Olive Branch United Methodist Church,
Shinbone and Shadrack Montgomery
By KATY GILBERT
This is the first of a two-part series on Shinbone, the Olive Branch United Methodist Church and Shadrack Montgomery.
The members of the olive Branch Methodist Church donated the building to the Auglaize County Historical Society on Dec. 30, 2001 when it was decided its membership was too small to continue.
The Auglaize County Historical society is planning a celebration and open house at the church in July. Watch the newspaper and the next newsletter for more details.
The McCullough families, descendants of Shadrack Montgomery, provided much of the information which ahd been gathered by Kermit McCullough, (dec.) church historian and his granddaughter, Julie McCullough, Auglaize County Historical Society's secretary has continued to research the church and its history.
More information on Shinbone was gleaned from area newspapers and also from a Kansas genealogical newsletter. Kansas is where Montgomery's son, David moved to in 1860.
Montgomery was considered to be one of the first settlers of Washington Township and was also one of the first Auglaize County commissioners when the county was formed in 1848.
Montgomery donated the land for the church and two cemeteries in 1854.
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Shadrack Montgomery (1791-1871) fought in the War of 1812. He enlisted July 1, 1812 in Madison County, Oh. and served in the 1st regiment Ohio Volunteer commanded by Col. Duncan McArthur.
He was wounded in August, 1812 at the Battle of Brownstone Creek. He received a ball in his hip and his leg. The ball in his leg could not be removed with the result of suffering a lot of pain throughout his life. He petitioned the government for a pension and received $4 per month.
Montgomery enlisted in the regular army in May of 1813 and fought in the Battle of Lundy's Lane. He was discharged in May of 1814 and received bounty land 3001-160-50 State of Ohio.
Montgomery enlisted under the last name of Springer, which was his stepfather's name. When requesting a pension in 1848, he wrote the following letter explaining the use of the name "Springer." There are some blank spots with ???? due to the inability to decipher parts of the handwritten letter.
- Auglaize County, Ohio, October the 19th, 1848.
To your honorable Bodies of Both Houses of Congress, I will tell you the difference between my Captain Levi Penney and Lieutenant John Moon which was the lieutenant of Captain Penney's company of Ohio Volunteers. Captain Penny and the orderly knew me by my other name. But Shadrack Springer (was) the name I entered on the roles of Captain's company, which was Springer after my stepfather's name, and Lieutenant John Moon knew me in life as a boy before my mother was married to Springer, and he (John Moon) often called me Montgomery when we was in service together, and when we returned from Hull's army on parole in 1812. We was not satisfied and my lieutenant John Moon went to the War Department in Washington City (now known as Washington DC) received the office of Captain in the regular army and acme home and several of his old soldiers enlisted under him ???? during the war and I for one and then took my own name which was Shadrack Montgomery and ???? enlisted under him for during the war and after he made up part of his company, he received the office of county clerk of Common Pleas and he did not go to service and then we was taken to Captain Stagdaills company of regulars and marched to (Agoney or Aganey) under the ???? of General Brown(*) and was in the Battle of (Agoney or Aganey) and Lundy's Lane and was discharged after peace was made in August 1815 in Chillicothe (Ohio) under Captain Trimble and returned home broke down and in some years after this I was unwell for some lengths of time and my wound or wounds hurt me very much and my neighbors and the Lieutenant John Moon gave me this certificate and give it the name that he was best acquainted that was Shadrack Montgomery and this is the way that those certificates come to be in the name Springer and Montgomery. But I now tell your honors that I am the very person that these certificates now offer to your honors and I will further tell you that the older I get the more my (wound) fails me.
Nothing more at present but remain yours in espect forever Springer and Montgomery. But my name is known now altogether by Montgomery. This is a true statement of fact. Signed -- Shadrack Montgomery
Know this is to satisfy you that I am the very self same person that the Captain cales Springer and the Lieutenant cale Montgomery and this is the first that I presented it to the (public or people). I ???? all was losted. But with your honors ????. Please a littel will help me very much. I am gitten old and won't be in your way very long.
(*)General Brown probably refers to Major General Jacog Brown; commander of the Niagara frontier (1814), succeeding James Wilkinson. The Battle of Lundy's Lane is near the Niagara Falls.
the July/August newsletter will tell you how Shinbone got its name. There will be stories about Shinbone and Olive Branch in the past and a list of civil War soldiers buried in its cemetery.
Wallpaper Project Hits road
Since the Wallpaper Projects conception in 1997 some 350 residents of auglaize County have been interviewed and their stories collected into a performance based program of oral history. These oral stories have been depicted in plays where adults and high school students perform these stories for Auglaize County residents about Auglaize County residents.
The Wallpaper Project has grown through the support and help of the Ohio Humanities Council to "From Here: A Century of Voices from Ohio" and will be touring thirty plus communitys between March and December of this year. this tour will be based on more than 800 interviews with residents across Ohio of all ages and backgrounds. Putting these interviews into a drama production makes the oral history come alive and more receptive to a wide-range of audiences.
"From Here: A Century of Voices from Ohio" will include an original production by Eric Coble, who is an award-winning playwright from Cleveland. It will be directed by Maura Rogers and Jacqi Loewy, both Cleveland artists and presented by local residents at each site and some professional theater personnel. Student matinees of the production, post-show presentations at nursing homes and other similar type facilities as well as story circles that have been designed to involve entire communities in the sharing of the life stories.
What a tremendous on going gift this project has turned into. Hat's off to Rachel Barber fotting the stuff outr the insight and hard work she has put into this absolutely wonderful. We are so very proud of her and the Wallpaper Project Board.
Closing this story by telling one more time Rachel's interview with Eugene Myers that developed into the name for this project.
- "Old people who went through the Depression became scared of banks. I can remember if you ad a million dollars, you couldn't buy a loaf of bread, because it was all froze, see... We had one auction and three sisters who never married all lived together in that house. Ed Stroh was president of the bank at that time, and he said, 'Gene, there's money in that house, and I can't find it.'"
"So we were getting the stuff out, and I got a yardstick and every time they got a picture off the wall, I started tapping. And I found a hollow... It had been papered over five times behind that picture... There was $17,000 in that hole, in that wall."
Following is the listing of Host towns and Tour Schedule, take the opportunity to attend some of these plays and recommend them to family and friends that you may have in these other communities.
Schedule of Wallpaper Programs in Ohio - You are invited to one or all.
Thursday, May 1st, 7 P. M., at Midwest Electric, Glenna Meckstroth author, president of the county genealogy society and just plain "housewife", in her words, will be talking to the ACHS members and guests about her latest book.
