and was once used for election purposes. Shortly after this, and at about the same time, schoolhouses were built in the Carr neighborhood, in the east part of the township, on the Bellefontaine road; and also one in the northwestern district of the township, on the Bellefontaine road, which was for years known as the Wilson Schoolhouse. In this latter neighborhood, however, several terms of school had been taught in rooms temporarily fitted up. Rev. Chambers, Mrs. P. E. Wilson, now dead, Mary Dillman, daughter of Jacob Dillman, now deceased, and Marion Preston, now the wife of Daniel Strickland, were among the first teachers in that district, and in the township. A Mr. Southworth also taught in that early time. He was eminent in scholarship, but unbalanced in mind. Of later years he will be remembered as an old man, tall, spare, and with long gray hair and beard, traveling about continually, leaning on two staffs, carrying his budget upon his shoulders. He was a harmless old man, stopping at whatever house or place night overtook him. He would read or expound the Scriptures and pray with those who kept him, in apparent payment for his entertainment. He died within a few years. He had at least one daughter. Her name was Charity. She was a mild, intelligent lady and married an excellent gentleman in a county south. There are few of the older citizens of the township, who do not remember patient Charity Southworth.

The first schoolhouses built in each of the districts were log. They could well have been built much larger and more commodious considering the abundance of timber. The desks were placed around the wall. The seats were mostly made of basswood logs split into halves. Upon these rude and uncomfortable seats, pupils of all ages and conditions were compelled to sit the six hours per day of school. These pioneer schoolhouses were in strange contrast with the present light, airy and commodious school buildings in every district in the township. And yet it is a fact that as much solid work was done by pupils in those early school buildings as in the more elegant ones of the present. Wood was furnished by the patrons in proportion to the number of pupils sent. Often, it was drawn to the schoolhouse, by the parents, in the log, and cut up by the pupils. Most of the pupils found their way through the woods to the schoolhouses, roads being comparatively unknown. Along these school trails the scholars went to school, and at night to spelling-schools, lighting their way, in the night-time, with torches made from the bark of the hickory tree.

SPELLING-SCHOOLS.

Nothing modern can equal the spelling-schools of those early times. The young people would go miles to a spelling-school. It was district against district, and it was wonderful how each would back their cham

pions. The order was different at times in spelling down. Sometimes they would stand up and spell around and the last one up was the winner, A more thorough test, however, was to stand up two and two; and the one who was able to spell the whole crowd down in that way was the winner indeed. These friendly contests were often very exciting, and continued until late into the night. Webster's Elementary Spelling-book was used for many years, and finally gave way to McGuffey's. And it is not very clear even yet that the exchange was a wise one. That the pupils in our common schools then were much better spellers than now is beyond all question.

SCHOOL BOOKS.

McGuffey's Readers, the old edition, were introduced into the schools of the township at an early period. Previous to that, other books were used as readers, the New Testament being prominent among the rest. There was no uniformity in this matter, until the adoption of McGuffey's series. Adam's arithmetic was used by some, Pike's by others, and the old Western Calculator had its friends. No uniformity was arrived at in this regard, until the adoption of Ray's series. He has held the ground ever since. His Third Part, or Practical, has been the standard for many years. There are many, with very good cause, who think it has never been excelled for the purpose for which it was designed. No particular system of writing was ever taught, save perhaps, in the village of Edgerton. The systems were as various as the teachers were-ever changing. Davie's algebra was first used by those who had advanced that far. It was supplanted by Ray, who has held the ground ever since, save in Edgerton, where, of late years, Schuyler's complete algebra was used for a time. This township early took a front rank in matters of education, and has always held its place. It has furnished many teachers, and some of the most eminent the county has ever had. In this respect, one district, number three, particularly excelled. In that district there was scarcely a family that did not furnish a teacher, and several as high as three. A number attended the acadamies of the country, while four from that district graduated from college, and largely by their own efforts. Rev. James G. Bowersox, from Otterbein University and Oberlin Theological School; Charles A. Bowersox, from Otterbein University; Joseph A. Weitz and Luthera Wilson, now Mills, from Hillsdale College, Michigan. Allen Klippart taught for many years in the district right east of this, or number two. He was a brother of the Klippart who was once prominent in the Agricultural Departments of the State. He was, like his brother, an excellent scholar. Strong drink got the better of him. He was killed by a railroad train while going to Bryan,. and just as the train was starting from Edgerton. It was scarcely regarded accidental.

Daniel Strickland was one of the early teachers, as was his younger brother, Michael. Lewis N. Mills taught in nearly every school in the township several times over. "Lew" Mills, as he was called, was crosseyed and could spell everybody down. He is in Nebraska now. Elizabeth Cornell, now the wife of William Poole, of Center Township, taught many terms, as did also her sister, Harriet, now in Nebraska. James G. Bowersox taught the greater part of the time for over a quarter of a century, occasionally stopping off to preach. He died at his post, almost in the schoolroom in Edgerton, at about forty-six years of age. There were other excellent teachers, among whom were J. A. Weitz, D. W. Weitz, Luthera, Maria and Lottie Wilson, and others equally good, whose names do not now occur to the writer. In passing it is very safe to say, that St. Joseph Township has produced an intelligent class of young people, always anxious to avail themselves of every opportunity for improvement.

NEWSPAPERS OF EDGERTON.

The only newspaper ever published in Edgerton was established in the winter of 1876, by H. A. Granbery and J. R. Fusselman; it was a small folio, printed on a hand press, and was called the Edgerton Weekly. The following summer Granbery assumed entire control, and ran the journal till 1878, when he sold out to Sardis Williams, of Bryan, who is now publishing a paper in Decatur, Ind. He changed the name to that of the Edgerton Herald, ran the paper nearly a year, and then turned it over to its former owner, Mr. Granbery. This gentleman is a free and graceful writer, and was quite successful in the management of the business until June last, when he suspended. The journal was independent in politics, and had a circulation of about six hundred copies. The probabilities are that its publication will be resumed at an early day, either by Mr. Granbery or other parties.

POLITICS.

Politically, the township is Democratic, and has been for years. The majority has varied from eighty-five to fifteen of late years. The corporation of Edgerton is slightly Republican. This township, one time or another, has filled nearly every county office. H. H. Wilcox in the Recorder's Office; Lewis E. Brewster and William H. Chilcote in the Clerk's Office; George E. Long and Charles A. Bowersox in the Probate Judge's Office; William S. Lewis and his son-in-law, George C. Kober, in the Sheriff's Office; William McCain in the Auditor's Office and Daniel Farnham in the County Commissioner's Office; while Charles A. Bowersox, formerly of that township, is the present member of the State Legislature. The township has good material with which to fill all these offices round again-indeed, she has the men anxious to do it.

ELECTIONS.

The first election held in the township was at John Fee's, April 4, 1832; after that for a time at Denmark. At least one election was held at what was called the Parker place, now the farm of Mr. Hollinger. John W. Bowersox says he attended an election there. Afterward, they held elections in the schoolhouse on the hill, a little more than a mile north of Edgerton. It stood on the hill not far from the barn of Joseph Hemling. Soon after Edgerton was started, they began to hold elections there, and it has been the voting place ever since. One of the first Justices of the Peace, and in fact one of the first officers elected in the township, was a Mr. Preston. Offices were not sought after then as now. A Mr. Tanner and Alexander Kearnes were Assessors for years. An office, now abolished, it was difficult to get any one to fill; this was the Fence Viewer.

DURING THE REBELLION.

St. Joseph Township did its duty nobly in that dark struggle. It furnished men for the three months' service, and its quota for every subsequent call. It gave its best boys to such grand old regiments as the Fourteenth, Thirty-eighth, Sixty-eighth, One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry and other regiments, and to the Third and Ninth Ohio Cavalry. St. Joseph Township has some, and many for its population, as brave and noble boys sleeping in the South as ever dressed in the loyal blue. Some are sleeping in the little cemetery at Edgerton. Annually the good people gather there, strew their graves with sweet spring flowers and bedew them with their tears. They are a part of that noble army of the dead. The citizens of the township gave of their substance to the Sanitary Commissions to make comfortable the sick, the wounded and the dying. Many a poor boy in the service was made comfortable by gifts from people in St. Joseph Township, who were, in fact, too poor to give.

CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS.

Rev. Elijah Stoddard was among the first, if not the first minister, who preached in this township; this was as early as 1836 or 1837, at Denmark. The services were held in a small log house, not far from the residence of Judge Long, and a little east. Mrs. Farnham, who was there, says that, seats being scarce, she saw the men go out and carry in rails from the fences and fix up temporary seats. Meetings were held, with more or less regularity, at Denmark for a number of years. For awhile they were held in the residence of Judge Parker, and, later along, in his barn. The barn stood very near where the barn of Judge Long, lately built, now stands. Revs. Coleman and Warner, min

isters of the M. E. Church, traveled through the township in that early time. Rev. Warner traveled a circuit extending into this township many years afterward. Rev. Coleman traveled a part of the same circuit again in 1869 and 1870; he is now somewhere in the West. The Presbyterians held services in Denmark at about the same time. They were represented by such ministers as the brothers James and David. Anderson, Akey and Crabbs. James Anderson died many years ago; he had much to do with the academy established in Williams Centre more than a quarter of a century ago. David Anderson has had a charge in the northwest part of Williams County within the last three or four years. Revs. Akey and Crabbs are dead. A daughter of Rev. Crabbs is married, and resides in Superior Township, in said county. James Anderson was especially beloved by the people as a preacher and teacher. The Presbyterians, later on, occasionally held services in the barn of Henry Cassler, on the farm now owned by Daniel Stevens, three miles north of Edgerton. Rev. Cather, of the Lutheran Church, preached in the township at various places for a number of years after 1840. He preached at Denmark, in the house of John W. Bowersox, and at various other places. He has not been in the active ministry for a number of years, and resides in Indiana. He was something of a wag. He had several daughters; he named one Coon, another Whale, and another Bear. By these names, especially Coon, they went for years. He had quite a family. They were strangely unfortunate, the larger number having died when comparatively in the prime of life. The Church of the United Brethren was represented by Revs. Hulburt and Jonathan Thomas, commonly known as "Father" Thomas. Rev. Hulburt was an eccentric character, something of the Peter Cartwright style. He preached in various places in the township, amongst others in the log barn of John W. Bowersox. "Father" Thomas is now living in Butler, Ind.; he is about seventy-five years of age, and has been in the ministry over half a century; he states that he preached in Bryan over forty-four years ago, or in 1838. One of his appointments, over forty years ago, was at what was called Blair's Corners, southwest of Edgerton; he preached there in a little old log schoolhouse. He was a man of wonderful natural talent, fearless in defense of what he conceived to be right, terrible in denunciation of the wrong. He had a reputation as

a revivalist.

The German Methodists were at one time represented by two ministers named Baker and Deemer. They held services for awhile in what is called the Weitz neighborhood, in,the northwest portion of the township. It is said that Baker, who was very popular, abandoned the ministry and fell from the profession altogether.