James Bayliss, Member of Hancock Post 579, Sherwood G.A.R.

Born in London, England, on April 5, 1827, to his parents Sarah (French) and Edward Baylis, James moved to Defiance County in 1848 with them.  In the 1850 census, he and his brother lived with their mother, the widowed Sarah, 62, in Washington Township.  James, then 23, farmed with his brother, Joseph, 20, on a farm with a value of $200. Their father, Edward, died in 1849.



On September 17, 1854, James married Mary Ellen Lewis (often called Ellen) in Defiance County. James was enumerated in the 1860 Agricultural Census of Washington Township on July 26.  He reported that he owned 30 improved acres and 91 unimproved acres with a value of $1200.  He had three horses, one milk cow and twelve swine with a value of $245. The previous year, the farm produced 55 bushels of wheat, 15 bushels of Indian corn and 75 bushels of oats.

James reported for the Civil War draft registration in June of 1863 from Delaware Township; he was 36, a farmer and born in England.  He enlisted on September 27, 1864, into the 47th Ohio Regiment.  He served seven months and two days, beginning with a march to Georgia to join forces with the troops already in battle.  His regiment participated in battles at Statesboro in December, 1864, as well as Fort McAllister.  Eventually the regiment marched to North Carolina by February, 1865, where he saw the Battle of Snow Hill, Bentonville, and Goldsboro.  He was discharged on July 5, 1865, and mustered out on August 11, 1865.  

(The pension card names his second wife, Mary A. (Thompson) Baylis as she would have filed for a widow's pension in 1896 after James' death.)

It appeared that James and family were already settled in Delaware Township by the time he left for the war.  In 1870, they were again enumerated in the census there.  James Baylis, 44, farmer, with real estate valued at $2000 and personal wealth at $1000 was with his wife, Ellen, 41, and children: Cornelia, 13; Louisa, 11; Edwin, 9; Emery, 8; Elvia, 6; Dellia, 4; Howard, 3; Ellen, 10 months.  Living with them were Eval. Bridenbaugh, 62, born Maryland, and Catharine Durst, 37.

James continued to farm in Delaware Township, as determined by the 1880 census. At the time of this census, James, 53, was ill with sunstroke.  His wife, Ellen, had died on March 2, 1871.  Many of the children were young adults by this time and able to help him.  The children living with him were: James Lewis, 24, farmer; Cornelia, 22, teacher; Louisa, 21, housework; Edward, 19, farm labor; Emory, 17, farm labor; Elva, 15, housework; Della, 14, housework; Howard, 13, farm labor; Ella, 10, housework and Catharine Lewis, 67, grandmother, housework.  On July 30, 1887, James prepared his will.

James Baylis married a second time to Mary A. Thompson on August 16, 1888, in Defiance County.  Mary was originally from Carthage Landing, New York. 

James reported to the 1890 Veterans Census and reported no disabilities from his war service.  However, he might have been ill at the time, as one obituary mentioned the lasting effects of sunstroke as a cause of death.  James died on October 10, 1894.  His obituary was found in the Defiance Daily Express of October 15, 1894 and in the Defiance Democrat of October 18, 1894:

James' family registered the veteran's death.

James Baylis's will was probated on December 1, 1894 in the court at Defiance, Ohio.  James, of course, wanted his debts paid first and then he gave to his son, George H. Baylis, the farm of 120 acres.  George was to pay the others five years after James' death in increments two years apart the sum of $500 to the following: J. L. Baylis, E. W. Baylis, E. A. Baylis, Cornelia A. Baylis now Balduc, Elva Baylis now Garver, Cora E. Baylis, and to "my grandson, James Slough, son of Louisa Slough, the sum of $400 when he is 21," and if he dies without issue, the sum of $400 will be divided equally among all sons.

All of James' personal property was to be sold and the proceeds to be distributed as follows:  first, to pay debts and secondly, the residue was to be divided equally among all sons and daughters.  Emory Baylis, his son, was appointed executor.  At the time of the writing, James' heirs were listed as: James L. Baylis, Emory A., Baylis, Cornelia Balduc, Elva Garver, Ellen Merchant, Edward W. Baylis, James Slough and one in Ann Arbor, Michigan - George H. Baylis.  George Rock and Albert E. Johnson testified to the validity of the will.

March 1913 - Rain...and Snow

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column: "A Backward Glance."  This article was undated, but shows the B & O bridge during the flooding of 1913.
(Poor photo...)

"IT SNOWED after the deluge of rain that caused the devastating flood that occurred in March of 1913; it was a light snow and there was no ice in the rivers.

Here is a view of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridge over the Auglaize River in Defiance during the flood.  A train of steel rails and coal was kept on the bridge to weight it down.

The picture was brought in by Mrs. Elsie Colwell, rt. 8, Defiance."

John B. Fisher - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Pleasant Township, Henry County, Ohio was the home of a young John B. Fisher.  His parents, Nicholas, 54, and Barbery, 50, were farming there in 1850, along with their children, Barbery, 17; John B. 15; Frederick, 13, all born in Bavaria, Germany. With them were two young boys, Henry and George Vierhner, born in Ohio, who may have been relatives.

When the call came for Union soldiers, John did not hesitate, enlisting September 5, 1861, into Company C, 44th Ohio Infantry, and he was promoted to full corporal. Discharged from that company in January, 1864, he was transferred to Company C, 8th Ohio Cavalry, a veteran company ordered by the Secretary of War, and there he stayed until the end of the war.  He was transferred to full sergeant in April, 1864, mustering out at Clarksburg, WV on July 30, 1865. Most of his time was spent in Kentucky and Tennessee, and he reported on the 1890 census that he was wounded in the head and in the right thigh. 

Upon his return, he married Kate A. Deamer (Katherine Amelia) on November 16, 1865, in Defiance.  

At some point, the family removed from Defiance to Delaware, Delaware County, Ohio, where John B. set up a blacksmith business.  He was 34 years old when the census enumerator found him there with children: Benjamin Jno, 5; Charles W., 2; Alice Hattie, 3 months, and his wife, Catherine A, 25.

By 1880, the family was expanded, and they had moved back to Defiance into a house at 123 Jackson Street.  Eugene, Finnette (Henrietta), and an infant boy had joined the family.  John worked as a blacksmith and the family kept a boarder, Charles Douglas, 28, a teamster from Canada.  Perhaps it was in this era that John B. became active with the G.A.R. in Defiance.  In August, 1881, one newspaper noted that "J. B. Fisher has a forty acre farm for sale. See advertisement."  In 1882, he was making home improvements on his home in the First Ward.

But, by 1900, he and the family were settled in at 197th 5th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio.  John was 64 by that time and he and Catherine had had seven children, with six living.  Eugene, Henrietta, and another son, Burton all lived at home.  Catherine (Kate) was keeping house for John, who was still blacksmithing; with Eugene, a freight inspector; Henrietta , a seamstress; and Burton, a machinist.  

John B. Fisher died in Columbus, Ohio, on December 30, 1918, at home, of cancer, according to his grave registration.  He was buried at Greenlawn Cemetery, Franklin Township, Ohio, on December 31, the very next day.  No obituary could be found at this time, but obviously, the family had prepared for his death after a long illness.  

Kate continued to live in Columbus with her son, Eugene, at a home at 909 Summit Street. Eugene worked as a motorman on the interurban railway.

The extent of John B. Fisher's involvement with the Bishop Post could not be determined, but his photo was included on the group photo taken around the turn of the century.

(This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)

Murderous Assault

This account of criminal assault was reported in the Defiance Daily Express of October 17, 1900.  Did crime pay?

"MURDEROUS ASSAULT

 Farmer Badly Pounded by Two Tough Hobos.

JESSE HUFFMAN, who resides on the GEO. ROCK farm, one mile west of Sherwood, was assaulted by two desperate men at 6 a.m. Tuesday and had a close call for his life.  He had about completed his feeding and went back into the barn for something when he was set upon by two men, strangers.

The first blow was across the top of the head and knocked him down.  They continued the assault and battered Huffman's face up in bad shape.  There was one cut on his cheek that looked like it might have been made with the corner of a square stick.  He also had a cut on the lip and several teeth loosened.  

After the men left the barn, they threw a bomb back toward the barn and it exploded with great force.  The men moved away from Huffman's place in a leisurely manner toward the Cincinnati Northern railway and started south.

 An alarm was soon given and the officials at Sherwood telephoned the marshal at Cecil to look after the men.  They passed through Cecil before the marshal heard from Sherwood.  The officer took a hand car and with a posse followed the fellows and overtook them at the big woods where CHAS. HART killed the GOOD children several years ago.  The men fled to the woods and one of them was finally located in a tree and put under arrest.  He gave his name as EARNEST RICHARD LEWIS and had a revolver and several sticks of dynamite on his person when arrested.  The second man got away.

No reason is given for the murderous assault on Huffman.  The officials seem to think the men had been guilty of some crime at some other point and simply assaulted Huffman that they might escape identification.  Lewis admitted that he assisted in the assault on Huffman.

Lewis had a hearing before Mayor D. F. OPENLANDER, of Sherwood Tuesday and was bound over to the grand jury in the sum of $1,000 on the charge of attempted murder.  He was brought to this city this morning by Marshal L. F. CARTER, of Sherwood, and incarcerated in the county jail."

 

On November 29, 1900, LEWIS was indicted  for assault with intent to kill.  He pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to three years in the penitentiary.

Sheriff John P. Elser and Jack Binney took

Lewis and another prisoner to the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus on December 6, 1900.  From there, the trail ends.

No mention was found of the other assailant.

East Defiance Community Band, circa 1913

For many years, Lloyd V. Tuttle contributed historic photos and information to the Defiance Crescent-News for his column: "A Backward Glance."  The East Defiance Community Band was discussed in an article printed on September 26, 1963.  Maybe you have an ancestor who played in this community band.

"East Defiance folks have always evidenced more than their share of civic pride.  It was a small group of dedicated East Defiance men who started Kingsbury Park.  By donations, money raising events and hard work, they managed to bring the park to a point that it became too big for them and they gave it to the city.

More than 50 years ago, East Defiance decided it should have a band.  At first it was a small organization but they, too, were a group of dedicated men and in due time, it was one of the finest bands in northwestern Ohio.  It gave summer concerts and played in many of the nearby towns.  A custom of the band was to ride all over town at midnight on New Year's Eve and serenade various neighborhoods.  The uniforms were dark red with white trousers.

W. F. (Fud) Kimberly was their leader and band music was a 'natural' with him.

Shown in the picture are, for left, back row: Glen Brubaker, Edwin French, Harry Hahn, Kimberly, Pete Doneyer, Harry Heidepreim, Harry Conn, Peter Zenz, Chris Krabach.
Middle row: Leo Kahlo, unidentified, Ernest Zeigler, Fred Heidepreim, unidentified, Orville Brubaker, Charles Cromley, and 
Front row: Bill Pracht, Ted Blue, Otto Pracht, unidentified, Ervin (Boots) Kesselmyer."