July & August 2003 Edition

• Letter from the President
• Neargarder to Speak About New Church History Book
• Welcome to Shinbone, Ohio to the Olive Branch Church
• History of Olive Branch Church
• Dudley Nichols, Film Screenwriter
• Applications Available for Recognition of 100-Year Same-Family Homes, Farms, Businesses
• "Military Memoirs of WWII" Book by Katy Gilbert Available in July 2003
• Events

click the dividers to return to the Contents

Letter from the President

Dear Members,

Be advised to read this Newsletter from cover to cover. We have two up coming, bicentenniel events that you need to be aware of and will want to take part in

1. The reception of the Shinbone Olive Branch United Methodist Church to an historic site for the ACHS and the honoring of the Veterens of the War of 1812 and the Civil War in the cemetery there, will be held June 29th with the service beginning at 3:00 p.m.

   The Service will take place outside the cemetery area.

   Make sure you come early, bring your lawn chair (no chairs will be provided), an umbrella (to keep off the sun) and maybe even a hand fan. Watch for parking directors to assist you in dropping off those who have trouble walking distances and getting you into areas where you can park.

   This service was originally planned for July 10th so mark your calendars with the NEW DATE - June 29th at 3:00 p.m. This event will take the place of our July Membership meeting!

    

2. The Dudley Nichols Bicentenniel Marker is scheduled to be unveiled with a special ceremony on July 20th at 12:30 p.m. at the corner of Blackhoof and Main Sts., in Wapakoneta. This event will be taking place during the new Summer Moon Festival for Wapakoneta. The service is just up on the corner from the Wapakoneta Museum and the Museum wil be open during both days of the Festival with a special exhibit honoring Dudley Nichols.

We have worked hard to present these outstanding events to the Auglaize County community and hope you and your families will take advantage of these rare and historic opportunities. Please help spread the word.

The Gary Log House will be open during The Auglaize County Fair, July 28th - August 2nd with different demonstrations each day on early life in the county. The Traveling Museum will also be located by the cabin and filled with information on the history of the different townships and the Centenniel Farms and best of all the admission is FREE!

Katy Gilbert will be at the Gary Log House from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. for sales and signing of her book entitled "Military Memoirs of W.W. II - The Stories of Auglaize County Veterens." The book sells for $10.00 and will be released just prior to fair week.

The TALL SHIPS are coming to Lake Erie in July. This event is reported to be the largest gathering of Tall Ships in Ohio since the 1880s. July 9 - 13 at Port Cleveland and July 14 - 20 at Port Toledo. What an opportunity!

My only other comments: Summer is coming swiftly so remember all the wonderful town events that season and flavor our great county. I encourage you to attend and support these important events. make sure that as you are in these communities, you schedule time to visit the museums and historic displays.

Wishing you an historic summer,

Neargarder to Speak About New Church History Book

On Monday, June 30, at 7:30 p.m., local historian and author, George Neargarder, will speak at the St. Marys Community Public Library about his new book, "History of Holy Rosary Church."

Neargarder's book chronicles the spread of Catholicism throughout Auglaize and Mercer counties. Following the presentation, copies of the book will be for sale and autographing by the author.

For the genealogist: they will find death records of Holy Rosary Church from 1857 to 1911. Parishioners list for years 1917, 1929, 1942 and 2020.

The book has a hard cover, 236 pages, includes 36 in color and 400 photos. This book can be purchased at Auglaize Antique Mall, ACHS booth in Wapakoneta, Ohio or at the Readmore's Hallmark, Celina Rd., in St. Marys, Ohio for $40.00.

Welcome to Shinbone, Ohio to the Olive Branch Church
the latest addition to the Auglaize County Historical Society

Come and visit us on Sunday, June 29th; our doors will be open at 2:00 p.m.

Watch your head as you enter the church. The bell ringer's rope is dangling down from the bell tower as it did over 100 years ago. As you view the interior of this unique church it gives you a warm feeling that the Lord is present. The pews, altar and memorabilia is all in place as it was the day when it closed a year ago. This church has been cared for over maany years by many families, especially by the McCullough Families. They are direct descendants of Shadrich Montgomery, the man who donated the land for the church in 1854.

Rededication and Memorial Service for the veterens buried in the cemetery will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, June 29th.

Reenactors will have the presentation of the 1812 Colors by Waynes' Legions. Presentation of Civil War Colors by the 4th Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery and the 19th Virginia Volunteer Infantry.

Civil War Music Tribute by the Conkers inside the church.

Veterens Memorial Tribute honored by name, closed with a 21-gun salute and "Taps."

Nineteen Veterans of the Civil War are buried in Shinbone Cemetery.

• Co. F 20th O.V.I. - SMITH, George M.; STEVENSON, Charles M.; WISELY, Nathan L.
• Co. K 56th O.V.I. - McCULLOUGH, James H.; MONTGOMERY, Shadrich.
• Co. G 71st O.V.I. - BAKER, John L.; CAZAD, William E.; McCULLOUGH, Sergeant Archibald; McCULLOUGH, Noah; MONTGOMERY, Charles H.; RYAN, William; SPRAY, James W.
• Co. H 71st O.V.I. - CIRCLE, Samuel.
• Co. 78th O.V.I. - RHODES, Ira.
• Co. D 192nd O.V.I. - BERLET, Henry; CLAY, Christopher; DEIGLE, Adam; HOWELL, Richard L.; MONTGOMERY, Charles H.; MONTGOMERY, Sergeant Shadrach S.

Two Veterans from the War of 1812 are buried in Shinbone Cemetery.

• Co. A 2nd Reg. U.S. Army - MONTGOMERY, Shadrach
• U.S. Army Volunteer - RYAN, William Sr.

History of Olive Branch Church
Shinbone, Ohio

Data from the Auglaize County Recorder's Office states that in 1841, Ben Stiles of Allen County (of which the present Auglaize County was then a part; Auglaize became a chartered county in 1848) deeded 1/2 acre of ground to J. Spray, Henry Waltz and Shadrack Montgomery, trustees of Olive Branch Church, United Brethren in Christ, for a meetinghouse. This first church was a log structure and was located in Section 25, which is across the road from the present church, which is in Section 24.

This church was used for 13 years or until 1854, when Shadrach Montgomery deeded a plot of land from his 80 acres, that he purchased in 1831, from the U.S. Government Land Office in Piqua, Ohio, for $1.25 per acre. This is where the present church now stands. The land was deeded to John Campbell, E. Spray, S. Montgomery, trustees of Olive Branch Church for a meetinghouse. In 1854, a frame church was built.

The Auglaize Conference was formed in the early 1850s and included all of northern Ohio to as far south as Piqua, Ohio. This later became known as Sandusky U.B. Conference some time in the early 1900s. In 1857, their annualconference was held at Olive Branch Church and consisted of 37 preachers. It was held there again in 1880, and had grown to 56 preachers.

It's interesting to notice here that the average money to the church for all purposes per year was 78 cents per member; the average preacher's salary was $131.00 per year. The records also show that four (4) ministers came from these early E.U.B. churches - James Spray, b- December 13, 1807, d- December 24, 1860; W.J. Spray; J.C. Montgomery, died in Ada, Ohio June 14, 1889, age 28 years, 9 months, 28 days; and R. J. Montgomery, died January 17, 1912, age 64 years, 1 month, 25 days.

In the late 1880s there was disagreement in the conference about loges and secret organizations. This was reflected in the local church when in 1891 some of the men=mbers left and bought a plot of ground from Fred Wellman and built a frame church about the same size as our present church directly across the road. It was called the Radical U.B. Church. It has been told that in the summer when the doors were open the preachers could look at each other as they stood in their pulpits.

In 1896 - 55 years after the first church was built - the brick church that still stands was built. About 1920 the parsonage was built using material from the ol Scotts Chapel Church, which had closed.

Also at this time, about 1920, the Radical U.B. Church closed. In 1930 it was sold to Fred Montgomery with which he built his present house. In 1946 the United Brethren merged with the Evangelical to form Evangelical United Brethren. Then in 1968 it merged with the Methodist to for the present United Methodist Church.

Olive Branch Church had been open continuously for 160 years and has always borne the name of Olive Branch. It closed january 1, 2002 and the building and all of its contents were donated to the Auglaize County Historical Society.

Dudley Nichols, Film Screenwriter

Dudley Nichols, Film Screenwriter, was selected by the Auglaize County Historical Society to place an Ohio's Bicentenniel Marker on July 20, 2003 at 12:30 p.m. on the corner of Main and Blackhoof Streets in Wapakoneta. Mr. Nichols' home was located near this site. Public invited.

Dudley Nichols was born to Dr. Grant and Mary Mean Nichols in Wapakoneta, 1895. His boyhood years were spent playing and studying in and around 102 S. Blackhoof Street. He graduated from Blume High School, located just a little further south on Blackhoof St., went to college, and later moved away from the community.

World War I placed him in England as a radio operator. While there Ensign Nichols invented a technique for the "electrical protection" of the U.S. Navy minesweepers, resulting in the removal of more than 56,000 mines and earning him the Distinguished Service Medal.

"Sweeping the North Sea Mine Barrage," published by the Department of the Navy Mine Force, lists Lieutenant (J.G.) Dudley A. Nichols, U.S.N.R.F., Assistant Edito, becoming his first published work.

After the war Dudley turned to journalism working on The New York World as a court reporter and later a theater critic. In 1929 Winfield Sheehan invited him to Hollywood. Dudley was a spinner of words, knew about sound transmission, and enjoyed the theater. He understood the courtroom and was familiar with the war, especially in the area of bombardment. He was ready for all that was transpiring in Hollywood.

Nichols is reported to have said, "I knew nothing about films... I remembered and liked Ford's 'The Iron Horse.' So I arrived (in Hollywood) tentatively and experimentally, intending to leave if I found it dissatisfying. Working closely with Ford, I fell in love with the cinema."

In Hollywood, Nichols left his "foot steps" on the world of writing and the Oscars, by not attending and refusing to accept, when he won for his adaptation of the film "The Informer." This film, however, really gave him his foothold in the film industry. In a newsletter clipping from March of 1936, Dudley was quoted from a written letter explaining his refusal as follows: "As one of the founders of the Screen Writers' Guild, which was conceived in revolt against the academy, and born out of disappointment with the way it functioned against the employed talent in any emergency, I deeply regret that I am unable to accept the award. To accept it, would be to turn my back on nearly 1,000 members of the Screen Writers' Guild." The Screen Writers' Guild is an independent writers' union that exists to this day and the Writers Guild of America. The Oscar was given to him three times before he finally gave in and kept it, weary from sending it back.

The Guild honored Nichols in 1954 with the Laurel Award, the organization's version of lifetime achievement award.

Nichols is probably more famous for this work on John Ford's film "Stagecoach," which gave John Wayne his beginning steps on the walk of fame. Nichols was to be nominated three more times for the Oscar: "The Long Voyage Home" in 1940; "Air Force" in 1943 and "The Tin Star" in 1957. Three nominations for the Oscar but never again receiving.

Dudley Nichols worked his way to become one of the top screenwriters, speaking of himself as a "master craftsman," believing that it was indeed the writers who advanced the film media more than any one else. With success came the weight of position in the industry, leading him to take stands for the writers, continually lifting them up for the creativity of their positions. Refusing the Oscar, taking his stand with for the Guild brought screenwriting into a literary field of its own. The issues of the 30s kept him actively working in the Guild, serving as president in 1937-1938. In 1942, Nichols wrote an essay titled "Film Writing," which gave his perspective on the film industry.

Dudley Nichols died in 1960 at the age of 64.

Kristopher Ewald, a writer for the Ohio Magazine, wrote an article in March of 2002, under the title "Righting (and Writing) a Wrong;" I quote it as follows:

"Despite all of his accomplishments, Nichols is seldom remembered in Hollywood. And his legacy barely lives on in Wapakoneta - there's no Museum or commemorative plaque and his childhood home was razed two decades ago in favor of a little-used parking lot. But Nichols' small step on Oscar night in 1936 would prove to be the giant leap that screenwriters needed to earn greater respect, more creative control and bigger paychecks. Dudley Nichols may not be a household name, but his indisputable lefgacy will continue to live on - anonymously or not."

July 20th at 12:30 p.m. the Auglaize County Historical Society attempts to "right the wrong," attempts to reclaim the accomplishments, attempts to challenge the community, attempts to preserve the history of another very, very successful home town boy.

Applications Now Available For Farms, Homes Or Businesses
That Are In Same Family For 100 Years Or More

If you or your friends have missed out on Auglaize County Historical Society's Spring recognition of farms, homes or businesses that remained in the same families for 100 years or more they will be recognized again this fall. This is for those applications that were received too late for the spring award and plus any new applications. New Applications must be received by September 30, 2003. Certificates will be presented for 100 years or more and Special Certificates will be presented for farms, homes or businesses that have remained in the same families 150 years or more.

To receive applications, call Chairperson Barbara Harrod at 419-738-9606, or write to her at 515 South Wagner, Wapakoneta, Ohio 45895.

"Military Memoirs of W.W.II" Book, by Katy Gilbert
Will Be Available In July 2003

"Military Memoirs of W.W.II" book by Katy Gilbert will contain stories from Auglaize County Veterans of World War II. She has interviewed veterans from almost all the townships in the county. Auglaize County Historical Society is responsible for management of the project.

Other county museums that are participating in the project are Minster, New Bremen, New Knoxville, Uniopolis and Cridersville. thje book will be 8-1/2" by 11 inches, soft cover, glue-bound with 128 pages. This book will retail for only $10.00.

Rededication and Memorial Service
at Olive Branch Church

In cemetery:

• Reenactors - Civil War - 1812 War - General Lee
• Widows Walk
• Veterans Memorial Tribute
• 12-Gun Salute
• Taps

Inside Church:

• Civil War Musical Tribute - by the Conkers

Time 3:00 p.m., Sunday June 29, 2003.

Place: Shinbone Church, 4 miles east of New Knoxville on SR 219.

Membership Meeting
at Olive Branch Church

3:00 p.m. Sunday, June 29, 2003 at Shinbone Church, 4 miles east of New Knoxville on 219.

Come and bring a friend!

Ask Your Friends To Join Auglaize County Historical Society

• Adult Member $15.00
• Family Member $25.00
• Student Member $5.00
• 62 or older Sr. Adult Member $12.00
• 62 or older Sr. Family Member $20.00
• Life Member $250.00

Make check payable to:   Auglaize County Historical Society
Mail to:   Anna Mae Saum, 131 Bayshore Court, St. Marys, Ohio 45885

"We are Saving History Now for Future Generations."