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This township
was organized in Putnam County, in 1831. The first
justice of the peace was Obed Martin, and
James Nicholas the second, in 1834, and who still
remains justice, having filled the office 45 years.
The first trustees were: James Poarter, Daniel
Gran, and William Turner. Treasurer,
Benjamin Clevenger; clerk, Abraham Sarber.
The earliest settlers were: Demas Adams,
Peter Bussart, abraham Bussart, Aam Bussart, John
Berryhill, William Clark, William Clevenger, F. Clark,
Jacob Comade, Eliab Carman, David Campbell, Henry Davis,
Simon Dilsaver, Stedrick Eherman, John Enslin, George
Eherman, Evan Evans, John Evans, David Gander, Joseph
Griffith, Joseph Griffith, Sr., G. Thomas Jones, M. F.
Jones, William Jones, Frances Jones, David W. Jones, M.
Jones, Samuel Jacobs, Jacob Kocher, Moses Lee, Christian
Long, Elias List, Joseph Lipsit, Thomas Miller, Samuel
McMillan, John M'Coy, Michael Martz, Martin Millet,
George Mell, William Mell, John Mell, Isaac Myers, Evan
Morgan, David Morgan, G. H. Myers, Daniel Myers, Jackson
Miller, James Nicholas, Hugh Owens, Peter Oard, James
Oard, V. B. Paugh, Joseph Paugh, William Patrick, Thomas
Roberts, David Roberts, Eli Ridenour, Samuel Ramsey,
William Roberts, Geo. Riley, Richard Richards, Geo.
Ridenour, John Rickey, Richard Rowland, Anthony Sigler,
Henry Stemen, John Ships, Christian Sherrick, John
Stephens, Stephen Stevens, Sam. Stuckey, David Sims,
John Sarber, Christian Stemen, John Teagarden, William
Teagarden, Joseph Teagarden, Henry Teagarden, Aaron
Teagarden, D. W. Teagarden, James Taylor, Thomas
Watkins, John Watkins, William Ward, Jacob Whalen, John
Thomas, Howell Thomas, John Young, David Berry, Daniel
Brown, Joseph Brown, Marcus Cupp, Simeon Dilsaver,
Thomas Edwards, Jacob Early, Christian Grissor, Henry
Huffer, S. R. Jacobs, Christian Kesbner, William Knittle,
Geo. Keins, Geo. Knittle, Isaac Myers, Henry Meyer,
Henry Mulhollen, Richard Oard, George Ridenour, Samuel
Ridenour, Michael Ridenour, Rcncl Roach, W. Ranshottem,
Geo. Riley, Henry Sharrick, John Stemen, Benjamin
Sakcmiller, Jacob Sakemiller, Hiram Stetts, Peter Stemen,
Samuel Sakemiller, William
Ward, James Ward, G. S. Williams, John Thomas.
JAMES
NICHOLAS was born in Butler County, Pa.,
Sept. 6, 1810, and, in company with his wife, landed in
Sugar Creek township Sept. 13, 1833, and erected a small
cabin by the help of the sparse settlers then residing
in the township, and moved into it. The neighbors
that preceded him were: Sanford Bertch, Arnold
Bertch, Thomas Dehen, John
Enslen, Frederick Eherman, Thos.
Watkins, David Roberts, and Adam
Bussart. These were all here in 1833.
The first school was in a cabin, in 1833, and taught by
William Ramsey. It had but 15 or 16
scholars, and was what was known as a subscription
school. Preaching was generally in the cabins of
the pioneers, and was generally by Methodist preachers.
The early milling was at a little mill built on Sugar
Creek by Benjamin Clevenger, about 1832.
The next mill was by Peter Rhodes, on Hog Creek,
I837. Some of the early settlers went to Cherokee,
some to Piqua, and some to Wapakonetta. The first
carding was done at the machine of John East,
in German township. For leather, salt, etc., we
went to Lower Sandusky or Fremont. The Welsh put
up a good log church in what is now Gomer, in 1838.
The Welsh have greatly increased of late years, by
emigration, and the membership of that church has become
quite numerous. The old church has been replaced
by a large new brick, built, at a heavy cost, in 1873.
The first road was from Lima to Defiance. The
next, the Bucyrus and Ft. Wayne, built in 1835. It
makes the principal street in Gomer. Mr.
Nicholas states that when he first located in the
township, it was the custom to spend many days in the
spring and fall in assisting the new settlers in rolling
logs, erecting cabins, or other work. When he
first arrived, wild game was exceedingly plenty, and the
Wyandots often
[Pg. 28]
hunted in the forest, and frequently called at his
cabin. In the fall of the year there were great
quantities of crab-apples, and in many places, at the
proper time, great abundance of wild plums. Mr.
Nicholas states that he has been an acting
justice of Sugar Creek township since his election in
1834, being re-elected fifteen-times to said office by
the people of his township. It is highly
complimentary, as an officer, to have so many evidences
of the good-will of his people. Mr.
Nicholas evinces the perfect preservation of all his
physical and mental faculties, and it will be a rare
instance of long attachment if the people of Sugar Creek
should continue to elect him until he should have served
JUST HALF A CENTURY! As it now stands, it is a
mooted question whether any man has been justice so long
in any other county in the State.
It is proper to compliment the Welsh of Sugar Creek
township as fine farmers. In no locality in Allen
County has farming been so nearly reduced to a science.
Evidence of fine culture is everywhere to be seen, and,
as in all cases where systematic farming is introduced,
the farmers of Sugar Creek evince excellent taste in the
erection of handsome homes, fine barns, and well-fenced
fields.
VILLAGE OF GOMER.
This village
was laid out in 1850 by James Nicholas and
Samuel Ramsay. It contains one dry
goods store; one blacksmith shop; one shoemaker shop;
one dealer in agricultural implements; one steam saw
mill; a number of private residences; one justice’s
office, James Nicholas; two practising
physicians, Drs. R. S. Jones and John
Davis; one fine brick church—Congregational—cost
$16,000, built in 1873. Dr. Jones
began practice in 1853, and Dr. Davis in
1854. Population 150.
The population of Sugar Creek township by the
compendium of the census of 1870 is 1016, and at the
census of 1880, will be much greater.
- END OF SUGAR CREEK TOWNSHIP - |
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