HISTORY OF HAMILTON

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     Hamilton, lying in the midst of the far famed and historic garden spot of America - the Miami Valley, surrounded by the best country that the world affords stands second to none.  A city which claims for its children, many of the greatest men and American nation has produced.  Men who sat in the highest tribunals, men, whose patriotism led them to shed their blood on many a field in the holy cause of liberty.  Men whose war cry was "for God and native land," and whose deeds of valor made tyrants tremble on their throne.
     From such ancestral stock came the first residents of this city. Is it any wonder that with such example to emulate, that the town of Hamilton has produced such good citizens?
     Looking backward, let us examine some of the "footprints on the sands of time" delve into our history and traditions that have gone to mingle with the years beyond the flood.
     The route of General St. Clair in his disastrous campaign in 1791 passed through Butler County. In September of that year Fort Hamilton was built. It was a stockade, with bastions and platforms for two cannon. Barracks were constructed with a guard room also, and two store houses for provisions.  It is a remarkable fact that the fort was completed in about fourteen days.  The cross cut saw, the augur and the axe were pressed into service and Fort Hamilton was a reality, and St. Clair's orders had been obeyed.

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     Major Rudolph was placed in command.  He was a tyrannical officer.  His cruel treatment of six deserters has been published so often that we shall not touch upon it.  There are no facts substantiating the hanging of John Brown and Seth Blinn.
     Fort Hamilton remained occupied as a garrison until the year 1796 when the public stores were sold at auction, and the fort abandoned.  After the treaty of Greenville in 1795 many of the officers and soldiers of Wayne's army were disbanded and returned to Hamilton about the first of June, 1795.  James McBride in his valuable manuscript history of Hamilton, written in 1831 makes the following reference to the old fort: "Part of the line where the pickets stood can yet be traced, and some of the buildings of the garrison remained standing after 1811."
     The ground on which the town of Hamilton is laid out within the tract of land sold by the congress of the United States to John Cleves Symmes in 1787 and afterwards conveyed to him by patent bearing date the 30th day of September 1794.  The third entire range of six miles wide within this purchase extending from the Great Miami to the Little Miami was conveyed to General Jonathan Dayton by John Cleves Symmes as appears by a deed bearing the date of October 30, 1794. On July 27, 1795, Johnathan Dayton conveyed the fractional section No. two in township one, range three in said purchase to Israel Ludlow, by whom the town of Hamilton was laid out on said fractional section.
     In the year 1794 a few lots were laid out by Mr. Israel Ludlow in the lower part of the town in the immediate neighborhood of the garrison, and some of them were sold to different parties. The lots in the upper part of the town were laid out in the years 1796 and 1797.
     The town of Hamilton being laid out under the government of Northwest Territory there was at that time no law requiring town plats to be placed on record, consequently the plat of Hamilton was not recorded at that time. However, on the 28th of April, 1802, Israel Ludlow placed the town plat

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on record in the county of Hamilton, at Cincinnati where it may be found in Book E, No. 2, page 57. The most northerly block of lots on the town plat are not laid down from 222 to 242 inclusive, hence the presumption that they were laid out after the plat was placed on record.
     As early as 1795, but few settlers were to be found at Hamilton.  Among the very earliest pioneers were John Greer, Andrew Christy, Benjamin Davis, David C. Orcutt, Isaac Wiles and Benjamin Randolph.
     In the April following in 1793, General Wayne arrived at Hamilton with his main army.  He has been represented as an arbitrary despotic man.  However, he was much displeased with the conduct of Major Rudolph, and gave him his choice, either to be cashiered, or to resign his command.
     The first court for the county of Butler was held in Hamilton on the second Tuesday in July, 1803, the calendar date being July 12. Subsequently its sittings were held in one of the old buildings of the garrison, which had been erected for a public store house, the Torrence Tavern, corner of Water and Dayton streets. The building remains in tact to-day the same as it did in 1803, the property of G. A. Rentschler.  The magazine was converted into a jail, and another of the old buildings fitted up for a clerk's office.  The house erected for the accommodation of the commandant and officers was occupied as a tavern for the entertainment of the court and bar, and other persons attending.  The artificers and barracks were used for stables, etc.
     The first presiding Judge was Francis Dunlavey, with James Dunn, John Greer, and John Kitchel as associate Judges.  Daniel Symmes was prosecuting attorney, James Blackburn, sheriff and John Reily, clerk.
     In a few years a stone building was erected on the ground set apart for a public square, designed for a jail and jailers house. The upper part of this building was finished for a court-room and the sittings of the court were transferred from the barracks to this building.

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     A postoffice was established in Hamilton, August, 1804 and John Reily was appointed postmaster.   In March, 1805, occurred an extraordinary flood in the
Miami river, which was ever afterward known as the big flood.  The town of Hamilton was almost submerged and great alarm was felt at the rising water.
     On October 11, 1809, the first supreme court held in Butler county, convened at Hamilton.  Samuel Huntington and William Sprigg were the judges of the court, Arthur St. Clair; prosecuting attorney, John Reily, clerk and William McClellan sheriff.
     The town of Hamilton was incorporated in the year 1810, and police and officers were elected who organized themselves and for four years continued to exercise jurisdiction and adopt measures for the government of the town.  Owing to some irregularities however, in the proceedings or carelessness on the part of the officers, the charter became forfeited in 1814, and so remained until 1827, when the town was again incorporated together with Rossville under the style of The Trustees and citizens of Hamilton and Rossville."  The two towns remained under this one charter until 1831, when the act was so amended as to separate the two towns, and erect each into a corporation by itself.
     It may be well here to give a retrospect of the appearance of the town of Hamilton in 1807, which is graphically portrayed by that eminent historian, James McBride.  He says:  "When I first visited Hamilton in December, 1807, the improvements were principally confined to near the margin of the river.  William McClellan, who served eight years as sheriff of the county of Butler, then kept a tavern in the old garrison house, which had been erected for the accomodation of the officers, and which stood on the bank of the river near to where the east end of the bridge is at present (in 1831).  John Torrence and William Murray each kept houses of entertainment at the river on Dayton street.  A store was kept by John Sutherland in the low ground and Joseph Hough and Thomas Blair had a store near the south-west corner of the public

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square. John Reily, clerk of the court, kept his office in a small log house in the lower part of the town.  Dr. Dan Millikin was the only physician then in Hamilton.  He lived in a house on the bank of the river."
     "William Corry, the only lawyer in the place, kept his office in the same building- with the clerk of the court.  Several other lawyers, however, from Cincinnati and Lebanon attended the sittings of the courts, among whom were Jacob Burnett, Arthur W. St. Clair, Ethan Stone, Nicholas Longworth and later John McClean, Joshua Coltet and Elias Glover."
     "In Hamilton at that time, nearly all east of Front street was an impenetrable thicket covered with young scrubby oaks, black-jacks, vines and hazel bushes, a thicket that it was only in some parts that man could make his way through them.  True it is, paths and roads were in some places cut through them to admit of a free passage, but even from the corner where Mr. Sutherland's house now stands to the Hamilton hotel, and where the court house now is, the brush wood was very thick, although this space had been occupied by the garrison as a burying ground.  The grave stones and graves were discoverable all over the tract of ground, and even since the building of the Hamilton Hotel was erected, a paling inclosing a grave was taken down, which stood in the street before the house."
     "It was then common, every few days, to meet with Indians in the streets of Hamilton, who came to sell their peltries to the storekeepers.  I recollect once of a company of seventy or eighty Indians who remained encamped in the lower part of Rossville for about a week."
     "The improvements in Rossville were still fewer than in Hamilton.  A log house, near where the west end of the bridge now is, was occupied as a tavern and a ferryhouse. Michael Delorac's house in the upper part of town, and one or two log buildings in the lower part, comprehended the extent of improvement. Brush-wood, elder bushes and high weeds occupied the remaining parts of the town."

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     What a beatiful pen picture this is of Hamilton in 1807, such a one as only James McBride could write.
     The total population of Hamilton in 18 10 was 242.  The census at that time gives the following in detail:  The first printing press was brought to Hamilton in June, 1814, and the publication of a weekly newspaper, entitled the Miami Intelligencer was commenced by Colby, Bonnel and Co.  The first number of this paper was issued from the press on the 22nd of June, 1814, and it was the first newspaper ever printed in Butler County.
     In the year 18 12, a lot was purchased and a building erected for academy purposes by a company of gentlemen who styled themselves the Hamilton Literary society.  Both a classical and a common school was here conducted, and this was the first educational institution established in Hamilton.
     On the 19th of December, 1817, the bank of Hamilton was incorporated with a capital of $300,000, and went into operation on the 30th day of July, 1818.  The capital stock paid in was $33,062.68.  This institution continued to do business for only two or three years, the pressure of the times and depreciating of bank paper in the west forced them to direct their measures towards a close of their business. 
     In 1816, John K. Scott was awarded a contract to erect a brick court house, two stories high, near the centre of the public square.  The contract price for erection of this building was $10,000.00. However, on the application of the contractor, who pledged that he had lost money on the contract the legislature passed a law authorizing the commissioners of the county to make him a further allowance, of $100, which was paid him making the whole cost $11,000.
     In the year 1816, a company was incorporated by the legislature of the state of Ohio, with a capital of $30,000.00, to construct a bridge across the Great Miami river, at Hamilton.  The stock in said company was soon subscribed and the work commenced in the summer of 1818 and was completed so as to admit travelers to pass over the bridge in December, 1819.  The first tolls were received December 29.  The bridge

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was a strong and handsome superstructure, composed of two abutments, one on each side, and one pier in the middle of the river.  The chord line of each was 165 feet and 6 inches.  The original contract price for erecting the bridge was $17,500.   The directors afterwards deemed it advisable to put in an additional set of arches and to rebuild the wing walls, which made the whole structure $20,000.
     In 1827, the Miami canal was constructed, passing on the east side of Hamilton, at the distance of near a mile from the Miami river and about half a mile from the inlots of the town at that time.  It was so far completed in November, 1827, as to admit the passage of boats from Cincinnati to Middletown, and on the 7th day of March, 1829, the first boat passed from Dayton to Cincinnati on the canal.
     In February, 1828, in compliance with a petition from the citizens of Hamilton, the legislature of Ohio, authorized the canal commissioners to construct a lateral canal or side cut from the main Miami canal to the interior of the town of Hamilton and authorized the commissioners, if, in their opinion, it should be proper to contribute out of the canal fund the sum of $200 towards the completion of the work.  The residue of the expense was subscribed and raised by the citizens.
     The work was commenced in the spring of the year 1828 and completed in December.  The whole expenses of constructing the side cut and basin amounted to the sum of $7,489.36.  The length of the Hamilton basin from the Main canal was 53 chains and 52 links.  The ground on which it was constructed was 3 or 4 feet lower than the level of the bottom of the main canal.  It was 120 feet wide at the bottom and 148 feet wide at the surface of the water, having an average depth of 1 8 or 20 feet.  On each side was a tow-path 8 feet wide.  James McBride says that it was the finest artificial body of water in the United States at the time of its construction.  Peter Sayre was the first collector of tolls.
    Early in the forties, Hamilton had two newspaper offices, three flouring mills, three cotton factories, three saw mills,

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two foundries, two machine shops and sixteen merchantile establishments.
     Rossville was laid out in 1804 by an eastern syndicate.  At this date it contained a single squatter.  The town site was government land. John Reily acted as agent for the owners.  From this time on Rossville built up rapidly.  Howe in his history of 1846 says.- "Rossville is a nourishing place, superior to Hamilton as a merchantile town".
     In 1831, there were in Hamilton and Rossville the following business and professional men:

     Below we give as complete a list as possible of Hamilton and Rossville business houses from the earliest date.  We begin with Rossville, as its mercantile trade up to 1852 was larger than that of Hamilton.
     The Miami House, on the corner of Main and "A" streets, better known as the Straub House, was erected by John Winton who carried on the business for a number of years, when he was succeeded by John J. Walker.  He was followed by Peter Schertz, Mike Huffman and Fred. Wehrnhorn.  Early in the sixties, the building was purchased by Felix Straub, who remodeled it and changed its name to the Straub House. The house soon gained a reputation second to none.  The west room of this building was occupied at various times as a store by William Anderson, George Louthan, Christian

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Rothenbush and Daniel Sortman who subsequently removed it to the Odd Fellow building.  On what is now known as the Boettinger lot, Matthew Winton kept an iron store—the only one in Butler County.  Daring the summer of 1847, his cellar was filled with empty lard barrels.  The flood of that year filled the cellar, broke the joist and forced the floor from its position, damaging his stock considerably.
     David Jacoby engaged in the hardware and iron business in a building on the site of the Cass Hardware Co.  Subsequently D. J. T. Smyers purchased an interest in this store.  Late in the fifties Jacoby sold out and removed to Illinois, when Mr. Smyers tore down the old frame building and built a handsome two-story brick, where he continued in business up to the time of his death.  His sons, James P. and Willard succeeded to the business.
     The next building west was used as a bakery by Henry Shuler.  He sold out to his brother George, in 1848 and went to California.  Henry Shuler on his return trip from the Golden State, took passage on the ill-fated vessel, Central America, which went down in the Atlantic Ocean about seventy miles east of Savannah.  He was saved by jumping into the ladies' life boat.  He now resides at Oakland, California, where he owns and operates a large brewery. Gus Oetterer succeeded George Shuler.
     Jacob Traber opened a store in the Millikin building.  He had large interests in Cincinnati and sold out to O. & J. Traber.  Samuel Millikin and his father, at different periods, occupied this building for store and post-office.
     The Curtis building, in times past, has been occupied by Elliott and Glenny, pork packers, for a general merchandise store; Joseph Curtis, dry goods; N. G. Curtis, dry goods and clothing; R. L. Howard, gun store; Fred Mueller, tailor shop, and O. & J. Traber.
     The P. G. Smith drug store was located in the only four story building in Hamilton.  Kennedy & McElwee, succeeded Mr. Smith.  The following named gentlemen have at inter

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vals owned and operated this drug store: A. G. Clark, Chris. Rothenbush, Weller & Alexander, Weller & Ridenour, Frank Puthoff, Knox Bros., J. R. Brown. J. R. Chadwick and B. S. James. In 1874 it was removed to the corner of Main and B streets, where it remains to-day, the property of Dr. William C. Miller.
     James Kossman and William Taylor, one door west of P. G. Smith's drug store, manufactured saddlery on a large scale.  The Indians came in from the reservations for trading purposes and purchased big quantities of goods from the firm of Rossman and Taylor. The room was subsequently used by Peter L. Walker for the same purpose.  Date in the fifties he closed out and removed to Franklin.
     In the adjoining room Adam Abel opened a tin store, but failed in a short time.  The second story rooms were occupied by Col. Thomas Moore as his law office and William Harper as a tailor shop. J. R. and W. H. Traber opened a dry goods and clothing store in the room vacated by Adam Abel. Subsequently they removed to the Odd Fellow building. Peter Becker occupied this room for the sale of ready made clothing.
     Andrew McCleary erected a large brick building on the corner of Main and B streets, for a grocery and rectifying establishment.  An immense amount of whisky was rectified here and shipped on fiat boats to Cincinnati.  The store did a thriving business. Louis Sohngen and Henry Waltner succeeded Mr. McCleary, then followed General Richmond, Jonathan Richmond, Peter Smith, John Burckey and John Holly, and A. C. Kumler & Co.
     In 1835, Joseph Wilson conducted a general store in an old Indian red frame building on the corner of Main and B streets, where Rumple's building as located.  He was postmaster for three years. In later years the building was occupied by Henry Beardsley as a hat manufactory.  Stephen West and Jack McCain were his workmen.  Afterward Samuel Mars and John H. Garver carried on a stove and tin store.  One door north of this building was Samuel Shaffer's chair factory.  Counterfeiting was carried on in this building by a

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man named Charles.  Detectives were working the case, Charles became alarmed dumped the moulds and spurious coin in the vault.  When Rumple's hall was built, the workmen found a bushel of counterfeit dollars.
     On the Beatty lot, corner Main and D streets, William Murray operated a tannery.  After its abandonment, William Mills built a smith shop thereon.
     George Krucker's smith and wagon shops were built by William Rich.  Subsequently John and William Mills purchased it and carried on business for years.  They sold out to George Holdefer and removed to LaFayette, Indiana.  After Mr. Holdefer's death George Krucker became owner of it.
     In the Kennedy building Christy carried on the printing business.  He was drowned in the Deflar pond while seining.
     A. J. Curtis manufactured carriages in the building lately owned by W. C. Millspaugh.
     William Clements carried on shoe making in a frame building on the north-west corner of Main and D streets.  He was a kind hearted old gentleman.  On the opposite corner was James Chapman's store.  All the land from this point to the Western House was a swamp.
     Near the corner of Main and E streets  John Osborn's pottery was located.  On D street, between Main and Ross, we find Deleplane's chair factory and Connor's candle factory.
     Joshua Deleplane, carried on the furniture and undertaking business on Main street for fourty-five years.
     On the south corner of Main and B streets we find Michael Morner's boarding and coffee house.  B. H. Rohmann occupied the adjoining room with a jewelry store.
     J. and J. Rossman opened the large dry goods store.  The firm dealt extensively in carpets and queensware.  Date in the fifties merchant tailoring was added.  Fred. Mueller had charge of this department.
     W. H. H. Kimble and W. H. H. Reily, in the room adjoining C. Durst, were rectifiers with a general line of groceries.  They had previously been used by D. Howard, William Dick and A. J. Lewis as a hardware store.

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     In the Beck building adjoining, James Walker, Fisher & Curtis, Bird & Holly, Russell Potter, A. & A. Brietenbach, each carried on the dry goods business.  Beck & Tabler also engaged in business here.
     A. G. Clark opened a drug store in the Matthias building.  After he vacated, I. & J. Matthias removed their tin, stove and coppersmith store from the corner of Main and C streets and occupied the building.
     In an old story-and-a-half building on the corner of Main and B streets, was kept a grocery and hardware store.
     Isaac Falconer erected a frame building in early days, at the south west corner of Main and B streets and opened the Falconer House.  Subsequently he sold out . to Anthony Hummel. In after years he became proprietor of the Brighton House, Cincinnati. J. H. Falconer succeeded Hummel.  The last one who used the building for hotel purposes was Captain F. E. Humbach. In the fifties, Wilson H. Doty
opened a fine restaurant in the lower rooms, now occupied by Dr. W. H. Miller as a drug store, and Chris. Kaefer as a barber shop.
     The Butler House was erected in 1833 by C. Rothenbush.  An addition was added in 1836.  He carried on the business until 1857, when he sold out to Cory & Wilson.  The following well known men have operated the house for hotel purposes:  Abram Rinearson, Felix Straub, A. J. Rees, W. B. Wilcox, F. J. Thornhill, David T. Reily, Daniel Grammar, Andrew Huber and George Huber.
     C. R. Kennedy manufactured brushes in the Broadt building from ten to fifteen years.
     Spivey & Garver, adjoining Deleplane's, carried on the gunsmith business.
     Joseph N. Hannaford opened a drug store in the Rumple building shortly after its erection. In 1867, he sold out to the Beeler Bros.
     The occupants of the Odd Fellows' building have been D. W. Sortman, John and William Sortman, Sortman & Yeakle, Humphry & McMeen and B. A. Fitzpatrick.

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     John Sutherland was the earliest merchant in Hamilton.  At his store on Front street, he did a large and profitable business with the Indians who came in from the surrounding country to exchange furs.
     John Wingate commenced a store in a log house where the St. Mary's Church now stands.  He failed in 1806.  This store was subsequently carried on by Hough & Blair and Kelsey & Blair.
     Andrew McCltary, Isaac T. Saunders, A. & A. Brietenbach, Andrew Dingfelder and Michael Freeman have each transacted business in the Heiser building. John Heiser has occupied the same quarters for about forty years.
     H. L. DufEeld's cabinet shop was in a frame building on the site of the Schorr building. Louis Sohngen succeeded to the business.
     Captain John P. Bruck had a large merchant tailoring establishment about where the John Schubert building stands.
     John W. Sohn erected the brick building on the corner of Water and High streets. It was used as a leather and finding store.
     Michael Zoller's place has been occupied by Mr. Beal, John Donges, L. A. Henes and John F. Schwenn as a hotel.
     Henry Lipphard was a saloon keeper in an old frame building where the Universalists Church building stands.  Wolf's hotel was located one door west.  Afterward Michael Dolan kept saloon in the building.  It was here that the plans were laid for robbing and murdering Jonathan Conover.  He was last seen alive in this saloon with about one hundred dollars on his person.  Next morning his body was found on the riffle just above the railroad bridge.
     The Ohio and Indiana House, better known as the Lohmann building, was erected by William Lohmann and Peter Schertz.  This hotel commanded a large and extensive business before the railroad was constructed.  It was a popular and famous stopping place for wagoners from the west.  Afterward, Peter Schertz retired and carried on the hotel business in the Straub House in Rossville.  William Lohmann was a
popular and genial landlord.

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     P. T. Norden's cabinet factory was situated at the corner of Front and Court streets.  Alexander Smidtman kept a coffee house and inn at the corner of High and Front streets in 1816.  Joseph Straub carried on the grocery business here Subsequently Felix Straub and Alex. Richardson engaged in the hotel business at this place.  Since the building has been re-modeled, A. A. Phillips, J. C Barcalow, and Sohngen & Conner have occupied it for the same purpose.
     The Mason House has been operated by Benjamin Basey, William Butler, Martin Mason, William Andre and Captain George Schramm.
     S. D. Garrison was Hamilton's first merchant tailor.  He carried a large stock and transacted an extensive business.  He resided in the Wurmser cottage opposite the Central High School building.  His place of business was situated on High street near George Rupp's meat store.
     In 1854, Temple & Crawford opened a carpet store in the frame building where the Reily block now stands.
     Proctor & Gamble established a soap factory, near the Jones coal yard on Canal street.
     Andrew Oyler carried on the furniture and undertaking business in a frame building on Court street.  Subsequently Ernest Morman became associated with him in business.  Afterward Seybold & Bonner purchased the business.  The Globe Inn, (City Hotel,) was kept by Captain Israel Gregg, Cleve Straub, Charles Snyder, Elias Simpson and W. C. Gundrum.
     H. S. Earhart and George Tapscott carried on business in a frame building at the corner of Third and High streets.   Afterward James M. Johnson and James Martin occupied the building for the same purpose.  When the old building was torn down and the present one erected it was occupied by Duvall Davis as a fancy grocery; he was followed by James Daugherty; then came J. W. Davis & Co. with a dry goods
store.  D. W. Fitton & Co. occupy the building to-day.
     After the erection of Beckett's hall the store rooms were occupied by H. & W. C. Frechtling as a dry goods and grocery

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store, Simon Fischer, dry goods, P. P. LaTourette, drug store, John Crawford carpet store and the Hamilton bank.
     The Boston bakery was started by C. E. Reed of Boston.  Bader & Schwartz purchased the store early in the sixties.
     Jacob Miller opened the first stock of ready made clothing in Hamilton, on High street, opposite the court house.
     At the corner of High and Reily streets Owens, Ebert & Dyer conducted a stove and tin store.  Philip Hartman was their successor.
     James Basey carried on a restaurant, saloon and billiard room in the Miami building. The third story was used for theaters and entertainments.
     James B. Thomas had a general store at the southeast corner or High and Second streets.  The post office was kept in this building by Mr. Thomas for nearly thirty years.
     Henry Beardsley was engaged in manufacturing and selling hats in a frame building on the site of William Winkler's store, which he subsequently built.
     The Jackson building was first occupied by James Jackson & Co., as a dry goods and tailor emporium.  William O. Shank succeeded him.  The room is now occupied by the E. B. Rogers' Furniture Co.
     John Stillwaugh's bakery was located one door west of Jackson & Co.  He carried on business in this room for years. 
     Thomas Enyart carried on a tin store in this locality.
     Thomas V. Howell and D. G. Leigh opened a dry goods store at the southeast corner of Third and High streets.  Mr. L,eigh sold his interest to Mr. Howell in a short time.  He was mayor of Hamilton after retiring from business.
     Wilson & Bigham were extensive pork packers and occupied the building adjoining Henes' hat store for general merchandise; next came George P. Bell, then Joseph Watkins.
     George W. McAdams, J. W. Davis and McAdams & Hargittat different periods, kept store in the Thomas Fitton room.
     Dr. C. Markt's drug store was opened by John O. Brown.  J. W. Baldridge carried on the business for a short time when he sold out to Dr. Markt.

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     Pork packing was an immense industry in Hamilton up to 1852.  The following pork houses were located on the north and south sides of the basin, when its terminus was at Third street: J. & J. Fisher, Beatty & Tapscott, J. M. & S. Johnson, John S. Gordon and George P. Bell.
     Peter Jacobs & John O. Brown were in partnership in the drug and stationary business late in the fifties.  They occupied the George Rupp room and the one lately vacated by Captain Philip Rothenbush.
     Henry Achey, Martin Mason, Charles Snyder and F. W. Wehrhan kept tavern in the Jacobs' building, on the site of Howald's Hotel. 
     The Hamilton House was erected in 1812.  It has been kept by Mr. Kennedy, Thomas Blair, Hubbel & Sweeney, Samuel Cory, James Basey, Charles Fuller, Herman Reutti, D. T. Reily and William Bruck.
     Colonel George A. Van Degriff opened a hotel in the twenties one door west of the Hamilton House, where he did a flourishing business.  He brought the first stove to Hamilton, at a cost of eighty dollars.  An expert was sent from Cincinnati to run it.  Mr. Van Degriff served his friends with a free dinner cooked on this stove.
     The residents in Hamilton in 18 10, according to the census, were 210. and those in Rossville, 84.
     John Reily was clerk of the courts, and agent for the proprietors of the town of Rossville; John Sutherland was a storekeeper, as were Joseph Hough and Thomas Blair; William Murray kept a hotel, and so did John Torrence and John Wingate; William McClellan kept a public house; Isaac Stanley kept a hotel; John Greer was an associate judge, and James Heaton was the county surveyor. The other names from this side of the river were George Snider, Anderson Spencer, Oliver Stephens, Captain Azarias Thorn, Daniel Hill, Paul Bonnell, William Riddle, Isaac Wiles, Gardner Vaughn, George Harlan, Mrs. Davis, Barnabas McCarron, Mr.Hagan, and Hugh Wilson. 
     In Rossville, there were Michael Delorac, father of Alexander Delorac; John Aston, Robert Taylor, John Taylor, John