The Women's Relief Corp - Farmer, Ohio

An auxillary unit to the G.A.R., the Women's Relief Corp ladies had a purpose - to keep alive the memory of their soldiers.  Chartered in 1883, their motto, "Fraternity, Charity, Loyalty," was sometimes engraved on the bar of their pins.
(This was also the motto of the G.A.R.)

  In this photo, the motto is represented by the three women in the center of the Maltese Cross which hung below the connecting red, white and blue.

The Maltese Cross also served as a grave marker, placed at the tombstone of the WRC members.




















Farmer had a very active Women's Relief Corp.  In the photo below, note that each woman wore the WRC pin.  They were seated on a rug (probably to keep their dresses clean), with two flags behind them.  One was the U.S. flag and the other could not be determined. The photo below was undated, but some women were identified.

This unit was attached to the Lew Bowker G.A.R. post in Farmer. Ohio.

Back Row, L to R: Mary Ann Wasnich Fickle, Mrs. John Donley, ?  , Sister to Mr. Fritz, Elizabeth Sweet, ? , ? , Alice Wilder, Mrs. Hastings

Front Row, L to R:  ?  ,  Mrs. Yeagley, Mrs. Calvin Rogers,  ?  , ?  , Mrs. Kittredge, Mrs. Rice, Mina Allen

If you recognize an ancestor and could help with identification, please comment!

Gathering at the Blacksmith Shop in Farmer, Ohio

It appeared the blacksmith shop was a great place to meet your friends and neighbors in Farmer.

  Mary Stone was seated in the chair on the left and beside her, holding the wheel, was Vinnie Stone.  The man who looks like he may be ready to use that hammer was Pat Beattie.
The young boy was unidentified, but perhaps he was an apprentice, as he is dressed to work.
On the bench were John Donley, on the left, and William P. Bayes on the right.

 From the left, Perry Hand, Arthur Stone, Braton Hand, John Donley, Bert Smith

The Oldest Settler - William Donley, 1895

It is always a special pleasure to read a first person account of an ancestor's life.  In this letter to the editor, William Donley, at 55 years old, looked back at his life as one of the first people to settle in the wilds of Defiance County.  The article appeared in the Defiance Express on December 20, 1895; William would live but six more years.

"THE OLDEST SETTLER.

That Honor Now Claimed by Wm. Donley of Washington Township.

I was thinking today what a wonderful change has taken place in Defiance county in the past fifty-five years.  It also occurred to me while I was considering the question that I am now the oldest settler in Washington township.  

My father, John, better known as Jack Donley, came to Defiance county in 1837.  He was born in Virginia in 1804 and come to Ohio with his parents some time in 1815.  They settled at Raccoon Hill, Athens county, where I was born Dec. 11, 1833.

In my boyhood days, bears, wolves and deers were plenty in Washington township, the wolves making the night hideous with their howling.  Indians were almost as numerous as birds are now-a-days and as treacherous as any of the name could have been.  If they wanted anything to eat, there was only one way to get rid of them and that was to feed them.

My father frequently killed a deer or bear before breakfast.  Meat and Johnny cakes were the main staff of life and in that particular the neighbors all fared alike.  You bet they enjoyed it, too.

The first settlers in Washington township were Zacharial Huet, George Huet, James Huet, Jesse Donley, Hugh Donley, Andrew Bostater, H. Skeen, James Skeen, Gideon Skeen, Peter Doud and Wm. Donley, Sr.

There were but five houses on what is now known as the Bellefontaine road in those days.  One at Brunersburg, two in Washington, one at Williams Center, occupied by Mr. Dilman and one at the St. Joe river, owned by old man Parker.  It is called the Lang place now, but was known as Denmark.  Very strangely there is but one house at that point at this day.

My parents raised ten children, six boys and four girls, all of whom are dead but Malinda Hutton, of Kansas, and the writer.  My father died in Illinois in January 1866, and my mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth McKee, at Ney, this township in 1875.

Wm. Donley

(We wish to say in this connection that Mr. Donley is one of the liveliest old settlers that we know of in this neck of woods.  He is a blacksmith by trade and lives in the town of Ney.  He was in the army during the war and is now one of the leading, hardworking Republicans in Washington township.  He buried his youngest child, an infant some two weeks old, about two month ago.  Bill is grey and grizzley, but has vim enough to last twenty-five years.  We hope he will and then some.)

www.findagrave.com - Ney Cemetery