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The Early Seat of Some of Cler mont’s Most Distinguished Men—The Home of the Gatches— Far Talf a Century the Great Commercial Mart of the Little Miami Valley. A Glimpse of its Historic Annals. The Kuglers and their Mills—The Village as a Suburban Retreat Such a delightful location as Mil ford could not long escape the atten tion of lovers of the beautiful,especial ly as it wore the appearance of buoy ant health and ultimate utility, in ad dition to its picturesque beauty, and the chief elements of a complete land scape—hill and dale, wood and water, knolls and mounds exist in luxuriant abundance, and meadows and pas tures are not absent from the scene, nor the lowing herd, the curling smoke of the half concealed farm house, the cot on the hill, the pala tial villa, the stately residence, and the old grist mill and distillery that until lately was the faithful servant of the farming population. No wonder then this site struck with rapture the old Continental sol dier of Holland, Knickerbocker stock —the quaint and eccentric John Nan carrow, who had it surveyed for him on May 28, 1788, in the survey No. 1748, of two hundred and thirty acres on military warrants numbers 3930, 3931 and part of 3932, and on it this old Dutch burgomaster, with his sweet but ill fated daughter, Mary Maud, intended to found a city that should become the future metropolis of the West. But the unforeseen disasters of commercial speculations ruined the man, and he assigned all his landed possessions in the north-west to John Vaughn and Peter January, merchants of Philadelphia, but before doing so, with thrifty foresight, he sold this Milford survey on December 20, 1802, to Philip Gatch, for $920 in lawful money of the realm. Philip Gatch was a Virginian, and had freed his slaves before emigrating, which cir cumstance led to his being selected, along with James Sargent, likewise from Virginia, as the two delegates to represent Clermont in the Consti tutional Convention that, on Novem ber 29, 1802, at Chillicothe, framed the Constitution, by the adoption of which, by the people of the then Territory, Ohio was admitted into the Union. Philip Gatch, with Ambrose Raw son, also residing in Milford, and John Wood were the three first asso ciate judges of the court at Wil liamsburg, then the shiretown, and for many subsequent years. Of the union of Honorable Philip Gatch with his wife Elizabeth, there was born Ruth Gatch—a lady of singu larly good mind, loving disposition, and comeliness of person, and who was united in marriage on December 19, 1806, to Michael Swing by Rev. John Collins, a pioneer ‘preacher whose eloquence resounded for his Lord through the frontier settle ments. From this union, 80 happy to the couple, felicitous to the coun ty, and glorious for the country, was born that man who, at this day, stands in Clermont next to ex-Presi dent Grant only in the love and es teem and confidence of the people— that great lawyer, good citizen, and enlightened jurist—Judge Philip B. Swing. Judge Gatch sold one hun dred and twenty acres of the Nan carrow survey to Judge Rawson, who in turn sold sixty-four acres thereof to John Hageman, who laid out the town—then called Hageman’s Mills on January 17, 1806, into forty six lots. On September 8, 1817, Lewis Gatch, another one of this long and still illustrious lineage, so honorably identified in our county’s, State’s, and Nation’s history as furnishing legislators, professional men of dis tinction, divines of National reputa tion, jurists of renown, business men of honor, and farmers unsurpassed in thrift and energy—laid out an addi t thirty-four lots, at being made by the then county surveyor, Wm. S. McLean (still living at Williams burg) and its dedication and ac knowledgment before Mark P. Tay lor, J. P., afterwards mayor of Cin cinnati. October 1, 1847, Dr. L. A. Hen dricks, an old pioneer settler and medical practitioner of note, made a sub-division of twenty-three lots, the survey being made by the venerable Col. James Given, now at Mt. Car mel. April 24, 1849, when John Ferguson was Auditor, and L. B. Leeds, Recorder, the town was resur veyed, and numbered as to its lots by surveyor McLean. July 3, 1869, Dr. J. S. Combs and wife and Ruth S. Gatch laid out another addition called East Milford, of forty-nine lots, aided by A. H. Matson, as sur veyor. July 4, 1873, Colonel William Stoms made an addition of thirty four lots out of part of the old Lewis Gatch farm, the survey being made by Professor Geo. H. Hill. One of the finest farms near town is the Elias $a , so long in litiga tion as to its title by the Pollock heirs, but which the Supreme Court finally decided in favor of Mr. Spei del, who is a pleasant gentleman with a family of sons and daughters occupying deservedly high places in society. Judge John Pollock, who killed himself here in a temporary aarra tion of mind, was a noted personage in Ohio's early history, and of State renown as a legislator and politician. He was from Clermont a representa tive in the 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th General Assem blies, and Speaker of the 11th and 12th, and Senator in the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th. General Thomas Gatch represented Clermont in the House from 1824 to 1828—four terms. Dr. Charles D. Gatch was at Ford's theatre when Lincoln was murdered, in April, 1865, and the first physician to get to the lament ed President’s aid after the murder ous shooting. The two men who contributed the greatest material advantages to this spirited and enterprising town were the Kuglers—father and son, Mat thias and John, especially the latter, and for over a third of a century, during his reign and day, Milford was the great market and emporium for the wheat, corn, barley, rye, and produce generally of an extensive re gion of country, embracing besides the upper part of Clermont, portions of Hamilton, Clinton, Warren, and Brown counties. The death of John Kugler was a serious blow to the town, and the unfortunate litigation attending his estate was highly dam aging to its interests, but it has re covered; and now all is stir and bus tle, and its watchword is ‘“ Excel sior.” It is the third town in the county in population, and is situated on the east side of the Little Miami river, a little above its junction with the East Fork. Three splendid pikes run east through the north part of the county to Fayetteville, Wooster, and Wilmington, and opposite, in Hamilton county, it is connected with a perfect network of good roads leading in all directions to the many beautiful environs of Cincinnati. There are four churches in this place—Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and Episcopalian—all attended, and with a large number of co nstants. It is noted for its spread graded schools, and its large and commodious school edifice is an hon or to the town. The secret benevolent orders here are in a highly flourishing condition socially and financially. The Inde pendent Order of Odd Fellows has a lodge, Clermont No. 49, instituted September 5, 1845, and a member ship of over seventy-five. The Ma sonic order has a chapter, No. 35, the largest in the county, and a Blue lodge, No. 54, is in a very prosperous state, and over these, as presiding officer, High Priest and Worshipful Master, is Rev. Thomas J. Melish, editor of the Masonic Review, and one of the ablest writers and most distinguished Masons of the age. About two miles east of town, and near the elegant homestead of our good friend Frank M. Gatch, are the remains of extensive fortifications, that were evidently constructed in very ancient times, and probably be fore the advent of the Indians. Near these mounds is the Township Ceme tery, one of the best laid out in Ohio, and its grounds are unequaled for their beauty and choice location. Milford is indebted largely for its material growth and advancement to our citizens of foreign birth, the thrifty Germans and industrious Irish, the latter of whom, during the making of the Little Miami Railroad and after its completion, nearly forty years ago, settled there in numbers and have added to the wealth, intelli gence and growth of the place. In and about the town reside Col. James B. Wallace, a veteran and ef ficient officer in the Government Revenue Department.; Col. Sam A. West, a brave soldier in the rebellion and an ex-Legislator; Captain Jack Bassett, the unequaled Republican political strategist; Patrick Fitz simmons, a favorite and tried official of the Little Miami Railroad; John Connolly, the blacksmith wit known throughout the valley; Capt. Brun son, the genial gentleman and book -keeper; Richard Payne, the model grocer, and, if our limits did not press us, we might enumerate scores upon scores of others, all interested in the advancement and prosperity of this good old burg—but we must not forget, of the many McGrews so early and honorably connected with the history of this region, Andy Mc Grew, a stalwart Republican, who means business, and whose troops of friends wish him a long life and a happy one. The surroundings of Milford, upon every hand, are grand, and up the East Fork, towards Stonelick, the country is sublimely beautiful, and in passing along every one notices and remarks the fine farm and neat cottage of that true farmer and good man, Geo. L. Swing. Many of the people here and this vicinity do bus iness in Cincinnati, and are commu ters, and coming out on the evening trains we have often been struck at their large number, at the surpassing loveliness of the ladies, and the sweet faces of the young misses home ward bound from their school rooms. Although the country around Mil ford is strictly rural, yet the im provements are suburban and taste ful, and gardens and lawns stretch out invitingly, with their open gate ways, and orchards cover the sloping hillsides, and there, close at hand, is an advantageous view of the towering church and spire, and handsome school building. The eye is enraptured with the rich and extensive landscape, and here and there are the spacious farms, the wide fields and broad meadows, the orchards and groves, and nest ling in sequestered sites, amid trees of varied foliage, and shrubbery of all hues, are elegant residences, with tasteful porticoes, bay windows over looking the velvet lawn, and roofs of modern architectures whose de signs and finish is elaborate, yet chaste, alike consistent with the surrounding country, and mark the taste and affluent circumstances of their proprietors. Gardening and horticulture in this community reach almost perfection, as here intelligence joins hands with manual labor to gain its highest es tate. Milford is a sweet old English name. On the British isle many a pleasant burg or hamlet has this patronymic, and in old settled New England, along placid Lake Cham plain, on the gently flowing Connecti cut, among the granite hills or near the sea breezes of the old Bay State, are cosy and pretty villages of this name, but, taken altogether, with its elegant surroundings and life and spirit, we have never seen one that excels in our mind and eye the quaint and lively Milford of the Little Miami vale. The size of an article does not al ways determine its value. The val ue of money is a matter of consider able more consequence than the amount. If the two dollars a man has in his pocket have a purchasing power of but one dollar, it would serve all his needs precisely as well, and would be more convenient, for him to have but a single dollar that should have full purchasing value. In value the money of the country is greater than ever before. The plan and policy of the Republican party is to continue in the hands of the people a money that is honest, and worth what it calls for. The policy demanded by the “ more mon ey” demagogues is to make money plenty by cutting and hacking every dollar into three or four parts, and calling every part a dollar, and by that process men are asked to be lieve that everybody can be enriched. The playing at Government and finance as children play at house keeping—too much ‘ make-believe a about it. Loveview Asylum contains 600 lunatics, and they are all green backers. To average American kitchen and Dr. Bull’s Baltimore Pills both know Dyspepsia; the one creates it, the oth er destroys it. Price 25 cents.
Newspaper Details
The Clermont Courier
Batavia, Ohio, US
Wed, Jul 23, 1879
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Debra P.
OH, USA 09 Sep 2026
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