Hello Lists, I received this message from Jesse Hall and I have been given permission to forward it to the list for general interest in Monroe County. Sincerely, J.L. http://www.y2kfoods.homepad.com -----Original Message----- From: Jesse F. Hall <jfhall@newwave.net> To: J. L. <fmlyfndr@email.msn.com> Date: Thursday, May 06, 1999 1:07 PM Subject: Re: [OHMONROE-L] Communities of Monroe Co., Oh - Brownsville >J. L. > > Boy, was I surprised to find the History of Brownsville you had on the >OHMONROE-L Rootsweb. I already had a copy of that History. I lived in >Brownsville from 1931 to 1944. I.e., from age 4 to 16.5 years. My father >was born and raised in Brownsville and my mother at Pine Ridge near >Wannamaker. > I am very familiar with many of the names in the write-up; especially, >later generations. > I can add some later history to the write-up. The two story school was >blown down by a cyclone in May of 1912. Also the United Presbyterian >Church was blown down. The school was replaced with a one story >building in which I went to grade school. It was one room with a small >room in the front left corner that was a township office and voting place. >Sometime in later part of 1930's, the one room school at Pine Ridge was >placed on the school land for two school rooms. then 2 or 3 years later an >addition was added to the original one room school for a total of 3 rooms. >The school was abandoned, I think, in the 60's. > In 1913, there was a fire that burned out most of the businesses >on the east side of Main St. between 3rd and 4th Street. this was most >of the businesses mentioned in the write-up and nothing was built >back.. As far as I can tell, Saunders was the only one that reopened in >a different building on the east side of Main St. between 2nd and 3rd St. > Also the church for the Reformed Presbyterian Church and for the >German Lutheran church were.no longer their when I was a kid. The church >located on Main St. east of the German Lutheran cemetery has been the >Church of Christ as long as I can remember. We were all members of the >Methodist Episcopal Church. A new church was built on the northeast side >of town, I believe in the 1970's. It is the Harmony Hills Baptist Church. > My grandfather Hall bought the log house north of the United >Presbyterian Cemetery around 1906-07 from people by name of Canary,. >I believe. My Grandfather Hall died in 1922 and my Grandmother Hall died >in 1966. The property was sold after that and the house moved about a mile >north of town on the Jericho Road on the John Hensel farm. > As a young teenager, I mowed and took care of the United Presbyterian >and German Lutheran Cemeteries. I have four generations buried in the >United Presbyterian Cemetery (my father's side of the family) and four >generations buried the German Lutheran Cemetery (my mothers side of >the family). AS you can see, my roots go back to Brownsville. > Our family lived for a time in the Dr. Wilson house which is now the >Grange Hall. Then we also lived in the Barnes house straight across the >street which later became the Bovard house. This house was torn down in >1993 or 94. > I guess I need to quit rambling on but it sure was nice to know someone >else is interested in Brownsville. My Aunt still lives in Brownsville in the >Buegel house. I have other relatives that live near but not in Brownsville. >Best Regards, >Jesse F. Hall, son of Ralph Enoch Hall, grandson of Jesse Oscar Hall, great >grandson of Enoch Austin Hall, etc. > >