OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

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DEFIANCE COUNTY, OHIO
History & Genealogy



 
 


History of Defiance County, Ohio

containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Towns, Etc.;
Military Record; Portraits of Early Settlers and
Prominent Men; Farm Views; Personal
Reminiscences, Etc.
Published at Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co.
1883

CONTENTS - BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX - ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER XXV
HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP
AYERSVILLE - CHURCHES - AYERSVILLE GRANGE -
VOTERS OF 1845 - PERSONAL REMINISCENCES
pg. 308 - 312
 

     HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP was organized in 1842.  The following is a duplicate of the first election on record at the Township Clerk's office in Highland Township, then Henry County:
     "December 18, 1843, we met at the house of John Wiler, agreeable to the Commissioners of Henry County, Ohio, to elect township officers:  John M. Sanford, Philip G. Hoeltzel and Henry Brechbill as Trustees; Brazila Hendrix as Treasurer; Jacob Kraft, Clerk; William Boucher, Augustus Skiver and John Wiler, Fence Viewers; Jacob T. Peterson and David Skiver, Overseers of the Poor.  "JACOB KRAFT, Clerk.
     "April 1, 1844, we met at the house of John Wiler, agreeable to the Trustees of Highland Township, to elect township officers:  John M. Sanford, Philip G. Hoeltzel and Henry Brechbill, Trustees; Brazilla Hen-

Page 309 -
drix, Treasurer; Jacob Kraft, Clerk; Jacob Peterson, Assessor; William Boucher and William Harper, Constables; David Skiver and William Harper, Overseers of the Poor; Thomas Peterson, William Boucher and Augustus Skiver, Fence viewers.
                                                  - JACOB KRAFT, Clerk.

     "May 18, 1844, we met at the house of John Wiler agreeable to the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Henry County, to elect township officers:  Brazilia Hendrix. Justice of the Peace.
                                                  - JACOB KRAFT, Clerk.

     The following are the present township officers John W. Ramey and Jacob K. Myers, Justices; Nathan A. Boutell, Clerk; E. B. Mix, Treasurer; James Ashton, Henry Stone and Jerry D. Hall, Trustees; Jacob Wise and John Stock, Constables.
     There are two sandy ridges extending through the township.  The soil is generally good.  The southwest part of the township is drained bj' Powell Creek.  In the west of the township, the drainage is largely artificial.  The southeast part of the township is but sparsely settled and quite heavily timbered, a great quantity of ship-timber is being taken from this part of the township.

AYERSVILLE.

     Ayersville is not a laid-out town.  It was named after Joseph Ayers.  There was a post office there as early as 1849.  A mail route was established about this time, running from Defiance through Ayersville, New Bavaria, Ridgeland, Madrid, Leipsic, McComb and to Findlay.  The present mail route extends only from Defiance to Ayersville.  Mr. Nathan A. Boutell has the contract for carrying the mail and his wife, Mrs. Boutell, is the Postmistress.  Ayersville contains one store and post office, kept by Mr. and Mrs. Boutell; one physician, one Methodist Episcopal Church, one school house, one blacksmith shop, one saw mill.  The first physician who located at Ayersville was Dr. B. D. Ashton, about the year 1856, followed by Dr. Boutell in 1860.  In 1878, Dr. I. N. Thacker located there, and remained about two years, and then removed back to Defiance.  H. H. Ziegler is the present physician, and located there about the first of the year 1882.

CHURCHES

     The Methodist Episcopal Church at Ayersville was built in 1860, at a cost of about $700. The congregation numbers about seventy-five members Rev. Henry Boyer is their present pastor. 
     The Lutheran congregation have a church building which is located on Section 1. 
     The Presbyterian Church is located on Ottawa pike.  Rev. B. W. Slagle, of Defiance, preaches every other Sabbath afternoon.
     The New School Baptists have no church building, but hold services in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Ayersville. The Rev. W. V. Thomas, of Defiance, fills the pulpit once every two weeks.
     The Free-Will Baptists also hold services in the same church (Methodist Episcopal), Rev. Dr. Hosier officiating.
     The Evangelical congregation hold services in what is known as Hills' Schoolhouse.
     The Dunkard's have an organization and also hold their services in the same schoolhouse.

     The German Evangelical Lutheran Church, situated on the South Ridge road in Highland Township about seven miles southeast from Defiance.  The congregation of this church bear the name, German Evangelical Lutheran Saint Stephen's Congregation of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession.  It was founded in the year 1853 by the following persons, viz.: G. C. A. Greenler, George Schall, George Nikol Troeger, Simon Kollrich, John Dietseb, Henry Dietseb, John Schatz, Henry Schatz, Adam Schatz, John N. Thieroff, Nikol Goller, John Goller, Jacol Hermann, Erhard Bauer, Jakol Roth, John Troeger, John Kohenberger, etc.  The first pastor was Rev. A. Detzer from 1853 to 1873, then the Rev. C. Boese was called and has remained their pastor ever since.  At the present time the congregation counts about forty families.

AYERSVILLE GRANGE, NO. 369.

     This Grange was organized in 1873, with J. W. Tate, Master, and A. C. Henry as Secretary.  The organization numbers about thirty members.  Meetings are held every Wednesday evening at the residence of E. F. Palmer.  A. T. Brechbill, Master; I. N. Brechbill, Secretary.

VOTERS IN OCTOBER, 1815.

     Abraham Creamer, Jacob T. Peterson, Solomon McCollock, Thomas Peterson, John M. Sanford, Jacob Kraft, Henry Brechbill, Augustus Skiver, Isaac Skiver, Brazillia Hendrix, Phillip G. Hoeltzell, Joseph Wagoner, C. B. West, John Wiler, Daniel Clark, Charles Dellette, Robert Randall, Henry Wite, Albert Stites, Hezekiah Clark, Jefferson Warren, John McBernhill, William
Boucher, Henry Stiles, John M. Sanford, Phillip G. Hoeltzell,
and John Wiler, Judges; Jacob Kraft and Brazillia Hendrix, Clerks.

PERSONAL REMINISCENSES.

HENRY BRECHBILL

Page 310 - 312

JOSEPH PRUDDEN AYERS

JACOB K. MYERS

HARVEY J. HILL


MRS. JOHN BRECHBILL, JOHN BRECHBILL,
MRS. SARAH ROHN,
MRS. A. T. BRECHBILL, A. T. BRECHBILL

Page 313 -

JOHN M. SANFORD

JACOB KRAFT

AUGUSTUS SKIVER

JAMES ASHTON

Page 314 -

PHILIP GEORGE HOELTZEL

Page 315 -

N. A. BOUTELL

Page 316 -

JOHN BOUTELL

ENOS B. MIX

A. FULLMER

HERVEY J. HILL

Page 317 -

ABRAHAM POVENMIRE



 

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