EDWARD R. AMES, the distinguished Methodist Bishop, was born in Ames, in 1806. In youth he had access to the Coon Skin library, studied two or three years at the University at Athens, supporting himself in the meanwhile by teaching. He joined the Methodists, went to Lebanon, Ill., where he opened a high school which eventually grew into McKendree College. In 1830 he was licensed to preach. In 1840 he was elected corresponding secretary of the Missionary Society for the South and West. This was before the days of railroads and travelling slow and difficult; during the four years that he filled it he travelled some 25,000 miles; on one tour he passed over the entire frontier line from Lake Superior to Texas, camping out almost the whole route and part of the time almost destitute of pro visions. He During the greater part of his adult life Bishop Ames resided in Indiana. died in Baltimore in 1879. He was the first Methodist Bishop to visit the Pacific coast. During the civil war he rendered important service too as a member of several commissions. He possessed extraordinary capacity for business, was of great physical endurance and one of the most eloquent preachers in the Methodist Church. NELSONVILLE, Sixty-two miles southeast of Columbus, on the Hocking Valley Canal, on the C. H. V. & T. R. R. Newspapers: Valley Register, Independent, J. A. Tullis, editor and publisher; News, Independent, T. E. Wells, editor and publisher. Churches: 1 Methodist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Christian, 1 Colored Baptist and 1 Colored Methodist. Banks: Merchants' & Miners', Chas. Robbins, president, Chas. A. Cable, cashier. Manufactures and Employees.-Nelsonville Planing Mill Co., building material, 10 hands; Nelsonville Machine Co., steam engines, machinery, etc., 24; Kreig & Son, doors, sash, etc.; Steenrod & Poston, flour and feed; Fremmel & Barrman, leather. Nelsonville is one of the largest and most important coal-mining centres in the State. The Nelsonville bed is one of the most valuable in Ohio, from its superior quality and its proximity to canal and railroad facilities. The thickness of the vein averages about six feet. Population in 1880, 3,095. School census in 1886, 1,555; F. S. Coultrap, superintendent. Nelsonville was laid out in 1818 and named after Mr. Daniel Nelson, who owned the land on which the town is situated. ALBANY, nine miles south of Athens, on the T. & O. R. R., is a notable temperance town in the centre of a fine grazing and wool-producing region. The Atwood Institute is located here, also the Enterprise Academy for colored students. Newspapers: Echo, Independent, D. A. R. McKinstry, editor. Churches: 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 Free Will Baptist, 1 Cumberland Presbyterian, 1 African Methodist Episcopal. Population in 1880, 469. School census in 1886, 142; Lester C. Cottrill, superintendent. An important feature is the Wells Library, containing 2,000 volumes, endowed by the late Henry Wells. Coolville had, in 1880, 323 inhabitants. BUCHTEL is on the C. & H. V. R. R., in the northwest part of the county. Population in 1880, 417. AUGLAIZE. AUGLAIZE COUNTY was formed in 1848 from portions of Allen, Logan, Darke, Shelby, Mercer and Van Wert counties. It is at the southern termination of the Black Swamp district, and occupies the great dividing ridge between the head waters of Lake Erie and Ohio river. Only the northwestern part possesses the peculiar characteristics of the "Black Swamp;" by ditching the greater part has been brought under cultivation. The Mercer county reservoir, a great artificial lake of 17,500 acres and an average of ten feet in depth, is partly in this county; it abounds with fish, ducks and geese. The population is largely of German origin. It contains 299 square miles. In 1885 the acres cultivated were 131,205; in pasture, 14,997; woodland, 60,842; lying waste, 1,346; produced in wheat, 594,538 bushels; in corn, 1,330,471; barley, 18,795; tobacco, 7,600 pounds. School census in 1886, 9,566; teachers, 140. It has 39 miles of railroad. Population in 1850 was 11,341; in 1860, 17,187; in 1880, 25,444, of whom 21,040 were Ohio-born. In this county three specimens of the mastodon have been discovered as stated in historical sketch in the County Atlas-first, in 1870 in Clay township; second, in 1874 also in Clay; third, in 1878 in Washington. The mastodon differed from the elephant in being somewhat larger and thicker though in general not unlike it. Cuvier called it mastodon from the form of its teeth; the name is from two Greek words signifying "nipple teeth." The bones of the mastodon have been discovered over a large part of the United States and Canada; the bones of a hundred have been discovered at Big Bone Lick, Ky., and probably as many in different parts of this State. The parts of skeleton No. 1 show it to have been an animal about fourteen feet high, eighteen feet long and with tusks probably twenty-seven feet. It was found while excavating a ditch through Muchinippi swamp eight feet from the surface, which for the first third was peat and the rest marly clay. The bones were discovered in a posture natural to an animal sinking in the mire. It is supposed it lost its life within 500 or 1,000 years after the deposition of the drift in which the marsh deposits rest. The remains of No. 2 were found in the same swamp. Only a few relics of No. 3 have been discovered. The ground being boggy there it is supposed that all the remainder of the skeleton awaits only search for its recovery, and in good preservation. After the remnant of the powerful and noble tribe of Shawnee Indians were driven from Piqua, by General George Rogers Clark, which was in 1780, they settled a town here, which they called Wapaghkonetta, and the site of the now county-seat. Early in the century there was at the place a fine orchard, which from its being planted in regular order was supposed to have been the work of Frenchmen settled among the Indians. By the treaty at the Maumee rapids, in 1817, the Shawnees were given a reservation of ten miles square in this county, within which was their council-house at Wapakoneta, and also a tract of twentyfive square miles, which included their settlement on Hog creek; by the treaty of the succeeding year, made at St. Mary's, 12,800 acres adjoining the east line of the Wapakoneta reserve were added. From the year 1796 till the formation of the State constitution, Judge Burnet, of Cincinnati, attended court regularly at Marietta and Detroit, the last of which was then the seat of justice for Wayne county. The jaunts between these remote places, through a wilderness, were attended with exposure, fatigue and hazard, and were usually performed on horseback, in parties of two or three or more. On one of these occasions, while halting at Wapakoneta, he witnessed a game of ball among the people, of which he has given this interesting narrative: Blue Jacket, the war-chief, who commanded the Shawnees in the battle of 1794, at Maumee, resided in the village, but was absent. We were, however, received with kindness by the old village chief, Buckingelas. When we went to his lodge he was giving audience to a deputation of chiefs from some western tribes. We took seats at his request till the conference was finished, and the strings of wampum were disposed of. He gave us no intimation of the subject-matter of the conference, and of course we could not, with propriety, ask for it. Indians playing Football.-In a little time he called in some of his young men, and requested them to get up a game of football for our amusement. A purse of trinkets was soon made up, and the whole village, male and female, were on the lawn. At these games the men played against the women, and it was a rule that the former were not to touch the ball with their hands on penalty of forfeiting the purse; while the latter had the privilege of picking it up, running with, and throwing it as far as they could. When a squaw had the ball the men were allowed to catch and shake her, and even throw her on the ground, if necessary, to extricate the ball from her hand, but they were not allowed to touch or move it, except by their feet. At the opposite extremes of the lawn, which was a beautiful plain, thickly set with blue grass, stakes were erected, about six feet apart-the contending parties arrayed themselves in front of these stakes; the men on the one side, and the women on the other. The party which succeeded in driving the ball through the stakes, at the goal of their opponents, were proclaimed victors, and received the purse. All things being ready the old chief went to the centre of the lawn and threw up the ball, making an exclamation, in the Shawnee language, which we did not understand. He immediately retired, and the contest began. The parties seemed to be fairly matched, as to numbers, having about a hundred on a side. The game lasted more than an hour with great animation, but was finally decided in favor of the ladies, by the power of an herculean squaw, who got the ball and in spite of the men who seized her to shake it from her uplifted hand, held it firmly, dragging them along, till she was sufficiently near the goal to throw it through the stakes. The young squaws were the most active of their party, and, of course, most frequently caught the ball. When they did so it was amusing to see the strife between them and the young Indians, who immediately seized them, and always succeeded in rescuing the ball, though sometimes they could not effect their object till their female competitors were thrown on the grass. When the contending parties had retired from the field of strife it was pleasant to see the feelings of exultation depicted in the faces of the victors; whose joy was manifestly enhanced by the fact, that their victory was won in the presence of white men, whom they supposed to be highly distinguished, and of great power in their nation. This was a natural conclusion for them to draw, as they knew we were journeying to Detroit for the purpose of holding the general court; which, they supposed, controlled and governed the nation. We spent the night very pleasantly among them, and in the morning resumed our journey. In August, 1831, treaties were made with the Senecas of Lewiston and the Shawnees of Wapakoneta, by James Gardiner, Esq., and Col. John M'Elvain, special commissioners appointed for this purpose, by which the Indians consented to give up their land and remove beyond the Mississippi. The Shawnees had at this time about 66,000 acres in this county, and in conjunction with the Senecas about 40,300 acres at Lewiston. The Indians were removed to the Indian Territory on Kansas river, in the Far West, in September, 1832, D. M. Workman and David Robb being the agents for their removal. The removal of the Indians. opened the country to the settlement of the whites. Therefore in 1833 the present town of Wapakoneta was platted; the original proprietors were Robert J. Skinner, Thomas B. Van Horne, Joseph Barnett, Jonathan K. Wilds and Peter Augenbaugh. Up to this time from early in the century the Friends had a mission here among the Indians. WAPAKONETA, the county-seat, seventy-five miles northwest of Columbus, is on the C. H. & D. R. R. It is situated within the oil and gas belt, both of which have been struck in considerable quantities. The surrounding country is a rich agricultural district, and there is much manufacturing done in wooden articles. More churns, it is claimed, are made here than in any other place in the country. County officers in 1888: Probate Judge, John McLain; Clerk of Court, James A. Nichols; Sheriff, Wm. Schulenberg; Prosecuting Attorney, Cyrenius A. Layton; Auditor, Wm. F. Torrance; Treasurer, Colby C. Pepple; Recorder, John J. Connaughton; Surveyor, John B. Walsh; Coroner, F. C. Hunter; Commissioners, Henry Koop, George van Oss, John Reichelderfer. Newspapers: Auglaize Republican, Republican, W. J. McMurray, editor; Auglaize County Democrat, Democrat, Fred. B. Kampf, editor. Churches: 1 English Lutheran, 1 Evangelist German Protestant, 1 Methodist, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Catholic, 1 German Lutheran. Banks: First National, L. N. Blume, presi dent; C. F. Herbst, cashier; People's National, F. Fritsch, president, F. J. McFarland, cashier. Manufactures and Employees.-Stenger & Frank, flour, etc.; Wapakoneta Bending Co., spokes and rims, 50 hands; J. Gately, lumber; Theodore Dickman, builders' wood-work; Rupp & Winemiller, lumber; Wapakoneta Churn & Handle Co., churns and handles, 47; M. Brown & Co., washing machines, etc., 29; Swink Bros. & Co., furniture, etc., 17; C. Fisher, flour, etc., 7; Wapakoneta Spoke & Wheel Co., wheels and spokes, 50.-State Report 1887. Population in 1880, 2,765. School census in 1886, 1,261; J. L. Carson, superintendent. TRAVELLING NOTES. A pleasant name for a place is desirable. Every inhabitant unconsciously derives from it a benefit; it is a happy association. This is proved by the reverse. What interest could we take in a people who lived in "Hard Scrabble" or "Swineville?" Wapakoneta enjoys the distinction of having, with possibly a single exception-"Pataskala' the most original and musical name in the State. The word has the flavor of antiquity; this enhances the charm, carries the mind back to the red man and the wilderness. Col. John Johnston, agent among the 2. The homes of Ohio, free, fortuned, and fair, E'en more than thy hill-sides or streamlets they please, 3. God shield thee, Ohio, dear land of my birth, And thy children that wander afar o'er the earth; |