of the first president of the University.
The Lecture Association of the students in
1S74 contributeil S800 toward the furnisliing
of the chapel: and by the efforts of the facultv
and the senior class, a fine organ was installed
It a cost of Si, 600. By this time the audience-
room had grown too small for ail occasicms
except daily prayers, and as early as 18S5, the
student-body had increased to such proportions
that it became necessary to excuse a number
of students from attendance at the daily exer-
cises for lack of room.- From 18S9 to 1S91,
the daily chapel services were held in the audi-
torium of St, PauKs Chiu'ch, This arrange-
ment was found inconvenient, and Thomson
Chapel again came into use, in Scpt-miber,
1891, but with the prospect uf adequate relief
in the immediate future.
Stl'rges Hall. This building is named
for Mr, William Sturges, of Putnam, Ohio,
who in 1853, offered the University a liberal
subscription for a library, on condition tir.n
within a year a further subscription of S15,-
000 should be secured for a suitable librarv
building. Prof. ^Merrick undertook the agencv
for this, and raised the amount within a few-
weeks. The building -was finished and dedi-
cated in 1856. The two Inwer stories were
used by the literary societies of the Universitv,
and the top floor served as library until the
present Slocum Library was completed. At
present the Hall contains the Chemical Labora-
lory. and lecture rooms and private office of
the Professor of Chemistry, On the second
floor are located the general collection of speci-
mens illustrating structural and dynamic geo-
log}-, and the Merrick-Trimble collection of
minerals.
Merrick Hall is a substantial edifice,
three stories high, and built of Delaware blue
limestone. It contains the lecture-rooms and
laboratories of the Departments of Geologv and
Zoology, and on the third floor the ]\Iuseum
of Natural Historv. The Board tegan the
224
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
erection nf this building in 1869, Imt a failure
of the buil'ling fund delayed the completion
of the building until 1S73. Its cost was about
;^40.oou, a large portion of which ^vas finally
taken from the endowment fund. The Hall
was named iuv p. former president of the insti-
tution. Dr. 3ilerrick.
Gray Cii.\pel and University Hall. At
the session in June, iSyo, the Bnard of
Trustees ordered the immediate erection of a
University Hall that should furnish first and
foremost the much-needed college chapel, and
also more and better accommodations for the
academic work of the institution. The corner-
stone was laid June 18, 1891, and it took two
years to complete the building. It is a massive
stone structure, 160 feet long, 150 feet deep,
and four stories high. The entire pile bears
the name of University Hall. It includes the
chapel, now called Gray Chapel, in commemo-
ration of the noble life of Rev. David Gray, a
venerable pioneer preacher in Ohio, the father
of David S. Gray, Esc[.. of Columbus. Ohio,
pre.-ident of the Board of Trustees, who gave
$27,000 toward the building fund, and through
whose generosity and leadership the erection
of the building was so promptly assured. This
beautiful auditorium seats 2,000 persons, and
can be enlarged by the opening of the adjacent
lecture-room for the accommodation of 400
more. The chapel is octagonal in furm. with
the floor rising from the rostrum with a slight
incline. The seats are arranged in seven sec-
tors, with aisles radiating from the pulpit as
a center. A spacious gallery, with seats placed
in ascending tiers, extends two-thirds of the
circumference of the room. The dome in the
center of the chapel rises to a h.eight of fifty-
six feet from the floor. It is lit from above by
day with beautiful opalescent glass, and by
night from dome, gallery and walls with hun-
dreds of incandescent electric lamps. The
splendid organ was built by the Roosevelts,
and cost $15,000.
The University Hall contains, besides the
chapel, a commodious and well-furnished hall
for the Young Men's Christian Association,
capable of seating 500 persons ; several lecture-
rooms, ten recitation-rooms, six society halls.
the adnn'nistrative othces, professors' studies,
ladies' parlors, v/ide corridors and other needed
con\eniences. The cost of this structure ag-
gregated SiSo.ooo. Tlie building stands on
the original site of the "Old Mansion House.''
The Slocum Liurary building bears the
name of Dr. Charles Elihu Slocum, by whose
generosity, its erection in 1897 became possible,
he being the chief contributcir to the building
fund. The building stands on the site for-
merly occupied by the Thomson Chapel. It
is 115 by 125 feet in dimensions, built of Bed-
ford limestone, three stories high. The stack
room has an estimated capacity for 175,000
volumes. The reading-room, finely lighted
from above, is 60 by 100 feet in size.
In addition to the administrative offices of the
library, the building crmtains a series of rooms
equipped for seminary use, and several class-
and lecture-rooms.
The first ten years of the University were
years of limited outlay. During these years,
howeser, the need of a library was not only
recognized but steps were taken to meet it.
The agents of the U'ni\'ersity were authorized
to solicit books wdicre\er they oxild and 700
fairly ^vell chosen volumes were the result of
their efforts.
In 1853 ]\Ir. William Sturges of Zanes-
ville, Ohio, ottered to give $10,000 for books
if the church would build a library building
costing $15,000. By this time about 3.000
volumes had been accjuired by gift and solicita-
tion. In a short time after the offer of ]\Ir.
Sturges, sufficient pledges were secured for
the erection of a building which was begun in
1855, and dedicated in 1S56.
]\Ieanwhile, President Thompson visited
Europe and purchased a valuable lilsrary of
about 3,000 volumes w-ith the money— $6,-
600 — paid by 'Mr. Sturges. Contributions
w-ere also received from Dr. Joseph Trimble
and William A. Ingliam, members of the
Board of Trustees. After Dr. Inghain's
death, his widow placed in the library about
500 of his private books. The widow of the
late Dr. Charles Elliott gave the bulk of his
private library, rich in patriotic and contro-
versial literature. The widow of Dr. James
AND RErRESEXTATR'E CITIZEXS
F. Challant, of the Cincinnati conference, gave
his select hbrary, consisting largely of philo-
sophical books. Benjamin St. James Fry, edi-
tor of the "Central Christian Advocate," St.
Louis, Mo., left his librarv in" Methodist
Church hi..Lnry. Ei>hop Isaac W. \\'iley lie-
qucather to the University iiis library in
memory of his son. The friends of Rev. John
X. Irwin, U. D., an alumnus of the class of
1S70, purchased his library for the University.
John O. McDowell. AI. D., an alumnus and
trustee of the University, bequeathed his li-
brary of over 300 volumes as a foundation for
a medical library. This collection was supi^le-
ni^nted by a gift from Mrs. Philip Roettinger,
of Cincinnati, of about 200 volumes fmrn the
library of her father. A. C. McChrsney, M. D..
of Cincinnati. John W. King, an alumnus
and trustee, secured for the library fairly com-
plete sets of the great English quarterly re-
views and monthlies. Several of the Univer-
sity clubs, especially the Delaware Association
of Alumni, contributed liberally. Xumerous
individuals made special additions of books in
art. criticism, historical research and English
literature. Being a depository, the library re-
ceived copies nf all United States Government
publications as well as Ohio State documents.
In iSyS, the Slocum Library building was
dedicated, having been completed al a cost .if
alxntt $65,000.
After the library was removed to this
building-, Dr. '^\. J. Cramer, ex-consul to
Germany, bequeathed his librarv of 3.000
volumes. John Williams White, Ph. D.. pro-
fessor of Greek in Harvard University, a mem-
ber of the class of 1SG8, purchased abroad a
library of 2,000 volumes, which constituted a
working library in Greek and Latin. At the
time of remmal into the new building, the
total number of volumes owned by the librarv
was 24,870. The number of accessions by gift,
exchange, binding and purchase now equals
55.14S. The number of periodicals received
has been increased three fold now numbering
about 400. The library is now open seventy-
three hours per week, an increase of twenty-
nine hours and the recorded circulation fur
1906-07 was 31,710; which does not take into
account the use of 6,500 bouks and periodicals
in greatest demand kept on the Open Shelf.
Of even more importance than this growtli
and increased use of the library, is the steady
progress made in library administraticjn. The
introduction of modern library methods has re-
sulted in a working library well fitted tri supply
the needs of a thousand students.
Athletics. In 1888 the stmlents took up
among themselves a subscriptii")n of abi;'ut
$800 for a gAinnasium. The Hon. Charles
W. Fairbanks' of the class of 1872, a.ldcd
$2,000 to this amount. The total cost of die
building which is located southeast of Elliott
Hall, was $5,000, the balance being paid from
the general fund of the University. The g}'m-
nasium was equipped with the needfrd appa-
i-atus, but did n')t prove as successful or as
useful as was hoped, for the want of a com-
petent trainer, who coitid devote his time tr>
this work. The Athletic Association of the
students was formed in 1890, and has been
carried on with characteristic interest. The
University appropriated two acres of ground
for this purpose, and the Association fenced
the grounds, graded the surface and erected a
grandstand tV'r spectators. The cost of these
improvements borne by the Association was
about $2,000.
The John Edwards Gymnasium was named
for the late ]\Ir. John Edwards, at the time
of his death a member of the Board of Trustees
of the University, and whose widow and son
were the jjrlncipal contriluti^rs to the building:
fund. The Gymnasium cost about $75,000,
and was opened February 22. 1908. It is a
rectangular structure 150 by S3 feet, with one
projecting bay in front and two in the rear,
to accommodate the stairways — a solid and
substantial building, the first nine feet of stone,
the remainder of brick, with stone trimmings,
and the roof of red tile. In the basement are
a swimming-pool 50 feet long and 22 feet wide,
having a water depth of four feet at one end and
seven feet at the other, the gift of Mr. Z. L.
White, a trustee of the L'niversity. and several
large courts that can be used for hanfl-ball,
bowling alleys and drill rooms for the military
companies of the University. Tlie second flijor
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
contains the adniinljtrative offices of the Di-
rector of the Gynmasiinn, a locker niom having
a capacity of 700 lockers, and bath and towel-
hig rooms. On the third floor is the main
gymnasium, 150 feet by 83 feet, which is
eqtnpped with all the necessary apparatus for
a complete gymnasium. Above it and sus-
pended from the roof is a running track of
fifteen laps to the mile. 'J"he main floor will
accommodate banquet tables for 1.200 persons,
and for such occasions there is a fully equipped
kitchen with 7,000 dishes.
The athletic field is located east of the
gymna-ium. It is 600 feet long and 400 feet
wide. There is a quarter-mile -oval track and
a 100-yard straight-away. The field is almost
level, but is a little higher in the middle. The
surface water runs to tlie track and straight-
away which carry the tile for drainage. The
grand stand and bleachers are located at the
west end of the field and ha\e a capacity of
1,000. There are also several lawn tennis
courts. The ticket office and gateway \\ere
built as a memorial by the class of 1807. The
grading, fence, grand stand, bleachers and
gateway cost $11,000.
Art Hall, formerly the residence of Mr.
G'. W. Campbell, was purchased at a cost of
$5,000 by Dr. A. J. Lyon and Mrs. Abbie
Parish, and presented by the'm to the L^'niver-
sity in 1898. It is devijted to the work of the
Art Department of the University.
Hartupee Hall, which was opened in
1899, was presented to the University by Dr.
and ^Irs. Gaylord H. Hartupee, to be used
as the home of missionaries' children while
they are being educated at the University. The
house and property are maintained by contri-
butions secured by a Board of Directors, an
organization in no way connected with the
University.
The Perkins Astronomical Observ.a-
TORY, which occupies an excellent site on the
old Barnes property, is a handsome building of
pressed brick, with a frontage of 62 feet. It
includes a dome for the telescope, a transit
room, clock room and computing and library
roonu It was built in 1892, and represents
an in\'estment of over $15,000.
the CLEVELAXIi college of rtlVSICIANS AND
SURGEONS MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF
OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY.
(Roland E Skeel, M. D.. Dean.)
The Cleveland College of Physicians and
Surgeons was founded in 1S6.3 by Dr. Gustav
C. E. Weber, who, during the Civil War, was
surgeon-general of the State of Ohio. It was
then known as Charity Hospital ^Medical Col-
lege, and was the pioneer in providing hos-
pital and clinical advantages for its students —
this feature continues to be one of its chief aims
for the junior and senior students.
In 1869 it became the Medical Department
of the University of Wooster, and remained
as such until 1896, when it became affiliated
wnb the Ohio W'esleyan University and re-
ceived its present name. Its graduates hold-
ing diplomas as Doctors of INIedicine from the
Ohio \\ esleyan University, are recognized as
members of the Ohio Wesleyan Alumni .-\s-
sociatiun. with all the rights and privileges
p-rtaining to the same.
]More room and better facilities were re-
quired to properly carry out the teachings
made necessary in the advancement of labora-
tory work, and to this end the new building,
at the corner of Central Avenue and Brownell
Street, in which the College is now established,
was built, the value being conservatively placed
at $60,000. It was completed and dedicated
on November 22, 1900.
THE OHIO WESLEYAN FE.vIALE COLLEGE
' MONXETT HALL.
In the establishment of the LTniversity,
while no provision was made for the education
of women, there was a felt want that the
daughters of the church should have the same
privileges of education as were afforded to the
sons. The rapid growth and the success of the
University increased this sense of want, es-
pecially in the case of families whose sons were
entered in the University. The first at-
tempt to supply this demand was made by the
Rev. William Gris<ell and wife, who came
to this place in 1850. Encouraged by the
.lO'.i to ,:W >r.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
227
citizens, Mr. Grisscll bought the old Academy
tiuilding in Soutli Delaware and opened a
',-uHes' school in September of that year. Tb.e
attendance was encouraging-; but, in 1S52, }>Ir.
Grissell found that he could no longer carry
un the work with success. At this time the
idea of a college for ladies was taking hold
of the public mind, and several meetings of
citizens who were ir.tere.ned were held in re-
lation to the matter. Just at this time, in 1852,
the parish now known as St. Paul's, in South
Delaware, had been constituted of a small
colony of about thirty members, mostly from
William Street Methodist Church, of which
the late Rev. John Quigley was appointed
I)astor-. They met for w-orship in the chapel
of Mr. Grissell's school; and, in order to re-
tain their place of worship, and for other local
reasons, encouraged the movement for a col-
lege on this site. -Accordingly, the property-
was bought from IMr. Grissell, and an or-
ganization effected under the name of "The
Delawarf FeniaL- College.'"
But it was felt by many that the location
for a successful college must l.ie more eligible
and tlie accommodations more ample than the
old 'Academy and two-fifths of an acre of
ground could present. To Dr. Ralph Hills is
due the first suggestion of the homestead of
the late William Little as the most desirable
site in Delaware. This suggestion met with
instant favor, and wb.en it was found that the
family consented to sell th^ property, an or-
ganization was at once effected and a .subscrip-
tion was opened to obtain the needed amount.
The result was that in April, 1853, "The
Ohio Wesleyan Female College"' acquired "a
local habitation and a nanK."
Among tke incorporators, twenty in num-
ber, were Dr. Ralph Hills, Prof. William L.
Piarris, Jan-ies C. Evans, Augustus A. Welch,
Rev. Joseph Ayers, and Prof. William G.
Williams.
The property which the incorporators
bDught contained seven acres, to which three
acres were subsequently added (1867). The
price paid for the original purchase v.-as S7,-
000, and for the addition nearly as much more.
The properly was at once offered to the North
Ohio Conference, and accepted by that body,
with the right of perpetuation of the Board
of Trustees. Subsequently, the Central Ohio
Conference and the Ohio Conference became
joint patrons of the scho<-)l with equal rights.
In the course of the tirst year, the necessity
for more room was felt, and a two-story
'>\-ooden house with chapel and large recita-
tion rooms was erected as a temporary re-
lief. This ser\ed the purpose for a few years,
but the continued growth of the school led,
in 1855, to larger plans. The southern wing
of a building which was supposed to be large
enough for the probable Vvants of the school
was tirst erected ; then, after some years, the
central block and the other wing.
The means for all this expenditure were
raised n-iostly through the labors of agents ap-
pointed by the patronizing Conferences. Of
these, the Rev. Joseph A}cr5, at that time
presiding elder of the Delaware District, was
the first; and a large part of the initial labor
of founding the school was done by him. By
indefatigable effort, the means were gradually
obtained, and the end was at last readied.
Of the many who contributed to this cause,
particular inention must Ix; made of Miss
;Mary Alonnett, afterwards Mrs. John W.
Bain, a pupil of the school, who, in 1857, ga\-e
$10,000 toward the building fund. Pier timely
help made the completion of the building cer-
tain and immediate; and in recognition of her
benefaction, the entire building bears the
name of "Monnett Hall."
About 1S70 the south wing of this build-
ing was injured by fire. The roof and the
upper story were destroyed, and other parts
deluged with water. But the operations of
the school were not suspended, and the parts
burned were immediately replaced, better than
be fore.
The school was always self-supporting,
and, for most of the time, the tutition and the
boarding fees not only paid the faculty, but
yielded some revenue for the general purposes
of the institution. A scheme for an endow-
ment by scholarships, similar to that of the
1 I,', -.1 ■ I ■> i
2jS
-IISTORY OF DKL.\\\".\RE COUXTY
L'iii\ersity, was at one time attcmj)to<l. l)ut the
attempt was soou ahantlmied, and no penni-
netit fund was ever secured.
Jii 1866 certain ladies, mostly aliuniue of
the institution, organized thenisffhes into an
association to raise a fund for a college library.
They soon had about $j,ooo, which sum the
trustees borrowed for the completion of the
College buildings, as being just then a more
].)ressing want than the accjuisition of a library.
But, in 1S69, Mr. William A. Ingham, or
Cleveland, who had undertaken to fill an al-
cove in the Uni\-ersity library, gave this col-
lege $1,000 worth of books, in honor of his
wife, formerly Miss Mary B. Janes, who,
in 185S-62 had been the teacher of French and
bellesdettres in the College. In view of this
donation, the Board ordered the Executive
Committee to ht up a library and reading-room
in the central building, and to invest Si, 000
of the ladies' library fund in books. The bal-
ance of the loan the Board had not repaid
when the union of the schools took place ; and,
in view of the large University library, which
thus became accessible to the ladies, and the
inability of the Board, the association fore-
b'.re the formal collection of the amount.
The first president of the College was Prof.
Oran Faville, M. A., of :\lcKendrce College,
Ihinijis, and Airs. ?ilaria ^l. Fa\-ille was the
first preceptress. Their united salary was
fixed at $1,000. A number of other
teachers were appointed in the academic and
musical departments. The first term opened
August 4, 185.3, '"'"-1 fl'"^ calendar was arranged
to agree with that of the University. The
enrollment the first year was 159, and the
number of pupils attending eacli year after-
wards generally largely exceeded 200, and
sometimes reached 300. In 1855 President
Faville's health compelled his resignation and
he removed to Iowa, of which State he was
subseriuently lieutenant-governor, and com-
missioner of public instruction. His succes-
sors were the Re\'. James A. Dean, who re-
mained but a short time, and Rev. Charles D.
Burritt, who also resigned before the end of
a year. The Rev. Park S. Donelson, D. D..
was elected in 1S56, and remained President
for seventeen year:;, until 1873. when he re-
signed to engage in past(_:ral work. The next
President, and the last before the union of the
two institutions, was William Richardson, yi.
A., who had been fax'oralily known in pulilic
school work, and who. m 1S77, resigned to re-
enter that field.
The degrees conferred by the institution
were Mistress of Liberal .Vrts for tlujse who
took the classical course, and Mistress of Eng-
lish Literature for those who took the scien-
tific course. The classical course embraced
studies largel}' the same, at first, as those in
the University, except Greek. This language,
too, was finally included as optional, and upon
the few who took the entire course the degree
of Bachelor of Arts was conferred.
The graduates of the College numbered,
in 1S77, "^vhen the union with the Uni\'ersity
took place, over 400. They have long had an
alumna:- organization, and the local graduates
have, for many years, maintained a literary
association with monthly re-unions.
One of the original articles ot as-ociatiijn,
adopted in 1853, provided that it at any time
the union of the two institutions could legally
be eft'ected. it sliould be l)rought about. It
was not until a cjuarter of a century had passed
that the friends of this movement felt strong
enough to bring to fruition the hope that had
been entertained by some, at least, of those
who had participated in the establishment of
the College.
In 1877. the Board of the University
adopted a resolution, that, if the trustees of
the Female College should discontinue the
academic work of that school, and transfer the
property, free from debt, to the trustees of the
L'niversity, they would accept the property,
and open the University to the ladies, and
would estaldish a special course of study of
high order for ladies, with appropriate degrees
fi'r the completion of the coiu'se. The propo-
sition was accepted. .\ debt of about S9.000.
which had been incurred for additi(ins to the
campus, was paid by the Ohio Central Con-
ference from the amount raised for the L'ni-
versity by its agents: and thus the University
I caine into the unincumbered possession of a
:lx9-3o
MOXXE'IT HALL, (.). \V. U.
T'^
JOHN' EDWARDS G\>L\ VSllWi. o. W . L'
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-LIO I T HALL. O. W. U.
ART IL\LL, O. W. U.
-_.---t5^'\IFIF^
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SrURGF.S HALL, O. W. U. CHARLLS ELIHU SLrjCL.M LIBRARY, O. \V. U
VIEWS OF OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY. DELAWARE
AND REPRESEXTATI\"E CITIZENS
properly worth at least $roo.ooo. had an ad-
dition of nearly 200 students per annum to its
enroilnient, and gained an increase of thirty
per cent, in its income. There wei'e other
gains. The union of the schools removed a
distracting question from the councils of the
University and the Church, put this large and
influential school abreast of the sentiment and
pviig^ress of the age. and concentrated U]:)on ir-
self the interest and the benefactions which
/lad licen di\crted to another institution, or
altogether lost between the conflicting claims
of the two rival schools. The advantages from
the union of the schools and from co-education
of the sexes are so manifest and so great, that,
in summing up the result, minor incon\-enience5
can be patiently adjusted or quietly ign-ired.
There has also been a reflex beneficial influ-
ence on the development of the Ladies' De-
partment. The expensive tuition fees vvcre at
once cancelled, as all the ladies were admitted
to the Uni\ersity on scholarships. The ai-
tenflance of kuHes r ipidly grew to three times
what it was the year before the union was
consummated. In 1876 the number of ladTes
was 172; for the five years prior to 1894, it
ranged from 444 to 537; the enrollment lor
the fall term in 1907 was 502. This number
is far beyond what the founders of the Female
College expected in their most sanguine hopes.
In 1890 the building was enlarged to twice its
former size, at a cost of over $50,000. Tlu-
old Monnett Hall of the Female College, with
its two wings and central block, is now, in
fact, but one of the wings of the new ^ilonnett
Hall of Ohio Wesleyan University. The
building as it new stand-; is 200 feet long, 100
feet wide, and four stories in height. This
large building" has ample accommodations for
250 ladies, giving eacli a separate r(,xim or
suite of rooms. The upper floors are acces-
sible by several wide stairways, or by an ele-
vator. The building contains an assembly
hall or chapel, conservatory of music, reception
rooms, parlors, library antl reading-room well
supplied with books and periodicals, three halls
for the ladies' literary sucieties, and a large,
light dining-room.
The veranda of Monnett Hall was built at
an expense of $5,000. which was paid by that
generous friend of the I'niversity, Mr. D. S.
Gray, of Cohunbus, Ohio. A loggia, or art
annex, is being constructed. This will add
fifteen feet to the ^\•idth of the building f'^r a
distance of thirty-five feet, and in the sjjace
thus acquired, numerous works of art will be
placed. The cost c>f this imi)rovement will
be alx>ut .$2,500. wh.ich is l)eing defrayed prin-
cipally by Mrs, Anna Clason. There arc now
about 3,000 volumes in Monnett library. At
the beginning of the fall term of 1907, there
were 502 young ladies enrolled at ^Monnett
Hall: of this number 260 reside at the Hall,
besides oflicers, teachers and help. For the
first six years, until 1S83, Dr, AV. F. Wdiitlock
was Dean of Monnett Hall; since that date
Dr. C. B. Austin has filled the office.
RE.SULTS .VCCO.MPLISIIED.
A brief glance at the results actually ac-
complished by tlie University will be of inter-
est. Unfortunately, the statistics have not
been collated to date and we shall tlierefore
have to content ourselves with a quotation
from "Fifty Years of History," which brings
the figures down to 1894.
"Two thousand one hundred and eighty-
six students have been graduated. Abi:>ut
se\-en times that number have drunk at the
same fountain for a longer or shorter periixl.
in the earlier history of the institution the
relative number of those not graduated was
much larger than in recent years.
"Three hundred and seventy-seven gradu-
ates have been ministers of the Gospel, and
six thousand five hundred years of service
already stand to their credit. * * * Af-
ter the war many of the graduates began to
seek professional training in the leading uni-
versities of this country and of Europe, and
have secured the degrees of ]M. A. and Ph. D.
from them. ]\Iore than one hundred have
taken a full post-graduate course in law and
received the degree of LL. B.. and are in the
van of advocates and jurists in many of the
ii ;--<,( T_
A : ■
HISTOR\- OF DELAWARE COUNTY
States of llie Union. Tlie same ib true of tlie
medical profession. Some sixty of tlie gradu-
ates liave become college presidents, about
three times this number college professors,
and a still larger number have been instructors
in academies and the public schools. Dr. Nel-
son estimates six thousand years of service in
the work of teaching. * * * He also says
thai one hundred and forty-six hornet have
b(.en budt up in which Imth hu>b''nu ard wife
are alumni of this institution; thai sixty of the
University's grandchildren ha\c been gradu-
ated ; and that great-grandchildren have al-
ready been enrolled.
"The statistics make clear what has long
been the pride of trustees, facuU}^ and friends
— a pj'evailing missionary spirit. Sixiy-tour
graduates and fifteen undei graduates liave
gone to the ends of the eartli in the holy
and heroic crusade of missiunary \>,\irk. Tliey
arc in exery mission field of the Church, sa\e
Africa. Such men as Drs. Nathan Sites and
H. H. Low-ry in China: T. J. Sc.itt and W^il-
liani A. ?d'anseri, in India; J. F. Thomson and
Charles W. Drees, in South America, will
indicate the cast and the efficiency of the
workers sent forth."
The enrollment of students in the Univer-
sity for the first year w-as one hundred and
ten and gradually increased until in 1850 it
numbered two hundred and fifty-seven. The
ne.\t year showed 506 names. This sudden in-
crease was due to the system of cheap scholar-
ships put into successful operation that year
b/ the Board of Trustees. Since 1851 the
attendance has always been large. Only once,
in 1S63, the dark year of the war, has the
aggregate fallen as low as 300; and v;p to the
union of the two schools it usually exceeded
400. After tliat event, the enrollment sprang
at once to more than 600 and in two years went
up to nearly a i.oco. The University has ma-
triculated upwards of 26,000 students. The
enrollment in the departments at Delaware,
but not including in this statement the [Medical
College at Cleveland, is as follows for the past
■fourteen years: 1894, 785; 1895, 848; 1896,
-63: 1897, 736; 1898. 775; 1899, 71 ^^ 1900-
757; 1901, S02: 1902, 800; 1903, 8S6; 1904.
905; 1905, 914: 1906, 921; 1907, 1.003.
The most cordial rclalions have always
existed between the University and the citi-
zens. No invidious class words are known
here such as, in the University towns of the
Old World, mark the antagonisms between ihe
university and the people — -"Gown and town;"
'"College and Philistines." Living as most oi
the students do, in the families of the citizens,
intermingling in the same circles, attending
the same churches, members of the same po-
litical or other organizations, many of the stu-
dents coming from the families of the town
and many of the students fruni other places
finally intermarrying with the families here,
there has been no possibility, as there has been
no occasion, for antipathy between them.
SCMMARY OF I)EP.\RTMEXT.S WITH ROS-
TER OF OFFICERS OF ADMIXISTRA-
TlOX AXD OF INSTKUCTIOX.
The College of Liberal Arti, established in 1S44.
The Academic Department, established in 1S41.
The School of Music, established in 1S77.
Jhe-School of Fine Arts, established in 1877.
The School of Oratory, established in 1894.
The School of Business, established in 1S95.
The College of Medicine (Cleveland College of
Physicians and Surgeons), founded in lS6j, incorpor-
ated with the University in 1896.
OFFICERS OF ADMINISTRATION.
Herbert Welch, D. D. LL. D., president.
Professor William Francis Whitlock, D. D., LL. D.,
vice-president ; Dean of Men.
Professor Cyrus Brooks Austin, D. D., Dean of
Women; Dean of Summer Session.
Professor Mary Wheeler Newberry, M. A., Asso-
ciate Dean of Women.
Professor John Henry Grove, ^\. A., Principal of
the Academic Department.
Professor William Emory Smyser, M. \., Registrar.
Assistant Professor Russell Benjamin Miller, B. D.,
Ph. D., Librarian.
Professor Lewis Gardner Westgate, Ph. D., Curator
of Cabinets ; Secretary of the Faculty.
Professor William Garfield Hornell, Ph. D., Superin-
tendent of Buildings and Grounds.
Katharina Christiana Schock, B. L., Assistant Li-
brarian.
Helen Isabel Albright, B. L., Cataloguer.
Emma Lavinia Kirk, B. L., .Assi-tant Cataloguer.
AXD REPRESEXTATR'K CITIZENS
233
IxiuUe Christine Schrotc, Reference Librarian.
James Harvard Uenney, Reading Room Attendant.
Etliel Stout, B. L., Secretary to the President.
Sarah Irene Disney, B. A., Secretary to the Regis-
.M.<rie An
Registrar.
ette Disnc
J>., Secretary to the
FIXANCIAL OFFICER;
Sue Cl'ppinger,- Auditor; .74 N(
?a;!dr
Street.
James Crawford Roberts, >.J. A., B. D., Financial
Secretary', 175 Xortli Liberty Street.
Darius Lyman Edwards, .^L A., Field Agent, iG
West Fountain Avenue.
Lcinuel Dyer Lilly, M. A., Land and Loan Agent,
New Hayden Building, Columbus, Ohio.
Rev. Aaron Jackson Lyon, D. D., Financial Agent,
North Ohio Conference.
Rev. L^aac Fenton King, D. D., Financial .\gent,
Ohio Conference, Columbus, Oliio.
OFFICERS OF INSTRUCTION.
College of Liberal Arts and Academic Department.
William .F-ranci:, Whitlock, D. D., LL. D., Brown
Professor of the Latin Lanjuaj;e a.id Liteiatur;.
Rev. Hiram Mills Perkins, M. A., LL. D., Emeritus
Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy.
Jchn Henry Grove, M. A., Professor of Latin.
Rev. Richard Parsons, M. A., Wright Professor of
the Greek Language and Literature.
Cyrus Brooks Austin, M. A., D. D., Parrott Pro-
fessor of Mathematics and Astronomy.
Rev. William Walter Davies. M. A., B. D-, Ph. D.,
Professor of German and Hebrew.
Robert Irving Fulton, M. A., Professor of Elocution
and Oratory.
*Richard Taylor Stevenson, B. D., Ph. D., James
S. Britton Professor of American History
William Garfield Hormell. Ph. D., Professor of
Physics
Clara Aibertine NeL.^n, M. A., Professor of French.
Trumbull Gillette Duvall, B. D., Ph. D.. Professor
of Philosophy, and Amrine Professor of Christian Evi-
dences.
Edward Loranus Rice, Ph. D., Professor of Zoology.
Rollin Hcugh Walker, M. A., S. T. B., Ph. D., Eliza
Meharry Jeffers Professor of the English Bible.
Lewis Gardner Westgate, Ph. D., Professor of Ge-
ology.
William Emory Smy.-er, M. A., Dr. Benjamin F.
Cessna Professor of the English Language and Lit-
erature.
■Absent on leav
Mary Wheeler Newberrv, M. A., Professor of
EnglisI).
George Oswm Higley, Ph. IX, Professor 01 Chem-
istry.
Benjamin Lincoln McElroy, B. D., Ph. D., Morris
Sharp Professor of Theology.
William Henry Menges, First Lieutenant, Coast
Artillery Corps, U. S. ■ Armv, Professor of Military
Tactics.
George Gorham Groat, M. Pd., Ph. D., .-\;s' ciate
Professor of Economics on the Homer E. White
Foundation.
Gordon Nelson Armstrong, M. A., Associate Pro-
fessor of Mathematics.
*Grace Stanley, M. A., .A.ssistant Professor of Latin.
Emma Louise Konaiu^, M. A., Assiilant Professor
of Mathematics.
Russell Benjamin Miller, B. D., Ph. D., Assistant
Professor cf Greek, and Acting Chri,man Professor
of Biblical Literature.
Wesley Branch Rickey, B. L., Director of .Athletics.
John Wesley Page, B. A., Director of Gymnasium.
William Henry Sicbert. M. A., Professor of Euro-
pean Flistory, Ohio State University, Lecturer in
History.
Edmund Daniel Lyon, M. A., Principal of Wood-
ward High School. Cincirmati. Ohio, Lecturer in
Pedagogy (Summer Session, IC107).
• Mary Elizabeth Davies, Instructor in German.
Evelyn May Albright, M. A., Instructor in English.
Nathaniel Waring Barnes, M. A., Instructor in
English (Summer Session, 1907).
Sarah Cory Cantwell. B. A., Instructor in Greek.
Charles Wellington Edwards, Jobii >V. Richard-
son Instructor in Engineering.
Theodora Louise Blakeslee, B. L,, Instructor in
French.
Allen Anders Scipt. Ph. D , Instructor in German.
William Rader Westhafer, E. A., Instructor in
Mathematics (Summer Session, 190-).
Robert Pelton Sibley, M. A., Instructor in English.
Russell Hissey Erwine, P.. L., Instructor in History.
George Norton Thurston, B. S., Instructor in
Physics.
George Richard Kingham, B. A., Instructor in
Philosophy.
Harriet Pyne Grove, B. L., Instructor in Latin.
Homer Calvin Bayliss, Instructor in Engineering.
Daniel Abraham Ferree. Instructor in Mathematics.
Edith Salmans, Instructor in Spanish.
Jason McVay .Austin, Major of Cadet Battalion.
Murray Thurston' Titus. Leader of Cadet Band.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC.
Charles M. Jacobus, Director, Instructor in Piano
and Theory.
■! ., ur. ,' IM
234
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
*Isahcl Thunias, Instructor m Piano and History
of Music.
Clara FaviHe Williams, B. A., Instii'.ctor in Voice.
Edith Emma Bratton, Instructor in \'ic!in,
Emma Adele Crane, Instructor in Harmony.' Coun-
trrpoint, and Piano.
Edward Young Mason. Instructor in Organ and
Piano,
Jessie Wilma Pontius, Instructor in Piano and
History of Music.
John Adam Bending'.r, Instructor in Voice and
Vocal Sight-Reading.
Harry Nelson Wiley, Instructor in Piano.
SCHOOL OF FIXE ARTS.
Sallie Tliompson Humphreys, Director, Instructor
in Decorative Design. Oil and China Painting.
Mary Bertha Purdum, Instructor in Antique Draw-
ing and Water Color Painting.
SCHOOL OF ORATORY.
Robert Irving Fulton, M. A., Dean, Professor of
Elncuti.-.n and Oratory.
Lucy Dean Jenkins, M. .-\., Instructor in Elocu-
tion, Oratory, and Physical Culture.
Pearl Myers Leas, B. L., Instructor in Elocution
and Oratory.
Thomas Clarkson Trueb!cH?d. M. A., (Professor of
Oratory, University of Micliigan.) Lecturer and In-
terpretative Reader, Ann Arbor, Mich.
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS.
Lycurgus Leonidas Hudson, M. A., Principal, In-
structor in Accounting. Banking, and Business Prac-
tice.
Estella May Hutchisson, B. A.. Instructor in Short-
hand, Typewriting and Correspondence.
Harry WicVIiffe Cri-t. P. A., Instructor in Com-
mercial Law.
Harry Pudens Greenwall, Assistant in Business
and Ornamental Penmanship.
Frank Decatur Ste.ger, Assistant in Ccmmercial
ArithuKtic.
George Clausing, .Assistant in .-\d\ ertising.
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.
(Cleveland College of Phy.^icians and Surgeons)
Cleveland. Ohio.
Roland Edward Skeel, M. D., Dean, Professor of
Obstetrics.
Clyde Ellsworth Cotton. M. D.. Emeritus Profes-
sor of .Anatomy, Black Mountain, N. C.
Charles Franklin Dutton. M. D., Emeritus Pro-
fesscr of Medicine and Clinical Medicine.
*.Absent on leave.
Henry Warron Rogers. M. D., Emeritus Profes-
sor of Medical Diagnosis and Clinical Medicine.
Marcus Rosenwasser, M. D., Professor of Dis-
eases of \Vomcn.
Albert Rufus Baker, M. D., Professor of Ophthal-
mology.
Daniel Buttrick Smith, M. A., M, D.. Professor of
Ophthalmology-.
Charles Barnsdall Parker, M. A., M. I)., M. R. C.
S., Professor of Clinical Surgery.
Samael Walter Kelley, M. D., Professor of Dis-
eases of Children.
Joseph Franklin Hobson, M. D., Treasurer, Pro-
fessor of Principles of Surgery.
Henry Ebenezer Handcrson, M. A., M. D.. Pro-
fessor of Hygiene and Sanitary Science.
John George Spenzer, Ph. D., M. D., F. C. S., Pro-
fessor of General and Medical Chemistry and Phar-
njacology.
John Bernard McGee, M. D., Secretary, Professor
of Therapeutics.
Robert Pollock, M. D., Professor of Materia
Medica.
Thomas Chark-s Martin. Ph. D., M. D., Professor
of Proctolog}-.
Edson Burton Bauder, M. A., LL. B., Professor
of Medical Ethics.
Robert Gilcrest Schnee, M. D., Professor cf Bac-
teriology and Pathology.
Charles John Aldrich. M. D., Professor of Neur-
ology.
Morris Daniel Stepp, M. D., Professor of Opera-
tive Siirgery.
Arthur Julius Skeel, M. D., Professor cf Anatomy
and Lecturer on Obstetrics.
Milton Jay Lichty, Ph. B., M. D.. Registrar, Pro-
fessor of Medicine.
John Nicholas Lenker, M. D., Professor of Otology,
Rhinology and Laryngology.
Martin Friedrich, M. D.. Professor of Medicine.
Benjamin Franklin Flamblcton, B. S., iM. D., Pro-
fessor of Physiology.
.Alfred Cluni. LL. M,. Professor of Medical Juris-
prudence.
Nathan Weidenthal. B. A.. M. D., Associate Pro-
fessor of Diseases of Children.
Charles Given Foote, M. D., .Associate Professor
of Genito-Urinary Diseases and Lecturer on Surgery
Frederick Yingling Alien, M. D., .Associate Pro-
fessor of Histology.
George Seeley Smith. M. A.. M. D., Associate Pro-
fessor of Medicine.
Augustus Farlin House, M. D., Associate Professor
of Clinical Surgery. , . , .. ,
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
LECTURERS AXD ASSISTANTS.
Edward Lauder. M. D.. C. >L, Lecturer on Ophthal-
mology.
Lillian Gertrude Towdee, ^L D., Lecturer on Dis-
eases of Women.
Korman Caiy Yarian, R. L., iL D., Lecturer ou
Medicine.
Adolph Steiner, ^L I)., Lecturer on Rhinolocr\-,
Otology and Laryngolgy.
Adams Bailey Ilow.ird. ^L D.. Clinical Lecturer
on Mental Diseases.
Harry Bertolette Kurtz, M. D.. Lecturer on Der-
matology and Venereal Diseases.
Henry O. Feiss, B. A., M. D., Lecturer on Ortho-
pedic Surgery.
Joseph Charles Placak. M. D., Lecturer on Path-
ology.
• Ralph Kinsey Updegrafi, M. D., Lecturer on Physi-
cal Diagnosis.
Julius Goldfingcr, M. D., Lecturer on Obstetrics.
Harry J. Stoll, M. D., Lecturer on Surgery.
Edward Patrick Monaghan, M. D.. Lecturer on
Osteolcgy.
Frederick William Linn, ^L D., Instructor in
Physiology.
Henry Charles Crumrine, M. D.. Instructor in Com-
parative Anatomy and Embryology.
Frank Roth, M. D.. Instructor in Medicine.
Homer John Hartzell, lil. A., M. D., Instructor in
Diseases of Children and Assistant in Chemistry.
■ Willis Theodore Parsons, M. D., Instructor in Dis-
eases of Women.
Clyde Ellsworth Ford, M. D., Instructor in Sur-
gery.
Edwin Alan Hannuni, M. D., Instructor in Electro-
Therapeutics.
Asa Fleming Vonk, ^T. D., Instructor in Materia
Medica. -
Israel Biskind, M. D.. Assistant in Diseases of
Women.
Alexander William Lueke, M. D., Assistant Dem-
onstrator of .Anatomy.
Sherman Eldon Carlton, M. D., Assistant in Dis-
eases of Children.
Herbert Leslie Plannette. M. D., Assistant in His-
tology.
Warner Hoskins Tuckerman, M. D., Assistant in
Ear, Xcse and Troat.
Walter Ball LatTer, M. D., Assistant in Mental and
Nervous Diseases.
Pearl Aaron Hahn, M. D.. .Assistant in Dermat-
ology.
Cora Seelirist. M. D.. Assistant in Ophthalmolog>-.
Julius Moses Rogoff, Assistant Demonstrator in
Physiology.
EXTRAMURAL TEACHERS.
John Vincent Gallagher, M. D.. Lecturer on Sur-
gery at St. Alexis Hospital.
Tliomas jQ.seph Calkins, A. M.. M. D., Lecturer on
Medicine at St. Alexis Hospital.
Milton Jay Parke, B. S., :\1. D., Lecturer on Me.li-
cine at St. John's Hospital.
A.ugustus Farlin House, ^I. D.. Lecturer on Sur-
gery at St. Clair Hospital.
J. Arthur Jones. M. D., Lecturer on Medicine at
St. Clair Hospital
Frank A. Stovering, M. D., Instructor in Surgery
at St. John's Hospital.
Walter Gustav Stern. B. S., M- D., Instructor in
Orthopedic Surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
Grace Dean Outland, Assist.nnt Secretary.
THE OlITO WESLKY.^X TR.\X SCRIPT.
The ofikial publication of the students of
tlie University is the Ohio U'csleymi Tran-
script, a sixteen-page pajier that is is.suod
weekly during the academic year by a l>jard
of editors appointed after a competition. Its
publication is vested in a permanent organiza-
tion, consisting of the junior ami senior mem-
bers of the editorial staff in any single year and
tlirec representatives of the Faculty. This
board administers the business affairs of the
paper, passes on the work submitted by the
candidates for vacancies on the editorial staff',
and makes ai^pointmcnts to the staff. The edi-
torial conduct of the paper is entirely in the
hands of an editor-in-chief and his associates,
who are resporisible for its policy, and tor the
various departments, local, athletic, exchange,
literary, and Txlonnett, which Cfimprise the
paper.
The Transcript was estal.ilished in 1866 by
Joseph B. Battelle. of the class of 186S, under
the name of TIic Western Collegian; in 1873
the name was changed to TIic College Tran-
■ipt.
the ladies of the senior class
at Monnctt were admitted to a representation
on the editorial corps. In 1902, when the
present method of competiti\e appointment
was adopted, the name was changed to The
Ohio ll'eslexan Transcript. In t8S8 Wilbur
i F. Copcland, of the class of iSSc,. started
i The Practical Student, a weekly that for ten
236
1-lISTORY or DELAWARE COUNTY
years was a coiitenilwrary and a vigorous
ri\-al of the Transcript.
We give below brief sketches of the five
distinguishcfl men who liave filled the, office
of President of the University.
I. The Rev. Edward Thon'ison, M. D., D.
D., LL. D. He was born in iSio, at Portsea,
England; but by growth and education he was
an Ancrican. His' home from early yoath
was at WoosLcr, Oliio. He received a goLid
classical training, and afterward graduated in
medicine at Philadelphia. In 1S3J he entere<i
the ministry, in the Ohio Ccmference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, and at once be-
came noted for his ability as a preacher and a
writer. In 1838 he was chosen principal of
the Xorwalk Seminary, the first r^Iethodisi
school in the State of Ohic>. His success here
established his reputation as an educator, and
pointed him out as the fittest man fur the
presidency of the University, to \\hicli po-
sition he was elected first in 1842, and again in
1844. In the spring of the I-^.^t named year,
he was elected editor of the Ladies' Repository
in Cincinnati, but resigned this oftice after
two years' service, to assume the active duties
of his position at Delaware. For foiu'teen
years he filled and graced this office. Xo
college president in the Church has shown
larger administrative abilities, or won a more
enviable place in the affections and admiration
of College and Church alike. In 1860 he was
called by the General Conference to edit the
C'lrisiian Adrocau\. in X'ew York; and again,
in 1864, to the higher office of bishop in the
Church. He died suildenlv in Wheeling, W.
Va., March 22, 1870.
President Thomson taugiit but little dur-
ing his connection with the University. He
usually had the senior class in one study, but
he found his happiest field of instruction an^i
influence in the Sunday lectures before the
University. It was here that he made his won-
derful power felt, and left the lasting impress
of his thoughts and spirit on his rapt listeners.
His lectures, whether written or extempttirized,
were models of sacred elociuence, worthy of any
audience for their depth, beauty aiid fervor.
Bishop Thomson's publications are numerous.
and his literary remains yet in manuscript are
very extensive.
2. The Rev. Frederick Merrick, M. A.
He was born January 29, iSio, a native of
Massachusetts, and was educated at the Wes-
leyan University, Coun. In 1S36 he became
principal of Amenia Seminary, New York,
and in 1838, professor of Natural Science in
Ohio University, Athens, and member of the
Ohio Conference. For one year, 1842-43, he
was pastor of the ^Methodist Church in [Mari-
etta. In 1843 ^'""^ Conference appointed him
.financial agent of Ohi<i Wesleyan University,
to which institution he thereafter devoted his
life for fifty-one years.
In 1845 ^^ ■^^'is elected professor of Nat-
ural Sciences, and was made acting president
for the }-ear, until Dr. Thomson entered upon
duty. In 1851 he was transferred to the chair
of ]\Ioral Philosoph}-; and, on tlie resignation
of President Thomson, in i860, he was chosen
as his successor. He held the office for thirteen
years; and then, in 1873, '" ^''s^'^' of failing
strength, he'resignied the presidency, and was
appointed lecturer on Natural and Revealed
Religion. This relation to the college he sus-
tained for twenty-one years, until his death.
In addition to his other duties, President Mer-
rick was auditor of the University for nearly
forty years, and often acted as its agent in
raising' the endowment, or in getting funds for
improvements upon the buildings and grounds.
He died :March 5, 1894.
President Merrick's life as an educator
was one of marked excellence and iiitlnence.
His interest in young people and his sympathy
with thein in their work were unbounded. As
a teacher, his enthusiasm and devotion knew
no limit. As a man of affairs, he possessed
rare foresight, wisdom, and efficiency. His
consecration, self-sacrifice, and generosity to
the institution of wdiich he was so great a
part were complete. By his Christian zeal,
earnest appeals, spiritual leadership and
saintly character, lie mo\-eil multitudes to a
Christian life, and by the cultivation of a
missionary spirit among the students, his in-
fluence has been felt to the ends of the earth,
through thiose whom he inspired to go thither.
AX]_^ KEFRESEXTATIVE CITIZEX5
237
Among all who knew liim his presence was felt
as a benediction, and the example of his daily
hfe as an inspiration to a stronger Christian
manhood. And the wise provision "which he
made in the "Alerrick Lectures before the
University" for the stated inculcation of relig-
ious principles and [)ractice, will perpetuate his
influence in the Universitv, the Church and the
world.
After President Merrick's resignation, the
Rev. Eales Xewhall, D. D.. of Boston, was
elected to the presidency; but, from prostra-
tion induced by intense and continued literary
work, he was unable to enter upon his duty,
and resigned his office the following vear. Dr.
Xewhall died April 6, 1883. Tlie University
meanwhile, and until the accession of his suc-
cessor, was for three years successfully ad-
ministered by Prof. IMcCabe. the scni'jr and
vicc-i)resident of the University.
3. The Rev. Charles H. 'Payne, D. D.,
L-L. D. President Payne was born at Taun-
ton, Ma-saclni;c:t<. and graduated in 1856 at
W'esleyan Universit)-. Middletown, Connecti-
cut. He taught several terms in his early
years, and was tutor for six months after
graduation, but spent most of his life in the
ministry. A vigorous thinker, an accomplished
speaker and writer, and a de\-oted pastor, he
served some of the leading Alcthodist cliurches
in Firooklyn, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. It
was from this last city that he was called tc
th.e presidency of the University in 1875. ^^'^
took his seat the followiu'g _\tar. Plis admini-
.stration began in the gloomiest days of finan-
cial depression ; but the growth of the Uni-
versity during- his adnvinistration wa= rapid
and great. A quickened interest for the Uni-
\-ersity was felt throughout the Church : the
patronizing Conferences were stimulated to
renewed efforts for the endowment: the school
was ad\'ertised on a much more liberal scale
than before; the area of its patronage greatly
eidarged; and, not least, the University and
the Female College were united. As the re-
sult of all these influences, both the enroll-
ment and the income of the University were
doubletl in a few years, and the endowment \'>'as
largelv increased. Dr. Pavne was alwavs
alert for the interests of the University. It
was during his administration that the beauti-
ful President's House was built, in 1885 (on
a Int given -by Mr. Mast), at a cost of ^10,000.
F)r. Payne remained president for thirteen
years, until his election by the General Con-
ference to the office of corresponding secre-
tary of the Board of Education.
4. The Rev. James W. Bash ford, F^h. D.,
D. F)., was born in Wisconsin. He graduated
at the University of Wisconsin in 1873. and
was elected tutor in Greek. He took post-
graduate courses in Boston University, in
theology, oratory and philosophy, comideting
these courses in 1S79. ■f''' 1880, and agaia
in 3887, Dr. and Mrs. Bashford spent many
months abroad, traveling and visiting the Ger-
man uni\-ersities. His pastoral w^ork began
while he was a student in the School of The-
ology ; and he here revealed the characteris-
tics that were to make his ministry so marked
a success. He subsequently filled leading pas-
torates in Portland and Butlalo. He declined
repeated iindtations to professorships and to
the presidency of colleges, but in 1889 accepted
his election to the presidency of Ohio Wes-
leyan F'ni\-ersity as a call from God.
President Bashford's genial personal
qualities, and his remarkable ability and ver-
satility in the class-roorn, in the religious cul-
ture of the students, and in the management
of affairs, gave him a strong hold on the Uni-
versity. During his administration, the
growth of the school was rapid, constant and
gratifying. Its scholastic, religious and ma-
terial interests ' were never more promising.
The courses of study were reconstructed, the
work better digested and distributed, the fa-
culty strengthened, the enrollment of students
greatly increased, the buildings doulMed in ex-
tent and convenience, and the endowment in-
creased one-third. Dr. Bashford resigned on
June 14, i(}04. During the interregnum. Dr.
William F. Whitlock served as acting-presi-
dent.
5. Rev. Herbert Welch, D. D.. LL. D.,
I was installed as president of the University
' on June 21, 1905. Dr. Welch was Ijorn in
2?,S
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
New York City, Xcneniber 4, 1S62, where his
father, Peter A. Welch. \Aas engaged in busi-
ness as a mercliant. He. was graduated from
the New York grammar schools, with the
Girard medal, in 1877. He subsequently en-
tered Brooklyn College and I'olytechnic In-
stitute and was graduated therefrom in 18S0
with a diploma for proficiency in the scientific
courbC. He then spent two years in classical
study and in 1882 entered the Wesleyan Uni-
versity at ]\Iiddletown. Conn., where he cm-
tinuecl as a student for several years, being
graduated in 18S7 with the degree of 15. A.
He was out of college, however, in 1S84 and
1885. In 1890, after a three years' course lie
was graduated from the Drew Theological
Seminary with the degree of B. D., and in the
same year obtained his JNI. A. degree from
Weslevan University. He received that of
D. D. from th.e same college in 1902. and
that of LL. D. in 1906. In 1902-03 he was a
student in Oxford University. England.
After his graduation from Drew Semin-
ary Dr. Welch filled successively various pas-
torates in the New "i^^rk Conference and af-
terwards in the New York East Conference;
he was pastor of the First Church at Middle-
town. Conn., in 189S-1902, and jiastor of the
Chester Flill Church, Alt. \^ernon. N. Y.,
1903-1905. In the year last mentioned he
accented and entered upon the duties of his
present position as president of the Ohio Wes-
leyan University at Delaware. His services
in this capacity have been eminently satisfac-
tory. Dr. \\'elch is the- author of various
scholarly contributions to religious literature
and is active in promoting various educational,
mis^!onary and other religious and philan-
thropic enterprises. Several years of his life
have been spent in travel in the United States,
Canada and Europe. He was married in
]S9i to Adelaide F. AIcGee, of Plainheld,
New Jersey, and has two children — both
daughters.
CHAPTER XIIL
RELIGIOUS OR CHURCE HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
First Clito'chc.
and Pionci-r Mijiisfcrs — Gci:
Chiirclics (lib
era! History of Relic
I Clergy of Today.
ions Ori'aiii::alioiii
"Ye pioneers, it is to you
Our drbt of gratitude is due ;
Ye builded better than yo knew
The broad foundations
On which the superstructure stands;
With noble aim and willing hands.
Your earnest labor still coniniands
Our veneration.''
It is highl}- commendable to the early set-
tlers of this county that the teachings of the
Christian reh"gion were felt in every settle-
ment. What a lesson to the ministers of the
present day, with their beautiful churches and
good salaries, as they look back on the toil
of those early men \vh.o labored with little
compensation, traveling through the f;.)re5ts,
with no blazed path, with 110 companion, but
the faithful horse they rode, visiting the scat-
tered settlers in their log cabins and planting
the Cross of the Christ, as the syml>;)l of the
redemption of men.
' It is not possible to state, certainly, wh^)
was the first minister to visit and preach the
first sermon in the liounds of Delaware County.
But, as far as known, it was Rev. Joseph S.
Hughs, who came from Washington. Pennsyl-
vania, in 1 8 10.
Rev. Hughs was a Presbyterian minister.
He possessed a liberal education, oratorical
power of superior order, and. naturall}-. a pleas-
ant and persuasive voice. He had the repu-
tation of being one of the most effective
speakers known to the old settlers. He ex-
celled in the social circle, and had a erreat love
for festivity and amusement. An iiTcident il-
lustrating this is reported in Hozec's Historical
Collections of Ohio, but as often is the case,
]Mrs. Re\". C. H. Perkins, who remembers him
well, says tb.e incident related there is over-
drawn, and in part not correct. Mrs. Per-
kins is still living at this date. 1908. It was the
custum at that time to call ministers to ac-
count strictly for their conduct, and he was at
one time called before his Presbytery, and
made his own defense and was completely
vindicated. He organized the Liberty. Dela-
ware and Radnor (now Radnor Thompson)
I'resbyterian churches, the first organized
churches in the country. Rev. Hughs con-
tinued to supply these churches, and do much
piijneer work in all parts of the county unld
the fall of 1823, with the exception of a fcv/
months during the War of 1812. when he
was chaplain. He was with Gen. Hull vrhen
the latter surrendered at Detroit, and returned
to Delaware after that event. About the same
time that Rev. Plughs came, a Baptist minister
by the name of Jacob Drake came, and was
active in the early work connected with that
denomination, and many of the early societies
took their origin from his work. Revs. Hughs
and Drake established the first paper ever pub-
lished in the county, and the Delaware Ga::cfte
is the continuance of that paper. His salary
being small, he also served as clerk of court
and recorder for many years. In the fall of
1823. there was an cjiidemic of fe\er and Rev.
Hughs died from thai cause. He was buried
na .• Mji);:) >^0 .'UUlOHvli?
! - ' .;-;■!
,i., ,..(yr.
240
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
in the old gravcyanl. ea;,t of O. W. U.. and
near the Odevene Spring-. At tlie time of the
removal of the old .cemetery, his viniains were
removed by his grandson, Dr. D. K. Hnghs,
to Oak Grove Cemetery, on the lot of Dr.
Hnghii. The grave of Rev. Hughs had not
been marked, but the remains, which had been
buried in a walnut cofiin, were so preser\-ed
at the time of removal, i960, that they wtie
identified. Rev. Hughs \\as a brother-in-law
of Moses Bixby, the founder of Delaware.
Having noticed the pioneer beginning of
the early Christian work of Delaware County,
we will gather the history of the churches liy
towns and townships.
THE CHI'RCIT1':S OF DELAWARE.
DELAWARE I'RESBYTERIAN.
This clutrch was organized under the la-
bors of Rev. J. S. Hughs, a licentiate, with
fourteen memlx'rs. Li conn-ecti(_>n with this
church, the Lil'-rty Freshyterian Church, ami
what is now the Radnor Thompson Church,
were organized, and for many years all three
were under the care of a joint session. Rev.
Hughs was ordained in iSii, and was stated
supply of these churches until his death in
1S23, except during the short time he was ab-
sent as chaplain in the War of 1S12. Rev.
Henry Vandeman became pastor in 1S24, and
continued until 1S3S. During this time a stone
edifice was erected. Alexander Anderson, the
t.vo Ferrises and Robert Brown were well
known elders. The membership in 1837 was
215-
At this time the coritroversy between Old
School and Xew School ran high, and culmi-
nated in the division of the Presbyterian
Church at Philadelphia in the spring of 1S38.
Rev. \'andeman attended that General As-
sembly, and voted with the Xew School party.
The I3elaware church voted by a majority to
go into the Xew School body. A part of the
congregation separated themselves, and united
with the Old School body. Both parties re-
tained the name of Clarion Presbytery, so that
there -were two ■Marion FVesbyteries. Rev.
\'andeman continued pastor r>f the Xew
School branch, 'j'he Old School was vacant,
cinly having occasional supplies from 1S38 to
1841. Re\-. Jolni Pitkin served as .stated sup-
ply from 1841 to 1845 inclusive. Li April.
JS48, Rev. \'arideman and his congregatii.Mi
made the request and were received hv the Old
School Presbytery, and the two con.^'regations
were again united. Rev. Vandeman continued
pastor of this church until i860. A large
brick church, the audience room of the present
church, was erected. In 1841 a great revival
occurred in Delaware, and on tlie part of many
dissatisfaction took place with the ways and
activities of the old church. On November
8th, tllty-four members withdrew from the first
church and were organized by a committee
from the Xew School body, consisting of Revs.
Franklin Putnam, Henr\- Shedd, and Henrv T.
Fiuchcock, as tlie Second Presbyterian Church
of Delaware. The Second Church soon after
its organization erected a frame building be-
tween Franklin and Sandusky Streets, on the
souih side of Winter Street, and at the time
of organization David 3.IcCullough, John Mc-
Elroy and ^^Ja'.dv Co\eIl were chosen elders.
Franklin Putnam was stated siipplv from 1842
to 1845. Joseph Tuttle. afterwards president
of Wabash College f'>r many years, was pas-
tor from 1846 to 1847: Charles W. Toprey,
stated supply frojr. 1848 to 1S30; Gideon
Dane, stated sv.pply frum 185 1 to 1852;
Charles H. Delong. pastier from 1852 to 18^5.
Rev. IL Xewto::. v ho afterwards became
chaplain at the Oh;.> Penitentiary, and died at
Mt. \"ernon. August. 187S. was pastor from
1856 to 1865. Tne raembei-shi]) in i860 was
2^j. Calvin W. Alateer supplied the First
Church from i8ot to 1863. Rev. }tLtteer then
went to China as a missionary, and has spent
a successful and honored life in that country.
]\Iilton W. McMi-'i". two sons of whom are
now honored nir-ster; in the Presbyterian
Church, was state.: -•,:ppiy from 1S63 to 1864,
and pastor from iSo; :o 1867. J. L Lower,
now H. R. ai De:;ver. was stated supply from
1867 to 186S. and Da '.-id King from' 1869-
1870, and Ro'btjn Mic'.aren, 1871. The mem-
bership in 1870 wss -inety.
J ■[■f
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
The reunion of the 01.1 School and Nevv
School assemblies took place at i'ittsburg in
1869. Soon after tliis the two congregations
began negotiations to unite, and on J:he 7th
of June, 1870. the Delaware Presbyterian j
C'luu'ch was formed of the two congregations,
in accordance with an act of the Ohio Legis-
lature passed April 2, 1870, and had been
ratified by a vote of each church. The build-
ing of the Second Church was sold, and is now
occupied witli otSces and business jilaces. and
the united congregation occupied the birsi
Church building. The reunion of tlie tvoj
Presbyteries, Alarion Old School and ?\[ari;.'n,
then changed to Franklin New Scho-^il, oc-
curred at Delaware, Septeml)er 13. 1S70.
Rev. C. H. Perkins preached the sermon, and
Rev. llenry Shedd was chosen moderator. In
February, 1870, Rev. Roliert ]\Iaclaren began
preaching to the united congregation and was
called as pastor, which i-elation continued until
1873. ^Nlr. jNIaclaren is now a pastor on the
Pacific coast. Rev. N. S. Smith was called
after Rev. IMaclaren, and was installed pastor,
wl.'ch relation continued until 1878. During
the i)astofate of Rev. Snn'th, the church build-
ing was remodeled, a new front with spire was
added, the basement enlarged and improved,
the audience room reseated and frescoed, and
fitted with stained glass windows, all costing
Si. 200. Rev. A. D. Hawn, of Zanesviile,
Oh.io, was called to succeed Dr. Smith in ])e-
cember, 1878. and entered on his work in
January, 1S79. The membership •: was 463.
Dr. Plawn served the church nearly a quarter
of a century. During his ministry the church
was continuously prosperous, large amounts
were contributed to all its benevolences, ac-
cessions were made at e\ery communion sea-
son, an addition was added to the rear of the
church, and a pipe organ installed. Dr. Hawn
is honored by all churches and classes of Dela-
ware, and is still living, and pastor emeritus,
•and able _to do some work. Rev. Paul R.
Hickok, assistant pastor of the Old Stone
Church of Cleveland, was called to succeed
Dr. Hawn, and was installed Decemljer, 1902.
The church membership is now, 1907, over
six hundred, and the congregation under the
care ot Mr. Hickok is united and prosperous
in all dcp,-iitment^ of church work, and the
future is hopeful.
r)EI..\WARE FKM.ALE COLLEGE.
The idea of establishing a Ladies' Semin-
ary had been contemplated by the Prcsbyterv
for several years. Rev. James Smith had been
conducting, for some time, an academy at
]\Iarysville for young men and women. James
A. Stirratt taught for several years in this
school. The 3>Iethodists were interesting
themsehes in Cliristian education at Dekiware.
as were al.-so the Presljyterians. In 1853, the
enterprise vs'as undertaken and Delaware was
chosen as the place, and the old Seminary
property wliere St. Paul's Church now stands
was purchased on November 3. 1853. The
price paid, as reported l.iy the committee was
85,100, with interest frou.i date: the whole to
be paid in three equal installments, at the
folkiwing periods: ist installment. January
I. 1854: 2nd installment, .\[ay i, 1854: 3rd
installment, ]May i, 1855.
The committee had already signed the
article on their own responsibility,, and the
school was then in operation, with about
eighty ladies in attendance. The report was
adopted and trustees elected as follows: Ahab
Jinks. Rev. Dr. Heard {M. E. Church), Henry
Van Deman, L. A. Bru.ner, 1. N. Shepherd,
Dr. S. L. Yourtee, T. S. Powell, James A.
Stirratt, Dr. C. Fulton, John Ross, S. K.
Hughes. Dr. Yourtee had been connected with
the schcH->l previous to the purchase, and was
one of the two men in whom the title was
vested, and of whom the purchase was made,
and John Ross was the other.
Two mistakes were made : First, the field
was already occupied at Delaware by the
Methodists ; second, the Old Seminary build-
ing did not suit the new enterprise. ■ The man-
agement fell into the hands of Henry Van
Deman. a man of energy and ability, but with-
out system. He made an active canvass for
subscriptions throughout the Presbytery, and
bordering churches, and obtain.ed th.e promise
of a considerable amount of monev. Instead
HJSTOKY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
(if opening- an account an(_! kec[)ino- a careful
statement of the financial business, lie coilccied
as lie coulil and applied the money where it
was most needed. In a few years the sxhool
was deficient in funds, and a demand was made
fur a report of receipts and expenditures. _The
trustees were unable to give such a report.
This prnducfvl dissatisfaction and a loss of
sympathy. Things went from liad to worse
until the mortgage was foreclosed, and the
jirojierty was sold at sheriff's sale at a heavy
kiss, to Samuel IMiller, on the 5th day of
Sejjtember, 1861, having been sold fi^r ?i,-
568. This left a burdensome debt on the
Presbytery. The churches were appealed to
time after time, but the full amouitt could not
be raised. Mr. Van Deman and Judge Powell
both became alienated and much trouble re-
sulted. It was taken to court but never
brought to trial, and final settlement was made
in April, 1SS2, by Hon. J. W. Robinson, who
paid liberally from his own means to ha\e the
matter adjusted. The enterprise was under-
taken by the Presbytery in hope of doing much
good. It terminated in loss and disapijoini-
ment.
ST. I'ETEK's PKOTEST.WT El^lSCOPAL CHURCH.
St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church
was organized in 1817, by the Rev. Philander
Chase, afterwards ordained the first bishop of
the Diocese of Ohio. Bishop Chase came tj
this state in Mcrrch, 1817, and w-as an uncle to
Gjverwor Chase of Ohio. The articles of or-
ganization were signed ]\Iay 9, 1817, by Wil-
liam Little, \\"illiam ]\[ansur, Abner Root,
.Aaron Strong. Solomon Smith, Thomas Put-
ter, Hezekiah Kilburn, Caleb Howard, James
Wolcot, Robert Jamison, and ^lilo D. I'etti-
bone, all of whom bore an important part in
the founding and growth, and fixing the des-
tinies of the city of Delaware. The first offi-
cers of the church were Aaron Strong and
William Maiisur, wardens, William Little,
Thomas Rutter and Abner Root, vestrymen,
William Little, recording clerk. This church
was about the fifteenth in the order of or-
ganization in the state. During this year small
day
ates
session, ten
' parishes \\'ere organized in Berkshire. Radnor
j and Norton, all now extinct, by Rev. James
! Kilburn, afterwards known as Colonel Kil-
j burn. At that time there were but three E))is-
j copal ministers in the state. The early pioneer
: condiitions of Delaware is graphically stated by
I Bishop Cha.se in a letter dated July 10, 181 7.
"\\'ednesday I went to Delaware, Thurs'
I to Xorlon, on the frijnticr of the Unitetl
I land, bordering on tlie Jndi;
I miles from Delaware." Occasional services
I were conducted in the church by th.e Rev.
I Bishop, Rev. William Sparms, Rev. fNIarius
I T. C. Wing, and Rev. Philander Chase, Jr.,
I until 182S, when Rev. Nathan Stem was
I chosen rector, a popular pireacher, a good man
I and a gentleman. Large congregations at-
j tended the chinch, many coming regu.larly
from Radnor and Berk'^hire.
The corner-stone of the first churcli edifice
I in Delaware was laid Alay i, 1825, und.cr the
direction of Bishop Chase. It was ?. stone
j building and stood where the jjrcsent ciuu-ch.
edifice stands, built after a Gothic m'.^lel pre-
sented to the Bishop by INIr. Wilson of Iberry
House, near London. One hundred dollars
of the one hundred pounds sterling given to the
Bishop by the Countess Dowager of Rosse,
was cheerfully given and thankfully received,
1 towards its construction. Before that, the
j congregation worshipped in the Court tkiuse,
I wdiich was used by other denominations for
j the same purpose. It is reported tknt the
i house was always full, an example of '"Church
j L'nion" which it would be well to imitate.
j On April 21, 1827, the fir^t Sunday school
i in Delaware County ^\■a^ iirgar.;/cii in St.
' Peter's parish by Isaiah W liitiug, 01 Worth-
ington, with Caleb Howard and f\Irs. Webb
as superintendents. In 1S30 tl;e first church
bell was brought to town and hung in the
! tower of St. Peter's Church. It served as a
town clock to the citizens, as it was rung by
Benjamin AVoods at 9 A. M., 12 f\I.. and 9
P. ]M. The latter was tlie signal for all per-
sons away from home, and all boys to hurry
home. The bell was afterwards hung' in the
old Court House and later rang out all fire
alarms. In fMay. 183:;, Rev. James 3.IcElroy
AXD llEPRESEXTATIVE CITIZENS
was cliosen rector. He was a perfect specimen
of "a fine old Irish Cieiuleman" of stiperiijr
ciilti\ation and talents, who was before that
a jiruK-ssor at Kenyon. In 1S44 the old church
edifice became toi* anticjnated for the improved
condition of the town, and was torn down in
give place to the present stri'.c.nre. Of the
present c'.iurch Bishop Jaggai once s;iid : "It
was the most churclily church in lii- d ■•Lese."
It was consecrated by Bisliop 3.1cll\ain. Au-
gust 7, 1846. The rectory was built in 1854,
and the parisli house in 189J.
The first vi-^it of Bishop Mcllvain was
made December 5, iS^J: Bishop Bedell, Oc-
tober, 1859; Bishop Jag-gar, October 5, 1S75.
and Bisliop Vincent, October, 18S7. It may
not be imjiroper in thi^ histcjrical sketch to give
the succession of nn'ni-tcrs. They arc : liev.
Mr. Stem, from 1828 to 1831 : Rev. .Mr. :\Ic-
Eboy, from iSjJ to 183,: Rev. Mr. Baus-
man, from 1835 to 1836; Rev. Mr. McElroy,
from 1836 to 1840; Rev. Mr. Gassaway, from
1841 to 1843; R'^'"- -"^'''- Canfried, from 1S44
to 1849, I^ev. Mr. Erencb, from 1S50 to 1851;
Rev. Mr. .McElroy, from 1852 to 1863: Rev.
Mr. Ufford, fron'i 1863 to '1880; Rev. Air.
Boyer, from 1880 to 1882: Ivev. }^lr. Bower,
from 1882 to 1891 ; Rev. ]Mr. Edwards, from
1891 to 1892; Rev. :^Ir. .Marshall, from 1892
to 1S94; Rev. ]\[r. Watt, from 1894 to 1901 ;
Rev. ?^Ir. Walton, from 1902 to 1903; Rev.
]\Ir. Jiniy, from 1903 to 1906. Rev. Erank
H. Stedinan is the present incumbent.
Erom its orgam'zation ilii^^ church lias been
highly favored in having the ministerial ser-
vices, both regular ami occasional, not only
men of intellectual ability, but of devout
Christian character, free from errors in doc-
trine, able and earnest preachers ui the Gospel,
who lived as they preached.
WILLIAM STREET METHODIST EPISCOP.VL
CflURCH.
(Abridged from thu article written by the Rev.
Elias D. Whitlock, D. D., in 1S-9.)
William Street Methodist Episcopal
Church was the first of this denomination or-
! ganized in the city of Delaware. It was plant-
I ed some time in, the _\ear 1819, by the Rev.
I Jacob Hooper, of Hocking Circuit, Scioto
I District, Ohio Conference, though there were
I Methodists who liad settled in the [jlace and
j meetings had been held at different times sev-
1 erai years before a formal organization. From
j tl'.e most reliable data at hand it seems a class
I of seventeen members ■was organized in this
I year, consisting of Abraham \Milliams and
j wife, James O.djorhe and wife, John E. De-
I witt and wife, Thomas Galleher and wife,
1 ^\'i!liam Swectser and wife, Ebcnezer Durfee,
I Gordon ' Sprague, Franklin Spaulding and
j wife. Stephen Gorman, William Ratton, Moses
j By.xbe and possibly others.
I Erom the inception of the society, until
I tlie year 1822, the residence of Moses Bv.xbe
j and the county Court House w'ere the head-
; qna,tcrs of [Methodism in Delaware. During
j this year, under a second pastorate of the Rev.
I Jacob Hooper, the society decided to build a
I h.ouse of worship, and appointed Stephen Gor-
j man, \\'illiam Patton, [Moses By.xbe, Thomas
Galleher, [Moses By.xlje. Jr., Edijah .Adams.
I Robert I'erry. William Sweetscr and Henry
I Perry as trustees.
j Lot Xumber Sixty, original plat of the
site of Delaware, on the nortlnvest corner of
Franklin and William Streets, was deeded
I February 2^^. 1822, by Aloses By.xbe. Sr.. and
I Henry Baldwin and his wife, Sally Baldwin,
I to the trustees of William Street Church in
! tru,>t. On this lot the firsf church structure
I was erected. The edifice was a plain, sc]uare
I structure with galleries on the east, south,
I and west sides. The entrance was from the
I south on William Street. There were two
r(W\s of windows which gave the impression
of a two-story building from the external
view. .At the north end of the auditorium
there was a Lnix-like pulpit with an opening
on either side with eight steps. This gave the
speaker a full view^ of the congregation abo\e
and below.
It is not known what this edifice cost, as
many of the subscriptions were made in ma-
terials and labor. .Although commenced in
1822, it wa- not completed until some time in
HISTORY OF DELAW.VRE C:OUXTY
the \'car i8-!.j. when, with Tlionvas Mc-
Clcary as prcaclicr in charge, it was dedi-
cated under tlie name of William Street
Cluircli, I)y Jacob Young, the i>residing elder
■ ■ Scu'l.) i:)i'■^trict. Ohii> CoiiK-reiice.
Here the ^Jethodi^t^ of iJclawarc c.m-
:.;,iiL'd to worship until 1845, when, owing U>
the gn.wih oi the society, and to the estal)li;-h-
nicnt nf tlie Ohio W'esleyan I'njversiiy. •:!
larger church edifice was recjuired to accom-
modate the growing congregation. Accord-
ing-ly, under the pastorate of Henry i^. T'il-
clicr. measures were adopted to erect "a new
he>use of worship."
The records slmw that a ciunuiittee nf the
Board of Trustees wa.^ rai-v.d Dccciiilier 13.
1845. and authririzcd to di^p"-e ot the old
structure. Th.is committee rcjiorled hack t^i
the B(jard of Trustees December JQ. 184s.
that they had contracted to sell the nld edilire
to the school district for school puriiMse--, i.>i-
the sum of Si. 100. This building after being
used for \arious purposes has licen torn down.
At this same meeting the trustees \oted
to procure ? site for a new church structure.
The site selected was Lot Si.\ty-one, original
plat, ju.st across Franklin Street from the for-
mer site, on the northeast corner of Franklin
and William Streets.
On May 6. 1S46, the building committee,
consisting of John Woltley, Xaihan Che-ter
and Augustus A. Welch, let the contract to
William Owston, "to erect a house of wor-
ship." The building was to be a rieat, plain
church, 50 by 8ct feet, two stories high, with
a vestibule in the front both aljove and beli>w ;
the audience room was to have a galleiw across
the south end, and to furnish sittings for almut
si.\ hundred persons : the seats and other wood
work to be of black walnut. The walls were
of limestone. This edifice was not finished
until the summer of 1847. The cost was about
$5,600. This edifice was capacious and well
built for its time. It was dedicated August
3. 1847, '^y Bishop Edmond S. Janes, assisted
by Rev. Thomas E. Bond, D. D., editor of the
Christian Advocate, New York.
The lot purcliased for tliis new church
was not deeded to the tru?tees until four vears
after the church had been dedicated. The
deed is dated June 2, 1S51. The grantors are
William R. Platl, Fanny R. Piatt. Ruther-
ford B. Hayes and Sophia Hayes. The trus-
tees named are Wilder Jov, Emcrv Afoore,
Nathan Chester. John Iv'.V-'. E.- \\\ Littell,
John H. Dean. Abraham Clymyer. Augustus
A. Welch and Jolfn Wollley. The parsonage
was erected in 1861, during the pastoral term
of Rev. Thomas Parker. This stone church
was replaced by the present elegant structure
in 1887.
William Street Churcli has been an ec-
clesiastical center for .Methodism in Delaware.
She is not only oldier than the other Methodiit
churches here, but she is their m-vilier. In
1852. she gave St. ]'aur> Churrh to South
Delaware; in iSfe she h.id something to do
with the origin and "raising" of Grace Church
m East Delaware, anrl in 1886, she ga\e As-
Iniry Church to North Delaware.
Idle ecclesiastical connections of William
Street Church have been varietl. bTom the
time of its organization until 1840, it was un-
der the jurisdicli'jn of the Ohio Conference.
Then it was attached to the North Ohio Con-
ference until 1S5G. when it was put into the
Central Ohio Conference, of which it is still
a part.
While an app'iintment of the Ohio Confer-
ence, it was for four years a part of Scioto
District, with Jacob "^'ouiig as presiding elder;
from 1823 to 1825. of Lancaster District;
from 1823 to t828, of Sandusky District with
James iMcALihon as presiding elder; from
1828 to 1833, of Portland District widi Rus-
sel Bigelow and Greenberry R. Jones as pre-
siding elders; from 1833 to 1840, of Colum-
bus District, with .-Vugustus Eddy, Jacob
Young and John Ferree as presiding elders. In
the ecclesiastical _\ear of 1840-41, it became a
part of P.ellefi)ntaine District, North Ohio
Conference, where it remained until the year
1844-45, '^^"''' William S. ^Torrow as presid-
ing elder. In 1845-46 it was assigned to Dela-
ware District, at whose head it has appeared
ever since, with the following presiding eld-
ers: John H. Power (1845-47 ) ; John Quig-
ley (1848-51); Sanuiel Lynch (i852"53);
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CmZENS
245
Joseph A\ers (18^4): Henrv E. Pilcb.er
(I'^^.^.^i-Sy,': 'rhoinas IE WilsJn (.1859-62);
Leonrin.l 15. Giirlc_\" (1863-66); Alexander
Harni.jiint (1867-70); D<aiiel L). Mraher
(1871-7.^) ; David Rutledg-c 1 1S73-78. : I?aac
Xewton (1879-81); LcT.n- A. Belt (1882-
86): David Rutledsje. E..ui< M. Albright. ].
>I. Avaiin. L. A. Beh. J. Jl. litzwater and \\'.
McK. Brackney.
En ni its fiiundatinn until the ecclesiastical
year i8_'i-2J, it was one nf the preaching
places on the Jlocking Circuit : from this time
to tlie year 1S40-41. it was the head of Dela-
ware Circuit. It had now reached a meiu.ber-
ship of two hiuidred and ninety-six persons,
and at .tlie Conferenxc of 1841, it was declared
a "station.'" and Adam Poe was apprvinted
pastor. Since that time for ahiiost sevent_\-
years it has been onx of tlie leading and most
flourishing stations in Ohio ^^lethodism.
The appointments to William Street, al-
lowing" that name to cover its entire histoiy.
are as follows, tlie years dating from nb^ .m; I'.r
last of August or the middle of SLiitL-mlicr :
1818, Jacob Hoojjer; 1819, Andrew Kimiear;
1S20, James ]\Iurrav; 182 1. lacnb Hooper:
1S22. Thomas .McCleary ; 1823. Th<.inas ^Ic-
Cleary and James Poc : 1824, Jacob Dixon;
1825. James Gilruth: 1826, Abner Goff ; 1827,
James Gilruth and Cyrus Carpenter; 182S.
David Lewis and Samuel P. Shaw; 1830,
Samuel P. Shaw and Alfred 'SI. Lorain; 1831.
Alfred M. Lorain and David Cadv.allader;
1S32, Charles Goddard and J. M. IMcDowell;
1833, Leonard B. Gurley and John C. Ha-
vens; 1S34, John C. liavens and R. Doughty;
1S35, Joseph B. Austin and William Morrow:
,1836, Nathan" Eiiiery and Joseph B. Austin;
1837, Jolin Alexander and Ebenezer T. Web-
ster; 1S3S, William S. Morrow and John W.
White: 1S39. William S. I^Iorrow and John
Blanpied; 1S40 and 1841, Adam Poe; 1842.
David Warnock: 1843, Adam Poe; 1844.
William L. Harris; 1845 '^^d 1846, Plenrv E.
Pilcher; 1847. Cyrus Sawyer; 1848, E. 'Vo-
cum: 1849. Horatio liradley: 1850 and 1851.
Lorenzo Warner; 1832. Joseph Ayers; 1S53,
Charles Hartley: 1S54 and 1855. Leonard B.
Gurley; 1S56 and 1857. Alexander Nelson;
1858 and J 859. James M. Morrow; i860 ami
1861. Thomas Parker; 1862 and 1S63, Loring
C. Webster; 1863. i8()4 and 1865, Alex;ander
Nel^on; 1866 to spring of i86g, Wesley G.
Waters; from spring- of 1869 to fall of same
year. Park S. Donclson ; 1869 and 1870, Dan-
iel D. Mather; 1871 and 1872. Eranklin Mar-
riott; 1873. 187J! and 1875. Russell B. Pope;
1876 and' 1877. I-aac Newton; 1878. 1S79
and 1880. Elias D. Whitlock ; 1881 and 1882,
Joseph H. Bethard^; 188^-1886, Weslev G.
Waters; 1S86-1 887. W. \l. Hodges; 1887-
1890, Dustin Kemlile; i8"9O-i805. I'letcher
Wharton; 1895-1897, C. R. Havigborst;
1807-1902. I-I. C. Jamison; 1002 1903. J. ^sl.
A\'ann ; 1903- HX'4. Wiliiam \\'. Lance: 190J..
C. W. Barnes. '
W itliam Street Giurch all tlirmigh her his-
tory has been the center of great spiritual
I)Ower. Though again and again a. part of her
membership has left hei' to fomul other
churches, she is still \igorous and '-trong, with
a membership of eight hundred souls.
The present church edihce was built in
18S7, at a cost of nearlv v$42.ooo. It was
dedicated in 1888 liy Bisli'ip Charles ^IcCabe
and President Charles H. Payne of Ohio \\'es-
leyan L'niversity. The sum of ?i 7.000 was
raised on that da_\-.
This sketch wculd be incom[)lctc without
reference to the noble men. must of whom
have gone to their reward, b}- wliose liljerality
and sacrifice this beautiful church structure
has l;>een made pDs.^ible.
In 1885. the project of '-recting a new edi-
fice was the absorbing theme of the member-
ship of William Street Church. The question
of the site was a disturliing element, and finally
the membership disided on this point, the ma-
jorit}- voting for the present site, the cithers
withdrawing and forming the nucleus of what
is now A.sbury Church. In the year 1886. the
Board of Trustees, now re-organized, voted to
build a new church, and presented the enter-
prise to the membership with .'^7.000 subscribed
as a starter. The following names are men-
tioned in the vote : A. A. Welch. Dr. Calvin
Welch, I. C. Evans. Dr. ]. H. White. Thomas
E. Iov.'B. \\\ Brown, \V. EI. Pumplirey. E.
^45
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
P. Vergon, Charles Steenback and W. E.
Mciort'. The nicniljcrs, ilnuigii unw tliniin-
ished ill minihcr, loyally and libirrally su]jp:ii-i-
ed the trustee;;. The largest donation- ironi
one indi\idnal was given by Henry J. I-laton,
who WiHild ne\er consent to take official posi-
tion in the church.
-; . For eighty-eight years this society has
■ been in continuous existence. Throughout its
history, it has been markcdi in its inliuence on
I Ohio Methodism. It has given some of the
j brightest lights to the church and its represenia-
i tives are found all over the wcwdd. It still
i maintains the vigor and fire of Aouth. and pre-
! serves the traditions of the fathers.
ST. M.VRK
iNGELIC.VL LUTIIF.R.W CHUKCH.
The early history of the St. Mark's Evan-
' gelical Lutheran Church is largely involved, in
obscurity. The records now accessible are
meager and imperfect; something may, 1t:'w-
e\er, lie ascertained from tradition, as well as
from such written records as are at hand. It
is well known that some Lutheran families
were scattered here ai..-". there among the earl-
iest settlers in , Delaware County. Of these
pioneer families may be mentioned those of
Frederick AVeiser, Henry Worline, Mr. \Vel-
j schaus, .Kndrew Harter and others. They
; were natives of Pennsylvania, coming here
[ from X(jrthumberland, Bucks and other coun-
i ties, and were settled in Delaware and the vi-
I (inity as early as iSio and iSii. These few
i families, many years ago, were mrire or less
regularly favored with the preaching of the
j g■o^|Jel. It ap[iears from such data as are
j within reach, that the Rev. Charles Henkel. of
i Shenandoah County, A'a., was the first Luth-
! eran minister who visited the Lutheran fami-
j lies along the Olentangy Fxiver between Co-
I lumbus and Delaware. Before any one
I ■ dreamed of railroads, before roads were made,
j when Indian trails and footpaths were the
] only lines of travel, this pioneer preacher
I found the few scattered Lutherans in and
\ about the present site of the city of Delaware,
; and readily succeeded in organizing them into
■ a pioneer congregation. Indeed, they were
] glad once more to hear the old gospel tidings
I
that had cheered their hearts and had brought
peace and gladness into their former homes.
It was their delight to bring their little chil-
dren to Jesus by means of the san.ie <M bap-
tism t< 1 wliich they had been so warmly at-
tached in former years, an.d to appear at the
altar where the same i:ilil sacrament of the
l«3dy and blood of the Lord was administered.
The old familiar sound niatle the wilderness in
which they had chosen their lot seem to them
like a new home. The old tidings of salvation
following them into the forests of Ohio, re-
minded them that God is everywdiere present,
and pleasantly recalled tlie old, cheering prom-
ise, "Lo, I am with you alway, e\en unti.' the
end of the world."
But the bloom of civilization did not l)urst
forth in tins wilderness without hard labor
and severe prixation. For a very little while
it seemed well enougii to have the word
preached in the small and inc(.>nvenient log
dwellings of tlie settlers, pjut soon tlie need
of a place of worship began to be felt. A
church was needed, and that meant work.
The productiveness of their primitive farms
was con]paratively limited; market prices were
low, and money was hard to get. The people
usually found it difficult even to pay their
taxes. Accordingly, instead, at first, of build-
ing a church, the use of Shoub"s Flail, on the
present site of the new City Hall, was secured
as a place of worship. Probably in this hall a
permanent organization of the Delaware Luth-
eran cingregation was effected. A coiistitution
was adopted Januar_\- jS, 1S21, and signed by
tlie Rev. Charles Flenkcl, pastor, and by fifty-
five lay members. During the space of some
se\-en years. Pastor Henkel continued to
serve this congregation. He resided at Colum-
bus, Ohio, wiiere he had cliarge of another
congregation. Ijut came to Delaware every four
weeks. Great success attended his labors, and
he was held in high regard by his hearers. He
preached in both the German and the English
languages, at first in Shoub's Hall, and then in
the old court room, wdiich was for some time
used as a place of worship.
After Fa>tor Fleiikel had been called away
I from his Columbus am! Delaware charges, a
i period of about fifteen years intervened, dur-
AND RIZPRESEXTATR'E CITJZEXS
ing wliich the congregation made considerable
progress in external growth ; but the interna!
growtVi seems to ha\e been meager. The old
constitution was neglected and almost fo'rgot-
ten. The people had almost lost sight of the
old landmarks of Lutheranism. Yet, during
this period of spiritual carelessness and indif-
ference, quite an amount of activity was dis-
played. The congregation was served tiv sev-
eral successive pastors. Rev. Mr. Shulz
served a very short time, and was followed bv
Rev. Mr. Weil. Rev. Mr. Snyder, a vr.ung
man of promising talent and i>; ;mmiI rcjiutc,
preached less than a }-ear ; he died in !''^35,
and his body lies at rest in the old cemetery.
Subsequently, the Rev. S. S. Klein served
some eight years, and, during'- his pastorate,
the first church was built about the }-ear 1S34,
on the corner of William and Henry Streets,
the site now occupied by the German Reformed
Chmxh. This church was the property of
both the Lutheran and the German Reformed
congregations. Quite an amount of real toil
and self-denial was required to accomplish the
work. The people contributed their money
an 1 their time, and the labor of building was
shared by both pastor antl per.ple. ]\Ir. Klein
worked faithfully and daily until the new
church was ready to be occupied. Previous
to the building" of the church, th.e Lutheran
people of Delaware had assisted, by their con-
tributions, in building the Episcopal Church,
in wdiich they also, for a time, conducted their
divine service.
The former pastor, the Rev. Charles Hen-
kel, died at Somerset, Fel>ruary 2, 1^41. His
death seems to have aruuscd th.e minds and
hearts of the people to a sense of duty. The
truth that had cheered and comforted them in
earlier days was once more remembered, and
a few weeks after they had heard of the death
of their former pastor, a meeting was held,
at which the old constitution was once more
unanimously adopted, and the blessing of a
merciful God invoked upon the cnngregatii^n.
About this time the Rev. Mr. Pope became
tlie pastor. But things do not seem to have
moved along smoothly; the readoption of the
old constitution made trouble, and some who
had learned to love the careless, free-and-easy
.system of church go\ernment, that had ii)r
some time prevailed, were not willing to be
go\-erned by the old power of Gtispel truth.
Accordingly, a committee was appointed in
November, 1845, to submit a rcA'ised form of
the constitution, as well as wa\-s and means of
having' it more stringently enforced. This
committee, consisting of John Hoch, George
Wachtcr ComTid Hrougher, John Triuitman,
]-rederick AV'ei'^er and Benjamin Ely, met on
tlie 7 5th lit Xiuember, and, at a subsequent
ini-i.-tip.g of the congregation, their work was
approxed and the re\"ised constitution adopted
by a large majority.
Li I1S4S, Mr. Pope remove<l from Dela-
ware, and, in 1849. the Rev. ]\L L'>y became
the pastor of the congregation. Mr. Loy la-
bored here \\ ith mu.ch success du.ring a period
of some sixteen years, hi the first years of
this period, the cunjoint ownership of the
church ])roperty on the corner of William and
Henry Streets was dissolved, and the new
stone church on AV'illiam Stieet was luiilt in
1S52, and has since been occupied by the con-
grega.tion. A new constitutieni, the one now
in use by the congregation, was adopted Au-
gust 31, 1832. The congregation increased
largel}- in mendiership, as well as in spiritual
lirosperit}- ; not. h("iwe\er, without trials and
perplexities. Yet the Lord dealt very gra-
ciously with his people, causing many eyes to
be oijened, so that the truth of His mighty
word was recognized and a:cepted. At this
tinie the contest with secret-societyism was
successfulh- waged. This is the liistor_\' of d
I .utheran congregation, and no one shiiukl ex-
pect, in such a liistory, to find any peculiarities
omitted. Xot, hi^we\'er, in reg;ird to this
question onh , Ijut in regard to all others, has
the congregation taken a tiuly Lutheran and
scriptural position. They wdio desire to form
a more intimate acquaintance with the doc-
trines of the Lutheran faith, ha\-e easy access
to them in our P<ook of Concord, and we con-
stantly challenge com[>arison of our doctrines
with the Holy Scr!|)tures themselves. They
are I'uir onl;.- rule of faith and practice. This
true piisition came to be occu[Med more and
248
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
mure (luring the period of 3vlr. Luy's ministry.
y[v. Ley resigned his pastorate here to accept
a professorsliip of theology in the Capitol Uni-
versity, Columhus, C)hio. where he sLi!! re-
nuiiji-^.
Prof. Loy'i fucces-or was the Rev. C. H.
L. ScliLiette, at that time a student of theulogy
in the Cajjitol University. The last baptism
administered hy ^Ir. Loy was on July 16,
1S65. and the first Ijy Yiv. Scliuctte was on
July 28th following, shewing ihat the va-
cancy in the pastorate was very short. Mr.
Schuette served the ]ieople very acceptaljly
during nearly eight years, ^vhen he, too. was
called to a chair in his Alma }vJater. Some-
time in the same \ear, 1S73. the l^ev.
Emanuel Cronenwett accepted a call tn this
congregation, and his lal>i irs here extend.ed
from June, 187^, to januarv, 1S77.
He was fnll.we,rin Rev. H. A. B^c^.cr.
who came to Ddaware .May 22. 1877, '" '"C"
sponse to a call extended hv the congregation.
He served the congregation faithfully until
liis death, which was in 18S4. Under his pas-
torate the o'lnmunicant membership was i'jui
hundred and fifty.
After the death of Rev. Becker the co;i-
giegation was wiih(jut a pn-l.'r for a space of
about seven months, Ijut finally succeeded in
securing the serxices of Rcw l^dward Pfeifler,
who came to Delaware early in the year 1885.
Under his ministry a divisii.m touk place in the
congregation occasioned by the secret society
question. An attempt was irade <:in the port
of some members to break down the pusitiitn
which the congregation had always hehl o\-er
against secretism. This effort failed of it-
purpose, liut residted in the withdrawal of
many members who thereupon, formed what is
now 3t. John's Lutheran congregation. Rev.
Pfeiffer continued as pastor until 1S90, when
he followed a call to Fremont, Ohio, and at
the present time is professor of theology in
Capitol University, Columbus, Ohio.
The next man to serve St. Mark's was
Rev. J. Sheatsley, wdio took charge Septem-
mer 18, 1890. Fie labored here faithfully and
with manifest blessing and success for a pe-
riod of seventeen years. During his adminis-
tration a commodious Sundav-school rcxjm
was built to the church, also a handsi.ime pi]>e
organ installed in the church auditorium. Fie
re.->igned his position here in August, 1907, to
follow a call to Columbus, where he is serving
as pastor ot Christ Chinxh, and alsi.> has
charge of religious instruction in Capitol Uni-
versity. Tb.e present pastor, Rev. F. B. Hax,
was installed October 6, 1907. St. ^Mark's at
present numliers some 300 communican.t mem-,
bers, is free from debt, and looks hoiiefully
into the future.
ZIOX REFOK.MKU CHl'KCil.
Among the pioneer families of Delaware
County, th.ere was a considerable numbej"
from F.ast Penns}-lvania. As they were all oi
German descent, and were Ijrouglit up in Ger-
man communities, they could feel themselves
properly at home only in their native fierman
element, and in the use of their own language.
Especially was this true in a religious \iew.
A characteristic of the Germans is that they
i carry Germany with them in their hearts
I wherever they go, and hence, wherever they
j put up tb.eir tents, there is "Dcr Deutschen
j \'aterland."' Even the blessed Gospel seems to
them more preciotis when it is proclaimed in
the trumpet tones of the language of Luther
and Zwingle.
These families generally belonged to the
Reformed and Lutheran Churches. They had
; found rich farms and cnmfortable homes here,
I but they were far away from their kindred.,
j and the holy altars wlu're they had b-een bap-
I tized and confirmed. They were not in their
j natural element. As the fish seeks the clearest
j ivater, and the bird the purest air, sn these
j pious souls sought a congenial spiritual home
j for themseK'es and their children. Xor did
: they seek in vain. The longed-for and happy
j hour came at last, wdien, in their own conse-
I crated temple and around their own sacred
I altar, they could thankfully and joyfully unite
I in their belo\-ed German Te Deum,
I ■■Xnii danket alle Gott,
i Mit Herzon. Muii't und Haenden,
[ Der Grosze Dingc tliur,
I .\n iins und alien Ender."
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
249
In tlie early history of Oliin and of Dela-
ware County, it is known that missionaries of
tlie Reformed Clnnch made occasional visits
to the German settlements for the pm-pose of
]ireaching- the Gospel and administering the
sacraments of tlie chnrch. The earliest name
definitely known in the history cf the present
Reformed Churcli of Delaware is the Rev.
Georsj Weisz. who in a report of missionary
lahors in 1821 >peaks of having preached in a
liome in the vicinity of Delaware. Henry W'il-
liard was another of the pioneer n!ini>iers who
visited Delaware. Under date of Eebruary 5,
1833, a deed for a jilot of gronnd at th.e si'mth-
east corner of W'illia.m and Henry Streets was
execnted by John Dax'is and 3ilar}-. his wife, li.i
Samnel Rheem, Gottlieb Albright ami llenja-
min Ely. consideration S75. This j)lo: of
ground seems to have been purchased for
church purposes, for the following entry,
taken from Delaware County recfirds, vol. 23,
p. 96, as found in "Historical ."^ketch of Zion
Reformed," by Jarub Klee. was made long
after the church building was erected :
"Recorder's Ofticc, Delaware. Ohio.
Sanmel Rheem and Sarah his v.ife. Gottlieb
Albright and Mary his wife, I'dijamin Ely and
Lydia his wiie,
to
Zion E\angelical Liuheran and Reformed
Church of Delaware. Ohio,
West part of Out-lot Two, Consider-
ation S75,
Consisting of one acre and erne hun-
dred and twenty rods.
Execnted Feliruary 7, 1S42. Recorded Feb-
ruary 15th, 1S42."
In the year 1834 there was erected on the
plot of ground abme referred to a chnrch edi-
fice, tlie joint priiperty of the Refi.^rmed and
Lutherans. It was built of stone, 30x45, and
cost 81,300. For three years before they were
organized into a church, the Reformed mem-
■tjers worshiped in this house, and hail the Gos-
pel preached and the sacraments administered
to them by the pastor of the Lutheran congre-
gatiiin. Rut few besides themselves knew
tha.t thev were Refrjrmed, and thev were com-
A. Al
apj.ri.j
? H-!y
iristian
Zion's
Th.:>se
i\-e of-
id in-
; monly regarded as members of the Lutheran
! Chnrch.
' Bv an act of the General Assemblv lanuarv
j 2^. 1S37, ]-redcrick Weiser, Samuel Rheem',
i Benjamin Ely, Jac.b .MilkT, Michael Kline
I and as.sociatc. were cieaied a boily politic anvl
I corporate to be known as Zion Eviingelical
I Lutheran anil Reformed Cliurch of Delaware.
i Ohio. In the same year the Refiirincd^ ur-
I ganized a sejjarate 1 'i-gaiii/ali' 'ii. 'i"i:r\- .-,e-
I cured the .service- df Kn. c.'. H.
I the necessar\- ^tel.- wen; laken. a;
i sermon was preached, and "m tlic n
i God the Father, and the S>ai and lb
i Ghost," they were declarerl to be a CI
I church, to lie known by the name of
[ Reformed Church, of Delaware, Ohio.
I who had been cliosen to fill tiie respeci
j fices were now solemn!}' ordaincl a-
stalled. Tlie church consisted of eighteen mem-
i hers. Its first elders were .\]>raham Call and
I IIenr\- Feglev. and its hrsi deaci:>iis. lacub Mil-
' ler and I.M-ael Breifogel. d'he frairiittle bark
was now ailoat on the sea.
This congregation stands in connectiou
with "Tlic Kenirmed Church t>f the United
States," is undei- its control, "and is in all re-
spects governed by its rules and regulations."
The contents of its faith are th.e Floly Scrip-
tures, as set forth in the Heidelberg Cate-
chism; and its go\'ernment. lioth in spirit and
form, is strictly presbyterial. Its aim is to
cherish and enjoy true. Christian freed'im, i.i
'oelieving, and cheerful obeilience to divine au-
thority and law. and to ol.itain salvation from
sin. and eternal life in Jesus Christ — the ".Al-
pha and Omega, the beginning and the end."
From the time of its org.anization the Re-
f(;rmed congregati<:)n occupied the church
built in 1S34. in common with the Lutherans.
And these twin sisters for many years [iro-
ceeded together as harmoniously and prosper-
ously as could reasonably lie expected. Still,
their relations were not always and in all re-
spects (jf the nii.ist satis factor}- character. At
last, it seemetl best to both parties to follow
the example oi .\l)raham and Li:>t. and the
uiur.n which, bad existed so long was fiuietly
dissolved. Tlie Rcforniedi bought the Luth-
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
eran interest in tlie 'Union Church."' giving
for it all the ground belonging to it, except the
lot on which the church stood, and ?-l.r>o in
cash. These $400, however, were to liijuidate
a debt still resting on the iirii])crty. This dis- I
solution was effected in April, 1852, during I
the pastorate of Rev. D. Rothrock.
In 1855 it was determined to remove the j
old stone church and suhstitrte for it one bet- I
ter sm'tcd to their wants. Accordingly, a nc.v j
brick edifice was erecred, 40x55 feet in size, j
with an end gallery, and a liaseuient arranged '
for a parsonage and lecture room. Its cost in |
money and labor was al)out .Sc.ooo. In 18' 18. j
this was remodeled by building an addition r)t |
twelve feet to its front, remoxing the galiery, j
etc. Other changes and impro\'ements were 1
made in 1877, co^ting together $2,300. This '
edifice, now 40x67 feet in size, is tiie one at '
present occupied by the congregation. j
The church has been served by the folkiu- j
ing ministers : Rev. C. H. A. Allardt served j
it from its organization in 1837 to 1839. He j
was succeeded in 1841 by Rev. Jacob \'an
Linge. who prosecuted his work until 1843. !
Rev. Henry Hess became pastor in 1844, and !
ser.-ed until i84(> I^uriuig tliis pastorale the :
weekly prayer meeting was introduced. After 1
a period of six luonths, Rev. S. K. Denius j
began his pastorate in the same year, and re- |
signed in 1851. Rev. D. Rothrock beca,me }
pastor in 1S52, and served one year. In 1854. |
Rev. yi. G. O. Stern became its pastor, and re- |
n'aincd unul 1857. In the sprin.g of i^'^'/. j
Rev. J. P). Till nipson began his labors as }
pastor and ser\ed until 1862. On the first 1
day of January, 1863. Rev. John \'ogt as- j
sumed pastoral relatimis and served until Jul}'
Dr. \'ogt, known as the 'AI
Parson," was called from his earthly tleld of
labor Sunday, Xovember 3. 1901. at his home |
on South Sandusky Street, Delaware. Dr. ;
\'ogt was followed in the pastorate 1)\' ti'e ,
Rev. L. E. C. Lahr. who^e pastoral reiati:'^ #
began Januar}- i. 1893. and cuntinued tnv.il
his death on .-Vpril 11. 1906. Dr. Lahr was >
followed by the Rev. John C. Gekeler, the pres- ■
ent pastor, who began his l.djors Se[)tembcr ,
15. 1907.
Numerous disad\'antages and obstacles
have iiripeded its irsefulness and prog-
ress from the start. Its original union
arrangement was never satisfactory, and
was. no fl.iubt, a hindrance to both
parties. I'or many x'ears, its ser\-ices
were conducted exclusively in Germ.an, and
many of its young people, and even entire
families, became dissatisfied and sought homes
in English churches. Since about 1875. ^'^^
use of the German lanininge has been d.isco:i-
tinueu in the conduct ui all pjublic services of
the church. The burden of debt under which
the congregation labored for years l.as been
entirely removed.
During the past f|u:n'ter of a century Zi'.'ii
Reformed Church has made substantial
growth in every way, her meniliership has in-
creased and her building improved at various
times. During the fall of 1904 a l>eautiful
pipe organ was installed at a cost of $1,500.
The congregati(.)n at present is engaged in se-
curing a home for its pastor. The s-^cieties
of the congregation are the Sunday School,
Ladies' Aid Society, the Zwingle Alissionary
Societ}', and a Society of Christian Endeavor.
The membership is three hundred and twen-
ty-tive.
THE GERMAN METHODI.ST EPISC0P.\L CHl'KClf.
This church dates back to 1S36. In that
year. Rev. William Xast, D. D., the first Ger-
man missionary of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, traveled through Central Ohio from
the ri\-er to the lake, preaching daily to the few
German settlers, here anrl there, who had
sought a home in this Western country. On
these mission tours. Dr. Xast passed through
Delaware and preached to the few of his coun-
trymen who were willing to hear his tidings.
About 1844, the Rev. Jnhn Barth. the German
pastor at Columbus, traveled through Dela-
ware and r\Iarion Counties, and once more
looked up the Germans, in the interest of the
Methodist Church. In the re\ i\al meetings'
which he held, many were converted and
joined the ^lethodist Church. This wa- the
beginning of the German Church in Dela-
ware.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
251
These people were poor and few, and their
nitetiugs were held at first in priwnte houses.
When these were filled, they moved, first to
the stone schoolliouse at the corner 6i Frank-
lin and Winter Streets, then to the old ^vletho-
dist Onnxh, one square south, and tlien to
the old academy on Hill Street. In 1S46, the
Rev. John Kindler became the pastor for one
year, and in 1S47, the Rev. G. A. Erauning'.
Duriny his pastorate, a little frame church
was built on a lot on Henry Street, j^'iven by
the first member of the cliurch — Father Al-
bright. It was not long, however, that the lit-
tle building on Henry Street was large enough
to hold the congregation, and. in 1S54. under
the pastorate of the Rev. G. Xachtriel>. a lot on
Hill Street was bought, and the present brick
church erected and dedicated in 1S55, by
Bishop Simpson. From 1845. Delaware and
Galioa had constituted one nu'^si'^n, but in
1854 Delaware became se]f-supp:'ning', and
was made a separate statii^n. Since the estab-
lishment of the mission, twenty-lour iiroachers
and assistants ha\-e labored in this work.
Delaware belonged to the Xorth Ohio C'jr;-
ference until 1865. when the German Confer-
ences were organized, since which time it has
been attached tn ihe Central German Confer-
ence.
The memljcrship of the church has not
been permanent, owing to the constant migra-
tion to the West, antl the aggregate has never
exceeded one hundred and fifty memliers. For
many year.s the church declined on account of
deaths, remowals, and fewer persons desiring
to hear prfeaching in the German language.
The society disorganized about four years
ago, and the building was sold in 1907 to
\\'illiam Xye. The audience njcmi is still used
for a mission, conducted by I. S. Walters, and
is filling a needed place in the religious life of
Delaware.
FIRST CONGREGATIOXAL (WF.I^SIl) CHURCH.
This church was organized in 1S44. The
first Welsh sermon preached in Delaware was
delivered by Rev. George Lewis in the year
1 841, at the residence of 'Sir. Henrv Thomas.
on Washington Street, between William and
Winter. Prayer meetings were held from time
to time at this house from 1841 to 1844. In
this year the congregation was organized with
the Rev. Rees Powell as pastor, and \\'n]\
twenty-two charter members, viz.: Henry
Thomas an.d wife, John E. Davis and wife,
John Rowland and wife, John Rowland. Sr.,
Reese Price. George Pugh. David Thomas,
John E. ]nne>. Robert lioHn-. Thr.nias Row-
lands. Willliam Rowlands, John E. Davis.
Edward Williams. i\Iary Jones, Elizabeth
Jones, Catherine Rowlands. Jane Rowlands.
The first services were held in a small frame
schiiol house between William and Winter
Streets, which was purchased and used until
1S58. when a brick structure was erected on
A\'mtcr Street, between Liberty and Elizalielh
Streets, Rev. Powell cniitinued pastur until
1862, when Re\-, ]oh\\ 11. Jones became pas-
tor, and served until in tlic So's, The memljcr-
ship remained in all these years about the
same. bet\veen twenty and thirty. The serv-
ices were held in the Welsh language and the
children did not learn this language, and so
one by one dropped a\\-ay.
Se\-eral years ago, ser\-ices ceased to be
held in this church, and tlie building was sold
to the Public School Board and has been re-
moved and the ground now forms part of the
north lawn of the West School Building.
ST. >t.\Rv's CHURCH, DF.L.VWARE, OHIO.
• The Catholics of Delaware and the sur-
I rounding country did not furm a regular ccin-
gregation and had no resident pastor until the
1 year 1856, when the .Most Rev, J. B, Purcell,
I bishop of the L^iocese oi Cincinnati, sent the
' Rev, Caspar Wiese. a middle-aged German
I jirie.st. to undertake the spiritual charge of the
j few people who professed the Catholic religion
I and resided in the city or neighborhood. But
I for fully twenty years previous to that date,
j missionary priests from all over the State had
visited at \'ery irregular times, the little tiock
for the purjjo^e oi administering the sacra-
ments, and of en.couraging those, who, in spite
of their complete isolation, had tenaciously
HISTORY OF DFLAWARl:; COUNTY
clunp V) llie religion of their forefaihcr;.. As
early as 1S34 s'lme Gorman Calhnlic taniilies
had settled in Delaware, among whom were
Gerhard Xuss, Chistopher Kirehiicr, and-la.-.t
hut wA least, Adam Miller, the lather of our
siill-livini;-, old and respected tinvnsnian. -Mar-
tin Miller of West Winter Street. ' It may
be stated here as the plain truth, that luid it
not been for the deeply religious zeal an.d piety
of said Adam Miller, little if any trace oi dis-
tinctly Catholic worship would have been wit-
nessed in Delaware in all those years until
late in the fifties and the l:ieginning of the six-
ties, when a large ntimber of Irish CatltMlics
came and settled in East Delaware. It 'is not
known positively whether any Calhr.lic clergy-
man visited Delaware until i8,v'S <'i' I'^^^VJ. l'"t
on or about that time. Father Voung fmrn
l^ancaster, Ohio, is renieuihered to h.ave
readied the town and to h.a\e ceie-l>ratei_: ih.e
first !Mass, said or sung i)i Delaware, in t!ie
front room of a small frame Iviuse still stand-
ing today on the south side of I'ark Avenue
near Franklin Street in South Delaware, and
wdiich was the residence of Adam Miller. J'rom
then until 1850, only, or possibly twice a year,
would a Catholic missionary priest make his
appeal ance and remain over Sunday. But in
the meantime, and regularly e\'ery Sunday
morning, Mr. Adam Miller would convert his
hont room into a little church, gather therein
as many of his Catlmlic neighbors as he C(iu!d
notify, and devoutly preside over that part of
the Catholic Vv-orshi]i wdiich laymen could jicr-
form in the absence of a priest, such as the
recitation of the Rosary, the singing of hymns.
the reading of the Gospels nf the Snndav and
Catechetical instruction. It was thus that the
spark of faith and religion was kejit up and
transmitted by these few pious and simple-
hearted people to their children. In iS^o the
number of Catholics in Delaware had in-
creased somewdiat ; they were visited more
regularly l)y the neighboring priests of Ceilum-
bus. and finally they purchased a lot on I'ni-
versity A\enue, on which a few^ years later,
in 1854, under the direction of Rev. Caspar
Borgess, afterw.-irds bishop of Detroit, thev
erected a little frame church, wh.^se size, how-
ever, answered the pui'],iose of their still very
small riitmber for many years to come.
FVom 1850 to J 856 the little clnircli was
attended irrcgularl_\- by l^'ather Piorgess and
other clergymen from Columbus, jind carefully
kept uj) by the few devoted iiiniioer; who had
helped to erect it. Anrnig iliem. weie many
who may be still reiucnihered by tlie ]>reseiU
generatio,n, such as .\dam Miller, the patriarch
of all of them. Ins smu, :Martni :\firipr. John
Shea, wdiose home near the church wa~ at all
times hospitabh open tu the visiting ]>rie^ts,
George Kraus,'j.din B. Zcllcr, Thr'.mav Mc-
Donald, the father of our well knr.wn and
prosperous ceuitractor, James McDonald,
Christnpher Kirchuer. John Grady. Sr.. James
Cantwell and a few others. At this time,
hriwc\er. all of those tirst pioneers nf St.
Mary's Church have go'ie into eterniiy. with
the exception oi ^lartin Miller, wh;."i. in spite
of hi^ ripe old age. i> still ep.j'iyiiig ihc best
of health in our mid.'-i. and gi\e> g". "! pronn'se
to rnitlix'e many others wlio came to Delaware
long after him.
Towards the end of the year 1856. the lit-
tle congregation ha\ing recei\-ed many acces-
sions by the immigration of a numbei' of Irish
families. Rev. Caspar Wiese was installed as
the first permanent i)astor. Init there being no
pastoral residence. Martin Miller, wdio lived
then in the old brick house still standing on the
southwest corn.er of W'illiam and Union
Streets, shared his bouse with the forlorn
clergyman, and along with Jrhn Shea took
care that the newl_\- appointed pastor was made
as comfortable as possible with the scanty sal-
ary tlie still very small congregation could
furnish him. From that time until today,
Delaware was never without a resident priest.
In the early fifties, \vhen the Springfield rail-
road was being Iniilt. at least two hundred
Irish Catholic families from the neighlxjr-
hood of Listowel. County Kerry. Ireland, es-
tablished themselves in East Delaware, and
remained there permanently even after the con-
structi'in of the railniad. The number of
Cathulies in Delaware increased at once al-
most tenfold, and the original little frame
church could not hold one-fourth of them.
AXD REPRrLS]-:XTATIVE CITIZENS
253
Rt:\-. Henry Et'lilings. wliti was one of the ir.i-
iiU'Iialc successors nf Failici' W'iesc. u-enl to
V. "rl<, therefore, with much \im and energ-y.
\' enlarge the chnrch. hut the people -ijeing all
]■■ '•']■. it \\a< inipii.-isihle to hn'd an entirely
ne\> clunch. lie stnu'lv. tlicrefore. iip(;;r, ri
\ery pccuh':ir ami ingenious idea, seldom, it
e\er. carried out anywhere before him. and
wliirh for t\\ enty-fi\x years lo come, certainly
made St. Mary"s Cliurch in Delaware a siir.ie-
wliat fjncer and unsighth' architectural curi-
osity. IV) the little frame church a much
higher and \\ ider Ijrick addition wa- in some
wa)- attaclied, a process which gave to the
buildiing a> a whule, a most curious and in-
c<Tngruotr> ai'jiearance outside and in>id,ir. In
I'ather h'ehling's niinrl. this impni\'emeni was
ti' he tint a tempi^rar) shifl for ()1)taining
r. lom. and h.-;d he entertained the remotest
suspicion that this ungainly and uirsiglnly
editice would remain -there for a quarter cf a
centuiy. he would certainly never have thought
of erecting it. The wlmle of it was onh- de-
molished in 1887.
During I-'athur Fehlings" administratioir
the congregatiiin of St. Mary's also purchased
■n old store ro. an and frame house adjoining
the church on Uni\-ersity Avenue, which build-
ings served, like the church, for twenty-five
years, as panjchial schno! and pastoral resi-
dence. Had Rev. Heiu')- ]-\dilings remained
in Delaware, there is little doubt that in a very
few years all these old, unsightly and dilapi-
dated buildings wb.ich were p.;ri.ha-ed >:!r.;j'y
for emergency and temporary !,)urpci-;es, v\rju]d
SDon have made room for something ni'ire
suitable. Rut Father Fehliug.- was removed
very suddenly and abrujjtly to other held.^ of
labor, and then there came upon St. Mary's
Church and congregation a period of f-jrpor
and sleepiness as to any material progress, sel-
dom witnessed in a congregatiiin which num-
bered in 1S69 at least one thousand souls.
Owing chiefly to very indifferent tlirection on
tlte part of the many pastors who succeeded
each other from 1S64 to 18S4. perhaps also to
the lack of initiative and encouragement -."in the
part i,f the people, little or m.i attempt was
made in the following twenty years, to im-
prove the old church pro|ierties, which soon
j became *:> dilapidated looking that they were
! a i)ositi\-e disgrace to the street on which they
I stood. Only once during that sleepy period,
1 in 18S0, was there a .Nlight a.wak-ening. Tw.)
j large lots oti Ti^ast Wdliam Street were con-
! iracted for during the pastoratv of Rev. X. E.
i Pilgcr. with the vagi,.- iniruuou of building
I a new church therei-n in the faLUic. llow-
! e\-er, in J884. when ilie pres.jnt i-ei"t"r of St.
^Lary's. Rev. Fh. Steylc. came to Delaware,
thc-e lots v, ore ■nily ;ib.-ut one-half paid for.
and there -eenied to be little jirospccl for erect-
ing a r.ew cliurch. Rut precisely in that year
of 1884, .a new ami siui'risiug period of activ-
itv succeeded tlvose twenty years of neglect
and tor])i(l carelessness. In less than six years",
] that is from the spring of 1SS5 until 1 890,
j under the direction and initiative of the pas-
I tor and the hearty co-operation of nearly all
the members of the ch.urch, a most beautiful
and large brick and stone cliurch. a school
bouse, a pastoral residence and a sisters"
house sprung up. as if liy magic, on East Wil-
liam and ffenry Streets, and were almost paid
for immediately by the congregation. Froin
worshipping in tlie nx-anest and iriost dilapi-
dated looking church in Delaware, the mem-
bers of St. Aiarv's Churc'i in tliis rear of
008,
bt.
ss. without tiie slightest
the most \aluable. and arciiitecturaily speak-
ing, the linest looking chureii property in
Delaware. St. iMary's congregation, includ-
ing many farmers, numbers at this date in the
neighborb.ood of 1,400 souls. The new S:.
Marv's cemetery adjc.iining Oak- Gro\-e, was
ptu'chased and S'tlemnly consecrated by Bishop
Watterson in i89c^ In the following list w-e
give the names of tlie clergymen Avho acted
as pastors of St. Hilary's Church, from the
vear 1S56 to the present year, 1908: Rev.
Caspar \Viese from 1856 to i860. Rev. Jo-
seph F""itzgerald and his brother, Rev. E. M.
Fitzgerald, from i860 to 1862. Rev. iMc-
Sweeney to 1S63. Rev. Henry Fehlings from
186^ to i86<9. Rev. Joseph ^^IcPhilips from
i8rx) to 1874. Rev. A. O. Walker, J. B.
Schmi.lt and J. C. Croldschmi<lt each, f'.r a
few- months in succession. Rev. X'. E. Pilger
254
HTSTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
from uSjt to July, 1SS4. and from September,
I 18S4, to the present year. iyo8, Rc\ . Ph.
Steyle, who is therefore fulfilliiio' tlie twenty-
! fourth vcar of his long pastorale of St. Marv's
I C'lnueii'.
I AFKICAX MF.TlfODIST EPI.SCOl'AI. CnL'RCH.
OF DFLAWARF., OHIO.
■ This church — v.itliin the bounds of the
i Xorth Ohio Annual Conference, since its ior-
, mation in ]88^, but originally in the Ohi'j —
■ was organized late in the fall of 1845, '^''^
I Rev. Daniel Winslow becoming- its first pastor,
i being appointed to its pastorate by the Rt.
■ Rev. Bishop Paul Ouinn, frnin the Ohio An-
i nual Conference, which convened in Colum-
; bus. Ohio, October 18, 1845. 'fi"^ coiner-
stone of the first building was laid in 1853.
and ere long Zion A. M, E. Church was dedi-
cated. In 1876 it was razed and rebuilt. The
cornerstone of this new edifice was laid by
Rev. John \A'. Lewis ; the w alls completed and
building roofed by Rev. J. B. Stansbury, and
the buildiiig finislied, seated and opened bv
Rev. N. :\L "Alitchell.
Du'ing the pastorate of Rev. Jesse Hen-
derson, 1880-3, ''^ feud rent this church, and
some of its mi:ist substantial members, being
unjustly expelled, remained out and formed
what is now Trinity M. E. Church. On the
j whole, it is safe to say at this writing the A.
I M. E. is the leading church among the petji)!e
' of African descent in the city. Three of its
I ex-pastors have reached the bishopric, name!}' :
John ?d. Brown, James A. Shorter, and C. T.
"Shafi'er. One, O". J. W. Scott, is at present
chaplain in the L'nited States army. While
some of its pastors showed clearly the driings
of slavery, yet among them have been found
-; polished men; teachers, jurists, theologians,
orators, Christian scholars, and some of these
were ex-sla\-es. There has lieen some dross,
too, among the gold; some p\-gmies amid the
giants; yet, somehow, CimI h;i^ u-cd this dross
and these pygmies for his glory and the goorl
of men.
One of the jxitent forces of this churc'i,
has b.een its native-b^irn sin"er>. Mr. Wil-
liam PL Alston, its chorister for years, pos-
sessed, say critics, one of the finest basso
voices in the slate, if nut in the country, he,
with his brother, F. B. Alston, being two of
the "stars" in the far-famed original "Dijna-
van's Tennessee Jubilee Singers."
Its pastiirs have been ; Revs. Daniel Win-
slow. Chas. }\'iers. Nelson Turban. Jesse Di-
vine, Levin fimss, Alex. Austin. W. B.
Lewis. William Davidson. .Mien Brown, John
Ridgewa%-, T"hn Tibbs. LTiric^ A. Shorter,
John AL 'Brown. E. D. DaVis, T. W. Roberts,
Rev. Grafton PI. Graham, the historian, phil-
osopher, theologian and polished orator,
Stonewall Jackson, Robert Ilurlev, lesse As-
burv, lohii Rickman. W. D. M'itchell. Na-
thaniel M. [Mitchell, G. W. Maxwell, John F.
Hamilton. P. Alston, H. A. Jackson, C. T.
ShalTer, John W. Lewis |. B. Stan^burv,
Tesse PIcnderMm. D. E. Cabman, O. |. W.
Scoit. I. D. Singleton. H. W. Tonev. L. E.
Johnson. R. P,. P. Wright. R. G. .\iortimer,
jes.-e PL Smith, E. Fort. J. ^1. Tate.
The foregoing list of pastors may not be
in exact order, as it was obtained from the
older members and citizens as they remember
them.
The present pastor. Rev, N. ]M. ^litchell,
is duplicating himself, having ser\ed as pas-
tor here quite a Cjuarter of a century ago. Tlie
present edifice is in fairly good repair, with a
membership of sexenty-six and seven proba-
tioners.
Prom Rev. N. M. }>Iitchell it is learned that
while the Ohio Annual Conference was in ses-
sion in this church in .Vjiril. i8f»5, a dispatch
was recei\ed saying, "Pre-i'lent Lincoln lias
been assassinated." In a feu' hours— the same
day — a secmd di.-patcli c;ime, saying: "Jl'il-
bcrforcc luis l\-rii burned to the groiuid." This
was tiie only college owned l.\v the church.
ST. P.\L'L's >rETirODIST EPISCOPAL CIU'KCH.
St. Paul's Methodist lipiscopal Church, of
Delaware, Obio], wa'^ origin.ally within the
bounds of the North Ohio Conference, Init at
die Genend Conference for the year i8''-o it
•' was transferred to the (Jiiio Conference, to
AXD REPRESEXTATI\-E CITIZHXS
255
which it now Ijelonys. In the fall of the year
185J. the Rev. John Ouigley was appointed
by the Xortli Ohio Conference to organize a
cliurch witliin ;the southern Ixiundarics of
Delaware to accommodate the membersin'p of
tliat portion of the. tlicn. village of Delaware.
']'he early records of the organization seem to
have been lost or destroyed. The first official
record of this church now extant is dated Oc-
tober 16, 1858. and includes the names of per-
sons who afterward became prominent minis-
ters of the Methodist Episcopal Church, for-
eign missionaries, college professors anil
business men of Delaware, and elsewliere.
Jacob T. Caples was the pastor in charge, and
Samuel Lynch, agent of the O. W. I^ College.
The local preachers were: Thomas Scott,
Stanley Stevens. George Lansing Taylor, J.
Bushong. L. }. Powell, Isaac Crook. Xailian
Sites, i. -Alasi. II. J. Clark. The exhoriei->
were H. 'Si. "Perkins. T. G. DeardortY. lojm
Sites, W. B. Edwards! L. P. Smith. "The
stewards were John A. Clippinger. Hiram
Hull, Charles Xi"el, Xathan Ely, Paul Randall.
The class leaders v,ere W'atjoii Karr, Isaac
Crcok, X. P.. Edwards. James G. Deardorff,
"\v'. O. Semans, Xathan Sites. George Lansing
I'aylor, Samuel Burkholder, H.^ M. Per-
kins.
From this (.late, the ot^cial records are re-
plete with such names as Dr. F. Merrick',
Prof. William Godman, Prof. lohn P. Lanorx.
]\Iichael T- Cramer, Prof. H." S. B. Xewton,
Prof. F.'S. Ployt. John F. Thompson, Rev.
Edward Thompson (afterward bishop), and
many others. But in the space all'ittcd us
for this sketch, it would be impossible to name
the many useful and afterwards prominent
men and women whose names are fouml on
the official records of this church, and tlie
reader must look to the l)iographica! portion
of this volume and to other sources, to com-
plete the list.
■ But while we are unable to give a com-
plete history of the organization of the church.
we can give a complete list of the pastors who
have ser\ef! it from its organization down to
the present time. Beginning with the lir^t,
the following is the list:
Rev. [ohn Ouiglev 18^2-1854
Rev. Thoma's F. Hildreih 1S54-1S56
Rev. L. B. Gurlev 1856-18^8
Rev. Jacob T. Caples 1858-18^9
Rev. PI. S. Bradley 1S59-1860
Rev. James F. Given 1860-1861
Rev. T. PI. Philips 1861-1862
Rev. F. S. Hoyt 1802 1863
Rev. I. r^[. lamesrju 1863-1865
Rev. A. ]i. \\'indsor 1S6V1867
Rev. George W. Brush. . . 1867-Tan. 2:;. 1868
Rev. L. B. Gurley Jan. to Oct.. 1868
Rev. Davirl PI.;\Ioore(now Bishop) 1808-1S70
Rev, Joseph H. Creighton 1870-1873
Rev. Isaac Crook 1 87 V 1874
Rev. Robert \V. ^lanlev 1874-1875
Rev. Samuel A. Keen 187^1878
Rev. T. C. lackson, Ir 1878-18S1
Rev. tnnoLhv \V. Stanlev. 1 88 i-^Iay 18, 1883
Ik-v. F. Merrick and otliers, :\Iay to Oct., 1883
Rev. Isaac F. Kmg 1883-1884
Rev. John W. Dihon 1884-1886
Rev. is-aac Crook 1886-1888
Rev. B. L. :McElroy i8So- iSoo
Rev. I. H. Gardner 1890-1891
Rev. "D. C. Thomas 1891-1896
Rev. \V. F. Oldham (now Bishop) 181/1-1898
Rev. Carl G. Doney 1898-1900
Rev. Arthur :\I. ^lann 1900-190.}.
Rev. R. F. Bishop 1904-1905
Rev. i-Iomer J. Smith 1905-1907
Rev. B. D. Evan> 1907-
St. Paul's started with a membership of
about thirty persons, most of whom had been
members of the parent cliurch (William
Street). Since then it has grov.-n in numbers
from year to year, until, at the present time its
membership is six hundred. It has a prosper-
ous Sabbath school with an average attend-
ance of abotit three hundred persons. From
its organization it has been essentially a mis-
sionary church. It was in this church that the
first auxiliary of die Woman's Home ]\Iis-
sionarv Society was organized, on July 27,
1880. It is replete with missionary work, and
societies; an annual collection is taken for the
general work or parent society. It has a well-
organized and well-supported Woman's Plome
Missionary Societv, a successful Woman's
'.--.6
HISTORY OF DrX AWARE COUXTV
I'oreign ]\lissii'nriry Society, a young w.oman's
home missionary society called "The Queen Es-
ther Circle," a Young Woman's Foreign Mis-
si. marv Societ\-. a chiltlren's socicL\ known as
tho nonie Gnanls. The Sahhath sch.iM is or-
g.an-.ed into -t missionary Mxiety. It has als^.i
a La.lies's Aid Socictv. to which the most ni
thf ladies of the churdi hel.ing. It suppnrts r
Juyiii.r Epwurtli Lea.gue. tu which the m- ist
of the children of the church under fourteen
years of age belong. .\nd it has a prosper-
ous Senior Epworih League with a meniher-
ship of al.iout one hundred and lifty persons.
an^l this League is entitleil to ,,vk- of the tir.-t
charters issued under the auspices ui the or-
ganization. ImmediateJy after it was or-
gani^^ed, hy a committee who met in the city ',{
Cleveland,' Ohio, the Re\ . Samuel .\. ]\e-L'ii,
who was a member of the (..'omniittee of i )r-
ganizatii3n, on his way liome fri;;n the n^xi-
ing. stopped at Delaware V: visit his former
postorate, St. Paul's Church, and Re\ . B. L.
McElroy. who was then its pastor in cliavge.
Dr. Keen, wlio was full of ilie spirit of the
League, made S(jme remarks at the Wednes-
day eveo.ing pi;i\-er meeting m reference to
the League, ami imiiK-diately alter the close
of the prayer ser\ice, St. Paul's Epworth
League was organized, and a charter called for
b}- telegram. This League is one of the most
zealous organizations of the church, anil (jiie
of the most potent factors in jnomoting' its
good. The young people of this congregation
had been well trained for an orgainza.tion of
rhis kind, under the pastorate of Rev. T. W.
Stanley, during the time he had ser\ed the
churcli (which was from the fall of 1881 to
the spring of 1S83). .-\ \'ery successfid young
people's meeting bail been organized and it |
was well prepared to take up tlie work of the
league. an<l it is behexed that much of the
good it has accrmiplisheil in after years is due
to the spirit and zeal it received from that
first organization of the young people of the
church.
St. Paul's has sent to tlie foreign and home
missionary fields more than fifty missionaries
and teachers, which is believed to be a greater
number than any other Methodist Episcoi>al
church has sent since its organization. The
following is a list of the persons v.ho ha\e
been sent out from tliis clunxh, and the sev-
eral fields t<:i which they have gone :
Armenia — X. A. iMorjickian.
Mexico— -Galdino Guilerrez.
Porto Rico— Charles W. Drees.
Korea Lillian X. Pbirris, ^l. ]).; Marv
\\'. Harris.
Singapore— Charles S. Bu.chanan, .Mrs.
Emilv Earlv Puchanan, .Merrill C. .Miller.
S^aith .\fr:c,l~^Frs. Pclle Gates Fhnes,
James L. DeWilt, Mrs. P.yrna Adams De-
\\"itt. \"irginia Swarnistead (now Coliin).
Japan— Rev. Harry B. Swartz. :\Irs. :\Liry
Frazicr Swartz, .\nna A". Ping, L'me Ha-
mada. Lenora Seed.s, Mnble Seeds, Fannie
G. Wilson. Marv Wilson ( .v ,w i ■.iidianan) .
South Anu-rica— Rev. Jol.n I-. Thompsun,
Re\-. George P). l-roo-utt. Re\-. P. B. Cupiiclt,
Rev. Jcihn P. RceiK-r. leanctte Car|)enter,
Charles H. Wertenborger."
Lidia — Rev. 'i'homas J. Scott. Rev. .Archi-
bald Gilrulh, Re\-. Le\an R. fannev. Rev.
William A. Mansell, }>Irs. Hcttv ".Mans'ell ^ion-
roe. Rev. Xobic L. Rocke}-. .M'rs. APary Had-
sell Rockey. Annie Gallimore. Marion Xew-
ton. ^Irs. Phila Keen Linzell. Xora Waugh.
Myrtle Bare (now F'aucett).
China — Rev. X'atlian Sites, Rev. George
R. Da\is, Rev. Hiram H. Lowry, Mrs. Hi-
ram H. Lowry. Rew Xathan J. Plumb. Clem-
ent M. L. Sites. Ruth Sites (now Bruwnj,
Rev. J. F. Hayner. George D. Lowry, M. D.,
Airs. Cora Calhoun Lowry, Edward K. Lowry,
Mary E. Schockley (now Drake), George L.
Davis. Titus J,owe.
To the home missionary field in the south
it has sent — Afiss Alarie Disney. Miss Bene
Disnev, AP'ss Winifred :^Ivser,' Aliss Xellie
Carson, Alis. Alfieda Myse'r.
The first church, a good substantial brick
building, was erected alxnit the year 1856, on
the same site where the present church now
stands. It cost over $5. 000, and was built
during the pastorate of the Rev. Thompson F.
Hildreth. The following are the names of the
trustees to whon, the deed was made: Edwanl
Thompson (afterward bishoi)), John Ogden,
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
y. R. Watkins. O'c Roe. Jlirain Hull. Samuel
Kuowk's. Miss ]-"idelia I'erkins and Mrs. .\nn
Durklioldcr aud lames 1\. i'.rittain. The ilec^l
Lane, three of St. Paul's faithful workers, a
is iigiK-(l l)v Elnatlian C. (Irivitt and wile, and
Sabhath school was oryanized which, met for
is dated ^lav ^i. A. 1).. 18-,;.
a short tmie under tlie trees near the corner of
The parsouag'e was lioug'lit alxnit tlie year
Liberty and Harrison Streets. Later a room
1869. aud adjoins the ciuu'cii site on the east.
was securerl, and tinalUy the present church
Both are located on the southeast ci.irner ot
Erauklin Street and L'ni\ersity .\\-en.ue "V.
one i.:t the hij;hest jxiints in tlie city, iiufl are
visible for nules troiu all (iireetions. Luring
the years of 1S73 and i^^J4. tuider the pastor-
ate of Dr. Isaac Crook, and t'.ie leadership cif
Prof. John P. Patterson, superintendent 'if tlie
Sabbath school, the church .i;re\\ >!i rapidly in
numbers that it became neci-s-ary to arr;in-e
for m<ire room aud ^le.iUr *;ici!ities tri accom-
modate the Sabbath scii^ ■■ ■!. An aildilion to the
old church liad been ordered, but in excavat-
ing fcjr the new portion, the foundation of the
okl p.art was undernu'ned antt the rear w.ill fell
w ith a crash w hich was hcaid all i_n-er the city.
This necessitated the building of a new
clun-ch. After se\-eral adjourned sessions of
the Quarterly Con feicncc :\ soliciting ci.immit-
tee was ajjjjointed who reported to an ad-
journed ses,>ion that the\- had procured sub-
scriptions sufficient to justify the beginning of
the new church. .\ Building C(^mmittee was
chosen, consisting of the following- named
persons : John Lane, Prof, PI. ^1. Perkins.
Thomas Cra\eu. James R. Lytle and J. Erost.
Dr. Ralph Hills was selected as the architect.
who donated his service's, and the new church
was at once liegun. In a few mon'hs a sub-
stantial two-story l)rick church. 60 by 90 feet,
ornamented with stiine trimmings, was under
roof, and the first story finished at a cost of
about 813,000. The church was afterward
completed at a cost of about S12.ooo.so that the
present church structure has cost about S25.-
000. The present parsonage was built at a
cost of about $3,500, and was comi)leted in
the spring of the year 1S9S.
St. Paul's, with its well established mis-
sionary spirit, laid the foundation for the first
mission church in Delaware. The pastorate
of Rev. Joseph H. Creighton was marked by
the beginning of Faith Church, or Merrick
Chapel. Under the leadership of Mrs. Mary
,hich
;t apa:
i been
dicated on
^yt. a
id in
a sei
a rate
belove
d by
t the
men-
ani'.in
;• the
r\ ot
St.
t the
lame
111 an
1 ef-
i edifice was erected. '
i the fourth day of Jan
1898, the same w.-i>
; church, and has always been weU 1
i St. Paul's.
Time and space would not pern"
tion of the many faithful servaiU^
laity of thi.> church. But a ]\\Ai
! Paul's wotild not l;e complete withoi
I of Mrs. .Mary Knowles, the faith
I ticient teacher of tlte infant class in the Sab-
bath school. She took charge of this class on
' the first Sunday in September, A. D., 1S68,
] and has had charge of it continuously ever
j since. Lull}- a generation has parsed away
j since she first had cliarge of thio class, and to-
, (hy many whr) ha\'e been her ])upils are oc-
cupying high positions in state, church, mis-
1 sionary fields and social circles, and in the
j great hereafter hundreds will arise and call
I her blessed.
1 St. Paul's raises, anntially, f(jr the support
of the church about $2,500. It pays its pas-
I tor $1,500 per year. The remaining $1,000 is
j used for lighting, heating, organist, janitor,
! insurance and other necessary expenses of the
I church. St. Paul's is without a debt, except a
I dcl't of gratitude, wdiich it owes to the many
j faithful pastors who ha\-e served it. It owes
I much to its leaders, stewards, trustees, Sab-
I bath school superintendents and teachers,
j the many other constant workers among its
j laity wdio have done so much to promote its
I good. But most of all, it is indebted to the
I great God to whom it prays, and in whom it
implicitly trusts, aud from wdiom all its bless-
ings flow.
THE FIRST B.\PTIST CHURCH. ' ••
The First Baptist Church was organized
Augu.st 6, 1853, with thirty-seven members.
The Rev. E. G. Wood was soon after called as
HTSTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
tlie tirst pa-tMr arid -ervcJ un'Lil May. 1855.
The. church held its meetings in Templar Hall
until its house of worship was built. In }tlarch,
1854, the society purchased a lot on North
Franklin Street, and a church building was
he,.:- erected, and dedicated. Au.ej'ust i, 1858.
Suice the first pastor, the church has had ten
regular pastors, who served as follows: Rev.
FJias fieorge from October, 1855. to April,
1856; Rev. James Harvey, from May, 1856,
to April, 1862; Rev. P. Kennedy, from -May,
1S62, to May, 1865; Rev. D. A. Randall, from
August, 1866, to April, 1867; Rev. A. J.
Lyon, from September, 1867, to April. 1870;
Rev. L B. Toombs, from April, 1870, to July,
1871; Rev. B. L George, from March, 1873.
to March, 1S74; Rev. G. T. Stanbury, from
November, 1874, to November, 1876; Rev. T.
L Sheppard, from September, 1877, to ^Lay,
1878; the Rev. J. W. Icenharger. from Octo-
ber, 1878, to 1884; Rev. E. A. Stone, from
1884 to 1886: Rev. A. H. Batchelder from
18S6 to 1889; 1890, no pastor; Rev. Charles
C. Haas from 1891 to 1892; Rev. J. B. Wood-
land from 1892 to 1894; 1895, no pastor;
Rev. Albert Read, from 1896 to 1S9C;; Rev.
H. C. Lyman from 1900 to 1904; Rev. C. M.
Brodie from 1905 —
During the last year of J. B. Woodland's
pastorate, a church meeting was called to see
if tlie church would take action on the build-
ing of a new house of worship, having long-
felt the need of larger and better accommoda-
tions. At that time the church v-as S200 in
debt, and some of the members thought 't
was too great an undertaking, but before the
meeting closed the church voted unanimously
to build, and a committee was chosen with in-
structions to proceed at once. The Lord was
evidently with the committee, and they real-
ized that "except the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain who build it."' The work
went on steadfastly, and harmoniously to the
end. The bills were all paid vvhen due, ex-
cept a few hundred dollars which were sul>-
scribed and soon paid. The house is built of
brick with stone trimmings. It was dedicated
October 3, 1897. free of debt. The audience
room is 40x60 feet, with a room 25x40 feet
on the north side for Sunday school and
prayer meetings. This room can be thrown
open to the autlience room by 'means of rising
doors. An addition 12x25 ^^^^ '-^''' '^'^^ west
end of the audience room is an addition that
was built to the old house but a short time
before, and was utilized for committee meet-
ing's, anfl preparation roi.ims. The house cost
alx>ut Si 2.000.
Shortly after the dedication, one of the
members, Mr. IMorgan Savage, who had con-
tributed largely to the church building, pro-
posed to have a pipe organ put in, which the
church did not feel able to do till later, but
Mr. Savage felt earnest to have it now. and
said, "if you will put one in I will pay for
it." It was put in, and bears his name as the
giver.
GR.\CE CIIUKCH.
Grace Methodist Episopal Church v>as
organized in January, iSf'x), by the Rev. Henry
E. Pilcher, in a small schoolhouse near the
grounds of the Agricultural Society. Twelve
members in full connection and thirty upon
probation constituted the original organiza-
tion.
When this church was first organized it
was in the hounds of the Central Ohio Confer-
ence, but at the General Conference of i860, it
was transferred to the North Ohio, where it
has since remained. During the year 1861. by
perseverance, and not without sacrifice, the
membership succeeded in erecting a small
frame church. In this the congregation wor-
shiped until 1875. ^lany glorious outpour-
ings of the Holy Spirit were received by the
membership in the little white church. Here
many weary sinners w ere moved to repentaiice.
sought pardon, and started upon the way to
happiness and usefulness.
The church edifice which is now occupied
by the congregation was begun by the Rev. ^j
Charles F. Creighton in 1872. After- many
reverses it was finally completed and dedicated
February 7, 1875. by Rev. Bishop Randolph
S. Foster. It is located in the eastern part of
the city at the juncture of William and Chesh-
AND REPRESEXTATR-E CITIZEXS
ire Streets. It is a neat luiildiiiii- of brick with
spire anc! turret. ]t will cuinfm-tahly scat tivc
huMdred people. T!ie seats are of ash trimmed
with black wahiut and flexed at the sicks, giv-
ing ail the auditors a front view of the pul-
pit. Its commodious and tasteful arrangement
is commended djy all who are actpiainted
with it.
Grace Church includes within its mem-
bership and Congregation nearly all the Eng-
lish-speaking i\rethodists on the east side of
the river, and many from the west side, but
most of its members li\-e in the country. It
has never abounded in wealth, but. under lib-
eral and wise management, it has been able to
erect a substantial, neat edifice, and to pay an-
nually the average amount of about S6o<j. It
has not increased in membership as rapidly as
some other churches more fa\-orabIy located.
It has tilled to a considerable extent llie place
of a mission church, and has exerted much in-
fluence upon the fallen, and the lower classes
of society. Its members ha\e, however, as a
rule, been good, substantial men anrj women,
who have indeed been ser\-ant5 of the Lord.
Consequently many revivals have characterized
the history of the church. In 1S65. the mem-
bership had grown to about one hundred per-
sons. During the winter of 1871-72, a pow-
erful re\-ival tiiok place, in which man)' stu-
dents of the Ohio Wesleyan University tr;ok
an active part. At the close of this year the
membership numbered about one hundred and
fifty.
From 1S60 to 1S65, this church was in-
cluded in the bounds of the Woodbury Cir-
cuit; in 1865, it was transferred to the Galena
Circuit; in 18G8. it was made the chief ap-
pointment of a newly formed circuit, called
Delaware and Eden Charge.
The following is a list of the pastors who
have served the church: 1860-61, Revs. Sam-
uel Mower and C. B. Brandebury, 1861-62,
Revs. Philip Plummer and John Blampied;
1862-63, Revs. Chilton Craven and John
Blampied; 1863-64, Revs. John Mitchell and
William Jones. Mr. Mitchell died in Novem-
ber, 1863, and Rev. Oliver Burgess was sent
to fill the vacancy. 1864-65, Revs. James
Wlieeler and Willirim Jones; 1865-66, Revs.
Allen S. .Moffit and" Frances M. Searles;
1866-67, Revs. Ileman Safford and Jacob S.
Albright; 1867-68. Revs. Heman Safiord and
William Hudson; 186S-69, Rev. Cadwalader
H. Owens: 1S69-71, Rev. Joseph F. Kennedy.
Soon after the commencement of the vear
1S70-71, yxf. Kennedy was appointed agent
of the Ohio Wesleyan Female College, and
Rev. Wesley B. FaiTah was appointed to till
out the year. 1871-72, Rev. Stephen Fant
was pastor; 1872-73, Rev. Charles F. Creigh-
ton; 1873-76, Rev. Benjamin F. Pkll ; 1876-77,
Rev. William L. Phillips; 1877-80, Rev. Sam-
uel R. Squier; 1S80-S3, Rev. Charles Galli-
more; 18S3-87, Rev. A. J. Lyon: 1887-89,
Rev. William Kepler, Ph. D., 1889-Qr, Rev.
j M. L. Wilson; 1S91-96, Rev. G. W. 'Dennis;
I 1S96-97, Rev. J. FI. Deeds: 1897-1902, E. D.
I Smith, Ph. D., D. D. ; 1902-05, Rev. E. J. V.
Booth; 1905-07, Rev. E. Loos'e and Rev."Carl
Gage; 1907-S, Rev. Jesse Lacklcn.
SECOND liAJ'TIST CHURCH.
The Second Baptist Church of Delaware,
Ohio, was organized June 8, 1868, in Joseph
Townsend's house on High Street, by Elder
Berrv >.Ioss, of Urhana, Champaign Count v,
Ohio.
It was reorganized by Elder S. D. I-Vix,
of Springfield, Ohio. The members in the or-
ganization were Joseph Townsend , Alartha
Curry, Peter Woodley, Jane Townsend, \'an
Evan. IMandie Campbell, James Currv. Xellie
Hunter, }.Iary Lewis. H. C. Clay j.Mne.l the
same day by experience, making ten in the
start. The first deacons were Joseph Town-
send. Van Evan. Peter Woodley, James Curry.
The trustees \\'ere Joseph Townsend, Peter
Woodley and James Curry.
The pastors in succession are : Rev. \\'al-
lace, of Ripley, I^rown County, Ohio; Elder
Frank Mitchell, of Columbus', Ohio: Elder
Richard Meredith, of LMudon, ^Madison
County, Ohio; Elder Jolin Mriodv, of Xenia,
Green' County. Ohio: H. C. Clay, of Dela-
ware, Ohio: G. W. Curry, of Delaware, Ohi'>;
Elder Isham Lafayette, of Kalamazoo. ]\Iichi-
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
gan; E. C. Clay, of Spvinglicld, Ohio; Elder
Joha Robertson, of Cincinnati, Ohio; J. W.
Johnson, of Richmond, \'irginia ; Elder G. W.
Currv, of Delaware, Ohio; H. C. CJav, of
Delaware, Ohio; Elder William Balay, of
Xcnia, Grec-n County, Ohio; Elder W. JNL
Lowry, of Virjjinia; R. Martin, of Spring:field,
Ohio; Robert Johnson, Jr., Delaware, Ohio;
C. A. Oilman, Columbus, Ohio; W. N. Allen,
Urbana, Ohio.
The number and names of preachers that
were licensed bv the Second. Baptist Cliurch
of Delaware. Ohio— H. C. Clav, G. W. Currv.
L. J. Artist, John Curry, W. N. Allen, G. \V.
Mayo, A. P. Warrick — se\en in number.
Those called to ordination by the Second Bap-
tist Church of Delaware, Ohi.>, are H. C. Clay,
who uas ordained by the council at association
in Urbana, Champaign County. Ohio, Septem-
ber, 1874; G. W. Curry, whi ■ \vas ordained
at home in the Second Bajitist Churcli, of
Delaware, Ohio. Council^Elder William
Rickman, Elder J. L. Rickman, Elder
H. C. Clay. W. N. Allen was orelained
at home in Delaware, the council being Elder
J. W. Isenberger, pastor of First P3aptist
Church of Delaware. Ohio; Elder G. W.
Curry, of Delaware, Ohio; H. C. Clay, of
Delaware, Ohio.
The places rented to worship in are: Fa-
ther Jeffrey Day's house, on High Street, Mrs.
Shavious" house on Ross Street, Robert
Whyte's house on Ross Street, J. J. William-
son's house, corner of Railroad and Liberty
Streets, the engine-house northeast corner of
the Park, Mr. Fleibie's house on the east side
of Washington Street, opposite the City Park ;
bought lot and built on it on Ross Street;
lost the same; afterward bought krt from Rob-
ert Whyte, and an old house from ]Mrs. Mary
Shavious, and moved it on the lot and made a
little addition to the house; Ixjught a lot from
Mr. Richard Reynolds on Ross Street, and
built on it, wdiich is clear of debt.
We were assisted by our white brethren,
the Ohio Baptist Convention, and friends to
the church in Delaware, Ohio.
Rev. B. A. Phillip, of Mechanicsburg.
Champaign County. Ohio, pastor and modera-
tor,
torv
Rev. Henry C. Clay, Committee on His-
ST. JOHN S EXGLISXI LUTIIER.^X CilURCH.
This church was organized in the Opera
House. Delaware, Ohio, November 22, 1885,
by Dr. Ort and J. E. Shaffer, then of Spring-
field, Ohio. A number of members connected
with the German Lutheran Church (St.
^L^rk■s ) desired more freedom to mingle with
Christians of other denominations than the
constitutional authority of that church per-
mitted, and with others establislied a distinc-
tive society on the basis of the General Synod
of the English Lutheran Church. A consti-
tution in liarmony v.'ith their purpose v.as
adopted, and sixty-two signed this constitu-
tion as charter members.
Services were inauguarated and worship
conducted thereafter, in a small brick church
owned by the Welsh Congregational ists. lo-
cated on West Winter Street. On Xovemljer
29, 1SS5, Re\'. Shatter, then president of Mi-
ami Synod, and one of the editors of the Lu-
theran Evangelist, also professor of Hebrew,
church history, and Biblical archaeology, in
their theological seminary at Spring-field,
Ohio, was called to be their pastor. Rev.
Shaffer, at a sacrifice of these things men-
tioned, accepted the call and on the nth of
E)ecember moved his family to the city of
Delaware, and at once took hold of the w-ork.
Steps \\ere taken immediately to erect a church
building. A lot was secured on the east side
of Sandusky Street, opi>osite the Court tlouse,
and on May 30th, the cornerstone was laid.
Dr. S. O. Ort, of Spring-field. Ohio, preaching
the sermon, the ceremony being performed
by Rev. Shaffer. The pastor announced that
the tin box deposited in the cornerstone con-
tained a co{)y of the incorporation of the
church, a h}-mnal, a catechism, Lutheran Ob-
scroer^ and Evangelist, Delaware papers, and
some others. So rapidly was the work pushed
that on October 17th. only eleven months after
the organization, a beautiful and commodious
brick structure costing about $17,000 was
dedicated to the worship of God. Many mem-
AXD REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
261
bers of the ^[ianii Synod were present at tiie
deijication. Dr. Sluiffer — the doctorate hav-
ing been, worthily, Ijestowed on him at the
Spring- Commencement of Wittenberg Col-
It y;. Jnne, 1SS7 — has been their only pastor.
On tlie twentieth anniversary of his pastorate,
be preached a sermon from which the follow-
ing- statistics are taken : Total number of
members adniitted durint; the t\\-enty yt-ars,
471; deaths, 61 ; removals, 144; dropped froni
the roll, 22; membership at date, 202; Sunday
school membership, 220, of which sixty are
in Home Department and twenty on the Cra-
dle Roll. The church has continued to pros-
per, and a few luonths ago a pipe organ was
added, and the audience room artistically fres-
coed.
Dr. Shaffer continued pastor of the church
until Easter Sunday, ]\Iarch 31, 1907. at which
time much to the regret of the congregation,
he offered his resignation, which was later ac-
cepted, but he still is stated supply of the
church. This church, together witli its pastor.
who has also for many }-ears been an active
member of the Public School Board, has filled
one of the most useful places in the city of
Delaware, and as the church is now looking
for a pastor, it is the wish of all citizens of the
city, that the congregation will find a worthy
successor to Dr. Shaffer.
ASEURY METHODIST EPISCOP.U. CHURCH.
This church liad its origin in 1SS6. Prior
to that time much consideration had been given
as to whether William Street Church in re-
building should m.ove farther north, or a new
organization should be formed in the north
part of the city.
At the Quarterly Conference of William
Street M ErChurcli, held February 25. 1SS6.
Prof. John H. Grove offered the following
resolutions :
"Whereas, The Quarterly Conference of William
Street M. E. Church, Delaware, Ohio, has been for
a series of years trying to awaken interest in favor
of a new church edifice for said church, and
Whereas, That body is divided as to where said
their bflii
church
portion
church shall be located, though united
a.s to the need of a new edifice ; and
Whereas, It appears inevitable that there will st
continue to be a church on the old site, though a ne
church be built elsewhere; and
Whereas, There is a desire on the part of many
tlie membership nf this church that a new
edifice" be buiit for the use of the northern
of the members of this church: therefcTe
Resolved, That wc, the morubcrs of the Quar-
terly Conference, favor the division 01 the mem-
bership of this society into two churches, pro-
vided that a sntVicicnt number cf members signify a
willingness to v.ithdraw from the parent society, or
church, for the purpose of organizing another church."
On r^Iarch 11, 1S86, ninety-fi\-e men-.bers
placed their names to the follo-wiiig : These
were regarded as tb.e charter members:
"We, the undersigned members of William Street
M. E. Church, Delaware, Ohio, Central Ohio Confer-
ence, Delaware District, in accordance with the ac-
tion held February 25, iS-So, providing for the volun-
tary formation of a new society, or church, by sub-
scribing our names do hereby signify our desire to
withdraw from said William Street Church for the
purpose of forming such a new society."
On May 28. 1SS6, a nut-nbcr of the mem-
bers of William Street Church, most of them
residing in the north part of town, met at the
home of Ivlrs. ^Martha A. Sanborn for discuss-
ing the new church project. At this meeting
Mrs. A. S. Clason offered the following which
\\ as unnanimously adopted :
"Recognizing the importance of a church in the
north part of the city, therefore, we hereby express
our -willingness, in connection with others, to take
the necessary steps for organization."
On July 19, at a meeting of the charter
members, tliev declared themselves a corporate
bodv. and :\Irs. A. S. Clason. J. C. Watson. N.
J. Galleher. T. C. O'Kane, and -Miss :SI. }*Iur-
phy were elected trustees.
In September following the Central Ohio
Conference added to its list of charges Asbury
Church. Delaware. Ohio, and Rev. L. M. Al-
bright was appointed pastor. The new organi-
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
zatinn was at that time witliout a cluircli !i<iine.
Tlie Baptist society tendereil their church Ovii-
ficc f'.ir the use of the new church oryanizati' >n
on Snmlay attcrnoons and Thursday e\'enings,
a k-'udiiess then liighly appreciated and not to
be forgotten.
Tlie first jireaching" service of the new
organization Avas held. Scjjteniher 19, 2:00 p.
ni.. the pastor preaching from John 12:31. t,2.
Tlie present site of tlie cliurch had already
ben purchased, the selection having been made
July 19th. The official body determined soon
after the appointment of the pastor to build a
temporary edifice on the rear part of the lot.
Ground was broken October 5th, and the edi-
fice was completed November 3rd. The cost,
including furniture, chairs, pulpit, carpet and
curtains, amounted to $1,340. This structure
seated alx)ut four hundred persons, and pr^ived
in every particular a most happy and success-
ful enterprise. November seventh was the
opening day. Dr. Isaac Crook, then jjastor of
St. Paul's Church, preached from Isaiah 66,
first and second verses, and he and Dr. L. D.
]\IcCabe conducted the ritualistic scr\'ice.
The evening sermon was by Re\". D. Kem-
ble, D. D., then missionary to [Mexico. By
this time the membership was 200. and weeklv
additions liecame the rule.
On January 5, 1SS7, the trustees com-
pleted their contract witli Mr. J. G. Grove for
liis lot located on the southwest corner of
Franklin Street and Lincoln AveTuie. The
purchase price was $4,500.
The trustees then turned their attention to
the preparation needed for the erection of a
permanent building. J. W. Yost, Esq.,
of Columbus, was secured as archi-
tect. There was some delay in deter-
mining whether the walls should be stone
or brick. It was found that the additional
cost for stone walls amounted to $4,000. Cap-
tain V. T. Hdls and J. C. Watson. Esq., ar-
ranged for the extra expense, and a form.al
contract for the construction of the edifice was
made with Wellington Long, Esq.. March i,
1S8S. The cornerstr^ne was laiil June 13.
18SS. A sermon of unusual spiritual force
and feeling was delivered by Rev. H. A. Buitz,
LL. D., president of Drew Theological Semi-
nary, of Madison, New Jersey.
In the spring of 1SS9 ^ special contract
was made for completing the Sunday school
room. It was completed and informally
opened in August following. The opening
sermon was by Rev. Prof. L. D. [McCabe.
LL. D., and the first sacramental occasion of
the church was held in the evening.
In the autumn following, the necessary
steps were taken for the conipletion of the au-
dience room.
Rev. L. .M. Albright. D. D.. now closed a
pastorate of three years, and received instead
the presiding eldership of Delaware district.
His pastorate was a model of leadership, un-
wearied effort and success. lie had recei\ed
beside its charter members abiait thiree hun-
dred persons, most of them having hitherto
no niembershii) in any cimrch in Delaware.
In September Rev. E. D. Whitlock, D. D.,
was appointed to the charge and entered into
the work w'ith zeal and enthusiasm. In the
winter following there was a marked revival
and many young- people belonging to the fami-
lies of the church and congregation became
members.
The edifice was brought to its coniple-
tiori in the autumn of igoo and was dedicated
November i6th. The occasion was one of
great interest to the church, city and com-
munity. The pastor was assisted in the serv-
ices by Drs. Albright. Wharton and ex-Presi-
dent Merrick. Rev. Charles E. Sims, LL. D..
president of Syracuse L'ni\ersity. preached
from Ps. 137; 5, 6, and also in the evening
from Luke 16:25.
The indebteilness on the church at the time
of dedication was .S8.000. It seemed like a
large sum for a people who had been gi\-ing
generously for four years, but they cheerfully
gave wdiat was needed and closed the day with
subscriptions amounting to $8,500. The
whole day was one of spiritual enthusiasm and
exaltation. The people had planned, prayed,
toiled and given constantly since the great en-
terprise began ; now their joy over the outcome
knew no bounds.
AXD REPRESEXTATI\^E CITJZEXS
263
Tlie edifice is remarkable tor its plainness,
simplicity and solidity. Every expression of
mere ornamentation and cheapness had been
carefully avoided. Its walls are of dark blue
lime stone. It is rectangular in form, and is
about 70 by no feet. The auditorium is 50'
by 60 feet. The floor is slightly bowled and
of amphitheatre seating. The architecture is
of tlie old cathedral and Romanes(|ue style.
The entire cost of the plant Avas about $37,000.
The society has been remarkable for its con-
tinuous growth, healthy and harmonious de-
velopment, and for its family and sucial spirit
and life. Its Sunday school and Epworth
Leagaie are seldom equalled in fullness and
regularity of attendance, and in cniuribution
of members to the church. Its memliership
now numbers 490.
In 1896 the charge was transferred from
the Centra! Ohio to die North Ohi<= Confer-
ence. Its pastors from 1S86 to 1S96 were
from the Central Ohio ; since from the Xorth
Ohio. 'lliCA- have been as ioll('\\-s: 18S6-89.
Rev. E. M.'Albri-ht, D. D. : 1889-1892. Rev.
E. D. Whitlock, D. D. : 1892-94, Rev. Richard
Wallace; 1894-96, Rev. Melvin M. Eigley:
1896-99, Rev. A. D. Knapp, D. D. ; 1899-
1901, Rev. C. T. Erickson: 1901-6. Rev. F. I.
Tohnson, B. D. ; 1906, present. Rev. V\'. A.
Wright, D. D.
FAITH METHODIST EriSCOPAL CHURCH.
This church is situated on South Liberty
Street, opposite High Street, in South Dela-
ware. The church, which was dedicated Jan-
uary 4, 1 891, was the result of much mission-
arv work carried on chieflv under the auspices
of the St. Paul's M. E. Church. Before the
church \\as built the mission workers met and
held their services in the homes of the people.
Later a store room \vas secured, and finally a
hall in the old brick building on the south-
west corner of I.iljerty and Ross Streets be-
came the home of the crjngregation until the
church was built, ^vluch of the success of the
work was due to the iienevolent and *clf-<acri- ,
ficing spirit of Dr. Frederick ;\rerrick and liis
beloved wife, both now gone to their reward.
The work grew so rapidly that a church be- '
came necessary, and was accordingly built and
dedicated as stated alx)\e.
Rev. J. jMitchell, a superannuate member
of the Oliio Conference, was appointed to take
charge of the work, and trul)- the work he has
done has not been in vain. His name and
character are indelibly impressed upon all the
old homes of South Delaware. In 1S97, Rev.
A. L. Rogers, a student in the L'niversity,
took charge of the work, and so rapidly did it
grow, tliat it was necessary to build a large ad-
dition on the rear eiul of the church. Brother
Rogers carried this work through successfully.
He ministered unto the people for three years.
Following him came Rev. J. A. Currier, who
served the charge three years. In 190^ Rev.
P. C. Hargraves served one year. Rev. C. E.
Turley came in 1904 and served two years.
Ill 1906 the present pastor was sent to the
work.
The church is thoroughly organized, and
still continues to do good work in South Dela-
ware. The church has a membership of eighty,
and maintains a Sunday school with an aver-
age attendance of sixty, which meets every
Sunday. It still has the old-time class meet-
ing, which meets every Sunday morning at
9 :30. During the present pastf irate the church
has been covered with a new slate roof, and a
new furnace ha^ been placed in the enlarged
and improved building.
TRJXITY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The pioneer members of this church were:
A. Highwarden and wife: Jesse Alerritt and
wife: Alexander Austin and wife; Abel \\'il-
son; J. W. Highwarden; Hattie ^IcLamore,
Rosa Austin, Anna Brown, Thomas Brown
and w-ife; Fannie Crawford, George ^Nlerritt,
and others.
The tirst meeting held consisted of Bible
readings at the houses of the various persons
mentioned. After which the members were
organized into a church society by Rev. I. E.
Brown, who preached the first sermon in
Abram Highwarflen's house on Ross Street,
and the next at Abel Wilson's on Railroad
264
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUXTY
Street. The trustees and members of tlie
Second Eaptist Ciuirch very kindly permitted
them to hold some meetings in a room they
had on Ross Street. After that they Jreld
meetings in a small house on Eaton Street for
several years. Following- this, the trustees,
Thomas Brown, Abel Wilson and George
Merritt, secured a lot which was purchased
from Mrs. W. T. Watson, for $300, upon
which a foundation was placed, costing $55.
This was paid by these people and the present
church building erected through the efforts
of ]vcv. G. W. Cailev. The cost estimated at
$1,278 (by the builder. E. M. Heller), was
somewhat modified by a few changes in the
plan, which made the amount really paid
about one thousand dollars, secured from the .
People's Building and Loan Association, and
which has Ijeen canceled through the untiring
efforts of that grand and noble Chrisiian gen-
tleman, Rev. J. H. Payne.
The names of the preachers who have had
charge of the church are: J. F. Brown, W. C.
Echols, O. W. Fox, Alexander Austin, J. G.
Jones, Elijah Henderson, W. \\'. Heston. Rob-
ert Adkins, G. W. Bailey, Flam Whyte. Rev.
JNlr. Flanigan, Joel Perkins, William Renfro,
D. V. Disney. Rev. :Mr. Brooks, G. D. Wil-
liams and J. H. Payne. The elders who have
presided over the district are Joseph Court-
ney, E. W. Hammonds. 'SI. S. Johnson, T. L.
Ferguson and Elder Simmons.
This society was presented to the Lexing-
ton Conference ot the Methodist Episcopal
Church by Rev. J. F. Brown, and accepted un-
der Bishop Foss. This society from the first
has complied with the requirements of the
church in regard to organizing a Sunday
school, and other auxiliaries of the church, J.
W. Highwarden being the first Sunday
school superintendent, followed by Hattie Mc-
Lamore, George ^vlerritt and A. V. Austin.
The membership of the school is forty-five,
with an average attendance of thirty-eight.
The present pastor is Rev. J. T. Leggett.
UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH.
This society was organized in iqoj, by
Rev. Galbrand and H. Hatt'in. It was the re-
sult of a revival held in Faith Chapel. Several
of the U. B. faith, having taken part in this
revival, were not satisfied to unite with the
Faith 'M. E. Church, and formed a society of
twenty members. 'J^hey first held their serv-
ices in the Highwarden Hall, and Rev. Whit-
nell was their first minister. After the Trin-
ity ]\I. E. Church erected their new church on
Liberty Street, they occupied the building
which the Trinity ijcople had used on Eaton
Street. Since that time. Rev. N. .Mlebaugh,
Rev. Berry, Rev. Smith and Rev. A. Gar-
brand, have been pastors. The present supply
is a ladv. Rev. Alary Lemmon. About 1904,
what was known as the Woodgrci\-e Church
was moved to Delaware Ijv Wayne Hazelton,
and they now occupy that building. The so-
ciety remains in dmnection with the Radical
L'. E. Church as distinguished from the Lib-
eial U. B. Church. The present membership
is fifty-six.
BERKSHIRE TOWNSHIP.
The religious history -of this township is
an interesting one, and dates back to the ar-
rival of the first settlers, as they were nearly
all religious people. The family of Colonel
Byxbe was of the Preslwterian creed, that of
Major Brown, together with the Paines,
Plumbs and Curtices were members of the
Episer.ipal Church.
With the advent of the Carjienters in the
southern part of the township oame the !Meth-
odist. Gilbert Carpenter was a minister in
that church, and it was not long until a society
was organized in that locality. There were
about fourteen members, and their meetings
were held in a hewed log schoolhouse, erected
not far from 1813. Gilbert Carpenter and his
nephew, Benjamin, Jr., with occasional visits
from itinerants, supplied the society with
preaching.
Two years later the Methodist organized
a society in Sunbury, and held their meetings
during the winter in the surrounding cabins,
and in the summer in Judge Carpenter's barn.
The people came frrim a distance of ten miles
with ox-team--^ and uarefo'-aed in summer, and
from long distances in winter to attend these
rl
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
int^ftiiigs. The niini^ters were not collese-
lux'c! men, n(jr men marked \\\t\\ special gifts
for tlie ministry. They wore the home-made
clothing of the settlers, and were often com-
pelled to endure hardships, not even known by
liiose living in the cabins. In 1825. a frame
building now standing in Galena, \\as erected,
is well maintained, and continues to be tlie
rallying-point for tlie ]\Iethodisl^ in the south-
ern part of the tiiwnship.
At Suni)ury the society used a brick school-
house for their services until 1839. when ihey
erected a frame church costing 81,500. The
Episcopal society helped in building this
church with the understanding tliat they were
to have the use of it part of the time. The
latter organization became extinct through
removal and change of membersliip. The
church was used by the ^lethodists until ah. mt
two years ago, when a larger 'md uore com-
modious structure was erected. The lirst cir-
cuit was established in 1831. with Rev. James
Mclntyre as presiding elder.
Another organization of the ^1. E."s wa^
eft'ected at the Berkshire Corners in 185S, l)y
Rev. Amos Wilson, with twenty members.
This society erected a good frame church in
i860, and have maintained an e\en course,
with about sixty members to the present time.
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL.
The second denomination to organize in
point of time was the Pr<_itestant Episcripa'.
The first sermon was preached in ]\Jaior
Brown's house in 181S, by Bishop Chase, the
first bishop of the diocese, oti ]\Ionday after
Easter, Alarch 2~^. 1818. Those of this belief
met at the house of David Prince and or-
ganized a society and elected the following of-
ficers : Clerk, Carlos Curtis; wardens, Icha-
bod Plumb, Zenos Ross and Aaron Strong:
lay readers, David Prince and Carlos Curtis.
For ten years or more services were held in
private houses and Rev. Stern and others
served as rectors. A brick church with a
triple Gothic windows in front was erected.
'This church was cm^idered a great achieve-
ment at this early date. This building is said
to be the third Episcopal church build-'ng
erected in the State. I'he scjciety has bce/i
abandoned, ln;t the Imitding still' stands at
Berkshire Corners, and ihas been used for a
number of years as a public school building.
The leading- church of this denomination
is at Galena, and vras org.jmzed in 1875 by
Rev. John Eley, with ten mer.iliers. The re-
maining members at Tjcrkshire Corners united
with this society. In 1877, assisted by the
communit}-, a handismue brick church was
erected, the plan being drawn Iiy a New Jer-
sey architect. The society still exists and is in
a moderately flourishing conditinn.
PKESliVTERiAN CHURCH.
There \\-ere at the Cornei's several fami-
lies, viz. : Bennett, Gre.i'.ory and Paterson, who
attended serxdces at the '^Id Couit Mouse,
Delawai'e, conducted by Re\'. Hughs, a son-
in-law of Colonel Byxbe. In 1S17 Re\'.
Ebenezer \\"ashbiu-n, a Presbyterian minister,
drove in the Corners in a steel-shod sled, a cir-
cumstance which gave him no little distijictirm
at that time. He held ser\-ices in the cabins,
but the Presl)yteriaTis united with vihat is
known as the Blue Churcli. and he moved Uj
Genoa Township. In. 1S44, a ch.urch called
Galena, and in 1846 another called Porter,
h.ad been organized by Rev. Ahab Jinks, and
sujiplied by him. These cluuxhes were united
in 1848 and called L'nioii. l,'ni(in was unite. 1
with Sunbury in i86[. The society had but
little preaching, and in 1866 was dissoKed.
These organizations were connected with the
New School branch of the Presln-terian
Church.
In 1878, a society w^as again organized at
Sunbury by Rev. Robert \\'_\ley and others,
with thirty-four members. The societ_\- was
served by Rev. Wyley. but did not tlc'urish.
The services were held in the school house and
hall, no house of worship being erected. The
society was disbanded by Clarion Presbytery
at the April meeting in 1885.
266
H [STORY OF DELAWARE COL'XTY
BAPTIST CHURCH.
This tlcnonijnation was' represented in
Berkshire as early as iSi.? by Elder Henry
George. He was a Wclsliman, spoke with i
marked brogue, and a plain man v.-ith excellent
common sense. No church was organized,
however, until iS35. This occurred in Dis-
trict Xo. 2, of Trenton Townsh.ip, and was
called the Walnut Creek Baptist Churcli. They
worshiped in a log school house until 1S37,
when the society moved to Sunbury. and in
183S erected the structure which has been used
continuously until the present time. The tirst
pastor after coming to Sunbury was Re\-. Gil-
dersleve, followed by Rev. Roberts.
FREE WILL BAPTIST.
In the winter of jf-yCi-yj. Rev. :\Ir. Mur-
ray of Sunbury held a scries of meetings at
Rome Corners, which were crowned with suc-
cess, and he sought to establish a church at
that place. There did not seem to be a de- "
sire for such an organization, and in a perfectly
friendly spirit, the minister and people joined
V) inviting Rev. Mr. Whiitaker to organize a
Free W'ill Ilaptist society. This society in
1877 erected a substantial frame church, lo-
cated at tlie Corners. This building still
stands, but is not occupied, the society having
iKjen disbanded several years ago.
SUNDAY SCTIOOLS.
The Sunday schools, as they existed in the
early settlements, were not such as we have
now. ]n many cases the rudiments of educa-
tion were joined with instruction in the Scrip-
tures. The first school of this sort was opened
by Julia Strong, daughter of INIajor Strong,
about 1S14. The house stood on the Gaylord
pro])erty near the bridge east of Sunbury. An-
other school akin to this was opened about
1816 by Miss Eowen, a sister-in-law of Rev.
Flf)enezer Washburn. Her method was to in-
vite the little folks to her house on the Sab-
bath, and read to them a passage of Scrij turt,
then a historical sketch calculated to interest
children's minds, and then would leach th.ern a
short passage of Scripture, which they were
to repeat the next Sabbath. The Tb_>n. O. D.
Fh'jugh was one of her pupils, and believes
these to have been the tust Sunday schools in
the east part of the cuuuty, if not the first in
the county,
BERLIN" TOWNSHIP.
The Baj)tists were the first to enter the
field in this township. Rev. Mr. Wyatt came
early in this locality and organized a society
in the Olentangy \'alle}-, and went into Ber-
lin Township once a month and preached in
the cabins of the early settlers. He carried on
his work as far East as Trenton Township,
and from time to time as tRe membership
would warrant it, would set off froin the parent
society in Liljerty Township separate organi-
zations.
The Alum Creek Baptist Church was or-
ganized in 1816. and met for the first time in
the Ijlockhouse which had done service in time
of war. For eight years the Baptist Church
held its meetings here, and then voted to erect
a frame building, on the road about hall-way
between Cheshire and Berlin Station, where
j the old cemetery is. The building is now a
town hall, and the cemetery is sadly neglected,
Amon.g the members at that time were
Lsaia Muuroe, L)avid Lewis, Sr., Joseph
Eaton, and their wi\es. John Johnston, Sarah
Brady and Polly Xoko. The two latter were
colored women. Sarah Brafly died at the age
of one hundred and fourteen. She was a serv-
ant in George Washington's family an.d for a
long time was connected with the family of
1 General Sullivan of Revolutionary fame. In
! 1854, the Baptist Church building now stand-
ing in Cheshire, was erected at a cnst of S700,
j It was dedicated the latter part of the year,
! and a bell placed in the belfry the next year,
I Rev. Philander Kelsey was the first i>astor in
i this edifice. Another minister contemporary
I with Rev. Wyatt was Elder Jacob Drake. He
i was a surveyor and was luuch among the peo-
I pie. His preaching was done ni'i-tiy in the
' cabins of these early pioneers. An incident is
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WILLI \M STRKLT ^L K. CHURCH
SOME DELAWARE CHURCHES
ST. E'ALLS yi E. CHURCH
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
related which shows that "chickens" were not
considered then the only diet good for a minis-
tor. He came out from Delaware one inorn-
ii'.y in iSoS hefore breakfast, and a meal was
prepared for him. The table was a puncheon,
smoothed off on tiie upper side, and supported
by pins driven in the logs of the cabin. When
the meal was announced he sat down to a
single baked potato, with salt in a clam shell,
and water in a gourd. He had walked seven
miles and relished this breakfast as well as we
do our fine dinners.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Probably the first F'resbyteilian minister
v.'ho preached in the bounds of Berlin 'I'own-
ship was a Rev. Ste\-ens who came from the
East on a missionary tour of e.-vploration. Rev.
Ebenezer Washburn came lo Bcrk.-liij-e in
1 817.' He organized the Presbyterian fami-
lies in Kingston, Berkshire and Berlin Town-
ships in a congregation in 18 iS. A great re-
vi\a! occurred in 1S2S, and the families li\-ing
in Berlin Township v/ere organized into a sep-
arate congregation in October, 1829. The
first elders were John Roloson. Stephen
Chandler and Paul I'erson. In 1830 there
were ninety members. Rev. Ahab Jinks l>e-
came stated supply from 1829 to iS^2. He
was a man peculiar in more respects than his
name. It is said that when a young boy he
was the leader of a godless band of young
riiifians, for whose support he would mimic the
preachers he heard, giving their sermons \-er-
batim. Going to hear Dean Swift, his course
of life was clianged, and he turned his ability
tuv\ard the right. On one occasion he preached
from Isaiah i :2. an especially brilliant sermon
to his parishioners in Berlin, which greatly
impressed them, and it was generally regarded
that the minister had outdone himself. One of
his parishioners went to Genoa in tlie after-
noon where the heard to his utmost astonish-
ment the same identical sermon delivered by
Mr. Juilsou, the earliest of the Sunday scIkjoI
agents. At another tiiue, desiring to get up
a can-.p-nieeting in Berlin. Mr. Jinks preached
a sermon which carried everv obtacle l)efore
it. and aroused the people to die pilch of
camp-meeting fervor. The arrangements
were made for the meeting in the Dickerman
woods, and it was carried on with great suc-
cess. Near the close, Mr. Jinks had a Rev.
Mr. Pomeroy to assist in conducting the meet-
ings. Pie came and delivered for his first ef-
fort the very sermon wdiich liad so aroused tlie
people some time before. When asked to ex-
plain these coincidences, Mr. Jinks quietly re-
marked that he had heard them delivered, con-
sidered them good sermons, and thought he
would give his parishicuiers the benefit of
them.
During this time a frame church edifice
was erected. }vIiltoa H. Sackett became an
elder and Re\. Calvin N. Ranson was pastor
from 1832 to 1837. At this date the mem-
bership was one hundred. Elders after that
date to 1S70 were Benonah Dickerman. Jo-
seph Rc>lii?on, A. M. Sijear. Lewis Thompson,
C. W. Smith and ). C. Ryant. Ministers,
Darius C. Allen, Henry Shedd, A. D. Chap-
man, A. S. Avery, John W. Thompson. Sin.ce
1S70, T. L. Tower, Thomas Hill, A. C. Crist,
James "Darah, W. E. Cellar, John McDowell,
S. S. Arkman, M. W. Brown, James Hickling,
E. M. Scott, Samuel Heucker, J. :\I. Wylie
have served the church, and at present J. G.
Curry is the pastor. The church was rebuilt
all but the old frame in 1875, under the pas-
torate of Re\'. A. C- Crist, and is in gouil re-
pair. The building stands about three-quar-
ters of a mile south of Cheshire.
WEST BERLIN PRESBVTKRI.-VN CHURCH.
This church was organized in 1876. Rev.
Thomas Hill, Rev. W. G. ^Vlarch. and Elders
Dr. J. M. Briggs, being the committee desig-
nated by Presbytery, with thirty-two mem-
bers, eighteen of these ijeing dismissed from
the Berlin church to join in the organization.
For several months beftire the organization
Rev. Thomas Hill had preached in the West
Berlin schoolhouse, which led to the above re-
sult. A frame structure was soon erected, and
is nmv tht home of a substantial congregation
of worshippers. The congregation l.as for the
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
greater part l;)ccu associatcil v, ith the Old Ber-
lin Churcli and supplied liv the same pa.st'ir.
METHODIST KPTSCOPAL.
'Idiis church was the third in p'.int mI" tiiiie
organized in the township. Rev. \"ir.al Stew-
ard was tlie first minister who in 1S14 furmed
a class composed of JacoU Aye, w'lic and chil-
dren, John Jacob, Jr., Henry, Betsy, Katie,
Polly, and Peggy, Lewis Sherwood and wife,
John Lewis and wife. About 1S29 they put
up a hewed log meeting-house, north of Che-
shire Corners in which they worshiped until
1845. They then held their services in the
Presbyterian Church for abinit three years. A
frame house of worship was erected at a cost
of $500 in the village, and dedicated in 1S49.
In 1878 the society added a bell. The building
is in good repair and occupied by a tlourishing
society.
The W'esleyan ]^Ieihodists had an organi-
zation in the southwest corner of the townshiji
about 1870, and was continued for a]j<3ut
twenty years. This society became extinct,
and the Christian Unii:)n occupied the build-
ing for five years. This society has also be-
come e.\-tinct, and a Society of Friends now oc-
cupy the building, whicli is known as the I'air
View Church.
1 UNITED BRETHKEX.
!
I The Peach Blow Church in the southern
1 [lart of the township belongs tij this denomina-
tion. It was organized in 1S57 with twenty
members. Their meetings were first held in a
schoolhouse in the west side of the township.
The house of worship now occupied was
erected in 180S on land belonging to G. A.
Stover. The building is a neat frame one and
cost at the time .?700. The first pastor was
Virgil Pond. The church was dedicated as
Berlin Chapel, but on account of the color
which it was once painted, it is said to have
taken the name of Peach Blow, the name by
I which it is now known. A few members of
this denomination settled around Alum Creek
Postoftke on the road from Delaware to Sun-
bury, and previous to 1800 helfl ser\ices at tlie
home of O. R. iNIay. Aboiit this time, a frame
building was erected on tlie land of Nathaniel
Roloson, and was known as the North Berlin
United Brethren Church. ]^Ir. Roloson gave
tlie aid he did with the understanding that the
house would be open for the use of all de-
nominations. The first pastor was Rev. Wil-
liam Davis. The society is now abandoned
and the church not userl.
L-XIVERSALIST.
1 he Universalists made an attempt to get
a f(Xithuld in this tfiv.-r.ship in 1820. They
held a camp-meeting in a grm e near the bridge
south of Cheshire, ci'iMU;i:i.e(l by Rev. 3,Ir.
Rogers, but no results came of the effort.
As we trace the history of these pioneer
cfl:"orts the feeling cumes to us like this.
"Something beautiful has vanished
Which \\e sigh for now in vain.
We behold it everywhere,
On the earth and in the air,
But it never cnmes to us again."
The early training of the pioneers of
Brown Township soon made itself felt after
their settlement in the wilderness. Though
their trials and cares were heavy, they found
time to read a chapter from the old Bible, and
return thanks to God for preser .-ation and pro-
tection. The first society formed in the neigh-
borhood was in 1S28, and of the ^lethodist
Episcopal denomination. It was organized at
Mr. Thurston's, and consisted of himself and
wife, Joseph Thurston and wife, Zenas Leon-
ard and wife, and Phoebe Thrall. Once a
week they would meet together, and. as they
were witliout a shepherd, prayer-meetings
only were held. Soon after the INIetliodists
got well into the harness, the Presbyterians
commenced work. They organized a society
at Air. Thurston's, as his cabin seems to have
been a kind of religious headquarters. For a
numlier of years, th.ese two societies continued
their meetings iinder these limited circum-
-T I'J
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
271
stances. At length, a society of tlio New
School Presbyterians was formed, with the
following- members : John Hestwood and
wife, Hugh Lee and wife. Robert Kinkaid and
wife, James Kinkaid and wife. They, with
the Baptists, in 1836, built a church of hewed
logs, in which they worshiped for several
years; the Methodists also occupfed it on spe-
cial occasions. In 1841, a frame church build-
ing was erected by the congregation near the
same six)t. But they allowed their imagina-
tion to run away with them, and laid their foun-
dation on such an extensi\-e scale, that they
were unable to complete the building. Finally
they tore it down, and of th.e material erected
a smaller one upon the same site. This build-
ing was superseded by a more pretentinus one
in 1S55, and the old church converted into a
residence, which is now occuined by Norton
T. Long'well. This buili'.ing was erected in
the south part of the village of Eden. 'i"he
New School Branch mentioned above was dis-
banded ill Tfc!48, and nearly all the members
united with the Old Schoul Branch, and it was
the united society that erected this church.
The building has been impro\ed at various
times, and is still occupied by a flourishing con-
gregation. During the existence of the New
School church, it was served by the following
ministers ; The first j^astor of the congrega-
tion was Rev. Mr. Jenks. who had charge of a
church in Kingston Township at the same
time. A. D. Chapman, from 1838 to 1842;
John Hunt, from 18^5 to 1846. The Old
School Church was served by William D.
Smith, occasionallv; fohn Pitkin, 1841-1843;
Ahab Jinks, 1844-1854: David :\lcCarter,
1855-1860: Robert L. Adams. i8f',3-i864; Da-
vid H. Coyner, 1S65-1866: J. L. Lower. 1868-
1871. ^lembers in the vear 1871 numbered
sixtv-eight. A. C. Crist! 1872-1876: ^l. M.
Laiisonr 1877-1878: D. C. Porter and D. H.
Green, 1S79; \V. E. Thomas, 18S0-1S85: T.
P. Atkins, 1 887-1 888; E. A. Scott. 1892- 1900:
A. C. Crist, six months; Samuel Huecker,
1901-1906; present supply, H. Huffman, a
student of the Ohio W'esleyan L'niversity.
It may well be added that the eldership of !
these Presbyterian churches were men ni m .ted I
and substantial character, and several of them |
took an acl.i\-e part in the L'ntlerground Rail-
road. The most of them are bnrieil in the ul;!
cemetery by the place where the log church
was erected.
There were others n\ ho took an active part
in the formation of a I'-ree-Will Baptist
Church, and the original members \\-ere Jrhn
Moore, Thomas Cowgill and wife, Isaac FLatou
and v.ife, Orlando Root and wife, Zenas Root 1
and wife, Thomas Agard and wife, Spofford |
Root and wife, Nathaniel Arnold antl wife, j
and Isaac Thurston and wife. Rev. Isaac j
Eaton was the pastor, assisted occasionally by 1
Rev. S. Wyatt. In 1S48, some twelve years I
after its organization — years of more or less j
usefulness — it was discontinued as a society. 1
The next year, after the disbanding of this so- I
cietv, the Baptists and ^^lethodists, together j
with Charles Neil, O. D. Hough, Yinal and !
Norton Thursirm. and Thomas Plargraves, j
with their families, built the church in the vil- I
iage of Eden. Rev. William Godman. a son ;
of Lawyer Godman, of Marion, was the ■
preacher in charge of the circuit at the time 1
the church was built. He was a graduate of j
the Ohio Wesleyan LTniversity, and a minister |
of considerable merit. An addition has just ,
been added to this cluirch and Rev. C. A. ;
Edington, a student of the Ohio Wesleyan j
University, is the present pastor. I
Leonardsburg M. E. Church. This church |
was organized in the winter of 1862. In 1S60. j
Rev. William Litell aid some students of the
Ohio Wesleyan University preached in the |
school at this place. In the fall of 1S61 a ;
prayer meeting was held on the Sundays
when there was no preaching, and Isaiah Wil-
liams was the leader of this meeting. In the
following January, revival meetings were held
by Rev. H. \'an Gundy and A'alorus -
Pond (United Brethren preacher). Rev.
Van Gundy being retained as pastor
for one year. An yi. E. society was organized
and in 1862 a frame building was erected cost-
ing in all about $1,500, being dedicated about
the first of January, 1868, by Rev. Plarvey
Wilson. The churcli now has a membership oi
hftv, and Rev, Frank T, Cartwright is their
pastor. ;
HISTORY OF DEL.VWARE COCXTY
The Baptist Church at Leonareliburg
was organized Sei)teml)er 12. 1880, \vitli a
membership of eleven niembers, as follows :
Edward Evans and wife, Elias Frost and .wife,
James Beckwitli and wife. James Jones, C.
i\Iaip. and wife. Sarah Flornbeek and Sarah
E\-ans. Only two of the number now remain,
C. Main and Sarah Nelson, nee Evans. Rev.
J. Wenman was chosen pastoi and C. [Main as
clerk, and Edward Evans treasurer. In iSSj.
they erected a frame church, costing SS60. J.
Hevalow being- the builder. The society now
consists of nine members, lint has no regular
preaching.
COXCORL) TOWNSHIP.
The first church building in Concord
Township was an old granary, donated for
that purpose by James Kookeu. Soon after
this, A. Depp (colored) put up a log-cabin
cliurch on his farm, as a place of worship for
tlie colored Baptists, The Bel'epoint United
Brethren Church was formerly situated in
close proximity to the old Oiler Cemetery,
about a mile below Bellepoint, on the east
side of the river. The church vv'as originally
started by the Oilers. Jacob. Peter and George,
and was a frame building. The early records
are lost, and hence much of its history cannot
he obtained. In 1864, being somewhat torn
by internal strife and differences, some of the
most prominent members left and formed a
new s'.iciety called the Cliristian Union Church.
The frame structure, after existing for thirty-
five years, was torn down, and the charge
transferred to Bellepoint, The present church
is a fine brick buildmg, and is the lirst built at
the village. It cost about $2,600. and the
fund for its erection was raised by general
subscription. It was dedicated by Bishop
Weaver, of the Xorthern Ohio Conference, in-
June, 1S73, and the first sermon preached in
it was by Elder Long, a Christian minister.
The names of the ditlerent ministers since its
removal to the village are as follows : Revs.
John V. Potts, I. C.>.ead^•. D. W. Downev. f.
B. Resler, J, PI. Craytmi, C. P. Barlow, D. F.
Cender, J. E. Hill, E. Barnard, and others.
The Christian Church was formed of dis-
satisfied members of the old United Brethren
Church, the dissatisfaction growing out of c^ues-
tions as to the result of the War of 1861-65.
The society was organized the first Sunday in
April, 1864. at the house of Rev. R. Gates,
and the lirst sermon was preached by him. For
several years, the S(jciety had no meeting-
hou.-.e. They made an effort to buy the old
frame church from the United Brethren, but
owing to the high price they were unable to
do so, and for a time their meetings were held
in private residences and, wlien the weather
would admit, in the groves. "God's first tem-
ples." After great exertions, they at length
succeeded in building a comfortable brick edi-
fice. 40x30 feet, at a cost of $1,050. It v.-as
erected on the site occupied by the United
Brethren Church. The following ministers
ha\-c otificiated since its formation : Re\s. R.
Gates, W. W. Lacv. Cicorge W, Higgins,
Jacob Haskins, Levi Ely, Purdy King. Wil-
liam Davis. Rev. Flanawalt, and others.
The Baptist Church is situated on the
pike, a half mile east of Bellepoint, and was es-
tablished in 1S53, The following ministers
have had charge of tlie society : Rev, Levi R.
lones, who officiated from Octoljer, 1855, ^'-^
'March, i8f3o; Rev. R. Gates, who hehf the
charge from March, i860, to ^^larcli. 1S65.
when he joined the Christian L'nion Church.
The church then accepted the ministrations
of Rev. Seth Gates, his In-other, who had
just repudiated the L'nited Brethren Church,
He officiated until 1869, v»-hen the church com-
pletely died out, and continued in a dormant
state until 1879, and was then resuscitated.
On the 24th of 3.1ay, of this year, it was agaiii
opened for worship, and the day following
Rev. Isenbarger, of Delaware, preach.ed an
excellent sermon. For a time they had their
pulpit occasionally supplied l)y pastors of other
charges. The old liuilding still stands, but the
society disbanded several years ago.
The Eversole United Brethren Church
takes its name from old Father Eversole, who
built it, and was long instruniental in keeping
it u[). Xr> records are tiv be found, and au-
thentic historv of it is not easilv obtained.
AND RF.ri
;XTATIVE CITIZEXS
273
Rev. 3ilr. Bernard wns the last pastor. A
frame c'.iurcli was erected between tlie Home
and Jerome, and is now used as a hay barn.
Presbyterian Churcli. In 1832,- Rev. W.
H. Erinkerhoff org-anized a cliurch in this
township with thirteen mcnihers. lie was the
only supi)ly, and tlie civarch was dissolved in
i860. The name given to the church was
Stanbury. No church inn'lding was erected.
jMany years ago. camp-meetings used to be
in vognie in Concord, as they were in many
other sections of the country. The first of
these of which we ha\-L' any account was held
at the house of ]\Iv. Eversole. near where tiie
United Brethren Church now stands. After a
few years, the place of holding the meetings
was changed to grounds near Rigger's bridge,
which spans the Sci'Un wlicre the IMarysville
pike crosses it. The hriil-e i> now in Scioto
Township, but at that tnue (about 1838-31^),
was in Concord. For a number of years, this
was a place for holding camp-meetings, and
the scene of much good and some evil.
Spring View. This church situated on
the east bank of the Scioto, overlooking the
Girls' Industrial Hi>me. was the outgrowth of
a Sunday school held in a schoolhouse near by.
When Rev. Thomas Hill was pastor of the
Liberty Presbyterian Church, he urged his
members to look up places where Sunday
schools could be organized. C. T. Carson and
wife were members of the Liberty Church, and
took heed to the request of their pastor. They
asked leave of the school director . to use the
schoolhouse for a Sunday school, which was
readily granted. Thomas Hall, who was em-
ployed at the Girls' Home, was elected the
first superintendent. Some difficulty was ex-
perienced in getting some one to open the
school with prayer. But ]Mrs. Carson volun-
teered to perform the duty and was the first
to offer prayer for the new enterprise. Dr.
Frederick ]\Ierrick, of the Ohio Wesleyan Uni-
versity, was a trustee for the Home, and took
an interest in the work, and helped the school
by a donation of books for their use. He also
arranged for the Methodist Episcopal minister
who was preaching at Jerome, to go and hold
services at the school house. A revival was
the result, and tliuse desiring a Metln.idist or-
ganization predominated, with the result that
a Aletliodist Episcopal Church was organized.
The schoolhouse was soon found too small for
the growing interest, and the need of a church
building was felt. The proposition was made
by Lige Carl (not a church member), George
Stokes and C. T. Carson, that they would give
9400 ($133 each), if the enterprise was con-
summated. This was done by smaller con-
tributions, and a frame church was erected
(the building now occupied), and dedicated by
Elder King. The following ministers were
the first to serve the new organization : Revs'. .
Thurston, Siioop, the wife of whom died
when he was living on the field, Abernathy,
Argo, Prios, Creightun, Holcoml). A. S. Rodg-
ers^ [udd, Tubbs? FI. H. ."Miller, T. M. Rick-
etts, T. Z. Wakefield, P. H. Mindling. The
society is ci.uinccted with the Jerome circuit.
.A good Sunday school is maintained.
DEL.A.W.-VRE TOWXSHIl'.
There have been tuo organized churches
in this township, outside the liinits of the city
of Delaware, \\"ood Gro^'e, and Stratford,
Ixith Mediodist Episcopal,
Wood Grove. Ihis clunxli was organized
in the early fifties, and a frame building
erected on the Bellepoint Road, about two
miles southwest from Delaware. It formed
a part of the Delaware circuit. Regular preach-
ing services were maintained only for a few
years, and then it became a luission in connec-
tion with St. Paul's Church. A mission was
established in South Delaware ahout this time
by St. Paul's church, and the Wood Grove
building was purchased by the Presbyterian
Church of Delaware, under the pastorate of j
Rev. X. S. Smith, about 1874, A Sabbath
schix^il was maintained by the Delaware |
church for several v-ears and among the work-
ers was Dr. H. X". Allen, who afterwards
went to Coiea, and became the noted mission-
ary worker in that land. The school was main-
tained irregularly until five }'ears ago, when
the building was sold to Wayne Hazelton.
]\Ir. Hazelton moved the building to Eaton
274
HiSTOKY OF DELAWARE C0L;XT^.
Sirett, Delaware, aiul recently gave it to the
Radical E'nitcd llrclhren Socief\. ami it is
now t'Ccupied l>y that cluirch a> a place of
worship.
Stratford .Methodist Epi.'-copal Cluirch.
Alter a lapse of more than sixty 3-ears, since a
church was first Imilt in what is now Strat-
ford, and with the absence of all the old pio-
neer ministers, elders, class lead.ers and mem-
bers, either in other sections of the county, or
in the Happy Land, it is a very dilt'icult matter
to give a definite account of its original and
early history.
* A little later than the middle of the 3o's,
Messrs. Hosea Williams and Caleb Howard,
of Dela^yare. secured a site and commenced
work on a large stone structure for the purpose
of manufacturing paper, and while one set of
men were, engaged in this, another set were
engaged in building a comuiodiuus i'ranie house
a few rods farther north for a boarding house.
This was completed first, ami here was the first
public preaching place. In fine weather. t\v:
preacher stood on a p<jrch (in the south side
of the house, the congregation seated in the
shade of a mammoth elm tree, apparently of
several centuries' growth. In bad or indift'er-
ent weather, services were held in the large
west room. The first preaching was done by
an Episcopalian minister from Delaware, Mr.
Fairfield, the first boarding-house keeper, and
Mr. Ho\\ard, both being members of that de-
nomination, Rev. James McElroy and Rev.
Mr. Frcn.ch, being some thai I recall. The
second boarding-house keeper was Ale.x. An-
derson, of Delaware, a Presbyterian, and
while he was there, the people listened to
Revs. Putnam and Henry Van Deman. Dur-
ing this time, a large Sunday school was in ex-
istence during the summer, held in the [Meeker
schoolhouse some distance north. Stratford
was named JiUy 4, 1841, a few months after
the paper mills first burned out.
After some trouble in securing a site.
work was started early in 1S42, on what is
now the present Methodist Episcopal Church
at Stratford. This church was about midway
between Delaware and the Cellar (Presbyter-
ian) Church in Liberty Townsliip. The first
jjulilic serx'ice held in this new church buikl-
ing was on July Foiu-th, 1844, on the occasion
of the celebration of the sixty-eighth anniver-
sary of the Declaralir.n of Independence. It
was filled from pulpit to the door. There was
fine singing, an eloquent prayer, reading of
the Declaration of Independence, followed by
a grand oration by Rev. Adam Poe, of Dela-
ware: then a procession was fi^rmed wliich
marched to the yard at the Meeker homestead,
where, under the cedar trcr'^. a great dinner
was spread; after this wa> disp')sed of. sume
fancy drills were gi\-en 1)_\- the Delaware Lan-
cers under cornmatid. of Cai>tain Eugene F'ow-
ell. (This Fourth was on Thursday.) For
nearlv three years, the congregation and Sun-
day school continued like the small cloud, no
larger than a man's hand, until the winter
of 184G-47. when came what was popularly
called for long years thereafter, "Pilcher's Re-
vival." This meeting w.i-; opened early in
January, 1847,- ^"'^ continued until "sugar
.making." xAt the san.ie time, the Olentangy
River was a mighty flood of waters. Rev. FF
E. Pilcher, of L^elaware. had general charge,
while [Methodist Episcojial miin'sters from
Delaware. Professors in the College, students
and local exhorters assisted. A long list of
souls were happily con\-erted and added to the
church. It soon Ijecanie under Methoilistic
control, and for some years, the congregation
worshiping there was the largest of any sin-
gle IMethodist Episcopal Church in Delaware
Count\. Through deaths, removals and other
good reasons, for many years, the attendance
has greatly decreased. Not long since the
building was enlarged, improved, and will
compare favorably with any in this section. It
is attached to the Lewis Center Circuit, and the
pastor, a Rev. }ilr. Davis, is a good and worthy
man residing there. The presiding elder,
Rev. A. Mann, resides in Delaware.
GENOA TOWNSHIP.
In the winter of 1806-07. John Williams.
a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal
Church, came to this locality and erected a
cabin on the hill, near where the covered
M
r\^
.i.'.J
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
275
bridge cnjsses the Big Wiilnut, at what was
known as Williams' Eord. It was i^ot ur.tii
the summer of 1807 that he moved his family,
consisting of his wife and ten ch.ildien, into
their new home. He found this country al-
most an unbroken wilderness, and. like a true,
earnest pioneer, worked as well as prayed. In
the daytijiie, the blows of his axe could be
heard resoun<ling through tlie woods, \vhile
in the evening he gathered his family alxmt
him and held a service of prayer. Wdien Sun-
day came, he would repair to the home of one
of the early settlers, and deliver a sermon to
those who had assembled. His first sermon
was preached in the cabin of Joseph Eatshaw,
on -the farm now occupied by John Roberts.
Mr. \\'illiams was the first minister in the
neighborhood, but lived only five years after
he had erected his caliin.
The Rev. E. Washburn came with his
wife to Genoa in the winter of 1816-17, when
society and all else in this newly settled coun-
try was comparatively in a primUixe state.
Money was almost unobtainable. and_ tlic lit-
tle in- circulation was, in many instances, un-
stable and depreciated. Necessities were more
difficult to secure than luxuries are now. Un-
der such circumstances, and amidst these try-
ing conditions, it would appear that a field of
great usefulness was open to the advent of a
man like ^^Ir. Washhuin. He was a uni-
versally esteemed and beloved father in the
Presbyterian ministry, an ordained and ap-
pointed missionary of the Cross, but was solely
dependent for supix)rt upon his labor and the
, voluntary contributions of the people among
whom' he devoted his untiring energies. At
the time of his coming, there resided on "^'an-
kee Street only the families of Jonas Carter,
John Curtis, William Hall, William Cox,
Marcus Curtis, Johnson Pelton and Sylvester
Hough. Previous to Mr. Washburn's arrival,
there had been but one sermon preached by a
Presbyterian clergyman within the present
limits of the townshij), and not one had been
preached upon the Sabbath day. He imme-
diately commenced preaching throughout the
regions which are nov»- embraced in the town-
ships of Blendon. in h'ranklin County. Genoa,
Berkshire and Trenton, in Delaware County,
and continued so to preach until the year 1S29
or 1830. He often spoke of the many acts
of kindness and fraternal regard he and his
family received from the hands of the early
settlers and pioneers of the forest. Just pre-
vious to his coming, there had been organized
by the Rev. Mr. Hughes, then of Delaware, a
Presbyterian Church in Berkshire, the mem-
bers of which were scattered over Genoa and
adjoining townships, but on looking for the
records, none were found; so that, in 181 8,
the church was again formally organized, and
Samuel Thompson, Julius White and John
Brown were chosen and ordain.ed as its ruling
elders. This society soon became abNorbed in
the Kingston and Genoa churches. A New
School clnn-ch was (u-oanized in 1837 by Rev.
C. N. Ranscm, with ten members. No church
building vv-as erected, and the society was dis-
solved in 1839. Mrs. Rachel Curtis, ilrs.
Katy Curtis, Ralph Smith, William Hall and
Alexander Snn'tli were members of the Berk-
shire church. Inn re>ided in the \icinity. In
1830, the Presbyter) set off the members who
resided in the vicinity, and constituted them
into a separate church, known as the "Presby-
terian Church and Congregation of Genoa."
The members wh,o v.cre thus set off were six-
teen in number, and, as near as can possilily
be ascertained, were [Marcus Curtis and Katy,
his wife, Ralph Snjith, Rachel Curtis, William
Hall, Alexander Smith, Nancy Allen. Free-
man Cliester, Simeon Chester and Clarissa, his
wife, Diadatus Keeler, Eleazar, Copeland,
Obediah Seebring and Abigail, his wife,
Mary Foote and Augustus Curtis. Just pre-
vious to this time, the Rev. Mr. Washburn
was living upon a tract of land containing a
few acres, which he had purchased and im-
pro\ed, situatetl on the farm then owned by
William Hall, nearly opposite the road leading
to the mill, a little north of Mr. Roberts' resi-
dence on Yankee Street. He continued to
supply his neighborhood with preaching until
some two years after he removed his residence
to Blendon.
On the 19th of Eebruary. 1831, the session
of the Genoa Church met for the first time.
276
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
the Rev. Allah Jinks being nnxleratur, and Dia-
datiis Keeler and Dr. Eleazar Coneland, elders.
These men were appointed by the Presbytery,
and a-^ there is no mention made on the. rec-
ords '>t their ordination, it is presnmed they
were eiders in the Lcburn. or Blendon Church,
at the time of their transfer to this organiza-
tion. The Rev. Ahab Jinks cuntinued to min-
ister to the congregation until 1S36, when he
was succeeded by Rev. Calvin Ransom. Dur-
ing this year, fourteen members who resided
in Trenton Township and its immediate vi-
cinity, were set off and organized as the First
Presbyterian Church of Trenton. In 1S37,
Mr. Jinks was again the stated supply, and so
continued until 1841. During the year 1S40.
a protracted meeting was held, in which the
Rev. 3.1r. Cable assisted the minister in charge.
In 1S42, the Rev. John :\IcCutchen was their
pastor, and continued to miiiistcr to the cun-
gregation one year. In 1844. the Rev. R. De
Forrest came and preached as an evangelist
for the space of aliout eiglu weeks. In the
succeeding year, 1845, ^^^^ ^'^'^'^'- ^j'''- -^^'^'V
officiated, and continued his ministrations one,
or perhaps, nearly two year.--. I'rom the year
1845 to the year 1850, the congregation en-
joyed the labors of the Rev. Mr. Whipple,
Rev. jMilton Starr and Rev. M. Brown. In
i8^0, the Rev. Warren Xichols occupied the
pulpit and remained until alxntt the close of
the year 1S52. In the summer of 1S53, the
Rev.' David Coyner, then a licentiate of Frank-
lin Presbytery, was employed, and continued
his labors for two years and part of a third.
From the fall of the year 1855 until the sum-
luer of 1S56, the pulpit was vacant. At that
time, the Rev. Homer }vlc\'ey, then a student
of Lane Seminary, during his vacation
preached for the charge occasionally. August
I, 1856. the Rev. Warren Jenkins — from
whose discourse delivered January i, i860, has
been gathered this information in relation to
the church, and other itetns of interest — en-
tered upon his labors, and, at the time this
sermon was delivered, had supplied this con-
gregation and that of Trenton alternately. Fol-
lowing him. and lor the space of three years
and tive months thereafter, tlie R€v. Mr.
Covner had charge, after which time for a
number of years they had no regular pastor.
The following ministers have su[)plied the
church since those above mentioned : Ebeii-
ezer Washburn. Hugh B. Scott. John Camp-
bell, 1867-68: Levi P. Sabi.n (J. A. F. Cellars
and Arnold Glass became elders in 1858),
James A. Darrah, Wilson ]•. Cellar, IL i..
Xave, S. S. Aikman, J8S5, the last minister.
In the summer, however, they had a Sunday,
school. When the church was first organized,
it held meetings in the schoolhouse then stand-
ing in the rear of the present residence of Au-
gustua Curtis. In tlie year 1837-38, a house
of worship was erected, and the same was
dedicated the 8th of December, 183S. The so-
ciety was dissolved Septemljer, iSpo. The
I house still stands, but is now used for. a hay
barn.
The ]\lethodist Ejiiscopal Church existed
as an organizatiun as early as 1840, worship-
ing in schoolh.juses and cabins of the settlers.
It was not until .1849, they commenced to
build at Maxwell Corners a frame church at a
cost of $800. The church was dedicated by
j an English minister named Taylor. The
ministers who have held this charge are as fol-
lows : George G. West, .Havens Parker, Wil-
liam Porter, Havens Parker. Samuel C. Riker,
Martindale, Brown, Dr. Gurley, Hooper, El-
lis, Adair, and Elliott. This denomination ex-
isted and worshiped in this church until about
1865. At that time, the ministers in charge,
Revs. Adair and Elliott, declined preaching
longer on account of political differences, and
brought the matter before the Quarterly Con-
ference. The conference decided the church
to be a non-organized band, and appointed a
conmiittee, consisting of John }ilillicent, Bijah
]\Iann and Eligah Adams, to sell the church
edifice. This committee immediately adver-
tised the church for sale, and H. Bennett bid it
oft' for $336 for the Christian Union denomi-
nation, which had been formed out of the dis-
solution of the Methodist Episcopal Society.
The church was then rededicated, about 1866,
by the Rev. Green, from Coluinbus, who had
organized it. The ministers that have offici-
ated since its last organization are as follows :
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
277
Green, Gates. Stei.ilieii.Min. Duraiit, Allen,
Mann, Vhx and (itiiL-r.-. The presenl. pastor
is J. \V. Alaxweil, I'll. D. The mcml-.ership
is forty, ami the Siin'Ti}' scho. >! nieftiljership
is sevcnly-hve.
HARLF.M TOWNSHIP.
The f!r^t church nr meeting-house luu'U
in this township was by the Methodists, in the
year 1812, on the farm of Benajah Cook.
Esq. It was a plain log house, small in size,
and the first minister who <jfficialed in it was
the Ivev. Daniel Bennett. Eor many years.
there was regular ]ireaching on "week clays,"
once a month, and, ;it tir^t it helong-ed to the
Columbus circuit, but afterward was attached
to the Worthington circuit. The congregation
worshiped in tliis log 1;. 'USe until 1838, when'
a new church was Imiit upon the present site,
about one-half mile north of Harlem, It is a
large and commodiuus brick structure. The
dedication sermon was preached by the Rew
Uriah Heath, of Worthington. At Center-
ville, the ilethodists have a church, an off-
shoot of the Harlem Church, which was built
about the year 1S45. -"'^t *^r-t '■'"'e congrega-
tion w(u'shiped in a schoolhouse just east of the
village, and the Camplxdliles also worshiped
in ti)e school h(.)use on alternate Sundays, and,
on account of the difticulties that wi^uld some-
times occur between the respective congrega-
tions, it was called, in derision, "Confusion
Schoolhouse." The preieni structure was built
about 1S55. at a cost of 9i,6oo. The bell cost
^^/2. This church was also dedicated Ijv the
Rev. Uriah Heath.
The Discii>les, or Campbellites, organized
a church in this township, in the year 1840. at
the residence of Jonathan Bateson, The first
organization consisted of nine members, as
follows, viz, : James Oglesbee and wife, Jona-
than Bateson and wife. James Beauseman and
wife, C. D. Clark and Daniel Hunt and wife.
The present church edifice is located about
one mile east of Centerville, and cost 81,500,
The membership is about seventy-five. A Sun-
day scIkioI is maintained, but there is no regu-
lar pastor at this time.
In the year 1861, the Old School I're-
destinarian Bajitists org-anized ,-i church, and
biiiit the church edifice in 1S68. the moncn to
build the same having been donated by Mis.
Hiildah ]''airchild. The first pastor was the
Re\-. John H. Biggs, followed by EUler Ly-
man B. IlaiKA-er. Jackson Hanover, his son,
is now pastor.
KINGSTON' TOWNSIIIl'.
The early settlors of thi> township were a
God-fearing and Christian people, and be-
lieved implicitly in that religion that promises
to the meek an earthly inlieritance, and they
brought with them the Bible, the prayer book
and the hymn book, and they immediately a]>
plied themselves to the improvement of their
homes, the construction of roads, and the
building of churches and schoolhouses. For
many years, religious services were conducted
ill private houses and in the early schoolhouses.
and. wdien the weather was pleasant, meetings
wcic held outdoors in the groves,
Kingston Presbyterian Church. This
church was organized in 181 8 by Rev. Eben-
ezcr Washburn, who had come to Berkshire
in 181 7 and preached there and in Kingston
Township. The first elders were John White.
William Gaston and John \'an Sickle. Rev.
\\'ashburn supplied the church from 181S to
1820, and William ^Matthews from 182 1 to
1S24. In 1822, the first church was built. In
that year, the Preslwteiians erected a log
meeting-house near the center of the township,
as W'Cll as the center of population at that time,
on the present site of the Old Blue Churcli,
the cognomen by wdiich it is now .so widely
known; and, while this humble church edifice
belonged exclusively to the Presbyterians,
wdien not occupied by them its dixirs \vere
thrown open for all denominations. The
Presbyterians in numbers were the strongest
and next in numerical strength were the Meth-
odists, and then the Baptists. At this time,
the church memliership and the population
were rapidly on the increase, anfi five years
after this, in 1827, they rai^Ckl by subscription
the necessary amount to build on the ohl site
278
HISTORY