Philip Kratz was a native of Germany, who emigrated to the United States when a small boy and settled in Wisconsin. In the fall of 1853 he walked all the way from Janesville, Wisconsin, to Franklin county, where he entered land and then footed it to Des Moines, where he spent the winter. Returning to Franklin county, he entered more land but did not locate on it until the summer of 1855, when he returned from Wisconsin with John Meyer. He built a log house in Reeve township, to which he brought his wife in May, 1856. Mr. Kratz became one of the representative men of Reeve.

William J. Shroyer settled in Reeve in 1856 and on October 21, 1858, was married to Maria Rucker, at the home of her father, Squire James Rucker, who came to the township in 1855 and died. March 17, 1906. In 1865 Mr. Shroyer moved to Hampton, where he celebrated his golden wedding in 1908.

E. Caldwell, a native of New Hampshire, emigrated to Wisconsin, and in 1858 came to Maysville, Reeve township, and opened a blacksmith shop. He enlisted in Company H, Thirty-second Iowa, in 1862, and served until July 22, 1863. Returning to Maysville, he followed his trade for a time and then went to Illinois.

John Imlay arrived in Reeve township in the fall of 1860 and located on section 15; O. D. Andrews located here in 1861. Albert Pickering arrived in the county in 1861, settled in Lee township, where he remained two years, and then removed to Reeve township. He afterwards engaged in the mercantile business at Hampton. Mr. Pickering served the county as sheriff two terms, and then returned to Reeve township.

W. W. Day settled in Reeve in 1862. He was elected county judge in 1868, and died in 1896.

A. D. St. Clair settled on section 10, in 1863. He is a native of New York, taught school in his early days and then took up farming. He became one of the leading men of Reeve township and among other offices, held that of county supervisor. He still owns his Reeve township farm but is leading a retired life at Hampton.

George W. Wilton, born in Canada, located in Reeve township in 1864. In 1877 he entered the mercantile business in Maysville and was appointed postmaster of that place.

Warren S. Towle settled on section 3, Reeve township, in 1865; Jacob Kurtz located on section 25, in 1866; David H. Van Kirk was a son of William Van Kirk, who settled in the township in 1866.

There were a number who came between this latter date and 1876, among them being W. B. Timmerman, M. D. Latham, Robert Bird, W. S. Nobles, H. Z. Tucker, C. B. Green, Amos B. Hudson, Garrett W. Luke, John G. Hicks, Theodore Thomas, Isaac T. Way, J. M. Goble, G. H. Hyndman, Thomas Fox, Henry J. Millard, James M. Bailey, James Hunt, John Vincent, Amos Sheppard and J. M. Stout.

Among the early incidents to take place in this township worthy of note may be mentioned the following: Alexander Arledge and Julia Springer were the first persons to be married in Reeve. The ceremony was performed by Squire McCray, who at the time held. the office by appointment of the county judge of Hardin county.

The birth of a son, Isaac, to Samuel Garner, early in the spring of 1854 was the first occurrence of this nature to take place here. The next birth was a few days later and was that of a son, Abner, to Mr. and Mrs. G. D. Sturms, who some years later moved to Kansas.

The death of Mr. Crouch's child in the spring of 1854 was the first sad event in the community. A short time later a Mr. Webb, a settler of the township, died in Hardin county, and his remains were brought to Reeve township for burial.

The first burial in Mayne's Grove cemetery on section 23 was that of the wife of Dr. Arledge, in 1854.

Dr. T. H. Baker, who was a lawyer as well as a doctor, opened the first store in Reeve township in a log house a mile east of Maysville. This was the first attempt at merchandising in Franklin county. The next store was kept by Solomon Brazzelton, who began operations in 1854. He sold his stock to the firm of Sparling & Brown, the senior member of whom was killed in battle during the Civil war. Brown moved to Independence in 1858 and then William Boyles was the town's merchant until he suspended. The next to engage in trade in Maysville was E. L. Clock.

There was a blacksmith shop started in the fall of 1855 on what is now the farm of J. E. Hicks, in Reeve township, on section 13, and run for two years by a man named Lightfoot, who had a son. named Jeptha. The next shop was started by Levi Jones in section 23, in 1856. The shop was later moved to Maysville.

The first physician to locate in the township was Dr. L. H. Arledge, who began practice in Maysville. Doctor Addis located there in 1863.

Octavia Smith, who came with her sister, Mrs. John Mitchell, to Reeve township in the spring of 1854, taught the first school held in the township in the summer of that year in a small log building. She was at the time a miss of sixteen summers. A year later, however, she became the wife of Hial J. Mitchell. About three years afterwards the building was torn down, moved to Maysville, rebuilt and converted into a blacksmith shop. In 1855 the settlers got together and put up a schoolhouse of logs they had gotton out themselves. The building stood near the old Reeve cemetery on the farm of Benson Toll. William Boyles taught that school in the winter of 1855, and among his pupils were Orson G. Reeve, Martin B. Jones, now a citizen of Hampton, David Creighton and his sister Margaret, who became Mrs. J. S. Mulkins, and William Shroyer. The summer school was taught here by Miss Octavia Smith, who had among her pupils Orson G. Reeve and two of his sisters. As Orson Reeve recalls, there was no floor in this school building, nor a stove. The seats were made of puncheons. There was one window, and near that was a board eighteen inches wide which served as a desk and was used by the pupils in their turn when called upon to take writing lessons. When William Boyles first came he brought a set of maps. He also had a list of the names of state capitals, their population, and the principal rivers of the country. These were set to music and sung by the pupils—a primitive though effective way of impressing the children's minds with the geographical attributes of their own country.

In speaking of school, Orson G. Reeve recalls that the winter of 1856-7 was the most severe within his memory. At the foot of the hill on which the schoolhouse stood, was a stake and rider fence. The snow that winter fell to a great depth and was finally capped by a crust of ice. The children would get on their sleds and toboggan down the hill, scooting over the fence, and gleefully continue their way until reaching a point at least one hundred rods beyond the point whence they started. It is needless to state that the fence was out of sight, being completely hidden and covered by the

snow.

Mr. Reeve also recalls that G. D. Sturms had moved to a new location near the timber. Near his house was a vacant spot. This was covered so deep with snow that it came even with the top of the first floor. To reach the doorway, Mr. Sturms was compelled to cut steps through the snow up to the door sill.

Within two rods of the Reeve residence was heavy timber. Mr. Reeve says that he stood at the end of the house and that the snow was so dense he could not see the barn, six rods distant. Several people froze to death that winter. Two of the Coles family, to whom the elder Reeve had sold five acres of land, went down to the timber to get wood. They had to drive down to Mayne's creek to turn around, the snow being too deep in the woods for that movement.

James Fairchild, one of the first settlers in Reeve township, opened his home for the initial religious services held in this community. Job B. Garner was the preacher who administered to the spiritual longings of the settlers who gathered together on this occasion. At this time Mr. Garner was without means, but was desirous of securing a claim. Leander Reeve had taken up a claim and was holding it for a friend in Ashtabula county, Ohio, the former home of Mr. Reeve, but as the Ohio friend did not come to claim the tract of land, Mr. Reeve let the self-styled minister have it on condition that he would take charge of the regular religious meetings of the settlers, then arranged for, and preach to the people of the community at least once a week. The first meeting was held in the summer of 1853, at which nearly every one in the township was present. There is no other record of Mr. Garner having presided at any religious exercises, save and except the one just mentioned.

The Protestant Methodists of this community held their first meetings in 1855 at private houses but before the year had waned the log schoolhouse was converted into a place for church services.

Reverend Crill organized a class about this time and the Springer and Arledge families composed the greater part of the new church, which was in operation about a year.

The settlers of the Methodist Episcopal faith held their first meeting in the spring of 1855 in a log schoolhouse on section 23, Reverend Stewart presiding. Among the first members were Levi and Jane Jones, the Faulkner family, Isaac Mulkins and wife, Henry Shroyer and wife and William Johnson and wife. Levi Jones was chosen leader of the first class and held the position for many years. Of the early pastors may be mentioned Reverends Stewart, J. H. Burley, Freeman, Hesstwood, Glassner, Connell, James Hankins, Knickerbocker, Cooley, Charles Jones, Miller, J. J. Sitler and Jacob Haymond.

The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Mayne's Grove was organized through the labors of J. A. Crill, who held a tabernacle in the grove on the 11th of September, 1876. A class was formed, consist