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Source:
History of Auglaize County, Ohio
- with the Indian History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement
of the County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880
BIOGRAPHIES
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Wayne Twp. -
BYRD RICHARDSON was born in Montgomery
County, Va., in 1809. He married Nancy Smiles, and
moved to Shelby County, Ohio, in 1830, then moved to St. Johns,
this county, in 1831. When they first came to St. Johns,
the Indians were still on their reservation. Mrs.
Richardson tells us that she has stayed many nights in the
cabins with the Indians, has seen the stakes where it was said
they tortured their prisoners. The Chief
Blackhoof was buried on Mr. Richardson's farm.
All the white people she can remember living near St. Johns,
at that time, was James Coleman, Henry Princehouse,
and John Rogers. The Indians left for their western
homes the ensuing year. Mrs. Richardson could
relate many singular incidents connected with the early history,
had we the space to give them. They moved to Union
township in 1833; from there to Wayne township in the spring of
1834, built a rail pen, and lived in it for six months, when
they moved into their house. Mr. Richardson died in
1871. Mrs. Richardson raised a family of seven
children, one son and six daughters. The son and one
daughter died, leaving five daughters still living in Auglaize
County. The father of Mr. Richardson lived to be
one hundred and ten years of age, he having come to this county
in 1830.
Mrs. Richardson still lives on the farm to which
she first moved, and says her happiest days were those she spent
among the Indians, and in the woods. She thinks the people
were more honest and sociable than now. She says her
husband made rails for twenty-five cents per hundred, and
boarded himself.
Source: History of Auglaize County, Ohio
- with the Indian History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the
County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 180 |
Duchouque Twp. -
WM. RICHARDSON was born in Montgomery
County, Va., in 1765. At the age of about seventeen he
shouldered his musket to fight the Indians, and was on the
skirmish line during a year or two of the Revolutionary War.
He was a cousin of Anthony Wayne, their mothers having
been Mattie and Nancy Hiddens. In 1812 he entered
the army, with which he served during the war with the exception
of two or three months. In 1784 he married Mary Adney,
who died in 1811. In 1815 he married Catharine
Millhouse, a sister of Barbary Dillbone, by shooting
the three Indian murderers.
Source: History of Auglaize
County, Ohio - with the Indian History of Wapakoneta, and the
First Settlement of the County. - Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton,
Publisher - 1880 - Page 133 |
Duchouque Twp.
ADAM RICHIE was born in Virginia in 1801;
married Mollie Spitzer in 1824; moved to this county ten
years later, and settled where he now lives in sec. 8.
Mr. Richie cleared his own land, as he entered it while it
was all timber. Mrs. Richie died in 1852. He
afterwards married Nancy Sprague. They have reared
four children, three of whom survive. Mr. Richie,
now seventy-eight years old, is hale and hearty, and working
upon his farm just as he did during his younger days.
Source: History of
Auglaize County, Ohio - with the Indian History of Wapakoneta,
and the First Settlement of the County. - Wapakoneta: Robert
Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 129 |
Wayne Twp. -
JOHN RIDLEY was born in 1794, in Vermont.
He married
Sarah Myers in 1824, in Licking County, Ohio; moved to
Auglaize County in 1837, with a family of seven children.
He moved into the woods in the spring, and camped out all
summer, and in the fall built himself a cabin. They had
neither bedstead nor table for several months. They peeled
bark, laid it on the ground to answer the purpose of a bedstead,
and laid it on the ground to answer the purpose of a
bedstead nor table for several months. They pealed bark,
laid it on the ground to answer the purpose of a bedstead, and
laid clapboards across two logs for a table. Such were the
accommodations they had to offer strangers; nevertheless, they
were quite happy. Mr. Ridley died in the year 1849.
Mrs. Ridley, after remaining a widow some seven years,
married Levi Mix, with whom she lived nearly
twenty years. He died in 1875. She now resides with
her daughter, Mrs. Winegardner, in Waynesfield, and is in
her seventy-ninth year, but is quite active for a lady of her
age.
Joseph Dawson, Sr., came from Trumbull County to
Allen County in the spring of 1836. His family consisted
of nine sons and one daughter, of whom John R., Joseph,
Isaac, Jonathan, Newton, and Lewis are still
residents of Wayne township. Their first neighbors in the
new settlement were Daniel Ellsworth, Samuel McPherson, John
Perry, Allen Gilmore, Samuel Felger, and Isaac Dawson.
Dr. Dawson entered 1500 acres of land within Wayne township,
and afterward entered 200 acres more. HE died at the old
home in 1865, at the advanced age of 83 years.
Source: History of Auglaize County, Ohio - with the Indian
History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 182 |
Union Twp. -
HUGH T. RINEHART was born in Virginia in
1813. In 1833 he married Julia Godfrey, and came to
Union township in 1836, and settled on the place where he still
lives. The family numbered ten children, five of whom are
still living. Mr. B. has cleared and improved his
land by his own labor, for by his industry the land still held,
and that given to his children, numbers 908 acres; all the
result of personal effort, except a capital of $800. He
was one of the first commissioners of the county; was a justice
of the peace 12 years, and a member of the State Board of
Equalization. He has now retired from active duty.
Source: History of Auglaize County, Ohio - with the Indian
History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 186 |
Washington Twp. -
JESSE ROBERTS was born near Xenia, Ohio,
Dec. 11, 1811. He married Catherine Meyers, and
moved to Washington township in 1837. He had here entered
160 acres of land, receiving his patent from President Van
Buren. His wife died in 1867, leaving eight children,
named Minerva A., Lavina J., John M., Cyrus P., Cornelia S.,
Nancy C., and Mary M. On May 31, 1870, Mr.
Roberts married Sarah J. Rush; the result of this
marriage being one child, named Ella May. Mr. Roberts,
in connection with farming, devoted considerable time to the
manufacture of coffins and plows. His death occcurred Mar.
21, 1874, at which time he owned 640 acres of land, acquired by
industry and economy.
Source: History of Auglaize County, Ohio - with the Indian
History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 169 |
Clay Twp. - St. John's -
JOHN ROGERS was born in Orange County, New
York, Oct. 20, 1800. His parents subsequently moved to
Sussex County, New Jersey, and finally to Licking County, Ohio,
in 1814. In 1821 he went to Richland County, Ohio, and
shortly afterward married Miss Mary Hadley of Mt. Vernon.
In the autumn of 1833 he came to Auglaize County and settled on
the site of the Black Hoof Village, when he became one of the
two original proprietors and founders of St. Johns. Two
years later Clay township was organized. He afterwards
held the office of justice of the peace. His wife died
about 1841, and ten yeas latter he married Mrs. Nancy A.
Bachdalt, née Coleman,
who with his seven children survives him. To the
development of the community he contributed his full share; and
having attained his eightieth year, he laid down the burden of
cares and years April 30, 1880, and embraced that rest which
awaits even the restless. He was thus closely associated
with the village and township, having assisted in the founding
of both, and continued identified with them during a period of
nearly half a century.
Source: History of Auglaize County, Ohio
- with the Indian History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the
County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 176 |
Duchouque Twp. -
GEORGE ROMSHE, son of the above, was born
in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, Nov. 2, 1827, and came with his
parents to this township. He and a sister, who lives at
Springfield, are the only survivors of his father's family.
He now occupies the old homestead of his father. In 1850
he married Mary McClintock, who came from Ireland in
1848. Mr. Romshe's first purchase of land consisted
of twenty acres, which he bought in 1852 from John Everett
for $120. His second piece was also twenty acres,
purchased in 1856. Today he and his children represent six
hundred and forty acres in Duchoquet and Logan townships, all
joining, although not in a regular body. He was elected
township trustee in 1879, and re-elected in 1880. His
family consisted of ten children, of whom five sons and one
daughter are still living.
‡ Source:
History of Auglaize County, Ohio - with the Indian History of
Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 128 |
Duchouque Twp. -
JUSTUS ROMSHE came from Germany to this
township in 1838, and purchased seventy-five acres of land from
J. C. Bothe for $400. After the payment of the land
he had but $15 left as his year's capital. He first
secured work on the canal at Troy, and continued at this work
while the canal was constructing through this county.
Mrs. Romshe did a large portion of the farm work at home,
often carrying grain to the Wapakoneta mills upon her head.
She met her death Sept. 1, 1854, by falling from a load of ashes
on the home farm. Mr. Romshe died Oct. 12, 1879.
‡ Source:
History of Auglaize County, Ohio - with the Indian History of
Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 128 |
Washington Twp. -
ZACHARIAH K. RYAN was born in Brown
County, Ohio, in 1812 and in 1833 came with his father's family
to Washington township. He married Elizabeth Montgomery
in the autumn of the same year. After rearing a family of
eight children Mrs. Ryan died, Jan. 1, 1868. Mr.
Ryan afterward married Mary A. Nash, who died Dec. 3,
1879.
‡ Source: History of Auglaize County, Ohio - with the Indian
History of Wapakoneta, and the First Settlement of the County. -
Wapakoneta: Robert Sutton, Publisher - 1880 - Page 168 |
NOTES:
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