06/01/2026
Part 2 Memories of Washington Twp. Written by Julia Anne Mauk in 1922. She was born 1840
This was printed in the Logan Daily News in 1976.
William Large was the first undertaker in that community. He made the coffins to order as needed; of the best cherry or walnut lumber he had. There were no showy caskets, or fine hearses to bear them to the tomb, but the departed ones all received a respectable burial. They received kindly remembrances and flowers while living, when they could appreciate them, rather than having them heaped upon their coffins and spread upon their newly made mounds in the graveyard.
Aaron Hainesworth Jr., gave the lot for the cemetery, joining the church lot. His child was the first one buried there, and his wife the next. A few years later, Aaron Hainesworth St., was laid away there in September of 1849, at the age of 76 years. His works do follow him. He sowed the good seed from which others gathered a rich harvest. In th4e year 1855, his wife, at eh age of 76 was laid by his side.
On a beautiful Thanksgiving Day in the year 1888, William Large, after a long and useful life of 99 years and nine months, was laid to rest in the Fairview Cemetery, beside his estimable wife, who proceeded him 30 years earlier.
The young people were always cheerful and glad. They seemed to get the thrill of joy from living so near to nature, with its great beauty and mystery. They helped to clear the fields, cultivate the crops, and gather in the harvest. By honest labor, they were casting their mite into the foundation on which our nation is built. They had their seasons of recreation, and good social times at each other’s homes. They had spelling schools where they met to spell and signing schools where they learned to sing. There were community dances, but church members and the refined class of people never attended them.
In our home, the long winter evenings mostly found us all home having a pleasant time together with books, slates, pencils, copy books, and goose quill pens, working out the problems of things about us and planning for improvements. Sometimes Father would play the fife, soft and low, and Mother would keep time with the buzz of her little spinning wheel. When bedtime came, Father would read a portion of Scriptures or lead in the singing some good inspiring hymn, and he or Mother would offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for past blessings and a petition for future protection and guidance.
All the people, old and young, were then learning the gospel of labor, thrift, and self-reliance, but were lacking, and needing , Christ’s Gospel of the golden rule, the only thing which will lift men and women up to their best selves and make a community, a state, or a nation a safe and desirable place in which to live.
Aaron Hainesworth Sr., then living in the community, and filled with a Christian and missionary spirit, went to my parents and asked if he could hold a religious meeting at their home, to which they willingly consented, although they were not Christians or members of any church, and had very little house room. So, he held meetings and quite a number attended them. He sang and prayed and read the Scriptures and exhorted them to follow their teachings.
As the people took quite an interest in the good word, he sent for a preacher to come and help him. One by the name of Brock came and preached for them and organized a class of six members: Aaron Hainesworth Sr., and his wife; James Reed and wife, and George Mauk and wife. This constituted them members of Perry Circuit, Scioto Conference, of the United Brethren Church, and they were entitled to the services of the circuit preacher.
The first one who came was Rev. McCabe. The people then took time to quit their work for a few hours and attend the meetings. Occasionally, they would hold the meetings in the schoolhouse when school was not in session. Our house was the regular meeting place for about 12 years, six of those years in the cabin. Then Father bought more land and built a larger house of hewed logs, so then we had more room for ourselves and the meeting folks too. About that time, Barney Eidson moved into the community and united with the church. They were willing workers and had the preaching at their house part of the time.
The church people had been talking for quite a while about building a meeting house, and the time had come when something more must be done. So, they met at our house and organized a board of Trustees and planned for building. Mr. Hainesworth gave the church lot, the landowners gave the time, and Mr. William Large, who was running a sawmill at Cedar Falls sawed and finished the lumber. Mr. Stuckey made the shingles for the roof.
They chopped down some of those beautiful and majestic popular trees, sawed them into lags for the house. Then they scored and hewed them and dragged them to the place of building. They set a day when they all met and raised the house. The men did the building, and the women prepared the dinner on a rustic table in the woods nearby.
The church was named “Fairview” on account of its location upon a pretty table land.
Before the church was ready for services, one night some drunken hunters set the woods on fire nearby and the men and women had to go out and fight fire all night to keep the church from being all burned up. A great forest fire at night is a fearfully grand sight.
In the spring of 1852, the church was near enough finished to hold meetings in it. The chinks in the wall were not closed, but the weather was warm, and they could get along very well. We were happy. Rev. Conklin and Rev. Perkins were the preachers then.
In June there was a great spiritual revival and gathering, and Sunday School started up. There was good attendance at all the services. Some walked, some rode on horseback, and some came in their farm wagons. In winter they went in sleds and sleighs. In that age, there were from four to six weeks of good sleighing snow nearly every year. When there was snow and the nights were dark, the people lit themselves on their way with pine torches. It was a pretty sight to see dozens of them bobbing along in the darkness across fields, along footpaths through the woods and along the roads.
In summertime a little song wren went in through the chinks of the wall at church and built a nest for herself up under the rafters, and one day when we met for worship, she came out and sat on the cross beam and sang the sweetest song I ever heard in a church. She sang solo first, then joined in with the congregational singing.
Some of the first preachers whom I remember were Rev. Ambrose, Rev. Conklin, Rev. Perkins, Rev. Walters, Rev. Thornton, Rev. Price, Rev. McDaniel, Rev. Brundage, Rev. John Deaver, Rev. Abe Shessler, Rev. Romig, and Rev. Barges.
Our home was the weary traveler’s stopping and resting place. They stopped quite often and were always welcome. They came with good cheer, whether sunshine or rain, and left with a “God bless you till we meet again.” The cornpone and biscuits which mother baked by the fire, and the bread and pies baked in the Dutch oven built in the yard, along with the good butter and milk, eggs, fruit, and vegetables, was a meal good and wholesome enough to set before a king.
When the Civil War broke out, so many of the best men and boys went to the rescue. It was very discouraging for those at home. We still had regular preaching, and a few optimists kept the fire lighted on the prayer meeting altar.
When the war was over and the men and boys returned home, the people took new courage. But so many never came home, and some came in their caskets. They died for their country, true, loyal, and brave, that all might be free, and none be made slave.
Rev. Noah Lohr came to us fresh from war, as full of zeal for the salvation of our country. We had some great revivals and gatherings in the church, so that our congregation outgrew the little log house. Then it was torn away, and a new frame house was built in its place. It was dedicated in the spring of 1868 by Bishop David Edwards.
This is a map from 2002 it shows the Church and Cemetery in Section 32.
