Darius J. Church (1825 - 1896)

Born 10 Oct 1825 in Canfield, Mahoning, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 12 Oct 1896 at age 71 in Canfield, Mahoning, Ohio, United States

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Biography

Darius J. Church was an Appalachian.

Darius J. Church was an Ohioan.

Darius J. was a Sutler to the 105th OVI during the US Civil War

Darius J. Church was born in 1825. He was the son of Judge John Church and Fanny Joslen.

In 1849 he was a member of a group that petitioned for a Young People’s Anti-Slavery Convention to be held at Youngstown, Ohio.^[1] Another member of this group was John Brown, Jr., son of the famed abolitionist. In 1850 he donated $1.00 to the Western Anti-Slavery Society.^[2] This would be about $40.00 in 2023 dollars.

In 1852, he married Electa Merrell. They had two children, Frances born in 1853 and Frederick in 1854.

Like his father before him, he was a merchant. In 1862 he was appointed sutler to the 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Darius had John Stanton of Cincinnati create customized tokens for making change in his sutler’s store. Some of these tokens survive in modern times in 5¢, 10¢ and 25¢ denominations and are collectable.

In the 1880 census, Darius’ occupation is listed as furnace proprietor. An 1883 newspaper article reports the failure of the Ward Iron Company’s and the absconding of the Ward family from the town of Niles. As a result, the iron works property reverted to Darius Church and his fellow mortgagees.^[3]

He passed away in 1896 of paralysis.

About Sutler’s Tokens.

“SUTLERS' CHECKS: USED IN THE FEDERAL ARMY DURING THE CIVIL WAR” by C. O. Trowbridge, Howland Wood, American Journal of Numismatics (1897-1924), Vol. 38, No. 2 (OCTOBER, 1903), pp. 56-59

… “The interest in these cards is entirely historical, for beauty or good execution enters into them not at all. They fall into the same class as the Necessity or Siege pieces of Europe. Their use seems to have been confined almost exclusively to the armies of the West, where they served the purpose of small change, as the so-called "copperheads" did in our Northern cities. It is noticeable however that there were no one-cent pieces issued ; the denominations ranged from 5 cents to 100 cents, - a purely fictitious value for the metal employed, for the most part brass, which prevented their use at any distance from the issuing sutler. …

”Rev. a. <made by> John Stanton stamp & brand cutter, Cincinnati, within a circle of elongated dots ; diameter 1 inch. …

”Church, D. J.

GOOD FOR 25 CENTS IN GOODS AT D. J. CHURCH’S SUTLER 105' REG. O. V. I., Rev. a. Brass, 14.

Same, except 10 cents in goods Rev. a. Brass, 12.

Same, except 5 cents in goods Rev. a. Brass and copper, 10” …

Letters

From “Letters, Transcript of. Sent from from Dr. Stephen J. Hutchinson to his brother, Robert. Transcriber and editor, Martin Melkild”

Private Stephen J. Hutchinson served in Company K of the 105th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. D. J. Church was sutler for the 105th Ohio.

Part of Leelanau Historical Society object 1988.07.02 - used with permission

Camp near Louisville, Ky., Sunday, Sept. 21, 1862

… The boys spend most of their wages in buying wholesome food and nick nacks, both wholesome and otherwise. Our sutter, D. J. Church, is sapping the boys by charging an enormous price for anything he sells. …

Sources

1. ↑ “Anti-Slavery Bugle”, (Lisbon, Ohio), 18 Aug 1849, page 3
2. ↑ “Anti-Slavery Bugle”, (Lisbon, Ohio), 3 Aug 1850, page 3
3. ↑ “Fulton County Tribune”, (Wauseon, Ohio), 4 Aug 1883, page 2

"United States Census, 1850", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MX33-JZL : Thu Oct 05 08:58:48 UTC 2023), Entry for John R Church and Fanny Church, 1850.

"United States Census, 1860", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCG2-Y95 : Fri Oct 06 00:12:56 UTC 2023), Entry for Darius J Church and Electa Church, 1860. Merchant.

"United States Census, 1870", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6V5-GG3 : Fri Oct 06 17:27:10 UTC 2023), Entry for Dennis Church and Electa Church, 1870. Dry goods merchant.

"United States Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M895-CC5 : Fri Oct 06 18:27:34 UTC 2023), Entry for Darius J. Church and Electa M. Church, 1880. Furnace proprietor.

"Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6FK-NZJ : Tue Dec 19 22:49:55 UTC 2023), Entry for D. J. Church, 12 Oct 1896.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37476970/darius_j-church: accessed February 11, 2024), memorial page for Darius J. Church (–), Find a Grave Memorial ID 37476970, citing Canfield Village Cemetery, Canfield, Mahoning County, Ohio, USA; Maintained by BLJns75 (contributor 47142650).