Ohio History Journal

OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL

SOCIETY

REVIEWS, NOTES AND COMMENTS

BY THE EDITOR

DEATH OF HONORABLE DANIEL J. RYAN

Early Friday morning, June 15, 1923, Daniel Joseph

Ryan, Vice President of the Ohio State Archaeological

and Historical Society, breathed his last. He had been

in poor health for some time but the end came unex-

pectedly. He passed without pain "from the repose of

sleep to the repose of death."  This announcement

brings sadness to the members of the Society and a large

circle of friends. A sketch of Mr. Ryan's life and work

will appear in the next issue of the QUARTERLY.

SARAH ELIZABETH REYNOLDS

We regret to announce the death of Mrs. Sarah

Elizabeth Reynolds, a life member of the Ohio State

Archaeological and Historical Society and Secretary of

the Historical Society of Preble County. At the age

of seventy-seven years she departed this life April 5,

1923. She was the daughter of John M. and Sarah

(Truax) Daugherty of Butler. County, Ohio. She was

educated in the district schools of Dickson Township,

Preble County, and married Roddie Reynolds Novem-

ber 26, 1866. He was Secretary to General Ben Le-

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544       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

Naval Association she was instrumental in establishing

the nation-wide practice of strewing flowers upon the

waters in memory of the United States sailors and

marines.

She was deeply interested in the history of Fort St.

Clair and secured hundreds of signatures to the peti-

tion presented to the General Assembly of Ohio for the

purchase of the site of this old fort and the scenic

grounds immediately surrounding it. In her last hours

it was a source of great satisfaction to her to know that

the General Assembly of Ohio had acted favorably in

response to this petition.

She took a prominent part in the St. Clair celebra-

tion of November 6, 1922, fully described in this issue

of the QUARTERLY. In a letter to the writer she ex-

pressed her great satisfaction with the ceremonies and

declared that the day had been one of the happiest of

her life.  The portrait published with this sketch is

from the photograph of a group taken on that occasion

just before the unveiling of the monument.

The following resolutions, adopted by the Preble

County Historical Society, were read by its Vice-Presi-

dent, Major William H. Ortt, at her funeral:

WHEREAS, The Preble County Historical Society, especially

assembled in formal session, sorrowed and reverent because of

the death of Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Reynolds, Charter Member

and Secretary of said Society, and because of desire to formulate

a heartful expression of the appreciation and emotion of the

love and loss of said Society in the passing of a member so

faithful, efficient and beloved and so distinguished in life and

death,

We, the members of said Society do hereby affectionately

and reverently resolve--

That Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Reynolds was superlatively en-

dowed for her superior efficiency in her said membership in that

she possessed a profound and fervent delight in all the manifold

Reviews, Notes and Comments         545

memories, recorded and traditional histories of the daring adven-

turers who first ventured into the then further frontier, and of the

struggles and simplicities, comedies and tragedies, exploits, trails,

forts, battles, woodland-clearings, log-houses, mementoes, and

the conspicuous personalities of the Preble primevals.

That her happy proclivities were such that despite the in-

firmities of years she remained ever eager and alert in her desires

and delights to obtain and retain for Preble posterity all the

pioneer history and all objects and mementoes and insignia il-

lustrative.

That we are pleased to record that she was familiar with

Preble history, was highly entertaining in her mentions of the local

love, legends and myths current among the early settlers as

to singular omens and ghostly forms, chief of which fantasies was

that of a headless man riding a white horse on moonlight nights

up and down the vales near Fort St. Clair.

Her local loyalty, knowledge of relics and historical insigna,

and her enthusiastic inspirations were all highly helpful and

strongly stimulative in the organization, ambitions and attain-

ments of the Preble County Historical Society.

She was most sincerely enthusiastic in her admiration and

reverence for the soldiers and naval sailors of Preble. She re-

joiced in their valor and victories and highly prized their trophies.

She was active and influential in the annual military memori-

al at Mound Hill Cemetery and her loving initiative established

the special memorial in honor of our naval heroes, one of whom

was her beloved husband, Roddie Reynolds. This special memor-

ial was a beautiful performance of strewing garlands and flowers

in the waters which flow between the Eaton of living and Mound

Hill, the Eaton of the dead.

Her home contained many historical attractions and in these

precious possessions she found great fascination.

She was most fervent in her local, state and national patriot-

ism and the members of this Society and many citizens concur

that no Preble countian ever surpassed her persistent patriotism.

She was most happy in her hopes and forceful in her activi-

ties for the acquirement of a beautiful picturesque tract of land

surrounding Fort St. Clair and the sacred burial spot of the fallen

heroes, and on the delightful day of the dedication of the monu-

ment, there recently erected, she donated a beautiful wreath,

lovingly encircled it over the monument and donated and unfurled

from the staff near by a very beautiful flag which this day floats

in the gentle breeze. A few days before her death she was most

joyous when informed that through the liberality of the state

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546       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

this loyal public would ever especially enjoy the St. Clair park of

seventy-seven acres embracing the site of Fort St. Clair, the

battle field, burial place, and the scenic lands surrounding.

The old flag of thirteen stars and many scars, which now

drapes the form of our darling dead, she greatly prized on ac-

count of the hallowed remembrances thereof to herself person-

ally relating. This old flag was her talisman; it tenderly thrilled

her patriotic and friendly heart.

Be it resolved, That this resolution be spread upon the min-

utes of this Society and that copies thereof be delivered to her

daughter, Mrs. Nellie Reynolds Eastman, and her son, L. C.

Reynolds, of Baltimore, Maryland.

In her will Mrs. Reynolds left to the Ohio State

Archaeological and Historical Society her collection of

early Ohio newspapers and her decorated chinaware

illustrative of local history, chiefly of scenes and inci-

dents relating to Fort St. Clair.

PATRIOTIC MEETING AT THE LOGAN ELM

On the afternoon of June 13 a very interesting meet-

ing of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolu-

tion was held under the spreading branches of the Logan

Elm. The principal address was delivered by Honorable

Simeon D. Fess, junior United States Senator from

Ohio. In his opening remarks he commended very

highly the work of patriotic societies and the Ohio

State Archaeological and Historical Society in marking

places of historic interest in Ohio. He spoke of the

educational value of contact with the past through the

association of place and material things relating to men

and incidents of other years. We have a livelier inter-

est in an achievement of the long ago when we stand

upon the very spot that it has immortalized. He com-

mended also in strong terms the effort of the Society

to collect the trophies and relics of Ohio history.