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THE BEGINNING
NAME
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EARLIEST SETTLERS
The first settlers of
Eaton were without any doubt John Mills and his wife
Mary. They arrived on the first day of April, 1806,
and located on the ground which we can but designate and the
northwest corner of Main and Beech streets. On their
arrival they immediately built a small cabin of poles or very
light logs, such as could be easily handled by two pairs of
hands, for they had no assistance whatever in the work.
David E. Hendricks
and some members of his family came to the site
of the village, the day after Mills arrived, April 2d,
and located in a rude log cabin, intended only as a temporary
shelter, on the spot now known as the old brewery lot.
After finishing the little cabin which was to afford his family
shelter, Mr. Hendricks returned, on the same day, to his
home, on the site of Camden, which he had occupied two or three
years, to get those members of his household who had not already
moved to the new settlement. It is related that during his
absence his daughter, Julia, the late Mrs.
Geutte, undertook a visit to the cabin of their only
neighbor, for the purpose of getting a pail of water, but owing
to the density of the underbrush, lost her way. She
wandered about for some time but could not find the cabin for
which she had started, nor discover the way by which she had
come from her father’s. Ar last, after she had
almost given up hope, and taken into as calm consideration as
possible, the idea that was forced upon her, that she must
remain all night in the woods, her dispair was suddenly
dispelled by the sound of an axe, and very sweet music must the
reverberating strokes have made for her ear. Guided by the
sound, she made her way through the thick brush to Mills
cabin, and the wood-chopper guided her home. This
happened very near the site of the court house. Mr.
Hendricks returned the following day with the remainder
of his family, among the members being George D., then a
very young child, carried in the arms of his mother, who was
mounted upon a horse.
Both Mills and Hendricks not long after
their arrival built log houses which were designed to serve as
permanent abodes, and constructed in a very substantial manner.
Mills’ cabin was completed just in time to be the
birth place of his first child - the pioneer baby of Eaton.
The child, which was named Polly, was born May 1st.
Nothing is known of the Mills family except that
at an early day they removed from the settlement. Whether
they returned to the older settlements or pushed forward to the
not far distant frontier, there perhaps to become the first
settlers of another village, is a matter upon which we can only
speculate. It is most probable, however, that the latter
is the correct supposition, for settlers in the western country
seldom turned back and many led by the spirit of adventure or by
expectation of bettering their condition, were almost constantly
advancing, even in the foremost wave of the Ocean of population.
Although Mills arrived upon the site of Eaton one day
previous to David Hendricks, it is doubtful if the
distinction of being the pioneer of Eaton may not be more
appropriately and justly conferred upon the latter than the
former. One thing is sure the Hendricks family were
the first settlers of the village who became permanent
residents. There is no indication that Mills intended to
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make this settlement his permanent home while proof that
David E. Hendricks had such intention from the very first is
afforded by the fact that he erected as soon as he was able not
a simple log cabin but a two-story heavy log house—the same
which is now the residence of S. H. Hubbell.
William Bruce,
the proprietor, with four men he had
employed, two of whom were named Ringer and two Rogers,
came on at the latter part of April and began digging the mill
race, which is still in use. On the first day of May,
1806, there was a public sale of lots, and on that day Bruce
brought to the town his sons Hardin and Charles,
and other members of his family. A Mr. Wise man and
two brothers named Coapdick were among the early
arrivals, as were also John Liston and William
Drake, both from the vicinity of Middleton. A Mrs.
Harper came in and built the third cabin on the town
plat. A Mr. Ferguson and David and Abram
Eaton, older brothers of Daniel F. Heaton (they
spelled their names differently), came from the Great Miami and
located in the vicinity of the village. About the same
time came other settlers, among whom may be mentioned Colonel
Samuel Hawkins and his sons Joseph C., John J.,
Benjamin F., Samuel, and Bird Hawkins, Isaac Smith, Elias
Rien and Eden Hardin; all from Little Twin, in
Montgomery county; also Samuel Watts, Elias
Dawson, Richard Hardesty, Samuel
Carr, Henry Whitesell, John Banfill, sr.,
with his sons Enoch and John.
Sixteen cabins
were built during the first season of Eaton's existence.
In the spring of
1807 the few residents of the embryo village made a “log rolling
” to “clear up” Main street from Colonel Hawkins’
tavern, east of the public ground, west to the creek. Men,
women, and children joined in the work of gathering and burning
the logs and brush, and it is asserted that when the day’s work
had been concluded all of the men who had been engaged at it
abandoned themselves to a general drunk, and manifested their
satisfaction by casting their wool hats and coon skin caps upon
the burning log heaps.
William Shiffeel,
brother of Judge Shiffeel, of Pennsylvania, came
out in 1806, and returned in 1807 with his family. He was
a shoemaker and travelled through the village and surrounding
country, from cabin to cabin, to perform his work, a modus
aperandi known in those days as whipping the cat. He
built a cabin in the rear of the lot where the Presbyterian
church stands, but remained there only a short time, being
succeeded by William Steele, a cabinet-maker, who
removed to Indiana in 1819, and in after years represented his
county in the legislature.
Alexander Mitchell
and Alexander C. Lanier both arrived in
1807. The former, who was' from Kentucky, died in Eaton of
cholera in 1849. He was a cabinet maker by trade, and for
many years county treasurer. Lanier was from North
Carolina. He was one of the prominent men of his time, but
did not remain in the town, leaving in 1817 for Madison,
Indiana, where he died in 1820. His son, James F. D.
Lanier, became a very prominent New York banker, and his
son, Sidney Lanier, who drifted back to the State
from whence his grandfather emigrated, became well known as a
poet, magazinist, and general man of letters. His fame
rests largely upon his National anthem, produced in 1876.
Cornelius Vanausdal
and his brother Isaac came in about this time, and the
former began operating in the fur trade, and opened a general
store.
Christian, John
and Phillip Helm settled in 1807, and the
first named died in 1810. The other two were saddlers, and
long followed their trade in the village.
Mr. Griffith,
a wheelwright, came in 1808, and set up a shop on the southeast
corner of Beech and Wadsworth streets.
Dr. Walter Buell
came in 1808 from Kentucky and built the “long
row” - four log cabins end to end, which were used as a barracks
during the War of 1812. William B. Wilson, also
from Kentucky, came in 1808, but soon moved into the country
west of town. He was a cabinet maker. Charles
Hand, who married a daughter of Captain David E.
Hendricks, came the same year, as did also Joseph
Wasson, blacksmith. He was a native of South Carolina,
a man held in very high esteem, and a good citizen.
John Shaw, the first butcher, came in a little later.
His brother-in-law, George Worthington, whose wife
was a daughter of Colonel Samuel Hawkins,
arrived about the same time. Worthington, after
leaving Eaton, laid off the village of Westville, and in later
years removed from there to Attica. James Butler,
a major of militia, and after the war a colonel, came to the
settlement about the same time as the above, and left in 1818.
John Gentle, who married Julia Hendricks,
was another early settler. He removed from t0wn to a farm
where he died in 1825. William Castor and
his wife Polly originally from Pennsylvania, but a
settler in Clermont county, Ohio, about 1800, came to Eaton in
1811. After a short time he removed to a farm on
Seven-mile, north of Eaton. He was a soldier in the War of
1812, and performed distinguished service. He was born in
1783, and lived to be upwards of ninety.
Isaac Stephens,
father of A. H. Stephens, M. D., a native of Virginia,
born in 1786, came to Eaton in 1812, from Tennessee. His
father, John Stephens, came later, and died in the
village in 1819. Isaac Stephens was a prominent and
very useful man. He was the second postmaster, and served
for a very long term of years. He was also justice of the
peace and county collector. He married, in 1817,
Elizabeth McCauley, who died in 1827. He was married
twice after her death, his second wife being Berthena
Stephens, and his third, Julia Ann Wilson. He
died in 1865. Isaac Stephens’ brothers,
David Lewis, Jesse B., Peter, Joseph,
William and John, were all residents of the
village after 1819.
Isaac
Banta, from Virginia, was a settler in
Eaton prior to the War of 1812. He died in the village in
1819. William S. Henderson, the second physician of
the village, came in from Kentucky in 1813. Henry
Monfort, from Warren county (formerly from Virginia),
arrived in 1814. He died of cholera in 1849. Hugh
Andrews, a “New Light” or Christian preacher, came the same
year, and lived in the village until his death in 1820.
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Lemuel Jamieson,
a carpenter, came in 1813, and about 1830 removed
to New Paris. Thomas and Samuel Abbott
came the same year. They were shoemakers; and the elder
brother was also a Baptist preacher. John Gardner
was another accession to the population in 1815. John
Acton came to the village in 1816, bringing with him his
wife Nancy (Buchanan) and children. Acton
was born in Maryland, but came to Ohio from Rockbridge
county, Virginia. He died in 1849, and his wife in 1854.
Their children, Mary R. (Robertson), John P. Acton,
and Isabella (wife of Lieutenant Hubbell),
are all living. Thomas Morgan, a very
ingenious mechanic and cabinet-maker, whose handiwork is still
to be seen in many of the older homes throughout Preble county,
settled in Eaton in 1816, and lived here all of his life.
A son, Robert W., and daughter, Julia (Foos) are
residents of the town. The same year as the above,
William Kline came to the village from Pennsylvania.
He was a resident of the town until 1844, when he removed to
Logansport, Indiana, where five of his children now reside.
He died in 1855. Jacob Kline, twin brother
of William, came to the village a year after the arrival
of the former. The brothers carried on wagon making and
did a large business, a portion of the time singly, but for many
years in partnership. The Klines were born in 1795.
Jacob died in“ 1875, and his wife in 1879. They had
four children, Mary E. and Margaret,
deceased, William H. and George, now residing in
Eaton.
Ludwell G. Gains, a Presbyterian
preacher, who spent much of his time in teaching school, and who
is chiefly remembered for his extreme cruelty to his pupils,
came to Eaton in 1818.
William Rossman, father of
James Rossman, came in 1819; John R. Weldon and
Paul Larsh, the same year; the latter resided three years,
and was sheriff.
Samuel Tizzard
and wife
Elizabeth (Brackin), who had settled at Chillicothe in 1814,
came to Eaton in 1820, and established the Register. Mr.
Tizzard was born in 1787, and died in 1844.
David McKemy and his wife,
Nancy Davison, came in 1821 from Rockbridge county,
Virginia, and located next north of town. Mr. McKemy
followed coopering. HE was born in 1791, and died in 1826;
his wife was born in 1789, and lived until 1863. They had
four children, R. G. D., William, Elizabeth and John
A., of whom the first mentioned is the only one living.
R. G. D. McKemy was born in 1817, and married Kate
McFadden. He has been a prominent citizen of Eaton,
engaged in various business enterprises, etc.; was justice of
the peace for twelve years.
The same year as
the above, John L. Dickey located in Eaton, coming from
North Carolina with his wife, Martha (Adams), who is now
living at Camden with her son-in-law, George W. Jones.
Dickey was employed much of his time upon county affairs,
as tax collector, appraiser, etc. He died in 1848.
Judge William Curry, who was born
in 1792, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, came to this county in
1808, and to Eaton in 1824. He has ever since been a
resident of the village.
LATER SETTLERS AND OLD RESIDENTS.
Jonas Albright,
son of John Albright, a very early settler in
Harrison township, came to Eaton in 1826 and lived here until
1845, when he moved to Indiana, where he is still living.
He had been married in Harrison to Margaret Myers,
by whom he had ten children, of whom W. T. Albright,
owner of the Register, was the second.
Philip, brother of Jonas Albright, came to
Eaton in 1827, and after a short time moved to Darke county.
Thomas Nation
and his wife Anna, who is still living, came also in
1827.
David Brown and
his wife, Mary Hubbell, came to Eaton from Springfield,
Ohio, in 1826, and remained until 1831, when they went to Texas.
Brown was engaged in the dry goods business and later in
pork packing, being the first who carried on that industry.
Mrs. Jane Hubbell,
widow of Jacob, came to Eaton in 1828, and with her came
several sons and daughters, (brothers of S. H. Hubbell).
Jane (Hathaway) resided here but a short time;
William T. died in Eaton; Sarah (Sweeney) and
Lydia (wife of Joseph S. Hawkins) are also
deceased; and Jacob R. is living in Dayton. S. H.
Hubbell preceded the rest of the family, arriving here in
1827. He was born in 1808 in Clark county, Ohio, and as he
is still living, is seventy-two years of age. He went into
business for himself in 1830, and in 1842 became a partner of
John M. Gray, with whom he continued for twelve years.
At the expiration of that time he went to Cincinnati, and in
1865 returned to Eaton and resumed the business he is now
engaged in. He married Isabella H. Acton, and they
have four children: Clara H. Richey, in Indiana;
William, in Cincinnati; and John A. and Jacob
in Eaton.
Josiah Campbell
came to this county the same year as Mr. Hubbell (1827).
His father, William Campbell came in 1828 and lived here
until his death in 1836; and his brothers, William, Samuel,
John and Ebe, all arrived in the neighborhood prior
to 1830. They were from Sussex county, Delaware.
Josiah Campbell married Sarah, daughter of Judge
Curry.
Benjamin Lockwood, his wife,
Mary (Robison) and several children came to Eaton in 1829
from Sussex county, Delaware, and two sons, U. R. and William
S. came in 1839. Benjamin Lockwood was born in
1790, and died in the year 1860; his wife was born in 1789, and
died in 1870. Their children were, Joshua R., N. R.,
and William S. deceased, S. H., in Colorado,
E. P., G. R., John S., Mary A., and Samuel, now
resident at Eaton, Charles W., in Muncie, Indiana, and
Jonas deceased.
John V. Campbell
removed from
Lanier township to the county seat in 1834. As a full
biography of Judge Campbell appears in the chapter upon
the bar, we make, in this connection, only the foregoing brief
mention.
Alfred Denny, born in Butler
county, Ohio, in 1819; located in Eaton in 1835. He has
followed the drug business and other branches of merchandizing,
and in 1844 his health having become poor, he went into the
employment of the American Fur company, with which he remained
until its failure in 1857. He was Indian agent for the
Upper Missouri country, under Lincoln, and has
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held other government appointments, being employed at the United
States Senate, etc. During the war he served as
quartermaster. He married Frances B. Holliday.
Jacob Chambers
of Hanover, York
county, Pennsylvania, came to Eaton Monday, Sept. 14, 1835, at
one o'clock, and has ever since been a resident of the town, and
nearly all the time in active business.
J. R. Brookins, M.
D., originally from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, came to
Eaton in 1847, and after practicing medicine for about ten
years, abandoned his profession and gave his whole attention to
the drug business, in which he had engaged when he first came to
the village. His son, W. C. M. Brookins, was
associated with him as early as 1853, and, on his death, became
his successor. Mr. Brookins was married to
Margaret MacClay. Both died in 1878.
Benjamin Hubbard
and his wife,
Minerva Morey, came to Eaton in 1846 from Butler county,
where their parents, respectively from New Jersey and New York,
had settled in 1810 or 1811. Mr. Hubbard's mother
also came to Eaton with him, and died here at the age of ninty-nine
years, eleven months, and ten days. Mrs. Minerva,
wife of Benjamin Hubbard, died in 1872, and the latter is
still living. His only son, A. Edgar, is assistant
cashier of the First National Bank.
INTERESTING INITIAL ITEMS
The first wedding which
took place in the village was celebrated in a cabin on the west
side of Beech street, between Main and Somers streets.
This cabin was used as a barracks during the War of 1812, and
was known by the name of “The Old Barracks” for years
afterwards. A part of the building is still standing,
though covered and concealed by modern improvements. The
high contracting parties alluded to above, were John
Harbison and Mary Brown. They were
married Dec. 1, 1807. The license was obtained at Dayton,
the county seat of Montgomery, of which nearly all of the
territory now included in Preble was a part. The newly
married couple built-a cabin for themselves and commenced
housekeeping the spring following their union. Their home
was on the northeast corner of Barron and Israel streets, which
property has ever since been known among the older people as the
Harbison property.
The first child born
was Polly, daughter of John and Mary Mills, who
were said to be the very first persons who came to the site of
Eaton. She was born May 1, 1806.
A little daughter of
Daniel Eaton (or Heaton) was the first person who
died in the village. She died of whooping cough in
September, 1806, and was the first person buried in Mound
cemetery. Before there were any settlers in Eaton, or upon
its site, in the year 1805, an infant daughter of Samuel
Brannon died near the present limits of the town, and was
buried in a lot on North Maple street. This was very
likely the first death in the township of Washington.
In the summer of 1810
Alexander C. Lanier built the first frame house in Eaton,
which was the wonder of the time. It was located on the
northeast corner of Main and Cherry streets (where the Odd
Fellows building now stands.) After it was raised and
roofed it was blown down by a violent storm, but was rebuilt.
The first brick house
was built in 1815 by Benjamin Byram.
It stood on
the north side of Somers street, between Barron and Cherry.
Many of our readers will remember that fine old brick house with
its dingy walls and curb roof. The house was torn down
years ago, but some of the bricks that entered into its
composition are preserved in the walls of the building now
standing upon its site. The house which succeeded the
first brick is now occupied by Mrs. James Sampson.
Another brick house was
put up in 1815, on the south side of Main street, between Barron
and Beech, upon the lot now owned and occupied by Mr. H. B.
Van Ausdal. This house was built by Alexander C.
Lanier. James Holladay performed the carpenter
work.
The first religious
meeting was held in the house of David E. Hendricks, in
the winter of 1807, by Elder Smith, of New Christian (New
Light) faith.
David E. Hendricks
dug the first well and the first cellar in the town - where
M. S. H. Hubbell now lives.
A
Mr. Brown
bought the first stove ever seen in Eaton. He came to the
settlement in the spring of 1807, but the stove which he
imported was not brought to the town until many years later.
THE VILLAGE IN 1824
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EATON IN 1839
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Page 104 -
THE METHODIST CHURCH
Page 104 -
[RES. OF DANIEL CHRISTMAN]
Page 105 -
Page 106 -
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
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* The facts of this church history were mainly
collected by the Rev. Andrew J. Reynolds, and presented
by him in a centennial sermon, July 2, 1876.
Page 107 -
CHURCH OF CHRIST (DISCIPLES)
Page 108 -
THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH.
Page 109 -
Page 110 -
THE FIRST REGULAR BAPTIST CHURCH.
ST. MARY'S (ROMAN CATHOLIC) CHURCH.
EDUCATIONAL
Page 111 -
Page 112 -
THE PHYSICIANS OF EATON
Page 113 -
Page 114 -
EARLY AND LATE MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES
Page 115 -
Page 116 -
MERCANTILE HISTORY.
Page 117 -
EATON BUSINESS HOUSES 1880.
DRY GOODS
CLOTHING
DRUGS.
GROCERIES.
Page 118 -
HARDWARE.
JEWELERS.
BOOTS AND SHOES.
WHOLESALE TOBACCO DEALERS.
LIVERY STABLES.
MILLINERY STORES.
FURNITURE.
LUMBER AND COAL.
UNDERTAKERS.
HARNESS.
TAVERNS.
BANKING.
THE OLD STATE BANK.
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THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF EATON
THE PREBLE COUNTY BANK
POST OFFICE
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT - EARLY ORGANIZATIONS -
THE DISASTROUS FIRES OF 1859
Page 120 -
Page 121 -
INCIDENTS OF THE HARRISON CAMPAIGN IN EATON.
Page 122 -
THE CHOLERA SEASON OF 1849
Page 123 -
Page 124 -
INCORPORATION
THE TOWN HALL
ORGANIZATIONS - LIVING AND DEFUNCT.
MASONIC FRATERNITY*
---------------
* By Thomas J. Larsh, esq.
Page 125 -
Page 126 -
EATON ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER, NO. 22
INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS*
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*By R. G. D. McKemy, esq.
Page 127 -
PREBLE ENCAMPMENT, NO. 54, I. O. O. F.
Page 128 -
AN OLD AND LOCALLY FAMOUS DRAMATIC CLUB
ARCHERY
Page 129 -
THE WASHINGTON GUARDS
Pae 130 -
PREBLE DIVISION, NO. 111, SONS OF TEMPERANCE
COLUMBIA TEMPLE OF HONOR, NO. 38,
EATON LODGE NO. 248, INDEPENDENT ORDER OF GOOD
TEMPLARS,
MURPHY MOVEMENT.
"NATIONAL CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION.
Page 131 -
THE EATON BAND - FROM 1837
Page 132 -
MOUND CEMETERY
Eaton has one of the
most appropriate and beautiful resting places for the dead to be
found in the county. But few burial places excel it in
natural beauty, of chasteness in art adornment, or in elements
of historic interest.
The cemetery is located between the village and the
site of Fort St. Clair. It is bounded upon the west by the
bluff banks of the Garrison branch, has a large frontage upon
the maple lined West road, and contains about twenty-five acres.
Originally there was laid out a small burying-ground in the
northeastern part of the town; but William Bruce, the
proprietor, very soon afterwards donated four acres now included
in Mound cemetery, and nerly all of the early burials
were made within this piece of ground - the portion nearest the
road, in which the old marble slabs and weathered freestones
stand most thickly. The first burial in the cemetery was
that of a little daughter of Abram Eaton (or Heaton),
and was made in September, 1806.
As the years passed it was found that the original
limits of the cemetery were too circumscribed, and an addition
was made which rendered the ground ample enough until recent
years, when the boundaries were again extended. The whole
has been tastefully laid out in walks and drives which follow,
for the most part, graceful curves over the undulating surface.
The beauty of the cemetery is enhanced by the presence of a
variety of native forest trees and evergreens judiciously
introduced.
The peculiar and distinctive feature of this burial
place and the one most interesting to the stranger, is the
Lowerey monument. This stone, which surmounts one of
the beautiful and symmetrical mounds left as the memorials of an
unknown race, and within are buried the bones of fifteen
soldiers of Wayne's army, among them, Lieutenant Lowerey
and Ensign Boyd, who sacrificed their lives in wresting
this country from the Indians. They were killed Oct. 17,
1793, a short distance from where Zion's church now stands, and
near the forty foot pitch, on Lowerey's branch, about four miles
from Eaton.* On the next day they were buried side by side
near Fort St. Clair. On the Fourth of July, 1822, the
remains of Lieutenant Lowerey were disinterred and buried
in the northwest corner of the cemetery, and on the seventeenth
of October, 1847, the fiftieth anniversary of their fall, the
remains of all the soldiers were deposited in the mound where
they now lie and will, probably, remain. An appropriate
funeral oration was delivered by Abner Haines, esq., and
the late Rev. Charles W. Swain acted as chairman.
The monument which marks the resting place of these brave
soldiers was erected on the occasion of their final burial by
the contributions from a number of generous and public-spirited
citizens of Eaton. It bears on one side the inscription to
that effect; upon the other the Latin words "Dulce et
decorum est pro patria more," and upon the front the
following inscription:
"IN MEMORY OF
Lieutenant John Lowerey, of the Second
sub-legion, and Ensign Boyd, of the First, and thirteen
non-commissioned officers and privates, who fell about five
miles north of this place, in an obstinate engagement with the
Indians, on the seventeenth day of October, 1793.
Lieutenant Lowerey was from New Jersey, and had served with
reputation in the levies of 1791, under General St. Clair.
Ensign Boyd was a young man of much promise; they were in
command of an escort of ninety men, having in charge twenty
wagons loaded with stores and provisions for the army of
General Wayne."
A severely plain but
massive sandstone monument marks the burial place of William
Bruce, the pioneer and proprietor of Eaton. Very
appropriately the monument rests upon a base composed of two
mill-stones - they are the burs made by John Banfill, and
log did service in the second mill built by Mr. Bruce,
the one now standing, which was the first merchant's mill in
Eaton. It is probable that some of the furrows were
chiseled by the hand that is now in ashes beneath them.
The monument
---------------
*See chapter entitled Wayne,s Campaign, in General
History department of this volume.
Page 133 -
bears a simple inscription to the memory of the
"good, kind miller," settling forth the facts in regard to his
laying out the town in 1806, and his practical liberality in
providing for churches, schools, and donating public grounds.
He died Feb. 25, 1830, at the age of sixty-seven years and six
months.
Some of the newer monuments are very striking in
workmanship and massiveness, notably those of granite, which
bear the names of Van Ausdal, Van Doren,
Donohue, Campbell and Hoffman, as also the older
marble monument which marks the burial place of the Brooke
family. The remains of that stalwart pioneer of
Methodism, the Rev. James B. Finley, lie in the vicinity
of the last mentioned. Near by is the grave of the Rev.
J. G. Brooke, and at a little distance - designated by a
simple memorial marble, is the resting-place of another worthy
man of God, who has left in Eaton in his works a far grander
monument than any which could be reared by hands above his
grave. The Van Ausdal monument is a fit memorial to
the pioneer merchant of Eaton.
One of the older gravestones which is an object of
interest to all visitors, is that which stands on the grave of
Fergus Holderman, who died in 1838. It is an
unusually large slab of freestone, and only differs from others
in the superiority of its carving. It was the work of
Clevenger, the sculptor, who in after years, went to Italy,
to study and there made himself famous. The stone bears a
large medallion, on which the inscription is cut, and around it
are wreaths of roses and oak leaves, myrtle and ivy, with
cherubs, and the emblems ever present upon old mortuary suclptures,
the urn and weeping willows. The workmanship shows marked
excellence, and it is cherished by those who knew Clevenger as
one of the first indications of a genius which was afterwards
highly developed. Clevenger, who was brought up in
Eaton, lost his life on the ocean when returning to his native
land from the old world.
Just at the right of the most eastern entrance of the
cemetery is a small monument, which stands over the grave of a
stranger who died in Eaton many years ago. The grave
remained for twenty years unmarked save by a decaying wooden
post, from which the inscription has been obliterated by the
weather. The present stone was erected by the young men of
Eaton in 1853. It is inscribed:
"J. S. WOOWORTH,
a native of Ontario county, New York, died September 10,
1832, aged
about thirty years. Whilst sojourning in the village he
was taken ill and
died among strangers, who, in the hour of affliction,
administered unto him,
and as a token of their esteem have erected this monument to his memory.
The older portion of
the cemetery is thickly crowded with stones, which mark the
graves of old and young. The pioneer residents of Eaton
who have gone down to the grave ripe with years, and revered by
all survivors, and children of tender age, whose untimely death
made fond parents mourn. By each of these graves of
fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, lovers, and
sweethearts, bitter tears have been shed, and life hopes have
gone out.
"Those that wept them, they that weep,
All shall with these sleepers sleep,"
THE CENTENNIAL FOURTH OF JULY.
MINERAL SPRINGS.
Page 134 -
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
CIVIL HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP.
Page 135 -
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
The first settlement in
what is now Washington township was made in the year 1805.
Several entries of land were made the year previous, but no
permanent settlements we4re made until that year. In 1804
there were no buildings standing within the limits of the
township. Entries had been made, but the owners of these
had not yet arrived. In 1805 several settlers arrived and
proceeded to erect cabins.
William Bruce, the
proprietor of Eaton, a sketch of whose life and settlement will
be found in the history of that city, is believed to have built
the first house. In the same year, 1805,
John Goldsmith
emigrated into the township and settled on the northwestern
quarter of section four, township seven.
John Meroney, a North Carolinaan, came into the
county and settled on section 34, in the same year that
Bruce built. Both Goldsmith and Meroney,
however, were later settlers than Bruce.
In the following year, 1806, as many as twenty cabins
were built in different parts of the township. Several
entries had been made in the year previous, and their owners
came in 1806. A few of those whose names can be
ascertained are given below.
George and Andrew Dooley emigrated from Kentucky
in 1806, and came to Ohio. George entered land in
section eight, of township seven.
Joseph, William and Nathan Sellers, Kentuckyans, settled either in section nine or 10, of township
seven.
John Ward
and his son Samuel came to Ohio
from New Jersey in 1806, and settled in Washington township.
Samuel entered land on the east side of Rocky creek.
His wife was Phoebe Sutton, originally from New Jersey,
who had moved to Pennsylvania, and from there to Ohio.
Nine children were born to him, of whom four survive, viz:
Elizabeth (Sellers), in Indiana;
Page 136 -
Jane (Pottenger),
in Camden; Sarah (Bennett) and Garvin, in Indiana.
Samuel Ward
was third sheriff of this county,
and was at one time county treasurer. He moved to Indiana
in 1829, and died in Logansport, of that State, in the year
1856.
John Shipin settled in Eaton on what is now Main
street. His cabin was built near the banks of Devenmill,
on the north side of the road.
In the following year, 1807, Christian Shuey
settled in this township. The land he entered was in
section twenty-seven, where the county infirmary now stands.
Robert, and John Day
emigrated from
Maryland early in 1808, and settled on section twenty-four.
Henry Whitesell,
a North Carolinaan, came to
Preble in 1805, and settled in Twin township. After two
years' stay he moved to Eaton, where he lived for one
year, and finally, in 1808, he removed to section seventeen.
John Aukerman
settled on the farm where Jacob
Gideon now lives, east of Eaton, in 1806. He was born
in Frederick county, Maryland, and about the year 1789 removed
with his parents from Virginia to the vicinity of Columbia,
Hamilton county, Ohio. About ten years afterwards the
family settled in Montgomery county, near Williamsburgh.
There, in 1801, John was married to Mary Hole, and
in 1804 came to what is now Lanier township, Preble county, and
settle on there two years, and in 1806 sold out to Samuel
Teal, and moved to the place before mentioned, near Eaton.
Here he resided more than sixty years and until his death in
1867. He had the first "corn cracker mill," a hand
concern, in this vicinity, and farmers came for several miles
around to get their corn ground. Of his family of thirteen
children, only three are now living, viz.: Frederick,
in Darke county; Solomon, in Indiana, and John
on a part of the old homestead, near Eaton. John
was born on this farm in 1818. He has been twice married;
first to Mary Overholzer, and after her death to
Hannah Wysong, who is still living.
John J. Sherer
was born in Pennsylvania in 1760.
He afterwards moved to North Carolina, where he married
Catharine Smith, born in 1762. She died in the year
1826. Ten children were born to the, olf whom Jesse
is the only survivor. John J. Sherer died in 1845.
Jesse Sherer, sr., son of the above, was born in North
Carolina in the year 1799. He came to Ohio with his
parents in 1806, and settled on section seven. In the year
1824 he married Mary Jane, daughter of Daniel and
Elizabeth Strader, born in 1804. The Straders
came to Ohio in 1809, and settled on section eighteen. In
1830 Mr. Jesse Sherer moved to the farm he now owns,
where he entered one hundred and sixty acres. Mrs.
Sherer died in 1873, leaving six children - Jacob,
who lives in Washington township; Elizabeth (Irick), in
Illinois; Mary Jane (Pense), in Monroe township; David,
in Jefferson township; Amanda (Harshman), in Washington
township, and Jesse in Jackson township. Jesse
Sherer owns thirty acres in section six of Washington
township. Jacob Sherer, eldest son of Jesse,
was born in 1825. In 1847 he married Rosa Ann Gephart,
who was born in Jackson township in 1827. They have had
ten children, four of whom still survive. Mr. Sherer
owns a fine farm of some seven hundred acres.
David Bloomfield came from Kentucky to Ohio in
1806 and settled in Butler county in the spring of that year.
After raising one crop he left, and in the fall of the same year
settled in Preble county, on the farm now owned by his son,
Reuben. His wife was Rachel Barclay.
He had seven children when he came to this State. On his
entrance into this county he entered one hundred and fifty-four
acres, in conjunction with James Westerfield, whom he
afterwards bought out, and, at the time of his (Mr.
Bloomfield's) death, he was the sole owner of the farm.
Nine children were born to him, two of whom survive, viz.:
David, who is living in Illinois, and Reuben.
The latter was born in Preble county in the year 1809, and in
1832 married Ann M., daughter of Elihu Hopkins,
born in 1808. He had four children by this marriage -
Sylvester B., Edmund M., John W. and Ann (Plummer).
His first wife died in 1845, and in the following year he
married Amanda, daughter of Andrew Harbison; she
was born in 1822. He had five children by his second
marriage, all of whom are now living. Mr. Bloomfield
owns a farm of one hundred and thirty-nine acres. His
three sons were in the war of the Rebellion, Sylvester
and Edmund in the hundred days' service, and John W.
during the entire war.
Henry Duggins
was born in 1787, and in 1806 he
moved of Ohio. In 1811 he married Jane Sellers,
born in 1871. He first settled in Gasper township, and
afterwards came to Washington township, where he settled in
1811, the same year as his marriage. His brother,
William A., came to Ohio in the same year that he did.
Mr. Henry Duggins had six children - Cornelius V.,
John F., Nathan, William, W. P., and Caroline (Miller),
who lives in Eaton. The first four of these are deceased.
Cornelius V. was born in Preble county in 1812. In
1834 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Henry M.
Monfort, of Eaton, born in 1814. Five children were
born to them, four of whom are still living. Mr.
Duggins died in 1849 on the old homestead where his wife now
resides. He left a farm of one hundred and sixteen acres.
During his lifetime he had a printing office in Eaton, where the
Register office is now located. His son, John F.,
was in the war, in the Seventy-fifth Ohio volunteer infantry,
and while in Florida was taken prisoner and sent to
Andersonville, where he stayed for six months. W. P.
Duggins was born in 1820, and in 1844 married Mary,
daughter of Alexander Lugar, born about 1826. He
has nine children. His farm contains about sixty-five
acres.
Benjamin Neal and wife, Mary (Sellers),
came from Bourbon county, Kentucky, to this township in the year
1806, and settled in section two of township seven. After
residing here for a few years, he moved to New Lexington where
he died in the year 1818. His wife survived him for more
than forty years, dying in 1858 at the age of eighty-seven.
They had four children born to them in Kentucky, viz.:
Sarah, Nathan, James and Jane. Of these only
Nathan and James survive. After
Page 137 -
their arrival
in this county, their family further was increased by the births
of Benjamin, John and Mary Ann. Benjamin
married Ann Kerlin, now living. He has been
associate judge, and has held the office of postmaster at Eaton
since the year 1871.
Some time before the War of 1812 Colonel Thomas
Wolverton came to Ohio from Pennsylvania, and settled near
the Shidler farm. He was an officer in the
Revolutionary war, and became a noted character in his
neighborhood. He is said to have been a large, blond man,
whose weight was close to four hundred. He lived and died
in this township; Colonel William Woolverton and others
in Jackson township are his descendants.
Adam Frase
was born in Preble county, Ohio, in
the year 1810, and died in 1838. He married Sarah
Williams, born in Kentucky in 1801, and who died in 1872.
Five children were born them, three of whom are still living -
Mary, Margaret and Jesse. The latter was
born in Preble county in 1830, and in 1857, married Melissa
C. Shaw, born in Knox county, Ohio, in 1839. Five
children have been born to them, of whom four are living.
Christian Siler
came to Preble county before
1812, from Virginia. His wife was Margaret Groover.
Ten children were born them, one only of whom is now living.
Chrisitan Siler, sr., the only surviving child of the
above, was born in 1794, and in 1822 he married Hannah,
daughter of John Niecum, an early settler of Dixon
township. She was born in the year 1801. Eight
children were born them, six of whom are now living.
Mr. Siler owns a farm of eighty-one acres, about three miles
east of Eaton, where he is living at the age of eighty-six
years.
John Kincaid
came to Ohio from Kentucky about
1812. He was married in 1810 to Mary, daughter of
Edmund Moody. Ten children were born them, seven of
whom are still living, viz.: Sarah (Gauger) lives
in Somers township, Samuel in Israel, Cynthia (Runyon)
in California, John M. in Eaton, Mary Kesling
in Winchester, Finley in Kansas, and Barthenia (Fudge)
in Gratis. Mr. Kinkaid served in the War of
1812. His son John M. was born in Gasper township
in the year 1821, and in 1860 married Sarah D., daughter
of William and Sarah Duggins.
He has two children. Mr. J. M. Kincaid owns a farm
of two hundred and forty acres, about a mile south of Eaton,
which he purchased in 1863. He resides in Eaton.
John Kayler
was born in Rockingham county,
Virginia, in 1776. In 1799 he married Catharine
Haynes, born in 1782. He emigrated to Ohio in 1814.
He was almost poverty stricken at the time of his arrival, but
by dint of hard labor he acquired six hundred and forty acres.
He died in 1859. His wife survived him three years, dying
in 1862. Three sons were born to them - John Frederick,
Benjamin and William. John Frederick was born
in 1801,and married Barbara Christman, a
Carolinaan. Two children were born them, Lydia Ann (Clapsaddle)
and John A. The latter married a Miss Blin.
Fohn F. died in 1849. William,
youngest son of John and Catharine Kayler, was born in
1808. He was but six years of age when his parents came to
Ohio. In 1837 he married Rebecca Delawater,
who had come to Ohio from Maryland in 1822. He died in
1876, on the farm where his widow and three children still live.
He has eight children born to him. John J. Kayler,
his youngest son, has purchased the principal part of his
father's estate. He is the owner of four hundred acres.
He was born in 1849, and in 1875 married Sarah V. Dalrymple.
They have one son, who is the only great-grandson of the
pioneer, John Kayler.
John Stephens
came to Preble county from Kentucky
in 1817. He was born in 1790. In 1810 he married
Margaret Fisher, who was born in 1792. John
Stephens died in 1827. His wife is still living.
He was the owner of eighty acres in this township, one hundred
and sixty in Gasper and eighty in Camden. He had nine
children, five of whom are living, namelly: Thomas,
living in Gasper; John W., in Eaton; B. M. (Acton)
and N. B. also in Eaton; M. F., in Greenville.
N. B. Stephens was born in 1825. In 1858 he married
Miss R. F. Conger, born in 1838. He is in the
grocery business in Eaton and also owns one hundred adn dsixty-nine
acres. John Stephens, the pioneer, served
during the War of 1812, for two terms of six months.
John Risinger township,
Levi, in Eaton, and William in Washington township.
Mr. Risinger owned six hundred and sixty-five acres of
land in this township. Williamoved from Pennsylvania to
Kentucky in 1798, and afterwards to Montgomery county. In
1819 he settled in Preble county. His wife was Sarah
Ann Pauley, a Pennsylvanian. His death occurred in
Lewisburgh, in the year 1857, having survived his wife one year.
Seven children were born to them, only two of whom are living,
namely: Catharine (Horr), living in Lewisburgh, and
Elizabeth (Sayler), in Indiana. His son Able
was born in 1803, and in 1835 married Elizabeth Sayler.
He had six children, five of whom are now living - Sarah
Ann (Taylor), in Washington township, Melinda (Deem)
in Eaton, Caroline (Shurkey), in Washington m Risinger was born in
1826. In 1844 he married Lucinda Pense, born in
1821. She was a daughter of Henry Pense.
Three children have been born to them. Mr. William
Risinger owns a farm of four hundred acres. He was
county commissioner for three terms, from 1861 to 1870. He
has lived on his present farm since the year 1848.
William McGriff
was born in 1793. He came
to Ohio in the year 1820 and settled near Eaton. His wife,
Elizabeth Hole, was born in 1792, and died in 1875.
Fourteen children were born to them, of whom ten are still
living, namely: James, Ellen, Lucretia, Mary, Effie Ann,
Matilda, Sarah, Margaret, Charles and John R.
William Elizabeth, Catharine and Hannah are
deceased.
Levin T. McCabe came to Eaton in 1826, from
Maryland, where he was born in 1807.
George Peters
was born in Franklin county,
Virginia in the year 1817, and in 1828 he moved to Ohio and
settled in Gasper township on the farm now owned by Aaron
Brower. His wife, Sophia, daughter of
William Smithb, was born in the year 1815; seven children
were born to him, all of whom are now living. Mr.
Peters is
Page 138 -
proprietor of a large tile factory, which burns
about fifty thousand tile a year.
Lewis Marker
came to Preble county in the year
1839. He was born in Maryland in the year 1807. His
settlement was made in the southwestern part of Twin township,
where he purchased two hundred and forty-seven acres of land.
His wife, Nancy Curtain, was born in the year 1809.
He has had eight children born to him. He is now living on
his farm, about two miles east of Eaton, on the Eaton and Dayton
pike. Ephraim Marker, his son, was born in 1841 in
Twin township. He married, in 1864, Rebecca J.,
daughter of John and Mary Craig, born in 1843. Her
parents came from Virginia to Preble county in 1837, and settled
in Washington township. John Craig died in 1873;
his wife is still living and resides with Ephraim Marker.
Mr. Marker came to Washington township in 1878. He has
had four children born to him; all of whom are living. He
has a farm of two hundred and three acres in Washington
township, and twenty acres in Twin.
Ezra Creager
was born in Montgomery county,
Ohio, November 13, 1813, his father having emigrated from
Maryland to that county the year previous. In 1834 he
married Delilah Ford, who was born in Kentucky, July,
1814, and in March, 1837, moved to Preble and settled on one
hundred and twenty-five acres where he now lives. He
started in life poor, and his subsequent prosperity has been due
to his industry and prudence. He has raised a family of
nine children, six boys and three girls, and it is a somewhat
singular circumstance that death has not yet broken the family
circle. The children are Elizabeth Ann (Risinger),
residing in Eaton; Lydia Ann (House), Mary Ann (Disher)
and Levi A, in Monroe township; John R., Catharine
(Fudge), Angeline (Risinger), and Joseph F., in this
township, and Sarah Jane (Christman) in Iowa.
Joseph F. Creager
was born in
Washington township, in 1847. He is the third son of
Ezra and Delila C. Creager, who were early settlers of
Preble county. In 1870 he married Elizabeth Ann,
daughter of Buckner and Mary Ann Deem; by whom he had one
child. He has a farm of one hundred and three acres of
land in section ten, township eight, of Washington township,
about five miles north of Eaton.
Samuel Weist was born in Camden, in 1849, where
his parents now reside. In 1875 he was married to
Elizabeth Lewellen, born in 1858. They have had no
children. Mr. Weist lives on the farm in Washington
township now owned by his father. His wife's parents
reside in Dixon township.
John Tyler Sloan
was born in Preble county, in
1840, and in 1871 married Hannah Woodring, who died soon
after her marriage, leaving no children. Mr. Sloan
has since remained a widower. He is a huckster by trade,
and is extensively engaged in buying butter, eggs, etc., which
he ships to Cincinnati.
Jonathan Switzer
was born in Virginia, in the
year 1808. He afterwards came to Ohio, and in 1839 married
Nancy H. Dooley. Four children were born to him by
his first marriage, three of whom are still living. His
wife dying in 1849, he married in 1852, Susan, daughter
of John Fisher, born in 1820. By this marriage he
had four children, all of whom are living. Mr. Switzer
has a farm of one hundred and thirty acres in this township,
which he purchased in 1861. He has held several offices in
the township. His son, George H., was in the war of
the Rebellion, during the hundred days service.
Marks Deem,
son of W. T. and Susan Deem,
was born in 1846. He married Alvina Flora, who was
born in 1851, and whose parents were old settlers of Jackson
township. To Mr. and Mrs. Deem have been born two
children, both living. Mr. Deem owns fifty acres of
land and resides about three and a half miles west of Eaton, in
Washington township.
M. B. Keely
came to Preble county about 1830,
from Butler county. His wife, Nancy S., was from
Campbell county, Kentucky. Nine children were born to
them, seven of whom are still living: Sarah H.
(Winters), in Eaton, J. C., in Washington township;
Jeremiah D., in Gasper; Francis M., in Dixon;
Nancy S. (Campbell), in Gasper; Francis M., in Dixon;
Nancy S. (Campbell), in Gasper; George H., in
Eaton, and Mary A. (White), in Gasper.
J. C. Keely
was born in the year 1833. His
wife was Barbara Jane, daughter of Jonas Crumbaker,
born in 1836, and whom he married in 1856. They have no
children. Mr. Keely owns a farm of one hundred and
fifty-nine acres.
Robert Myler was born in Virginia in 1799, and
came to Ohio in 1835, where he settled on section nine, township
seven, of Washington township. When he came to Preble
county his only possessions were a pair of horses. He
entered the service of John Gardner as a teamster, and by
saving what he could out of his wages of three dollars a day, he
finally was able to purchase a farm. In 1825 he married
Deby Athens, who was born in Maryland in 1800. Five
children were born them, for of whom are now living in Preble
county. His farm contains over sixty-three acres, and is
situated two miles southwest of Eaton.
John I., son of William and Mary
Bailey,
was born in Pennsylvania, in the year 1807, and from that State
emigrated with his parents to Ohio. In 1840 they moved
from Perry county to Preble county. In 1843 he married
Marry Ann Lehmer, daughter of Henry and Catharine Lehmer,
natives of Pennsylvania, both of whom are deceased. To
Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were born ten children, nine of whom are
still living. Mrs. Bailey is the owner of over one
hundred and sixty acres in section nine, of Washington township.
She is now a widow, her husband's death occurring in 18__.
Arthur Riggs,
son of E. and Jane (Homan)
Riggs, was born in Warren county in 1833, and in 1844 moved
to Preble county, where he settled on section twenty-one, of
Washington township. His wife was Eliza, daughter
of Jacob and Julia Chrisman, early settlers of Preble
county. Two children have been born them, both of whom are
now living. He owns a farm of one hundred and thirty one
acres on section six, township seven, of Washington township,
about two and a half miles west of Eaton.
Page 139 -
Jacob Franklin
Ridenour was born in Union county,
Indiana, in 1841, and in 1842 came to Preble county with his
parents, who located near College corner. In 1861 he
enlisted in the Eighty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, and served
until 1864, at which time he was discharged, on account of a
wound in the left arm, received while in Georgia in 1864.
His arm was amputated, and he left for home. In 1866 he
was married to Miss Mary Ann Cotterman, who was born in
this county in 1847. Elmer Ellsworth and
Franklin Otto are their children's names. Mr.
Ridenour owns sixty-six acres of land in section twenty-one.
Charles Collins
was born in Wales in the year 1793. In 1812
he came to America and settled in Washington county, Ohio.
In 1841 he moved to Preble county and settled in Dixon township.
His wife was Mary Gavin, born in Ireland, who came
to America with her parents in 1812, and settled in Butler
county, Ohio. Four children were born them, all of whom
are living in Preble county. Mr. and Mrs.
Collins are both dead. He died in 1880, having
outlived his wife three years.
Absalom G. Collins was born in the
year 1835, and in 1869 he married
Martha Harvey, who was born in 1848. In the
year 1866 Mr. Collins served a term as township
assessor of Dixon. During the war of the Rebellion he
served two years in Ohio volunteer infantry and one in the
cavalry. He was wounded in action in the right leg.
He owns a farm of eighty-six and a half acres, in section
twenty-nine of Washington township.
John Halderman,
now residing in Eaton, came to Preble (then
Montgomery) county with his parents from Virginia in 1806.
The family settled in Lanier township, in section thirty-two,
and a sketch of their settlement may be found in the history of
that township. Mr. Halderman was born in Virginia
in 1805, and consequently was only about one year old when his
parents removed to this county, which was then inhabited
principally by Indians and wild animals. He married, in
1829, Jemima, daughter of Jacob Shidler who
settled about fourteen miles north of Eaton about the same time
as the Haldermans. Mrs. Halderman was born in 1811,
and is the only survivor of twelve children. Of ten
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Halderman, only three are
living, viz.: Furguson, in Wabash county, Indiana;
Mrs. Emanuel Lick, in Fayette county, Indiana; and Mrs.
Dayton Kelley on the old farm in this township.
Henry Young moved
from Maryland to Ohio about the year 1805, and settled on
Aukerman's creek. His wife was Elizabeth Woods.
His death occurred in 1844. Eight children were born to
him, of whom two only survive, viz: Henry, living
in Gasper township, and Mary (Hickman), in Lanier.
His son, Adam Young died about the year 1865. He
was born in 1803, and married Catharine Brubaker.
Seven children were born to them, of whom six are living.
Levi Young his son, was born in 1824, and in 1843 married
Huldah Barnhart. He had eleven children, ten of
whom survive. Mr. Young owns three hundred and
forty acres, part of which lies in this county, and part in
Indiana. He moved to his present farm, about three miles
northeast of Eaton, soon after his marriage, and has resided
there for thirty-two years.
CHURCHES IN WASHINGTON
TOWNSHIP The earliest church of which we have
any information was one located in the Shidler neighborhood, in
1823, by the Christian denomination, but made a free church,
because assistance was solicited and received from the people of
all faiths and people of none. An interesting relic of
this church has been preserved, and we here present it. It
is a subscription paper circulated to secure the completion of
the church edifice, and reads as follows:
"We, the undersigned
subscribers, obligate ourselves to pay David V. Stephens
the sum annexed to our names, in wheat, rye, corn, and pork, if
paid by the tenth of January next; or in good sugar, to be paid
after sugar-making, at the cash price, delivered in Eaton; or in
good whiskey, to be paid by the first of February next, at cash
price, delivered at the place above mentioned, in payment to aid
said Stephens for a job of joiner work done by him,
amounting to twenty-five dollars, in a meeting house on a
certain lot of land obtained from George Shidler and
Thomas Woolverton. Said house to be free for all
Christians to worship God in, - December 3, 1823:
Alvy Swain, seventy-five
cents, paid.
Silas Frame, one dollar.
Joseph Frame, sugar, fifty cents.
James Frame, sugar, fifty cents.
John Bloomfield, one dollar.
Daniel Melling, sugar, seventy-five cents.
Jesse Long, twenty-five cents.
Tobia Whitesell, twenty-five
cents.
James Melling, twenty-five cents in sugar.
Daniel Strader, one dollar.
George Hoffle, thirty-seven and a half cents.
George Laird, sr. eighteen and three-fourths
cents.
Adam Whitesell, thirty-seven and a half cents.
Nathan Meroney, eighteen and three-fourth cents,
paid in cash.
John Meroney, two bushels of wheat.
John C. McManus, sixty-two and a half cents
John Caughey, five bushels of corn
Meneck Tafree, three bushels of corn
Thomas Tomlinson, one dollar in sugar.
Conrad Bonebrake, twenty-five cents in sugar.
Peter Bonebrake, one bushel of corn
George Thompson, twenty-five
cents.
David Brower, two dollars and thirty-four cents.
John Frame, two dollars and thirty-four cents."
Although whiskey was one of the articles which the paper stated
would be received, it will be observed that not one of the
subscriptions was paid with it. Some progress has been
made since those days, for now no church would agree to take
whiskey in payment for subscriptions or other obligations.
The active men in this church were Jacob Spacht,
after whom the building was called "the Spacht meeting
house;" George Shidler and
Thomas Woolverton.
ZION EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.
This church, located
about five miles north of Eaton, was organized by Rev. Lewis
Morgan, in the year 1819. A small log cabin answered
the needs of the congregation a portion of the time for some
years. Services seem, however, to have been more
frequently held in private houses and barns than in this little
cabin. The first trustees were John Kayler and
Henry Kislilng, both of whom have gone to their heavenly
reward. There is no account of the organization having any
other church officers than the two named above. Neither
have we any account of the length of time this little band of
believers
Page 140 -
was served by Rev. Morgan, but after his
resignation, services were occasionally held by Revs. Man
and Espich, both of whom, of course, were Lutheran
ministers.
The next regular supply we meet with is in the person
of Rev. Jacob Gruber, who, to the best of our knowledge,
is yet living on his farm near Ottawa, in the State of Illinois.
He took charge of Zion congregation about the year 1829, and
closed his pastoral duties in the year 1855, since which time it
has been under the care of the present encumbent, Rev.
George Baughman, with the exception of two years and five
months, namely, from July 1861, to December, 1863, during which
time it was served by Rev. George W. Busby.
In 1840, during the pastorate of Rev. Jacob
Gruber, this congregation erected a small brick church, then
considered a large one, being, in the order of time, the third
brick church in the county. On the second day of October,
1875, the congregation resolved to supplant it by the erection
of the present large and commodious church building.
The church was completed the following year, and
dedicated to the service of the Triune God on the twentieth of
May.
The German Baptist church in the western part of this
township was built in 1868. It is popularly known as the
Beech Grove church. No facts concerning its first
organization can be ascertained.
CEMETERIES.
Besides the cemetery at Eaton there are
three burial places in the township, some of which are under the
charge of the trustees, and are open to the public. They
are named and located as follows: The Sherer cemetery
which was used as early as the year 1810 or 1812, is located
near the center of section seven in township eight. It is
in charge of the township trustees. Zion Cemetery is
situated near the Lutheran church of that name, in section
eleven. It is under the charge of the Lutheran church, and
is used by that body exclusively, unless special permission is
given for burial. The Bonebrake cemetery, which is under
the charge of the township trustees, is located in the
northwestern quarter of section nineteen. It is open to
the public.
The first burials in the township are currently
reported to be somewhere in the northeastern part of the town of
Eaton. At an early date some interments were made there.
These were forgotten as the town increased until at present only
a few of the oldest citizens can recollect anything about them.
The names of the persons buried there cannot be obtained, and
even the exact locality is a matter of doubt. It is
supposed that they were two children of some early settler,
whose absence from the township caused the name to be forgotten.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
WILLIAM BRUCE, THE FOUNDER OF EATON.
Pages 141 - 144 -
DAVID E. HENDRICKS
COLONEL GEORGE D.
HENDRICKS Pages 144 - 145 -
CORNELIUS VAN AUSDAL
Page 145 - 146 -
COLONEL SAMUEL HAWKINS
Pages 146 - 147 -
JUDGE SAMUEL
TIZZARD - WILLIAM B. TIZZARD
Pages 147 -
148 -
JUDGE
WILLIAM CURRY Pages 148 - 150 -
LEVIN T. McCABE
JOHN V. CAMPBELL, ESQ.
[PORTRAIT OF
JOHN V. CAMPBELL] Pages 150 - 151 -
THE REV. JAMES B.
FINLEY Pages 151 - 152 -
CHARLES F. BROOKE
Page 152
HENRY C. HEISTAND Pages152 - 153 -
JOSEPH A. DU SANG.
Page 153 -
THE REV. ALEXANDER MEHARRY, D. D.
Pages
153 - 154 -
THE
DEEM FAMILY. Page 154 -
JOHN P. CHARLES
WILLIAM F. ALBRIGHT
[PORTRAIT OF JOHN
P. ACTON] Page 155 -
L. G. GOULD
Pages 155 - 156
JOHN P. ACTON
Page 156 -
ANDREW JACKSON REYNOLDS
Pages 156 - 159
-
THE QUINN FAMILY
Page 159 -
DANIEL CHRISMAN
Pages 159 - 160 -
COLONEL ROBERT WILLIAMS, JR.
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