Boyhood Memories of Daniel R. Anderson

The editor of the Miami~Gazette warns that Dan's memory had failed him a bit while writing these letters to the Editor. None-the-less, Dan's memories open a window onto the world of the 1850s in Waynesville, Ohio.

Dan Anderson remembers the intersection of Main & Miami Streets and physicians in the village:

Miami-Gazette (April 14, 1915):

Boyhood Memories: It may be you remember the first glass of soda water that you ever drank, you bought with a "gitney" (5 cents) at the ice cream parlor of John Collins, on the corner next to the Hammell House (J. & S. Collins Grocery & Bakery). Collins ran a bakery, and had two children. Ask Mrs. Samuel Rogers. The girl married Si Roberts and now lives in St. Peter, Minn; has a daughter, Alice Stark. Si (Josiah?) Roberts, was a brother of J. W. Roberts , who at one time owner and publisher of the Miami-visitor, now the Miami-Gazette, and who married a daughter of Isaac Fairholm, who lived in the brick house opposite the Hammel House, and was a blacksmith. His shop was where is now the residence of my old friend and comrade M. T. Liddy.

Then there was the big, jolly old Sam Barnhart, who was stepfather to Eliza Bunting, and lived ont he corner where Wm. Phillips now lives and then the array of physicians let me name a few: Drs. Elias and Sylvanus Fisher (see, The Waynesville Academy) , whose house later occupied by Dr. Williamson (see, Suicide in Waynesville ~ Richard P. Williamson). A little farther up main street, Dr. McGuire, then where lives Mrs. Matthews, lived Dr. Robb and two Dr. Smizers and about where the Township House stands lived Dr. McReynolds and on North street where lives George Mills, lived the peer of them all, Dr. William H. Anderson, (Dan's father) who was generous with "tannin" and did not wait for us~thats me to get sick, either.

Dan remembers the "Public Square" and the pork houses in Waynesville and Corwin:

Miami-Gazette (May 12, 1915):

Waynesville had a public square, Main and High Streets. On the east side of Main Street was a hay scale, blacksmith shop and wagon making shop. They were all on the south east corner of the square. Now where A. B. Sides is located, was the pork house of James Harris, father of the late I. H. Harris. The slaughter house was up the first creek above Waynesville a hundred yards or so, and another slaughter house stood on the east side of the railroad above Corwin, and the packing was done in the old railroad freight house in Corwin. Caleb Small did the rendering at Corwin and there was no objection made, as to number of tenderloins us kids would have dangling at the end of any kind of an old string till they were done to a frazzle. There kids, is something you've missed! Wish I had a chance this minute ~ Um! Um!

Can well remember the coming to this country of that sturdy and hardy set of Englishmen: John Hawke, Thos. Hawke and Phillip Hawke. It is to Phillip that I now contribute a few reminiscences of him. He was about my size, and large for his age; and healthy, oh my! He took a job at the Corwin pork house as a cleaver hand. Up to that time, it had always required two for the work. I was there when trouble started, and to try him on, a hog that weighed 500 pounds was rolled on the block, and Phillip, now a full fledged yankee, was on his job, and ready. He had his steel cleaver heated to nearly a cherry red and with one mighty blow, bisected that 500 pound hog at the ears, and then one more blow, and the shoulders were ready to split apart. And all went well from that on with Phillip. Thos. Southern and Wm. Retallick did the salting in the cellar. Jerry Powell, Andy's daddy, did the brine work. Oscar Wright, A. D. Cadwallader, Jonas McKay, Emmor Bailey, and other bought the hogs.

Dan remembers some of the factories and William S. Keys, who was a brother of Judge John W. Keys and owner of the Waynesville Lumber Yard. William Keys served in the War of the Rebellion, and died at Chattanooga, Tenn., in January, 1864, leaving a wife and seven children.
Miami-Gazette (May 12, 1915):

Then getting back to shops and factories, saw mills and such, we go down the Lebanon pike to the three bridges, only two of which are left, and within a hundred yards of the bridge as you turn to go down the river road, was a saw mill, then turning up the creek towards Ridgeville we will find on the farm of the late E. A. Brown, a saw mill, that finished its career under the care of Wm. Keys, an uncle of Addie B. and Horace Keys (two children of John W. Keys), who then lived in the house he built for himself, now occupied by Ed Janney. I worked for "Bill" and we hauled the logs to the mill to be sawed by oxen. Bill was a soldier, and died in Chattanooga, Tenn. His captain mistreated him shamefully, and let me record a curse to that captain, dead or alive, to what he did to Bill. I saw him a very few days before he died, and he told me how sick he was, and that he wanted to go home. I told him that I would try and get him furloughed home. I was at that time commissary of the Gen. Field hospital, Army of the Cumberland, and on speaking terms with "Pap" Thomas, Commanding Army of the Cumberland, and he promised to sign a furlough, and I hurried to break the good news to Bill, at his company quarters, where I had first seen him (and he was on guard at that time) only to learn he had been taken to a hospital where I went on a gallop. I found him~ but he was dead. Bill was peculiar in some ways, and his own wost enemy, but a good soldier and he had the biggest heart in him any man could carry and here's to our everlasting friendship ~ Bill. 'Good bye!

Dan Anderson remembers Isaac E. Keys, John W. Keys and Joseph G. Keys:
Miami-Gazette (May 19th, 1915):
Back in town already, John W. and Jos. G. Keys carried on a furniture factory and made coffins in the midst of the square in a little brick building on the lot where now lives Horace and Addie B. Keys, which was later extended on the north side, from the alley running north and south to Main street, and was a good place to go to hear funny stories. Here's one, and if not funny, is peculiar and I was present when it all happened. Dave Lashley had just been married and was buying his furniture outfit of Squire John Key's and had a big wagon loaded and remarked that was all when John says,"You've got no cradle!" "No," says Dave, and said he "might as well take one now as any time," and it was put on top of the load and carried triumpantly up Main street in broad daylight.

Up on the alley was a hearse house, two stories high. I. E. Keys shoe making in the second story.

For more information about the businesses and professions in Waynesville see, WAYNESVILLE BUSINESSES & PROFESSIONS LISTED IN THE MIAMI VISITOR WEEKLY NEWSPAPER WITH FURTHER INFORMATION INCLUDED.