Excerpts from "The Silent Streams", by Harry Logsdon, 1950? Page 6 For convenience in locating or describing different events contained herein, we shall divide the area included in Doughty Valley into three parts or divisions, namely: Upper Doughty, The Glens, and Lower Doughty. Beginning at the creek's source near the Northern Border of Berlin township, it flows gently thru "The Plains" in a southernly direction a distance of six miles as the stream goes, to the southern border of the township near the entrance to "The Glens". This area includes the greater part of Berlin township and contains some of the most fertile and improved farms in the state. The stream in its upper course receives the water from many springs, flowing from the hillsides in this section. Upon nearing "The Glens", it receives its largest tributary, locally known as Charm Creek. As the stream nears "The Glens" the fall becomes greater and the water flows quite rapidly thru its rock bed channel. After passing thru several cascades it finally reaches the bottom of the gorge below. This gorge, known thruout the surrounding counties as "Doughty Glens" and locally as "Troyer's Hollow", extends southward for a distance of nearly two miles, ending near the village of Beck's Mills. Its steep sides are covered with a dense growth of Spruce pine trees and white oak. The tops of these stately trees overhung the gorge in such a manner as to leave a rift of sky thru which only the noon day sun might shine. The sides of "The Glens" are dotted with many huge rocks which have been uncovered by the surging waters of the creek. A large cave, which in primeval times furnished a lair for beasts of prey, still exists. The names of many people who have visited the cave in former years, are inscribed on the face of the huge rock at the entrance of the cave. The western slope contains a water fall, about thirty feet in height, over which flows thruout the year, the water of one of the smaller tributaries of the creek. In the early 40's Isaac Aultman secured a title to a tract of land which included upper part of the gorge. Aultman and his family entered the gorge and built a hewed log house in which they lived. They, also, built a dam across the creek and upon the west bank they built another log building which was equipped with machinery for the manufacture of woolen goods. Pages 42-43, "The Pioneers" THE AULTMANS A very familiar name among the early pioneers of "The Glens" and later in "Lower Doughty" was that of Aultman, formerly spelled Altman. This family traces its ancestry to a William Aultman (his two brothers were John Peter and Casper) who was born in the Province of Alsace Lorraine in Germany in the year 1744 {actually it was 1724}. In the year 1764, {1749} he emigrated to America, landing on the coast of Virginia {more likely, Pennsylvania}. A year later he married Barbara Stahl and soon migrated to Westmoreland Co. Pa. and settled near the Harold church which is reputed to be the oldest church west of the Alleghany mountains. Two of their sons were John and David. John the great, great grand father of those now living in "Lower Doughty", married and lived in Pa. for a number of years and then migrated to Tuscarawas Co. 0. and settled near the present town of Strasburg. To this union were born several sons and two daughters one of whom married a Mr. Welty and the other married a Mr. Karnagy. One of the sons, Isaac, married Nancy Wallick and migrated to "The Glens" in Doughty Valley as mentioned in a previous chapter. Mr. Aultman, being mechanically inclined, built a dam across "The Glens" and operated a small grist mill at first but soon changed it to a woolen factory which he operated until the death of his wife in 1852. Their children were George, John, Joshua, Elijah, Elizabeth, and Ann. George was born near Strasburg, in Tuscarawas Co. on April 12, 1822. On May 11, 1843, he married Margaret Conrad. After the death of his mother, Nancy, he purchased the woolen mill in "The Glens" from his father, which he with the help of a Mr. Ditwiler operated for a number of years. In the meantime, about 1852, he purchased the grist mill of the Conrad Bros. In Lower Doughty and operated it until it was burned down in the early 60's. He then built a large frame building and equipped it with machinery for the manufacture of woolen goods. Soon after his son Albert Aultman bought a partial interest in the mill and the firm was then known as the G. R. Aultman and son woolen mills. They, also, operated a saw mill in connection with the grist and woolen mills. They continued to operate the saw and woolen mills until the begining of the present century, when floods washed out the dam and the mills were abandoned. The children born to George R. and Marraret Conrad Aultman were; John W. who married Lucy Conkle, youngest daughter of George Conkle. Their children were; Edward, Margaret, Cora, Allen, Stella and Floyd, Albert A. Aultman married Anna Reams. Their children were; Walter, Lulu, and Hazel. Hiram H. Aultman married Martha Wade. Their children were: Mathew Wade, Mable, Maude, and Pearl. Mary Jane married John Beck and moved to Michigan. Their children were Gilbert, Martha, Oliver, Frank, Guy, Verna, Roswell, Albert, and Lyman. Riley J. Aultman married Annabelle Morgan, their descendants were: Ralph, Paul, and Lois. Nancy E. married Jesse Duncan. Their children were; Oscar, Howard, and Inez. Elizabeth married Worth Glover. Their children were; Ross, George, and Edward. Isaac Jr. died at the age of sixteen of appendicitis. Some of the descendants were affiliated with the Bethel U. B. Church while others were members of the Clark Presbyterian Church. All were leaders in the educational and social life of the valley. Pages 68-69 Chapter 9 - MECHANICAL ACTIVITIES Scarcely had the pioneer finished his cabin and his rude barn, until he was planning the erection of some sort of a shop or mill. So numerous were these shops and mills, that the area comprising the greater part of "Lower Doughty" and "The Glens" was named Mechanic Township. One of the early pioneers, [casually] remarked on one occasion, when talking about the number of mills on Doughty Creek, that there was a mill of some sort for every mile as the stream goes, from its source to its mouth. Like wise there was a blacksmith and a wagon maker shop in every community. It is almost an impossibility at this date, to name and locate all these mills and shops which were built by the early pioneers, but we shall endeavor to name and locate the more prominent ones. Beginning where the present Route 39 crosses Doughty Creek west of Berlin, there existed for some time the John Maxwell saw mill which did a flourishing business for a number of years. There were, however, according to a map published in 1863, several small water power mills farther up the stream than the Maxwell Mill. About a mile down stream was the Wise Woolen Mill, built by Peter Wise at an early date. Some distance below his son, Hiram, built a Grist Mill which he operated for a number years. This was known down thru the years as the Wise Grist Mill and furnished the flour and corn meal for the residents of all of "Upper Doughty" and Upper Military Valley. In later years Mr. Wise sold the mill to E. J. Miller who operated it until it was burned down. The Wises also built a saw mill a little farther down stream near the head of "The Glens". This mill was later sold to an amishman, named Daniel Miller and was designated as "The Danny Miller" saw mill. The Isaac Aultman family seemed to have been the operators of the first mills in "The Glens". These mills consisted of a furniture factory, a small grist mill, and later a woolen mill. This woolen mill was later purchased by Simeon Troyer who continued to manufacture woolen goods up into the present century. After Mr. Troyer's death, his equipment was purchased by his grandson, Ralph Aling, and moved to a new building erected near his home on Route 39. The equipment, including the wooden turning lathes, was sold about 1860 to Louis Hardin and used in his wagon maker shop and planeing [sic] mill in Saltillo. Upon the death of Mr. Hardin, his son James Hardin continued to operate the saw and planing [sic] mill for a number of years following. In the late 20's Michael Beck Sr. built a small dam across the creek near the lower end of "The Glens" and did some custom sawing with his little saw mill. This, undoubtedly, was the first saw mill to be erected in the valleys. A few years later he and his sons built a large dam across the lower end of "The Glens" and built a much larger saw mill on the east side of the dam. In the year 1849, he constructed a mill race leading down into the village of Beck's Mills and erected a four story grist mill there. Just a short distance below Beck's Mills, Leonard Asire and his sons built a small dam across the creek and erected a saw mill which was used during his lifetime. The next farm below the Asire farm was owned by Daniel Conkle Sr. he, too, built a shallow dam and a saw mill which was used by him for short time. Mr. Conkle soon afterwards sold the farm and the mill to Samuel Asire who continued to operate it during his lifetime. This farm is now owned by Russell Mullet, but the mill has long since disappeared. The next dam and saw mill to be encountered on the journey down the creek was the one located on the Wilson Craig farm, west of the public highway. This mill was erected in the early fifties and continued to operate until the close of the century. The next farm below the Craig property was the John Jacob Conrad farm. A large wooden dam with stone abutments was constructed on the east 100 acre lot, just south of the old covered bridge which spanned the creek in those days. A mill race was dug and a saw mill was built some distance below. This mill furnished the lumber for the Conrad farms for more than sixty years. At the beginning of the present century it was destroyed by fire and a few years later high water washed the dam out. About six years after the Conrad family had settled on their original 100 acre tract and had built log cabins to shelter the family and their live stock; they discovered that there was no suitable place on their farm for the building of a dam and a saw mill, but they found that on the farm of Gabriel Fry which lay to the west of their tract, the creek bottom became quite narrow and would make a very suitable place for the construction of a dam. So after conferring with Mr. Fry relative to the building of a dam and some mills he sold them a parcel of land lying along the creek and the water rights to the creek below the dam. Mr. Conrad and his sons began at once the construction of a dam at the narrowest point. The middle part of the dam was made of earth, thickly set with yellow willow trees. At the north end near the bluff a frame spillway with stone abutments on each end was built. At the south end the dam consisted of a plank floor upon which a wall of huge oak logs were carefully joined together. At the south end of the log dam, they built a saw mill with a mill race running westward towards the creek. A short distance below the saw mill on the mill race, they built a small grist mill. These mills served the community with lumber, flour, and corn meal. After the death of Mr. Conrad, his sons Henry and George took charge of the mills, until 1852, when they sold their interests to their brotherinlaw, George Aultman who continued to operate them until 1864, when the grist mill was burned. Whereupon, he built a much larger building on nearly the same site and equipped it with machinery for the manufacture of woolen goods. This mill was known down into the present century as Aultman's Woolen Mill. After Mr. Aultman's death during the first decade of the present century its production began to decline rapidly and was soon abandoned. The saw mill, too, was abandoned about the same time.