The 127th continuous Peelle Reunion was held Aug. 20 at the Hadley House on Lebanon Road.
Eugene and Christine Hadley Snyder and Mary Ellen Hadley Krisher graciously offered their great old (pre-1830) Harvey-Hadley and surroundings for the reunion. Christine and Mary Ellen’s father, Herbert Hadley, was the grandson of Ruthanna Peelle Crites, so there was a family connection.
Previous to a bounteous carry-in meal, Christine Snyder told the history of the house. Craig Cook then gave the blessing.
Following the meal, a business meeting was held, chaired by Jodi Tolle. Seth and Dollie Howard from Middletown were introduced as it was their first Peelle Reunion. They are descended from the Mills line.
Sarah Geer will serve as president for the 2018 reunion to be held at the same location.
Susanne Kenney then gave a brief history of the Peelle family in America.
Thirty-two generations of Peelles have been traced in Europe before Lawrence Peelle came to America in 1621 where he landed at Elizabeth Cittie, Va. The generations following him were three Robertses — Josiah, Reuben and then John, the first ancestor to come to the Northwest Territory.
He came from North Carolina and after spending a year in Virginia, he came west and checked out Ohio and Indiana. He then stopped at Belmont County where he reconnected (they had belonged to the same Quaker Meeting in North Carolina) with Lydia Bundy and they were married in 1807.
Following their marriage, they came immediately to Highland County, Ohio, where their first two children were born. They then moved to Greene County where Bowersville was to become a town. After another couple of years they moved to Clinton County (1813) only a short distance west of where they would eventually live.
John bought 50 acres of sugar maple forest near where Bloomington would later be located. He later bought more adjoining acreage for $3.25 an acre from Nathan Linton. This land was paid for just a few dollars at a time as they made no mortgage or interest.
The family moved to this location (1815) and built a two-story log cabin where they put down their roots. John walked cross country to Meeting at Dover as there were no roads. Their family consisted of William, Reuben, Rhoda, Emma, Mark, Mary and Lydia. Except for Lydia, all the children married and lived on land close to their parents.
In the 1820s they helped form Grassy Run Quaker Meeting. The second Grassy Run Meeting house was built on land given by John. When the place in which they lived became located in Wilson Township when it was formed in 1850, William was the first treasurer of that township.
Following this presentation, those present were invited to tour the house and barn which are just like an interesting museum.
