Miami County - from Quakers to Barn Quilts

Right or wrong I have a certain picture of Miami County in my head. Regardless of whether or not the name originated with a Native American word, or the Miami Tribe, or the Miami River . . . Miami evokes palm trees and beaches, Cuban food and Jewish Delis. Having lived in Florida a very long time it can’t be helped!

George Fox, founder of
The Society of Friends

There is another picture that comes to mind and this starts in another culture in a different time – the culture of the Deep South. Newberry County, South Carolina and Miami County, Ohio will always be linked in my mind. We have Quaker ancestors, a lot of them, back to the earliest beginnings in England. For a time, though, I lost them.  They just didn’t seem to hook-up with the Friends around Philadelphia as I had expected. Imagine my surprise when I found that they were in South Carolina and had come there via Barbados, probably through Charleston.  At first this just didn’t seem possible. I’m a northerner – in my heart rooting for the Union Army, working with the abolitionist, helping people along the Underground Railroad.  I couldn’t imagine that I had ancestors from South Carolina. These are my father's people.

Well, in the late 1700s a fiery minister visited that Newberry meeting where so many of my Quaker ancestors were and he spoke like a prophet of God and he told the Friends of Newberry to go north to Ohio, to leave their slaves and the slave owning states in the dust. He said he could see blood in their meeting house. Not all of the Friends owned slaves but those who did freed them.  Many of those Newberry Friends took his advice and a large portion of that community moved north to Ohio . . . and established a community and homes in Miami County. Did his prophesy come true? When the Civil War inevitably rolled around the old Quaker meeting house was used as a field hospital and there was indeed blood.

Over 100 years beyond the Civil War my husband and I visited Newberry, the cemetery, the courthouse, and chatted with the welcoming citizens of this South Carolina town who still felt financial reverberations of being abandoned by such a large group of prosperous farmers.  I would have to say that Newberry’s loss was Miami’s gain.  I notice that Miami County has a township named ‘Newberry.’  Most of my ancestors lived in Union Township near Ludow Falls.  I was surprised today to find nothing about the Quaker community when I perused websites for Miami information.  Such reference may be there, but I missed it. Of course, many of the Friends moved on to Indiana and then on to Iowa as territory opened up, but they must have had an impact on the county when they arrived from South Carolina.

Leaving the Quakers, what I did find on-line today was Reminiscences of Abraham Thomas from the Troy Times, 16 Jan 1868. This is a frontiersman’s story that begins in Kentucky and ends in Ohio. Look at the date that it was written. There is nothing PC about this – he is telling his truth as it was at the time he was living it. It is an interesting read: http://www.thetroyhistoricalsociety.org/abraham%20thomas%20stories/Pioneer%20History1.htm

Martha Washington Star
Miami County, Ohio

The other thing I’d like to share about Miami County is the wonderful Barn Quilt project. Miami isn’t the only county in Ohio to have this project but they have done it big and done it well.  I sat today and clicked on every barn to see the beautiful quilt squares that have been painted on them by Jose Rafael Santoyo.  The project’s primary sponsor is the Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau and the barns are a way to connect the small towns and get people out on the road to see them. I’d say this project is a smashing success. There are a couple of links to follow.

At Barn Quilt Tour of Miami County you will find more information of these beautiful quilts.  Don’t miss it!

Vermont Barn Quilt
Miami County, Ohio

Photos: Microsoft Clipart, Palms, Red barn
             Wikipedia: George Fox, Museum
             http://visitmiamicounty.org/attraction/ - Barn Quilts

Darke County, Ohio

Quaker Star

When is a county not a county? Before it’s created. I’m not sure I need to have Darke County on my list. Most states (maybe all) were formed with larger counties and then the area was chopped into

smaller counties when the population grew.  This is my problem with Darke.  My 4^th great grandparents, like many of their Quaker friends (no pun intended) and relatives lived in Miami County.  I’m assuming that John and Susannah Elleman lived in the same house on the same farm, but when Susannah died in in 1810 she died and was buried in Miami County, and when John died in 1818 he died in Wayne Township, Darke County and was buried in Miami County.  So, does Darke County count when he lived there less than a year?  I do believe some of Susannah Coppock relatives lived in Darke County. 

Darke County Courthouse

I have a warm place in my heart for Darke County regardless. There was an email from Brenda of the Garst Museum in Greenville this morning.  She was kind enough to write and recommend the Beers publication History of Darke County Ohio, 1880. This is a very useful resource and the online search function is extremely helpful in quickly finding the information you need.  I know that Beers published a lot of this kind of book back in the day – it was their business, and I’m grateful. I’m also twice tickled. Beers is a family name of ours.  I have no idea if the publisher is related. But, there’s another I’d like to claim.  John Beers was listed as one of the two first teachers in Darke County from 1818-1830.

Darke County has a rich Native American history as well as a pioneer history – and there was an historical coming together of the tribes and Americans in 1795 for the signing of the Green Ville Treaty. The gathering was impressive and I will not repeat the list of attendees here but highly recommend the account found on the Garst Museum website: https://www.garstmuseum.org/historic-events.  I’ve been a huge fan and follower of the adventures of Lewis and Clark . . . and even they were at this meeting in what would become Darke County. This meeting was national in scope and opened up the Northwest Territory to white settlement. Well, you know how American/Indian Treatys ended up. 

Lab Technician

It was a gorgeous day with sunshine and a nice ocean breeze – in the 70s – in other words, perfect. I survived my two day fast surprisingly well and then felt it the perfect time to go get those fasting blood tests the doctor has been nagging me about.  Yay!  I got to eat after that.  Michael Mosley’s book arrived today . . . this is going to work!  Whoa, and when I turned on the TV this evening there he was doing his exercise program. I'm notoriously sedentary and don't like to exercise.  But, he has me convinced that sitting long periods of time in a chair will kill you.  I'm going to get up and move much more every day doing everyday things - and never sit through a commercial on TV!

Photos:  Darke County Courthouse http://antiqueshopsinohio.com/darke_county.htm, Quaker Star Wikipedia,  Dracula Microsoft Clipart