The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-09-28

moved away to some pther state.
Following him, came Drs. ]. M
Hodge, ]. O. Sisson, William Preston,
w. H. Tripp, Mcconnell, Uhl, Shane
felt, Stevenson, o. O.. Thwing, j. M
Black and Seth Hattery. Those at
present are s. d. Hildt, w. r. Black
and William Garrett.
Bolivar at the present is flourish
ing country village with popula-
tion of about seven hundred inhabi-
tants. 1t is situated on an alluvial
plain of great fertility, and the sur
rounding country is one of the most
productive inside of the state of Ohio.
There is still market for wheat and
other cereals and quite a business
is done in that direction by Mr.. j.
I,F. Evans who owns and controls
the two warehouses of the present
day. The town has 3 dry goods
stores, Q saloons, a hotel, saddle
and harness shop, furniture store, a
millinery store, lumber yard, q
brick plant, and other enterprisises,
such as are necessary to supply the
needs of the people in a prosperous
community. The hardware merch-
ants in addition to their hardware
stock, keep on hand for sale. all
kinds of farm implements, tinware
and machinery. In connection with
the harness business, the proprietor
has large stock of wagons, buggies,
lime, salt, cement, etc., for sale.
There is an eight room school-house
in the village and four churches, and
the natural beauty of the scenery
surrounding the town as well as the
location, is not excelled by any
other in all the adjoining country.
From ]. b. Mansfields History of
'Tuscarawas county and G. H. Mitch
ener's Ohio Annals, we derive the
following with reference to the ear
ly settlement in Lawrence township
of the colony of Germans, known as
lhe "Separatists" or Zoarites:
In Germany at the beginning of the
nineteenth century, a lowly, simple
minded people dwelt, who, in order
to live life of religious simplicity,
; free from forms and ceremonies, had
withdrawn fro the Lutheran and the
Catholic faiths, mostly from the form
er, and were known as "Separatists.'
They werei prosecuted under King
Frederick. For the sake of their
, religion they suffered imprisonment
confiscation of property and separa
'tion from their children. When
! William ascended the throne their
grievances were lightened but not
removed, and many resolved to seek
, homes in a free land Too destitute
|, ITO pay their passage across the
ocean, they enlisted the sympathies
of some wealthy London Quakers,
whose religion 1T is said, closely
resembled their own, and means
were thus obtained to carry them be.
yond the reach of oppression. In
the spring of 1877 about two hun
dred and fifty embarked, most Of
whom were from Wurtemburg, the
, rest from Bavaria and Baden. They
3 arrived at Philadelphia in August
1917, after tedious voyage of four
months. Poor and friendless, they
were welcomed by the Quakers at
the city of Brotherly Love- Many
were bedridden by a scrofulous com
t plant, and for these and the old and
infirm the Quakers provided a hos
pital. The few emigrants who pos
sessed means were received rs
guests, and places were found fol-
: many as domestics. Joseph M. Bime,
Ter was the master spirit of the per.
secuted religionists. For ten years
: he had been a teacher among them
: in Germany, and while on their pas
\ sage across the ocean he had com
\ pletely won their confidence and es
l. TEEN. 1t was their desire to form a
q colony in the Western country, ant
. Mr.. Bimeler effected purchase from
/ Godfrey Haga of $500 acres, 4,OO(
= Of which was in what is now Law
n renee township and 1000 in Sandy
n township. 1t was bought on credit
b for $4,000, payable as follows;
+ $4,000 in 1928, $4,000 in 1929 an,
$4,000 in 1880. At the request O.
S Haga, the land was purchased in the
/ name of Mr.. Bimeler, he obligatins
r himself for the entire payment. TIL,
e contract for the land was mad,
t. in the autumn of 1917, though tn,
t deed was not executed until the fol
IT lowing year. In the fall of 1917,
l. number Of the people were sent Il
# dhe Tuscarawas valley, where ths
It land was located, then an unbrokel
l. wilderness, to provide habitations TO
"a those who were vet IN foIIow Tho,
y arrived at the site of the village O
IS zoar, and constructed rude log huts
a many of them being low and coyere
p with earth. In February, 1918, sno,
le fell to the depth of three feet, an
IS aaid on the ground until April, whe
d an unprecedented flood occurred. TIL
e greater part of the emigrants reacl