OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

A Part of Genealogy Express
 

Welcome to
Wayne County, Ohio
History & Genealogy

 

Source:
History of Wayne County, Ohio
from the days of the pioneers and first settlers to the present time
Indianapolis, Ind.: R. Douglass, 
1878

CHAPTER XIX.

WOOSTER
Pg. 281

(Contributed by Sharon Wick)

 

     The seat of justice of Wayne county was laid out in the fall of 1808 by the proprietors, John Bever, William Henry and Joseph H. Larwill, and is 377 feet above Lake Erie, and was made the seat of justice for the county May 30, 1811.
     It was so named by Hon. Joseph H. Larwill, in honor of the Celebrated Major General David Wooster of Revolutionary renown, and a member of the old and distinguished family bearing that name.

SKETCH OF GENERAL WOOSTER.

     David Wooster was born at Stratford, in Connecticut, Mar. 2, in the year of our Lord, 1710.  The strictest scrutiny of his earlier record furnishes but a meager detail of his boyhood.  He was a man of prepossessing personal appearance, of rare intellectual culture and accomplished education.  His collegiate course was exact and scientific, answering the punctilious curriculum of Yale in 1738. 
     When the colony constructed what was then called "the guard-a-costa," to be employed defensively in case of assault by Spanish cruisers in 1739, he was designated as second in command, and shortly was appointed Captain.  At the close of this service he married a daughter of President Clapp, of Yale College, a lady said to have been admirably suited to encounter the dangerous scenes which were already flinging their dark and ominous shadows upon the future.  Valiant women always make braver, courageous men; and Mrs. Wooster had firmness, power and res-

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olution of mind combined with exquisite refinement of manners, which aided him immensely in the subsequent experience of his life.
     In 1745, when Colonel Burr raised a regiment in Connecticut to join the troops destined to act against Louisburg - a seaport village on the eastern coast of the Island of Cape Breton, an insular colony of British North America - Captain Wooster was appointed to the command of a company in that regiment, and occupied an active place in the reduction of that considerable fortification.  After its capitulation, he was ordered to take charge of the cartel which was sent to France for exchange of prisoners.  He was not at that time permitted to land in France, but hastened to Great Britain, where he was received by aristocrats, the dwellers of the Court, and velvet-sandaled Royalty itself.  He even became a favorite of King George, who presented him with a Captain's baton in a regiment of Sir William Pepperell, with half pay for life.
     After one of the Aix-la-Chapelle treaties, and the recession to France of the fortress mentioned, Captain Wooster retired to the serenities of home and the sanctities of private life.  For awhile he lived in tranquil seclusion in New Haven, when the sky lowered again, and the mutterings of the Titans of war were heard in the distance.  In 1750 he was made Colonel of a regiment, but was not fated to remain there long, as he was soon advanced to a Brigadiership, which office he held until the peace of 1763, when once more he withdrew to the pensive shades of retirement.
     We find him next in New Haven, an enterprising, public spirited man, engaged in commercial pursuits.  We believe, at one time, he was appointed Collector of Customs of the port of New Haven.  And now beams, in faint but terrible lines upon the horizon, the test hour to men of place and power.  The cloud, not larger than a man's hand, grew rapidly, and men had to decide.  General Wooster named his position from the beginning, and when the bloody logic of Concord and Lexington was sought to be taught in the school of despotism, although courts had received

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him, kings had honored him - honored him with office - and although he held the king's seal, he renounced everything, and poured out "the tinkling crimson tide that plays upon the heart's red brink" for freedom from oppression and the independence of his country.  And with the forethought and prescience of a wise man, he comprehended the necessity of the hour, and while Ethan Allen and Arnold executed the drama of the capture of Ticonderoga, we must award to General Wooster a full share of the honor of the conception of the plot of that hazardous and momentous enterprise.  He even went to Canada with Montgomery, and for awhile after that gallant soldier fell had supreme command.
     In 1775, after a successful vote for the creation of an army, Congress appointed him third in rank among the Brigadiers upon that occasion.  In 1776, the epochal period of the national life, he saw much bitter service, though as it was in the inception of the Revolutionary contest, few substantial laurels were achieved, the contest raging long afterward.  In the same year he was appointed Major General of the militia of Connecticut, with a supervisory control of the military stores, which were kept near Danbury.  The British had a jealous eye upon these provisions, and with a force of two thousand men under Tryon, sought their capture, and succeeded.  General Wooster, with seven hundred raw recruits, attacked them April 27, 1776, but, forced to retreat, received a fatal wound.  He had, however, the comfort of dying in the sacred circle of this family, on the 2d of May 1777.  His last words were, "I am dying, but with the strong hope and persuasion that my country will gain her independence,"
     His remains were ensepulchered at Danbury, Connecticut.  On June 17, 1777, Congress voted that a suitable monument should be erected to his memory, but measures never were inaugurated to execute the resolution.  His grave was not identified until 1854, when, by an Act of the Legislature of that State, the corner-store of a monument was laid.  No wonder our independence was achieved when such intrepid spirits leagued and fell for it!  What a priceless boon they have bequeathed to us!  What a

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debt of love, what a flame of praise we should kindle at the altar of their remembered names! 
     We discover, then, that illustrious and patriotic memories surrounded the baptism of Wooster.  It started in its infancy with the inspirations of a riper and maturer life, glorify the magnificent achievements that spirit prompted!
     Wooster, it may here be remarked, was not the first county-seat.  The place designated by the first Commissioners was on the eminence east of south of the city, on lands then owned by Bazaleel Wells & Co., and was called Madison.  Dissatisfaction accrued from this selection, whereupon the Legislature appointed new Commissioners, when the present Wooster has chosen as the county-seat.  But a single cabin was erected in Madison.

VACATION OF TOWN OF MADISON

     Bazaleel Wells, John Shorb and Joseph Dorsey, proprietors of the town of Madison, in the county of Wayne, having, according to the conditions of the sale of lots in said town, returned the sums of money heretofore received of the purchasers of said lots, and taken up their respective certificates therefore, whereby they are the sole proprietors and owners of said town, and the lots therein, by John Goodenow, their attorney, applied to the Court, then in session, February 21, 1814, to vacate the same, according to the provisions of the statute in such cases made and provided.
     Whereupon the Court, at its April session, 1814, ordered that the town plat of the town of Madison, in the county of Wayne, be vacated.
     The first settlers in Wooster, and in Wayne county, were the three Larwill brothers, to-wit:  William, Joseph and John.
    
The first house erected in the town or county was a "log-temple," on East Liberty Street, directly west of what was subsequently known as the William Larwill property.  The principal tools employed in its construction were a broad-ax and drawing-

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knife.  It was raised at the time that the town was being laid out, and its first occupants were William Larwill and a young man named Abraham Miller.  Benjamin Miller, the father of this young man, removed, in the spring of 1809, from Stark county with his wife and family and opened a house of entertainment.
     Benjamin Miller was the first married man who settled in the town or county.
     He kept the first tavern in the town or county on the spot where J. B. Power has his dry goods store.
     He was the father of the first white child born in the town or county.  It was a girl, and was christened Tillie Miller, the honor of naming her being awarded to Hon. John Bever.  She grew to womanhood, married a son of John Lawrance, father-in-law of the pioneer editor, Joseph Clingan, by which union were resulted seven children, one of whom  (Harrison) distinguished himself as a Disciple minister.
     The first store started in Wooster was by Wm. Larwill.
    
In 1810, the first brick house built in the town or county was erected by John Bever, on the corner now occupied by J. S> Bissell & Bro., dry goods merchants.
     In 1808, the road from Massillon to Wooster was cut, the first road opened in the county.
     The first State road running through the county, from Canton to Wooster, was laid out by the Commissioners in 1810.
     In 1809, Joseph Stibbs, then of Canton, built the first grist mill, in the vicinity of Wooster.
     In 1811 Hon. Benjamin Jones, leaving Youngstown, Trumbull county, passed through Wooster and on to Mansfield, in search of a location, in the interest of Priest Jones.  He selected Wooster and reported so to the "Priest."  During the following year (1812) Priest Jones and his family, Benjamin Jones and Betty Scott, arrived at the county seat.  They bought goods an started a store, Constant Lake, father of Constant Lake, of Wooster, hauling a load for them.  They opened up in a rough, wooden building, erected by Robert McClarran, father of Rossell and
Clinton Mc-

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Clarran, located on the premises now occupied in business by Samuel Geitgey, the second store in the town and county.
     Robert McClarran, the carpenter in this instance, was the first Justice of the Peace of the town or county.
     The first white man who died in Wooster was Alexander Crawford, in 1808.
     The first resident lawyer, who died in Wooster, was a Mr. Raymond.
    
The first physician* of Wooster was Thomas Townsend, here as early as 1813.
     The first minister was Thomas Griffith (Priest) Jones, arriving in 1812 (Baptist), and this denomination built the first church in 1814.
     The first school teacher was Carlos Mather, a young lawyer of New Haven, Conn., who taught in 1817.
     The first Postmaster of Wooster was "Priest" Jones.
     The first school house, a brick, was built on the site of the third ward school building.
     The first 4th of July celebration held in Wooster, or the county, was west of town on Christmas's run, the water for cooking purposes being procured from a spring at the base of the hill, on the premises now owned by Judge Downing.  The dinner was under the supervision of Wm. Hughes; the Declaration of Independence was read by James Hindman, and "Priest" Jones made the oration.
     Renssellaer Curtis carried the first mail to Wooster from New Lisbon to Mansfield.
     The first will on record in the Recorder's office at Wooster was made by Frederick Brown, of East Union Township.
     The first transfer of real estate on record in the Recorder's office in Wooster, is from Oliver Day to Elam Day, of East Union township.
     The first Court of Common Pleas held in Wooster was in 1812.
     The first election held in Wooster was on the first Monday in April, 1810.  The following is a list of electors:

---------------
* Ezekiel Wells, of East Union, was the first physician in the county.

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     Josiah Crawford, Jesse Cornelius, Jacob Matthews, William Larwill, Paddy Chest, Robert Carn, Benjamin Miller, Jacob Wetzel (relative of Lewis Wetzel, the renowned Indian hunter of West Virginia), Luke Miller, Samuel Martin, Matthew Riley, John Driskel, William Smith, John Rodgers, John Wright, Christian Smith, Joseph Hughes and William Riter.
     The first fire company was established in 1827, though as early as 1825 a committee, consisting of Gen. Cyrus Spink and Thomas L. Grilling, was appointed to either go to Philadelphia, or correspond with parties there, in regard to the purchase of an engine.
     In 1827 Thomas Wilson was appointed a committee to contract for, and superintend, the sinking of a reservoir or well on the public ground, in the angle of Liberty and Market streets, on the north-west corner of the south-east quarter of said public ground, two pumps to be placed in said well or reservoir.
     In 1829, Frederick Kauke and Joseph Bergen were appointed watchmen of the town at a salary of $11 per month.
     Howe says: "When Wooster was first settled there were no white inhabitants between it and the lake; on the west, none short of the Maumee, Fort Wayne and Vincennes; on the south, none until within a few miles of Coshocton, and those on the Tuscarawas were the nearest on the east."  The city is located 86 miles north-east of Columbus, and 52 miles south of Cleveland, upon the line of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway.  It lies at the altitude of 50 feet above the Killbuck valley, and is surrounded by a highly cultivated, beautiful and fertile country.
     It was incorporated October 13, 1817; advanced to a city of the 2d class September 9, 1868, and divided into 4 wards February 24, 1869, and has a population of over 7,000 souls.  It is distinguished for its healthy and excellent location, and during the business days of the week it presents a fine picture of commercial activity.  The country surrounding it is replete with rich and diversified scenery, and is under the highest conditions of successful and remunerative tillage.  The city government is vested in a Mayor and Common Council.

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     The plan of the city is principally in squares.  It contains numerous well-built churches, of different denotations.  Many of its private dwelling are expensive, tasteful and elegant, and its public edifices are costly and substantial.  It has the best system of natural water works in Ohio.  Its fire department is divided into hose companies, although two first-class steamers are retained, the latter seldom being called into operation, as any single hydrant, with hose attached, is equivalent to an engine.
     The city is illuminated with gas; an ordinance has passed for the establishment of a complete system of sewerage, and the chief business streets are soon to be mecadamized.  Manufacturing, though in its infancy, is carried on to considerable extent, and of the ordinary mechanic trades there is a fair representation.  Its [police arrangements are excellent at present, and the cleanliness and general good order of the place are remarkable.  The "Independent Order of Mechanics" have a library and reading-room in the city, and a membership of leading mechanics of all the trades.  This is one of the most worthy orders of the city,  and is noted for the intelligence, zeal and good character of its composition.  A fair quantum of the secret or mystical societies are represented.
     The public press of the city consists of two weekly newspapers, the Democrat and Republican.  It may safely lay claim to one of the best opera houses in the State.  Its Missionary and Bible Societies are worthy institutions, sustained by earnest men and women.
     The public schools of the city are well managed and efficiently sustained.  The buildings are of brick; that of the High School, on North Market street, being a gem of architectural art, and an ornament to any city.  The course of instruction is graduated, and when the pupils are sufficiently advanced, they are promoted to the High School, where they are instructed in natural science and in the classics.  But the University, a history of which, by President A. A. E. Taylor, appears elsewhere, is the crowning glory of Wooster.  It ornaments an imposing eminence - the site being donated by E. Quimby, Jr., of Wooster - north of the city,

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with a commanding prospect in every direction, and environments embracing splendid drives and gorgeous distances, leaving the city below like a nestling infant, in the midst of gentle slopes and a blooming valley.  Its construction was an enterprise of which the citizens of Wooster and Wayne county may be proud, and future generations will point to it as a monument of the wisdom and sagacity of the men who projected it and bore it on to successful completion.
     Coeval with the laying of the corner stone of the great Republic was laid the solid foundation of literary and religious truth.  Our fathers were not forgetful of this primal duty.  There was great need for such an institution as this in Ohio.  A college established in a State or community multiplies the number that would seek a liberal education, and imparts to that State or community its general features and nobler aspects of character.  Its influence creates an atmosphere around it, and stirs the aspirations, as by an irresistible agency, of those who seem destined to high positions.  Princeton made New Jersey; Harvard, Boston; not Boston Harvard; and Germany, in is moral aspects, is but the product of what her renowned universities have made her.
     Not the least remarkable of all the noble features of this institution is the co-education of the sexes, and the disposition and determination to advance the standard of female culture.  The man, who, in this age of the world, antagonizes the complete and thorough education of woman, should have no ancestry short of the darker eons of mankind.  Man now pursues science in her expanded and expanding sphere, and woman must progress and attain her possible elevations.  She must and will, if opportunity is afforded, seek and achieve them, and

"Set herself to man
Like perfect music unto noble words."

INCORPORATION OF WOOSTER.

     Wooster was incorporated as a town, October 13, 1817, and

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advancing in population was chartered as a city of the second class, and divided into four wards, February 9, 1869.

FIRST ELECTION AFTER INCORPORATION.

     On the first Saturday in March, 1818, an election was held at the house of Joseph McGugen, in Wooster, for the purpose of electing, according to law, a President, Recorder and five Trustees for the incorporation of the town, with this result:  Isaiah Jones  was elected President, John Patton, Recorder, T. G. Jones, Thomas Taylor, Joseph Eichar, Thomas Robison and Benjamin Jones, Trustees.  On the 12th of March of this year the above officers met at the house of John Patton, and after having produced their certificates of election from the clerk, and taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the State of Ohio, as also an oath of office, adjourned.
     At their next meeting, in the month of March, the President having taken his chair, the Board proceeded to the choice of a Marshal, Treasurer and  Collector, when Daniel Hoyt was elected Marshal, Thomas R. McKnight Treasure, and Henry St. John Collector.  The first step taken was to appoint a committee to draft By-Laws for the government of the Board, which committee designated T. G. Jones and Benjamin Jones.  A committee composed of Thomas Taylor, Joseph Eichar and John Patton was next appointed to prepare and bring in a bill for the abatement of nuisances, and another composed of Benjamin Jones and Thomas Robison was appointed to bring in a bill to prevent horse-racing and shooting.
     On Friday, April 3, 1818, the Board met, and on motion it was resolved that a committee of two be appointed to prepare and bring in a bill for the prevention of immoral practices.
     At a meeting of the Board, Thursday, April 9, 1818, a bill for the abatement of nuisances, by John Patton, with some amendments, became a law, and as such, is the first on record.

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THE SECOND ELECTION

Was held on the first Saturday of March, 1820, at the house of Joseph McGugen, for the purpose of electing corporation officers, William Nailer and Thomas Robison acting as judges, and John Patton as clerk of election, there being thirty-nine votes polled.  The names of electors are as follows:

     Francis H. Foltz, John Hague, Elijah Tillotson, Daniel O. Hoyt, Thomas R. McKnight, Philip Griffith, John Wilson, John M. McClelland, Robert Orr, Reasin Beall, Jacob Matthews, Wm. B. Smith, Andrew Mackey, David Losher, Thomas Townsend, M. D., Nicholas Mason, Fred Foltz, James Nailer, David Griffith, Joseph McGugen, Trueman Beecher, Henry St. John, John Larwill, Moses Owens, Calvin Hubbard, Charles Connelly, Thomas Robison, John S. Headley, Benjamin F. Coleman, Hugh O. Harrow, William Nailer, John Patton, George Lisor, John Steward, Edward Jones, Joseph H. Larwill, Robert McClarran, John Yergin.

A LIST OF CANDIDATES AT AN ELECTION HELD IN WOOSTER,
MARCH 29, 1824.

     President - Samuel Quinby, Edward Avery, Thomas Robison
    
Recorder - Cyrus Spink, John Patton, Wm. Larwill.
    
Trustees - Edward Jones, David McConahay, Francis H. Foltz, Matthew Johnston, Wm. McFall, Joseph H. Larwill, John Christmas, John Patton, Wm. McComb, Moses Culbertson, Cyrus Spink, Calvin Hobert, David Robison, Thomas Robison, Thomas Townsend, Horace Howard, William Nailer, Samuel H. Hand, Edward Avery, Benjamin Jones, Col. John Hemperly.
    
We do certify that Samuel Quinby had 53 votes for President, and William Larwill had 30 votes for Recorder, and Edward Avery had 52 votes for Trustee, Thomas Robison had 37 votes for Trustee, William MaComb had 30 votes for Trustee, William Nailer had 20 votes for Trustee, and Thomas Townsend and John Patton had each 19 votes for Trustee.
(Signed) MATTHEW JOHNSTON,
               WILLIAM MCFALL, Judges
Attest: JOHN LARWILL, Clerk of Election

EXTRACTS FROM PUBLIC RECORDS.

     Ordered, That Joseph Alexander be allowed $25.00 for services rendered by digging up stumps in the Public Square, in July, 1816.
     Ordered, That Cyrus Spink be allowed two dollars for attending on David Wolgamot, a State's prisoner, as a guard, in July, 1816.

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     Ordered, That Joseph H. Larwill be allowed the sum of $5.20 for digging a drain to the Court House, October, 1817.
     Ordered, That Thomas Robison be allowed $12.50 for making six pool-boxes for the use of the county, in 1817.
     Ordered, That Joseph Alexander be allowed $2.00 for waiting on grand jury, at October term, 1816.
     Ordered, December 20, 1817, that Benjamin Franks be allowed $2.00 for blazing a road from Paintville in a north direction.
     Ordered, That Nathan Warner be allowed to spend $200.00 of the three per cent, fund allotted to this county, on the State road, west of Wooster, for which he shall receive $8.00.
     Ordered, That Benjamin Thompson and Ezekiel Kelly, Trustees of the Baptist Church at Wooster, be allowed $50.00 for use of same, to hold court and transact other public business in, for the term of two years, ending in June, 1831.
     Ordered, That David Woolley, Deputy Assessor, be allowed $24.75 for assessing the townships of Sugarcreek, Baughman and Chippewa.  June, 1830.
     A contract will be sold at the Auditor's Office, November 17, 1830, to the lowest bidder, for the safe keeping and providing for of an idiot called "Crazy Sam."

OFFICERS OF THE TOWN OF WOOSTER.

1818 - Isaiah Jones, President; John Patton, Recorder; Thomas G. Jones, Thomas Taylor, Joseph Eichar, Thomas Robison, Benj. Jones, Trustees.
1820 - William Nayler, President; John Patton, Recorder; John Sloane, Thomas Townsend, William McComb, Thomas Robison, Thomas McKnight, Trustees.
1822 - Samuel Quinby, President; William Larwill, Recorder; John Christmas, William Nayler, Cyrus Spink, Joseph Barkdull, Thomas Townsend, Trustees.
1825 - Thomas Wilson, President; John Larwill, Recorder; Samuel Quinby, William Nayler, Benjamin Jones, John Smith, Cyrus Spink, Trustees
1826 - John Smith, President; Ben. Church, Recorder; David Robison, Benj. Jones, Wm. McFall, John Barr, Joseph S. Lake, Trustees.
1827 - Thomas Wilson, President; Ben. Church, Recorder; Sam'l. Quinby, David Robison, David McConnahay, Cyrus Spink, Trustees.
1828 - J. M. Cooper, President; Wm. Larwill, Recorder; David McConnahay, David Robison, Benj. Jones, Samuel Quinby, Cyrus Spink, Trustees.
1829 - Benj. Jones, President; Benj. Bentley, Recorder; Ed. Avery, Ezra Dean, John Larwill, Sam. Irvine, Thomas Robison, Trustees.
1831 - Thomas Wilson, President; J. M. Cooper, Recorder; John Larwill, John P. Coulter, Sam. H. Hand, Levi Cox, Trustees.
1832 - Thomas Wilson, President; John H. Harris, Recorder; J. P. Coulter, Ben. Church, Ed. Avery, Sam'l. Quinby, Wm. McCurdy, Trustees.

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1833 - Matthew Johnston, President; E. Quinby, Jr., Recorder; Christian Eyster, Wm. J. Sprague, John Swain, Sam'l. Cutter, Wm. Goodwin, Trustees.
1834 - **Ed. Avery, President; Ben. Church, Recorder; David McConnahay, John P. Coulter, John Larwill, Wm. McComb, Sam'l. Quinby, Trustees.
1835 - John Larwill, President; Benjamin Church, Recorder; John Jones, Cyrus Spink, Thomas Robison, Levi Cox, Trustees.
1836 - Lindoll Sprague, President; J. M. Eberman, Recorder; John Crall, C. H. Eckert, William Taggart, Joseph Hogan, J. J. Fox, Trustees.
1837 - Lindoll Sprague, President; James Thompson, Recorder; William Taggart, J. J. Fox, John Crall, William Spencer, J. P. Coulter, Trustees.
1838 - H. Lehman, President; Benjamin Church, Recorder; John Crall, Christian Eyster, Joseph Hogan, William Childs, William Nailer, Trustees.
1839 - J. W. Schuckers, President; Benj. Church, Recorder; Kimball Porter, Jonas Nachtreib, Wm. Childs, Sam'l. N. Bissell, Samuel Coulter, Trustees.
1840 - John H. Harris, President; Jonah Crites, Recorder; Thomas Williams, Wm. Stitt, Wm. Spear, Henry Hoke, Jacob Winebrener, Trustees.
N. B. 334 votes polled
1841 - E. Eyster, President; Jonah Crites, Recorder; Thomas Williams, Wm. Spear, Chas. Howard, Jonas Nachtreib, Wm. Stitt, Trustees.
1842 - Kimball Porter, President; D. M. Crall, Recorder; Joseph Hogan, Henry Hoke, Wm. Taggart, Jacob Immel, John Fisher, Trustees.
1843 - Christian Eyster, President; Jas. A. Grant, Recorder; Thomas Williams, Horace Howard, E. Pardee, P. Vannest, Cyrus Spink, Trustees.
1844 - Charles E. Graeter, President; Campbell Beall, Recorder; Rich P. Reddick, Jacob Kauffman, Lewis Gibson, Moses Shaffer, Trustees.
1845 - Henry Lehman, President; John P. Jeffries, Recorder; John Wilhelm, Harvey Howard, Wm. Spear, Evans Parker, Samuel R. Curtis, Trustees
1846 - Evans Parker, President; Samuel Woods, Recorder; David Foglesong, Jacob Immel, Lewis Gibson, Philo S. Vanhouten, J. P. Coulter, Trustees.
1847 - Thomas Williams, President; John P. Jeffries, Recorder; Thomas Robison, Peter Vannest, Henry Hoke, Kimball Porter, William ____, Trustees.
1848 - Samuel L. Lorah, President; George Rex, Recorder; William Slemmons, John Geitgey, Samuel Christine, Abraham Fox, H. L. Wolford, Trustees.
1849 - Everett Howard, President; John McSweeney, Recorder; Michael Miller, I. N. Jones, A. McDonald, Gottlieb Gasche, Henry Hoke, Trustees.
1850 - A. McDonald, President; O. F. Jones, Recorder; William McCurdy, John Geitgy, Charles Casche, Samuel Mentzer, Emanuel Schuckers, Trustees.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

     * Mr. Avery, declining to serve, Mr. McConnahay was appointed for the ensuing year.
    
† At this election the vote was taken for or against what was then called the Akron School Law, in pursuance of a law passed by the legislature of Ohio, on the 19th of March, A. D.

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1851 - Christian Eyster, President; Thomas S. Johnson, Recorder; Levi Miller, John Geitgey, Charles Gasche, Philo S. Vanhouten, James M. Blackburn, Trustees.
1852 - Jacob Vanhouten, President; Henry C. Johnson, Recorder; Levi Miller, William Stitt, Henry Lehman, E. Quinby, Jr., Henry Hoke, Trustees.
1853 - S. R. Bonewitz, Mayor; Henry C. Johnson, Recorder; Chas. Gasche, Wm. Stitt, E. Quinby, Jr., Kimball Porter, J. H. Kauke, Trustees.
1854 - S. R. Bonewitz, Mayor; Henry C. Johnson, Recorder; Chas. Gasche, John Crall, Wm. Howard, Michael Miller, J. S. Duden, Trustees.
1855 - Wm. Childs, Mayor; Henry C. Johnson, Recorder; Philo S. Vanhouten, Treasurer; Jacob Chapman, Marshal; Wm. Stitt, Jacob S. Duden, James Madden, Wm. Howard, James Curry, Trustees.
1856 - I. N. Jones, Mayor; John E. Irvin, Recorder; Philo S. Vanhouten, Treasurer; Stephen Dice, Marshal; Gotleib Gasche, Angus McDonald, John Crall, Wm. Spear, David Carlin, Trustees.
1857 - Neal McCoy, Mayor; Jacob Shultz, Recorder; Alexander Laughlin, Jacob Kauffman, R. R. Donnelly, J. H. Baumgardner, J. E. Irwin, Trustees; Arthur Craig, Marshall.
1858 - Neal McCoy, Mayor; J. E. Irwin, Recorder; R. R. Donnely, Jacob Kauffman, A. Laughlin, John Crall, J. H. Kauke, Trustees; P. S. Vanhouten, Treasurer; Jos. Plummer, Marshal.
1859 - A. Saybolt, Mayor; H. C. Johnson, Recorder; R. R. Donnelly, Treasurer; J. H. Kauke, J. D. Robison, Harvey Howard, E. Quinby, Jr., D. Robison, Jr., Trustees; S. J. Kermickle, Marshal.
1860 - J. H. Kauke, Mayor; Eugene Pardee, Recorder; H. M. Curtiss, E. Quinby, Jr., J. D. Robison, A. Saybolt, D. Robison, Jr., Trustees.
1861 - J. H. Kauke, Mayor; Ben Douglass, Recorder; A. Wright, A. Saybolt, James Hallowell, E. Quinby, Jr., John McClelland, Trustees.
1862 - Geo. Rex, Mayor; Ben Douglass, Recorder; L. Firestone, J. S. Duden, A. Wright, A. R. Chapman, Wm. J. Craighead, Trustees.
1863 - R. R. Donnelly, Mayor; Henry Lehman, Recorder; Anthony Wright, W. J. Craighead, James Curry, J. S. Duden, E. Quinby, Jr., Trustees.
1864 - J. H. Downing, Recorder; Angus McDonald, John McClelland, C. M. Amsden, John Brinkerhoff, S. K. Funk, Trustees.
1865 - G. W. Henshaw, Mayor; J. H. Downing, Recorder; John Brinkerhoff, James Curry, T. P. Baumgardner, P. S. Vanhouten, G. B. Somers, Trustees.
1866 - James Curry, Mayor; George Rex, Recorder; G. B. Somers, John Wilhelm, G. B. Seigenthaler, Neal Power, Thomas Woodland, Trustees.
1867 - A. Wright, Mayor; A. S. McClure, Recorder; E. Quinby, Jr., Sylvester Gray, David Clark, G. B. Somers, Phineas Weed, Trustees.
1868 - R. B. Spink, Mayor; T. S. Johnson, Recorder; A. McDonald, I. S. Gray, A. Johnson, I. N. Jones, George Bartol, Trustees.

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CITY OF WOOSTER OFFICERS.

1869 - Charles S. Frost, Mayor; Aquila Wiley, Solicitor; Hugh McAnnanny, Marshal; A. J. Dewitt, Clerk; J. H. Lee, Civil Engineer; James Johnson, Street Commissioner; Jesse Smith, John McMahon, Councilmen 1st Ward; B. Barrett, P. T. Baumgardner, Councilmen 2d Ward; A. McDonald, James Shamp, Councilmen 3d Ward; L. P. Ohliger, W. A. Underwood, Councilmen 4th Ward; Thomas A. Adair, Assessor 1st Ward; John Crall, Assessor 2d Ward; John S. Caskey, Assessor 3d Ward; Chas. Laubaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1870 - L. P. Ohliger, Treasurer; I. S. Gray, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Zac Potter, Wm. Stitt, Councilmen 2d Ward; Sam. Rhodes, Assessor 2d Ward; S. R. Bonewitz, Councilman 3d Ward; D. Hamilton, Assessor 3d Ward; Adam Foss, Councilman 4th Ward; W. S. Rogers, Assessor 4th Ward.
1871 - Jos. C. Plumer, Mayor; Zach. Potter, Marshal; Isaac Barnet, City Commissioner; Aquila Wiley, Solicitor; Jno. Zimmerman, Councilman 1st Ward; D. C. Curry, Councilman 2d Ward; G. W. Henshaw, Councilman 3d Ward; Robert Redinger, Councilman 4th Ward; E. Schuckers, Assessor 1st Ward; Jacob R. Bowman, Assessor 2d Ward; David Hamilton, Assessor 3d Ward; R. B. Laubaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1872 - Mortimer Munn, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Enos Foreman, Councilman 2d Ward; J. R. Bowman, Assessor 2d Ward; A. McDonald, Councilman 3d Ward; ____, Assessor 3d Ward; R. B. Spink, Councilman 4th Ward; John Applebaugh, Assessor.
1873 - Jas. Henry, Mayor; J. H. Carr, Solicitor; Z. Potter, Marshal; Wm. Mann, City Commissioner; Jacob Stark, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; D. C. Curry, Councilman 2d Ward; A. J. Coover, Assessor 2d Ward; D. W. Immel, Councilman 3d Ward; Martin Gross, Assessor 3d Ward; Perry Miller, Councilman 4th Ward; Jno. E. Applebaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1874 - John Stevenson, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; J. H. Kuke, Councilman 2d Ward; S. J. Kirkwood, Councilman 2d Ward; Chas. Laubaugh, Assessor 2d Ward; A. McDonald, Councilman 3d Ward; Andrew Reed, Assessor 3d Ward; Robert J. Cunningham, Councilman 4th Ward; Isaac Mowrer, Assessor 4th Ward.
1875 - Owen A. Wilhelm, Mayor; Cyrus Reider, Solicitor; Chas. Chiffer, Marshal; Wm. Miller, Street Commissioner; Jacob Stark, Councilman 1st Ward; Philip J. Spreng, Councilman 2d Ward; John K. McBride, Councilman 3d Ward; Michael Miller, Councilman 4th Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Chas. Laubaugh, Assessor 2d Ward; Andrew Reed, Assessor 3d Ward; John E. Applebaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1876 - Mortimer Munn, Councilman 1st Ward; John H. Kauke, Bethuel Barrett, Councilman 2d Ward; Dan. Dull, Councilman 3d Ward; R. J. Cunningham 4th Ward; Josh. Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Robert Coffey, Assessor 2d Ward; Wm. Mann, Assessor 3d Ward; Jac. Somers, Assessor 4th Ward.
1877 - H. B. Swartz, Mayor; C. A. Reider, City Solicitor; A. H. Dice, Marshal; G. B. Somers, Street Commissioner; D. W. Immel, Water-works Trustee, three years; Wm. Nold, Water-works, Trustee, two years; Wm. H. Banker, Waterworks Trustee, one year; B. J. Jones, Councilman 1st Ward; Bethuel Barrett, Councilman 2d Ward; D. D. Miller, Councilman 3d Ward; W. A. Underwood, Councilman 4th Ward; Josh. Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; J. S. Duden, Assessor 2d Ward; Jacob B. Koch, Assessor 3d Ward; Jacob Sommers, Assessor 4th Ward,
1877 - George B. Miller, Harry H. Huber, present Police.

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1869 - Charles S. Frost, Mayor; Aquila Wiley, Solicitor; Hugh McAnnanny, Marshal; A. J. Dewitt, Clerk; J. H. Lee, Civil Engineer; James Johnson, Street Commissioner; Jesse Smith, John McMahon, Councilmen 1st Ward; B. Barrett, P. T. Baumgardner, Councilmen 2d Ward; A. McDonald, James Shamp, Councilmen 3d Ward; L. P. Ohliger, W. A. Underwood, Councilmen 4th Ward; Thomas A. Adair, Assessor 1st Ward; John Crall, Assessor 2d Ward; John S. Caskey, Assessor 3d Ward; Chas. Laubaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1870 - L. P. Ohliger, Treasurer; I. S. Gray, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Zac Potter, Wm. Stitt, Councilmen 2d Ward; Sam. Rhodes, Assessor 2d Ward; S. R. Bonewitz, Councilman 3d Ward; D. Hamilton, Assessor 3d Ward; Adam Foss, Councilman 4th Ward; W. S. Rogers, Assessor 4th Ward.
1871 - Jos. C. Plumer, Mayor; Zach. Potter, Marshal; Isaac Barnet, City Commissioner; Aquila Wiley, Solicitor; Jno. Zimmerman, Councilman 1st Ward; D. C. Curry, Councilman 2d Ward; G. W. Henshaw, Councilman 3d Ward; Robert Redinger, Councilman 4th Ward; E. Schuckers, Assessor 1st Ward; Jacob R. Bowman, Assessor 2d Ward; David Hamilton, Assessor 3d Ward; R. B. Laubaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1872 - Mortimer Munn, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Enos Foreman, Councilman 2d Ward; J. R. Bowman, Assessor 2d Ward; A. McDonald, Councilman 3d Ward; ____, Assessor 3d Ward; R. B. Spink, Councilman 4th Ward; John Applebaugh, Assessor.
1873 - Jas. Henry, Mayor; J. H. Carr, Solicitor; Z. Potter, Marshal; Wm. Mann, City Commissioner; Jacob Stark, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; D. C. Curry, Councilman 2d Ward; A. J. Coover, Assessor 2d Ward; D. W. Immel, Councilman 3d Ward; Martin Gross, Assessor 3d Ward; Perry Miller, Councilman 4th Ward; Jno. E. Applebaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1874 - John Stevenson, Councilman 1st Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; J. H. Kuke, Councilman 2d Ward; S. J. Kirkwood, Councilman 2d Ward; Chas. Laubaugh, Assessor 2d Ward; A. McDonald, Councilman 3d Ward; Andrew Reed, Assessor 3d Ward; Robert J. Cunningham, Councilman 4th Ward; Isaac Mowrer, Assessor 4th Ward.
1875 - Owen A. Wilhelm, Mayor; Cyrus Reider, Solicitor; Chas. Chiffer, Marshal; Wm. Miller, Street Commissioner; Jacob Stark, Councilman 1st Ward; Philip J. Spreng, Councilman 2d Ward; John K. McBride, Councilman 3d Ward; Michael Miller, Councilman 4th Ward; Joshua Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Chas. Laubaugh, Assessor 2d Ward; Andrew Reed, Assessor 3d Ward; John E. Applebaugh, Assessor 4th Ward.
1876 - Mortimer Munn, Councilman 1st Ward; John H. Kauke, Bethuel Barrett, Councilman 2d Ward; Dan. Dull, Councilman 3d Ward; R. J. Cunningham 4th Ward; Josh. Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; Robert Coffey, Assessor 2d Ward; Wm. Mann, Assessor 3d Ward; Jac. Somers, Assessor 4th Ward.

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1877 - H. B. Swartz, Mayor; C. A. Reider, City Solicitor; A. H. Dice, Marshal; G. B. Somers, Street Commissioner; D. W. Immel, Water-works Trustee, three years; Wm. Nold, Water-works, Trustee, two years; Wm. H. Banker, Waterworks Trustee, one year; B. J. Jones, Councilman 1st Ward; Bethuel Barrett, Councilman 2d Ward; D. D. Miller, Councilman 3d Ward; W. A. Underwood, Councilman 4th Ward; Josh. Wilson, Assessor 1st Ward; J. S. Duden, Assessor 2d Ward; Jacob B. Koch, Assessor 3d Ward; Jacob Sommers, Assessor 4th Ward,
1877 - George B. Miller, Harry H. Huber, present Police.

WOOSTER POSTMASTERS.

     List of postmasters, and the date of their appointment, at Wooster.
     Office established and Thomas G. Jones appointed Postmaster, December 8, 1812; John Patton, November 20, 1818; Ezra Dean, April 14, 1829; Bezaleel L.  Crawford, March 26, 1841; Jacob M. Cooper, July 22, 1845; Thomas T. Eckert, April 36, 1849; George W. Allison, November 24, 1852; Jacob A. Marchand, November 17, 1853 - re-appointed April 2, 1856; James Johnson, January 10, 1860; Enos Foreman, April 17, 1861 - re-appointed March 17, 1865; Reason B. Spink, November 13, 1866; Addison S. McClure, April 19, 1867 - re-appointed March 28, 1871, and March 10, 1875.

FIRST FIRE COMPANY OF WOOSTER.
[Extracts from Minutes of Company.]

     At a meeting of the Wooster Fire Company, No. 1, convened at the house of William Nailer, Esq., on Saturday, the 20th day of January, 1827, Captain John Smith called the company to order, and Samuel Quinby was appointed Secretary.
     On motion, it was resolved, That said Company appoint two persons to act as engineers; six persons to act as ladder-men; two persons to act as pikemen, and two persons to act as ax-men for said company.
     Thereupon Wm. Goodin and D. O. Hoyt were elected engineers; Samuel Barkdull, David Lozier, James Nailer, John McKracken, Calvin Hobart and Benjamin Jones were appointed ladder-men; Wm. H. Sloane and C. H. Streby were appointed ax-men, and I. E. Harriott and ____ were appointed pikemen.
     On motion, Samuel Quinby, Moses Culbertson and William Goodin were appointed a committee to draft by-laws for the regulation of said company, and report the same at the next meeting of said company.  On motion, resolved, That this meeting adjourn, and that said company meet at the house of Wm. Nailer, on Friday next, at 1 o'clock P.M.

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     Friday, January 26, 1827: Agreeable to adjournment, the members of the Wooster Fire Company No. 1, met at the house of Wm. Nailer, and adjourned to the Court House.  Captain John Smith was called to the chair, and Samuel Quinby was appointed clerk of the meeting.  The committee appointed at the last meeting the draft by-laws for the government of said company, made report to the meeting, and, after the clerk had read the by-laws, as reported by the committee, they were amended and adopted.  On motion, Joseph S. Lake was appointed Clerk, and John Miller Treasurer of said company, and the meeting adjourned.

THE FIRST WHITE MAN WHO DIED IN WAYNE COUNTY.

     The first white man who died in Wayne county was Alexander Crawford, brother of Josiah Crawford, the owner then of what is now known as Bahl's mill.  Shortly after his arrival in Wooster, his horse was stolen from him by the Indians.  He immediately started in pursuit of the savage thieves, going on foot, which was at that time the popular method of travel.  He perservered in his search as far as Upper Sandusky, but failing to overtake or capture them, he abandoned the pursuit.  On his return he could obtain no water to drink, save what lay in pools in the woods and by the roots of fallen trees, and being very dry, was compelled to slake his thirst with this green-scummed and poisoned water.  This was in 1808, and his pathway was amid the solitudes and stolid glooms of dense and dreary woods.  On his return to Wooster, he was burning with a violent fever, when he found a stopping place, and to him a dying place, under the protecting roof of William Larwill.
    
He was sick but a few days, and died in the small office of Mr. Larwill's store, which was situated on the grounds known now as the drug store of Harvey Howard, No. 4 Emporium Block.  Mr. Larwill describes his sufferings as being terrible.  He had no medical aid.  For him "there was no balm in Gilead, there was no physician there."
     How and Where Buried. - Near the present First M. E. church the proprietors of Wooster, William Henry, John Bever and Joseph H. Larwill, had laid out and donated to the town what was called the "Public Graveyard."  Here his remains were interred. 

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John Larwill, Benjamin Miller, William Larwill, Abraham Miller, and one or two others dug the grave and buried him.  His coffin was made of rough boards by Benjamin Miller and his son Abraham, and he was carried to his final repose-upon spikes of wood on which the coffin rested. His grave no one can identify.  The sombre years have swept over it, and it casts no shadow unless upon some stricken heart.  The death-ground holds him, and his sleep is as sweet as if under the granite shaft.

JOHN BEVER.

     John Bever* one of the original proprietors of Wooster, was a native of Ireland, and emigrated to America when quite young.  His two brothers, William and Sampson Bever, and his sister Jane also emigrated from Ireland, but whether in company with the subject of this sketch, we do not known, and settled in Beaver county, Pa.   John Bever settled in Georgetown, in Beaver county, Pa., along about the year 1788.  He got into employment of the Government, and furnished supplies for the block-houses kept for the security of the adventurous settlers, on the southern side of the Ohio river, from the invasions of the Indians.
     After the State of Ohio was organized, he was employed as a surveyor by the Government of the United States.  He surveyed Columbiana, Stark, Wayne, and other counties in the State, and was likewise one of the parties that laid out the county-seats of Columbiana, Stark and Wayne.
     With these opportunities presented to him, he secured considerable property in the different localities, that in time became very valuable, and, at his death, his wealth was estimated at a quarter of a million dollars in money and lands.

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     * John Bever, William Henry and J. H. Larwill each owned a quarter section of land, on which was originally laid out the town of Wooster, and are referred to as the original proprietors of the city.  We are able to produce brief sketches of Messrs. Bever and Henry, the latter prepared by Hon. Robert H. Folger, of Massillon, Ohio.  No biography of J. H. Larwill appears in this work, and for reasons entirely too frivolous to be mentioned.

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     His first marriage was to Miss Nancy Dawson
, of Georgetown about 1790, by which union there resulted five children.  One daughter grew to womanhood, and married James L. Bowman, of Brownsville, Fayette county, Pa.  Both she and her husband are dead.  His first wife died about 1818, and in the fall of 1820 he was married a second time, to Lydia Vaughan, who bore him one child, Henry V. Bever, who now lives in Paris, Edgar county, Ill.  She died September 22, 1849, in her 69th year.  He built, in connection with Thomas Moore, the first merchant's flouring mill west of the mountains, on Little Beaver creek, and the first paper mill in Ohio; and the second west of the Alleghenies was erected 1805-6, on the same stream.  Its proprietors were John Bever and John Coulter.

     John Bever* died May 26, 1836, near the State line, in Columbiana county, Ohio, on what he called his "Springford" farm, and in the house which he had built shortly before his death.  He was about 80 years old when he died, and was buried on his farm, which was his expressed wish, about forty rods from his residence.  In the year 1855 a land-slide occurred on the face of the hill where he was buried, which badly wrecked the brick wall enclosing his grave, when his son, Henry V. Bever, removed his remains to the burial place of his second wife, on her farm, one mile east of Oneida, Carroll county, Ohio.  He was a member of the Episcopal church, and had been many years prior to his death.
     The following extract is copied from the American Pioneer, published by John S. Williams, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1842:
     When orders were given by the Government to the Surveyor-General of the North-western Territory to have a portion of the public lands therein surveyed and subdivided into sections, many applications were made by persons for situations as deputies.  Among the number was a young man from the extreme western part of Pennsylvania, who had, without pecuniary means or the facility of instruction, but

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     * John Bever's father was a German by birth, and our best information is, that his mother was Irish.  John spoke the German language fluently.  It is claimed that religious troubles caused his father to remove from Germany to Ireland.  The Irish invariably spell the name Beaver, and the Germans Bever, pronouncing the E as in ever.

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by his own application and industry during the recess from labor, acquired a knowledge of surveying.
     Clad in a hunting shirt and moccasins, the usual habiliments of the backwoodsman of the day, he presented himself personally to General Putnam, at Marietta, O., and made known his desire to have a district to run out.  The General replied that there were so many applications he was afraid he could not gratify him, and that he could give no decisive answer for some time.  "Sir," said the applicant, "I have come a considerable distance, and am dependent altogether upon my own exertions for my support.  Have you any work for me to do by which I can get a support until you can give me an answer?" "Yes," answered the General, "I have some wood to cut."  "Sir," answered the young man, "I can swing an ax as well as set a compass!" and doffing his hunting shirt, went at it with full vigor, the General occasionally looking out to see how he progressed.  The job was completed.  "Sir," again said the applicant, "have you any drafting or platting in your office that I can assist you with?""  "Yes," said the General, "I can give you some of that to do."  In due time the plat was completed and handed to the General, who examined it carefully, and with apparent surprise, alternately looking at the plat and the applicant, thus responded: "Young man, you may go home; you shall have the district you desire, and so soon as the necessary instructions are made out I will forward them," which was complied with, and so satisfactorily executed to the department by the young surveyor that at subsequent progression of surveys three districts were awarded to him by General Mansfield, the successor of Putnam.  The young an thus represented as presenting himself was the late John Bever, Esq., formerly of Georgetown, Beaver county, Pa., and who was stated to the writer of this article that that incident was probably the foundation of the ample fortune acquired in after life and possessed at the time of his death, in 1836.

WILLIAM HENRY.

     Among the pioneer settlers of the counties of Wayne and Stark, no one is entitled to more honorable mention than the late Judge William Henry.
     When the "New Purchase " came into the market, after the treaty of Fort Industry, on the 4th day of July, 1805, the first surveying party, on the lands now included in the tenth range and extending to the sixteenth range, inclusive, was composed in part of the late Hon. Messrs. Joseph H. Larwill, John Larwill, John Harris and William Henry, then young men who had come to the frontier, as the West was then called, to find a fortune.  They have all passed away, leaving the memory of a good name.

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     The "New Purchase" included the lands west of the Tuscarawas branch of the Muskingham river, those east having been included in the treaty of Fort McIntosh, made on the 21st of January, 1785.  A glance at the county maps shows the territory surveyed by the young men above named, all west of the tenth range being in the now county of Wayne; the tenth range, in Stark county, including the western portions of the township of Franklin, now in Summit, and Lawrence, Perry and Bethlehem, in Stark, and the whole of Tuscarawas and Sugarcreek.
     In addition to being one of the original proprietors of the city of Wooster, it so happened that Judge Henry, when the lands west of the Tuscarawas river, in the now township of Perry, in Stark county, came into market, entered fractional section six, upon the south end of which is now built portions of the second and third wards of the city of Massillon.
     The older citizens of Massillon who were acquainted with Judge Henry from the time of his coming to Ohio, having passed away, but little can be traced of his early history beyond the fact that he was a native of Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and that his appearance in the district now embraced in the counties of Wayne and Stark was with the surveying party, already referred to, in 1807, from which period to 1814, during which both counties were erected by acts of the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, he resided in the Tuscarawas Valley, in a log cabin, which is well remembered by the writer, as standing where now is erected the station buildings in the Cleveland, Tuscarawas Valley and Wheeling Railway Company, in the third ward of the city of Massillon; and also in the toll house of the toll bridge, which crossed the Tuscarawas river at the present crossing of Cherry Street.  Judge Henry was largely interested in the toll bridge company as a stockholder, the bridge being erected on the great territorial road running west from Pittsburg.
     In 1814 he was elected a member of the House of Representatives, in the State Legislature, for the counties of Stark and Wayne, and served his constituency most acceptably, ever after-

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ward declining a re-election and mingling little in politics - the offices he held always sought him, instead of his seeking the office.
     The acquaintance of the writer with Judge Henry commenced in 1818, and continued until his death.  After his term of service in the Legislature, he was elected Associate Judge for Stark county, and as such was highly esteemed for  his uprightness and integrity of character.  At the period above named, 1818, he was a successful merchant in Kendal, now the fourth ward of Massillon, where he continued for many years, removing from there to the brick building erected by himself, near what is now the west end of Cherry street bridge, remaining there until he sold out his possessions in the Tuscarawas  Valley, and removed to Brookfield, in Tuscarawas township, where he engaged largely in the mercantile business and in the merchant milling.  On closing out his interest there, which passed into the hands of the son-in law, C. B. Cummins, Esq., he removed to Wooster, where he continued to reside until his death.
     Judge Henry was closely identified with the growth and prosperity of that portion of the Tuscarawas Valley in Stark county for ore than thirty years.  He may be said to be one of the founders of the Methodist Episcopal church in that locality, and of which he was life-long an active and worthy member.  He was a man of strong will, rarely surrendering his judgment, when once his mind of strong will, rarely surrendering his judgment, when once his mind was made up, to that of any other person.  Being a man of an order of talents and education far above mediocrity, he was so recognized and respected in all business and social circles.  As a merchant no man's integrity stood higher.  In the city of Massillon he was one of the first to embark in merchandizing in 1827, while yet the ground plat of which was covered with the leafy honors of the forest, as a member of the firm of A. McCully & Co., and a few years later in the well known firm of J. Robinson & Co., at Fulton, in both of which firms his name was a tower of strength, and a synonym for the commercial integrity which marked the history of his entire life, and in both of which firms he was emi-

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nently successful.  At his death he left no surviving family, except his second wife, his first wife and all his children having gone before.
     Of Judge Henry it may be well said he was a representative man, a representative of the class of men who, in the early settlement of Stark and Wayne counties, endured the hardships of forming new settlements and communities; but of that class it must be said that they laid the foundations of civil and religious liberty, and succeeding generations are reaping the benefit of their labors.

JOHN LARWILL.*

 

 

 

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     *
Died since this was written.

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Coffee per pound ........................................................... 62½
Tea per pound ................................................................ $3.00
Common keg tobacco, per pound ................................... .50
Coarse muslin, per yard .................................................. .50
Calico, per yard .............................................................. .50 to .95
Nails, per pound ............................................................ .18 to .20
Iron, per pound .............................................................. .16
Salt, per bushel ............................................................... 4.00
Indigo, per ounce ........................................................... 1.00
Powder, per pound ......................................................... 1.00

     Other things in proportion.  Transportation was $10.00 per hundred from Philadelphia, and $3.50 from Pittsburg, brought in wagons.  It took thirty-five days to make the trip from Wooster to Philadelphia.  The teamster obtained one-half of his pay for the trip before he left here and the remainder at the city.  To the city he carried the furs and skins of bears, beavers, otters, coons, deer, together with dried venison-hams, and such other commodities as.

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were staples of exchange, and then brought back with him goods and wares for the dealers.
     At that time a saddle of mutton could be purchased from the Indians for a quarter of a pound of powder.
     While Mr. Larwill never sought politics as a means of self-promotion, or personal agrandizement, he, nevertheless, was tempted, at times, to mingle in its turbulent waters, but with the steady purpose, at all times, of subordinating the politician to the man.  He abhorred the petty strifes, nasty jealousies and sinister tactics of political wars.  He was a puppet in the hands of no man or men, and when promoted to honors, did not permit himself to be carried passively around the circles of public policy without the exercise of an independent presiding will.
     In 1820 he was elected Justice of the Peace for Wooster township, holding said office a period of six years.  At the end of his
term, the docket was cleared, all collections closed up, constables all paid off, an appeal from judgment having been taken but in one instance.  During his official career he married sixty-two couples.  In 1824, he attended the first Democratic Convention ever held in the State of Ohio, at Columbus, in the month of July, William McFall and Hon. Benjamin Jones being the other two delegates.  The convention was composed of seventeen delegates, who formed the electoral ticket for Jackson, all of whom are dead but Mr. Larwill.  On motion of Mr. Larwill, Benjamin Jones was nominated as elector of this Congressional district.  In 1832, he was chosen as elector to Baltimore, when General Lewis Cass was a candidate for the Presidency.  He was elected to the Legislature in the autumn of 1841, during the great currency excitement, but was defeated for re-election by a Mr. Willoz, because he was opposed to a re-chartering of the bank of Wooster. He was elected member of the Constitutional Convention in 1850, from Wayne county, engaging in the animating discussions of that session and serving acceptably, both his constituents and the State.
     The active, prominent and forward movement taken by Mr. Larwill, in the location and construction of the Pittsburg, Fort

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Wayne & Chicago railroad to the city of Wooster, is fresh in the memory of the people.  His intimate relation to that colossal scheme; the commotions that threatened it and shook it; the opposition he encountered and the ultimate victory that he achieved, are all fully set forth in another chapter of this work.  In public life Mr. Larwill adopted the independent course; in fact it would have been difficult for him to have done anything else, in view of his strong convictions, positiveness of character, and native dislike of all speciousness and pretention.  He is a ready talker, and his public speeches are characterized by sterling common sense, pointedness of expression, and impressive energy. He never addresses himself to expectation, and has that other facility, so rare among men, "dares to displease."  His conversation is agreeable and instructive, interspersed often with flashes of humor, and again with whole salvos of sarcasm.  When aroused, his denunciations are "caustic as frozen mercury."  When he assails an adversary, it is not with a penknife, but with a sword.  His intellect is clear, incisive and quick.
     A severe dignity and rigid decorum characterize the man.  He despises the glitter which invests the summits of society, detests nonsense, sensationalism, all vaporing, pretense and sham.  Domesticity, and a warm, fraternal feeling toward his family, are exemplified in him.  His page of life, now nearly written to the edge, enshrines many a worthy and virtuous deed.  Although advanced to his eighty-second year, he possesses considerable muscular energy, and retains to a remarkable degree his mental strength.
     He was married Jan. 31, 1826, to Miss Ann Straughan, of Salem, Columbiana county, Ohio, by "Parson Jones," who rode horse-back from Wooster to perform the ceremony.  He is the father of seven children, three boys and four girls, one of the former dying in infancy, and another in his third year.  John S., his only surviving son, is located in Fort Wayne, Ind., and is a partner in the Perkins Engine Works of that city.  He is an accomplished business man, a fine scholar, and graduate of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

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     Mr. Larwill is living in tranquil retirement, in the city of Wooster - his permanent home for over sixty years - with his aged wife, and three daughters, in the enjoyment of

"All that should accompany old age,
  As honor, love, obedience."

ROBERT McCLARRAN.

     Robert McClarran was born in Lancaster county, Pa., and removed from Westmoreland county to Wooster, Ohio, in 1811.  He was then a young man, energetic and industrious, and was a carpenter by trade.  Many of the first houses in the town of Wooster were built by him, some of which are still standing, and are solid, substantial dwellings.
     In 1812 he was married to Grace Cook, of Columbiana county, Ohio, who accompanied him to his new home, to share with him the privations as well as the romance of life in the wilderness.
     He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and after its close he purchased a large tract of land adjoining Wooster on the south, on which he moved, built a saw-mill and made improvements.
     He was the first Justice of the Peace elected in Wooster or Wayne county, and as such married the first couple ever married in Wayne county, and solemnized the majority of the first marriages.  He was elected to the Ohio Legislature December 1, serving therein from Dec. 1, 1823, to Dec. 6, 1824.  He held various positions of public trust, the duties of which he discharged with ability and to the satisfaction of the entire community. He was the father of Roswell and Clinton McClarran,  the former of the city of Wooster, the latter of Wayne township.  He died Mar. 7, 1831.

     Many are the stories handed down of the fun and frolic the settlers had in McClarran's days. The following is an instance: At the north of town stood the old block-house, in which lived an old lady the men had nicknamed "Widow Blockhouse."  Suddenly she surprised the little community by announcing that she had concluded to doff her mourning and take to herself another husband in the person of an old fellow who had neither money nor home.  This was fun for the " boys "

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of that period, and they made Widow Blockhouse's marriage an extra event that passes into history.  All the jovial spirits of the settlement were present on the evening of the wedding.  It was a lively occasion; 'Squire McClarran, an inveterate joker, performing the ceremony with the greatest humorous solemnity.  In the beginning, after a few remarks on matrimony in general and this case in particular, he asked if there was any one present who had objections to this lovely couple "renewing their hearts" in marriage; whereupon a gentleman impressively arose, and in a complimentary speech withdrew all his claims upon the affections of the bride.  Then another arose, and another, until every man present had made remarks and given his consent to the marriage, it being made very evident from their words that they felt they had a sort of personal claim upon the affections of the charming widow, but felt forced to give way to a more favored suitor.  The ceremony concluded, the 'Squire ordered every man in the company to kiss the bride.  This was complied with by all, until it came to the turn of the last, a gentleman who is yet a citizen of Wooster, who emphatically refused, saying he "would be if that was not asking too much!"

ANDREW McMONIGAL AND FAMILY

     Amongst the earliest settlers in Wayne county was Andrew McMonigal, who visited this section with his father, in 1807, following the Indian trail from the Ohio river, prospecting for land.  He, however, after a short stay, returned to Pennsylvania, where, in Carlisle, on Apr. 21, 1814, he married Miss Sarah Glendenning.
     In May, the following year, 1815, Mr. and Mrs. McMonigal emigrated to Wayne county, coming in a four-horse wagon, via Pittsburg, and settled two miles west of Wooster, on what is now known as the Lawrence farm, which land McMonigal entered from the Government.
     They lived there, farming, for three years, then moved into the Wooster settlement, and kept a *' general store," Mrs. McMonigal waiting on customers jointly with her husband.  Their business place was where John Taylor's brick grocery store building now stands, on West Liberty street, and their residence was on South Buckeye street, opposite Farnham's present livery stable, and was the only house at that time erected on the street.
     In 1821 they quit merchandising and again resumed farming,

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removing two miles south-west of town, where he had entered a tract of land. On this place, called the " Old Homestead," which they wrested from the wilderness and wild prairie, and which property still remains in the family, they lived and reared their children until 1839, in which year they moved back to Wooster, where Mr. McMonigal died May 9, 1846, aged fifty-five years, leaving a large estate.  His remains were interred in the Seceder church-yard, on Buckeye street, but were afterwards removed to Wooster Cemetery.  Mrs. McMonigal is still living, and in possession of excellent health for one of her years.
     Andrew McMonigal was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, Apr. 22, 1791.  His father was born in County Derry, Ireland; his mother American born; her maiden name, Nancy MahattanMrs. McMonigal was born near the town of Fintona, in County Tyrone, Ireland, Nov 11, 1793, and emigrated to America in 1801.
     Their children were nine — Nancy, who married John Black; James, married to Sarah E. Hall; Jane, married to John P. Jeffries; Sarah, married first to John R. Wilson, and second to John Copland; Martha, married to Henry G. Saunders; Mary, married to William C. Rice; Eliza, married to Elias Cosper; William, married to Kate Carr; and Andrew, married to Mary Hess.  Of these, Nancy died in 1835; Mary, 1843; Sarah's first husband, 1853; James, 1865; Martha, 1868; Andrew's wife, 1872.  The rest are still living.
     Andrew McMonigal was an active business man, and ever recognized as of the strictest integrity. He was one of the founders of the Seceder Church in Wooster, of which he was an exemplary member for many years and until his death.

JOHN McCLENNAN, SEN.

     John McClellan, Sen., was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., Mar. 3, 1785, his father being a native of Ireland.  Nancy Elder, his wife, was born in Franklin county, same State, Dec. 4,

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JOSEPH STIBBS.

     Joseph Stibbs was born in Washington county, Pa., Nov. 2, 1779, and both on the paternal and maternal side, descends

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     * This is the mill at which the powder explosion occurred, killing Michael Switzer, etc.

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JOSEPH S. LAKE.

     Mr. Lake was a native of the State of New Jersey, and was born at Salem, on the 30th day of June, 1800.  His parents, Constant and Ann Lake, both being consistent members of the Baptist church in that place, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. Horatio G. Jones, a great and good man.  Hence it may be inferred that their son Joseph had, from his earliest years, the example of right living set before him.
     In the spring of 1815 Mr. Constant Lake, with his family, took up his residence in Wooster, Ohio, where the subject of this sketch began his active business life.  By close application and persevering industry, he became prosperous and acquired an honorable reputation as a merchant.  One of the old and well known energetic firms in Wooster was that of Jones & Lake.  It was a step in the right direction for Joseph S. Lake, in the beginning of his business career, that he became associated with Mr. Benjamin Jones, a man of good judgment, and correct principles, kind and liberal.  His generosity was not often seen in the highways; but his helping hand was opened and help bestowed where worthily needed, unknown and unseen by the public.
     Mr. Lake was married the 18th day of April, 1822, to Eleanor

Jos. S. Lake

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Eichar, daughter of Joseph Eicher.  His wife.........................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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     "We hear that Mr. Joseph S. Lake ...............

 

 

 

 

 

 

REMINISCENCES of WOOSTER,
By MRS. JOSEPH LAKE,
of New York City.

     We arrived at Wooster, April 15, 1814.  Levi Cox and Carlos Von Julius Hickox were the editors of the Ohio Spectator, the first newspaper published in Wooster.  It never wanted contributors to its columns, and called out a great amount of talent, so that, by general consent, it was conceded that Wooster was the "Athens" of Northern Ohio.
     Joseph Christmas was perhaps the most distinguished of the poets, who co-

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COLONEL JOHN SLOANE.

     Pre-eminent, conspicuous and foremost among the brilliant pioneers of Wayne county, distinguished for his superior intellect

 

 

 

 

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of a life-long citizen of Wayne county to the exalted position of Treasurer of the United States.

JOHN PATTON.

 

 

 

 

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GENERAL REASIN BEALL.

 

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HISTORY OF THE FIRST SCHOOLS OF WOOSTER*

     About the first of June, 1814, the Rev. Thomas G. Jones and Joseph Eichar, Sr., went around among the people of the settlement to ascertain who would be willing to send their children to school.  They found that all in the place, both boys and girls, would only make up a small school.
     It was commenced in the block-house, on the site where the

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     Written by Mrs. Joseph S. Lake.

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DR. JOHN CUNNINGHAM.

     John Cunningham, M. D., was born in Washington county, Pa., Feb. 19, 1792, his father emigrating

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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GENERAL CYRUS SPINK.

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTO OF CYRUS SPINK

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THOMAS TOWNSEND, M. D.

     Thomas Townsend, the pioneer physician of Wooster, was of Quaker parentage, and a native of Pennsylvania.  He removed to Wooster in 1810-11, remained there about thirty years, when he went to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he died.  He owned the property now  in possession, and built what is now the frame portion, of Mr. Sprague's residence, in which he lived and had his office.  Mr. Townsend was a man of marked ability in his profession, and performed a conspicuous part in the civil organization of the town and county.  He held different positions of official re-

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sponsibility, prominent among which was an Associate Judgeship in 1819.

DANIEL McPHAIL, M. D. 

     Daniel McPhail was one of the pioneer physicians of Wooster, settling there as early as 1818.  He was born and educated in Scotland; was a man of unusual acquirements, and a splendid chemist.  He practiced his profession in Wooster eleven or twelve years, but prejudice rose against him and he was sued for mal-practice.  Judge Charles Sherman, father of Genera Sherman defended him, and Judge Edward Avery conducted the prosecution.  In the trial Mr. McPhail vanquished his persecutors and was triumphantly vindicated.  Desiring to avoid other hostile combinations, he removed to Tennessee and thence to New Orleans.  He subsequently returned to Tennessee, where he acquired a vast practice, and where he died, having achieved great reputation.

THOMAS ROBISON.

     Apr. 8, 1791, Thomas Robison, father of Dr. J. D. Robison, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, within six miles of Chambersburg, near Rocky Springs.  His father came from York county to Franklin, where he died.  Thomas left Franklin county in 12806, removing to Columbiana county, Ohio, and remained there until the spring of 1807, when he went to Zanesville, and remained there until the following December.  He then went back to his native county in Pennsylvania, and learned the cabinet-making trade in Chambersburg, working as an apprentice for three years.  He then returned west and landed in Wooster, Nov. 15, 1813, in company with his brother, David Robinson, Sen.  On their arrival, David and Thomas bought a tan-yard from a man named John Smith, who subsequently, in 1824, became Sheriff of Wayne county.  The tannery is the one located on North Buckeye street, and now owned by George Seigenthaler.  Thomas, at the same time, started a cabinet shop on North Buckeye street, where Shively's barn now is, he running that branch of business and David the tannery.  In a few yeas the brothers dissolved partnership.
     In the fall of 1816 he went to Westmoreland county, Pa., where he was married, on the 12th of November, to Jemima Dickey, at

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the residence at Alexander Robison, returning with his bride to Wooster, Dec. 20, 1816.
     He sold out his cabinet establishment along about 1830, when he joined in mercantile pursuits with Moses Culbertson, on the north-east corner of the Public Square, now occupied by J. S. Bissell & Brother.  After being a while in trade, the sold their store to Jacob Eberman.  Several years afterward, say in 1839, Mr. Robison again engaged in merchandizing with Wm. Jacobs, brother of James Jacobs, and after a successful career retired from commercial pursuits.
     He was one of the most popular men in the community.  Son after marriage he was elected Justice of the Peace, and thereafter was the choice of the people for several offices.  He was Sheriff of the county from 1828 to 1832; member of the State Senate from Dec. 3, 1832, to Dec. 5, 1836, having been re-elected in 1834; was chosen one of the Associate Judges of Common Pleas Court in 1848, besides filling several other less important offices, such as Director and Superintendent of the Wooster and Cleveland Turnpike, etc.  In religion he was a Presbyterian, and was Moderator of one of the earliest Presbyteries held in Wooster, proving himself by success to be one of the most zealous members in efforts to procure subscriptions and money to build the old brick Presbyterian church on West Liberty street.
     He died suddenly in Wooster of neuralgia of the heart, on the 14th of September, 1857, his wife surviving him until Mar. 10, 1869.
     Thomas Robison was an exceedingly popular and enterprising citizen, and held in universal esteem by all who knew him.  He was full of good humor, and was kind, benevolent and cordial.  In his positions of public trust he sustained a reputation for honesty, fairness, fidelity and integrity.
     He was conscientious and sincere in purpose; of magnanimous and indulgent disposition; an unassuming, buoyant-minded, hopeful, earnest, Christian gentleman.

BISHOP EDWARD THOMSON.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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is admitted.  His faithful labors as Bishop endeared him to the church.  Though exalted to the Episcopate, he never forgot his friends and associates.

"PRIEST JONES."

 

 

 

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SAMUEL QUINBY.

 

 

 

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LEVI COX

 

 

 

 

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LINDOL SPRAGUE.

 

 

 

 

JOHN CHRISTMAS.

     John Christmas was born in  Manchester, England, and emigrated to America when he was eighteen years of age.  He lived for a time in Washington County, Pa., across the Monongahela river from Brownville, and from there removed to Georgetown, at the mouth of the Little Beaver, opposite Smith's Ferry.
     Here he followed merchandising until 1818, when he came to Wooster, and engaged in Mercantile pursuits.  His wife was of the Beall-Stibbs family.  His son, Joseph Christmas, became a Presbyterian minister, and preached the first sermon ever delivered in the old brick Presbyterian church.  He was an artist and poet of ability, and died in New York City, at the age of 27.
     Charles Christmas, his oldest son, was born in Washington county, Pa., Nov. 20, 1796, and removed with his father to Wooster, in 1818.  In February, 1821, he was appointed Surveyor of Wayne county, by Judge Parker, serving three consecutive

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terms, by appointment.  In 1829 he surveyed public lands on the Elkhart Plains; in 1830-31 he surveyed in Michigan, and in 1832 on the Seneca Reservation.
     In 1850 he left Wooster, and arrived at the Falls of St. Anthony in July of that year.  He helped to organize Hennepin county, Minn., in 1852, had the first appointment as Surveyor of the county, and helped to establish Minneapolis, the county seat.  He was married to Mary A. Rogers, in December, 1820, and had fifteen children.  He is now, if living, 81 years old, and the only survivor of the family bearing the name.  He surveyed a great deal of the present site of Wooster, and is the author of what is known as "the old Christmas map" of Wayne county.  His father built the brick house, now occupied and owned by Samuel Johnson, Esq., and the stream known as "Christmas Run" was named for him.

EDWARD AVERY.

 

 

 

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JAMES JACOBS, SR.

 

 

 

 

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NEWSPAPER PRESS.

 

 

 

 

 

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HORACE HOWARD

 

 

 

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JOSEPH CLINGAN.

 

 

 

 

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BELL McLAIN.

 

 

 

 

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REMINISCENCES
By REV. M. E. STRIEBY.

 

 

 

 

 

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EZRA DEAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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STEPHEN F. DAY, M. D.

 

 

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WOOSTER CHURCHES.

 

 

 

 

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Baptist Church.

 

 

 

 

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WILLIAM STITT

 

 

 

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JOSEPH DOWNING.

 

 

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KIMBALL PORTER.

     Colonel Porter was born in Lee, Massachusetts, on the 4th of July, 1803.  He resided in Wooster from 1831 to 1856, and was marked as being one of its most prominent citizens in all respects.  A man of unusual business enterprise, he was especially identified with the successful management of the stage coach line, of which, for many years, he was Superintendent.  On the advent of the railroad through this part of Ohio he went West to assume a similar position there, and died in Iowa City, Iowa, June 27, 1863.  His body was brought to Wayne county for interment in the Wooster Cemetery.  Few men were more deservedly popular for noble, personal Characteristics than Kimball Porter, and many cherish his memory with tenderest emotions.  He was a member of the Disciple church, and died as he had lived, a zealous and consistent Christian.

HON. GEORGE REX

 

 

 

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E. QUINBY, JR.
Wooster, Ohio

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E. QUINBY, JR.

 

 

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JOHN McSWEENEY*

"Genius: like a star, it dwells alone."

 

 

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     * It is due to Mr. McSweeney to say that this sketch was written without his knowledge or consent.

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     * Blake was an officer in the English navy, and brought suit against Widow Wilkins, sixty-five years old, for a breach of the marriage contract and damages thereby sustained.

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BENJAMIN EASON.

 

 

 

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DAVID ROBISON, JR.

     David Robison, Jr., fourth son of David and Elizabeth Robison, on Jan. 22, 1830, first visited the planet on which so many millions fight, sin, agonize and die.  Having availed himself of the educational privileges of the select schools of those days, at the age of fifteen he entered the dry goods firm of his father and his brother John, who were then partners in the mercantile business, as clerk, or rather as a general errand boy.  With them he remained several years, diligently applying himself to business and preparing for the sterner duties of advancing life.  Not content, however, with the mental discipline and meager attainments of the village school, he resolved on giving wider scope to his intellectual faculties, and in the spring of 1849 he registered himself a student at the Western Reserve College, located at Hudson, Ohio.  Here he remained for two years, when he returned to Wooster and embarked in mercantile pursuits for himself.
     In July 1851, a partnership was formed with his brothers John and James, constituting the firm of Robison & Co., in the dry goods trade; at the same time another was entered into with James in the milling business at the Wooster Mills, under the style of J. N. & D. Robison, Jr.  In 1854 he purchased the interests of the two brothers in the store and sold to James his share in the mill.
     He was one of the incorporators of the Wooster Gas Company in 1856, and materially aided in the construction of the works.  For a number of years he has been identified with the banking interests of the community; was associated with the private bank of Bonewitz, Emrich & Co. in 1867, and which was re-organized in 1868 and changed to the Commercial Bank of Wooster.  He was one of the principal organizers of the National Bank of Wooster commencing business Jan. 1, 1872, and was its first president.
     He was one of the incorporators of the Wooster University, a member of its executive Committee; was active and assiduous in raising funds for the construction of the buildings and for its endowment; took a promnient part in organizing its Faculty and one of its liberal and ready benefactors.
     He was married Sept. 1, 1853, to Miss Ann E. Jacobs of Wooster, eldest daughter of James and Elizabeth W. Jacobs, by which union they have two sons, both of whom are living, namely, James Jacobs and Willard Field Robison.  He became a member of the Presbyterian church of Wooster, in April, 1858, his wife

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uniting with this denomination seven years prior to this, while attending school at Steubenville, Ohio.  Mr. Robison is still engaged in mercantile speculation in Wooster* at the old stand where he embarked in business in 1845.  His corner is about as well advertised and known, we were going to say, as Nasby's Confederate Cross Roads, between the management of it and the Presidency of the Bank, he is restrained from indulging in any lingering whims of mischievous boyhood.  As the narrative shows, he is a public-spirited, enterprising, projective man.  By virtue of his very mental organization he is a progressionist.  He has plenty of independence of character and many good reasons for it.
     Had the metalic creeds of Westminster been burned upon his brain with a rod of iron he would not have carried the whole of the impression to his grave.  He has faith enough, but then he thinks a great deal more than he believes.  If he is not much over forty-five, he has arrived at a good many conclusions.  He believes, for instance, that a man may carry a good headed cane and wear a wooden head.  He is of the opinion that a man who is willing to pay will do so sooner than one that has the means to do it.  He considers greenbacks in the vault more desirable than a note of 60 days, at 10 per cent., secured by mortgage, where the maker fails to meet it promptly at maturity.  This is his, and a very wise conception of business.
     He is a Wayne countian, and as indigenous to the soil as the massive elms in his door-yard; but he has heard a fair share of the roaring of the outside multitude.  He was not wholly educated at Hudson, but has learned much from the light of the conflicting flints of the world.  The rifleman, before he enters upon the hunt and chase, puts up his target, which, for the time, is the object of his skill.  He set up a motive, pinned up a purpose before he marched out against life, and now, in its exciting pursuits, it is constantly before him.  He gave to life an aim, and no sooner was it done than the brain-children began unfolding it, as the rays of the morning's light unfolds the convolvulus.
     He consecrates himself to an idea - that idea is his business.  He is equally at home at the bank as well as at the counter.  He would have been correspondingly efficient in any chosen sphere of activity and labor.  His judgment is sound, his propositions usually supportable by facts and argument, with both of which weap-

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     * Removed to Toledo since this was written.

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ons he can adroitly and forcibly maintain himself against an adversary.  What reasons may have influenced him against entering upon the legal profession we do not pretend to solve, but he would have made a lawyer, just as sure as you are born, and a good one, too.
     His opinions are characterized by commendable catholicity, yet there is unction and earnestness in his convictions.  But, most of all, his business is his charmed circle.  It is here where he manifests his power.  He binds his energies in the quiver of his will, and hurls them with the precision of Indian arrows.  His executive ability is of a fine order.  What he undertakes he proposes to finish.  He strikes his irons only when they are at white heat; then every blow counts one.  He wants gas in the city because it brings light; banks, because they are the light of commerce; a university, because it bears a shining torch in its hand.
     He has great elasticity of constitution, a superabundance of good feeling, and a shunshiny gaiety of imagination.  He is a warm friend, a cool and dignified enemy.  In conversation he is original and animated.  When aroused his tongue vitriolizes his speech, though he inclines to give his opponents a wide berth.  His correct and upright business habits, his probity and integrity, have anchored him safely i the confidence of the public.

ANGUS McDONALD.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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     * Written in 1874.

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WOOSTER WATER WORKS.

 

 

 

 

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     * 1874, when this was written.

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O. F. JONES.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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W. C. MOORE, M. D.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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S. R. BONEWITZ.

 

 

 

 

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ALF. HOWARD, THE AMERICAN "OLE BULL.."

 

 

 

 

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THE UNIVERSITY OF WOOSTER.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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     * 50 vol. Stat. Ohio, p. 128 - amended Mar. 12, 1853; 51 vol. Stat. Ohio, pp. 393. 403.
     Dr. Robinson, so long pastor at Ashland, was one of the early projectors and advocates of the Synodical College, and from the start has been one of its most faithful friends and President of its Board of Trustees.  The institution owes much to his wisdom and zeal.
     ‡ Mr. Quinby, in addition to the grounds, contributed about $30,000 to the funds of the institution, did also Captain J. H. Kauke in an equivalent sum.  And to the deep interest and great general activity of these gentlemen, together with the untiring aid of all the other resident members of the Board of Wooster, and especially to the zealous and efficient help of the Treasurer, John McClellan, Esq., is owing the establishment of the institution on a liberal, broad and permanent basis.
     ¶ Dr. Taylor was early a prominent member of one of the committees of conference upon a Synodical College from the Synod of Cincinnati, when a Ruling Elder in the Westminster church, he continued to be deeply interested in the movement, and subscribed liberally towards the endowment.  He was elected one of the first Trustees by the Synod of Sandusky, and was one of the committee who came to Wooster, examined the site and agreed upon the location of the University at this point.  He died in Cleveland, February, 1868.  At a later date, his only son was elected second President of the University, to succeed Dr. Willis Lord.

[Page 508]

 

 

 

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     * Rev. John W. Scott, D. D., General Fiscal Agent; Rev. T. K. Davis and Rev. S. G. Dunlap, Canvassing Agents.
     † This chair afterwards endowed by legacy of B. J. Mercer, Esq., of Mansfield, Ohio, in $25,000.

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     * In the raising of this fund the system of single and cheap scholarships was avoided, and the amount was secured mainly from members of Presbyterian congregations.

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     * These addresses were subsequently published, together with the annual report of the Board of Trustees for this year, in a pamphlet.  The following persons also took part in the proceedings:  Rev. David Hall, of Mansfield, Rev. J. A. Reid, of Wooster, and Rev. A. A. E. Taylor, of Cincinnati.  The reports of the Board for the two preceding yeas had also been published in pamphlet form.

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     * The proceedings of the inauguration of President Taylor were published in pamphlet form, and consisted of Farewell address by President Lord; address of Induction by Rev. John Robinson, D. D., President of the Board of Trustees, and Inaugural address by President Taylor.

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TABLE OF STUDENTS IN ATTENDANCE ANNUALLY.

 

 

REV. A. A. E. TAYLOR, D. D.

 

 

 

---------------
     * Estimated in part.
     † Selected

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LEANDER FIRESTONE, M. D.

 

 

 

 

 

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W. W. FIRESTONE, M. D.

 

 

 

 

 

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MARTIN WELKER

 

 

 

 

 

 

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JAMES D. ROBISON, M. D.

     James D. Robison, was born Apr. 23, 1820, on the corner of Buckeye and North streets, Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio.  His early years were spent with his father, Thomas Robison, Esq., during which time he attended the village schools, procuring such education as the limited opportunities of that day admitted.  At the age of seventeen he hired as a clerk to Robison & McCune, where he remained until he was twenty, at which time, and in accordance with an intention previously resolved upon, he com-

[Page 533] -
menced the study of medicine.  He entered the office of Dr. Samuel Norton Bissell, in February, 1840, continuing with him until October, 1841, when, during the fall, he proceeded to Philadelphia, that winter availing himself of a course of lectures at the Jefferson Medical College of that city, soon thereafter taking advantage of a course of clinical instruction at the Brooklyn Hospital.
     The summer of 1842 he spent in Cincinnati, in pursuit of his professional work, in the office of Dr. William Wood, simultaneously attending lectures at the Medical College of Ohio and a clinical course at the Commercial Hospital of Cincinnati.
     In the fall of 1842 he returned to Philadelphia, where he graduated, and received his diploma in March, 1843.  He returned to Wooster and remained there during the summer, the same autumn, however, removing to the Queen City, locating there and actively engaging in the practice of his chosen profession.  Here he met with signal success in his profession, and here he continued until the 3d of July, 1846, and until the breaking out of the Mexican war.
     At the solicitation of S. R. Curtis, Colonel of the 3d O. V. I., he was made Surgeon of said regiment, leaving Cincinnati that day (July 3) for Mexico.  Arriving at New Orleans on the 9th, he spent a day or two in the city, when he proceeded to Brazos de Santiago, at the mouth of the Rio Grande, arriving August 6 at "Camp Curtis," opposite the old city of Matamoras.
    
On the 9th of December he was assigned by General Patterson as Surgeon to the 3d Illinois regiment,, commanded by Ferris Foreman, which being ordered by General Zachary Taylor to Victoria, arrived there Jan. 4, 1847.  January 15 Patterson's Division, of which his (Robison's) regiment was a part, was ordered to join General Winfield Scott at Tampico, and on March 8 they were ordered to sail for Vera Cruz, whither they arrived on the 15th, the Mexican forces surrendering seventeen days thereafter, the United States soldiers taking possession of the city.
     On the 10th of April, 1847, on account of sickness, Dr. Robison resigned his commission and returned to Wooster, and in October of the same year formed a partnership with J. P. Coulter, M. D., for the practice of medicine, which continued to the fall of 1853.  Here he intermitted his professional labors for about a year, meantime going to New York and visiting the hospitals and medical institutions there with a view to keeping abreast with the progress and discoveries of the profession.  He again returned to Wooster

[Page 534] -
in the autumn of 1854, opening an office and engaging in the practice until 1861, when the war of the Rebellion was inaugurated.  He immediately offered his professional services to the government, which were as promptly accepted, being assigned to the 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he was identified throughout the three months' service.  He was in the battle of Phillippi, one of the earliest collisions of the Rebellion, and had the honor of amputating the first leg of the war, that of a Confederate soldier.  He was promoted to the rank of Brigade Surgeon in July, 1861, and assigned to the command of General Rosecranz.  After the battle of Carnifex Ferry he was ordered to locate and organize hospitals along the Kanawha, and assume charge of the one situated at Galipolis.  He was with General Lander at Paw-paw Tunnel, who died the second day after his arrival.
     He accompanied the army of General James Shields down the Valley of the Shenandoah and participated in the first battle of Winchester, Virginia, Mar. 23, 1862, which resulted in the discomfiture of the forces of Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson.  He next assumed supervision of hospitals, and continued to act in that capacity until General N. P. Banks was driven from the Valley.  He was afterwards sent to the Peninsula with the forces under General G. B. McClellan, being attached to the 6th army corps, commanded by General Franklin, as an inspecting surgeon, retaining said position until after the battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862.
     He was next ordered to Washington City to take charge of the Patent Office Hospital, where he remained until he was compelled to resign on account of the illness of his wife.  On his return home he was appointed Surgeon of the Board of Enrollment for this district, which position he held during the war.  Since then he has been engaged in practice.
     Dr. J. D. Robison has been twice married.
     A retrospect of the life of Dr. Robison shows it to have been an intensely active, zealous and positive one.  From the very outset in 1840 it has been a vigorous battle, not a long skirmish line, with here and there a faculty employed, but a compact and concentrated movement against the opposing forces of the world.  Diligence and speculative research were characteristic of him in his rudimentary professional years.  He was practical and observant from the very outstart of his studies.
     He is one of the able and popular physicians in the county, and is seen every day with the harness on.  He is not an idler,

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and even if he were so inclined, his professional duties would give him no time for recreation.  There has always been a fascination in his chosen science.  He toils in it because it delights him.  Its duties may be depressing and discouraging at times, but then they have their rewards.  It may be the ministry of pain, but it is likewise the ministry of blessing and love.  At the bed of sickness he is non-excitable, candid and undeceiving, full of encouragement and expectation.
     He is naturally of a cheery, spring-like and hopeful disposition.  He believes, with one of the old poets, that we should hope for everything that is good, because there is nothing which may not be hoped for, and nothing but what the gods are able to give us.  Surely it is a cardinal and robust virtue in man.  It imparts habitual serenity and good-humor.  It is a kind of vital heat in the soul that cheers and gladdens it.  It makes pain easy and labor pleasant.
     As a skillful practitioner he takes high rank, having an experience possessed by few of his rivals - active professional service during two wars.  As a patriot all that can be said of Dr. Robison must be expressed in the language of eulogy.  In the Mexican campaign he was one of the most popular of the surgeons and won a reputation as an eminent and successful practitioner.  In politics he is a Republican, but has made it a life-rule to avoid its tumults and strifes.  Had he ventured upon this field he could not well having been kept out of Congress.  In this direction he had special qualifications.  He prefers to look at the sunlight to the twilight side of human nature.  He is a man of marked mental and physical equilibrium - calm and self-possessed.  He is genteel, plain aned unaffected.  In the social circle he is at home and causes all to feel the same way.  He is a fluent talker, the gravity of his conversation at times being often enlivened with wit and humor.  In fact, he is such a man and his demeanor such as to be equally distant from constraint and negligence, and he will command your respect while he lays seige to your heart.  The Doctor, though slightly past his fiftieth year is yet hale and stout, having the prospect of years of usefulness and enjoyment.
     He still sparkles with his youthful vivacity; is as full of fun as spring rivulet is of water.  If his hair is snowy, it covers a warm head, for "where the snow flakes fall thickest there's nothing can freeze."

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PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF WOOSTER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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JOHN ZIMMERMAN.

 

 

 

 

 

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REV. BENJAMIN POPE.

 

 

 

 

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CAPTAIN GEORGE U. HARN.

 

 

 

 

 

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WOODHULL AND CLAFLIN.

 

 

 

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MAJOR ENOCH TOTTEN.

 

 

 

 

 

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JAMES C. JACOBS.

 

 

 

 

 

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COLONEL JOSEPH H. CARR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CAPT. A. S. McCLURE.

     A. S. McClure was born Oct. 10, 1839, in the city of Woos-

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COLONEL E. P. BATES.

 

 

 

 

 

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of Life Insurance.  This is the focal point of his thought and labor, and to this one object he has converged all the lines of his life.

IRA H. BATES,

Second son of Daniel Bates, was born in Oneida county, New York, Sept. 18, 1833, being the senior of the Bates Bros., now located at Wooster.  He remained with his father, who was a farmer, until he reached twenty-one years, when he concluded he would open up another field for the exercise of his faculties.
     He was willing that his experience on the farm should now conclude, and so he determined.  It may have required more effort on the part of Mr. Bates than we imagine to sever his relations with the farm, as he was greatly attached to the sports and pastimes of rural life.  He seems to have had the fondness of the Englishman for his gun and dog, and, we are told, sometimes exhibited this fondness to an extent that would well-nigh indicate a lingering aversion to work that sometimes has a tendency to engender grave and even formidable suspicions in the paternal mind.
     He probably believed, with the Arabs, that the days spent in the chase are not counted in the length of life, or with Henri Quatre, that manly exercises are the foundations of that elevation of mind which give one nature ascendancy over another.
     He finally determined upon an education, and soon every energy of body and mind were bent in that direction.  The help that he obtained in this project was summoned from his own resources.  It was the man inside shouting bravo to the man outside; the jewel addressing the casket; the letter talking to the envelope.
     After a protracted course of study, punctuated with intermissions and paragraphed with delays, he graduated with honor at Hillsdale College in 1862, being a member of the first class that took a full course at that institution.
     The societies of the institution were reduced to organization during his term, and for his devotion to their interests, his labors for their welfare and personal sacrifices, his name is kindly cherished in their annals.|
     Like many other earnest students, after his withdrawal from college he entered upon the profession of teacher, in which occupation their was to him pleasure and delight, and to which he seemed to be wedded.  Conscious of his ability to communicate,

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instruct, explain and analyze, he had the power to command attention, the quick ingenuity to hold it, and consequently impressions were transferred from his to the pupil's mind as readily as the color to the canvas from the artist's brush.
     He first began the vocation of teacher, after graduation, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where the fine public schools of that city attest his efficiency and worth, and to whom they are to this day indebted.
     Protracted years of hard study, and two years of confinement and labor as a teacher, debilitated and prostrated him in health so that he well-nigh exchanged his life for his devotion.  It was now deemed necessary to abandon the school-room, and acting upon the advice of friends, and especially his brother, E. P. Bates, he wisely resolved to forever relinquish it with its dark airs and its dense noxious atmosphere.
     Accordingly, in the spring of 1866, with his brother, E. P. Bates, he entered upon the work of Life Insurance, which has been developed upon an enduring basis, and which to-day employs the best genius and commands the strongest talent of the civilized world.
     Mr. I. H. Bates was married to Carrie M. Allen, of Winnebago county, Wisconsin, Mar. 6, 1866, by which union they have two children - son and daughter.
     Mr. Bates is in his life's prime, and his powers and capacities for business are barely matured, so that he can look forward hopefully and confidently to many months and years of labor and usefulness.
     While he was eminently qualified to have entered upon any of the public professions, he mapped out for himself a different path, in which he has few if any equals.
     He is a masterly scholar, a student of history and a learner, as when at the college or academy, for he is not of that class who believe that all knowledge is acquired in the school-room, and that after that all is perpetual vacation and repose.  He is not a politician, but is decidedly well-informed upon the history of American politics and the issues that to-day divide the parties and distract the country.
     His is emphatically of the reflective order of mind, and he arrives at conclusions only after careful thought.  He has enough of secretiveness to hold the world at fair advantage, and with him the remainder of judgment is seldom expressed.

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     He forms few friendships, but lasting ones.  His motto is, "The friends thou hast and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel."  To his personal friends he is warmly, if not passionately attached, and the link betwixt him and his kindred and family is of solid gold.  He is the center of a pleasing group of domestic virtues.  His intelligence, courtesy and affability have won him many friends in this community.  He is a  finished, straightout, decisive, practical man, having faith in the prevalence of right, the triumph of truth, and is as full of honor as an April brook of water.  His motto is,

"Fact shall be fact for me, and truth the truth forever."

QUINBY OPERA HOUSE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ARCADOME HALL - THE BAUMGARDNERS.

 

 

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     * It was destroyed by fire, March 23, 1874.

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JOHN F. BARRETT.

 

 

 

 

MATTHEW JOHNSTON, SR.

 

 

 

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A CATHOLIC BISHOP DIES IN WOOSTER.

 

 

 

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upon him, and pronounced his disease cholera.  He was buried the same evening, but during the following winter his remains were disinterred and transplanted at Cincinnati.

WILLIAM SPEAR.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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down, involving a loss of $10,000, upon which there was no insurance.  Notwithstanding this severe misfortune, he almost immediately purchased two acres of ground at the terminus of South Walnut street, from J. H. Kauke, for $2,000, and there erected a large new shop, three stories high, forty feet wide and eighty-eight feet in length, filling it with all kinds of the latest styles of machinery, and running it by steam-power.  In addition to the main building are dry-houses and store-houses, with lumber-yard, the whole establishment employing twenty to twenty-five hands.

JOHN WILHELM.

 

 

 

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JAMES CURRY.

 

 

 

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OLD GERMAN BANK.

     The old German Bank of Wooster was organized in 1816, with T. J. Jones as President and W. Larwill as Cashier.  Its existence was of brief duration, and for a while it was conducted without a charter.  In 1834 the Bank of Wooster was established with J. S. Lake as President and Benjamin Bentley as Cashier, and exploded in March, 1848.

WAYNE COUNTY BRANCH OF THE STATE BANK OF OHIO.

     The Wayne County Branch of the State Bank of Ohio was organized February, 1848.  D. Robison, Sr., was President until January, 1858, and Isaac Steese from 1858 to the expiration of its charter in 1865; E. Quinby, Jr., being Cashier from the organization to its close, in 1865.

THE WAYNE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK.

     The Wayne County National Bank was organized in January, 1865; R. R. Donnelly, President, and E. Quinby, Jr., Cashier.  January, 1874, Harrison Armstrong was made President and so continued until his death, in 1876; E. Quinby, Jr., serving as Cashier.  The officers at this date (1878) are, E. M. Quinby, President, and E. Quinby, Jr., Cashier.  Original capital, $75,000, with the privilege of augmenting it to $250,000.

EXCHANGE BANK.

     In April, 1865, this bank began business under the style of Sturges, Stibbs & Co., as a private banking institution, and in 1863 it was changed to Stibbs, Hanna & Co.  At present the style of the bank  is J. H. Kauke & C. S. Frost.

NATIONAL BANK OF WOOSTER.

     The private banking company of Bonewitz, Emrich & Co. was organized in the spring of 1865 by S. R. Bonewitz, T. S. Johnson, M. W. Pinkerton, G. P. Emrich, John Bechtel and C. H. Brown, with capital of $25,000.  Apr. 15, 1865, it opened up for business.  In 1868 it was reorganized as the Commercial Bank

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JOHNSON'S BANK.

     Sept. 2, 1868, T. S. Johnson "started a bank, too," which the same was of discount and deposit, with a capital of $20,000, and in 1875 it _____, when there was a wailing among depositors to the amount of $100,000

SAMUEL ROUTSON.

 

 

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D. C. CURRY & CO.

 

 

 

 

 

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JACOB EBERHARDT.

 

 

 

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SECRET SOCIETIES.

     In a Symbol there is concealment and yet revelation.
     Bees will not work except in darkness; thought will not work except in silence; neither will virtue work except in secresy.  Let not thy right hand know what thy left hand doeth.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

     Virtue will not grow unless its root be hidden.

Carlyle on Symbols.

Masonic.

  

 

 

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I. O. O. F.

 

 

 

Knights of Pythias (English).

 

 

 

Knights of Pythias (German.)

 

 

 

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Improved Order of Red Men.

 

 

 

 

 

The Royal Arcanum.

 

 

 

Temperance Societies.

     Temple of Honor No. 27 was organized on the 11th of November, 1847, with thirty charter members.  The first officers were David Parrett, W. C. T.; D. H. Holiday, W. V. T.; ____ McKean, W. R.
     Evergreen Social Temple No. 3 was organized in 1853.

- END OF CHAPTER.

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