CHAPTER XLI - PAULDING COUNTY -
NELSON R. WEBSTER, PAULDING

Pg. 529

     The County of Paulding is traversed both by the Maumee and the Auglaize rivers, which make it indeed historic ground.  Although no battles occurred with its boundaries, so far as we know, it no doubt had its full share of isolated tragedies which have never been written by the pen of the historian.  It could not be otherwise than that the incoming settlers should at some place of another come into a clash with the red men, who looked upon them as intruders.  The armies of Generals St. Clair and Wayne passed within the border of the county and may have had some skirmishes there.  A small stockade, called Fort Brown, was built at the confluence of the Big and Little Auglaize rivers in 1812, and it was occupied for a time by detachments from General Harrison's army.  The stockade was soon abandoned, and all trace of it has now disappeared.  The only remainder of its existence is in the name of a township.
     The largest Indian village ever located within the county was that of Charloe, which was situated on the beautiful site upon the left bank of the Auglaize.  It was near the center of an Indian reserve, of four miles square, which was known as Oquanoxa's reserve.  Here dwelt the chieftain of that name with several hundred Indians, who were a portion of the Ottawa tribe.  The reservation was sold in 1820 when the chief and his followers took up their line of march toward the retiring sun.  When the first settlers arrived, there were several small bands of Indians who dwelt along the Auglaize or Maumee, and the Saucy Jack, Big Yankee Jim, Draf Jim, P. Ashway, Pokeshaw, and Waapacanaugh were familiar names.  These Indians were generally peaceable and kindly disposed toward the settlers, excepting when under the influence of the firewater brought by the civilized race.
     Following the custom of the early settles in nearly every section of our country, the earliest pioneers built their simple homes along the banks of the streams.  This was but natural for, in addition to the beauty of the location, the stream provided good fishing and good hunting as well as an easy means of communication to other settlements.  The first whit settler in the county was SHADRACH HUDSON, who arrived in the year 1819.  He came from Miami County and built a log house on the right bank of the Auglaize River, about half a mile east of the present Village of Junction.  It was in the usual style, being constructed of square logs, was two stories in height, and had a huge fire-place in one end.  He had been a soldier with General St. Clair, and participated in the battle where that general was defeated by the Indians.  It commanded a splendid view both up and down the river.  He had also served in the American army during the War of 1812, and was so impressed with the fertility and natural beauty of this site that he decided to make it his home.  MR. HUDSON and his wife lived a life of piety, and daily gathered their large family around the family altar.  They were very hospitable, and entertained many a stranger who chanced to pass that way.
     ISAAC CAREY came in the autumn of the same year and settled near MR. HUDSON.  In his cabin was born DANIEL CLARK CAREY, who brought the distinction of being the first white child known to have been born within the limits of the county.  He lived to a good old age and served the county in the position of probate judge, and in other offices of public trust.  NATHAN SHIRLEY came in 1823 and THOMAS ROMINE two years later, both of them choosing farms along the Auglaize.  In the latter year settlement on the Maumee began.  In that year, or about that time, there came to the county, DENNISON HUGHES, WILLIAM BANKS, DAVID APPLEGATE, WILLIAM GORDON, REASON V. SPURRIER, and H. M. CURTIS.  These pioneers established the first settlement in the northern part of the county.  ROBERT HAKES was an early pioneer who lived too a happy old age.  ROBERT BARNHILL was the first man to settle in Blue Creek Township.  JONATHAN BALL penetrated the forests of what is now Benton Township, and built the first cabin there.  OLIVER CRAIN was a prominent early settler, and a township bears his name.  A postoffice also bore the name of Cranesville for a long time, but it has long since disappeared.  James Hinton as an early "squatter" in Carryall township, but DAVID APPLEGATE bears the distinction of being the earliest actual settler.  WILLIAM H. SNOOK, DR. and WILLIAM N. SNOOK came to the county in 1834, and their descendants have been prominent and useful citizens of the community.  WILLIAM GORDON built a small cabin along the Maumee in 1826, and receded all other settlers in Emerald Township.  This township was given its name because a number of the sons of Erin settled within its boundaries.  There was no settler in what now constitutes Latty Township until EDWARD L. HIMMELL built a cabin there in 1853.  When the first election was held three years later, when nine votes were recorded.  There was not a postoffice in the township until 1873, when Gilbert's Mills was established, but it has since been abandoned.
     Settlers did not come to Paulding County so rapidly as to some other sections of the Northwestern part of Ohio.  In fact, it was one of the very last counties to become thoroughly settled and, after the timber had disappeared from the larger portion of some of the counties, Paulding was still largely covered with the primeval forests.  In 1828, JOSEPH MELLINGER started a settlement on the Little Auglaize, and was shortly afterwards followed by WILLIAM HARRELL, BENJAMIN KNISS, and DIMITT MACKERELL.  Most of these early settlers came from the southern counties of the state.  In 1835 two brothers by the name of JOHN and WILLIAM MOSS, natives of England, began to improve farms on the banks of Blue Creek.  A few months later ROBERT BARNHILL and JOSEPH REED also constructed cabins along this stream and began the battle with the forest.  In 1851, when the first election was held here, when Jackson Twp. was created, only ten votes were cast.  WILLIAM MOSS was elected both clerk and justice of the peace.  Flat Rock Settlement was established by THOMAS WENTWORTH, who was a native of the State of Maine.  He left the pine covered hills of his native state to establish a home in Paulding County in the year 1835.  It was a long and tedious journey for himself and his family to the farm which he carved out of the forest near the Village of Payne.  CHRISTIAN SHROUFE located near Oakwood in 1826, and was the first settler in Brown Twp.  For a decade he had scarcely any neighbors.  At an election held in 1830, only thirty votes were cast in a territory equalling almost a third of the county.  At this election DR. JOHN KINGERY was chosen as justice of the peace.  PIERCE EVANS erected a grist-mill on the Little Auglaize in 1834, but it was washed away not long afterward.  JOHN D. CARLTON was one of the very earliest teachers in the county, for he began to instruct the youth as early as 1834, in an unoccupied cabin near Charloe.  Another early teacher was MRS. CAROLINE MERCHANT, who taught about fifteen pupils in her own cabin.  She taught because of the love of the work rather than for the small remuneration recevied.
     The primitiveness of elections in the early days is well illustrated by the following incident: "An election was held at the house of JOHN NORTHUP, the ballot-box being MR. NORTHUP's old possum skin cap.  DANA COLUMBIA, of Junction, was a candidate for the office of county commissioner; but after the balloting had proceeded for some length of time, a horseman arrived post-haste, and by speaking so derogatorily of the character of MR. COLUMBIA, and by so emphatically declaring that he was not a suitable person for the office, he so influenced several of the voters as to cause them to want to change their votes.  After some parleying with the judges and clerks, it was decided to begin the election over again.  Accordingly the old 'possum' skin cap was turned upside down, the tickets already cast emptied out and thrown away, and a new ballot taken."  This was certainly a wide departure from the Australian system of balloting, but it resulted in the defeat of MR. COLUMBIA, and the illegality of the proceeding was never tested.
     The early pioneer of Paulding County were a religious people.  Whenever it was possible religious services were held.  The oldest Sunday School in the county is the one known as Charloe Union Sunday School.  This was organized in 1841 by C. B. WEST, who held the superintendency for several years, and was then succeeded by DAVID C. CAREY.  He in turn was followed by DWIGHT C. BLAKESLY.  These three men served as superintendents of this Sunday School during the first half century of its existence, with the exception record that it would be hard to duplicate in this section of our state.
     It was not until after the opening of the Miami and Erie and the Wabash and Erie canals that settlers began to some to Paulding County in very great numbers.  Some of the workmen who had been employed in the construction work remained here or came shortly afterward, and others settled upon the farms or worked in the industries that followed the canal.  The Village of Junction, which was laid out in 1842, and so named because it was established at the junction of the two canals, at one time promised to be a flourishing town.  It was flourishing in fact for a number of years, and prosperity seemed so imminent that some moved from Fort Wayne, believing that it promised to have a better future.  Daily lines of packets ran along both canals, and many passengers were transferred at this point.  This made the business of the two or three hotels located there a prosperous one.  There were also several large well-stocked dry goods stores and grocery stores, and three large warehouses were erected for the storage of grain.  FREDERICK RUFFNER built a flouring-mill there in 1865, which was run by water power furnished by the canal.  WILLIAM K. DAGGETT had erected a saw-mill in the neighborhood a score of years earlier.  A postoffice was established at Junction in 1842, and JOHN MASON, SR., was named as postmaster.  The canal collector's office was located there, and there were at least a half dozen places where liquid refreshments were disposed of.  The wharfs were generally lined with canal boats, which were loading and unloading grain and other freight, and all this activity gave the embryo city the appearance of a very busy place.  As commerce found other channels that the canals, decay began to settle upon the once thriving village.  At the present time it has a forlorn appearance, for the warehouses were burned and many of the old buildings fell in the decay, so that it might almost appear to be the original town that suggested to Goldsmith the celebrated poem of "The Deserted Village."
     Paulding County was named after JOHN PAULDING, who was one of the captors of MAJOR ANDR'E.  It was created by an Act of the Legislature in 1820, along with most of the counties in Northwest Ohio.  Although formally given a name and a habitation, so to speak, it was without any real existence for a number of years.  Crane Township was organized in 1825, Carryall in 1829, and Brown in 1830.  The county was attached to Williams County for judicial purposes, with the county seat at Defiance.  To Defiance they were obliged to go to pay taxes and attend court.  Since then a number of changes have been made in its boundaries, and the present Paulding County is much smaller than as originally created by the Legislature.  The base line established by SYLVANUS BROWN, which forms the south line of Seneca County and bisects Hancock County, is also the southern boundary of Paulding.
     After the organization of the county, the first county seat was located at New Rochester, in the fall of 1839.  This village was situated on the south bank of the Maumee River, about a mile north of the Village of Cecil, and was at that time the largest and most flourishing village in the county.  It was laid out in 1835 by DR. JOHN EVANS.  ROBERT CLEMMER, REV. N. L. THOMAS, and REV. JOSEPH MILLER.  REV. MR. THOMAS built the first house in the village, and ISAAC SAVAGE was the second person to erect a home there.  When the county seat was located there the village contained thirty or forty families, had three hotels, as many general stores, a couple of blacksmith shops, and was on the line of daily stage service between Toledo and Fort Wayne.  The county seat was removed within a little more than a year and the buildings, which were simply structures made of logs, have now all fallen into decay.  A log schoolhouse was the last building to mark the spot of the first county seat of Paulding County, but even that has disappeared.  No vestige of the Town of New Rochester now remains, and the farmer plants his crops where the busy streets once existed.
     The second county seat of the county was at Charloe.  This village was laid out by BENJAMIN HOLLISTER for the especial purpose of a county seat, and was pleasantly located on a commanding bluff along the Auglaize River.  It had been the site of a little Indian town, and received its name from the chief known as CHARLOE PETER.  The Indians raised corn on the rich bottom land opposite the village.  Their cemetery was just north of the town, and silver brooches, pipes, and other trinkets have frequently been exhumed from the graves.  The county seat remained at Charloe until 1851, when it was removed to Paulding.  A native poet expressed the result of this removal in the following lines:
     "When Paulding a shire town was made, And thither folks began to wade, Then Charloe's flower began to fade, And drooped, and died, and away was laid."
     A courthouse had been built at Charloe by B. F. HOLLISTER, who had agreed to do this in case that a county seat should be located there.  There had ben no courthouse at New Rochester, and the only term ever held there was in a room over the store of GEN. H. N. CURTIS.  The county offices were located in private buildings wherever accommodation could be found.  This first courthouse at Charloe was small, being only about 30 by 40 feet in size and two stories in height.  It was built of brick on a solid stone foundation.  On the first floor there were six rooms which accommodated the county offices, and on the second floor was the court room furnished and furnished in black walnut.  This building was presented to the county commissioners on the condition that it should be the property of the county so long as the county seat remained at Charloe.  When the county seat was removed to Paulding, it reverted to the heirs of MR. HOLLISTER, but as they were already wealthy they did not claim the property.  As a result it was used for schools, church, elections, balls, and every other sort of public gathering, while the offices were occupied as residences by anyone who might choose to do so.  It became everybody's building and nobody's building.  When a new schoolhouse was built, the old courthouse was practically abandoned to the owls and bats, and year by year fell more and ore into decay.
     "Ah, sad indeed, old house, hast been they lot,
     In thine old age uncared for and forgot;
     To silent dust thou'rt crumbling unbemoaned,
     And sadder yet, by old--time friends disowned.

     For many years thou wast fair Charloe's pride,
     And little dreamed of ills that now betide;
     Within they walls hast stood full many a pioneer.
     Is there none now to drop for thee a tear!"

[PICTURE OF COURT HOUSE, PAULDING]

     The second courthouse was erected in Paulding, in the year 1852.  It was an awkward and badly proportioned building, about the size of the one that had been abandoned at Charloe, and the court room was reached by an outside stairway in the rear.  When this building was burned in 1868, few tears were shed over its ruin.  The only serious loss was that of some valuable documents which were consumed by the flames.  A third courthouse was soon afterwards erected on the site, at a cost of only $2,000.  Another long one-story building was constructed at the same time for the county officers.  Although this latest courthouse was somewhat of an improvement over its immediate predecessor, the citizens of the county were glad when a new building was erected in 1888, after permission was secured from the Legislature to bond the county.  A number of courthouses were visited by the building committee, and the one at Adrian, Michigan, was taken as the model.  The corner store of this building was laid by the Masonic lodge on Dec. 21, 1886, with elaborate ceremonies.  The building as its stands today is a very substantial structure, neat in appearance, and well adapted to the use for which it was intended.
     The first jail in the county was a small brick building in Charloe that was constructed in 1842.  It was not a very substantial building, and crumbled away soon after the county seat was removed.  To the credit of the early settlers, it is said that this jail seldom had an occupant.  The second jail was erected in the courtyard at Paulding shortly after that village became the county seat.  It was built of hewed logs closely fit together.  The doors were of huge planks, heavily spiked and riveted together, and some of the cells were lined with heavy pieces of sheet iron for additional security.  Despite these precautions, escapes were frequent from this bastille, so that a new and more substantial jail was erected in 1874.
     In a list of initial officers of Paulding County, we find that ANDREW CLEMMLER served the county as its premier auditor.  The first man whose official duty it was to arrest the malefactors and preserve the peace as sheriff of the county was ANDREW J. SMITH, who was appointed to that position.  MATTHEW FLEMMING was the first man elected to that important office.  GEN. HORATIO N. CURITS had the honor of being the first county clerk, as well as the original recorder of the county.  The first treasurer was WILLIAM GORDON, while EZRA J. SMITH was the first man to be elected probate judge of the county after that office was established by the Legislature.  The original Board of County Commissioners consisted of CHRISTIAN SHROUFE, JOHN KINGERY, and THOMAS BANKS.  All of these officers were representative men of the county during the time in which they served their constituents.  When a county board of school examiners was established, the first board was composed of J. O. SHANNON, S. N. WEBB, and H. A. BROWN.

LAW AND MEDICINE

     When Paulding County was organized in 1839, NATHAN EATON, GILMAN C. MUDGETT, and JOHN HUDSON were appointed associate judges.  The associate judges were men chosen for their sterling worth, honesty, and moral integrity, rather than for their knowledge of the law, for but few of them possessed any legal ability.  Regarding this fact, an amusing incident is told as follows:  "ROBERT McCREARY, or 'BOB' McCREARY, as he was familiarly called, a waggish sort of a genius who resided in Paulding, attended the court room one morning in the early fifties, and looking up to where the presiding judge and the three associates sat, he shrugged his shoulders and smilingly said: 'Ah, a thousand judges on the bench this morning!'  'Why, how is that, Bob?' some one said.  'Why, one and three cyphers, doesn't that make a thousand?' The point was quickly seen, and a general titter ran through the court room as the result of witticism."
     When the first court was held in the of 1840, at New Rochester, it was presided over by EMERY D. POTTER, of Toledo, as the presiding judge.  As there were no lawyers living in the county at the time, EDWIN PHELPS, of Defiance, was appointed prosecuting attorney.  No records have been preserved of the early sessions.  It was not log after the location of the county seat at Charloe that D. N. HARRINGTON, JOHN W. AYRES, JOHN D. CARLTON, and ALEXANDER S. LATTY located in that village, and tacked up the usual shingles announcing that they were prepared to practice law.  When the county seat was removed to Paulding, these men followed, and from that time Paulding has been the home of the great majority of the attorneys living within the county.  When the offices of associate judge was abolished by the amendment to the Constitution, ALEXANDER S. LATTY served as the first common pleas judge, and continued in that office for a score of years.  He was a wise and upright judge, and his final retirement was a matter of his own choice and not the decree of the electors.  He was a native of Ireland, but emigrated to America at an early age, settling first at Montreal.  At a later period he came to New York State, and then turned his face toward the West and sought a home in the forests of Northwestern Ohio.  This was about the year 1837, and he immediately became prominent because of his native talents and indefatigable industries.  After retiring from the bench, he made his home at Defiance.
     One of the very first physicians who practiced medicine in the county, and the first of whom we have definite knowledge, was DR. RICHARD ALLISON, who accompanied GENERAL WAYNE in his memorable march down the Auglaize.  He was the surgeon-general of the expedition, but was never a resident of the county.  Some of the pioneer physicians of the county were DR. JOHN KINGERY, DR. ROYAL B. COOPER, DOCTOR MARCELLUS, and DR. B. B. WOODCOCK.  DOCTOR KINGERY was not only a physician, but a farmer and a shoemaker as well.  From an old account book left by him is taken the following entry:

December 4th, A. D. 1845,
JOHN KRETZINGER to JOHN KINGRY, Dr.
     Making one pair fine shoes.. 62½ cents
     To one-half bushel turnips... 10    cents
     To one bushel potatoes........  25   cents
     To medical attention.........$1.00

     From another entry in the same book, we find that JOHN BOWERS was indebted to JOHN KINGERY in the sum of $5 for filling one "waggon" wheel and "sitting" a tire.  This physician with the many accomplishments resided on the opposite side of the Auglaize River from old Fort Brown, and died about the year 1854.  DOCTOR COOPER was a man who was very careless in his office, but was regarded as a good physician.  He practiced medicine in the county for fifteen or twenty years until his death in 1860.  Bleeding was a very common remedy in those days, and the lancet was found in the "pill-box" of every physician.  Twenty-five cents was charged for "tapping a vein," and for "sitting up all night" at the bedside of a patient the charge was $1.00.  For a long ride to visit patients 25 cents a mile might be charged.  They were also the dentists, and yanked out teeth at "two bits" each.  Their principal remedies were Glauber's salt, dragon's blood, balsam of Peru, bitter apple, melopodium, Huxham's mixture, and other obsolete remedies.  DR. ELIJAH J. BROWN practiced medicine in the county for a half century or more.  DOCTOR OLDS settled in Charloe in 1852, and there began the practice of medicine.  One of his favorite prescriptions was large doses of calomel, and so many of his patients were salivated that the people ceased to employ him.  As a result a popular song arose, which was frequently heard in the neighborhood.  Two of these verse that have been preserved for us ran as follows:

     "Said DR. OLDS until his wife,
     'Bring me clean paper, spoon and knife;
     I'm sure your husband can't get well,
     Without a dose of calomel.'

     Chorus: -
          Calomel, calomel,
          Without a dose of calomel.

     The husband turned himself in bed,
     And to his wife he feebly said:
     'O let me bid this world farewell,
     Without one dose of calomel'

     Chorus: -
          Calomel, calomel,
          Without one dose of calomel."

PRESS AND PULPIT

     The first newspaper to be published in Paulding County was named The Age of Progress, and it was established in 1853.  It was published in the Village of Paulding by P. W. HARDESTY.  It survived but a few months, when the plant was sold to ALEXANDER S. LATTY, who started the periodical which he called The Democrat.  After a year or two the paper was sold to J. D. BAKER, who changed the name to the Republican.  After publishing it for about a year, and not meeting with the welcome that he anticipated, the press was removed to Defiance.  In the summer of 1856, JOHN W. AYRES and EZRA J. SMITH purchased the material for a printing office, and gave to the public the Paulding Eagle. which had for its editor FIELDING S. CABLE.  This paper was afterwards sold to JOSEPH O. SHANNON, who conducted it for a year or two, when the Eagle quietly folded its pinions and sank to rest.  The next periodical to make its appearance was the Paulding Independent, the first copy of which was issued Nov. 10, 1859, with S. R. BROWN as its publisher and editor.  The valedictory number of this paper was issued four years later.  One wee after the demise of the Independent appeared the Paulding Press, under the ownership of DANIEL HIXON and FIELDING S. CABLE.  After a time the publication again changed hands and appeared under the name of Rural Ohioan, and under this title it appeared for several years.  THOMAS EMERY and WESLEY A. SAVAGE then purchased the material and issued the Paulding Plain Dealer, which continued until 1874, when the plant was removed from the county.
     In the year 1869, JOSEPH CABLE began the publication of the Review in Antwerp, but soon removed the establishment to Paulding.  The name was shortly afterwards changed to the Paulding Journal.  After passing through several hands this paper came into the ownership of GEORGE W. POTTER, who founded the Paulding Democrat, in 1874, and a couple of years later it passed into the hands of GEORGE P. HARDY and PETER BECKER.  After several intervening ownerships the paper came into the possession of RALPH D. WEBSTER in January, 1879.  MR. WEBSTER continued as its editor and proprietor until 1884, when he was elected to the office of county auditor.  He then leased it to his brother, NELSON R. WEBSTER.  After retiring from office MR. WEBSTER again took charge of the paper, but sold it shortly afterwards to FRANK J. MAINS.  It has since been purchased by NELSON R. WEBSTER, who is the present owner and editor.  The Paulding Register was begun in 1876, with Messrs. FISHER and KELLER as its editors and proprietors.  MR. FISHER soon retired, and MR. KELLER remained in charge until the paper suspended a year later.  The material was then purchased and merged with the Democrat.
     WILL E. OSBORNE in 1866 founded the Antwerp Gazette, which he published in that village for a dozen years, when it was removed to Paulding, and the name changed to the Paulding County Gazette.  In 1882 the office was purchased by JAMES R. CONNER, who published it for a year, and it finally came into the possession of A. C. BANKS, who continued it until 1887, when the business passed into the hands of an assignee.  It was finally sold to ANDREW DURFEY, and the name changed to the Paulding County Republican.  After about a year the plant was purchased by J. R. ROSS.  The Paulding News was founded in 1891 by FRED W. FRENCH and JAMES R. THOMAS.  The Free Press is the only German paper ever published in the county, and it was edited for a number of years by JOSEPH SILVERBERG.  The Antwerp Banner was started in that village in the year 1879 by R. S. MURPHY.  It suspended publican a couple of years later, and the material was sold.  In 1882 a MR. WILLIAMSON began the publishing of the Antwerp Standard, which was shortly afterwards sold to B. B. BANKS and A. N. SMITH.  W. E. OSBORNE purchased the material of the Standard and issued the Antwerp Argus, with E. A. BUDD as the associate editor.  N. H. OSBORNE was then admitted into the partnership, and it was conducted by them for a number of years, when the plant was leased and finally purchased by JOHN F. LUSK.  The first number of the Oakwood Sentinel was issued in 1889 by C. F. CAREY.  After only a few weeks' ownership, he sold the paper to FRANK A. HAKES, who finally removed the material to Wisconsin and began the publishing of a paper in that state.  MR. CAREY purchased a new plant and continued the publication of the Sentinel for a year, but it was finally sold to J. L. LOMER in the summer of 1890.  SHERMAN MOTT began the publication of the SCOTT MESSENGER in the village of that name.  He sold it to CHARLES O. GRIMM, who in turn disposed of it to M. A. KIRSCHNER.  The first newspaper published at Payne was the Star, of which the initial number was issued in 1883.  It did not prove to be a star of the first magnitude for it soon ceased to twinkle.  Then it was that the Payne Independent arose upon the horizon, with W. C. B. HARRISON as editor and proprietor.  As this paper was not well supported, the proprietor moved the plant to Hicksville.  The third newspaper founded was the Review, issued in 1885 by W. J. JOHNSON.
     Methodism was early upon the ground of Paulding County.  As early as 1840 REV. J. J. HILL, pastor of the St. Mary's Circuit, established an appointment in Brown Township, and in the year 1831 he began to preach at the settlement known as Milligans.  St. Mary's Circuit at that time included about 300 miles of travel.  It took the minister four weeks of travel.  It took the minister four weeks to encompass it.  The first society organized with the regular preaching was established at Junction in 1849.  When the Town of Paulding was laid out, the Northern Ohio Conference gave $90 for the Paulding Mission, and JOHN S. SHAW was appointed the pastor in charge.  It was by him that the society was organized in the Village of Paulding.  For a few years it was included in the Toledo district, with REV. DAVID GRAY as the presiding elder, and the church was allowed $100 from the conference.  Among the very early preachers were ENOCH LONGSWORTH, JOHN PRIDDY, MOSES HEBBARD, and JOSIAH ADAMS.  In 1859 it was included in the Antwerp Circuit, with REV. DAVID BULLE as the preacher.   It did not become the head of a circuit of its own until 1861, and this did not last very long.  In 1887 Paulding became a station and has remained as such ever since.  St. Paul's Church in Payne is the outgrowth of a class organized in 1864 by REV. JOHN BRAKEFIELD.  It was the second church organized in that village.  The chartered members of this society were LOUIS STILLWELL and wife, A. F. HARDESTY and wife, ANNA H. and JONATHAN SNELLINGBERGER, and CAROLINE CHRISTOPHER.  This small class formed the nucleus of the congregation of today.  The first services were held in the Wiltsie schoolhouse, a couple of miles northeast of the village.  The present church was dedicated in 1885 by REV. DAVID RUTLEDGE. 
     The Bethel Christian Church was organized in a schoolhouse in Auglaize Township in 1858, by ELDERS JOHN GILLESPIE and JOHN BUSHONG.  This territory was then included in the Auglaize Conference, but it was transferred to the Maumee Conference as soon as it was organized.  These were afterwards consolidated in the Northwestern Ohio Christian Conference.  The charter members of this church were fourteen, and their names were as follows:  JOHN and RACHAEL RICKNER, JOHN, SUSANNA, and ICHABOD GILLESPIE, A. J. and ELIZABETH FREDERIC, THOMAS and JEREMIAH GRAHAM, D. P. W. RAINS, WILLIAM and NANCY SMITH, JACOB and ROSANNA EITMAER.  A hewed log church, small in size, was built in the same year and used as a place of worship for a number of years, when a new frame church was erected.  REV. JOHN GILLESPIE served the congregation for eleven yeas, and REVEREND BUSHONG for a year.  JOHN H. McCAGUE held the office of deacon and clerk for many years.  Flat Rock society of this denomination was organized by ELDER E. LEAVITT in 1877 with fifteen members.  There are also a number of churches of other denominations in the county, including Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic.
     A number of United Brethren societies were early organized in the county.  At CLARK's Corners a congregation was gathered in 1846 by DAVID LANDIS in an old log cabin.  In the following year another company met at McCORMICK's Corners with nine members.  In 1850 a society was gathered together as a result of meetings held at the house of DELIVERANCE BROWN.  REV. ABRAM SHINGLEDECKER was an active minister of this denomination and organized several churches.  One of these was in Blue Creek Township, in the year 1850. As a direct result of the efforts of these early ministers and members there are today several United Brethren churches within the county.

INDUSTRIES

     In the early years of the county, the extensive forest....... MORE TO COME ......

RESERVOIR WAR.

     The Reservoir war furnished an exciting chapter in the history of Paulding County.  Six Mile Reservoir had always caused considerable trouble through overflow, but the farmers stood it as long as the canal was in operation.  Upon the abandonment of the Wabash and Erie end, they became dissatisfied.  Protests not bringing the desired relief, ...........   MORE TO COME....

PAULDING

     It was in the year 1849, as the story runs that a party of men in Van Wert were discussing the probable future of Northwestern Ohio.  One of them passed the remark that the county seat of Paulding was not located where it should be, and would probably be changed at some time.  A shrewd speculator who heard the remark decided that he would hasten this change, and make a profit out of it for himself.  Accordingly, he purchased lands near the geographical center of the county, and the Village of Paulding was laid out in 1850 by GEORGE MARCH.  A postoffice was established in the same year, and MR. HICKERSON was named as the original postmaster.  It was then in the midst of a dense forest, and several miles from any human dwelling.  Through judicious manipulation the county seat was located there only a few months afterwards.  The entire business had been conducted so quietly that the people at Charloe did not realize the impending calamity until it had already happened.  All efforts to take the county seat away from Paulding were futile.  The change was doubtless a good thing for the county, since its location is as good as could be chosen, even if it was started as a speculation scheme.  A few log cabins were hastily constructed for the county offices and officials  The first house was built by ELIAS SHAFER, and in his cabin two terms of court were held before the new county buildings were completed.
     The first frame residence erected in Paulding was the Exchange Hotel, which was built by ISAIAH RICHARDS.  The Paulding Hosue, another hotel, was soon erected by JOHN CROSSON, and a number of private residences were likewise built, one of which was for JUDGE LATTY.  There were no rich people in this village, and everybody lived extremely modestly.  The first merchant in the village was ELIAS SHAFER, who opened a small general store in the front part of his dwelling in 1857.  He also constructed a small grist-mill at the foot of what is now South Main Street.  It was a small frame building, and was equipped with one set of burrs.  Portions of the old dam may still be recognized.  Soon afterwards DR. A. P. MENG opened a combined dry goods and grocery store, and he was follows soon afterwards by V. V. PURSEL and JOSEPH COUPLAND.  The early development of Paulding was exceedingly slow.  It was so slow, indeed, that after a score of years the population was less than 500.  It did not develop, in fact, until the decade following 1880, when several additions were added to the plat of the village.  This condition is not strange, however, when one considers its isolated and wooded situation, and the absolute lack of improved roads across its swampy soil.  It was incorporated on the 12th of April, 1873, with A. H. SELDEN as the first mayor.  W. A. SAVAGE was the clerk, and ALONZO H. SELDEN, THOMAS EMERY, and PETER KEMLER were the first trustees.  The first city council was composed of M. C. POWELL, GEORGE W. REMAGE, V. V. PURSEL, JOSEPH COUPLAND, WARREN BALDWIN, and THOMAS B. HOLLAND.  The city hall was erected in 1883, and the building provides accommodation for the fire department, as well as the city officials.  The first banking institution was established by GEORGE W. POTTER in 1874, and it was named POTTER's Bank.  The Paulding Deposit Bank came into existence in 1887 through the efforts of C. H. ALLEN and W. H. MOHR.
     The first schoolhouse of Paulding was a small one-story frame building, which stood on the southwest corner of the courthouse square.  It was built in 1853 and used for school purposes for about sixteen years, when it was superseded by a better building.  This second building was afterwards sold to the United Brethren Church, and a fine two story brick schoolhouse was constructed in 1884.

ANTWERP.

     Antwerp is situated along the Wabash Railroad, about four miles east of the Indiana state line.  It is situated in a pleasant location on the bank of the Maumee River, and in the midst of a fertile farming region.  The plat was laid out in 1841 by GEN. HORATIO N. CURTIS, and was surveyed by W. WILSHIRE RILEY.  Since the original platting of the town, there have been several additions to its boundaries.  The business portion was originally located along the canal, where wharves, warehouses, hotels, and business houses were erected.  In fact, it was the coming of the canal that brought Antwerp into existence.  On the building of the railroad, however, the village began to move northward, and the business section was hanged.  For many years Antwerp was the metropolis of the county, but was finally superseded by Paulding, so that it was now the second village in size and importance.  For a long period JOHN J. SHIRLEY was one of the merchants of the place, and erected the first brick business room.  The first factory to be established was the Antwerp Stave Company, about 1860.  It manufactured staves and heading.

PAYNE

     In 1858 a postoffice was established at the home of ADAM SNELLENBERGER, which was called Payne.  It was afterwards removed to Malottville, but the name of Payne was retained by teh postal department.  The present Town of Payne owes its location to W. C. HEDGES, of Tiffin.  During the time that the "Continental" Railroad was being graded, MR. HEDGES laid out several towns along this line.  Among these were Oakwood, Hedges, and Payne, in this county.   The original plat was made in 1872 by MR. HEDGES, and the survey was made by NOAH ELY, who was at that time the county surveyor.  The place at first bore the dignified name of Flatrock City.  Additions were made to the village by JAMES MALOTT and PETER LEHMAN, and the name was changed from Flatrock to Malottville.  The village did not begin to grow until the Nickel Plat Railroad was built there.  At this time GEN. W. G. GIBSON, of Tiffin, made an addition to the town, and built several business rooms.  The village was incorporated in 1883, under the name of Payne, and from that time it had a slow and steady growth.  It is the third village in size in the county.  In 1887 a disastrous fire visited the village, which swept away an entire block of frame buildings, thus causing a great loss to the citizens.  Another disastrous fire occurred in 1891, in which five business houses were laid in ashes.  As a result the village has built up a fire department to safeguard against another disaster of the same kind.  A number of factories have brought a considerable degree of prosperity to the village.

VILLAGES

     The Village of St. Andrews was laid out by JAMES M. AND ALEXANDER MATHER in 1850, and named after the patron sait of Scotland.  Newberg followed in the following year through the efforts of DAVID SHRIVER and LEONARD KIMMEL.  These towns have since been absorbed by Melrose.  Oakwood had its beginning in 1872, through the efforts of WILLIAM C HEDGES.  A postoffice had already been located here.  Both Melrose and Oakwood are now incorporated.  Smiley is a small station on the Nickel Plat Railroad.  Broughton is likewise a small village, possessing a postoffice and business places.  Grove Hill is another small village in another part of the county.  It was laid out in 1887, and was named after GROVER CLEVELAND.  Latty was laid out in 1882 by JUDGE LATTY and WREXHAM LEWIS.  A portion of the village was at first called Wrexham, but it was all finally incorporated as Latty.  Holcombeville was an industrious place not far from Paulding during the stave factory period.  Briceton, and Worstville, arose through the location of stave mills, around which grew up settlements.
     Haviland is an incorporated village, which had its origin and growth dating from the building of the Findlay, Ft. Wayne and Western Railroad, now known as the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad.  Mandale, a village near the east line of the county, was laid out and had a career as a state manufacturing point for a number of years.