The Arnold and Moberly Family Genealogy

Madison Township Bicentennial Sketches, (1799-1999) by George C. Crout Madison Township Communities, Trenton Although no longer an official part of Madison Township, Trenton began as a small village in the township, annexing township land as it grew into a city. The history of Trenton can be found in two excellent books: "Trenton, Ohio, 1816-1966" by Edward J. Keefe and "Trenton People, Trenton Places, 175 Years" by Doris L. Page, et. al. Therefore, only a brief sketch is included here with readers being referred to the definitive histories just noted. On Feb. 13, 1971 --Congressman Walter Powell of the 24th Congressional District at 10:45 a.m. read the official proclamation issued by Ted Brown, Secretary of the State of Ohio, which made Trenton, Butler County's newest city. After performing this official act, Powell looked up amid the glare of cameras and announced to the citizens of Trenton assembled at the Municipal Building, "You are now a city." After 155 years, Trenton had reached city status, as indicated by the final figures of the 1970 Census, which showed it to have a population of 5,278. State Representative David Armbruster presented the new city with its first official Ohio flag, and Congressman Powell gave the new city a U.S. flag which had flown over the Capitol Building. A congratulatory telegram from the Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey was read by congressman Powell. He noted that there are nine Trentons in the U.S.A. Trenton, New Jersey remains the largest. It is no coincidence- -the name of Trenton. The early settlers of the community, headed by Deacon Michael Pearce and Elder Stephen Gard, were from New Jersey. The original Trenton, Congressman Powell recalled in his address, was named in honor of William Trent, who in 1714 purchased 800 acres of land, on part of which he laid out a settlement called Trent's Town, later shortened to Trenton. Trent House still stands in Trenton, N.J. During the Revolutionary War, Trenton won its place in the history books. County Commissioner, Bill Donham was on hand to see Trenton become Butler's fifth city, joining its sisters- Hamilton, Middletown, Fairfield and Oxford. However, the village was first called Bloomfield, in honor of a Governor of New Jersey, whom the pioneers wished to honor. But when a post office was proposed for the thriving village, it was found that there was already listed a Bloomfield, Ohio. The citizens were told that they would have to pick another town name. Not wishing to sever sentimental ties to New Jersey, they decided to change the name to Trenton, after their former capital city. The Ohio General Assembly approved this change, Dec. 16, 1820. On Feb. 27, 1816, Michael Pearce and David Enyeart filed the plat for Bloomfield, which covered sections of both their land. Enyeart had first settled in Princeton, moving to Middletown in 1815, where he continued to live. However, Pearce had settled in what would be Trenton. In 1801, Pearce had begun the erection of a 3-story house on the southeast corner of State Street, now Ohio 73, and Main Street. The founder's home was to stand until 1957 when, after a fire, it was demolished to make way for a service station. From 1873 to 1925, it was the Bernhart Blust home, and after he had done some remodeling, was known locally as Blust's Castle. After the service station closed, the city of Trenton in 1995 made plans to purchase the land, demolish the building, and create Pioneer Park honoring the city's founder. The park was located on land where the city's founder, Michael Pearce erected the town's first house. Founder's Park planned more as a visual one than a functional one. It is adjacent to a five-way intersection, with part of the land being used as a street relocation project to improve traffic flow. The community contributed to its construction. Although those interested in Trenton's past spearheaded the Sesquicentennial celebration in 1966, it was not until October 1971 that the Trenton Historical Society officially came into being. Since then it has established a museum, compiled the plat and record of burials in the 1802 Pioneer Cemetery of the Elk Creek Baptist Church, and installed historic signs there. It has also placed signs at the city limits marking Trenton as the home of Squire Littell, M.D., the first resident doctor in Butler County. It buried a permanent brass marker denoting the junction of four sections of land at Miami and State streets. ------------ !PARENTS-SPOUSE: History of Warren Co. OH, page 976. A mention of the VanPelt Family includes: "Martha (DRAKE) Dodds...born in Middlesex County, NJ in 1786...came to Ohio with her mother Mary (SUTTON) DRAKE; she was married to a Mr. VAN PELT, and a son of this union married Thomas Corwin's sister." !A mention of an Alexander VAN PELT is listed in the Warren Co. Tax Records of 1803, page 277. He is listed again in 1810. His residence is listed both times as Turtle Creek Twp ------------- From the history of Noble Twp, Shelby Co, IN: Alexander VanPelt entered his land at the first sales in Brookville in October, 1820. The following spring, he brought his family from Warren Co, Ohio, and settled at the mouth of Cam's Creek [Conn's Ck-plf]. He was from the start, and for many years, a prominent man. His father had been a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and lost his life in the battle of Long Island. He himself had been in the Indian wars of 1812, under Gen. William Henry Harrison. His first wife was the oldest sister of the celebrated statesman, Thomas Corwin, of Ohio. He always took a deep interest in public affairs, and was one of the first County Commissioners and Justices of the Peace. He was born April 24, 1773, and died in 1849. His sons, Matthias, Sutton, Halleck, Harvey and Squier L., became leading citizens. The late William Major, father of Squier Major, our present County Superintendent of Public Instruction, settled here in 1830, and was to the day of his death, in 1877, a man that commanded univeral respect and confidence. he was born December 24, 1807, in County Longford, Ireland; was married to Eliza, daughter of Alexander VanPelt, July 8, 1836; elected Justice of the Peace in 1837; served in that office sixteen years, was Township Trustee a number of times, and was a member of the State Legislature three times --- in 1847, 1852 and in 1856. ----------------------------- From the History of Warren Co, OH., Page 277 Several indictments for assault and battery, and one or two for affray, were found. No cases, either civil or criminal, seem to have been tried until the next term, which convened on the third Tuesday of December, 1803, when two cases, one civil and one criminal, were tried. In the criminal case, the defendant was found guilty of assault and battery. In the civil case, the plaintiff was a woman, and gained her case. There were seven cases on the civil docket, six of which were dismissed or continued. At this time, Joshua Collett was the only attorney residing in Lebanon. His name appears as attorney for the defendant in the only civil case which was tried. The names of Jacob Burnet and Arthur St. Clair, attorneys from Cincinnati, also appear in the records of the proceedings at this term. The following are the names of jurors impaneled at this term, constituting the first petit jury of the county: Ichabod Corwin, James Stewart, James Caldwell, James Bartlett, John Dennis, Francis Bedle, Thomas Lucas, Alexander Van Pelt, Samuel Manning, John Osborn, Peter Sellers and Cornelius Vorhees.

Shelby Co, IN Land Deeds, from County Records http://www.rootsweb.com/~inshelby/courthouse/deeds_mortgages/plat_t12r8sec33.html Township 12 North of Range 8 East SECTION 33 T12N R8E (4x4 matrix, L to R) W1/2 of NW1/4 = 80a Alexander Vanpelt 3/6/1822 Butler Co, OH E1/2 of NW1/4 = 80a Jacob Creek 2/10/1823 Hamilton Co, OH see right NE1/4 = 160a Edward O Haymond, assignee of John Haymond 6/2/1823 Franklin Co, Indiana, USA see above W1/2 of SW1/4 = 80a Jacob Creek 2/10/1823 Hamilton Co, OH E1/2 of SW1/4 = 80a Solomon Beedle 4/20/1825 Miami Co, OH W1/2 of SE1/4 = 80a Solomon Beedle 4/30/1825 Miami Co, OH E1/2 of SE1/4 = 80a Isaac Goble 3/22/1827 Franklin Co, Indiana, USA see above ================================== Township 12 North of Range 8 East SECTION 32 T12N R8E NW1/4 = 160a Jedediah Tingle 3/4/1822 Warren Co, OH see left W1/2 of NE1/4 = 80a George Vanneman 7/1/1826 Brown Co, OH E1/2 of NE1/4 = 80a Alexander Vanpelt 3/6/1822 Butler Co, OH see above NW1/4 of SW1/4 = 40a Alexander Vanpelt 3/4/1822 Butler Co, OH E1/2 of SW1/4 = 80a Jedediah Tingle 1/3/1832 Warren Co, OH see right E1/2 of SE1/4 = 80a Jedediah Tingle 1/3/1832 Warren Co, OH see above =============================== Township 11 North of Range 8 East SECTION 6 T11N R8E W1/2 of NW1/4=60.8a Stephen Major 3/20/1837 Shelby Co, Indiana, USA E1/2 of NW1/4=80.8a Alexander Vanpelt 2/27/1822 Butler Co, OH W1/2 of NE1/4 = 80a William Drew 3/4/1822 Franklin Co, Indiana, USA E1/2 of NE1/4=82.06a David Robertson 7/10/1826 Warren Co, OH see above W1/2 - SW1/4=58.54a Alexander Vanpelt 3/20/1837 Butler Co, OH E1/2 of SW1/4=58.54a Alexander Vanpelt 10/16/1835 Butler Co, OH W1/2 of SE1/4 = 80a Alexander Vanpelt 11/8/1821 Butler Co, OH E1/2 of SE1/4 = 80a Alexander Vanpelt 2/27/1822 Butler Co, OH see above =============================== vanPelt and Major see more at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~inshelby/courthouse/deeds_mortgages/plat_t11r8.html

Primative Baptist Church establishments: TURTLE CREEK (LEBANON, WEST LEBANON) Turtle Creek Church originally met as an arm of Clear Creek Church, and was organized as a separate church on Saturday, December 11, 1802. The original members were Daniel Clark, Sarah Clark, Stephaneus Clark, Sarah Clark, Mary Cowen, Matthias Corwin, James Daniels, Hannah Daniels, Rhoda Daniels, Joseph Dongins, Lewis Drake, Mary Drake, Rebecca Drake, Francis Dunlevy, Mary Dunlevy, Mary Hale, Martha Kerr, Joseph Lamb, Ruth Lamb, Rachel Lambert, Thomas Lucas, Sarah Lyttle, Mary Monroe, Ebenezer Osborn, John Osborn, Mary Osborn, William Stephens, Rachel Stephens, Elizabeth Stephens, Peter Yawger, Lydia Yawger, and Alexander Van Pelt. The church had grown to 45 members by the time it united with the Miami Association in 1803. Within tenyears the church outgrew the log meeting house, east of Lebanon, and moved into a new brick meeting house, which was built on West Mulberry Street, which was used for about fifty years. The "Pioneer Cemetery" was adjacent to the church. Elder Daniel Clark served the church as pastor. In about 1814, Elder Stephen Gard, was called as assistant, then in 1819, Elder Wilson Thompson was called as assistant. SURNAMES OF MEMBERS: Clark, Corwin, Cory, Cowan, Culy, Daniels, Dongins, Drake, Dunham, Dunlevy, Hale, Jennings, Kerr, Lamb, Lambert, Lucas, Lyttle, Monroe, Osborn, Smith, Stephens, Van Pelt, Williams (very incomplete list due to loss of records). http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/FamHist-WarrenOH.html