Lanier Township

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

There is but little doubt that Jacob Parker was the first settler in the township, and probably the first white man to build a cabin in the county, for family tradition has it that as early as the year 1798, before the United States surveyor laid off the sections, he came back to the Twin creek bottoms, south­east of West Alexandria, and built his cabin near the old camp of Wayne's soldiers, as related elsewhere. He found this a lonesome job, and also apparently realized that "it was not good for man to be alone," for he returned to near Middletown. In 1803, however, he returned and resided during the re­mainder of his life on the northeast quarter of section 3, dying in 1848. His son, Peter Parker, always claimed to be the first white boy born in the county, and that he was born five or six months before George D. Hendrix. Martin Ruple came to the township with Jacob Parker in 1803 and settled on the southeast quarter of section 3.

In 1804 John Aukerman settled on Aukerman creek, and later moved to a point just east of Eaton. In the same year Jacob Loy, from Maryland, set­tled in section 2. He was related by marriage to Parker, who married Mary Loy.

In 1805 Peter Vanausdal, from Virginia, settled on section 10. About 1806, John Vanausdal, the father of Peter and Cornelius, came and settled in section 10, and with John came his son-in-law, Christian Van Doren, who settled near him. About the year 1805 Jacob Fudge, from Virginia, with his brother David, settled in section 34. In 1808 he was elected the first sheriff of the county and served two terms.

Benedict Stoner, from Maryland, settled on Twin creek, east of West Alexandria, in 1805, and in the same year Christian Halderman, John Halderman, Jacob Shewman and John Kaylor, from Virginia, settled in section 32. In the same year Henry and Peter Eikenberry settled near Wheatville.

        In 1806 Samuel Teal, from Maryland, settled near the mouth of Aukerman creek, and is said to have been one of the first Dunkards in the county.

In the same year came John Price, who settled just west of West Alexandria; David Louts, on Banta fork; Michael Wolf, on Banta fork, and Abraham and Albert Banta, on the stream that since has borne the name, and a little later Peter Banta joined them. In this same year Jacob Neff came from Virginia.

About 1807 James Dennison came and settled on Twin creek. Some twenty years later his son James erected the mill known as Dennison's mill, later known as Gregg's mill, which is now gone.

            About 1808 William Campbell came from Kentucky and settled south of West Alexandria, where he started a tannery, which he operated for a num­ber of years. He was the father of John V. Campbell, first probate judge of the county. In the same year Jacob Lesh settled in section 18 and Samuel Mitchell settled in section 29. Henry Young settled on Aukerman creek, northwest of Gratis, in 1809.

In 1811 James Cloyd, who came from Virginia, settled in section 26, and in the same year Jacob Deardorff settled in section 8 and Jacob Heckman settled near Wheatville.

John Black came in 1813 and purchased land in sections 3 and 4. Some of this land is yet owned by his grandson, S. S. Black, just south of West Alexandria. Later came many others whose names are yet common in the township. It is not intended that the above shall be accepted as a complete list of all the early settlers, but only of those most easily traced, including a large number of the names common now; for those early settlers left no trace of race suicide.

The first child born in the township was Sarah Ruple, who was born in 1804, and the next was Peter Parker, born in 1805.

MILLS AND MILLING.

The first flour-mill in the township was built in 1812 by a New Englander, named John Egbert, on Twin creek, in section 15, later locally and widely known as the Halderman mill. In 1846 this mill was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt, and finally passed into the hands of Abraham Halderman, who owned it for half a century. This mill long since has gone to decay. The March flood of 1913 washed away the greater part of the old timbers and its location will soon be only a memory.

            James Dennison, in 1818, built a mill on Twin creek, a couple of miles lower down, later known as the Gregg mill, but it has long since been silent.  In 1833 Jacob Sourber built a mill about a mile southeast of West Alexandria, which later became, and still is, known as the Brower mill, which continued to grind until the last few years, doing most excellent work.

CEMETERIES.

The first public cemetery laid out was the half acre of the old cemetery in West Alexandria, now no longer used, a portion of the one and one-half acres deeded by Jacob Parker and Jacob Hell, to the Reformed and Lutheran churches. Jacob Hell, named, is the ancestor of the Clears in Eaton, who later had the German name, Hell, changed by act of the Legislature to its English equivalent, Clear. About 1895 a new and large cemetery was laid out about one-half mile south of West Alexandria.

            About 1840 a cemetery was laid out just south of Wheatville church, in the northwest corner of section 29, and in it Luke Vorhis, one of the soldiers in the battle with the Indians at Fort St. Clair, is said to be buried.

About 1850 a cemetery was laid out one-half mile north of Enterprise, known as the Enterprise cemetery.

About 1870 a cemetery was laid out on west line of section 36, locally known as the Twin Valley cemetery. In an early day the Dunkards had a church and cemetery at the crossroads between sections 25 and 26, but long since the church has gone to decay, only the cemetery remaining.

TOWNS AND VILLAGES.

West Alexandria has its south half within Lanier township, and is the only incorporated village in the township.

In the fall of 1886, the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw railroad was completed across the township and passed about a mile north of Enterprise. At the crossing of the road it made a stop or station for the accommodation of the people, calling it Lanier Station.  A grocery was started; people began to ship from and to that place; the Wachtel Brothers started a little lumber yard and warehouse. W. W. Grouse conceived the idea that the place ought to have a name of its own, and a petition was filed with the rail­road company asking that the station be named Ingomar. In a short time the railroad company put up a large sign bearing that name and Ingomar was on the map. Then, in 1888, the government was petitioned in the same fashion, through Congressman Williams, and the post office of Ingomar was established.

Years ago John Baker settled in the northwest part of section I, and he was nicknamed "Daddy" Baker. In 1898 the Dayton & Western electric line was built along the pike, and there being both a road from the south and one from the north, a stop was made there, a grocery was started, and peo­ple bought plots of ground, sometimes an acre or so, and built homes, at­tracted by the presence of the traction line, until today there is a cluster of fourteen houses, and some sixty people or more. The hamlet's original nickname stuck, for the place still is known and called by everybody, "Daddsville"