4?* o ^ ° > ^ ^ <**, v ^_ > * • • » *^ \ . „ * • o .v c - O . » ^ . G V V A \ ** ^ G • c-x^^v.^. o -'^ <- V<* y> V f. f • °- cv o > vV s • • , ^> EARLY HISTORY AND WJ^R RECORD ov \i v CHARLES B TAYLOR, TUACHKK »♦««» « ♦« CINCINNATI: Elm Strgkt Printing Company, 176 and 178 Elm St.r«©t. 1874. To my wife, the daughter and granddaughter o Wilkesville pioneers, whose cheerful, patient, self-sacrl flcing love has heen my stay through years of darkness and discouragement, this little work is affectionately dedi- cated. INTRODUCTION Wilkesvillb Township is in the southeastern part of Vinton County, Ohio. It originally belonged to Gallia County. Lying directly in the great mineral belt of South- ern Ohio, its hills are rich in coal and iron. Owing to the lack of facilities for transportation, the mineral resources are, to a great degree, undeveloped. Some fine crops of corn and wheat are raised along the valley of the Raccoon, which runs through the Township from north to south, but the greater part of the surface is hilly and better adapted for grazing. The village of Wilkesville is in the eastern part, half a mile from the Meigs County line. It is twenty-one miles west of Pomeroy, twenty-one miles northwest of Gallipolis, eighteen miles east of Jackson, and eighteen miles southeast of McArthur. (3) WILKESVILLE. CHAPTER I EARLY HISTORY. The early settlers of Wilkesville have al- most all passed away, and the writer has been admonished that the facts of its early history must now be gathered up and recorded, be- fore they are lost forever. The task has been a labor of love, which we trust will be appre- ciated by our fellow-citizens. The land on which the village now stands, and a large portion of the surrounding coun- try, was purchased by an eastern gentleman named Wilkes, about 1807. At that time Southern Ohio was almost an unbroken wilderness. There was a settle- (6) tnent at Jackson, then called ''Jackson Salt Works," a village at Gallipolis, and another at Athens. The Strong family and the Parkers had al- ready settled in Salem, but not a stick of tim- ber had been cut on the ground where Wilkes- ville now stands, except where Orasha Strong and his sons had cut a road to haul their goods from Jackson. The Indians were no longer hostile, but were still to be found occasionally; while deer, turkey and other wild game were abun- dant. For many years wolves were so thick that a sheep out of sight of the house was past insurance, and even as late as 1823 a bear and two cubs were killed about where J. J. Cline's house now stands. Wilkesville and Salem were originally one township, bearing the name of the latter, but for convenience I shall keep their accounts separate, and this department will refer to the settlers on the Wilkesville side of the line only. In the year 1810, Henry Due, the agent of Mr. Wilkes, came on to the ground, and on the tenth day of June laid out the town, nam- ing it Wilkesville, in honor of the owner. During this year five families settled in the township. The first was that of Isaac Hawk. Isaac Hawk moved from Greenbrier County, Virginia, in 1807, to the lower part of Gallia County, Ohio. In January, 1810, he came to Wilkesville, where he remained until his death, in 1862. The first sermon ever preached in Wilkes- ville was preached at his house by Rev. Mr. Dixon, a Methodist minister. Mr. Hawk was a soldier of the war of 1812. His venerable widow, Margaret Hawk, now in her eighty- seventh year, is the " oldest inhabitant of Wilkesville." Benjamin Hawk, Henry Hawk, Michael Hawk, and Jonah Hawk, all honored citizens & of the township to-day, are the sons of these worthy pioneers. Mr. Due boarded with them at the time when he laid out the town. The second family was that of William Humphreys, and the third that of Henry Jones. In the fall of 1810 Rufus Wells and his family came and settled just below the vil- lage, on the land still owned by their descend- ants. Mr. Terry came about the same time. The first child born in Wilkesville was Clara Jones ; the second was Henry Hawk, Justice of the Peace for the past sixteen years. Mr. Due had offered a land warrant to the first child that should be born in Wilkesville. Competition was probably lively, but the Jones family won the race. It is understood that this is the only contest in which "Esquire Henry" was ever defeated during a long and useful life. Mr. Due brought his family from Middle- town, Connecticut, in the spring of 1812. About this time Mr. Ohitwood, another eastern man, moved on to the farm about a mile north of the village, now owned by Agrippa Wells, tie was the first man that ever kept goods to sell in Wilkesville Town- ship. His store was in the same building where he and his family lived. war of 1812. Five soldiers from Wilkesville served in the war of 1812: Isaac Hawk.William Humphreys, Abraham Lots, Thomas Jones and Zimri Wells. A number of their comrades in arms moved into the township within a few years after the close of the war: Jonathan Vowell, John N. Sprouse, Ziba Thompson, George Bertholf, etc. OTUER SETTLERS. After the war settlers began to come in rapidly. In 1815 Abraham Hawk (still liv- io ing) moved on the hill, near the place where Jacob N. Hawk now lives, and Jonathan Vowell came from Gallipolis and settled just below the village where Hiram Vowell lives. Not long after this Job Phetteplace came, and Luther Cotton, who had come from Middle- town, Connecticut, into Salem, about 1811, moved into the village. The Carrs, who came in 1826, were also from Middletown. In 1817 Matthias Croy, with the assistance of Mr. Gear, built Croy's Mill on Raccoon Creek, where Barnes Mill now stands. In the earlier days the people went to Athens to mill, or pounded their corn in the tops of stumps hollowed out for the purpose. James Gray came to Wilkesville about 1816. In 1818 John Davis came from New York and settled two miles from the village, on the Gallipolis Road, on the place where George Williams lives. Here he resided until his death in 1874. He 11 was the father of Erastus R. and Quincy Adams Davis. Davis' Mill, on Strong's Run, was built in 1826. The Blakelys and Alfred Strong came from New York with Mr. Davis. Dyer and William Davis followed a year or two later, and in 1822 David Booth came from Massachusetts. All these settled on the Gallipolis Road, which took the very appropriate name of Yankee Street. There were three of the Blakely brothers — Abraham, James and Zerah. Only one is now living, the venerable James Blakely, for many years an elder in the Presbyterian Church and colporteur of the American Tract Society. MERCHANTS. The first store in the village was kept by a man named Richmond. In 1828 James Ed- miston and Willard Stowell were competitors for the trade. They were followed by Harvey 12 Brown and Hiram G. Daniel. Hon. H. S. Bundy began business life as a clerk in the store of Harvey Brown. THE OLDEST HOUSE IN WILKESVILLE. The brick house on High Street, now occu- pied by James Lyons, was built by Henry Due, about the year 1816. It is the oldest house in Wilkesville. Mr. Due lived there until his death, in 1827- He was a man of more than ordinary talent and information. The writer has heard Mrs. Ellen Strong speak of the curiosity with which, when a child, she viewed his library, composed almost entirely of French works, and of the desire which she had for the lin- guistic key to unlock this treasury of knowl- edge. Mr. Due was buried in the old graveyard on the hill, and the epitaph on his tombstone is an epitome of his life : 13 To the Memory of ZE3I IE3 IDT lEfc IT 3DTJO, Who departed this life June 27, 1827, aged 64 years. He was born in France, came to America an officer in the French fleet, was the founder of this town, and endeared to all his acquaintances. He is now "where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest." CHAPTER II. WILKESVILLE IN 1828. Wilkesville was now beginning to have some importance, and put on village airs. The Phetteplaces, Sto wells, Purintons, Carrs, Crookers, Edmistons and Derrys were all here by 1828. Job Phetteplace was the first Justice of the Peace in Wilkesville Township. Four of the houses still standing in Wilkes- ville were built before 1828. The brick house before mentioned was occupied by Henry Due, Jr.; the present residence of Charles B. Taylor was the home of Willard Stowell ; the present residence of George Curry was built by Gilliam Bertholf, and afterward occupied by Mr. Cotton: and Esquire Job Phetteplace (14) 15 lived in the old Crowell house, now the resi- dence of Jonathan Cable. The ladies of the vicinity were noted for their intelligence and courtly bearing. Most of them were from New England, and they believed in uniting work with sociability. As a natural consequence a quilting was the highest style of visiting. At these gatherings might have been seen Mrs. Due, the personification of stately polite- ness; Mrs. Purinton, in the neatest of double ruffles; Mrs. Phetteplace, timid and reserved; Mrs. Davis, kind and motherly; Mrs. Cotton and Mrs. Edmiston, now Mrs. Deny, the only one of the group whose kind face still remains among us. There, too, was old Mrs. Stowell, prim and puritanical, her handkerchief precisely folded, quiet and dignified, except when her sensibil- ities were shocked by the rattling, order-defy- ing remarks or manners of her merry daugh- ter-in-law. 16 An anecdote of Mrs. Cotton is worth relating here: A gentleman from Gallipolis was driving through this region. The "French City" was then the metropolis of Southeastern Ohio, and the gentleman saw fit to put on city airs by speaking contemptuously of such places as Wilkesville. Halting near the corner now occupied by Capt. Gillilan's store, he called out to Mrs. Cotton, "Where's Wilkesville?" "You are in it now, sir," was the reply. "In it? Well, I don't see it." The pioneer matron drew herself up to her full height and crushingly replied : "Puppies never see till they are nine days old, sir." The city gent wilted and drove on. ANECDOTE NO. 2. When the first Washingtonian temperance movement swept over the land, Mr. Due be- came one of its earliest converts. 17 He desired to erect a log barn where the Presbyterian parsonage now stands. The tim- bers were procured, and he sent out invita- tions to a barn raising, giving special notice that the barn should be raised loithout whisky. This was something new in the neighbor- hood. The men consulted together, and the consequence was that so few came on the day appointed that the barn was but partially raised. But that night, when Mr. Due was asleep, his fun-loving neighbors came slily together, put up his barn, rafters and all, and left a demijohn of whisky on the ridgepole. When Mr. Due arose in the morning, he gazed with surprise on the work. Presently he saw the demijohn and could not repress a smile at the manner in which his neighbors had outwitted him. Going into the house he brought out his old flint-lock, took deliberate aim, and the next moment King Alcohol de- scended from his throne on the ridgepole and lay ignobly on the ground. 18 Dr. Isham, afterward widely known through out Jackson and the adjoining counties, prac- ticed here for a number of years. FIRST SABBATH SCHOOL. The first Sabbath-school in the village was formed by Henry Due, James Blakely, Nathan B. Purinton and Cornelius Carr, PIKES. In the sixty -four years of Wilkesville's ex- istence but three buildings in the village have been destroyed by fire. The first was a large carding machine stand- ing on the back part of C. B. Taylor's lot, the second was a wagon shop owned by Gyrus Devault, and the third was the residence of Dr. H. H. Bishop. CHAPTER III. IN MKMOKIAM. Dr. George W. Althar. George W. Althar was born in Greenbrier County, Virginia, in the year 1796. His father was a farmer and desired his son to adopt the same avocation. George, however, was anxious to obtain an education, and become a physician. His scholastic opportunities were limited, but he made the best use of them, walking with his sister three miles over the mountains to school. There was a merchant, named Erskine, in Lewisburg, six miles distant. One day he no- ticed young Althar in the store and was sur- (19) 20 prised at the rapidity with which he made calculations in arithmetic. He inquired where the boy got his education, and was still more surprised to find that he had made such progress with such limited opportunities. He ofl'ered him a place in his store as a clerk, which (after some time) was accepted. He was sixteen years old when he left the farm to work for Mr. Erskine. He studied medicine with Dr. Winfield, teaching school to defray his expenses, and began practice in Pocahontas County. Vir- ginia. He was married to Hannah C. Gilli- land in 1824. He became involved in pecuni- ary difficulties by going security for a friend, lost the greater part of what he had gathered together, and in 1832 came to Wilkesville with his family, his household goods, and one dollar in money. For the next thirty years his history is a prominent part of the history of Wilkesville. There was a physician at Rutland, one at 21 Jackson, and others at Gallipolis and Athens. These were the neighbors with whom he counseled. For years he was the only phy- sician in Wilkesville, and day and night he rode over this country when it was almost a wilderness, prolonging human life and reliev- ing suffering. Not a few families in this region remember with affection "the old doctor," who was with them when their children were born, and when their parents died, and who was a trusted friend both in joy and in sorrow. His wife was truly a helpmeet for him. She read his books and was a woman of keen ob- servation and good judgment. If patients came and the doctor was away, they were sat- isfied if Mrs. Althar was at home. She could use the lancet and the forceps with steadier nerve than many a young practitioner. Al- though often in feeble health, she would leave her work and ride miles to the relief of the suffering. She died in 1841. 22 Dr. Althar was married three times. In 1843 he married the widow Strong, who lived until 1857. His last wife, formerly Mrs. Cur- tis, still lives. He was the father of six sons and two daughters. His oldest child is Mrs. Virginia Cline, wife of Dr. W. C. Cline. Dr. Althar died in 1862. Benjamin F. Oroy. No memorial of Wilkesville would be com- plete without a mention of Benjamin F. Oroy. He was the son of Matthias Croy, who built the first mill in Wilkesville Township. Benjamin moved into the village, remodeled and practically rebuilt the house now occu- pied by the writer, where he lived until his death. Probably none of our former residents was so universally popular. He was an officer in the militia, Justice of the Peace, and held various other positions of honor and trust among his fellow-citizens. In the prime of 23 life and strength he was suddenly cut down. He died July 11th, 1840, aged thirty-four years. Benjamin B. Derry. Benjamin B. Derry was the son of Elder Peter H. Derry, a minister of the Baptist Church. He was born in Oneida County, New York, August 7, 1807. He came to Wilkesville with his father in 1828. He was married to Mrs. Emily Edmiston in 1833. His disposition was singularly lovely. He united firmness of principle and quiet decision of character with sensibilities as tender as a woman's. Not long before his death one of his neigh- bors said to the writer: "Mr. Derry comes nearer keeping the eleventh commandment than any man I ever knew.-' He was quiet and reserved, but those that knew him best knew that he had a deep and rich spiritual experience. He suffered several years with heart dis- 24 ease, which finally terminated in aneurism of the carotid arteries. On the fourth of July, 1873, after a long illness patiently endured, he "fell asleep in Jesus." Zimri Wells. Zimri Wells was born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in the year 1T86. He was a lineal descendant of Rufus Wells, who came over in the "Mayflower." When he was quite young his father emigrated to Canada, where they remained until 1810, when he came to Wilkesville. Here, upon the farm now owned by Abel Wells, he spent the re- maining fifty- two years of his life. In the year 1814 he was married to Sarah Sargent. They were the parents of ten children, five sons and five daughters. The second daugh- ter was the first wife of Hon. H. S. Bundy, now member of Congress from this district. Mr. Wells was a soldier of the war of 1812. For sixteen consecutive years he was a Jus- 25 tice of the Peace in this township. His usual method in civil trials was to persuade the parties to settle the dispute, if possible, in which case he would always give them his costs. He, himself, never had a lawsuit in his life. He died in July, 1862. CHAPTER IV. CHURCHES. — THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. The first Presbyterian sermon ever preached in Wilkesville was at the house of Henry Due, by Rev. William R Gould, who was then labor- ing at Gallipolis, under the auspices of the Connecticut Missionary Society. The church was organized by Mr. Gould in October, 1821, receiving seven persons, two men and five women, " on confession of their faith and be- lief in the Presbyterian Confession of Faith and the Westminster Shorter Catechism. » The original members were John Strong, Henry S. Due, Lucy Due, Mary Due, Betsy Davis, Sadai Strong and Mable Strong. The oldest members now living are James Blakely and Sally Wells, who were received May 29, 1826. (26) 27 At that time, Henry S. Due and John Strong were ordained elders. The church was irregularly supplied by Mr. Gould, Rev. Augustus Pomeroy and others until 1832, when Rev. Hiram R. Howe began his labors here. The church was fortunate in obtaining the labors of such a man, thor- oughly and biblically educated and judicious in his methods of work. Under his care the church prospered and the present building was erected. James Blakely was ordained elder in 1832. The church at Jackson was a colony from the Wilkesville Church, in 1836. Mr. Howe's labors closed here in 1837. In 1839 Rev. Ellery Bascom came on to the ground. He was different in many respects from his predecessor. He was energetic and earnest, but eccentric and unbalanced. He was here between one and two years. Dur- ing that time some twenty members were re- ceived to the church, of whom Emily Bertholf is the only one that still remains. 28 Rev. Abraham Blakely then supplied the church for a time. A further notice of him will be found further on in this history. After he went away the church was with- out a minister for several years. Rev. John Elliott and Rev. Nathaniel Cobb preached here occasionally. Mr. Thomas Miller was ordained an elder in 1849. Dr. W. N. Hudson was also an elder. Rev. Calvin Hogshead supplied the church for two years. From 1845 to 1850 were the dark days of the church. There were but few members and they were disheartened. In 1850 Mr. Howe returned again and re- mained two years, and in 1855, Rev. Thomas A. Welch, of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, began his labors, which continued for eight years. During his ministry the church was blessed with two precious revivals, one in 1856, and one in 1860. After Mr. Welch, E. D. Shaw supplied the pulpit for one year. 29 The present pastor, Rev. Warren Taylor, came here in 1865, and remained till 1869, during which time there were two awaken ings, and Wilkesville Academy was built. He left here to become pastor of the Sixth Pres- byterian Church, Cincinnati. Rev. H. H. Wells spent the summer of 1870 with the church. He was then just in the beginning of his evangelistic career. With a great heart full of love for all humanity and sympathy for all that is good, he threw himself into the work. The church was repaired, the Sabbath- school built up, and other good accomplished. Mr. Taylor returned in the fall of 1870. Since that time there have been two most precious revivals; the last one wondrous beyond all description. I have only space to mention it here, but declare my purpose to write (at some future time) an account of that outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At the commencement of Mr. Taylor's min- istry, in Wilkesville, the church numbered 30 ninety- three members. The present member- ship is one hundred and eighty-five. The session consists of the following mem- bers : Elders — Thomas S. Miller, Henry Brad- ley, John Miller, J. C. Stewart, Charles E. Hawk. Mr. Bradley was for many years a mission- ary among the Indians. IN MEM0RIAM. Joseph P. Stewart was born in Pennsyl- vania, in the year 1795. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and a devoted follower of Christ from his youth. He came to Salem in 1840, where he resided till his death. He was an elder in the Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church, at Danville, and afterward in the Wilkesville Church. Thoroughly Calvinistic in belief, quiet, earnest and kind in manner, he was every- where respected and loved. He and his sainted wife, who went home to glory two 31 years before him, raised a large family of use- ful and intelligent sons and daughters. He had been ill for some time, but no im- mediate danger was anticipated, when on the 22d day of February, 1867, with scarce a sigh of pain, he suddenly " fell asleep. "' THE SONS OF THE CHURCH. Five ministers of the gospel of Christ have gone forth from the Wilkesville Church : Abraham Blakely, N. B. Purinton, Charles L\ Due, James Sheldon and Frank Sheldon. All save one have gone to their reward. Rev. Abraham Blakely was a native of Con- necticut ; came to Wilkesville in 1818, and be- came a member of this church at a " three days' meeting held in this place by Rev. Messrs. Fisher and Kimball," in July, 1831. He graduated in the first class that ever went forth from Marietta College, the class of 1838. He also graduated at Lane Seminary in 1841. He was at one time an instructor in Hebrew 32 at the Seminary. After an earnest, faithful ministry of twenty-four years in Ohio, Ken- tucky and Kansas, he heard the call of the Master, saying, " Come up higher." He died at Sodus, New York, in 1865. Rev. Nathan B. Purinton professed his faith in Christ in this church, in 1829. He was at that time married and the father of two chil- dren, but he became impressed with the thought that it was his duty to study for the ministry, and accordingly sold his farm and educated himself by means of the proceeds. He graduated at Ohio University in 1837 ; studied two years at Lane Seminary and then began his ministerial work (we believe) at Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio. He was in the ministry but nine years. He died in Mis- souri in 1848. Rev. Chas. S. L. Due was born in Wilkes- ville, and was the first child baptized by Mr. Gould after the organization of the church. He graduated at Marietta College in 1849, at 83 Lane Seminary in 1852 ; preached and founded a seminary at Hastings, Minnesota, where he died in 1868. Rev. James Sheldon joined this church, under the ministry of Mr. Howe, in 1834. He studied for the ministry under Mr. Howe's direction and for a time at Marietta, began his ministry at Logan, Hocking County, where he remained a number of years, and was greatly beloved. I am unable to tell where he went upon leaving Logan, but know that the last working years of his life were spent in Illinois. He died of consumption in 1872, at the residence of his brother, in Troy, Kansas. Rev. Frank Sheldon is still living and preaching in Kansas. He became a member of the Wilkesville Church about thirty years ago, under the ministry of Rev. Abraham Blakely. He graduated at Lane Seminary in 1851. He revisited Wilkesville in 1871, be- ing at that time financial agent for Highland University. r 34 METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. I regret that material for a history of this church is not easy obtainable. At present I can only give a notice of its origin and pres- ent condition. Rev. Mr. Dixon was the first Methodist minister that ever preached in this village, and he was followed by Rev. John Brown, who formed a class about 1814. I think that Mrs. Margaret Hawk (still living) was one of the original members. The society has at present about one hun- dred members. The house of worship is large and commodious, and the church is in a pros- perous condition. Wilkesville Circuit has about three hundred members. About fifty members have been received during the past year. Rev. A. Cartlich, the pastor, began his ministry in Adelphi, Ross County, Ohio, in 1842. During his thirty-two years' ministry he has received about three thousand mem- bers into the Methodist Episcopal Church. 35 Rev. John Dillon, the presiding elder of this district, resides at Wilkesville. UNITED BRETHREN. There is a church of United Brethren in Wilkesville Township. It numbers about fifty members. They have recently errected a neat house of worship about four miles from the village. ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The Roman Catholic Church in Wilkesville has about three hundred members. It should be remembered, however, that they enumer- ated all baptized infants as members. Their house of worship was destroyed by fire in 1873. They are now building a church by far the most costly and imposing that Wilkes- ville has yet seen. The estimated cost of the structure is about eight thousand dollars. The church is under the priestly care of Father D'Arcy. CHAPTER V. SCHOOLS AND SOCIETY. The first school in Wilkesville, of which I can find any record, was taught by Mrs. Orooker, in 1818. A school-house wa» built where the present one stands about 1833. Miss Isham, sister of Dr. Isham, first taught in it. She was one of that "noble army" of New England school- ma'ams to whom the West owes so much of its culture and its principle. There was much opposition to her at first as she was a "high larnt" teacher and some of the people feared lest she should "put fool notions into the childer's heads." But the New England element of the community stood by her and soon she was greatly be- loved by her pupils and respected by all, (36) 37 Miss Emily Bertholf keeps to this day the story of Cinderella presented by Miss Isham. The English Reader and the introduction to it, with the New Testament, were the standard text books. The Western Calculator was studied by the larger boys. Geography was one of the higher branches, and Grammar was clear beyond the range of the young student's ambition. He would almost as soon have thought of studying Sanscrit or Arabic. After Miss Isham's time the schools im- proved rapidly. Beside tke public schools, there were occasional select schools. Maj. J. C. H. Cobb taught an excellent school for some two years, and Mrs. E. D. Shaw also taught for a time. Just after the close of the war, Rev. War- ren Taylor taught a select school in the Presbyterian Church. A number of returned soldiers attended. The school was a very pleasant one and some of us, just returned from camp and field, learned the boundaries 38 of the state of matrimony, whatever else we learned. WILKESVILLE NORMAL ACADEMY. In the spring of 1866, at a meeting of a few leading citizens, called by Rev. W. Tay- lor, the building of Wilkesville Academy was determined upon. The money was nearly all raised among our neighbors here. Mr. Taylor collected some while he was East attending the General Assembly of 1868. The school has been a great blessing to Wilkesville. It has attracted students from abroad, given excellent opportunities to our children at home, and furnished the surround- ing country with a superior grade of common- school teachers. We rejoice at the past and trust and pray for the future of our home school. The present principal, Mr. Francis M. Oheadle, took charge of the academy five years ago, and has been constantly at work ever since, 39 with the exception of two sessions when his health having failed, he gave the institution into the hands of Mr. C. B. Taylor, who had previously been his assistant. Mrs. Cheadle taught one session alone. The following is a list of all the teachers of the institution since its foundation : Principals. Assistants. J. Lee Gamble, Mary B. Cheadle, Lucy Cobb, Kate Deemer, F. M. Cheadle, Henderson S. Miller, Chas. B. Taylor, Chas. B. Taylor, Mary B. Cheadle. Clara Bradley. SOCIETIES. The Liberal and Progressive Association Is a society of Spiritualists whose members reside in Wilkesville and Salem. They have recently repaired the old Universalist Church and named it Progressive Hall. 40 Orphan's Friend Lodge No. 275, F and A. M. A Lodge of Free Masons was organized in 1829, named Orphan's Friend Lodge No. 100. The officers were Job Phetteplace, Master; E. McMillen, Senior Warden; Oushing Shaw, Junior Warden; T. P. Fogg, Treasurer; N. B. Purinton, Secretary ; Seth Thomson, Senior Deacon; A. Saunders, Junior Deacon; Royal R. Althar, Tyler. This Lodge ceased work in 1844. The last entry in the minutes is signed H. G. Daniel, Secretary. The Lodge was resurrected in 1855 with the title, Orphan's Friend Lodge No. 275, with the following charter members: John H. Cay wood, D. H. Smith, R. 0. Grant, H. H. Bishop, Job Phetteplace, Jeremiah F. Davis, F. Rowley, G. Underwood, T. P. Fogg and Gushing Shaw. It numbers about eighty members, has a beauti- ful, well furnished hall, and is in a prosperous condition pecuniarily. 41 The present officers are Jeremiah F. Davis, Worshipful Master, Geo. L. Deny, Senior Warden. E. P. Thompson, Junior Warden. Job P. Strong, Senior Deacon. A. B. Gray, Junior Deacon. Win. H. Strong, Treasurer. Finney Strong, Secretary. A. A. Strong, Tyler. CHAPTER VI. WAR RECORD. I take peculiar satisfaction in placing upon record the names of the men from Wilkesville who served in the war for the preservation of the Union. Some names may be omitted ; there may be errors in the record, but I have tried to make the list a full and correct one. It is difficult after such a lapse of time to do the work which would have been comparatively easy in 1865. Fellow-citizens, preserve this record ; let these names be read by your children ; teach them to honor the men who marched and fought and suffered, and of whom some died to perpetuate the life of our country. (42) 43 FIRST THREE MONTJ o The first men from Wilkesville who enlisted in the Grand Army were Hazen E. Soule, Rufus W. Strong and Waldo Murray. They were in the 18th Ohio and served in the Rich Mountain campaign under McClellan. wilkesville's heroic dead. Thomas Sraton Miller, Co. B. 90th O. V. I., was killed at the battle of Stone River on the evening of December 31, 1862. He was twen- ty years and seven months old; was a member of the Presbyterian Church at Wilkesville. Abraham Strasbaugh, 114th O. V. I., died at Memphis, Tennessee, July 26th, 1863, aged twenty-one years and one month. He was also a member of the Presbyterian Church at Wilkesville. Winfield S. Morris, 36th O. V. I., was killed in battle at Cabelltown, in the Shenandoah Valley on the 19th day of August, 1864. He was twenty-six years of age. 44 Michael Daugherty, 114th O. V. I., was killed at the battle ot Chickasaw Bluffs, Mis- sissippi, December 25th, 1862. James NAUGHT0N,*114th O. V. I., died January, 1863, of wounds received at Chickasaw Bluffs. Jesse Liston, 114th O. V. L, died of a wound received at Chickasaw Bluffs. James Sweeny, 114th O. V. I., died in rear of Vicksburg, March, 1863. Andrew Quinn, 114th O. V. I., died at Vicks- burg, August, 1863. William McKenzie, 114th 0. V. I., died at Arkansas Post. Hiram and David Gear, brothers, 27th O. V. I., died in the service. John Keenan, 114th O. V. I., died at Milli- ken's Bend, in 1863. Hiram Dorton, 194th O. V. I., died at City Point. Edward Swekny, 73d O. V. I., killed at An- tietam, September 17th, 1862. 45 SOLDIERS WHO RETURNED. The following are the names of the Wilkes- ville soldiers who returned, with a brief notice of their regiments : 27th O. V. I. Arminius Gear, Henry Gear, Jacob Gear, Jonas Gear. The 27th was recruited at Camp Chase in August, 1861, was in the battles oflukaand Corinth, and in the campaign under Sherman in 1864, from Chattanooga to Atlanta. The regiment passed through many battles and lost severely in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. 36th O. V. I. Lieut. Lafayette Hawk, James Campbell, Isaac Eutsler, Charles E. Hawk, Allen Davidson, Van Denney, John Davidson. Randall Denney, David Althar, William McKee. 46 The 36th was recruited in 1861, was in the battles of Antietam, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and went through the campaign of 1864 in the Shenandoah, including the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. 53d O. V. I. Hazen E. Soule, John C. Oooney, John Moore, John H. Douglass, William Douglass, Lafayette Douglass, James Douglass, Rufus W. Strong, William Sweeney. An account of the 53d will be found in the war record of Salem. 66 th O. V. I. Finney Strong, Samuel Rowley. The boys were with Sherman in the "march to the sea." 90 th O. V. I. Jacob G. Miller, George L. Derry, Joseph Devault, John Derry, Cyrus Devault, Lafayette Gaston. 47 The 90th served against Bragg in Kentucky, in 1862, was in the battles of Stone River and Chickamauga, through the campaign which re- sulted in the capture of Atlanta, and in the battles of Franklin and Nashville. J. G. Miller was captured at Chickamauga and remained a prisoner at Andersonville for nineteen months. 114th O. V. I. Oapt. James Duffie, James Quinn, George E. Cook, Thomas McGovern, John Levis, Aaron McKenzie, Frank Keck, James Murray, George Gaudy, Samuel Stoner, John Morgan. The 114th fought through the campaign which resulted in the capture of Vicksburg, and was also in the disastrous Red River ex- pedition. 116th O. V. I. Michael Strasbaugh, James B. Miller, William Cavit Miller. 48 An account of the 116th will be found in the Salem war record. th O. N. G. Frank Rowley, M. G. Althar, H. A. Haley, 173d O. V. I. David W. Miller, Hiram Hawk. The boys fought well at the battle of Nash- ville. David Miller got a ball in his neck that came near closing bis earthly career. 194th O. V. I. Capt. John Gillilan, Jonah H. R. Hawk, Philip Keck, Harvey Wells, Cyrus C. Miller, Andrew J. Keck, Frank Keck, William M. Morris, Jonathan Cable, David Terry, Albert Crowell, William Crowell, Oscar A. Hawk, John A. Hawk, Ezra Booth, Hiram Booth, 49 Thomas Althar, Rufus Booth, Hiram Devault, John Johnson, N. Quincy Martindale, John Boice, David Sprouse, Peter Boice, Henry McCartney, Ivory Thacker, Peter Napper, Nimrod Thacker, John Napper, Chapman Thacker. Wm. H. Thacker. The 194th went out near the close of the war. They served about eight months doing guard duty at Washington and other points. 2d Va. Cavalry. John L. Hawk, Geo. W. Althar. A splendid regiment that served through- out the war and in battles and skirmishes almost innumerable. 17th U. & C. T. Edward Arrington, Jackson Hays, Humphry Anderson, William Anderson, William Watson. A good regiment in camp, on the march, and on the battle-field. 50 MISCELLANEOUS, John L. Douglas, Detached Service; H. H. Bishop, M. D., Surgeon in the Army of Middle Tennessee ; Lieut. John C. Bishop, 1st Va.Vet. ; Austin Oarr, 60th O. V. I.; Alonzo Cable, 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry ; Ira Denney, 1st O. H. A.; William Champlin, Cavalry; C. O. Hawk, 68th O. V. L; A. A, Strong, 7th Ohio Battery. In all, one hundred and thirteen soldiers went from Wilkesville. Ninety-nine returned ; fourteen belong to that great " standing army'' in the South whose memories are hallowed by a nation's love and their graves bedewed with a nation's tears. The following persons, now residents of Wilkesville, were soldiers in the grand army, although at the time of their enlistment they did not reside in Wilkesville or Salem. Jordan J. Peden, 36th O. V. I. ; Rev. Warren Taylor, 140th O.N. G, ; Chas. B. Taylor, 86th O. V. I. and 1st 0. H. A. ; F. M. Cheadle, 87th O. V. I. and 2d O. H. A.; Joseph Cline, 87th 51 O. V, I. and 13 th 0. V. C; Louis Keltenbach 1st O, H. A. ; W. W. Fierce, M. D., 87th Indiana' THE MORGAN RAID. Wilkesville had the rather equivocal honor of being in the track of the dashing raider in his brilliant but disastrous march through Southern Ohio. When it became evident that our State was really invaded, the Governor called out the militia, designating the camp to which each detachment should go. The Wilkesville militia were fortunate enough to get a soldier to command them, as Hazen B. Soule was at home just recovering from a long illness, the result of army expos- ure. In this respect, they were more fortunate than some of the companies which were com- manded by honest farmers who had never seen a regiment in line and were captivatingly innocent of all knowledge of military tactics* Those were the days when the commands 52 were heard: "Get in two rows of war there." u Turn round and march endways like you did yesterday." It needs a mightier pen than ours to describe the terrible hardships, the hairbreadth escapes, and the thrilling adventures of our brave militia who fought, bled, and died at Camp Portsmouth. Those who desire further partic- ulars are respectfully referred to Esquire J. N. Douglas, or our mirth-loving friend, J. J. Cline. Suffice it to say that all did their duty and deserve credit therefor. On the 17th of July, 1863, the news came to the town that the enemy was approaching on the Jackson road. It flew like wildfire, and every tongue had something to add to the tale of murder, pillage and wanton de- struction. One would have thought that Gen. Morgan's army were veritable ogres, rivaling the diet of the noted " Hokey-pokey, winkey- wang, King of the Cannibal Islands." Here let me state, as a matter of justice to 53 a conquered foe, that Gen. Morgan and his daring little army acted very much as any raiding army acts in going through a hostile country. War is war, and every army leaves more or less of desolation in its track, but the boys who served with Sherman in the "march to the sea," or with Sheridan in the valley of the Shenandoah, laugh in their sleeves at the stories of the "outrages" committed by Mor- gan's band. One thing was certain, the hotly pursued fugitives wanted fresh horses, and took them wherever they could find them. The few men who were at home took their horses to the woods and remained till the invaders had de- parted. As for the population at large, "Ah ! then and there was hurrying to and fro, And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress." The girls hid their jewelry. Some of them buried it in the garden, so that it might be perfectly safe ; in fact they hid it so safely that they have never been able to find it 54 since. Bed clothing and wearing apparel were concealed where possible. Morgan arrived in the evening and remained at the house of Dr. Cline. The next morning he resumed his flight toward Buffington's Island and eventual imprisonment. Mr. J. N. Douglas was probably the heavi- est loser by the raid in this vicinity. He was away from home and could not pro- tect his new stock of dry goods, boots, cloth- ing, etc., and the rebels went through the store with a vengeance. CHAPTER VII. WILKESVILLE IN 1874. The present population of Wilkesville Township is about seventeen hundred. The village contains between three and four hun- dred inhabitants. PROMINENT CITIZENS AND BUSINESS MEN. Dr. W. C. Cline & Son, Druggists, Brokers, and Dealers in Stock and Real Estate. Wm. C. Cline, M. D., was born in Lewis County, Virginia, July 20, 1825. He came to Ohio at the age of twelve years, began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Althar in 1847, graduated at Starling Medical College in 1851, since which time he has been in prac- tice in Wilkesville. (56) 56 By incessant industry, perseverance and bus- iness tact Dr. Oline has accumulated a large amount of property. He is one of the lead- ing Republicans of Vinton County, and his name has been frequently suggested for mem- bership in the legislature, but we suspect that he doesn't "see enough money in it;" that is, he has no time for such matters. Geo. W. Oline, the junior partner in the firm, is twenty-one years of age, educated at Wilkesville Normal Academy and Ohio Wes- leyan University. John Strong & Son, Merchants. John Strong is the son of Daniel Strong, one of the original settlers of Salem. Mr. Strong was born in 1822, educated at Oberlin, engaged for some time in the practice of law, but now for many years in business in Wilkesville. Finney Strong, the junior partner, is twen- ty-eight years old, educated at Wilkesville Academjr and Lebanon Normal School. He was formerly engaged in the drug business in McArtliur. 57 Marshall P. Oarr, Merchant, was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1828, began bus- iness life as a clerk in the store of H. G. Daniel, began business for himself about 1850, in 1854 moved to his present site, where for twenty years he has been a successful merchant. Mr. Carr is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. John Gillilan, Merchant, was formerly a teacher, during the war a captain in the 194th O. V. I., commenced present business in Wilkesville in 1872, is a prominent member and official in the Methodist Episcopal Church. John Miller, Merchant, successor to Miller & Bro., successors to Cline, Miller & Co. Mr. Miller is now about forty-two years of age; does by far the largest business in goods and produce that is done in or near Wilkes- ville, shipping over 30,000 dozen of eggs and 30,000 pounds of butter yearly. Mr. Miller is an elder in the Presbyterian Church and su- perintendent of its Sabbath-school. 58 H. H. Bishop, M. D., Physician and Drug- gist. Dr. Bishop was born in Harrison County, Ohio, April 1, 1818, graduated at Starling Medical College in 1847, and at University of Nashville in 18C5, served as assistant surgeon and was afterward a contract surgeon in the army. Hon. A. A. Soule. Mr. Soule was born in Maine in 1799. He volunteered in the army near the close of the war of 1812, but was not in active service. He came to Ohio in 1817, resided for some years in Washington County, where he married and afterward removed to Salem Center, came to Wilkesville in 1838, and has resided here since that time, with the exception of the time when he was manager of Buckeye Furnace. Although nearly sev- enty-five years old, he has, by temperate hab- its and prudent living, so far retained his strength as to be able to work upon his farm in a manner that would weary many a young man. Mr. Soule is a Democrat of the " strict- 59 est sect.'* He has repeatedly been elected County Commissioner, and represented Vinton County in the Ohio Legislature in 1870 and 1871. ' THE WILKESVILLE REPORTER, Be it recorded that Wilkesville did once have a paper. The first number of the Wilkes- ville Reporter was issued July 25, 1872. Chas. B. Taylor and Vinet E. Taylor, Editors and Publishers. The paper supported Gen. Grant for the Presidency during the campaign, and con- tinued thereafter as long as either of the edi- tors had a dollar left, when it went down with colors flying. We know not how to close this brief his- tory better than by an extract from our last editorial in the Reporter : " Our village has grown but slowly on ac- count of the few facilities which we have for communicating with the outside world. Never mind. We shall have a railroad some day, 60 and there may be a city here yet. As it is, we love the dear, quiet, old town, with its kind, warm-hearted people, and when it comes our time to leave this world, we want our bones to be laid in the old graveyard on the hill. Wherever our lot may be cast we shall never cease to feel a hearty interest in the prosperity of Wilkesville." TOWNSHIP OFFICERS, 1874. CLERK. George E. Cook. TREASURER. Ben. F. Williams. TRUSTEES. Phillip Miller, Abel Wells, Frank Keck. JUSTICES. Henry Hawk, J. N. Douglas, Charles Mulhoiland. SALEM. SALEM. CHAPTER I EARLY SETTLEMENT. The brief account which follows does not claim to be a history of Salem. I have simply gathered up a few items about the early settlers, which may save the future historian some trouble. About the beginning of the present cen- tuiy, Timothy Dexter, a merchant prince of Boston, purchased a large tract of land from the Ohio Company. Mr. Dexter had a num- ber of ships engaged in the East India trade, one of which had been commanded for years by Capt. Joseph Merrill. The faithfulness and integrity of Capt. Merrill had won Mr. Dex- (63) 64 ter's friendship, and finding that the captain was growing weary of a sea-faring life, he proposed to give him a farm in Ohio, if he would go to it and attend to the rest of the purchase. Merrill accepted the proposition and came to Salem about 1801, settling in the south- eastern part of the township. Capt. Merrill built the first frame house in what is now Meigs County. The weather- boarding was wild cherry, sawed with a whip saw, which he borrowed in Virginia. He re- mained in Salem but a few years, and then re- moved to Rutland. In the western part of the township the first settlement was made in 1803 by Judge Orasha Strong and his sons. Orasha Strong was born in Massachusetts, May 16, 1758. He served as a soldier through- out the war of the Revolution. He came to Ohio in 1797, resided in Athens till 1799, when he removed to Jackson and engaged in the making of salt, which was at that time a very 65 profitable business, as salt was worth $4.00 per bushel. He finally exchanged his inter- est in the salt works for a section of land in Salem and moved to it in May, 1803. He was the father of seven sons and three daughters, most of whom came with him and settled around him. One son, Hon. Jared Strong, re- mained at Jackson until his death. He was a prominent business man and represented Jackson County in the legislature. The residence of Orasha Strong was on the road leading from Wilkesville to Dexter Creek, near the present residence of J. J. Strong, Esq. Here he lived for twenty-eight years, was at one time Judge of the Court of Com- mon Pleas, saw his children prosperous around him and died July 14, 1831. Two of his sons, Jared and Ozias, married daughters of Col. Jehiel Gregory, of Athens. One of them, Mrs. Annis Strong, the widow of Ozias, still lives at the residence of her son, J. J. Strong. The first time that she was 66 in Salem was a short time before her mar- riage in 1811, when, in accordance with an j invitation from her brother-in-law, Jared Strong, she came to Salem and then went to Jackson to visit her sister. Going from Salem to Jackson they passed "Wells' Blacksmith Shop," below where Wilkesville now is, and that was the last house they saw till they ar- rived at Jackson, eighteen miles distant. Soon after the Strongs, William Parker and his family came to Salem, and in 1807 John Williams came. The localities inhabited by these early settlers can be told now by the streams which bear their names: Strong's Run, Parker's Run and Williams' Run. Dex- ter's Run, or Dexter Creek, was named by Capt. Merrill for Timothy Dexter. In 1814 Salem Township was organized. It then included Wilkesville and was a part of Gallia County. The first township election was held April 20, 1814. Rufus Wells was chairman of the meeting, and the following officers were elected: 67 Stephen Strong, Clerk, Daniel S. Strong, Treasurer. Rufus Wells, \ William White, y Trustees. Felix Grimes, J Ephraim Aleshire, "I Felix Grimes, / Fence Viewers ° William Green, ) William White, \ Overseers of the Poor. Zimri Wells, ) Ozias Strong, \ Gonsiah ^- Ozias Strong, j Peter Aleshire, \ A PP™™'™ Henry Due, Cushing Shaw, \ Justices The next year Wilkesville became a sepa- rate township and Adam Long was elected Justice of the Peace in place of Henry Due. His official life was very short and terminated 68 on this wise : Ozias Strong had a very jovial disposition and was an excellent mimic. Mr. Long was a German and spoke broken En- glish, a fact concerning which he was ex- tremely sensitive. Mr. Strong amused himself and some of the other fun-loving young men by mimicking Long's legal decisions in the German brogue. Teased beyond endurance, Adam resigned, saying that "he had no obsheckshuns to de office, but he would not be fooled and mocked mit Ozias.-' In 1816 there were thirty voters in the township and about one hundred and fifty in- habitants. I will here give the names and residences of the voters, with such facts regarding them as may be of interest: Dr. Hupp and his sons, Daniel and Emanuel Hupp, lived near Wilkesville, on the farm now occupied by Thomas Miller. Next came Orasha Strong and his sons, 69 John, Stephen, Elijah, Daniel, Ozias and Silas. But one of these is now living, Silas Strong, whose residence is in Rutland. John Strong was a man of great firmness of character and no small degree of mental ability. He was one of the founders and first elders of the Presbyterian Church in Wilkesville. Hon. Stephen Strong was, while he lived, probably the most influential of the brothers. There is a record on the township books of an ap- propriation of twenty dollars to pay the ex- penses of Stephen Strong while acting as agent at Columbus to secure the establish- ment of Meigs County. This was in the win- ter of 1818-19. He afterward represented Meigs County in the legislature. He built the old brick between Mr. Caywood's and Es- quire Joseph Strong's, where he resided till his death in 1834. Ozias Strong lived on the old homestead. He was Justice of the Peace for twenty -four consecutive years. He died in 1871. 70 Daniel S. Strong lived on the farm now owned by his son-in-law, J. H. Caywood. I re- member how he looked when at the age of more than fourscore, he would drive through the chilling rains of winter to attend to any business which he had. But even his iron constitution gave way at last. He died in 1867. John Williams lived where his grandson, Sanford Williams, now lives. Four of his sons are still living in the neighborhood — Jesse, John, Elisha and Reuben. The Williams family were noted for the part they took in the late war for the perpetuation of the Union and the freedom of the slave. All the Williams mentioned in the Salem war record are sons or grandsons of old John Wil- liams. Not far from the Williams' lived Peter Ale- shire and his sons, Ephraim and Peter, and John N. Spronse, a soldier of the war of 1812, who is still living in Wilkesville Township at the age of eighty-six. 71 Id the spring of 1816 Thomas P. Fogg be- gan a clearing at Salem Center, where he still resides. He did not really settle there till 1821, but was there part of the time. During those five years he went twice to New Orleans, returning by sea each time. Mr. Fogg was born in Maine, in 1794, and consequently is about eighty years old. He has experienced a great deal of physical suf- fering within the past few years, but retains his mental faculties to a remarkable degree. He has been a life-long temperance man, and in the days of slavery was an abolitionist. The underground railroad went right through Salem. At one time a newspaper at Lewisburg, Vir* ginia, published an offer of $2,000 as a reward "for the capture, dead or alive, of William Green, John Fordyce and Thomas P. Fogg, all of Salem, Ohio," accused of harboring slaves. Mr. Fogg speaks with justifiable pride of the fact that all four of his sons were soldiers 72 in the Union Army. The names of two of them will be found in the list of Salem's heroic dead. In the extreme southeastern part of the township lived Edward Williams and his three sons, Edward, William and Seely. The family has long since disappeared from Salem. Felix Grimes and Adam Long lived near each other on or near Dexter. Felix Grimes was one of the Irish patriots of 1797 and 1798. He came to this country with Blennerhasset, who was a cousin of Mrs. Grimes. I do not know the date of Mrs. Grimes' settlement in Salem, but it was very early. Mrs. Grimes was the first person to re- ceive Christian burial in Meigs County. Her remains lie on the farm owned by Mr. Har- kins, about a mile from Danville. Cushing Shaw lived in the same neighbor- hood. William Parker and his son, Ebenezer, and William Warner lived together on Par- ker's Run. 73 James Conner and his sons, John and James, lived further up Dexter. I do not know just where William Green lived. These were (I believe) all the voters of Salem in 1816. About 1817 Benjamin Leigh moved into the township, and in 1818 came Jacob Swett. After a long and exemplary- life Mr. Swett died in 1873 in his one hun- dredth year. John Darst came about 1817, and Mr. Fordyce about the same time. Mr. Fordyce is represented as being a " singularly- inoffensive man," but he and his family were eccentric and had very peculiar notions about religion and social science. The Fordyces had four children, named Alpha, Omega, Alle- luia and Peace. In 1819, upon the formation of Meigs County, a tier of sections was taken from Morgan Town- ship, Gallia County, and added to Salem. This gave Salem a number of new settlers. Among them was Arthur Ledlie, the father of Judge William Ledlie. 74 Mr. Ledlie came from Ireland in 1801, lived for a number of years in Philadelphia, where William was born, came to Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1815 and to Salem in 1816. He died in 1 838. William Ledlie was born in 1803. He lived in Rutland for a few years, but settled per- manently in Salem in 1825. He was formerly associate judge in Meigs County, and is known throughout Southern Ohio as leader of the old line Democracy. He has a wonderful memory of s dates, statistics and incidents. I do not know when I enjoyed an afternoon more heartily than the one which I spent "in- terviewing' 1 him at his own house. It is a singular fact that during his long life he has never owned a pocket-knife, watch, or gun. In closing this brief account I return special thanks to Mrs. Annis Strong, Mr. Fogg and Judge Ledlie for their information concerning the earlier times, and to Esquire Robert H. Brewster for his assistance in revising and correcting the war record. 75 Salem now contains about two thousand in- habitants. They are noted for their intelli- gence, and for the large number of books and periodicals which are read among them. The township officers are as follows: Cecil Fogg, Clerk. T. (x. Thompson, Treasurer. Robert H. Brewster, Wm. H. Strong, ) Trustees. S. S. Haines, Joshua Coburn, Joseph J. Strong, )> Justices. Robert H. Brewster, CHAPTER II. WAR RECORD. First Three Months' Service, The first men from Salem who sprang to arms at the President's call were Cecil Fogg, Geo. W. Williams, Henry Hoyd, E. Jasper Gorby, Eli Edmondson, T. S. Harkins and S. P. Gorby, all of the 18th Ohio. salem's heroic dead. 1. Benjamin Wood, 53d O. V. I., was killed at Shiloh, April 6, 1862. 2. Clarkson Fogg, 4th Va. I., was killed at Vicksburg, May 19, 1863. (76) 77 3. John Cort, 4th Va. L, was killed at Vicks- burg, May 22, 1863. 4. Theodore Edmondson, 36th O. V. I., was killed at the battle of South Mountain, Sep- tember 14, 1862. 5. Levi Little, 7th 0. V. 0., was killed at Blue Springs, East Tennessee, October 10, 1863. 6. Harvey Brown, 53d O. V. I., died May 17, 1864, of wounds received at Resaca. 7. Isaac Nelson, 7th O. V. C, died a prisoner at Andersonville. 8. Cyrus Nelson, 7th O. V. C, died a prisoner at Andersonville. 9. T. Smith Harkins, 53d O. V. I., died at Libby Prison. 10. John G. Busseil, 116th O. V. I., was cap- tured on the Lynchburg raid, and (probably) died at Richmond. 11. Jacob Butts, 116th O. V. L, died at Win- chester in 1863. 12. Austin Crowell, 53d O. V. L, died at Camp Diamond, Jackson, Ohio, 1861. 78 13. Jonathan Barrett, 53d O. V. I , died at Monterey, Tennessee, June 4, 1862. 14. Alexander Bain, 53d O. V. I., died at Fort Pickering, Tennessee, August 8, 1862. 15. T. Jefferson Aleshire, 53d O. V. I., died at Fort Pickering, January 6, 1863. 16. Henry H. (Jarr, 53d O. V. I., died at Pu- laski, Tennessee, March 26, 1864. 17. John Calvin Davis, 53d O. V. I., died (probably) on board a hospital steamer near Memphis, in 1862. 18. William Gorby, 53d O. V. I., died at Camp Dennison, June 30, 1864. 19. John Ogden, 53d 0. V. I., died at Cin- cinnati, August 21, 1862. 20. Zacariah Wiseman, 7th 0. V. 0., died at Lexington, Kentucky, April 20, 1863. 21. Isaac Meanor, 7th O. V. 0., died at Stan- ford, Kentucky, May 30, 1863. 22. Warren Coulter, 7th O. V. C, died at Knoxville, Tennessee. 23. Matthew Lowry, 19th Regulars, died a prisoner at Richmond. 79 24. Henry Norman, 7th 0. V.O., died in the service. 25. Henry Rife, 53d O. V. L, died at Oamp No. 6, Mississippi, May 17th. 1862. 26. John M. Halliday, 53d O. V. L, died at Portsmouth, Ohio. 27. P. M. Rumfield, 53d O. V. L, died at home on furlough. 28. James H. White, 36th O. V. I., died at Summerville, West Virginia, in 1861. 29. William Allen Ledlie, 90th O. V. I., died near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, April 20, 1863. 30. Joseph Tuttle, 53d O. V. L, died in ser- vice. - 31. Alfred Kent, 56th O. V. I., died at New Orleans. 32. Emanuel Kent, 56th O. V. L, died at Lit- tle Rock, Arkansas. 33. Wm. H. Gorby, 194th 0. V. L, died at Columbus, Ohio, 1865. 34. Calvin Roach, 194th O, V. I., died at Columbus, Ohio, 1865. 80 35. Stephen Fogg, marine service, died at home, Salem Center. 'SOLDIERS WHO RETURNED. 30th O. V. I. Ezra Knapp, Callahill Taylor, Piatt Piersol, Moses Taylor. 36th Ohio. Cecil Fogg, William P. Hall, Wm. H. H. Dyke, Wm. P. Coy, John H. Crowell, Mitchell Ward, Winneld Edmondson, Nelson Wood, Eli Davis, David H. Kent, George McKean. A brief account of the 36th will be found in the Wilkesville war record. 40th O.V. I. Benjamin F.Williams, J. Wesley Williams, George W. Williams, Henry Hoyd. 81 The boys served through the whole war, and were with Sherman from Chattanooga clear to the sea. Ben. F. Williams lost a leg at Ken- esaw Mountain. 19th Regulars. Taylor Coburn, Benjamin Hutchinson, G. W. Hampton, Andrew Sylvester. 53d O. V. I. Capt. D. T. Harkins, Capt. D. H. Lasiey, Lieut. E. J. Gorby, B. Franklin Addis, R H. Brewster, Alfred Brown, Nicolas M. Baird, Marion Brown, Charles Edmondson, William D. Gorby, Eli Edmondson, B. Franklin Gorby, Matthew T. Edmondson, John S. Gorby, James M. Edmondson, Samuel P. Gorby, Charles D. Russell, William Scadden, Drayton Hays, James Scadden, Boyd Lyle, John McCann, Isaac Lyle, James Oty, 82 Oliver Lyle, Eli Kife, Levi Shirkey, Clarks.on Williams, Harvey Williams, A. Curtis Williams, William H. Davis, James Arthur Williams, James H. Dyke, David Aleshire. The 53d was at Shiloh, was in the campaign which resulted in the capture of Atlanta, lost heavily at Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain and Dalton, went with Sherman to the sea, was the first regiment over the works at Fort Mc- Allister, and won Gen. Sherman's commenda- tion in a public order. 91st O. V. I. Wm. B. Savage, Henry Kent, Job Scott. Savage lost a leg, Kent lost an arm, Job managed to get home whole and hearty. They were good soldiers and belonged to a good regiment. 83 116 th" O. V. I. Brevet Major, J. 0. H. Cobb, Joseph F. Christy, John R. Steel, Joseph C. Stewart, Edward Lowry, John W. Harrison, Samuel R. Halliday, Joel Cummings, Edward H. Bradley, James A. Strong, Henry Weyand, J. Fitzpatrick. The 116th was in the Lynchburg raid under Hunter, and in the valley of the Shenandoah under Sheridan, at Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. 194th O. V. I. Eleven S. Might, John Might, Samuel Might, Elisha Kent, Henry Cameron, Jesse J. Williams, James C. Gorby, Cyrus Gorby, James Baker, William Mapes, Anson Phetteplace, John I. Hawk, 84 196 th O. V. I. Almon Rathburn, Wilson W. Edmondson, 4th Va. I. John Cort, Thomas Calhoun, Lewis Love. 7th O. V. C. John Wiseman, Martin Nelson, Joseph F. McCaskey, Wm. Burns, Joseph W. Thompson, Daniel Von Schriltz, Charles Lewis, Wm. L. Halliday, Burrill P, Wilson, Wm. Conkle, Anthony Haley, Martin Roup, George M. Spiers, Benj. F. Savage, Amos Dyke, Beaty Miller, James Smith, Franklin Stansbury, Harry Spiers, Jesse Edmondson, Robert D. Andrews, Joseph Johnson, Hiram Carr, James Dennison, Martin Scott, Isaac Jones, 85 Hiram Rumfield, John Scott, Samuel Llewelyn, Francis M. Corn, Elisha Andrews. The 7th was mustered into the service No- vember 3d, 1862, and served till the close of the war, principally in Kentucky and Ten- nessee, making a good record on the march and on the battle-field. 13 th 0. V. 0. Erastus R. Davis, Jr., Alexander Barrett, The 13th was in the James River Army and took part in the battles which resulted in the capture of Petersburg, Richmond and Lee's army. 7th Ohio Battery. Patrick Lynch, James Heacock. MISCELLANEOUS. Harmon Ooburn, 33d 0. V, I. Alvin Kent, 56th O, V, I. 86 Co. H. 140th O. N. G. By the kindness of Mrs. Strong, I have obtained the muster roll of Co. H., which will account for the fact that their names are given in better shape than the soldiers of other regiments : ^ Captain, Waldo R. Strong, 1st Lieut., Robert H. Brewster, 2d Lieut., Francis Strong. SERGEANTS. CORPORALS. John C. Thomas, Jackson J. Hutherford, Joseph Wells, William Parsons, John Longstreth, Robert Cristy, Theophilus G. Thomp- George W. Thompson, son, Stephen S. Nelson, James Stewart. James N. Paul, George W. Strong, Almon Rathburn. PRIVATES. John W. Amos, William W. Gorby, Matthew Chamberlain, Cyrus Gorby, 87 ! Joseph M. Cli amber- lain, George W. Corn, Allison C. Corn. Thompson Cottrill, Gilbert R. Chapman, Samuel H. Davis. Harrison Dyke, Waldo Fogg, William D. Gorby, Edmund Knapp, Hiel C. Mapes, Isaac McKinistry, Francis H. McKnight, Samuel Might, Stephen L. Might, Josiah Merritt, Rufus Merritt, William Montgomery, Joshua Morton, William Morton, George W. Morton, James C. Gorby, John I. Hawk, Philip Houk, Charles Hugg, Milo H. Jackson, Thomas L. Jackson, Edward Jackson, William P. Jones, James Piper, Benjamin Piper, William Scadden, Marcellus C. Smith, James M. Steele, Richard C. Stewart, James W. Taylor, Mahlon Taylor, William Vonschriltz, James M. Warren, Reuben Williams, Henry C. Williams, Francis J. Wyeth, Allen Edmondson, 88 Kichard Nelson, Joseph Vonschriltz, Hugh Ogden, Alvin Ogden, David Fainter, Jacob Peters, John Piper. The 140th were mustered into the service on the 10th of May, 1864, served at Charleston and other points on the Kanawha for four months. Two hundred and twenty-four men from Salem served in the army for the preservation of the Union and the freedom of the slave. Thirty-five fell in the battle or by disease; one hundred and eighty-nine returned. Well may Salem be proud of her war record. IN MEMORIAM. Captain Waldo R. Strong was born in Salem on the 27th of Jane, 1830. He was the son of Silas and grandson of Orasha Strong, and lived in Salem till his death. He was one of earth's nobility in appearance and character ; 89 six feet and an inch in height and straight as an arrow. A quiet, genial humor shone in his eyes and manifested itself in his voice, which in conversation was singularly musical. His business centered in Salem in his large stock farm, but he had an interest in the Middle- port Woolen Mill and Clifton Nail Works, and was a stockholder in, and director of the First National Bank, Pomeroy. He was captain of Go. H. 140th O. N. GL, and commanded them during their service on Kanawha. He died at Lebanon, Ohio, July 17th, 1869, after an illness of eleven days. The news of his death thrilled the whole community. It seemed scarcely possible that he, who had been so full of life and vigor but a few days before, was really gone. But while the present generation survives, the memory of Waldo R. Strong will not cease to be honored by the soldiers that served under him, his fellow-citizens who admired and respected him, and the many friends who devotedly loved him. \ :i (\ 7£ c- Wws ^\ "• ^ +Ar$ ^ ^0< \ n - ^ V & o - e „ O r ol>' 0* 0^ V > ^ ^°^ ■ ; v V y , k> ^ v* ^ V' ,* v o -4 ^ _ 3 & 74 SftsS^ N. MANCHESTER. INDIANA V <»,™*«* n0' 'V ♦ \'< V