OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
A Part of
Genealogy Express
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Welcome to
Montgomery Co., Ohio
History & Genealogy |
Source:
History of City of
Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio
by Rev. A. W. Drury
- Vol. 1 -
1909
Chapter VIII
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP
- MIAMI TOWNSHIP - MIAMISBURG - WEST CARROLLTON - VAN
BUREN TOWNSHIP - BEAVERTOWN - OAKWOOD - THE SHAKER
COMMUNITY - MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP - WAYNE TOWNSHIP - GERMAN
TOWNSHIP - GERMANTOWN - JACKSON TOWNSHIP - FARMERSVILLE
- JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - HARRISON TOWNSHIP - MADISON
TOWNSHIP - TROTWOOD - PERRY TOWNSHIP - BUTLER TOWNSHIP -
VANDALIA - RANDOLPH TOWNSHIP - CLAY TOWNSHIP -
BROOKVILLE.
WAYNE
TOWNSHIP
pg. 867
Wayne
Township occupies the northeastern corner of
Montgomery county. It joins Miami county on the
north, Clark and Green counties on the east. Green
county is again a part of the boundary on the south.
Jan. 1, 1810, the township was formed consisting of the
township as it now is and all of township 3, range 6
west of the Miami river except the two western tiers of
sections. It was named in honor of Gen. Anthony
Wayne. The first township election was held at
the house of Benjamin Van Cleve on the Staunton
road on the 20th day of January, 1810. Upon the
formation of Butler township, Oct. 7, 1817, all that
part of Wayne township west of the Miami river was used
in the erection of that township. The township as
it now is has been credited with an area of twenty-one
square miles, one square mile less than the legal
minimum size for a township without an incorporated
town. No question, however, has been raised as to
this discrepancy. More than one-third of the
township was purchased by Peyton Short in 1801 on
the basis of this contract with Judge Symmes.
This land was sold in larger or smaller divisions to
individual settlers. His land ventures do not seem
to have been profitable, as later we have notice of his
having made an assignment.
At a meeting of the overseers of the poor of Wayne
township, it was recorded as the action of the overseers
that said board "doth bind John Slider, a Poor
child, aged fourteen years against the 1st day of
April next ensuing this date (17th October, 1812), to
James Forgas of Miami County, Tanner, to Learn the
art and mystery of the Tanning business, for the term of
seven years," at the expiration of which, all the
covenants of each party being fulfilled, he was to
receive "his freedom and one suit of Superfine clothing
and one suit of Coarse Clothing, and one horse, sadle
and bridle, to be worth $75." On what terms girls
were cared for is shown by another action of the
overseers of the poor dated Oct. 5, 1817. The
record recites as follows: The Overseers "Do put &
place Sarah Keiser, a poor child of the county
and Township aforesaid, with them to Dwell & serve from
the Day of the Date of these presents, until she shall
arrive to the full age of Eighteen years. * * * During
all which Time the said apprentice her said Master shall
faithfully serve on Lawful Business according to her
Power, wit and ability," for which the other parties
covenanted "to learn her to Spin, sew & to Do common
house work, and one year's schooling and one Spinning
[pg. 868]
wheel and one second rate Cow and two suits of Clothing
and a good Decent quality and a freedom suit valued at
$18, and one good Bed and Bedding & one new Bible."
Among the early settlers of the township, the following
named located prior to the year 1810: Rev. Joseph
Tatman, John Ainsworth, Robert Miller, James Miller,
John Booher, John Duncan Campbell, John Hacker, Henry
Jennings, Peter Sunderland, John Slagle, Jacob Arnold,
Valentine Shearer, Mrs. John Cuppy nee Lydia Oilar,
Henry Oiler, Levi Jennings, Simon Brenner, Jacob
Brenner, Lewis Brenner, Samuel Pitticrew, John Petticrew,
John Shafer, Joseph H. Johnson, Nathan Maddux, Ignatius
Maddux, Henry Deam, James Black, John Booher and
John McFadden.
Before 1811,
Benjamin Van Cleve had purchased all of section 27
on the Troy pike and made improvements but resided for
no extended period on this land.
During the decade between 1810 and 1820, there were
with other accessions to the immigrant population,
Jonathan Knight, George Favorite, Elias Matthews, John
Matthews, Robert Archibald, David Archibald, James Kay,
Abraham Buckey, William Hoover and John Zediker.
Among the more noted of the early pioneers, was
Rev. Joseph Tatman, who immigrated from Kentucky and
located in the township in 1800. He was a minister
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and, aside from his
duties in managing his farm, was actively engaged at
least a part of the time in ministerial work.
Thomas Crook, the father of Gen. George W. Crook,
settled on a half section of land opposite Johnson's
station.
George W. Crook, was born on this farm, Sept. 8,
1828. He entered West Point in 1848 and graduated
July 1, 1852. He was appointed brevet second
lieutenant and was assigned to the Fourth United States
Infantry then located in California. He was
engaged in many scouts and skirmishes in the Indian
country. In 1861, he was made colonel of the
Thirty-sixth Ohio Infantry. In the spring of 1862,
he was placed in command of the Third Brigade of the
Army of West Virginia. In July, he was transferred
to the Army of the Potomac. He was later made
brigadier-general. In January, 1863, he was
transferred to the Army of the Cumberland. July
20, 1863, he was breveted major-general. Gen.
Crook was in the various campaigns conducted by
Gen. Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley. He
participated in all movements of Sheridan's
cavalry during the war, and, in the eleven days
preceding Lee's surrender, his regiment lost
one-third of its number in killed or wounded. When
Gen. Sheridan was assigned to a command in the
southwest, Gen. Crook was placed in command of
the cavalry corps. He was honorably mustered out
of the volunteer service on the 15th of January, 1866.
In 1888, he was appointed a major-general of the United
States army.
The Brenners were large landholders in the
township. A scion of one of these families,
Hon. Simon Brenner, has lent credit to the township.
A log schoolhouse was erected on the premises of
John Shafer, on the banks of Dry Run, in the autumn
of 1809. Another schoolhouse was built the same
year in the eastern part of the township. This
building was destroyed by fire in 1813, and a larger and
more suitable one was then erected on the farm of
Henry
[pg. 869]
Cuppy. In this house, Methodist meetings
were held until Palmer's chapel was erected in the same
neighborhood. Here, also, under the
superintendency of Rev. Joseph Tatman, the
children of the pioneers attended their first
Sunday-school.
The first building erected exclusively for public
worship was a rough log structure erected probably in
1816, which served as a place of worship for the
Methodist Episcopal and other denominations under the
schoolhouse was built on the old Troy pike in the
southern part of section 30. In 1846, the
Methodists built Wayne chapel on a lot adjoining that on
which the schoolhouse stood. The lot was donated
by James Black. In 1852, Montgomery chapel
was built on land donated by Thomas Crook.
The lot was deeded to the United Brethren church but all
Christian denominations were expected to have the use of
the building. An unfortunate controversy arose as
to the use of the building which had been in use for
school as well as for religious purposes. The
building was torn down and the materials sold and
scattered. There is a United Brethren church at
Sulphur Grove of which Rev. E. J. Arthur is
pastor. The congregation numbers one hundred and
twenty-four members.
The township trustees at the present time are:
P. W. Artz, S. K. Smith and William L. Snell.
The township board of education is composed of the
following members: W. H. Darst, S. K. Smith,
William Shoup, F. R. Grimes, William L. Snell. F.
M. Copenhefer is the clerk of both boards.
A peculiarity of Wayne
township is that it is altogether rural, having at the
present time neither a postoffice nor a village.
At an earlier period there were postoffices at
Taylorville, and at tol gate No. 2 on the old Troy pike
in the southwestern part of the township, the name of
this office being Fishburg. Later there was an
office known as Sulphur Grove. The township is now
served by rural routes and by postoffices outside of its
own bounds. The people of the township are well
supplied with schools, and are well abreast of people of
other parts of the county in intelligence and
uprightness. There is a very small proportion of
foreigners in the township. The present population
are in large part the descendents of the early settlers
in the township.
The soil of the township is noted for its fertility.
Wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, hay and tobacco are the
main crops. The farmers are keeping in touch with
the times and learning more and more to sue the methods
approved in the agricultural experiment stations.
The Agricultural Bulletin together with farm papers can
be found in nearly every farmer's home.
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