Minster, like New Bremen began as a stock association, formed on 01 Sep 1833, for the purpose of purchasing a section of land in Mercer Co., Ohio, upon which to lay out a town. The company was bound to furnish sufficient money, as a joint fund, to enter the land and lay out the town. The funds were entrusted to Francis Joseph Stallo, to enter the land, lay out the lots and divide it into 144 shares, conduct a drawing for the lots, and execute deeds to the land owners. Stallo entered the northeast quarter of Section 34, the northwest quarter of Section 35, the southeast quarter of Section 27, and the southwest quarter of Section 26 in township 7 south, range 4 east, situated in Merco., Ohio, on 08 Sep 1832, at the Piqua land office.

Soon after the purchase, Stallo had the land laid off, platted, divided into 144 shares, and each share subdivided into ten parts or lots, and calculated the price of each share at $8.50. On April 14, 1833, the company met in Cincinnati and proceeded to draw lots. Everything went as planned until F. J. Stallo died, intestate, in the summer of 1833, without having executed deeds to the several purchasers as required. As the results of a suit by some of the shareholders, the court of Mercer County judged that the heirs of F. J. Stallo were to execute deeds when they reached their majority.

Stallostown, as it was originally named, was divided by seven streets from north to south and eleven streets from east to west. The lots were numbered from south to north and north to south on Main Street, beginning with 1 at the south end of Main Street on the west side and numbered consecutively to 72 at the north end of the same street; then commencing at 73 on the east side of the same street and number consecutively to the south end of said street to 144, each number having a frontage of 68 1/3 feet and a depth extending to the next street.

The settlers were predominantly Catholic and in the 1880 Auglaize Co. Atlas, Minster was cited as having one of the finest churches in the state. Businesses recognized at that time were the hardware establishment of John Laufersweiler, the boot and shoe house of Laufersweiler and Bornhorst, the extensive hydraulic mill of Sprehe and Depweg, the pork packing establishment and brickyard of Steineman Brothers, the tanner of Frank Plening, the agricultural implement establishment of Gocke and Kaiser, the grocery and drug house of Mrs. E. Schneider and Son, and one of the largest and most complete breweries in the western portion of the state which was erected in 1870 by Frank Lang.

The following list is of the first settlers in Jackson Township. Other lists will soon be online listing first settlers for each township. For the time being, we will limit the inclusion of settlers up until about the year 1850. Once we have finished this task, we may extend the time-span. If your ancestor doesn't appear here, check the county and other township lists. If you have information about the settlement of your ancestor, please submit it for inclusion on these lists. Your submission must include reference to a source document (i.e. deed, Bible record, legal document).

Key to Source Abbreviations:

ATL80 = 1880 Atlas of Auglaize County, compiled by H.G. Howland, published 1880 by Robert Sutton

AUH = History of Auglaize County

C = Census

D = Deed Volume/Page Number