Elizabeth Township Historical Society of Ohio

Elizabeth Township Historical Society of Ohio Mission Statement: To preserve the provenance and continuing heritage lifestyle of the people and the place of Elizabeth Township, Miami County, Ohio.

This is a charcoal drawing of Mary Emma Benham who was born in Elizabeth Township in 1862. Emma (or Aunt Emmie), a desce...
08/30/2026

This is a charcoal drawing of Mary Emma Benham who was born in Elizabeth Township in 1862. Emma (or Aunt Emmie), a descendant of the Gearhart, Bousman, Jackson and Benham pioneer families of Elizabeth Township, spent virtually her entire life living in the same home. She attended the first Kyle School (Elizabeth Township School #2). She never married but had many nieces and nephews who kept her busy.

After her parents died, she kept their little farm on Tipp-Elizabeth Road between Benham Road and Rudy Road. She sold butter and eggs to grocers and homes in Tipp City to supplement her income. She was a member of Cove Spring Church and Cove Spring Grange.

Emma had four siblings, three who lived with their families within a mile of her little farm. Her brother, Frank, lived on an adjoining farm with his wife, Mary (Young) and their six children. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Emma’s nephew, Arthur Benham, his wife Virginia (a nurse) and their two oldest children, Dick and Joan, lived with Emma and cared for her. Emma spent most of her life happily on her little farm and died in December of 1956 at the age of 94.

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES POST #6:While Wes and Kate Sutherly were neither born in Elizabeth Township, they loved their c...
08/14/2026

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES
POST #6:

While Wes and Kate Sutherly were neither born in Elizabeth Township, they loved their community. They served actively as members of Cove Spring Church and on a committee of concerned township citizens that in 1993 opposed the potential expansion of Interstate 675 through the township. This committee’s work laid the foundation for the entire township to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as Ohio’s first rural historic district.

Their grandson, Ben, became involved with the work and put his skills as a journalist to work when he wrote the book, A History of Elizabeth Township, Miami County Ohio, with Carol Mumford. That book has had its second printing and is still in popular demand today.

Wes and Kate Sutherly met as newcomers to Elizabeth Township, but they quickly made it their home. They instilled an understanding in their children and grandchildren that hard work, good sense and determination will bring success. They also put a very strong emphasis on the importance of family. That formula combined for quite a lasting legacy.

ETHS extends a huge thank you to the Sutherly family for helping us tell their story. Special thanks to Ben Sutherly who allowed us to use excerpts of the article he wrote about the Sutherly/Miller Families for the Elizabeth Township Historical Society Newsletter (published in August of 2021).

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES POST #5:The Sutherly grandchildren (ten in total) grew up in Elizabeth Township, the third gener...
08/13/2026

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES POST #5:
The Sutherly grandchildren (ten in total) grew up in Elizabeth Township, the third generation to do so. They went to Elizabeth Elementary School and Miami East High School, participating in many school activities. Their participation in 4-H and FFA have also been a part of this family’s story. The Sutherlys have won many awards, championships, and earned recognition for different achievements.

One wonderful highlight for the family was when the eldest cousin, Dan Sutherly, won grand champion market steer at the Ohio State Fair in 1986, setting a new sale price record at that time.

Wes and Kate’s grandchildren attended university and moved into the workforce. Their numbers include an accountant, agri-business managers/owners, educators, a professor in the field of agriscience, a healthcare communication director/journalist, an agricultural insurance agent, livestock producers, and farmers. The great grandchildren’s generation has already produced an attorney, a farm implement dealership manager, and ag communications/sales associate, livestock producers, and of course, farmers.

There is now a fifth generations of the Wes and Kate Sutherly family that will undoubtedly be taught to be the best people they can be whatever they choose to do in life. Their family continues to grow and excel, and they work hard to further the field of agriculture and the rural way of life.

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES POST #4:Wes and Kate’s farm eventually became known as “the dairy” as it was where their four so...
08/12/2026

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES
POST #4:

Wes and Kate’s farm eventually became known as “the dairy” as it was where their four sons milked Holsteins until 2003.
Even after Wes and Kate’s children married and had families of their own, the dairy remained the hub for
Sunday evening meals. Without fail, Kate had a big batch of salted or caramel popcorn sitting atop the stove that family members munched out of metal bowls. Wes would often buy fried chicken for these dinners. Kate’s meringue puffs, or “kisses,” often rounded out the family potluck.

Afterward, there were often baseball games or volleyball games in the side yard, or board games inside the house. “Hide the Thimble” was a favorite of some of the grandkids. When these evenings drew to a close, Kate always stood outside the kitchen door, waving to family members as their cars departed.

On Christmas morning, Kate always served breakfast at the dairy. Like many farmwives of her day, she was not familiar with the term “portion control”. Platters were heaped with bacon, ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, and about every bread product you could imagine. She also served grape juice she had made from the farm orchard’s arbor. Kate’s family could always count on her to yell “Christmas gift!” as they tried to quietly enter the house … the trick was to try to shout it out before she could. This family tradition endures to this day.

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES POST #3:In the 1950s and 1960s, the farm on State Route 201 was a gathering place for friends an...
08/11/2026

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES
POST #3:

In the 1950s and 1960s, the farm on State Route 201 was a gathering place for friends and neighbors, with pickup basketball games, and horse and pony rides up and down the road. Among those who took part in these rides were Harold and Alma Young (and occasionally their children, Dave, Phil, and George), Jimmy McQuire, Nellie Retter, Jimmy Widener, Russ Casimino (a pilot at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), and Marvin Conley. The group would try to ride a full mile without encountering a car along the road and often did!

The Sutherly’s five children participated in 4-H, showing cattle with much success. They won many awards during the 40s, 50s and 60s. The boys all played sports in school at Miami Central and Miami East. Barbara was a cheerleader and was a very accomplished at playing the piano and organ.

The Sutherly’s were very involved in their community and in Cove Spring Church. Kate had been a vocalist and played the piano and her son, Bob was a member of the men’s quartet for many years. Barbara played the organ and piano at church. Kate encouraged many young musicians along the way. Sutherly family members have continued to serve the church over the years in numerous ways.

Wes and Kate lived frugally and, while neither attended college, they sent all five of their children to Ohio State University. Three of their children became teachers. Dick taught school at Staunton and Miami East Jr. High. Barbara taught in Tipp City before her children were born and Bill taught at Wayne High School. Bob served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves (including active duty during the Berlin Crisis), while Dick and John both served in the Air National Guard.

Dick and Bill eventually resumed farming full-time with Bob and John. Barbara, meanwhile, married Tom Fulton and became involved in that family’s farming operation on State Route 202. After her children were in school, Barbara went back to teaching and retired from Miami East Junior High.

Over the years, the Sutherly family’s farming operation grew in acreage, and the brothers – along with neighbor Dave Young – purchased the grain elevator and fertilizer and seed operations in New Carlisle from the Brubaker family in 1994. Today, thirty-two years later, the next generation of the Sutherly family operates Miami Valley Feed and Grain Company.

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES POST #2:In 1929, just prior to the Great Depression, Angelo W.(“A.W.” or “Ang”) and May Miller m...
08/10/2026

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES
POST #2:

In 1929, just prior to the Great Depression, Angelo W.(“A.W.” or “Ang”) and May Miller moved from Greene County to a farm they had purchased at 2570 S. State Route 201 with their 14-year-old daughter, Catherine, better known to most as “Kate.” A.W. Miller (1876-1953) was a farmer, but in his younger years, he had been a painter. While working on houses near Huffman Prairie, he often observed the Wright Brothers experimenting with their flying machines.

May (Mott) Miller (1892-1952) descended from several generations of ancestors who lived in Champaign County. She was related distantly to several Motts that also lived in Elizabeth Township. While spending her early childhood in the little town of Osborne, Kate thrived in her new life on the farm. She was named May Queen and valedictorian of the Class of 1933. It was during her first years living in Elizabeth Township that she met Wes. In 1934, Kate’s Aunt Hettie Mott served as a chaperone when the newly engaged couple returned to Virginia to meet many of Wes’ relatives.

In February 1935, they wed at the Miller home – and the home became theirs, with Kate’s parents eventually relocating to a house in Alcony. Kate gave birth to the four oldest of the couple’s six children there: James in 1935 (who died as an infant); Robert “Bob" (1938-2013); Richard “Dick”; and Barbara. The couple’s two youngest sons were born in the hospital: John (1945-2018), and William “Bill” (1947-2021).

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES... POST #1:The following series of posts will be centered on a well-known family of Elizabeth To...
08/09/2026

SUTHERLY FAMILY SERIES... POST #1:
The following series of posts will be centered on a well-known family of Elizabeth Township. The Sutherly family has been an integral part of the agricultural heritage of Elizabeth Township for over one hundred years. Their dedication to excellence in the science and labor of farming is a tradition that has passed from generation to generation. Let’s look back at where this story from Elizabeth Township started:

Luther and Maude Sutherly moved to Southwest Ohio in the early 1910s from the West Virginia/Virginia border for better work opportunities, with their very young sons Melvin (1910-1996) and Ralph (1911-1981) in tow. In 1913, a third son, Wesley was born in Springfield, Ohio. The Sutherlys lived in Pike Township in Clark County for a time, then moved to Elizabeth Township sometime between 1920 and September 1925, when records show Melvin enrolled in high school at the Elizabeth Centralized School Luther was a carpenter by trade and also farmed. Maude was known for her baking and use of natural remedies for healing.

For several years in the 1920s and 1930s, Luther was the tenant on 120 acres at 5474 E. State Route 41, where his and Maude’s three sons grew into adulthood. This farm, owned at the time by Ben and Rosie Miller, is a mile north of the Elizabeth Centralized School, and as high school students, the brothers would cross the fields early in the morning and drive bus routes to pick up students before and after their studies. During the Depression, money was tight for many families, and the boys would often fan out and work at other farms in the vicinity.

Tragedy struck the family in the summer of 1933 when Maude Sutherly died of a heart attack at age 45. While her three sons had graduated from the Elizabeth Centralized School by this time – Melvin in 1929, Ralph in 1930, and Wes in 1932 – all were still living at home at the time of her passing.

Here is an aerial photo from the late 1960s of Trails End Farm. Owned for these many years by the Harold Young family, ...
07/17/2026

Here is an aerial photo from the late 1960s of Trails End Farm. Owned for these many years by the Harold Young family, it is located at the corner of State Routes 201 and 41 in Elizabeth Township. The farm has served many purposes. Elizabeth Township Historical Society members can read more about this farm’s history, as well as what the Society is up to in our quarterly membership newsletter in August.

Join ETHS today and learn about local history through newsletters and programs, AND be a part of preserving the history of Elizabeth Township.
* The membership form can be found in the comment section.

Children of Cove Spring Church in Elizabeth Township joined together today, July 4th, 2026, to ring the church bell 250...
07/04/2026

Children of Cove Spring Church in Elizabeth Township joined together today, July 4th, 2026, to ring the church bell 250 times in honor of our country's 250th birthday! Young church-goers between the ages of 3 and 12 took turns ringing the bell with the help of their parents and Cove Spring Youth Director, Michelle Robbins. We couldn't help but notice that some of these families go back many generations in Elizabeth Township with pioneer ancestors arriving in the very early 1800s. Well done, Cove Spring Church!

We are thankful for the sacrifices made by those brave men and women so long ago.... God Bless America!
07/04/2026

We are thankful for the sacrifices made by those brave men and women so long ago.... God Bless America!

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