434
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY
house. Elder Drake was the first regular pas-
tor, preaching in both Welsh and English.
They erected first a log church near the bury-
ing ground, and regardless of denomination
or religious belief, the settlers assisted in the
building, each bringing a hewed log and as-
sisting in the raising. In 1833. near the site
of the log church, a stone building was built,
and in 1867 a fine edifice was constructed of
brick, representing an outlay of $4,500.
The Methodist Episcopal Church had rep-
resentation there from the first, and in 1808
an itinerant minister preached the first sermon
in the township, in the house of Henry Perry.
Several years later a few of the families met
regularly at the house of Elijah Adams and
services were held. It was not until 1838 that
a frame house of worship was built and the
congregation supplied with regular preaching.
In 1855 a brick meeting house was erected.
The Radnor Welsh Congregational Church
had its beginning about 1818, when meetings
were held in the cabins of the settlers, the
language spoken being invariably Welsh. In
1820, Rev. James Davies organized a church
in the home of John Jones, and thereafter was
not without a pastor for more than a brief
period. In 1841 a frame church building was
erected and in 1842 was dedicated. In the
middle sixties a brick meeting house was erec-
ted at a cost of $3,000.
The Radnor Presbyterian Church dates its
organization back to 1819, when the Rev. Jo-
seph Hughes of Delaware accepted it as one
of his charges. A hewed log meeting-house
was built in a sugar grove on the farm of Jo-
seph Dunlap. The erection of a stone church
building was begun in 1840 but not completed
until 1849. I11 the interim, the log church
was abandoned and there was no pastor for
several years. Through the efforts of Rev.
S. R. Hughes, the church resumed its proper
place in the world.
The Protestant Episcopal Church was or-
ganized in 1836 by Rev. Abram Edwards, and
a house of worship was erected but its exist-
ence was limited to a very few years.
The Presbyterian Church was organized
in 1848, largely through the untiring efforts
of Rev. Henry Shedd and in 1854 a brick
church building was constructed. It thrived
and prospered from its inception.
The Welsh Presbyterian Church was or-
ganized in 1850 by the Welsh settlers who
were of the Calvinistic Methodist faith before
leaving their native land. Their church creed
being almost identical with the Presbyterian
in America, the church was given the latter
name. The first pastor was Rev. Hugh Rob-
erts, and the Welsh language has always been
used in preaching in that church. A church
edifice was erected in 1877.
The Radnor Sunday School Union, the
first Sunday school in Radnor Township, was
established April 18, 1829, and continued most
actively for many years, but finally was dis-
banded because Sunday Schools had been es-
tablished in the respective Churches. Primers,
spellers and the Bible were the text books used
and the good accomplished by this organiza-
tion in improving the minds of the young,
morally and educationally, can scarcely be es-
timated or imagined. Of the members of this
union, six became ministers of the Gospel.
The Radnor Township officials in 1908
were: James P. Osborne, justice of the
peace; Charles S. Gallant and Edgar Jones,
trustees; Charles E. Davis, clerk; Perry J.
Griffith, treasurer; Charles R. Watkins, as-
sessor; M. Mays, constable.
The following are the business houses of
Radnor: E. I. Jones, general store; I. W.
Holmes, general store; Benjamin Pritchard,
blacksmith; G. T. Wolfiey, pastmaster; Rad-
nor Elevator Company, dealers in grain, hay,
seed, hardware, farm implements and coal;
Perry J. Griffith, livery; W. T. Roberts, hotel
and livery; T. K. Jones, M. D.; H. Edwards,
M. D.; T. W. Disbennett, tile-mill and saw-
mill.
SCIOTO TOWNSHIP.
This township was included in the Old
Virginia Military Land, and originally in-
cluded territory only west of the Scioto River.
On December 7, 1814, the county commission-
ers granted a petition to establish this town-
ship. At that time the new township included
all the land west of the Scioto that had been in