Walter Hilton - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

Walter Hilton was a hometown boy, born and raised in Defiance, mainly Brunersburg, with his parents, Brice and Sophia Hilton.  His household was always full with boarding workers and domestic servants.  In 1850, when Walter was 5 and his brother, Ezra, was 3, the household also contained five other people, including the Donleys, Hugh and Henry, William Donty (Douty) and Mary Edings.
The same held true for 1860.  

Walter was out of school and defined as a laborer in 1860.  Born on February 12, 1845, he was 19 when he enlisted into Company D, 140th Illinois Volunteer Army on May 5, 1864.  All sources agreed on the enlistment in Illinois.  Had he gone there to work outside the home and then enlisted?  He served a little over five months, being discharged on October 27, 1864. His entry on the 1890 census of Defiance County noted no disabilities.

 
Walter came back from his short time after the war and moved back in with his parents: Brice, 62, and Sophia, 50.  In 1870, Brice had real estate worth $47,850 and a personal worth of $11,000, so he was doing quite well for himself.  Walter, 25, listed his occupation as bookkeeper - rather for his father or some one else is unknown. The family had expanded to add two more brothers, Lyman, 11, and John, 9. Three farm laborers lived with them and one domestic servant. 

Sometime between 1875 and 1880, Walter married Margaret Fox Moore, called Maggie.  No official record of the marriage could be located online or in the Defiance marriages.  By 1880, they were settled into their own home in Noble Township with their only child, Eva M. (Evelyn Moore Hilton), 3.  No occupation was listed for Walter at the time, but the newspapers indicated that he jumped right into the work of a merchant and a public servant.

Walter Hilton was a strong Republican and served on committees for the party.  He was County Treasurer for awhile and, in 1882, ran for Postmaster.  He also served as a collector for the canal and was a candidate for Recorder.  The Defiance County Republican and Express of July 18, 1890 noted,

"Walter Hilton is a merchant in this city and like all the rest of the Hiltons was never known to work for or to vote anything but the Republican ticket.  He has been associated with the leading Republican workers in the county for years and is well posted on political affairs."

He (and his father) also had a booming business at 316 Clinton Street where he sold clothing.  

Defiance Democrat, December 1, 1882

The doors of the store were
closed in January, 1894, and Mr Hilton's house went for auction in March, 1895.  Walter had creditors who wanted their money, and his business apparently was not doing well.  In addition, his wife was in poor health.  
So at some point between 1895 and 1899, he and his family moved to Washington, D.C.



 The Defiance Express reported on March 2, 1899, that someone from Defiance had visited the Hiltons in Washington, D. C. 

"Walter Hilton was also visited.  He is looking well, and has a position in the paymaster's department of the Second Auditor of the Treasury.  All the payroll of the 6th regiment and Co. M pass through Mr. Hilton's hands.  Mrs. Hilton and daughter, Eva, are pleasantly located at a cozy home withing a few blocks of the Treasury Department, and Mr. Hilton says he enjoys his new home very much.  Mrs. Hilton's health was quite poor at the time she left Defiance, is much improved."

In 1900, the Hiltons lived at 1234 North Carolina Avenue in Washington, D.C.  Walter's job was government, while Margaret, 52, and Evelyn (Eva), 22, did not work.  Their boarder, Beulah Boggs, 19, worked as a clerk in the railroad office.  

By 1910, Evelyn (Eva) had married Benjamin Boon, also a U.S. clerk.  Now Benjamin, 27, was the head of the family, and he and Evelyn had a son, Thomas S.  Walter, still a clerk at 65, and Margaret, lived with them on Park Street. 

Walter was 74 and Margaret was 72 when the census enumerator came around to Monroe Street, N.E. in Washington, D.C. in 1920.  They lived still with Benjamin and Evelyn and two children, Gordon, 9, and Corinne, 1.  Benjamin was an officer in the Salvation Army.

At some point after this census, Walter and Margaret moved to Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, and that was where Walter died on August 1, 1924.  His death certificate cites uremia or kidney failure as the cause of death.

In a "Do You Remember?" column in a Defiance newspaper of 1925 remembered Walter Hilton this way:

No obituary could be found for either Walter or Margaret, who passed away in 1928.  They were buried at the Evergreen Memorial Park cemetery in Tucson, Arizona.



 (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!)

 

W.P.A. Cemetery Survey - Brunersburg Cemetery, Noble Township

The Works Progress Administration was formed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in reaction to the Great Depression as a means of employing Americans and stimulating the economy.  Established in 1935, one of the projects of the W.P.A. was to conduct Historical Records Surveys, one of which included finding information on cemeteries and the graves of veterans.  The W.P.A. was disbanded in 1943, but the historical information provided on these surveys continue to be of interest and are, thankfully, preserved.

In this series, some of the general surveys of Defiance County cemeteries will be shared, transcribed as written with a few punctuation and/or spelling changes for readability.  The surveys were probably done around 1936.

For more up to date information on the cemeteries, check out this chart on our website:
 http://defiancecountygenealogy.org/cemeteries.html

Brunersburg Cemetery

1. Name of cemetery:

The Brunersburg Cemetery, Brunersburg Village, Noble Township, Defiance County

2. Location, how reached:

Located on the hill on the banks of the Tiffin River at the eastern edge of Brunersburg, a small hamlet on routes #15 and 18, two miles northwest of the city of Defiance, Ohio.  Reached by automobile on these two routes from Defiance, Ohio.

3. Name and address of caretaker:

John Balbaugh, R.F.D. #2, Defiance, Ohio.

Photo from www.findagrave.com

 4. General description, size, appearance, etc.:

The cemetery at Brunersburg is on a huge hill on the western bank of the Tiffin River, an ideal spot for a cemetery at the time it was laid out.  This cemetery is considered the oldest in the county of Defiance.  This, however, is disputed, but there are written records of a burial here in 1822, which is authentic.

The cemetery is fenced in with an ornamental wire fence and has an iron gateway at the entrance.  It is well wooded and has many large tombstones, as well as several of the old fashioned kind, as the plain marble upright slabs, used so much seventy-five years ago.

The cemetery is fairly well kept up but not as good as it could be; it is now supported by the Noble Township Trustees.  This graveyard is now undenominational although until a few years ago, it was kept up in general by the Methodist Church.  The church was demolished in the cyclone that passed through and completely razed this town of Brunersburg in 1920.

5. Name and date of first burial recorded.

Margaret Delette, 1822 

6. Names of important people buried there:

The most important person buried here is Brice Hilton, a rich manufacturer, lumber man and land owner, one of the co-founders of Brunersburg.  He lived to be ninety some years old, age disputed.  He owned Hilton's Mill, Hilton's Tannery, Hilton's Lumber Yard and the Hilton House, a tavern.  After his death or really after he became too aged to carry on business, Brunersburg went downhill fast.  There is a marker memorizing his grave

Photo from www. findagrave.com

 7. Markers of unusual appearance:

All ordinary, old ones and old fashioned white slabs, the new ones of heavy granite of red and grey and a few obelisk markers.

8. Unusual epitaphs:  None.

9. Is cemetery used for new burials?

This graveyard is still used but not as much as formerly; however, it is being kept up better lately since the Noble Township Trustees took it over.

Topic #624

Defiance County

District #13

Cemeteries

C. Cadwallender and C. Gish, Reporters

Consultant: Louis Hanna, R.R. #9, Defiance, Ohio 

Early Schools in Defiance, Ohio - Part 2

From the Defiance Democrat - January 10, 1895
Continued from Part 1, here.

When the settlement increased in numbers and the old, log school house became too small, a district school was organized and taught in the court house for many years. During Court, which was six or eight days of each year, the school would take a vacation.  One E. C. Betts taught in the court house.  His certificate authorized him to teach reading, writing , spelling and arithmetic as far as the rule of three.  Wm. A. Brown also taught in the court house. His assistant was Miss Stowe, afterward Mr. Brown's wife, and who now resides in this city with her daughter, Mrs. Dr. Scott.  Mr. Edwin Phelps also taught in this building.

The second school in what is now the City was on the bank of Coe Run near where the canal is now.  It was built of logs by the settlers along both the rivers. This school was first taught by Brice Hilton.

In 1840, after the county seat of Williams county was moved to Bryan, the old court house was sold and fitted for a dwelling as a new school house had to be provided.  In 1841 the third school house was built in Defiance on the west side of Wayne street, between Fourth and Fifth streets.  It was a two story brick and was built by Timothy Dame, who had succeeded Seamans and Wason in the brick yard. At first the lower room only was finished.  Part of the time there were two teachers and usually over one hundred pupils.  
In 1849 the district was divided, that part East of the Canal being No. 1 and that West, No. 5. A lot was purchased in January 1850 on the North side of Fifth street, just East of where the railroad now is, and a school house was built there.

In 1851, the Union school was organized and the districts consolidated, then the upper room in the brick building was completed, another school house procured and Francis Holenbeck employed at Superintendent, and teacher for the high school.
The present school was kept in a building owned by E. L. May  on the west side of Wayne street near the river, and a few years afterward was moved to the building at the corner of Court and Wayne streets that had been built and used by Dave Marcellus as a carpenter shop and which was rented and used for years as a primary school.

About this time, the Baptist church and a large unfinished frame building where the Carter homestead now stands were used as school houses.  The secondary school, as it was called, was kept in the school house of District No. 5. This building is now used as a dwelling. There was also an overflow school taught in a small building just north of the one last named, Lot fronting on Fourth street.  These were all school houses between the rivers until the Central building, which was commenced in 1866 and completed in 1868.  This building has since been greatly enlarged by adding wings and another story.

In the 4th Ward, a district school house was built about 1858 on the Ottawa Pike just south of the B & O R.R. track, called the Kahlo school house.  It was a frame building, and Miss Southworth, E. H. Gleason, Abijah Miller and others taught there.  In 1875, a brick building was built, which was lately replaced by the splendid Fourth ward building.  In 1875, the present Second ward building was built.

On the north side of the Maumee river was school district No. 2.  The first school house was built in 1851 on Water street, just east of the Wabash railway.  It was a little, frame school house.  Samuel Stacy was the first teacher.

Afterward, E. H. Gleason, John H. Crowell, B. F. Southworth, Mary Bridenbaugh, now Mrs. Kiser, and others taught here.  Before the war, Mr. Southworth was reputed as a normal teacher of great ability, and his school was so popular for young teachers that the directors built an addition to the house and secured an assistant to teach the lower grades.  When Capt. Southworth went into the army, no less than nine of his old pupils went with him and many more followed. On his return from the army, Colonel Southworth again taught here.  In 1866, this district was made part of the Union schools of the town, and in 1874, the ole brick building was built and is now replaced by this beautiful, modern building.

The people of Defiance have never parted from the faith and example of the early settlers.  They have always been liberal in the support of schools; and now our city is guarded at every point on the compass by magnificent school buildings.  They are a wise investment.  They are the city's best defense..."

Early Schools in Defiance, Ohio - Part 1

From the Defiance Democrat - January 10, 1895
(Parts are summarized in blue.)

"OUR EARLY SCHOOLS

Interesting Paper Read by Henry B. Harris.

Interesting History Concerning Our Schools Read at the Dedication Exercises at the Third Ward School Building 

on New Year's Day.

Henry B. Harris has kindly furnished the NEWS with the manuscript of his address on our early schools delivered at the dedicatory exercises at the Third ward school building Tuesday.  The article contains much valuable history that will be of interest to everyone." 

The first part of the address discussed the establishment of the New England Colonies and their establishment of a common school system.  Then the Continental Congress of 1785 regulated the survey of land and provided for a place for a school in the townships.  After the treaty with the Indians in Northwest Ohio in 1817, Ohio passed an act which, among other things, formed the county of Williams and established a land office at Piqua in 1820.  At that point permanent settlers began to come to the area.

"The town of Defiance was laid out in November, 1822, though there had been an Indian trading post here before that time. In 1825, the village consisted of a small store, a tavern and five or six families.  But even before that, in 1824, the first schoolhouse was built in Defiance..."

The settlers went about a mile above the town and cut and hewed the logs, sending them down the river to a point about where the canal meets the Maumee. There the logs were loaded and driven by a yoke of oxen driven by Brice Hilton, then a young lad.  Brice was directed by his father, Joshua Hilton.

"The schoolhouse was a boxed log building about 21 x 28 (?) feet in size.  It stood on the fractioned lot on the northwest corner of Perry and First streets, facing west.  This school house had one door and several small windows, at first without window frames or glass.  It had a plank door and a clapboard roof held in place by poles.  Oiled paper served the place of window glass.

An immense fire place about twelve feet long supporting a stick and mud chimney was the heating apparatus and gave the pupils an opportunity to burn on one side and freeze on the other.  One row of desks was around against the walls, the seats were made of slabs with four stakes in auger holes for legs.  There were no nails or iron used in the construction of the building, even the hinges being of wood and the floor pinned down and the desks pinned up in a primitive, but substantial manner.  The lumber was sawed at Brunersburg at Joseph Perkins' saw mill, then the only mill within forty miles of Defiance.

This is the one room log school house at Lincoln's New Salem Village near Springfield, Illinois, and a good example of the first frontier schools.  (www.angelfire.com)

At the time there were no wagon roads and not a wagon in Williams county.  The first wagon being brought by Wm. Travis in 1825 as far as St. Mary's, when the road seemed impassible and the wagon was taken to pieces, loaded on a boat and floated down the river, while the oxen and horses were loaded with part of the supplies and driven over land, or rather, through the swamp.  In those days, all supplies were brought into the settlement by pirogues, packed on the back of horses, or dragged along the Indians' trails through the forests and swamps on travoix.

The first teacher in this section was Wm. Seamans, who taught two or more terms.  There were about 35 or 40 pupils.  The teacher received $2.00 per term for each pupil which was paid by the parents.  The second teacher, William Edmondson, who taught three or four terms, is reputed to have been a five scholar and an excellent teacher. Afterwards, Wm. A. Brown and others taught there.

In 1826 or 1827, the rival village of Brunersburg wanted a school.  So they built a log school house on the west side of Bean creek on the Speaker Bottoms, about midway between the Dey and Brunersburg bridges and employed Brice Hilton as teacher, who had so improved under the instruction of Seamans and Edmondson that from employment as a drive of oxen in the building of the school house, he had come to be the master at a rival school.

From the time of the formation of Williams county to 1824, the people had to go to Perrysburg, Wood county, to attend court.  From 1824 to 1829, court was held at Defiance in some private building, generally in a room over Mr. Levell's store, in the frame building lately owned by Mr. Myers, the painter, just west of the fort ground.

In 1826 and 1829, the first court house in Defiance was built just north of the Presbyterian church on Wayne street.  William Preston had the contract for building this house, but the brick were made and laid by Wm. Seamens and Robert Wason, who were both brick makers and masons.  Their brick yard was where Washington street now is between Third and Fifth streets, that they were master masons is evidenced by the fact that the house still stands with sound and solid walls.  

After this, Mr. Seamens was justice of the peace and studied and practiced law.  When I was a little boy and had just come into the possession of my first slate, Mr. Seamens, then a guest at my father's house, congratulated me on my acquisition and said that he had chopped five cords of wood for the first slate he ever owned.  He neatly scratched the letters of the alphabet and the figures around the edge of the slate and said he hoped I would learn to make them as good as the copy before I broke the slate.  So that Mr. Seamens was one of my first teachers, and my figures resemble his to this day.  His son, of the same name, a Defiance boy, inherited his father's physical and mental stature and is now a professor of chemistry in the Ohio Wesleyan University, and a teacher and author of international reputation."

To be continued... 

Defiance County Pioneers - Brice Hilton

From the Defiance Express, March 13, 1899

"BRICE HILTON

He is Visited by a Number of his Friends.

This afternoon two bus loads of gentlemen drove to Brunersburg and paid their respects to the venerable Brice Hilton, who was celebrating his 91st birthday.  
The visitors took a handsome chair along as a gift to their friend.  Mr. Hilton was rejoiced to see his friends, and gave them a hearty welcome.  After a general passing of compliments, L. E. Beardsley, who accompanied the party, took two negatives of the old gentleman.  There are only two other pictures of Mr. Hilton extant.  One was taken when he was 50, and the other when he was 70 years old.

After this had been done, the visitors and Mrs. Lyman Hilton and daughter Hazel gathered in the front yard, and Mr. Beardsley took a snap shot of all of them.  Mr. Hilton is at the home of his son, Lyman, and the company received a gracious welcome from his and his wife and Filmore Hilton.

The party was made up of the following gentlemen, who came to Defiance in the years noted: Rev. B. W. Slagle, 1862; Adam Wilhelm, 1839; E. P. Hooker, 1859; K. V. Haymaker, 1856; L. E. Beardsley, 1865; Dr. C. E. Slocum, 1871; Charles B. Squire, 1858; Rev. A. E. Smith, 1895; L. E. Myers, 1852; L. G. Richardson, 1848; H. B. Harris, 1853; Edward Squire, 1858; E. E. Carter, 1856; W. A. Kehnast, 1861; John W. Slough, 1847; George Bechel, 1860; J. P. Buffington, 1853.  The press was represented by Charles Sampson, N. R. Webster, John Ury, and W. H. McClintock.

Mr. Hilton looks quite feeble, but he stated to the Daily Express man as he bid him good bye: 'When I am dead and gone, don't say that Brice Hilton died of old age.'"

In just a few months, Brice Hilton passed away, and one of Beardsley's photos appeared in the obituary.

"A PATRIARCH 

PASSES TO HIS REWARD

BRICE HILTON, THE OLDEST PIONEER OF DEFIANCE COUNTY

DEATH OF A GRAND OLD MAN

Amid the Scenes of an Eventful

and Well Spent Life, He Lays

Down to His Final Rest.

The venerable Brice Hilton, of Brunersburg, who previous to the time of his death, was considered the oldest resident of this section, passed away from earth, Monday morning at about 7 o'clock.

Mr. Hilton has been sinking for several weeks and the end had been anticipated for some time.  Since the date of his 91st birthday last March 13, at which time several of his acquaintances of this city drove out and made him a call, he has been failing in health.

On the above occasion, a photograph of the excellent old gentleman was made by artist, L. E. Beardsley, of this city, from which the cut which accompanies this article was made.  He was conscious and conversed intelligently with members of his family right up to the last.  He passed a very good night the last night.

The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon, July 19th, from the residence of Lyman Hilton, services being conducted by Rev. E. L. Rexford, a Universalist minister who is pastor of a church in Columbus.  He was a friend of Mr. Hilton during his lifetime and was also President of a College at Athens which Lyman Hilton attended for awhile.

While Brice Hilton was not a member of a church, he leaned to the Universalist creed.  At one time, he built a church at Brunersburg and supported religious services there of the Universalist denomination.

The news of the death of this old landmark will be received with regret by a wide circle of friends, not only in Defiance county, but in surrounding territory.  He was an excellent citizen and goes to his reward revered by all who knew him personally or were familiar with his wonderful traits of character.

He has been a giant physically and mentally, and the story of his life is full of toil and hardships, as well as deeds of charity and benevolence.  His closing years, however, were ones of peace and comfort and he passed away attended by every mark of affection that loving hands could minister.

Upon the death of his wife in 1897, he took up his residence with his son Lyman and wife, and they have put forth every effort and pains to attend to his ever want since then.

He was born at Stark, Somerset county, Maine, March 13, 1808.  He came into the Maumee Valley in the spring of 1821 and was married to Sophia Umbenhaur, at Brunersburg, Dec. 4, 1836.  Mrs. Hilton died Sept. 27, 1897.  There were born to this worthy couple twelve children.  Of this number, the following are living: Walter, Ezra, Filmore, Lyman L. and John C. Hilton.

Brice Hilton was the son of Joshua and Hepzibah Hilton.  They were married Oct. 10, 1805.  The father died in Defiance in August 15, 1835, and the mother August 15, 1850.

The Hilton family in America sprung from three brothers, Benjamin, Ebenezer and Isaac, who sailed from England and landed near Philadelphia about the year 1600. Brice Hilton was a descendant of Benjamin and is the 7th generation down the line.

In this connection, this paper gives the story of the moving of the Hiltons from Maine to Ohio, which was recently dictated by Brice Hilton himself and related to K. V. Haymaker:

'Brice Hilton says that in 1817, his father, Joshua Hilton, moved from Maine to Ohio with his family, which then consisted of his wife, Hepzibah, and the following children:  Mary, Brice, Thomas, Ezra and John.  At that time, Joshua and his brother Edgar lived in what had been their father's old homestead at Stark Mills, Somerset county, Maine.  This old homestead was a large, double house and each brother with his family, lived in either part.

Joshua and his brother, Edgar, were owners of the grist mill and Joshua and his oldest brother, Richard, owned the saw mill.  Those mills were located on a small mill stream which emptied into the Sandy river about a mile below, which in turn emptied into the Kennebec a mile further down.  Bruce says he remembers seeing the mill dam and the mill destroyed by flood.

My mother has often told me the story, which she learned from

Hepzibah, that it was on account of the loss of those mills, and being too much discouraged on account thereof to attempt to again rebuild them, that Joshua resolved to remove to the west.  These mills had only been rebuilt a few years before, possibly within a year, prior to the time the flood swept them out.

It was in the spring of 1817 that this loss occurred, and they spent the summer in preparing for the journey to Ohio.  Brice states as another reason why his father desired to leave Maine, was that every winter he was afflicted with ulcerated sore throat, the same disease of which Joshua's father had died.  The hope of finding a milder climate, was one of the strong incentives which induced him to come to Ohio.

The trip was commenced in September.  In addition to Joshua and his wife and five children above named, they were also accompanied by Rachael Hilton, Hepzibah's siter, then a young woman of 18 or 19 years, and also by a young man named Hilton, who was a second cousin of Hepzibah and whose first name Brice cannot recall.  He states that this young man was a brother of Jesse Hilton who had come to Ohio before that time, and who then lived at Hillsboro, in Highland county, Ohio.

After their arrival, this young man, who furnished one of the three horses with which they made the trip, left Joshua and his family, to join his brother Jesse at Hillsboro, and Brice cannot now recall that he ever saw or heard of him thereafter.  Jesse Hilton, some years after, perhaps in 1824 or 1825, came to northern Ohio, and settled near Defiance, and was the first man to raise a crop of wheat in the Maumee Valley.

The trip from Maine was made in a wagon drawn by three horses.  Aside from the living freight,the load consisted of but little save the wearing apparel of the moving party.  The trip was made in a remarkably short time, and without any serious mishaps.  The final halting place was at Reading, near Cincinnati, Ohio, where they parted company with the young man who had accompanied them.

Joshua and his family lived for four years in Hamilton county and in Miami county near Piqua, on rented farms, and for one season, Joshua run a large saw mill located near the city of Cincinnati in the valley of Mill Creek.  The desirable farming lands in the locality had been mostly taken up, and were of such value that they were beyond the slender means of Joshua to purchase.  So in the spring of 1821, Joshua and his two oldest sons, Brice and Thomas, with two horses, Joshua riding one and the two boys, the other, rode from Miami county to Fort Defiance.

This point was then a frontier post, with garrison, and with but few white families located here.  Joshua looked over the public lands which were then open for entry, and selected about 130 acres just above the fort.  A family named Shirley was then here, and Joshua rented some cleared bottom land of Robert Shirley, and with the assistance of his boys, constructed a fence of longs and brush around it, plowed and planted to corn and potatoes.  They also chopped trees for rail cuts on the land which they had selected for entry.

After this was done, Joshua and Thomas mounted one of the horses and returned to Miami, leaving Brice, then 13 years old, to cultivate the crops, and split the rail cuts.  Brice tended the crops until the corn was so far along as to need no further cultivation, and in his leisure time, split rails sufficient to enclose 80 acres of the land his father had selected.  This work being completed, he bestrode the horse and rode back to Miami county to help harvest the wheat and other crops.

The distance from Piqua to Defiance is about 100 miles.  That fall, the family moved to Defiance and settled on the land which Joshua had selected, and which he filed a certificate of entry on his return to Piqua in the spring.  The federal land office for this district being then located in Piqua.

The log house which Joshua built for his family on his arrival was considered a marvel of size and pretentiousness.  It was a double log house, two stories in height, with an open passage between the wings and for a considerable time, the highest type of architecture in the Maumee Valley.  Some years later, Joshua burned brick and erected a two story brick home which is still occupied as a residence by the present owners of the farm.  The brick house referred to is ...on the Smith farm, west of the city, near the water works.' "

Defiance Democrat - July 20, 1899


 

Page From the Past - Brunersburg

This article first appeared in the Defiance Crescent News on Wednesday, January 18, 1922, and then was reprinted in the society's newsletter, Yesteryears Trails in 1988.  It was written by J. F. Dowe.

"WHEN BRUNERSBURG, BIGGER THAN DEFIANCE, HAD THREE SALOONS AND FOUR HOTELS.

The things I am going to tell you are what I have heard old settlers tell about and what I have seen.

At one time, the 'Burg' had a greater population than Defiance.  The people had to come out here to vote.  That was before 1845 when this part of the county belonged to Williams County.

At one time, the Burg had four hotels and all had plenty to do.  They had large barns nearby as a place to keep horses.  In those days, the travelers came on foot or on horseback.  At times, the hotels were so crowded that the travelers had to sleep on straw ticks on the floor.  Most of these people seeking lodging were looking for homesteads or places where they could buy cheap land.  They all wanted land near some river or ravine.

I think Uncle Brice Hilton and his parents came to this country in 1822.  And a few years later, he purchased a good part of the business in the Burg.  Well do I remember when he had two tanneries, shoe shops, saw mill and grist mill and owned a good scope of land near the Burg.

There was a dam across the river -  one end a saw mill and on the other end a grist mill.  That was one of the fine dams in this country.  It was built long before the dam at Independence on the Maumee river.

I saw the grist mill and two of the hotels burn down and the other two hotels torn down.  The last hotel was owned and run by John Kniseley. 

In those days the Burg had all kinds of business except a bank.  But we had three saloons where you could deposit.

Benjamin Hilton and Daniel Bruner ran a dry goods store and a general store.  They also bought grain and did a good business.  They had to haul their grain to Defiance and load it on a canal boat and ship to Toledo.

This is when the Burg began to lose business.  They could pay more for grain in Defiance.  You remember the John Tuttle warehouse on the bank of the Maumee.  It was known for miles around.

A few years later came the Wabash railroad which put Defiance on the map, and it looks like it is there to stay.

Just a few words about our bridges.  There have been five bridges across the river at the Burg.  The first one was about 50 rods north of our present bridge.  It was built early in 1800, one which I never saw.  It was built by labor and money donations mostly.  In those days, the bridge was not more than 12 feet from low water.  We did not have such high water nor did the water run so swift.  In fact, the river would be a month rising and falling.

The second bridge was built while this section yet belonged to Williams county.  It was constructed of white and bur oak, three-span, with wooden bents.  The spot where the west abutment now stands was near the center of the river.

The third bridge was built right after the Civil War, probably about 1865 or '66.  It was a two-span bridge, set on wooden piers and wooden abutments.  The center pier was a wooden box filled with stone and dirt.  The framework of this bridge was pine, with two pieces 12 x 14 inches, well bolted and dovetailed together.  The siding was made of inch boards 10 feet long.

The year 1884 saw the building of the fourth bridge - a steel structure with 200 foot span.  It was erected by the Youngstown bridge company under the direction of Martin Struble, Levi Colby and Michael Gorman, commissioners and T. S. Knight, surveyor.  This was the bridge which the storm tore down on March 28, 1920, when a large part of the Burg was also destroyed.

The present bridge was built in the fall of 1920 by a Lima company - a three arch concrete affair which looks as if it would stand longer than all the rest combined.  The same abutments were used as on the former bridge."