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Welcome to
Carroll Co., Ohio
History & Genealogy

HISTORY
Source:
 History of Carroll and Harrison Counties, Ohio 
- Vol. I -
 Under the Editorial Supervision of Judge H. J. Eckley
- Illustrated -
Published by The Lewis Publishing Company - Chicago and New York
1921

CHAPTERS:
XVIII - Augusta Twp.
XIX - Brown Twp.
XX - East & Fox Twps.
XXI - Harrison Twp.
XXII - Lee Twp.
XXIII. - Loudon Twp.
XXIV. - Monroe Twp.
XXV. - Orange Twp.
XXVI. - Perry Twp.
XXV. - Rose Twp.
XXVIII. - Union Twp.
XXIX. - Washington Twp.


 

CHAPTER XIX.
BROWN TOWNSHIP
Pg. 169

BOUNDARY - ORGANIZATION - FEATURES - RAILROADS - VILLAGES
- CLAY INDUSTRY - SCHOOLS - CHURCHES - POPULATION - FIRST ELECTION

     This civil township was named for John Brown, who then resided at Pekin, and who built the first mill in that part of Carroll County.  Brown Township originally was embraced within the limits of Stark County, was made an independent township in 1815.  It now covers an area of 27,000 acres.
     It was first settled by Richard Vaughn and Moses Porter, the former of whom settled near Oneida, the latter on the tract of land where the village of Malvern now stands.  Isaac  Craig and Amos Janney soon after settled where Pekin now stands and which they laid out in 1808.  They soon erected a small frame mill, which was propelled by a "tub" water wheel.  It helped many a farmer out and saved the pioneers many a long, and mean trip to mill at Canton on horseback.  Soon after, however, the floods carried this mill away.  The mill-site was sold to David and Jacob Crumbecker, who built a good flouring mill which served its customers many a year.
     The first couple married in Brown township was Martin Ayers and Elizabeth Reed, June 10, 1812.  They were united in marriage by General Augustine, a justice of the peace.  Colonel Ayers led an active life at New Harrisburgh; died many years ago of a cancer, after years of intense suffering.
     The Tuscarawas branch of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad passes through this township, via Pekin, Oneida and Malvern.  This road was constructed in 1853-54 and the Carrollton & Oneida road was put in operation in about the same time.
     The first schoolhouse in the township was built in 1812, and the first sermon preached was by Rev. Thomas Rigdon, in 1815, in Pekin.  He was a strict Baptist and a brother of the famous Mormon Sidney Rigdon, who preceded Brigham Young.
     The first election in this township was held in 1816 - all the voters within the township were out to vote and twenty-nine ballots were cast.  Fourteen were cast for James Reed for justice of the peace and fourteen were cast for Thomas Latta for the same office and one blank ticket was cast.  It was then settled by lots being cast which resultedin the seating of James Reed who held the office twenty-one years.
     The population of Brown Township in 1840 was 2,165; in 1880, it was 2,325; in 1884 it was placed at about the same and its assessed

[Pg. 170]
valuation was $66,960.00.  In 1910 the township has a population of 2,655.
     The villages within this township are Minerva, Malvern, Oneida, Pekin and Leyda.

VILLAGE OF MALVERN

     Originally this was called Troy, as shown by the county plat books.  The date of its platting was November, 1834, by William Hardesty.  It is a station on the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad and in 1884 had a population of 500 souls.  At that date it had four churches, a flouring mill by W. A. Baxter & Co.; a furniture store by G. Deckman; a planing mill by Fishel & Buel; a grocery by Van M. Gween; hotel by A. Lawton; physicians were Drs. W. R. Spratt and John Moffett; dry goods by T. H. Poessler, also by J. H. Wilson.


HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, MALVERN

     This village was among the early incorporations effected in Carroll County - away back in the '30s or '40s.  Its present elective officers are:  C. W. Ruff, mayor; H. Hart, clerk; F. E. Hoffee, treasurer; Fred Reed, marshal; street commissioner, Henry Parker; councilmen, S. G. Deckman, William Diesinger, W. S. Kilpatrick, Harvey Eckley, Walter Elson (chairman).  The village was paved in 1915 at a cost of $35,000; pavements run from thirty to forty feet in width of most excellent home-made paving brick.
     A successful system of waterworks was installed in Malvern in 1915.  Three very deep wells furnish the best quality and quantity of health-giving water.  It is forced to a stand-pipe on the highest hill overlooking the village.  This gives a pressure of over seventy-five pounds per square inch at the curbing of the main street.  A volunteer fire-fighting equipment includes two chemical engines and over 500 feet of workable hose.

[Pg. 171]
     The village has electric lights produced by a private company organized in 1920, owned by local capital and is known as the valley Electric Light Company.
     The village has a town hall two stories high - a brick structure.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY FOR 1921

Auto garage - Malvern Garage Company;
Malvern Motor Sales Company
Banking - Malvern office of the Minerva Savings & Trust Company
Barbers - George Auseon,
George Wingerter
Blacksmiths - James Burwell,
Lawrence Artzner,
Keffler Bros.
Drugs - H. H. Hart
Harness - Henry Wingester
Lumber - Buell & Son
Machine shop - Keffler Brothers
Meats - Herman Weaver
Milling - Beach Milling Company
Millinery - Miss Mary Casper
Newspaper - "Clay City Times" a sheet printed at the Minerva News plant, every week
Restaurants - The Hahn and
the Jackson
Live stock - Atwell & Finefrock
General Dealers - J. D. Crider,
J. E. Yoether,
Malvern Dry Goods Company
Groceries - I. Kirkpatrick,
W. A. Lewis,
D. A. Mason,
Mammone & Augustine
Stoves and tine ware - W. C. Lewis
Furniture & undertaking - S. G. Deckman
Merchant tailor - C. W. Rice
Shoe repairs - Adam Maurer,
Steve Emets
Plumber and implements - J. M. Robertson
Moving picture house - The Malvern Amusement Company, made up of ten local stockholders.  Name is the "Odessa."
Phone system - The automatic plan.
     For the clay products manufacturing plants see special article in this work on that topic.

THE POSTOFFICE.

     The postoffice at the village of Malvern was established in 1844.  Among the persons who have served as postmasters the following list has been furnished especially for this history:
     David Shull, H. W. Ackley, C. G. Prosser, A. R. Hains, David Shull, Jr., T. H. Peossler, E. H. McCall, V. M. Green, W. C. Lewis, T. H. Newton, W. H. Deckerman, Isaac Kirkpatrick, H. C. Ross, R. T. Spratt.
    
The office is now a third class postoffice and has one rural free delivery route with Robert W. Hewit as its carrier.
     During the last fiscal year this postoffice transacted a business of $2,291.01, and a money order business of $35,000.

[Pg. 172]
     The present postmaster received his commission August, 1919.  His only office clerk is Ora B. McMillen.  The office has been located where it is now situated for seven years.  Dec. 21, 1918, the safe was blown open and the contents stolen..

THE VILLAGE OF MINERVA.

     This sprightly business center, is situated partly in Stark and partly within Carroll County.  It is situated geographically in section 1, township 16, range 6.  It was laid out by Tim Taylor, Jan. 3, 1835.  In 1884 it had 1,200 population and was noted for its being the market for much wool and farm products in its trade circle.  The Pennock brothers located their extensive car shops there; there were then five physicians; two attorneys; one bank; one green-house; a planing mill; three hotels; a flouring mill; opera house, and other business places.  the place is sixteen miles from Canton and twelve miles from Carrollton.
     The present industries include the Owen China Company established twenty years ago as a home stock concern and now employs 150 men the year round.  then there is an extensive toy factory where twenty-five persons find constant employment.  The flouring mill is a flourishing plant.  It was the first to be erected in Carroll County - a log shack of a building but in 1824, changed to a better building over a half century ago and changed to the roller process system and is still doing a good flour-making business.  At the near-by hamlet of Pekin, a large fire-proof building block factory is fully equipped and doing an extensive business; it is owned by Canton capital.

     The business factors of the village in the winter of 1920-21 were:

Auto garages - Messers. Yeagley, Jobs and Will Crider
Attorneys - Mr. Cope
Banking - Minerva Savings & Trust Company
Minerva Banking Company
Bakeries - Arthur & Hargrove,
Mr. Severance
Barbers - Morrow &
Helman
Blacksmith shops - Joseph Carns
Tim Felitz
Frank Helman
Clothing - Brown & Son
Charles Hoops
John Barenbliet
Creamery - Evaporated Milk plant "Highland" brand, erected in 1915
Drugs - E. D. Rutledge
William M. Hoops
Thomas Cross
Elevator (warehouse) Leonard Dennis
Furniture - Freed & Schmactenberger
Feed store - Hart & Son.
Grocers (exclusive) - L. B. Wright & Son,
H. H. Hart & Son,
P. Pennock,
William Abbott,
O. Whittaker
Dry goods - Will Kurtz,
Ralph Smith
Fair store - Managed by Ivan Speakman
Hardware - Gunder & Lotz
Hotels - Jackson and
Minerva
Ice dealer - Frank Miller
Implement dealers - Same firm as hardware
Jewelers - J. N. Kurtz
Fred Adset
Lumber dealers - Charles Daniels,
Burtsfield & Cox

[Pg. 173]

Livery - Frank B. Miller,
Jerome Miller
Meat markets - L. B. Wright & Son,
Kenneth Crowe
Marble works - Hart & Guthrie
Millinery - Miss S. J. Moorehead
Newspaper - The "News." (See press chapter)
Opera house - Mrs. O. C. Finefrock
Restaurants - C. H. Rue,
Mr. Miller, Arthur & Hargrove
Stock dealers - None at present
Shoe stores - J. W. Wetzel,
Callerdine & Simpson and
the general dealers
Shoe repair shops - L. Davis,
McConna & Messmore
Veterinary - Dr. F. A. Harsh
The doctors of the village are:
  Doctors McHenry, Thomas, Temple and Casey
The dentists are: Doctors Myers, Van Pelt, Bates and Tannihill
     The recently established "Ad Club" of Minerva is doing much toward the enlivening of the business and reaching out after more.
     The lodges are the
  Masons,
Odd Fellows,
Knights of Pythias,
Woodmen,
Maccabees, and
Grand Army of the Republic (See Lodge Chapter)
     The churches of Minerva are the
  Christian,
Lutheran,
Methodist Episcopal, and
Presbyterian (See Churches in separate chapter)

THE POSTOFFICE

     Minerva is a third class postoffice, with present office force in the persons of the postmaster, J. C. Ruff; Grace V. Betz, assistant, and Nellie N. Harsh, clerk.
     Among the postmasters now recalled by the present patrons of the office are:  J. F. Greenwood, George E. McDonald, S. E. Moorehead, James Simpson and James Jerome.  The present incumbent received his commission signed by President Woodrow Wilson, Sept. 17, 1916.

LEYDA

     This is a hamlet in section 27 of Brown Township; it is a way-station on the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway and of no commercial significance.

PEKIN.

     This is an old hamlet platted by Amos Janney and Isaac Craig, Sept. 21, 1808 and is really now a suburb to Minerva.  It has some clay industries.

WIERTEMBURG

     This was platted by John G. Hudelmeyer, Sept. 29, 1836.  It is on the opposite side of the creek from Oneida.

[Pg. 174]

ONEIDA

     This is a station and junction point on the Pennsylvania and the Wheeling & Lake Erie railways, in the center of section 16 of Brown Township  In 1884 it had a good mill, general store, hotel and a marble shop.  It has but little business today.

THE CLAY INDUSTRY OF MALVERN AND VICINITY
(By Hon. C. W. Ruff)
Pps. 174 - 178

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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