Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
This is the fourth of five parts to our series on Genoa and Clay Township's impact on the Civil War.
Once the end of America's deadliest war came in 1865, thousands of men shed their uniforms, put down their muskets and picked up their normal lives again as they returned home.
For Genoa’s Frank Wyman, he recalled what his homecoming was like in a letter to his sister.
“I went home to Genoa, Ohio. It was near evening when I came home. Mother was in the kitchen getting ready for the evening meal. I said ‘Hello’ and hung up my hat. I asked her if the milking had been done? She said, ‘No,’ so I took the pail off the hook where it hung as always behind the door and went out to milk the cows. And the war was over for me.”
While the war might have been over, a big future lay ahead. Wyman was still young, eager to go into business. He entered a partnership with fellow war comrade, Leander Gregg, of Genoa. It was an idea hatched before the war's end as Wyman explained in his journal as he marched with General Sherman in the South.
“I received a letter from Ma, and one from Pa. They both spoke of Leander Gregg (1st Sergeant in the 100th OVI) coming back and going into business this Fall, and that he wanted me to go in with him. Pa seems to want to sell the place, as he is offered fifty dollars an acre. I am not anxious to sell, but if I have the capital, I will go in with L.G. in his store, provided some greyback does not get the start of me.”
The men did venture into business as hardware merchants and eventually started a quarry and lime business, which proved highly successful as ‘Genoa White Lime’ became a sought-after industrial product from Chicago to Buffalo.
By the late 1870s, Genoa and its multiple limestone quarries were the leading supplier of limestone on the railroad line. The Wyman and Gregg quarry — and its kilns on Washington Street — lasted for decades. Today, that same quarry is now filled with water and has been a focal point of the town's recreation scene for many years.
Many other returning veterans would see a town that was changing quickly. It was no longer a crude pioneer settlement of cabins and mud-caked streets.
Instead, it boasted a major railroad line that linked it to the rest of the nation. The town also had a telegraph office, a post office, several sawmills, many businesses, saloons, schools, and a growing population filled with promise — as were the returning soldiers.
For example, Sam Wood, who endured numerous battles and potential capture by the Confederates, lived out a long and successful family life — eventually becoming the Ottawa County Sheriff.
Wood’s brother, Frank, managed to live a long life — despite being weakened by his war wounds — until passing in 1932.
Wesley Shaner came home from the war and started a furniture and undertaking business in downtown Genoa.
Andrew Anderson, of Martin, returned to run a grocery and hotel in that town while also being instrumental in establishing Genoa's Methodist Church.
Colonel Frank Rundell, who commanded the 100th OVI, used his skills in real estate development, and he also raised racehorses. He eventually served three terms as the mayor of Genoa and was a justice of the peace. He died in 1892 and the home he lived in still stands at 804 West Street.
By 1868, Genoa had evolved and was ready to become a real town on the map, and it was the Civil War veterans who helped lead the effort to incorporate Genoa into an official village with veteran Torbert Patrick Taylor of the 177th OVI serving as the first mayor.
Over the next 25 years, nearly all of Genoa’s mayors were Civil War veterans, including John Stevens (55th OVI), Rundell (100th OVI), Conrad Geiger (177th OVI), Charles Siglar (14th OVI), and Hugh Bowland (177th OVI).
Several other veterans became trustees of Clay Township, which at that time also included the area now known as Allen Township.
The Elliot Wyman G.A.R Post becomes a bond of brotherhood
As Genoa's war veterans played prominent roles in the life of the community, they also maintained a special bond of friendship between them.
This would evolve with the creation of a local post of the national Civil War veterans’ group — the Grand Army of the Republic, or G.A.R., in 1867.
It was named Elliot Wyman Post #39 in honor of the 100th OVI Genoa soldier who died in the Battle of Utoy Creek.
Research shows that the first meeting hall for the post was the second floor of a downtown building on Main Street that most residents today may know as the “Hourglass” building.
No doubt within those walls is where stories were told and retold, as were memories recalled — both good and bad — of experiences forged in the deadly war’s four years.
Enrollment in the post would top more than 200 at its height, or about half of the men in the community. The veterans also began to host frequent G.A.R. reunions. At least eight such reunions were held in Genoa.
The biggest one was held in 1885 with a reunion for the 100th OVI regiment. This gathering is believed to be first major event held at Genoa's newly completed Town Hall, according to current village administrator and historical researcher, Thomas Bergman.
“You can see in the minutes that they accepted the building from the contractor in the middle of August, then on Sept. 2 they are hosting this large celebration,” he said. “The timeline is obvious, and in my opinion, so is the reason for Genoa hosting the reunion that year. They are showing off the town’s progress by dedicating the building.”
The reunion attracted hundreds of comrades from all over Northwest Ohio. An article in the Perrysburg Journal said five generals were expected to be in Genoa for the reunion including former President Rutherford B. Hayes of Fremont.
General Patrick Slevin, who relinquished command of the 100th OVI to Rundell after being wounded at Utoy Creek, Ga., attended and dedicated Genoa’s new Grand Army and Memorial Hall on that day — forever tying together Genoa’s growth as a prosperous town and its inherent Civil War bond.
In the following years, the Town Hall would become the focal point of many Grand Army activities.
Newspaper articles reveal that the G.A.R. also promoted numerous events such as picnics, ice cream socials, dances, and several masquerade balls.
Their influence also touched many facets of the community, whether in building schools, churches, or businesses — or the founding of a much-needed bank.
Thus, the creation of Genoa Banking Company took place in 1902, which was first located on the site of the current Rayz Cafe on Main Street.
Stockholders elected Civil War veteran and Genoa’s first mayor, Taylor, as the first bank president, while Sam Wood, who had survived numerous battles in the war and even escaped from a hellhole of a Confederate prison, was a co-founder and elected to the board of directors.
The bank stands as a lasting legacy of their commitment to the Genoa area, as does the Genoa Town Hall and many other legacies they built.
Next week, our Civil War series concludes with more on how the Genoa Historical Society is working to memorialize the commitment of these forgotten soldiers to the nation and the community of Genoa.
