The Sherwood Story

Sherwood, 1881

 

Quoted from The Chronicle, Sherwood, Ohio, newspaper, 15 April, 1948 

"(In the winter of 1906, a special edition of The Chronicle was printed by publisher-editor, C. E. Dickey.  This edition, containing much historical background of the town and community, was in magazine form on slick paper and only a few of the copies remain.  One, the property of Mrs. J. V. Knisely, has been loaned to the present editors, and from it, has been taken the material for this and subsequent articles.)

The Sherwood Story

TOWNSPEOPLE BATTLED B. AND O. IN EARLY DAYS FOR SHERWOOD'S SURVIVAL

First It Was Snooksville

In 1873 , the site of Sherwood was a 'neighborhood' made up of several clearings in the big forest.  There was a school house out at the Pike ( now the junction of Route 18 and Route 127), known as the Collins School, with a larger enrollment than most of the schools of this county, owing to the district being rather thickly settled.

The Collins schoolhouse was famous in its way for its spelling bees, debates and exhibitions.  It also served as a place to hold revival meetings, funerals and so on, as the schools of those old days did.

The present Sherwood cemetery had also been started and there was a sawmill and approximately 20 residences and stores.  Previous to the plotting of the town, there had been a post office kept by Gilbert Coffin in his residence.  The post office went under the name of Snooksville, and afterward, Johnson Miller got the post office and kept it in an old log house on the Pike, and it was then called Snook's Run Post Office.

THEN IT WAS SHERWOOD

In 1874 the Baltimore and Ohio was built, and stations placed at Delaware and Mark Center. Elias Miller, William Rock and William Taylor platted out a town, but owing to some difficulties concerning the right-of-way, the B. and O. officials refused to put in a station.

Johnson Miller then got up a monster petition for a post office for the new town site.  Then a name had to be chosen. Each citizen seemed to have a good name for the new village, but it was suggested by Johnson Miller that, as the petition was being placed in the hands of Gen. Isaac N. Sherwood, then representing this district in Congress, that the town be named for him, which was done. *(At the date of the special edition in 1906, General Sherwood was still living in Toledo, where he was looked upon as a leading citizen, turfman, and politician.  It was said at the time that he had a lively interest in the town named after him.)

PEOPLE BUILT STATION

After the town was plotted, the railroad officials had to be reckoned with - and that took a lot of doing.

Mr. Dickey, in his mid-winter edition, insists that B. and O. officials 'had it in for Sherwood,' and refused to take notice of the settlement, which had a post office, but not a railroad station.  At the same time, Mark Center and Delaware Bend had stations, but not post offices.  It was very confusing.

In the meantime, E. Z. Miller, Stewart Miller and James Lacer had built a room and put in a grocery on the east side of the town's street near the railroad, and a little later, George Rock and a Mr. Harley put one on the present site of the Cooper Building.  Then came a saloon established by Peter Crookton and a grist mill, located where the Church of Christ now stands.

Meanwhile, heroic efforts were being made to get a railroad station, but the officials remained obdurate.  By a whole lot of persuasion, according to the Dickey article, The B. and O. agreed to unload the grist mill at Sherwood, the people building up a platform of railroad ties, etc. to unload upon.  After awhile, the company reluctantly decided to make the town a flag stop, if the citizens would build a depot and a freight house acceptable to the officials.  The people did so, and the resulting structures (still standing in 1905) did not cost the B. and O. a cent.  Also it should be recalled that Johnson Miller acted as agent free of charge.

                                                           Depot after 1906
PEOPLE PAID OPERATOR

Business picked up, a few more business places were started, and a telegraph office seemed desirable.  But the railroad again 'bucked' and would do nothing unless the people paid the operator themselves. The people 'dug up the coin' and for several years paid the operator's salary. Then the Miller Brothers, afterwards Miller, Rock and Co., began to buy grain, and the freight house was used for a grain house until an elevator was constructed, and the town became noted as a grain market.

During all this time, Mr. Dickey insists, the 'B. and O. kept the people crawling' until the C and N railroad was built in 1887.  Things changed then, for in the face of this new competition, the B. and O. was compelled to pay its own operator and provide better service for the town.

TYPHOID HIT TOWN

One of the sad occurrences of the early history of the town was the loss of seven members (about one-fourth the entire population) of the Taylor family because of typhoid fever.

The first hardware was established by Frank Bernard, the first undertaking business was founded by Jerry Bloom, and the first drug store was owned and operated by Dr. Comfort, a practicing physician.  About the same time, Dr. C. W. Kyle came to the town and set up a practice, and remained here until his death.

INCORPORATED IN 1891

In 1886, before the town was incorporated, the township voted 'dry' and the three saloons in Sherwood were put out of business.

In that same year, or shortly thereafter, the township built a three room schoolhouse, with W. W. Huff, the principal.  He tried hard, according to Mr. Dickey, 'to get the school graded and up to date, and the school developed a good reputation for the work done in it.'

The town was incorporated in 1891, with this move having the strong support of the 'wets' who wanted to allow the saloons to get started again, and also of many other citizens.

The first church built in Sherwood was the United Brethren, opposite the present U.B. structure. The initial structure burned in 1896, or thereabouts.  The Methodist Church was built in 1880, then the German Reformed Church in 1881, and the Disciple Church built in 1900.

TOWN HALL BUILT IN '97

The first mayor of the town was Z. H. Miller, and the first clerk, E. J. Potter.  W. F. Bloom was Marshall; Harry Rock, Treasurer; and C. I. Hartshorn, Emanuel Miller, J. K. Allender, John Openlander and W. E. Doud completed the Council.

In 1897, a proposition was presented to the voters of the town to issue bonds to build a town hall, and this carried by a substantial majority.

The business directory in 1906 read like this:

-General Store, The Bee Hive, Z. H. Miller and Hollis Miller

-Burger's Store (J. H. Burger, prop.) and The Blue Front, owned by C. H. Weaver

-There were two hardwares - The Sherwood Hardware Company, John Miller and C. H. Dunakin, and the Switzer Hardware, owned by C. Switzer

- C. W. Miller and B. A. Trubey operated shoe stores, while Will C. Newman

was in the drug business

-The two livery barns were operated by Heber, Miller and Lesh and E. Haver.

-The barber shops were run by W. D. Rock and B. N. Worthington.

-M. M. Haver was proprietor of the Haver Hotel, while H. I. Scott managed the Sherwood House, and both had plenty of patronage.

-The town had two lumberyards , the Neiderwur Wagon Company, building materials and planing mill, and Miller and Good, rough lumber and saw mill."

William Hockman - Civil War Soldier from Defiance County, Ohio

 

Willian Hockman

Born in Pennsylvania about 1840, William Hockman was the son of German immigrants.  The family were early settlers in Tiffin Township where they farmed.                                                           

In the Federal Census of 1860, George and Catharine Hockman lived on Tiffin Township land worth $1200.  With them were son, William, 19, and daughter, Mary, 14.

In August, 1862, the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was calling for soldier to report to Cleveland for enlistment.  William Hockman joined Company K, "the German Regiment" composed of many men of German descent from Defiance County.  This was for a three year term.

For a month, the men stayed in camp, drilled, and prepared to go into the field.  They first went to Covington, Kentucky across from Cincinnati because rumors were out that Cincy was going to be attacked.  It was not, and the men boarded a train to Washington, D.C. where they built 

fortifications around the city.

In November, they marched into Virginia, but were hung up by winter weather and bad roads, so they went into winter camp.  On April 29, 1863, the regiment moved to Chancellorsville and took part in the bloody battle there.  Stonewall Jackson flanked their regiment and defeated them, with a loss of 220 men, killed, wounded or taken prisoner.  It was a devastating blow to the unit, but worse was yet to come.

After about a month of regrouping, the regiment moved to Gettysburg which they reached on the Fourth of July, 1863.  On their first day, the regiment was pushed back to Cemetery Hill with a loss of another 250 men.  On the second day, they made a charge at about 5:00 p.m. and captured the Rebel flag of the 8th Louisiana.  By that time, the fighting was near over and the 107th had a loss at Gettysburg of about 400 men out of 550, and 111 of their guns were captured.        

William Hockman spent the rest of the war going from island to island along the South Carolina coast, doing picket duty with his regiment.  They also ventured into Florida and Maryland for short periods.  Beginning as a private, William was advanced to Seventh Corporal and eventually to Second Corporal during his term of duty. He was sent back to Cleveland and discharged on July 10 1865.

The 1890 Veterans Census indicated that he had served for 2 years, 11 months and 3 days.  He did have a disability - one deaf ear.

Once home, he found a wife in Elizabeth Bishop and married her in Defiance County on April 19, 1866.  Together they settled in Tiffin Township and began a family.  The Federal Census of 1870 noted William Hockman, age 29, real estate worth $1000 and personal effects worth $300, occupation - farmer.  Elizabeth was then 25 and they had children: Sarah, 3; Caroline, 2; and Jacob, 3 months.  Later, Mary E., Jesse and Elva would join the family.

Elizabeth's sister married a Partee and a Rath, and every year a big reunion would be held, often at the home of William Hockman.  Known as the Rath-Hockman reunion, it was always reported in the paper and often speakers would enlighten the group on some of the early history of the family and the difficulty of settling here.  William's son, Jacob, was noted as "the pride of the families" as he had advanced himself to Judge Hockman.

William Hockman died on May 10, 1912 in Tiffin Township.  His obituary was cut and placed in the Marckel Scrapbook often referred to in this blog:

"William Hockman was born in Pittsburg, Pa. in 1840.  When two years of age, he came to Ohio with his parents, who settled on a farm in Tiffin township, Defiance county.  On this farm, he lived all of his life except three years which were spent fighting for the preservation of his country upon the bloody battle fields of the Civil War.  He was honorably discharged July 10, 1865, at Charleston, S. C. and returned home to his parents.

April 19, 1866, he was united in marriage to Elizabeth Bishop.  To this union, nine children came to bless their home.  Sarah E., George O, John W., and Curtis E. preceded their father to the life beyond.  Caroline J., Jacob H., Mary E., Jesse O., Elvie E., wife and thirteen grandchildren remain to mourn the loss of a kind father and husband who will be greatly missed in the home.

He was a good husband, a good father, a good neighbor, a good citizen and a good Christian.  He was a member of the Methodist church for nearly fifty years, and while health permitted, he always took an active part in church and Sunday school work.  He spent much of his leisure time in his home reading the Bible, which was as a lamp to his feet and a light to his pathway of life.  He departed this life as his home, May 10, 1912, aged 71 years and 8 months."

Buried in the old St. John's Methodist Church Cemetery, 3 miles SE of Evansport

Elizabeth lived on about another 33 years!  Her obituary appeared in the Defiance Crescent-News on February 2, 1945, pg. 4:

"DEATH TAKES WOMAN AT 97.

MRS. ELIZABETH HOCKMAN RITES SUNDAY; BURIAL IN TIFFIN TP

Mrs. Elizabeth Hockman, 97, widow of William Hockman, who resided in Defiance and Williams counties since coming from Germany when three years old, died Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Caroline Gansmiller, Stryker, after a long illness with senility.

She had resided with the daughter for the last 15 years.

The body will remain at the Grisier funeral home, Stryker, where services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. with Rev. W. L. Linebrink, United Brethren pastor of Stryker, officiating.  Burial will be in St. John's Church cemetery, Tiffin Township.

Besides the daughter, she leaves a son, Jesse Hockman, Tiffin township."

             

Sherwood - Delaware Sixth Graders - 1948

 

Elizabeth Rutan Hartle Grier of HIcksville

Elizabeth Rutan Hartle Grier was a well-known fixture in Hicksville Society in the nineteenth century and was called "Grandma Grier" respectfully.  Born to Samuel and Mary Hartle on March 29, 1816, in Portage County, Ohio, she married David Greer sometime between 1836 and 1838.  By 1840, the couple had settled in the Hicksville area.

In the 1860 census of Hicksville Township, D. (David) Grier, 46, a farmer, owned real estate valued at $2500 and had a personal worth of $957.  The 1866 plat book showed that he owned 80 acres in Section 1 of the township.  HIs wife, Elizabeth, 44, and children: Samuel, 20; Mary, 18; James, 16; and Charles 8 were with him.

On August 29, 1861, Elizabeth's oldest son, Samuel, enlisted as a Union soldier in the 21st Regiment, Company E.  Not long after, her husband died in 1862, followed by Samuel, on March 23, 1863.  Samuel died of gangrene from a gun shot wound in the flesh of his thigh received at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  He died in Hospital #3 on the field and was buried at what is now Stones River National Cemetery at Murfreesboro.  His mother also put up a memorial stone in Six Corners Cemetery near Hicksville, where her husband is also buried.

As one could imagine, Elizabeth was handed a strong blow with the loss of her husband and her oldest son approximately a year apart from each other.  She did, however, stay on the farm and she and the remaining siblings worked on it.  In 1870, she was enumerated there at 55 years old with Harmon (Charles), 16, at school, James, 24, farming, and Francis, 23,  keeping house.  The real estate was then valued at $4000.

Elizabeth stayed on the farm and was still there in 1880.   By this time, she was 64 years old and her daughter, Mary Hatery, lived with her, accompanied by Mary's three children: Terressa 15; Andrew, 13; and Effie, 11.  

It was 1890 before Elizabeth applied for the military pension due her as the mother of soldier, Samuel Grier.  She would have been eligible much earlier than this, so it is a mystery why she waited so long to apply.

Her life was well told in her obituaries and memorials, found in the Hicksville Tribune, April 22 and 29, 1909.

"Remembrance of Elizabeth R. Hartle - Greier

Grier, Elizabeth R. Hartle, daughter of Samuel and Mary Hartle, was born at Rootstown, Portage County, Ohio, March 28, 1816, and departed this life April 20, 1909, aged 93 years and 23 days.  

She was married to David M. Grier in 1836, who departed this life March 1, 1862.  To this union were born three sons and two daughters.  The eldest son died at Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1863.  One daughter dying in infancy, the other daughter, Mrs. Hatery, died in 1901.   She leaves to mourn two sons, seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren and many relatives and friends.

She was the eldest of a family of eleven children, all preceding her to the spirit world.

She was converted at the age of 19 years and united with the U.B. church and remained a faithful member until death.

She, with her husband, moved to Hicksville in 1840, meeting with many hardships and privations which she endured with christian fortitude.  During her last illness, she was often heard praising her Master and patiently waited until he took her home..."

Hicksville Tribune, April 29, 1909

***

"AGED LADY DEPARTS.  

'GRANDMA GRIER' ANSWERS THE FINAL CALL AT AGE OF 93 YEARS.

Tuesday morning at the home of her son, Harmon Grier in Jericho, occurred the death of Elizabeth Grier, one of the oldest and most respected residents of this community.  By the whole public, she was affectionately called Grandma.

She passed her ninety-third birth anniversary last month, and has been in critical health since even before that.

Funeral services will be held from the Radical U. B. church, Thursday morning at 11 o'clock."

Hicksville Tribune, April 22, 1909

From the Marckel Scrapbook - Thomas Elliott and Calvin A. VanWagner

 

From the scrapbook of Doris E. Marckel Bates of Defiance, Ohio.

Date on the cover - March the 11th, 1906

A collection of newspaper articles about the folks of Defiance County, Ohio, all undated and with no source named.

"THOMAS ELLIOTT. 

Thomas Elliott, better known as 'Grandpa Tom Elliott,' a well known resident and pioneer of Defiance county, died Tuesday morning about 11 o'clock at his home one mile and a half east of the city on the river road, after a lingering illness of some months with old age.

The deceased was born May 1, 1822, in Coshocton county.  His school days were spent in that locality.  In 1840, he came to Richland township and settled there.  He married Miss May Williams of Holmes county, February 20, 1842.  His family consists of James, Matthew and Sarah (twins, Lany, Fanny, Hester, George, Thomas C., Hannah and May.  Of these, Hester, George, Hannah and May are dead.  Matthew and James live in Richland township.  They were in the late Rebellion.  Sarah married John W. Robinson and lives in Hardin county.

When the deceased settled in North Richland township in 1840, there were but a few settlers.  At the time, there was no one living between his place and Bean Creek, his neighbors all living down the Maumee River.  He cleared up his many acres by hard toil, having at one time 1,140 acres, which he gave to his children, reserving nothing for himself, but the homestead in which he died, the place being surrounded by 160 acres.  His wife died about six years ago.

The funeral occurred Friday afternoon at 1:30 from the M.E. church at Independence.  The remains were interred there."

A different obituary appeared in the Defiance Express on Saturday, February 7, 1903 which provided some additional information. This was not in the Markle scrapbook

"Thomas Elliott was born of Irish parentage in Coshocton county, Ohio, May 1st, 1821, and died in Defiance county, O. Feb. 3, 1903, aged 81 years, 9 months and 2 days.

He was married to Mary Williams, daughter of Matthew Williams of Holmes county, O.  Feb. 20, 1842, who preceded her to the future world April 16, 1896.

To this union were born ten children, namely, James, Matthew, Sarah, Hannah, Hester, George, Magdalena, Frances, Mame and Thomas, of whom Matthew, Frances and Thomas survive.

There were twenty-four grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Mr. Elliott was one of the early pioneers of northwestern Ohio, having moved to Richland township, Defiance county in 1843, where by hard work and frugal habits, he acquired a competence to sustain him in his declining years and was widely known and highly respected by all who made his acquaintance.

He joined the Methodist Episcopal church about 1859, under the ministry of Rev. Lindsay and remained a faithful christian to the end and will be remembered by all as an honest and upright man."

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CALVIN A. VAN WAGNER

 In 1900, Calvin Van Wagner was a resident of Springfield Township, Williams County, at the age of 32.  He rented a farmer and also worked as a carpenter.  He lived with his wife Phoebe isabelle (nee' Christy) and seven children: Eunice, Robert, Bertha, Melvin, Glen, Mary and an adopted child, Andrew Stork.  Apparently, by the time of his death, he had moved to Defiance County, close to the Children's Home.  He evidently fell on hard times which led him to drink and die tragically in 1907.  His obituary was found in the Markle scrapbook:

"CALVIN A. VAN WAGNER.  

BLEW OUT HIS BRAINS.  CALVIN VAN WAGNER, A FARMER, ENDS LIFE WITH A PISTOL.  IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS FAMILY, THE RASH ACT WAS COMMITTED - DESPONDENCY, THE CAUSE.

In the presence of his family and one of the owners of the farm on which he resided and in his own home, Calvin A. VanWagner, who resided on mile west of the Children's Home, intoxicated from the abuse of liquor while in the city during the day, took his own life Thursday evening at 6:30 by pressing the barrel of a revolver to his temple and blowing out his brains.  Despondency is thought to have been the cause of the rash act.

Entering the house on his return from spending the day in Defiance, the drink crazed man said to Mr. Davidson of Henry county, who is interested in the farm and who was at the house on business, 'Tonight I'm going to kill myself."  Mr. Davidson, thinking it simply a threat caused by the man's condition, paid little attention to the threat.  As he insisted on it, however, the visitor argued with him to the effect that he was talking in a foolish manner.  In a moment, the demented man had leaped to the center of the room, pulled a revolver and, before anyone could interfere, fired the bullet into his brain.

VanWagner had driven to Defiance with a daughter, early in the morning.  About the middle of the morning the daughter, having an opportunity to ride home with a neighbor, had availed herself of it.  The man remained in town until late in the afternoon, drinking to excess throughout the entire day.

It is said that lately he has been very despondent because of crops and financial matters and the suicide is attributed to this.

Calvin A. VanWagner was aged 41 years and 3 months.  He is survived by a widow, three sons and three daughters, the eldest of the children being sixteen and the youngest four.  The funeral will occur Sunday at 12:30 o'clock from the house. Interment at Evansport cemetery."

Phoebe went on to marry twice more, last to Charles Elliott.  She died in 1949.