If the laundry has piled up; if our evening meals are a little sparse; if this column doesn’t get finished, blame it on Maggie Yowler, editor of the Enon Eagle. She wrote a most engaging article a couple of weeks ago entitled “Social Media Exposes Lost and Forgotten Clark County Towns.”

Her style of writing that piece grabbed me by the bifocals and thrust me into a search mode for past people. Like her, I am always wondering how our ancestors lived, their daily lives no doubt less stressful but none-the-less full of work, family and a few peaceful moments. If only they had left notes, perhaps a journal.

I was intrigued by the little map that accompanied the article. From there, it was obvious I had research to do if I was going to find a particular name on that map-Thomas Albin. What started out as an innocent few minutes in the office with my copies of Beers 1888 Clark County History and Rockel’s 1908 History of Springfield and Clark County has turned into a marathon outing into the wilds of all historic avenues available to this writer.

I had no trouble finding Thomas Albin. The mystery began when his name fell under the town of Hopewell. Two towns by that name show up in the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer but both are in other counties. Here in Clark County, Hopewell is “on the northern border of Green Township”, according to the Springfield Globe-Republic newspaper of 1885. As a place with noteworthy news, it is listed right there with Enon, Selma, Lawrenceville, Pitchin, Moorefield, New Carlisle, Catawba and Dolly Varden.

All of the above mentioned names except Hopewell are listed in the 2005 Clark County Map Run Database of Clark County Ghost Towns sent me by Richard Helwig, Director of The Center for Ghost Town Research in Ohio, Sunbury, Ohio. That doesn’t mean that Hopewell did not really exist. Helwig and his researchers just hadn’t found it yet.

For a place to exist and have news, there has to be people involved-either by going there and reporting or by living there and being reported about. That line took me back to the Library of Congress Newspaper Archives. As reported on by the Springfield Globe-Republic and the Springfield Daily Republic, Hopewell did exist and actually had a thriving community.

For January, 1885, the news from Hopewell included the following: “A prayer meeting will be held at Nathan Wilkes’s next Sunday evening. Mrs. John Taylor is quite sick again. Miss Mintie Knott, who has been teaching music, gave her last instructions to her class last Saturday. As a teacher she is much liked. (The Knott family was reported on last year in the Enon Eagle.) John Gram is sick. Miss Ella Green’s health is improving. The surprise on Mr. Heistand (His land is included on the little map in Maggie’s article.) was quite a pleasant affair. The old folks surprised him in the day-time, and the young called at evening, and they thought it good to be there. It is reported that some of our best citizens are about to move to the city.”

“R. T. Kelley is now prepared to repair all kinds of plow work in the smith line, at living prices. We hear that James Hatfield will return to his farm in the spring. Mr. Joe Waddle, while driving cattle, was thrown by his horse, which struck him in the head, cutting it badly.”

A week later, in the same newspaper, more news of Hopewell residents emerged. “Let us have a farmer’s institute in this township (Green), as we have good and practical farmers and every facility to carry on one successfully. What say you?” On a social note we find: “Evening parties do prevail but the last one was a new line-calling on all young ones to come on butchering day to help stuff sausages.”

“Mr. Finney Stewart is about to retire from farming and lead a city life either in Xenia or Springfield. He is one of our oldest settlers and has rented his farm to Oliver Garlough.” “Miss Martha Hall was surprised by family and friends, it being her birthday.” “The Hopewell School is the largest it has been for some time.”

By February, 1885, just one month later, the school report read, “The Hopewell School is now so large that it looks like they will have to put an addition to the house. Sixty-eight scholars are too many for one teacher, so we hear taxpayers say.” (The school, located on Old Clifton Road, was in a “Special District” with no superintendent. Teachers in different years included Miss Alice Patton and Miss Swartzbaugh who boarded at one of the Knott homes.)

 Citizen’s activities included: John Weller who reported on seeing two fine gray eagles around his place. William Dellinger was selling his personal property. Charles Hall and his wife entertained neighbors who were kind enough to bring supper of oysters and crackers. Miss Emma Mellinger traveled to Cincinnati at attend musical school.

H. Shafer moved his sawmill to W. Stewart’s barn near the Enon railroad crossing. Later he moved it to his new home in Kentucky. Charles Kame sold his personal property, heading west to Indiana. Ed Kame built an embroidery business. Ed Gram and J. F. Stewart both held sales. Miss Nellie Shafer and Mrs. A. Printz were both is poor health. Chris Zeigler, the butcher was to attend a Butchers’ Picnic at Dayton. In May of 1885, Chris Zeigler the butcher acquired fine cattle.

Much more news was found. But to get back to the name that took me on the tangent- Thomas Albin. Born and raised right here in Green Township, Mr. Albin married Caroline Adams on the 9th day of January, 1840. He died April 1, 1885 and his funeral was held at the Ebenezer Church. Numerous citizens were present to pay their last respects to “our honorable citizen-a devout husband who said to those that stood by his beside, ‘Fear not, all is well’.”

Once you find the people, their daily lives, their words, even a lost town can come alive again.

Contact Connie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Box 61, Medway, OH 45341

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