I receive messages from the Clermont Co., OH list with no identification in the subject heading or the message indicating that it is about Clermont Co.. I have to right click on the subject line, click on properties and click again on details to get this information. The following is a typical message. ****************************** Does someone have access to indexes for Birth Deaths, etc? I am looking for same regarding Willard Clare. The time frame would be 1880's or later maybe 1900?? Appreciate any info. Betty ****************************** Betty, not so obviously, sent this to the OHCLERMO list. Why does the computer delete this info from the subject line? My first inclination when I receive such a message is to delete it, which is not what Betty would like. Marion Rice

Does someone have access to indexes for Birth Deaths, etc? I am looking for same regarding Willard Clare. The time frame would be 1880's or later maybe 1900?? Appreciate any info. Betty

Remember 8870. that's not an error: it's the number to remember when you want to find the birthdate of someone when you only have the date of death and age. How do you figure the birthdate? Suppose the person died May 6, 1889, at the age of 71 years, 7 months, 9 days. *Write the year, month, day as 18890506 *Subtract the age at death 710709 *This gives the figure 18179797 *Now subtract 8870 *The result is 18170927 Year 1817, 9th month (Sept, 27th day or 27 Sept 1817.) (source: Platte co. MO Historical/Gen society) Hope this helps! Nancy

My great grandfather George A. Wood in 1876 purchased a farm one mile east of Felicity, Franklin Township. Before George and Lucy Wood occupied it, it was owned by Jonathan P. Myers who is reported to be a staunch abolitionist. Built before the Civil War, the Myers brick and frame house served as a "safe house" link in the underground railway for escaping slaves on their way to freedom. The bricks in the house were made from the clay beds on the farm and burned in Myers' own kiln. The secret cellar hideaway so carefully built under the house was accessible only through a small trap door in the kitchen, concealed underneath Mrs. Myers' flour barrel. Ventilation for the secret "dungeon" room was cunningly provided by laying the brick walls in a zigzag pattern, so that air was admitted, but no light. George A. Wood and his wife sold this farm in 1891 shortly before the family moved to Science Hill, KY. Both an old and more recent photo of this house can be found at http://home.cfl.rr.com/wwood/waltsweb/clerphoto.htm Walter Wood

Hi Fellow Seekers My great Uncle Carl Erwin WOOD was born in Clermont County OH in 1876. He returned to Bethel OH to spend his last years before he died in 1959. See http://home.cfl.rr.com/wwood/waltsweb/clerphoto.htm for a photo of him, his (second) wife Venus and my parents taken in Uncle Carl's garden in Bethel. I recently found out that Carl had complied a WOOD family history in the last years before his death and was recognized as a genealogist. While I have copies of a few pages of his notes, apparently the bulk of his work is missing. When in Clermont Co. several years ago, I searched the Library and Genealogy Society papers there for information on my ancestors but I did not run across these. Would anyone know of Carl Wood and where his papers might be. More information on him and my Wood line can be found at http://home.cfl.rr.com/wwood/waltsweb/Woo/wood_jn.htm Thanks Walter Wood

Could someone tell me where I can find old divorce records? I am looking for the years around 1918.They were divorced in Clermont County. Thanks Rose

Quite a while back someone posted some accounts from some old newspaper stories. I believe one was from the Batavia area. it had mentioned different town events and one of my ancestors was mentioned in it. I saved it for quites some time but now am unable to locate it. Seems I must have erased it. Does anyone have such materials or where would I be able to find such items. thanks

I am trying to determine children of Mary Jane (Dolly) WEST & husband George CLARE. I believe they had a son Willard Clare. Mary Jane WEST b. 1847 married George Clare 1865. I believe there was a Lowell Clare b. 1880 (census). I have a picture of a Willard Clare appears to be about 10 years old in "band" outfit. Maybe the l890's? Is there anyone connected to Willard Clare or this family. Appreciate any info. Thanks

need directions to Franklin cemetery in Clermont County. I live on west side of Cincinnati. thanks

The genealogy society in Clermont Co. would know more . BUT, I was there. A basement under the courthouse ,has tax record . Not sure of the years. As I was going into the courthouse to do research ,a lawyer told me to go around the building ,to the side door. He said to ask the ladies to see the books downstairs . A records room you wouldn't believe . Very old books and a very cool collection. Dottie in Oregon

Underground RailRoad is a popular topic on our joint Emails. First,let me say that the escape route north for slaves was "not" underground, though they may have been hidden ,at times,in basements. And,that the interior walls of some of the old brick and stone houses often required building from ground,or foundation up. So spaces were created under houses that were not easily viewed into. I'm sitting above such a space at this minute. Many years,and many pounds ago, I could wiggle into the space, but not now. The term "Underground" was used more in the sense that we use the term today for our criminal element.There was no route north underground. And,make no mistake, when my dad's uncle,Capt Will Fagaley conducted slaves north, he was breaking Federal law. "FREE SOIL" road runs south from Georgetown,Brown Co,on the ridge between White Oak and Straight Creek,while the old ST RT 68 from Georgetown to Ripley wound down to Straight Creek,and up again. Ripley certainly had it's conductors. Rev Rankin,and his house full of armed sons home on the hill n of town is most noted,but perhaps the bravest was the black founder,Parker, living right on the river bank,as Robert Fee did at Moscow,Oh. Likely somebody on-line has a tradition of why FREE SOIL road was so named- without naming the Ripley men. Ripley north to the Presbyterians at RED OAK, or north east up Eagle, or old RT 68 towards Georgetown,were the routes the RIPLEY men used. Somebody else used FREE SOIL. And if you want to relate how NORTH POLE Rd,or CHICKEN Hollow Rd were named,that's fine. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

John Rich married Sarah M. Burton, daughter of Elijah Burton in 1852 near Goshen, Clermont County, Ohio. Does anyone know the parents of John Rich? Also, what churches were near Goshen during this time? Thanks for any leads. Teri

I think I previously posted this several years ago. The quoted material is from an autobiography of John Thomas Archerd of the Franklin neighborhood in Monroe Township. Does anybody know anything about Henry Lewis? Bill Archerd ++++++ "While I was still young, my father employed Henry Lewis, a carpenter, to build a stable, corn crib, and wagon shed, combined. I was greatly interested in his preparations for the building, the scoring and hewing of timbers for the buildings, framing and putting them together and raising to an upright position. Scoring and hewing in the preparation of timbers for building purposes in this age are practically obsolete expressions. But at that time every country boy who could talk knew just what they meant. Scoring was squaring the log by cutting notches on each of the four sides of a log at distances of one and a half or two feet apart and splitting off the block between the kerfs, leaving a square log. Then with a broad?axe, hewing the sides smooth. One day there was a scoring bee when all the men in the neighborhood were invited to come and help and the women came to help prepare the dinner, and the day often ended with a dance. For then, as now, men and women, boys and girls, aimed to get all the enjoyment, fun and frolic out of life that came their way. When the timbers for the framework were all prepared, they were assembled at the place where it was to be erected, the carpenter chiseled the mortices, shaped the tenons, laid the foundation, unless it had been prepared by a mason, and put the timbers together, fastening them with wooden pins. When all was ready, there was another gathering of men and women and the frame of the structure was raised to an upright position, the rafters put in place and all was ready for siding and partitioning. Timbers standing upright were called posts, those placed horizontally were called beams. Two posts or more, with the beams connecting them, was a bent. Raising was lifting the bents to an upright position done with long poles having an iron spike on one end to jab into the timbers to prevent slipping. Before the raising, the carpenter had joined the posts and beams, placed the braces and fastened all with wooden pins. There was a bent for each end of the building and often one, two or more between. The siding was nailed to the beams forming the sides of the building. Of course much of the knowledge of carpentry I now have came to me at a later date, for at this time I was very young, probably not more than three years old, but I remember the building, the scoring bee, and raising of the frame very distinctly." ++++++++ Written by John Thomas Archerd, in 1930. John was born in 1842 to Rufus Hays Archerd and Nancy Rebecca Simmons. He was their first child. John died in 1933 in Clarion, Iowa. Rufus and Nancy and John lived, with widow Elizabeth Hays Archerd, on the Archerd farm on the western rim of Boat Run in Monroe Township, Clermont County, Ohio.

I'm replying to the email about the Millcroft Inn. My relation owned it back in the 1950's, 60's. They had a fire in he Inn, back probably about 1958, and the kids of the owners came and stayed at our house. The owners at that time were Ruth Graf and Jim Kaelin. I just called Ruth Graf, and spoke with her son Michael. Michael Graf said that they had always heard the the Milcroft, which use to be called Kuglers's, did participate in holding slaves for access to the Underground RR. They went to the basement and looked all over, looking for artifacts, and didn't find anything. Like the previous email, there were areas concreted up (Possibly over the tunnels, or rooms). The Grafs and the Kaelins really don't know much information about the history of it. However, I received an email from my sister in law, who lives in Milford, and she writes: " Tom gave me a book that was compiled by the Milford Area Historical Society. It's entitled "Bridge to the Past" - A History of Milford, Ohio. There is quite a bit about the Millcroft Inn, which was originally the Kugler Mansion. This is a quote from the book: 'There have been rumors that the building had an underground tunerl used in the Underground Railway's efforts to move slaves to freedom in Canada. There is no proof that there is such a space or that the building was used in the Underground Railway systerm." Then my sister in law writes: "I'm sure this not the definitive answer, but the book appears to be well researched and was just recently published." I bet the researchers of this book could help more. Nancy in Ft Worth TX

In the 1970-75 era,when the 2200 acre Lake Harsha,and 8,000 acre East Fork State Park were built,enomous changes occured to the sw Williamsburg,nw Tate [Bethel] ,and se Batavia townships. There are some on here more qualified to speak on the events than I on-line. Ray Gelter has just been mentioned. Ray moved a 1 1\2 story log cabin from the mouth of Barnes Run to Bethel's Burke Park. [1870 atlas, very s Williamsburg township, Survey 564 W.S. TROUT. Another log cabin was moved there from Kermit Accord's, Tate township,Whitney survey 561 , W.E.Thompson. [I'm using the 1870 atlas.] John Armleader and Bob Slade's "Little Miami and East Fork Rivers Citizen's Historical Society 'attempted to save the mansion pictured after page 10,in their reprint version of Theiry and Mitchel's history. Built in 1845, by Gen Richard Collins, on the present Tate beach ,was located in very s e BATAVIA Township,in Clayton'd no 581,and 1870,listed as Paul Mohr. There was talk of moving it,or of protecting it by levi. That group had salvage rights,to it,and it's companion old stone. [Oldest inhabited house in Ohio ] of Rev JOHN COLLINS. This was a split from the Clermont Co Historical Society. A 3rd group was formed to save the Pinkham-Teegarden-Reese-Douglass New England industrial farm in very nw Tate in Pierson's 938-T.M.Pinkham. However,before it was so purchased,to be run as a tourist attraction ,it's former owner salvaged windows,and woodwork. No price for them could be bargained. I was part of this group. 4th, and saved,and still maintained by volunteers was Old Bethel Methodist,and 5 ACRE CEMETARY. Rev Carl Ely carlely@juno.com and my parents being active. Adjoining it was saved a modern ranch for the East Fork park manager,then George Rooks, and nearby, a 2nd ranch for park office. There were several houses saved,by being moved. One,used as a house,was the 1911 Anti-Bantam school house in Clayton,581 ,n Tate. I would be making a wild guess at how many more were moved. 3 WITHIN A MILE OF ME. And I remember 3 suicides.

Herman, Just wished to tell you how much I appreciate and enjoy your wonderful postings! You are doing so very much to enlighten many of us about the history of Clermont Co. You indeed "paint a picture with your words". Thank you! -Judy

It's one thing to talk Underground RR. It's another if the laws were bent, and slaves were held in Clermont Co,and I heard the tradition that they were. 1845-55. Now,Ky's boundry was the low water mark,on the Ohio side, so the Ohio River had legal slavery on river boats,but that's not what I speak of. And, I think Ohio law allowed a slave owner to travel thru Ohio with his slave, but that's not it,either. Having tradition only, I'm not going to use a surname. There was a lawyer,who married the daughter of one of Maysville,Ky leading merchants. and they lived in\near Maysville,Ky with slaves. And,1845, he retired to his father's farm,exactly at the Tate beach of Lake Harsha, and built a mansion. I knew the brick portion only, but my mother talked of it having a frame section as big,for the servants. [Slaves] My mother had dresses fitted and made by the black ,McNair sisters of the neighborhood. And thought they had once lived at the mansion. I went thru the brick portion before it was destroyed. It's pictured in the 1970 reprint version of Thirey and Mitchell's history. As with the other old brick houses,the interior walls were also brick,so they extented basement to 3rd floor. 4 rooms at the corners on eash floor, plus a huge center hall,and stairways going 3 floors. Fireplace in each room. [including the 4 basement rooms,I think,or 16 fireplaces, plus whatever had heated the frame section. And huge piller's out front,that were,at my inspection, long used as a "bee tree" and full of bees,and honey. Anyway,I was always told,and the lawyer was kin-distant. that he kept slaves there 1845-55. I've read,of an Illinios lawyer,keeping slaves under the law for indentured servants. I walk,often past the farm of his sister, Electra C---- Bragdon Thomas. 50 years ago you could see her farm house from were I sit,[if it were daylight].. Her 2nd husband has a page bio in the 1880 history. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.

How interesting! I'll email my mother and ask her. My mom's cousin use to own the Millcroft Inn in Milford. When their was a fire there, their kids came and stayed with us. I was just a little kid then myself - probably about 1958. Nancy -----Original Message----- From: ALZS@aol.com [mailto:ALZS@aol.com] Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 3:33 PM To: OHCLERMO-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: Houses used on the Underground RR. Our family tradition holds that the house where my great-grandmother was born (now known as the Mill Street Manor restaurant and formerly the Milcroft) was used on the Underground Railroad. I once asked the owner about it (when it was the Milcroft) and she said they believed the story to be true...that the basement had areas that appeared to be concrete over former tunnels. This would make sense since those tunnels could have led out near the Little Miami River. (An obvious route for the escapees could have been to cross the Ohio and follow the Little Miami to Milford.) This home was originally John Kugler's. He married Rebecca West, he died, she remarried a Townsend. When Rebecca died childless, the Kugler property became the subject of a lawsuit, with the Wests winning in the end. Does anybody know any more about this building and its history? Is there evidence other than oral tradition? Thanks for any tips! Amy ============================== Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 Source for Family History Online. Go to: http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB

Our family tradition holds that the house where my great-grandmother was born (now known as the Mill Street Manor restaurant and formerly the Milcroft) was used on the Underground Railroad. I once asked the owner about it (when it was the Milcroft) and she said they believed the story to be true...that the basement had areas that appeared to be concrete over former tunnels. This would make sense since those tunnels could have led out near the Little Miami River. (An obvious route for the escapees could have been to cross the Ohio and follow the Little Miami to Milford.) This home was originally John Kugler's. He married Rebecca West, he died, she remarried a Townsend. When Rebecca died childless, the Kugler property became the subject of a lawsuit, with the Wests winning in the end. Does anybody know any more about this building and its history? Is there evidence other than oral tradition? Thanks for any tips! Amy

The civil war [1861-65]ended slavery,and thus the Underground RR. Thus any house used has to pre-date the was. Though my dad's uncle Will Fagaly was a conducter, the oldest FAGLEY house in 1867,on RT 133 at the south edge of Bethel,Clermont. North on RT 133 [s Main St, ] is the 1835 brick of Dr Wm Thompson,which,tradition says, was used. Dr's son,Dr Wm Eberly Thompson was a conductor. Many of the early,2 story, bricks old enough, have few,or no windows in the end,and are one room wide.Chimney's on each end. And,on the few wifer ones,often they have twin [H] chiney's on each end. These were heated by fireplaces. And the kitchen had a huge fireplace,for heating,and cooking,and a wide door to roll a back log into the house. If these houses were built near creeks,they were often stone,rather than brick. And log cabins. Hewed logs. Story and a half,or two story. Long covered with siding. The biggest log building I have seen is the cross shaped Cane Ridge church 8 miles n e of Paris,Bourbon Co,Ky The cross shape allows it to be much larger than common . 1791. A bit north,off RT 68,was a log cabin used by Dan'l Boon about 1794. Round logs,I think. Hilda Musgrove Johnson Blakney wrote me that the Clover school,and Shilo church were used to hide slaves. Seemed to me unlikely with a whole neighborhood having to keep a secret. For,there came a time ,they were breaking Federal law. After "Dred Scott" by Judge Taney's court,I GUESS. But the 1st aiding slaves escape surely were the indians, and routes like the Bull Skin trace the route north. RT 133,about. Who knows a tradition of a house,or barn,used on the RR? iF IT STILL STANDS,LOCATION,PLEASE, And the owner. ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.