Clermont's Patriarchs

Clermont County Genealogical Society

CLERMONT COUNTY 108 YEARS AGO

PIONEERS

Fifth Annual Meeting of Clermont's

Patriarchs at Bantam Fair Grounds

Large Assemblage of Early Settlers - Old Time

Reminiscences - Hallowed Associations.

Interesting and Antique Relics Exhibited

Eloquent Address of Captain Townsley

Talks by Octogenarians

Newsy Notes

"Life's heroism does not need

A spacious or a lofty stage;

Life's greatest deeds are not all writ

Upon the flaming golden page."

Before 1795, no white man had penetrated what is now Clermont County, except on surveying expeditions or following the trail of Indians, but in that year, sturdy pioneers settled in Miami, Washington and Williamsburg townships. The first settlers were from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Kentucky, and came after the peace made by General Wayne with the Indians at Greenville, and took the fertile lands along the streams in this then Virginia Military District. Afterwards, settlers poured in from New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina, and still later a few from Maine and Martha's Vineyard.

Last Thursday was a pleasant day, and hundreds assembled at Bantam Fair Grounds to attend the fifth yearly reunion of the surviving pioneers. After dinner-a sumptuous one, eaten by the gray-haired sires, their venerable companions and descendants on the delightful grounds- the meeting was called to order by its President, Hiram D. Tone, and Major E.G. Penn was chosen Secretary pro tern. Prayer was then offered by William B. Pease, of Amelia. The following officers were then elected for the ensuing year:

President Isaac Brown, of Tate

Vice President James Clark, of Stonelick

Secretary Dr. W. C. Richardson

Treasurer Samuel L. Apple

Chaplain Nathaniel Daily

The following Committee was appointed to prepare a list of all the aged and surviving pioneers in the county, viz:

Batavia Capt. WA. Townsley

Williamsburg Dr. D.C. Sharp

Tate C.W. Page

Franklin LA. Molen

Washington ... W.S. Gregg

Monroe Prof. J.K. Parker

Ohio ...Hon. John Shaw

Pierce Hiram D. Tone

Union Miami Simeon Teal

Miami A.B. Shaw

Goshen Dr. John E. Myers

Wayne Col. Win. Roudebush

Stonelick James Clark

Jackson Nathan S. Nichols

Captain William A. Townsley, the distinguished criminal lawyer of the Clermont bar, was then introduced and delivered the annual address, a most able, eloquent and scholarly effort, which occupied over an hour's time, and abounded in rich gems of splendor and many fine historical incidents. He aptly said the first pioneers were Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, out of which they were turned and forced, by their disobedience, to emigrate. In a subsequent period, Abraham became a famous pioneer, who with others mentioned in Holy Writ, were briefly portrayed in the address. The Captain described the discovery of Christopher Columbus, the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers on bleak Plymouth Rock, in 1620, and traced the settlement of our country down through the Indian and Revolutionary wars, to the present time. He made happy allusions to local history, and closed his well received address with a well timed peroration on our land's greatness in its material, educational, governmental, legal and moral aspects. His tributes to the spirit and energy of the pioneers who cleared up the lands and laid the foundations of our country's present high estates, were well conceived and brilliant in metaphor and beautiful in simile.

Capt. Townsley was born in 1823, in East Tennessee, and removed with his parents in 1831 to Hamilton county.

Samuel Simpson, aged. eighty-six years, exhibited an old smooth bore musket which his grandfather carried at the battles of Germantown, Brandy-wine, etc., in the Revolutionary war. His father, John Simpson, came from Montgomery county, in 1818, and his sister, Hannah, married Jesse R., father of General Grant. A printed letter, written over sixty years ago, by Thomas Ashburn, the founder of Susanna, was shown by Hon. John Shaw. It was written in England and contained many rich historical incidents of interest.

R.J. Bancroft had the following original certificate:

"Camp Meigs, 29th May, 1812.

I do certify that Samuel English has been appointed fife Major to the Regiment under my command, and is to be obeyed and respected accordingly.

Lewis Cass, Colonel."

Mr. English was a blacksmith's apprentice in Williamsburg, in 1806, and when that year Aaron Burr lodged there over night, at the Kain hotel, he was one of the fifers that played "Rogue's March" for the crowd that assembled at the hotel and groaned for the arch-traitor their disapproval of his revolutionary proceedings in the South-West. Mr. English was the first hand-maker of nails in Cincinnati, where he lived until about 1840, when he removed to Chilo where he died in 1865, and where his venerable widow still survives. He had five sons in the Union army, one of whom was killed and the others all wounded. Mr. B. also had the poll sheet of the election held Oct. 12, 1802, in Ohio township, for members of the Constitutional Convention. That township then comprised all of the present territory of Ohio, Pierce, Union and part of Monroe and Batavia. At this election held at John Donham's house, the following electors voted: James Ward, William Whitaker, William Dewitt, Isaac Vanetter, William Campbell, Jacob Teal, William Malott, William Christy, John Vanetter, Jacob Whetstone, James Bennett, Isaac Ferguson, John Bennett, Gibbons Bradbury, Abraham Ridlin, Josiah Thomas, Thomas John, Robert Donham,

Thomas McDonah, Abel Donham, Patrick Fagins, Abner Fagins,

Samuel Brown, William Lindsey, Isaiah Ferguson, John Watson,

Zachariah Ferguson, John White, John Fagins, Daniel Tegarden,

William Robb, Reuben Laycock, William Not, George Harwood,

Win. Laycock, Samuel Loveless, Maurice Witham, Samuel

Shipherd, John Hunter, ezekiel Diminitt, William Abercrombie,

Hugh Ferguson, John Whitaker, George Fagins, Shadrach Lane,

simon Rice, Win. Harrison, Robert Townsley, William Simmons,

Jacob Light, Jacob Ullery, John Snider, Elias Gerard, Thomas

Ayres, Jeremiah Chandler, John Morin, Henry Fitzpatrick,

Rodham Mona, Edward Morin, Hezekiah Lindsey, Michael

Quigley, Samuel Baker, John Donham, John John, Joseph

Fagins, Archibald Gray, Benjamin Snider. This list was never

before published.

The name of Fagin was then spelled Fagan, and Morn written Morning.

Arrangements were made to have next year a large exhibition of pioneer relics, such as documents, plate, furniture, wearing apparel, etc.

The venerable David Fisher, member of the Thirtieth Congress, and forty years ago a power in Ohio politics as the "Clinton Farmer," was called upon but made no remarks further than returning his thanks for the compliment. The old statesman is blind, but his intellect bright as ever, with a warm heart for his country and for all humanitarian objects.

William B. Pease, born just seventy-eight years ago this day at Martha's Vineyard, Mass., made a pleasant talk and told how in 1816 he walked for miles to the nearest store to get tea for company. His father, Capt. Martin Pease, an old sea captain, came to this country in 1814 and located near Amelia.

James Clark, son of Orson and Nancy (Corbly) Clark, said he had lived in the county fifty years, but was born in Hamilton county, where his grand-father, Judge James Clark, came in 1797 from Southampton county, Virginia. The latter married a daughter of Rev. John Corbly, the pioneer Baptist preacher.

Ccl. Win. Thomas made a neat talk abounding in old incidents and scenes of over seventy years ago. He was born August 16, 1801, at Redstone Fort, Pa. His father came to near Columbia in 1805 and located at Madisonville, but in 1815 removed to Clermont. The Colonel served four years each as Sheriff and Treasurer, and is yet a finely preserved old gentleman. He said he had no hat until he was eight years old, which was made by a Mr. Prince, in Cincinnati, who had come from Rhode Island. He walked over Cincinnati as a four-year-old boy when it was no larger than Bethel is now and had no paved streets.

Isaac Brown, of Tate, made an excellent presiding officer and maintained the honor of his family, one of the earliest and most prominent in his township.

Hon. John Shaw took a deep interest in the meeting and his great knowledge of the early history of the county in which his ancestors bore so conspicuous a part made his remarks decidedly interesting. His father, Hon. John Shaw, was born July 15, 1779, the night Gen. Mad Anthony Wayne captured Stony Point; was a son of a Revolutionary soldier, and came to Clermont at the beginning of the century.

Major E.G. Penn and family were among the active promoters of the meeting. His father, the late Elijah T. Penn, came in 1809 from Maryland and settled in Washington township. The latter's father was Benjamin Penn, who was born in 1740 and in 1774 married Miss Mary Sargent.

Among other families present we noticed the Bredwells, whose ancestor, Yelventon Bredwdll, was born in Virginia and came to this county in 1806. Simeon Teal, whose ancestors early came from Maryland, and Capt. M. A. Leeds, whose ancestors were early found in and about Bantam. The Frazees, whose father Benjamin in 1800 settled on Indian Creek, and Elijah Brazier, whose father, John, came from North Carolina. Samuel L.

Apple, whose father, Daniel, was born in 1794 and was the son of Andrew Apple who came to Batavia township in 1798 from Pennsylvania and located twenty-one acres near Olive Branch. Major Ira Ferguson, son of Isaiah Ferguson, born in 1776, who was the son of Isaac Ferguson, who died below New Richmond in 1818-a stock of heros in four wars. Thomas Benton and George Nichols, descendants of Nathan Nichols from Virginia, who in 1807 bought eight hundred acres in the western part of Monroe township, and who died in 1824, having been born in 1749. Isaac Vanosdol, whose father was in the war of 1812, and whose grandfather, Oakey Vanosdol, a Revolutionary soldier, came from New Jersey in 1804 to Tate township. Stephen Judd, whose mother was a daughter of Stephen Bolander, who came from Pennsylvania to Bullskin in 1800. The Sapps, whose ancestor, Frederick Sapp, settled on Big Indian about 1800, several of whose daughters married Treeses. John Page, who married Rachel Hartman, daughter of Christopher Hartman, January 9, 1817, and whose father, Thomas Page came from New Jersey in 1805 and settled on what is now the Simpson place. Weavers, descendants of John Weaver, who came from Virginia in 1807 and the next year purchased the Weaver bottoms. Also, J.N. Hopkins, G.W. Smith, Aaron Bennett, and other old citizens and aged people.

The meeting of next year will be on a larger scale and promises to be the event of the season. A new interest is being awakened among the pioneers and this will lead to renewed historical discoveries in the county.

Our next Congressman, Hon. James E. Campbell, looked in upon the meeting a few minutes and went on his way rejoicing.

No local candidates were visible, but the ubiquitous Joe Titus was about, likewise your humble reporter.

As we gazed around upon the pleasant faces of the many present who had passed four score years, upon the middle aged and the young scattered here and there, we thought of the poet's song:

"We all within our graves shall sleep

A hundred years to come;

No being then for us will weep

A hundred years to come.

But other men our lands will till,

And others then our streets will fill,

While other birds will sing as gay,

As bright the sun shine as to-day,

A hundred years to come."

From the Clermont Sun

Tuesday September 19, 1882

 
 

BIRTHS
Birth Records
*
Early Clermont Co. Births 1856-1857
*
First Presbyterian Churches of Monroe
At Nicholsville & Bantam
*
Baptisms of Children
*
Anderson Township Births 1906-1907
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Old Bethel Church Baptisms
*
Old Bethel Church Baptisms 1894-1908
*
Early Births 1856
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MARRIAGES
Early Marriages 1800 - 1808
*
 Marriage Book 13 1874-1876
*
Goshen M. E. Church
Marriage

*
DEATHS
Funerals Conducted by Rev. Hezekiah Hill 1862-1908
*
The Old Village Graveyard

Deaths of Residents Over 75 in 1875

Infirmary Discharges That Mention a Burial Place

Death Dates from I.O.O.F. Lodge #313

Early Clermont Deaths from The Ohio Sun
*
Obituaries From the Clermont Sun 1890-1891

Early Deaths from Clermont Sun 1855
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More Deaths 1857-1859
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Stirling & Moore Funeral Records 1888
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1880 Mortality Census
*
Census
Goshen 1875 Quadrennial Census
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Quadrennial Census, Batavia, 1847

Quadrennial Census, Batavia, 1855

History
Incidents in The Early History of Clermont County
*
Stonelick Historical Notes
*
Vacation of a Road in
Union Township

Brown and Clermont County Families Mentioned
in the 1880 Clinton County History
*
Day Book For Clarke & Frambes Mills 1838
*
Immigration
Early Naturalizations from Common Pleas Minutes
*
Citizenship Papers 1844-1900
*
Names of New Found Naturalization Applicants
*
Military
Veterans in Various Cemeterys
*
Revolutionary War Soldiers

Clermont Courier Ads November 18, 1863
*
Mexican War Veterans
*
Revolutionary War Veterans
*
Post Office
Post Marks of Clermont County
*
Clermont Postmasters 1800 - 1930
*
Early Unclaimed Letters

More Unclaimed Letters Unclaimed Letters 1855
*
Bible Records
Manning Bible
*
Banister Bible

Bible Records of James McKinnie 1830

Bible Records Index Volume Two

Bible Records Index Volume Three
*
Churches
Old Bethel Church and Cemetery

History of Old Bethel Church 1868

Calvary Church and Cemetery Washington Twp
*.
Edenton Church 1861

Places

Perin Mills in 1863
*
Goshen- Land Of Milk and Honey

First Settlers of Jackson Township

Legal Voters of Goshen Township 1855

Batavia in1847
*
Poll Book Goshen Township 1853
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1840 Account Book, Laurel Ohio

Edenton School # 4 Pupils

Pensions

Pensions 1890

More Pensions 1890
*
Other
Indentures 1825 - 1831

Index To General Store Account Book 1816-1819

Vital Statistics From An Old Record Book

Items from Clermont Courier 1836
*
Clermont Pensioners 1883

Ohio Pioneers That Moved to Texas

Persons on the Petit Jury 1880

Jails and Sheriffs
*
Items From Early Clermont Courier 1852
*
Meeting of Patriarchs 1882
*
Surrender Records From Childrens Home
*
Gazetteer 1882
*
Potpourri

Articles From The Clermont Sun 1889
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River Boatmen
*
Sale of Delinquent Lands
*