Lipp School - Delaware Township, 1893-1894

The donator of this souvenir booklet thought this school was probably in Delaware Township, based on where her grandparents lived.  Her father is listed in the booklet.  So the exact location is unknown.

As it may be difficult to read, the teacher and pupils are listed here:

Meg. A. Kleinhenn, Teacher
Henry Lipp, Director

Boys -
Roy Bayse
Fred Slough
Henry Fair
Forest Peoples
John Stitsel
John Lipp
George Stitsel
Edgar Flickinger
Wilber Davis
Chester Flickinger
Chauncy Kleinhen
Tom Grogg
John Peoples
Chauncey Grogg
Roy Lang
Allen Pontions
Clearance Pontions
Walter Davis 
Willie Koch

Girls-
Kate Grogg
Eda Koch
Bertha Slough
Minnie Grogg
Clara Koch
Kate Slough
Iva Peoples
Anna Lipp
Alice Stitsel
Emma Lipp
Nellie Koch
Viola Fair
Nina Fair
Daisy Boterf
Rebecca Fair
Alta Davis 

W.P.A. Cemetery Survey - Ayersville Cemetery, Highland Township

In this series, some of the general surveys of Defiance County cemeteries will be shared, transcribed as written on the original W.P.A. reports, 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)

 Ayresville Cemetery

1. Name of Cemetery:

The Ayresville Graveyard, Highland Township, Defiance County, Ohio.

2. Location; how reached:

This cemetery is located in township of Highland, in section three at the Richland - Highland line and on the Ayresville Overhead bridge road.  It is one mile north of the village of Ayresville on the last named road, where it is easily reached by automobile.  From Defiance, Ohio, it is five and one half miles out on Route #18 and then straight south of route #18 at the High overhead bridge across the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

3. Name and address of caretaker:

There is no regular caretaker of the cemetery, it is kept up by the Highland Township Trustees and persons who own lots in the graveyard.  Mr. Al Logan is one of the trustees and a Mr. Lero hired to dig graves and mow the grass.  Both men live in the village of Ayresville.  For information, write Mr. Al. Logan, R.R. #6, Defiance, Ohio or Ayresville village, Defiance County.

Photo from www.findagrave.com

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

This graveyard is the largest and best kept up in Highland Township; it contains four acres.  It is surrounded by an iron and wire fence and has red brick pillar posts at its two gateways and at each corner of the four acres; there is a gravel driveway.  The land is soft sand and gravel of the south ridge as all this land in this vicinity is.  There are a few nice large old trees of cedar, ash and oak and maple of very stately appearance along the road in the front of the cemetery.

There are around two hundred graves in it.  The graveyard is Protestant, but of no particular church, however most of the persons buried here happen to be Methodists; it is considered as the third nicest rural cemetery in Defiance County and also one of the oldest still being used.

It really consists of two parts, the old part which is called the Pleasant Bend Cemetery, not kept up by the township trustees but by individuals; the other part being the new graveyard, kept up by the township.  It was started in 1838 and is used as much today as it was then.

 

5. Name and date of first burial recorded:

Oldest grave is that of Ida May Ashton, 1838.  Oldest lot owned is that of the Brechbills, the first one Henry born in 1799 and died in 1844.

Henry Brechbill at www.findagrave.com

6. Names of important persons buried there:

Ayresville Cemetery is noted for the number of old Civil War veterans buried in it.  I am told that seventy five are buried there, and all of them died in the last twenty years.  There are the Mix's, Breechbills, Ashtons, all early pioneers coming to this township in the 1830s and mentioned in Beers History of Defiance County.  Also Boyds, Logans, Blues, Henrys and Davises, all early settlers who have many descendants living in and around Ayresville and Defiance, Ohio today.

7. Markers of unusual appearance:

The tombstones, markers and memorials are all very fine, mostly of granite, most of the relatives have in the last few years put up new markers to the memory of their people.  A few of the old markers still stand in the Pleasant Bend side of the graveyard, in the new part the markers are new.  
The tomb of Wm. Morse is the finest.  It is an underground cement top sealed tomb, over it rests a large heavy Roman style granite marker of gray color.  It is different than any run across yet.
 

William Morse at www.findagrave.com

8. Unusual epitaphs: 

The most of the people buried in this graveyard are of a very religious nature and their markers are inscribed with many and various passages from the Scripture and verses from the old Religious songs.  It seems as if this graveyard has more old people buried in it than ordinarily, an over percentage of them being past their full age of three score and ten. Perhaps the reason is that this is nice, dry country on a sand ride through here and also that the people took are of their bodies and many of them had no bad habits at all.  They lived peaceful, happy lives with their fellow men.

9. Is cemetery used for new burials?

This cemetery is used as much today as ever before, many graves are to be found made in the last year.

Topic #624
Defiance County.
District #13
Cemeteries
C. Cadwallader and C. Gish.

Consultant: Mr. Al. Logan, R.F.D. #6,Defance, Ohio.

(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.)

Ryder School, Washington Township

The Ryder School was District #2 in Washington Township, located in Section 4 at the intersection of Scott Road and The Bend Road.

Adams Township - Maddock School, District # 2

The District #2 school was located in Section 4 of Adams Township at the intersection of Nagel Road and Harper Road.  Whether any of the pupils in the photo are the same as those mentioned in the souvenir booklets is unknown.  No year or identification was given on the photo.
This frame school was eventually replaced with a brick structure.

Going Off to College in 1895

"WILL ATTEND COLLEGE.

Where Defiance Young People Will go to Learn.

The following is a partial list of the Defiance young people who will attend colleges to secure a higher education this winter:

Miss Nellie Kettenring, Delaware, O.

Miss Bessie Switzer, Delaware, O.

Miss Emma Lewis, Glendale, O.

Miss Francis Wilhelm, Washington, D. C.

Clinton Seither, Ann Arbor, Mich.

R. T. Holgate, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ab. Rummell, Chicago School of Pharmacy

George Farrell, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Richard Sutphen, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Fred Wood, Cornell University

Roy Coombs, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Miss Minnie Davis, Oxford, O.

Earl E. Enos, Ohio State University

(Defiance Democrat, September 1895)

 

Defiance College graduating class of 1895 (Defiance College, Pilgrim Library Archives)

The Fourth at Ney, Ohio, 1894

From the Defiance Democrat - July 12, 1894

THE FOURTH AT NEY

"Ney did herself proud...she fairly turned herself wrong side out July 4th, celebrating the Declaration of Independence.  The day was pleasant and not too warm and early in the day, the streets were full of people listening to the tuneful lay of the hokey pokey man* until the grand and only get-up-and-snort fantastic parade of improvised hoodoos** traveled about town.  An interesting feature was a party of 52 large and small girls dressed in the national colors, and each carrying a banner representing one of the states and territories.

   (*hokey pokey man =an ice cream vendor) (**those who bring bad luck, practice voodoo)

Wild Jim French

 Then Capt. W. J. French or Wild Jim, the Texas cowboy and saddle king, performed feats of daring and skillful marksmanship with his Winchester rifle, rivaling Buffalo Bill and Dr. Carver in his instantaneous snap shots seemingly without aim, holding the rifle in every conceivable position, shooting with unerring aim objects thrown into the air.  One incident was shooting the ashes from a cigar held in the mouth of his cowboy companion whose name we did not learn.

After dinner, J. H. Hockman, Esq., of Defiance, delivered an able address suitable to the day.  The Ney band and choir furnished excellent music.  

The pony race between J. H. Kyle and Joe Ehlinger was easily won by Kyle.

The bicycle race between Eugene Conkey and Charley Davis resulted in Davis coming out second best.

The fat man's race furnished considerable amusement.  Orley Welker, Wes Kerns, and George Keller did their best, Keller winning, though Welker would have had a better show had the street not been so crowded that he could not pass Kerns and Keller.

A free for all footrace between Albert Motter, Charles Griner, Walter Stailey and Wild Jim's cowboy resulted in the latter's favor.  The race not being satisfactory, on the second trial, the cowboy again easily won. Walt Stailey being second best.

The wheelbarrow race was by Weston Welker, Charles Griner, and Lewis Motter.  Motter fell down and Griner running into him, gave the race to Welker.

The sack (race) was between Arty Doud, Lewis Motter and Walter Stailey and was won first heat by Stailey, second and third were draws, and the fourth was won by Motter.

The pie eating contest between Pete Donley and Ora Coy was won by Donley.

The greased pole was climbed by three or four small boys, the last of which performed some gymnastics upon reaching the top.

The mule race between William Figley and Frank Botterf was very comical, the latter gentleman not being 'in it' at all, in spite of wearing out a telegraph pole upon his noble steed.

The minstrel troupe also gave a sample of their burnt cork talent. 

 After supper, fireworks were indulged in.  Several fancy balloons were sent up, and after a few rockets and pinwheels had been placed on exhibition, sparks ignited the box containing the fireworks which exploded with the noise of a cannon, and people fled from the shooting missiles in all directions.  The display would have been one of the finest ever seen in this part of the country, had not the deplorable accident occurred.

Marshall Bill Donley bossed the proceedings of the day, and, of course, he and everybody else was happy.  So may it always be."