Mar 26

Early Liberty Township Earmark Descriptions, part 2

A couple weeks ago I listed the farmers (A-K surnames) who registered earmarks in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, in the mid-1800s and below is the remainder of those earmark registrations. Their registered earmarks are written in the Liberty Township Estray Book, which also recorded stray livestock in the township.

The Liberty Township Estray Book is a very old book and Jacob Deutch registered the first earmark in the township on 15 June 1842.

Liberty Twp Book of Marks/Estray

Most of the livestock was free-range at that time and sometimes they wandered off the farm. Fences were scarce at first, but distinctive patterns and marks on an animal’s ear would identify a farmer’s livestock. Each farmer registered his earmark for his hogs, sheep, and cattle with the township clerk. And of course there was a fee to record an earmark. In 1860 it cost 25 cents to record an earmark in Liberty Township.

Many times, a farmer’s specific earmark was transferred to another farmer for one reason or another, say if he moved. Some marks were transferred several times.

Below is the list of registered Liberty Township earmarks, L-Z surnames, from the Liberty Township Estray book.

Lee, Amos 4 Apr 1853: a square crop off the right ear with and under bit from the same ear (trans to John Meyer 1 May 1869)
Leibrick, Andrew 23 May 1865: 2 slits in the right ear & 1 slit in the left ear
Leininger, Samuel 1 Apr 1867: an under half crop in the right ear & an upper bit in the same (trans to N Lenhard 2 Jan 1872)
Lenhart, Nicholas 2 Jan 1872: an under half crop off the right ear & a notch out of the upper side of the same
Lewis, Reuben Martin 2 Feb 1863: a square crop off the left ear & 2 slits in the same & under bit in the right ear
Lininger, Jacob 28 May 1859, under half crop from the right ear,
Lininger, John 8 Apr 1859: a square crop off the left ear & a swallow fork in the right ear (trans to Adam Dickes 11 Oct 1869)
Linn, Jacob 18 Jul 1876: a square crop of the left ear & a slit in the lower side of the right ear
Linn, Philip 17 Jul 1876: a square upper half crop of the left ear
Long, Jonathan 1 Feb 1851: a crop of the right ear & a slit in the same & an under bit in the left ear (trans to George Bollenbacher [no date])
Marts, Anthony 15 Nov 1860: a hole in each ear
Maurer, Nicholas 1 Jul 1866: a swallow fork in the right ear
May, Alexander W 4 April 1853: a square crop off the left ear & an under bit from the same (trans to Philip Wendel 17 Mar 1871)
May, Elias 9 Dec 1864: an upper half cross out of each ear
Mertz, J D 26 Apr 1866: a square notch out of the under side of the left ear  (trans to Frank Fissel 26 Feb 1881)
Miller, Andres 15 Dec 1846: a square crop of the left ear & a slit in the right ear
Miller, Andrew 12 May 1843: a hole in the left ear & a slit in the right (trans to John A Fisher 18 Nov 1850; trans to Chris Fisher 3 Apr 1871)
Mizner, Georg W 6 Nov 1852: an under slope from each ear
Mizner, William L 19 May 1868: an under slope of each ear & a slit in the right ear
Mahony, Daniel 17 Jun 1867: 2 slits in each ear
Myer, John (Skeels X-Rd) 7 Apr 1873  (trans from Henry Dixon): an under bit from each ear
Oliver, J R 7 Apr 1873  (trans from W A VanHorn): an under notch out of the left ear
Plants, Tobias 13 Apr 1852: under slope out of each ear, the whole length of the ear; crop off the left ear & upper and under bit on right ear (trans to S Wilson 13 September 1870)
Price, Isaac M 11 Oct 1842: a crop off the right ear  (trans to Henry ? 8 Oct 1867; trans to Frederik Randers [no date])
Proutz, Simon 10 Mary 1866: a swallow fork in the left ear (transferred to Peter Strable 1 May 1865)
Rice, Edward 8 Nov 1855: an upper bit out of each ear
Rider, Sylvester 16 Jan 1842: a crop off the left ear with a slit in the same & a swallow fork in the right ear (vacated by his removal from township Jan 1843)
Schaadt, Adam 31 May 1884: an upper half crop of the right ear
Schadt, Jacob 6 Dec 1872: an under bit from the left ear
Shultz, Adam 1 Apr 1867: a hole in the right ear & an upper half crop in the left ear
Siez, Jacob 14 Apr 1868: a square crop off the left ear (trans to Jacob Hinton 3 Dec 1869)
Skeels, Ansel 5 Apr 1852: one notch out of the upper part of the left ear (trans to Peter Bockoven [no date])
Skeels, Hiram 5 Apr 1852: one notch out of upper part of right ear (trans to Jacob Wendel  [no date])
Skeels, Sylvester 7 Apr 1842: a square crop and slit in the left ear & an under bit in the right ear  (trans to John Myers grocer 29 May 1871)
Smith, Andy 18 Sep 1857: a square crop from the right ear & a slit in each ear (trans to Philip Smith 4 Apr 1870)
Smith, John 18 Sep 1857: a square crop off the right ear & slit in the same & upper half crop in left ear.
Smith, Philip (trans from Andy Smith 4 Apr 1870): a square crop from the right ear & a slit in each ear
Smythe, George 1 Feb 1856: a square crop off the left ear with an upper notch and slit in the right ear
Stein, Joseph 27 Oct 1865: 2 slits in the right ear
Strable, Peter (trans from Simon Proutz 1 May 1865): a swallow fork in the left ear **P1010464
Thomas, Joseph (trans from Jesse Weaver>W.H. Leudserf 19 May 1870): a square crop off the right ear & a slit in the stump
Thorp, Job 8 May 1871 (trans from Samuel Dixon): a square crop from the right ear & swallow fork under bit in the left
Tresel, Henry 25 Feb 1871: a square crop off the left ear with a slit in the same & an under bit in the right ear
VanHorn, William 20 Mar 1858: an under notch out of the left ear (trans to J R Oliver 7 April 1873)
Waters, Arnold 13 Apr 1867: a square crop off the right ear & a slit in the under side of the left ear (trans to Christian Kessler Jr 4 April 1870)
Watkins, Wm F 24 Dec 1841: a crop off each ear and a slit in each  (trans to John Harold 25 November 1850)
Weaver, Jesse 12 Dec 1856: a square crop off the right ear & a slit in the stump (trans to W.H. Leudserf 20 May 1865; trans  to Joseph Thomas 19 May 1870)
Wendel, Jacob 28 Jan 1876: a notch out of the upper part of the right ear
Wendel, Philip 17 Mar 1876: a square crop of the left ear & an under bit in the same
Willrath, Yokim 29 Mar 1869: a square crop off the left ear with an under notch out of the same and a slit in the right ear (trans to Ferdinand Kesler 4 Apr 1870)
Wilson, H K 13 Sep 1870 (trans from Tobias Plants): under slope out of each ear, the whole length of the ear; a square crop off the left ear & upper and under bit on right ear
Wilson, Theophilus 6 Jan 1843: a crop off the left ear & a slit in the right ear (Trans to Jesse Young 10 Feb 1846)
Wineman, J G 6 Jun 1874: a square crop off the right ear with a hole in the same
Wisenborn, John F 26 Jun 1883: 2 slits in each ear
Wishon, Philip N 19 Mar 1857: a hole and under bit in the left ear & a swallow fork in the right ear  P1010464
Wright, David B 13 Nov 1860: an under bit from the left ear (trans to John B. Duer 27 Oct 1865)
Wright, Owen 26 March 1849: a square crop of the right ear & a swallow fork in the left (trans to Philip Hooper 28 Apr 1848; trans to Jacob Tawnig 30 Nov 1853)

I showed examples of earmarks in the previous blog post, Early Liberty Township Earmark Descriptions.

Yet another piece of Mercer County history.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

 

Mar 12

Early Liberty Township Earmark Descriptions

I have written about Mercer County’s old Liberty Township Estray Book three other times. [1]  The book dates back to the mid-1800s and pertains to livestock in the township.

1842 Liberty Township Estray Book

The Liberty Estray Book has two purposes. The first part of the book describes the township estrays, i.e. found or missing livestock. The first entry is that of Jacob Deutsch, 1 January 1842, who found three strays–a black mare with a bay colt and a bay mare.

The rest of the book is the registration of livestock earmarks for the Liberty Township farmers. Unfortunately, some pages have been torn out of the back of the book.  

During that time period, most livestock roamed free-range and they sometimes wandered off the farm, an easy thing to do if there were not many fences. The age-old solution was to mark their ears. Animal’s ears were easy to see and cutting marks in distinctive patterns on one or both ears was a good way to identify a farmer’s livestock. Each farmer registered his own earmark for his hogs, sheep, and cattle with the township clerk. One earmark was used for all three animals. That way there was no question to whom the livestock belonged. They specifically mention earmarks for hogs, sheep, and cattle, but not horses. I guess they did not disfigure horses’ ears. 

Many times, a farmer’s specific earmark was transferred to another farmer for one reason or another, for example when he moved out of the area. Some marks were transferred several times as time went on.

And of course there was a fee to record an earmark. In 1860 it cost 25 cents to record an earmark in Liberty Township.

Earmarks are usually described with the left ear pattern first, then the right ear pattern, but the Liberty Township clerk did not always follow this method. The position of the cut on the ear (upper edge, lower edge, tip) and the type of cut (notch, split, crop) combine to create the full description.

Some common earmark terms used in Liberty’s Estray Book:
Crop: Removal of the entire tip of the ear
Split: A cut from the edge toward the center of the ear
Bit: A small V-shaped notch
Under Bit: A small V-shaped notch on the lower edge
Over Bit: A small V-shaped notch on the upper edge
Slope/Under Slope: An angled cut removing part of the ear edge
Swallow Fork: A V-shaped cut from the tip creating a forked appearance

When looking at the examples below, the left ear is shown on the left side of the image and the right ear on the right-as if you’re looking at the animal from behind:

Earmark examples I

Earmark Examples II

Earmark Examples III

Earmark Example IV

Earmark Examples V

Earmark Examples VI

Later, in the estray portion of the book, found livestock was identified by their earmark. So the earmark system worked.

It is a challenge to go through the book. The pages are not numbered and there is no index. The first 30 pages are the estrays, then the earmark registrations begin with the year 1883. After nine pages of earmarks going back in time to 1871 there is a page entitled Book of Marks, which begins with Philip Deutch in 1842. The next entry is Philip Bolton, 1841. Registrations continue in order by year for another 20 pages, through 1870, to the end of the book, where some pages have been torn out.

Apparently when the clerk began recording in the book in 1841 he left nine pages blank between the estrays and the earmarks. When he got to the end of the book in 1871, recording earmarks, he went back to the beginning of the earmarks section and recorded earmarks, backwards, working his way toward the front of the book, using the nine blank pages, until he got back to the end of the estray section in 1883, when the book was full. It is a little different recording system but I managed to figure it out.

Some townships and counties made diagrams of their earmarks:

Earmark diagrams in old book

But there are no diagrams in this book, which makes me wonder how the clerk kept track of all the earmarks. How did he know which marks were already registered?

I would imagine there was another earmark registration book, maybe at the county level, that is arranged differently with illustrations.

In the early years earmarks were often recorded in the county court minutes or in specific volumes and were later recorded in books such as Record of Marks books. I don’t know how many of these books survived and it is fortunate that this book is still intact. It is a great piece of Mercer County history.  

Book of Earmarks, Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio, 1841

If your ancestor lived in Liberty Township in the mid-1800s, he may be listed below and you can see what his registered earmark was and the date it was registered. Note, look for alternate name spellings. Some of the names in the book are difficult to read and I transcribed them the best I could, as they were written and spelled.

Albright, John G 14 Feb 1843: square crop off each ear (trans to John Lininger 11 Oct 1859)
Alt, Adam 5 Nov 1877: hole in the left ear & upper bit in same ear
Alt, Frederick 10 Jan 1877: a square crop of each ear & a slit in each ear
Alt, John 1 Dec 1877: a square crop of the left ear & upper bit in right ear
Alt, John 13 Nov 1865: one square notch out of the upper side of the right ear; 1 Dec 1877: his earmark changed & trans to John Alt: a square crop of the left ear & upper bit in right ear
Anders, Frederick 7 Mar 1865: a square crop off the right ear (trans to Henry V Hinton 14 Apr 1865)
Anselment, John 3 Apr 1874: a square crop off each ear with an under notch out of each
Anselment, Lewis 24 Jul 1863: a slit in each ear
Arbaugh, Horace B 17 Mar 1851: a slit in each ear & an under bit in the right (trans to John C Brehm 1 Feb 1866)
Bacher, John 16 Oct 1851: upper half crop of each ear (trans to John J Schaadt 3 Nov 1868)
Bacher, Philip 16 May 1851: upper half crop /left ear; under half crop/right ear
Baker, Jacob 27 Jul 1865: a hole in the right ear and an under half crop from the left ear
Baker, John 6 Aug 1855: a square crop in the right & under slope in the left (trans to Nicholas Hider 9 Sep 1865)
Bance, John 18 Aug 1866: a swallow fork in the left ear and an upper bit in the same ear
Baurer, Michael 6 Apr 1863   (trans to Nicholas Hider 9 September 1865)
Beach, Hiram 26 Nov 1854: a square crop from the left ear & a notch from the upper side of the right (trans to Mary Wernet 13 September 1870)
Betzel, Frederick 4 Apr 1853: a square crop off each ear with 2 slits in each ear & and under bit for each ear
Beverstine, Abraham 15 Nov 1876: a swallow crop in the right ear
Bock, Leonard 24 Jul 1867: two holes in each ear
Bolenbacher, Adam 14 Feb 1843: square crop off the right ear, a slit in the left
Bollenbacher, Jacob 5 May 1881, square crop of the right ear, two slits in the left ear
Bollenbacher, John Jacob 17 Nov 1876: a square crop of the left ear and slit in same & under bit in right ear
Bollenbaucher, George Jr 6 Mar 1860, square crop off each ear & a slit in the right
Bollenbaucher, Jacob 10 May 1866: a square crop off the right ear & an under bit in the left 
Bollenbaugh, Adam Jr 6 May 1865: an under half crop of the left ear
Bollenbaugh, George Sr 4 Apr 1853: a crop off the right ear & a slit in the same, under bit in the left ear
Bolton, Philip 15 Jun 1841: a crop of the left ear & a slit in the right ear (trans to Theophilus Wilson 6 Jan 1843)
Bolton, Philip 1843: a crop off the left ear with a slit in the same & a swallow fork in the right ear (trans to Fredrick Kable 24 Nov 1860)
Brahm, John 20 Jun 1873: a slit in each ear with a hole in the right ear
Brechheiser, Martin 10 May 1865: a slit in the left ear and a hole in the right ear
Brehm, John C 9 May 1878: one slit in each ear & an under bit in the right ear
Brehm, Peter 15 Mar 1884: a hole in the ear and upper half crop in the left ear
Burger, Michael 20 Apr 1865: a square crop off the left ear & a slit in the lower side of the right ear (trans to Joseph Felver 1 Apr 1867; trans to Jacob Linn 18 Jul 1876)
Carmony, Henry 11 Oct 1842: a square crop off the left ear (trans to Peter Fisher 10 Feb 1846)
Chapman, John H 20 Apr 1852: sloping crop off the under part of the right ear
Coon, Henry 29 May 1852 (trans from Elisha Horton?): a [square] crop off the left ear & a slit in the stump
Cox, Benjamin 3 Apr 1843: upper half crop of the left ear (trans to Philip Linn 17 Jul 1876)
Daily, Thomas G 15 Jan 1866: a square crop off the right ear and two slits in the left ear
Deaner, Frederic 3 Mar 1865: an under half crop out of each ear
Deitsch, Jacob Sr 1 May 1846  (trans to John Deitsch 28 Jan 1876): 2 slits in the left year
Deitsch, Jacob 21 Dec (trans to John G. Brumen? 20 Oct 1864): a crop of each ear and two slits in each ear
Deitsch, John 28 Jan 1876  (transferred to Anton Feissel 21 Nov 1884): 2 slits in the left ear
Deutch, Jacob 25 Aug 1841: a crop off the right ear with a hole in the left
Deutch, Philip 15 Jun 1842: a square crop off the left ear with a hole in the right ear
Diekes, Mary M 23 Jul 1860: square crop off the right ear & under bit in the left ear (trans to M. Kutsch [no date])
Diekes, Rinehart 23 Jul 1860: a square crop off the right ear & upper half crop off the left ear (trans to John B Drier Oct 1860)
Ditsch [Deitsch] Wm, 1 May 1846: a square crop of the right ear & a half crop of the left
Dixon, Amos 31 Mar 1857: a crop from the right ear & a slit and under bit from the left ear (trans to Henry Grote 9 Apr 1869)
Dixon, Henry 7 Apr 1866: an under bit in each ear; later in book, same date, recorded as a square crop off the right ear & a square notch out of the under side of the right ear
Dixon, Henry 8 Apr 1861: and under bit from each ear (trans to John Myer 7 Apr 1873)
Dixon, Samuel 8 Jun 1855: a square crop from the right ear & swallow fork and under bit in the left (trans to Job Thorp 8 May 1871)
Emerick, Philip 6 Apr 1874: a square crop off the right ear & under notch in the same & an upper notch in the left ear
Feipel, Anton 21 Nov 1884: two slits in the left ear
Fidlir, John 6 Apr 1854: a square crop off the left ear & a swallow fork in the right ear (trans to John Cox 16 Nov 1854)
Fieldheizer, George 22 Oct 1847: a swallow fork in each ear (trans to Jacob Hoffman 19 Nov 1850)
Fieper [Feipel], Nick 16 Feb 1879: one hole in the left ear & upper half crop of right ear
Fipiel [Feipel], Frank 26 Feb 1881, a square notch out of the underside of the left ear
Fisher, John 5 Apr 1842: a slit in the right ear (trans to Henry Doner 8 Apr 1859)
Fisher, Peter 7 Jan 1843: a slit in the left ear (trans to Mathas Kutch 2 Feb 1871)
Freeman, Danl 15 Jun 1841: a crop of the left ear and an under bit in the right ear (Trans to Henry Trisel 25 Feb 1871; Trans to James Steward 9 Dec 1883)
Freeman, William 21 Jan 1843: a crop off the right ear with a slit in the same (trans to Mathas Katch? 2 Feb 1871)
Gillespie, Charles 18 Jan 1851: a square crop of the right ear & an under half crop in the left ear
Glass, Martin 22 Feb 1851: a square crop of the left ear & under slope in right ear the whole length (trans to Christian Kessler 18 Apr 1862)
Grote, Henry 9 Apr 1869: a crop off the right ear & a slit and under bit out of the left ear
Harb, Joseph 31 Jan 1874: a square crop of the right ear with a notch out of the underside of the same & a slit in the left ear
Hardsock, John 11 Feb 1862: a square crop off each ear & a slit in the left ear
Harold, John 1 May 1846: a slit and upper bit in the right ear
Harold, John 25 Nov 1850, (trans from Wm A Watkins): a square crop off each ear & a slit in each ear (trans to John Grabner 9 Nov 1865)
Hengel, Andrew 31 Oct 1868: 2 slits in the right ear & 1 in the left
Hines, Georg 29 May 1871: an upper half crop off the right ear & an under half crop off the left ear
Hinton, Henry V 14 Apr 1868: a square crop off the right ear
Hinton, Thomas E 7 Apr 1865: 2 slits in either ear
Hoofman, Ferdinand [no date]: a square crop off the right ear & under half crop from the left ear
Horton?, Elisha [no date]: a crop off the left ear & a slit in the stump (trans to Henry Coon)
Hough, William 4 Feb 1844: a crop from both ears & a hole in the left ear (trans to William Koch 11 Oct 1859)
Kable, Christian 28 Sep 1866: an upper bit from each ear and a hole in the right ear
Kable, Ferdinand 25 Nov 1850: a square crop of the left ear & a slit in the same & a swallow fork in the right ear (trans 10 Apr 1884 to ?)
Kable, Frederick 21 May 1858: a square crop each ear & under bit out of each ear
Kable, John 5 Nov 1877: a hole in the right ear & an upper bit in the same
Kable, Philip 6 Nov 1877: a hole in the right ear, square crop of same & upper bit of left ear
Kelly, David 30 Apr 1851: a slit in the left ear & a half under crop in the right ear (trans to Wm Gahm 14 May 1874)
Kessler, Christian 16 May 1851: a square crop in the right ear & under slope in left ear the whole length (trans to Jacob Kable 28 Sep 1866)
Kimmel, Henry 4 May 1868: a square crop of the right ear with a hole in the same (trans to J Wineman 6 Jun 1874)
Kimmel, John 15 Mar 1842: a crop off the left ear with a hole in the same (trans to William Kimmel 4 Apr 1853)
Knaar [Kanorr], Aaron 18 Aug 1874: a square crop off the right ear with a slit in the stump with a hole in the left and slit out
Koch, John 6 May 1865: a hole in each ear
Krumer, George 20 Oct 1864: a crop off each ear & two slits in each ear
Kugle, Michael 3 Apri1874: a square crop off each ear with an upper notch out of each ear
Kuhn, Henry 19 Jun 1848: a square crop of the left ear & a slit in the stump (trans to Henry Kuhn 3 Apr 1871)
Kutsch, Jacob 20 Mar 1858: square crop & slit in right ear and a swallow fork in the left ear
Kutsch, Mathas 1 Oct 1857: a swallow fork in the right ear & upper half crop in the left ear (trans to Nicholas Peter 14 Feb 1866)

John Kable Liberty Township earmark, 1877

The term stump was used and I could not determine what that term means.

Farmers don’t use cut earmarks as much today. Most livestock today have ear tags instead of the cut earmarks.

The remainder of Liberty Township’s earmark registrations coming soon.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com.  

[1] Estray Book of Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio ,   Index of Liberty Township Estray Book ,   Index of Liberty Township Estray Book, Earmarks I-Z

Another source: Ranch Brand Search

 

Feb 12

Pleasant Hill Chapel, Dublin Township

Pleasant Hill. Pleasant Grove. Pleasant Valley. Pleasant Chapel. Mount Pleasant. Pleasant Green. Pleasant Mills.

Pleasant was certainly a popular, and pleasant, name. Especially for a church.

When East Bethel church was organized in Black Creek Township in 1855, they planned to name it Pleasant Bethel but decided not to because there were seven other churches in the area with the name Pleasant.

Pleasant Hill was a popular church name in Dublin Township at one time. The township had two churches named Pleasant Hill during two different time periods. Pleasant Hill Chapel was a United Brethren (UB) church organized northeast of Rockford before 1853. Pleasant Hill Friends Church (1888-1906) was located south of Rockford on Now Road.

I wrote a blog post about Pleasant Hill Friends church some time ago, still available to read at Pleasant Hill Friends Church, Dublin Township.

But what about the earlier Pleasant Hill Chapel? There is even less information about that church, a church that probably never went beyond being a log cabin and was inactive by 1876.

History of the Auglaize Annual Conference of the United Brethren Church, Luttrell, 1892.

Rev. J.L. Luttrell mentions Pleasant Hill Chapel in his 1892 book about the Annual Auglaize Conferences of the United Brethren Church: …The first session of this young Conference was held in Pleasant Hill Chapel, Mercer County, Ohio, convening on the 9th of September, AD, 1853…The following-named preachers composed the Conference at that time: A. Shindledecker…The accompanying engraving shows the Old Pleasant Hill Chapel, where the first session of the Conference was held. The house was built of hewn logs, and had a cabin roof, covered with clapboard. It stood on a rise of ground, not a hill, but sufficiently elevated to suggest its name. It was in the woods, with little or no clearing around it. It was located in the neighborhood of A. Shindledecker, who was one of the first settlers in that place, and among the first to plant the church in this wilderness of Northwestern Ohio… [1]

Pleasant Hill Chapel, Dublin Twp, Mercer County, Ohio, 1853

Even though Luttrell gives a pretty good description and even a sketch of Pleasant Hill Chapel, finding additional information about the church is challenging. He did not say where the church was located in Mercer County. The church is not mentioned in the Mercer County histories and was apparently inactive before 1876 since it is not on the 1876 map. 

Luttrell tells us the church was in a woods, on a slight hill, near the home of Abraham Shindeldecker. Shindeldecker lived northeast of Rockford and owned 240 acres in Section 2 and 40 acres in the Fractured Section 11, according to the 1853 plat map of Dublin Township, where he is listed as Abraham S. Decker.

Luttrell mentioned the church once again when writing about the Seventh Annual Conference, held at Stringtown UB, Dublin Township, in 1859: …This time we are assembled at Stringtown, Mercer County, Ohio, about four miles from where the first session of this Conference was held. The time is August 25, 1859… [1]

This provides a good clue. Pleasant Hill Chapel was 4 miles from Stringtown UB Church, which was organized in 1841. That church was located on what is now SR 707, east of 118, and was later know as Otterbein UB.

Mercer County’s 1853 plat map confirms the location of the United Brethren Meeting House in Dublin Township, which was very likely Pleasant Hill Chapel: United Brethren Meeting House, ½ acre, SE corner of W [half] of NW fractured Section 11; Hughed [sic] log house, shingle roof, partial finished… It was located just north of Godfroy Reserve and close to where Abraham Shindeldecker lived.

UB Meeting House, Dublin Township, Mercer County, 1853

UB Meeting House, Dublin Township, Mercer County, 1853 map

UB Meeting House, Dublin Township, Mercer County, 1853 map

It all fits together. Four miles north of Stringtown UB, in fractured Section 11, on a slight hill, near the Abe Shindeldecker residence. There is even a Shindeldecker Road in the area today.

Location of Pleasant Hill Chapel, Dublin Twp, 2005 map

Mt. Olive Cemetery is in that area. The cemetery is on both sides of State Route 117 and there is a slight rise there. Mt. Olive church was located on the south side of 117, in Godfroy Reserve, and I suspect Pleasant Hill Chapel was located on the north side of 117,  just north of the Reserve, in the Fractured Section 11. Mt. Olive Church (1868-1938) was a different church, a different denomination, Christian Union. It was organized after Pleasant Hill Chapel.

1876 Dublin Twp map, location of Pleasant Hill Chapel; CC Church across the road.

Some additional information about Rev. Abraham Shindeldecker (1787-1871): He reportedly was in the War of 1812. The Abraham Shindeldecker family settled in Dublin Township about 1836 and Abraham was enumerated in Mercer County’s 1843 Quadrennial Census, in Dublin Township, as Abraham S. Decker. In the 1840 census he was enumerated in Dublin Township as Abram S. Decker. Abraham Shindeldecker was probably a teacher and minister. He was Stringtown UB Church’s first pastor. And…Lovinski Circassia Ninham, an Indian who was educated by Abraham Shindeldecker Sr, for the ministry, taught a school northeast of Shane’s Crossing… [2]  Abraham Shindeldecker is buried in the old section of Mt. Olive Cemetery. The old section is on the north side of 117, in the Fractured Section 11 of Dublin Township. The new section of the cemetery is in Godfroy Reserve, near where Mt. Olive Church was.

Luttrell mentions another Mercer County UB church in his book, Centenary Church (1874-1891), on Manley Road in the center of Black Creek Township. Their 29th Annual UB Conference was held there in 1881 and Luttrell writes about that conference: …this twenty-ninth meeting was held at Centenary Church, in Mercer County, Ohio, between the 7th and 10th September 1881. This was in the land of flowing fountains of living water, one of which was in the churchyard…

I found this interesting because there was reportedly a natural spring at Fountain Chapel Methodist church (1875-1916), on Purdy Road, also in Black Creek Township. Black Creek Township evidently had several natural springs at one time. My dad used to talk about a natural spring that was on their farm on Sipe Road when he was growing up. I would like to have seen that.

I am interested to hear from anyone with information about Pleasant Hill Chapel in Dublin Township.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com.  

[1] History of the Auglaize Annual Conference of the United Brethren Church, From 1853-1891, Rev. JL Luttrell, United Brethren Publishing House, Dayton, Ohio, 1892. [pp. 19-21; 44; 227-228]

[2] History of Van Wert and Mercer Counties, Ohio, Sutton, 1882 p.407, 409, 416.

Jan 29

1913 Topography Map: Hopewell & Union Townships

Below are two more Mercer County townships, Hopewell and Union, from the 1913 Topographic Map of northern Mercer County. I featured Black Creek, Liberty, and Dublin Townships from this map a couple weeks ago.

1913 Topography Map Northern Mercer County, Ohio

Apparently I have just a portion of a map. The sheet I have includes northern Mercer County, with the eastern portion of the eastern townships missing. The entire map is probably out there somewhere, just not in my possession.   

I noticed a couple other items of interest while looking over the map. Most roads are not labeled, but a couple roads that are labeled have different names today.  

Back in 1913 Tama Road was called Liberty Road and SR 29 going west out of Celina was called State Line Road.

I marked the township schools below, but the railroads are also included on the map, if you enjoy seeing where the railroads were.

Since there are not many road names on the map, I added what would be the current location for each school below each map. 

In Hopewell Township are the following schools, spelled as they are on the map: Stedke School, Siebert School, Copp School, Clutter School, Ham School, Pearstof School, Joint School No. 10, Joint School No. 1, Miller School, Five Points School.

Hopewell Twp, 1913 Topography Map, Mercer County, Ohio

Where Hopewell Township Schools would be located on a current map:
Stedke School: Now & Hawk
Siebert School: Fast & Hellwarth
Copp School: Fast Road, a little west of US 127
Clutter School: Weitz & Morrow
Ham School: Hellwarth & Morrow
Pearstof [Pierstorff]: Frahm Pike & Now
Joint School No. 10: Township Line & Oregon
Joint School No. 1: Township Line & Hone-Wier
Miller School: Miller Road, west of SR 118
Five Points School: Frahm Pike & Miller & Hoenie

In Union Township are the following schools, spelled as they are on the map and noting the eastern portion of the township is not included on the map: Blue Corner School, Gross School, Victor School, Protzman School, Fryer School, School No. 2, School No. 1, Red School.

Union Twp, 1913 Topography Map, Mercer County, Ohio

Where Union Township Schools would be located on a current map:
Blue Corner School: Ross & Tomlinson
Gross School: SR 707 & SR 117
Victor School: Dutton Rd, between SR 117 & Shelley
Protzman [Protsman] School: Tomlinson & Hamilton
Fryer School: SR 707 & Hamilton
School No. 2: SR 707, west of Taylor Rd
School No. 1: Mercer Rd, between Palmer & Siler
Red School: Mercer Rd. & Celina-Mendon Rd

I hope you enjoy looking at this map and seeing where the old schoolhouses were.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com

 

Jan 15

1913 Topography Map of Northern Mercer County

I hope everyone had a nice holiday season. We certainly did and things are pretty much back to normal here. This winter seems more like the winters we used to have, colder with more snow, making it the perfect time to work indoors on some genealogy projects.

As I mentioned late last year, I still plan to write an occasional blog post. Yesterday, while looking for something else entirely, I found a map that I forgot I had and I thought it would be of interest to share it. It is rewarding for me to clean out my genealogy closets from time to time.   

I was thrilled to find a 1913 Topography map of northern Mercer County, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey and the State of Ohio. At that time, Judson Harmon was Ohio’s Governor and C.E. Sherman was the Inspector, according to the map.

1913 Topography Map Northern Mercer County, Ohio

1913 Topography map, Mercer County, Ohio

I am not all that interested in the topography of northern Mercer County, but I noticed that the map also shows the location of the county schools. And I found that very interesting.

As an added bonus, the map also shows a little bit of southern Van Wert County (southern Willshire, Liberty, and York Townships) and their schools, Stetler School, Shell School, Ridge School, School No. 2, and Bevington School.

Below are a scans of Black Creek, Liberty, and Dublin Townships from the 1913 map. You can see the name of each school, along with some other information. Not all of the schools had a name. Some had only a number.

Since there are not many road names on the map, I added what would be the current location for each school below each map. 

In Black Creek Township are following schools: King School, Winkler School, School No.3, Duck Creek School, Central School, Manley School, Robinson School, and Wildcat School.

Black Creek Twp, 1913 Topography Map, Mercer County, Ohio

Where Black Creek Township Schools would be located on a current map:
King School: Winkler & Jordan
Winkler School: Winkler & Wabash
School No. 3: SR 49 & Winkler
Duck Creek School: SR 49, south of Rockford West
Central School: Manley & Wabash
Manley School: Manley & Erastus Durbin
Robinson School: SR 707 & Erastus Durbin
Wildcat School: SR 49 & SR 707

In Liberty Township: School No.1, Deitsch School, School No.3, Forest Hill School, Center School, Landfair School, School 7, Skudder School, and School No.9. 

Liberty Twp, 1913 Topography Map, Mercer County, Ohio

Where Liberty Township Schools would be located on a current map:
School No. 1: Schaadt & Erastus Durbin
Deitsch School: Schaadt & Wabash
School No. 3: SR 49 & Schaadt
Forest Hill School: Frahm Pike & SR 49
Center School: Frahm Pike & Wabash
Landfair School: Erastus Durbin & Frahm Pike
School No. 7: Carmel Church Rd & Erastus Durbin
Scudder School: Carmel Church Rd & Wabash
School No. 9: SR 49 & Carmel Church Rd

In Dublin Township, as they are spelled on the map: Frisinger School, Boltzell School, Henderson School, Barks School, Prairie School, Red School, and Stringtown School.

Dublin Twp, 1913 Topography Map, Mercer County, Ohio

Where Dublin Township Schools would be located on a current map:
Frisinger [Frysinger] School: SR 117 & Ross
Boltzell [Baltzell] School: Godfroy Reserve Rd, north of SR 117
Henderson School: near Blackloon & River Trail
Barks School: Rockford West & Now
Prairie School: US 33, between Andrews & Herman
Red School: SR 707 & Now
Stringtown School: SR 707 & Lombard

This map was helpful to me. I have been working on a Mercer County church project and the Red Schoolhouse in Dublin Township has come up several times in conjunction with Otterbein Church. Now I see exactly where Red School was, on SR 707, west of 118. It also confirms the name of the school and that it was not just called a red schoolhouse.

Lastly, looking at the same general area on a 2005 Mercer County map, I learned that the lowest point in Mercer County, at 780’ above sea level, is on the Mercer/Van Wert County line, at the north edge of the Labadie Reserve, very near the St. Marys River.

2005 Mercer County map

I will post some more townships from this 1913 map in the future.

I don’t know about you, but I could spend many hours looking at maps.

You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com