Henry County Genealogical Society Newsletter
Volume 5, Number 3, May-June 1991
MEETINGS
May 20, 1991, Monday, 7:00 pm
Lolita Guthrie, Wood County Chapter OGS, will present a program on cemetery law and cemetery preservation. Wood County has put together a good resource package for cemetery preservation. Join us for an evening of information.
June 17, 1991, Monday, 7:00 pm
The June meeting will be a cemetery recording work night. We have chosen Wright Cemetery at Liberty Center for this work session. Please bring paper for recording, black pen, clip board, insect repellent, etc. Rain date will be Monday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. DIRECTIONS: St. Rt. 109 to Liberty Center, then west on Cherry St. Cemetery is on south side of road just beyond ball field.
CEMETERY BOOK
The Damascus Twp. and Washington Twp. cemetery inscription book has been completed and should be ready for sale by June 1, 1991. This book includes Hockman, North U. B., Olive Branch, Weimer, Texas, Heath-Colton, Mohler-Union, and Showman cemeteries and burial plots. This book has 170 pages and will sell for $10.00 plus $2.00 postage.
DESHLER FLAG OBITUARIES
Volume II of the Deshler Flag Obituaries is nearly completed and ready for publication. This book will cover issues from 1906 through 1912 and should be ready for sale some time this summer. It has 90 pages of obituaries plus an index. It will be priced at $8.00 plus $2.00 postage.
QUERIES
RETTIG, PFIEFER
Searching for obituary of Michael Rettig d. 22 APR 1872 and Gertrude (Pfiefer) Rettig d. 27 FEB 1881.
—-Mrs. Rex (Mildred) Northcut, Carlisle, AR 72024
SNYDER, SHARP, REED, HULBERT, WILLIAMS
Researching families of Joseph and Mary (Snyder) Sharp, Henry and Medora (Reed) Sharp, and Allen and Carrie (Hulbert) Williams.
—-Betty M. Sharp, Monroe, MI 48161-2142
DID YOU KNOW?
We need more queries from you? One of the services we like to provide for our members is queries. But we cannot do it without your support. If each member would send in two queries a year we would have over 140 queries to print. Currently we print less than 20 a year! Please submit your query to Newsletter Editor .
HISTORY OF PLEASANT TOWNSHIP, 1888
(abstracted from History of Henry and Fulton Counties, Ohio, edited by Lewis Cass Aldrich)
Of the early organization of this township it appears that no written records are preserved, but in common with many other of the county’s civil divisions, the early records have been neglected and allowed to become destroyed or lost.
The township occupies a position in the extreme southwestern part of the county and its territory was formerly embrace within Flat Rock. The earliest settlers in this locality were George A. Hofricker, Henry Saur, Frederick Loesch, George Dirr, Andrew Gardner and Peter Grimm, who came here in the year 1836. The following year, 1837, there were others, some of whom can be recalled. They were John P. Hornung, George A. Young, Adam Minsell, John Friberger and Paul Renolet. From this time down to 1844 there were Casper Mangas and his sons Peter, Jacob and Henry; Paul Eding and his sons Gerhart (Jared) and Harmon; Theobold Bolley, George and Daniel Wolfe, John Bates, John Helrich, Stephen Byal, John Wilhelm, Daniel Desgranges, Frederick Martz, James Shasteen (the first justice of the peace), Henry Schall and John Diemer, all heads of families, with exception of the sons of Mangas and Eding. About 1840 Mr. Easterbrook, an Englishman, taught the first school in the settlement and continued three or four winter terms of three months each. While thus engaged he wrote a pamphlet biography of his life, styling himself David Crocket second. Among other things it contained reminiscences of his teaching among the “benighted beings,” as he styled them, of the wilds of Henry county. James E. Scofield, the writer hereof, followed him as teacher of the same school in 1844-5, two winter terms, of three months each, and remembers many of the inhabitants of that time, together with many of his pupils, including his wife, then a school girl ten years his junior. Here may be given the names of the younger heads of families, some of whom have married daughters of the first settlers: John Hofrieter, Joseph Schneider (a shoemaker), Henry Dirr, George Dirr, John Bawman, Charles Kesselmeyer (a wagon maker), and perhaps other names not remembered. The following are names of remembered pupils, now old men and women, having well improved farms and families of grown children, some of whom settled for themselves on farms and others in villages and cities, in business; George N. Wolf, Harmon Eding, Henry Grimm, Peter Grimm (deceased), William Saur, John Loesch, Henry Loesch, Meni Loesch, Adam Loesch (deceased), Andrew Loesch, Margaret Saur, Caroline Wolf, Elizabeth Wolf, Daniel Wolf, Phillip Dorider, John M. Young, Elizabeth Grimm (deceased), Henry Bates (deceased), Paul Heisch and others perhaps whose names are not remembered, children then between the ages of four and twenty years, and attending school.
It is supposed this township was detached from Flat Rock in the year 1843. It was then a howling wilderness of water, frogs, wolves, bear, deer, turkeys, coon and other animals of various kinds, all of which have now disappeared, and this vast wilderness, by the energy of its inhabitants, made to blossom like the rose. The records of Flat Rock township show names of heads of families residing in town three, north of range six east, now Pleasant township, then attached to Flat Rock. Their children, that is of the families, enumerated for public schools in the year 1838, were as follows: Joseph Waddel, 1 male; Casper Mangas, 4 males; Peter Hornung, 1 male and 1 female; Peter Hornung, jr. 1 female; _____ March, 4 males; G.A.Hofrickter, 2 males, 1 female; George Dirr, 1 female; Peter Grim, 2 males, 5 females; John Friberger, 1 male, 4 females; David Dorider, 2 males, 2 females; John Bates, 2 males 1 female; _____ Helrich, 1 male, 1 female; in all 22 males and 19 females; total 41 children between the ages of four and twenty years.
In the four original surveyed townships, three and four north of ranges six and seven, east, Flat Rock, Pleasant, Marion, Monroe, all these included in Flat Rock, contained 56 male and 51 female school children; total 107. None of these children were then enumerated in three and four, north of range 7, east, now Marion and Monroe. After the detachment of Pleasant and Marion from Flat Rock, Marion remained in Pleasant for a time (from recollection of the oldest inhabitants). It is known that James Shasteen was the first justice of the peace and officiated as such in 1844. Who were the first trustees and clerk is not certainly known, but it is supposed that Henry Schall was first clerk, and also justice of the peace for thirty-nine years in succession. It is also supposed that Theobold Bolley was first treasurer. The writer well remembers that he was treasurer in 1844-5, from the fact of drawing his wages as school teacher from him.
There are no churches in either village in the township, but in the vicinity near, erected before their existence. The German Methodist, a fine, roomy frame building, situated a short distance north of Pleasant Bend and northwest of New Bavaria, near to both places, and well attended. The German Reformed, a larger, more expensive and commodious brick building, is located on the Ridge wagon road, about one mile west of New Bavaria. It is accessible from both villages and vicinity. It has a large membership and is well attended. It has mounted in its belfry a large, expensive bell of modern manufacture.
Nicholas Laubenthal, the present clerk of the township, lives about two miles east from New Bavaria, along the Ridge wagon road. He is engaged in merchandising and sale of agricultural machinery and wagons; also, he is engaged in farming and saw-milling — the latter when water is plenty, which is not in good supply only part of the year. A little farther east of him is now being erected a Catholic church edifice, of brick, at an estimated cost of twenty-four thousand dollars. This building is to replace the old one destroyed by fire some time ago. The society have a large membership, many of whom come from a long distance.
Peter Mangus, one of the foremost farmers and stock dealers of the township, commenced business for himself about the year 1844; then a poor young man, without any capital except his hands and energy. Now he has one of the finest farms, of about one hundred and eighty acres, with good buildings and all necessary implements for modern farming; besides this he has other wild lands. In about 1851-2 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Jackman. They have raised a large family of boys, who have left parental roof, except the younger ones, whose ages range from fourteen to eighteen years, and are yet under the care of kind and indulgent parents. The same may be said of Henry Dirr and family. These gentlemen and the writer were much together in the early days of settlement of this township. Much might be said of many others of later date.
Pleasant township is traversed from northwest to southeast by a beautiful ridge, which enters on the west line of section seven, one and a half miles south of the northwest corner; thence passing through the central part through sections seven to seventeen, part of sixteen, through twenty-one and twenty-two, and corners of twenty-three and twenty-seven, through twenty-six and twenty-five, where it passes out some distance north of southeast corner into Marion township. At a very early time there was a wagon road survey along this ridge for ingress and egress, which extended from Defiance and Independence, — the latter a small village four miles east of Defiance, — to Maderia, in Putnam county, where was erected a steam flouring-mill. Maderia, like Independence, is among the things of the past. Settlement was first made along the ridge. From this ridge the land immediately descends into lowlands on either side, which is of very rich soil. The ridge was crossed in many places by swales and rivulets which are now made into artificial creeks, thereby making an excellent drainage outlet, thus rendering available an immense quantity of as good farming land as is in this or any other State. Along this road the very first settlements were made, as the vicinity afforded very passable roads. The land had also dry places enough for immediate farming, as fast as the woods could he cleared away, thereby giving the settler an early crop.
CENSUS
by definition: census – an official enumeration of population
by law: Article 1, section 2 of the Constitution of the United States provided for a count of the population “within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years . . .”
A useful tool for genealogists, the U.S. census is the source of many names dates, and locations of those tracing family history. Mandated by the U.S. Constitution on March 1, 1790, the first U.S. census was taken on August 2, 1790. Each enumerator, or counter, recorded only the name of the head of family at the “usual place of abode.” In 1790 the “head of family” was described as the “master, mistress, steward, overseer, or other principal person” of a residence. All other persons were noted by tally marks except untaxed Indians. The following categories were listed on the 1790 census: name of head of family, free white males 16 years and upward, free white males under 16, free white females, all other free persons, and slaves. The population for the U.S. in, 1790 was 3.92 million people. The Northwest Territory, of which Ohio was a part, was not included in this census.
Ohio was included in the 1800 census and had a population of 45,365. Over half (25,006) of the population was under the age of 16 years. By 1810 the population had reached 230,760. In 1820 the population was over half a million at 581,434 people. Henry County does not appear appear as its own district in any of these enumerations.
The fifth census was taken on June 1, 1830. By then the U. S. population had reached 12.9 million people. The Ohio total was 937,903 people. Henry County, enumerated under its own district, had a population of 262 people. The county was divided into two enumeration districts, Richland and Damascus. The breakdown of statistics included 120 females, 142 males, one deaf and dumb person over age 25, one blind person over age 25, and 9 aliens not naturalized. Even though the average life expectancy was 45 years, Henry County recorded one female over the age of 100 years.
In 1840 census day was June 1. The U.S. population had climbed to 17.1 million and the Ohio population had reached 1.5 million. Henry County had grown, too. The total population had increased to 2,503 and the county was divided into seven enumeration districts.
The first six census counts, from 1790-1850, were overseen by federal marshals. Local records were sent to federal district courts. In 1850 the first census office was set up in Washington, D.C. However, it was disbanded after each decennial count was complete.
The 1870 census was the last census overseen by federal marshals. Political favors and population miscounts led to the change. In 1902 a permanent federal agency with a permanent staff was set up in Washington. The new office, Bureau of the Census, was initially established as part of the Department of the Interior. The Bureau was moved to the Department of Labor in 1913 and remains there today.
Over the years the census has undergone many changes: from door-to-door enumerators to self-enumerating questionnaires, from a 56 page report in 1790 to a 1203 volume report in 1970, from a few enumerators for the entire country to thousands of employees during a census year, from naming only head of household to naming every resident of the U.S. regardless of race, status, or place of abode. These changes have only helped the genealogist find clues to a persons past.
HENRY COUNTY, RICHLAND TOWNSHIP, 1830, from the Fifth Census of the United States Population Schedules, Ohio
The first image at the left is the 1830 census. If you can correct any mistakes in the transcription, please email us with the correction.
Pierce Evans, John Hively, George Little, Isaac Braucher, Benjamin Groves, Thomas Brown, James Richardson, Eli Markly, Silvester Carvin, William _han Samuel Kepler, Elijah Gunn, Cyrus Hunter, William Bowin, John Butler, John Brandon, Lavina M_rr_th__, Jacob Little, Jacob Davidson, William Shasteen, Edmond Shasteen, Edward Hughes, Michael Hively, William Durham, Peter Little.
HENRY COUNTY, DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP, 1830, from the Fifth Census of the United States Population Schedules, Ohio
The image to the left is of Damascus Township. If you can correct any mistakes in the transcription, please email us with the correction.
Charles Gunn, David Bucklin, John Patrick, Samuel Bowers, Samuel Vance, Carver Gunn, Osman Gunn, Christopher Cooper, Haslington Plummer, Henry Scribner, Jacob Delong, Peter Keith, Jacob Brown, John Delong, William L. Ballenger.
From the Northwest, Napoleon, Ohio:
14 June 1854
On Wed morning the 7th inst. by Bishop Kirk, Mr. Wm. J. McKinnie to Miss Elizabeth G. dau. of J. G. Henry Esq. of this place (from Youngstown, Ohio Free Democrat)
Orrin D. Morse, Adm. of estate of Benjamin F. Reed
George P. Crosby appointed Adm. of estate of Jonas Pratt, dec’d.
26 July 1854
In Monroe Twp. on the 23d ult. by B. Phifer Esq. Mr. Jacob Edwards to Miss Anna Bickford.
On the 24th ult. in Harrison Twp. by the same, Mr. Horace Hull to Miss Ann E. Sanders.
Cholera in Perrysburg – disease undoubtedly brought to that place by persons sick with it who had fled from Utah a suburb of Toledo. Up to Friday evening the 21st last the number of deaths amounted to 27.
Died – William Chase Brownell, aged 40 or 49?, 9 mos., 18 days, one of the pioneers of Henry County. Fall of 1834 left Eastern NY, wife died 1842.
Cholera in Defiance – Ellen Welch aged 35, David Kishler aged 40, John McCully aged 45, german woman; Eli Clermer’s child, aged 12, german woman, Peter M. Dodd’s wife, aged 40, John McColly’s wife aged 40, John McColly’s child aged 6 months, Mrs. Bell’s boy Scott aged 7 years. Kishler stopped off a boat from Toledo on Saturday and died that night across the Auglaize. His wife, dau. of Jno. Karnes died two weeks ago of consumption. McCully’s habits were such as to render him peculiarly to the disease. The children of McCully and Clermer though within the influence did not die of cholera.
Deshler Flag, November 10, 1911:
When a Man in Dead. A Missouri editor refuses to publish obituary notices of people who, when living, failed to subscribe for his paper. He says, “People who do not take their home paper are dead anyway, and their mere passing away is of no news value.
Deshler Flag, February 3, 1911:
C. J. Heller, better known here as “Cad,” and a son of Comrade George Heller formerly of this place, who now lives in Napoleon, was in town last Saturday visiting friends in the “old town,” and favored this office with a subscription call.
His visit called to mind a little piece of past history that is of vast interest to Deshler and Mr. Heller, a fact that he was the first white child born in Deshler, and it is no wonder that he likes to come back and see his old home.
Cad is now with the Electrical Crane Co. of Toledo, which business calls him to various parts of the United States and he seems to be enjoying both health and prosperity.
Deshler Flag, October 20, 1911:
DEATH’S RICH HARVEST. Among the Old Veterans of Ohio During September. Two hundred and twenty-nine veterans of the civil war in Ohio answered the last roll call during September, according to the report of Col. W. L. Curry, United States pension agent. There were also 104 death of widows of veterans reported during the past month. Survivors of the war now living in Ohio number 52,373, and the September payment of pensions by the local office was $3,823,131.72.
