08/09/2010

The South Woodbury Times

Project Page - Remembering the Past

Articles and information

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Woodbury

"The land on which Woodbury now stands was owned in 1810 by Jonas Stansberry and was known as lot No.12, and contained one hundred acres. Some years afterward he sold it to John and Joseph Horr for $200. They kept it a short time and sold it to Daniel Wood Sr. for $450. The first traveled road run along the west bank of Alum Creek and the first cabins were built on this road. Colonel Kilbourne, with his assistants, surveyed a road from Worthington, in Franklin county, to New Haven, in Huron county, and the Delaware and Mt. Gilead road is a part of that route. It was opened for travel in 1825,and is the one on which Woodbury was subsequently laid out. About the year 1834,Daniel Wood Sr., the owner of the land, and James Eaton, County surveyor, laid out the village and Daniel Wood named it Woodbury. He refused to sell the lots unless the person buying would positively agree not to sell liquor or allow it to be sold on the premises...."

First Settlers "Andrew Schofield built the first storehouse and sold it to Aaron Chapman who opened the first store,and it is the same building that is now occupied by Levi Starr. Nathan F. Randolph was the first Postmaster ; Dr.__________Petty was the first physician; Almearn Benson, blacksmith; Ira Clay, shoe maker; Shadrack Hubbell built the first hotel building, and Eli Johnson rented it and kept the first hotel. Gideon Buck moved, with his family from New York to Ohio on foot with a hand cart; settled in Woodbury; was a carpenter, and carried on his trade for many years; Solomaon Soper, a carpenter; James Vernon, a carpenter; Nathan Grissel, a cabinet maker; Hiram Allen, a Methodist minister. Benjamin Collins was a revolutionary soldier; settled in Ohio in 1814;was an exhorter; died at the advanced age of 90 years. Peter Doty built the first frame house; Richard Wood built the first wagon shop in 1839, and has lived in the village, and in connection with farming, has worked at the wagon business ever since. The first schoolhouse was built of logs and stood on the northwest corner of Main and Vernor streets, a few rods north of where the roads cross. The first and second school house where taught by Mr. Alsop; the third by Daniel Osborn. A few years afterwards a frame school was built and used also for a meetinghouse. The first religious society formed was Methodist, in the year 1836. They usually held meetings, for the first few years, in Ira Clay's dwelling house, which stood on the south east corner of Main and Elm streets, on the lot now owned and occupied by D.S. Osborn. The prominent members of this society at the time were: Jacob Vanduser and wife, Robert Gardner and family, Ira Clay and wife, Andrew Buck and family, Gideon Benedict and wife, Marcus Gardner and family , Elijah Baldwin and wife, David James and family, Hiram Allen and wife and Stephen Morehouse and wife. The first ministers were Hiram Allen, Zephaniah Bell, Samuel Allen, James Wheeler and ---Gilrooth. "

from A.S. Benedict, The History of Peru Township Morrow County Ohio 1897, page 38. ..LINK

“We pass now to notice the modern buildings which have supplanted these ruder edifices. Reuben Benedict's brick house was the first of that kind in the township; the Methodist Church built in 1840, was the first church edifice, and the best in the township in its day. Although inferior to its successor, which will be described hereafter, it has many fragrant memories which are wafted continually from it. In it that great Methodist champion of discussion, John A. Power, thrusted and parried with the sword of argument, as he met at different times the champion of universal salvation. In it R. B. Gardner and Morgan Doty tuned the voices of the youth of the surrounding country and the village to melodious sounds and accents, and earned a well deserved reputation for themselves. In it a majority of the eloquent divines, whose names are mentioned in connection with the history of the village of South Woodbury, and the church located at that place, were heard.” .In the township are the villages of South Woodbury and West Liberty. South Woodbury contains one church, three stores, two wagon and blacksmiths shops, two physicians, one school and a resident minister; also an Odd Fellows' hall. The town was laid out in 1830, by Daniel Wood. The first building, a log cabin, was erected by Joseph Horr. The first frame building was erected by Andrew Schofield, as a storeroom. The first hotel was erected by Shadrach Hubbell and Eli Johnson, during the year 1832-33. The merchants have been Shadrach Hubbell, Aaron Chapman, George W. Clarke, David White, Andrew Buck, Stephen Morehouse, Rev. William Waters, J. B. Benson, Levi Starr, R. Wood and D. S. Osborne. The first church was organized in 1836, by the Methodists, and in 1840 the first church building was erected. In 1869, a new and more commodious church edifice was erected at a cost of $4,000, having in connection with it a fine parsonage. In the village and vicinity there is also a colored church organization. The next best public building is Odd Fellows' Hall, erected in 1871. The society has twenty members. Ever since the formation of the village, the Woods have had a wagon-shop in operation there. In the village the following persons have figured as blacksmiths, viz., Almerin Benson, Joseph West, D. Rigden, Gillett, Henry C. Davidson, Sidney Wallace, T. Gardner, Norton Chapman and Guy Gardner.

And we note the following Doctors, to wit: Patee, Sapp, Breese, Pennock, Swingley, Conklin, Mills, Wilson, Shaw and Immo. The hotel-keepers have been Solomon Westbrook, William Westbrook, R. Benedict, and Philemon Conklin. The coopers were S. Doty and Rufus Pierce. The ministers have been Hill, Seymour, Allen, Burgess, Conant, Blampede, Plummer, Mitchell, Ketchum, Wheeler, Brandyberry, Ayers, Craven, Seymour, Waddell, Webster, Jones, Bell, Lawrence, Chilson, Heustes; Close, Baldwin, Conley and Yourtes. The saddlers have been Lyon, Patterson and Smith. The shoemakers, Clay, Hill, Peasley, Thomas, Rigby, Carpenter and Wall. The post office called Bennington was first kept on the Eagar farm, by Alexander Eagar, who was succeeded by Jacob Vandeventer ; he by Nathan Randolph, who kept it for many years on the Randolph farm, and transferred it to South Woodbury, where his successors have been George N. Clarke, Isaac Gooden and Richard Wood. The first mail carried from Delaware to Woodbury on contract, was by Shadrach Hubbell, and in this the Hon. J. Randolph Hubbell acted in the capacity of post-boy. The first child born in the village was Celestia Horr. The first person buried in the village cemetery was Mrs. Rachel Buck; next was her daughter. In this village is a resident member of the Starr family, boasting a connection of 1,794 families, and aggregating 6,766 persons, all the lineal descendants of Dr. Comfort Starr, who died at Boston, Mass., in 1659. The population of the village is 100 inhabitants."

L.H. Baskins , The History of Morrow County, Ohio 1880, p 429.

Link to the Heritagepursuit site History of Peru Township Morrow County History

Special Mount Hesper Seminary Reunion.

Newspaper clipping found at the Delaware Co. Historical Society. 12/2/2007

Includes names of those who attended the reunion and the years they attended.