REEL, Daniel M. - Putnam

DANIEL M. REEL was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, October 25, 1825, and in June, 1826, his parents brought him to this county, where he was reared on a farm until he was fourteen years of age.  John Reel, the father of Daniel, built a carding-machine and leased it to an Englishman, William Heaps, who operated it for two years.  He carded wool and manufactured cloth.  He then sold it to William Neese.  Daniel worked in the mill for some time.  He was married November 28, 1844, to Miss Rachel A. McElroy, who was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1827.  She was brought to Putnam County by her parents, where she was reared and educated.  Her father, William McElroy, was born in America, but his parents were Irish.  Her mother was born in Pennsylvania, and her parents were Pennsylvania Dutch.  Mr. and Mrs. Reel have four children -- Lawrence D., Daniel F., Mollie and Charles D.  The deceased are -- William, Francis, J. R., James and John A.  Reelsville was platted by John Reel, the father of our subject, and was laid out by the county surveyor, William Shields, now deceased.  Mr. Reels erected the first building before it was laid out, and after that he built another dwelling and a store-house.  The latter is now being used as a store by G. M. Foster.  The next building was a house that has since been taken down and removed by Edward Huffman.  Mr. John Reel was born in Virginia, and was partly reared in that State.  He subsequently removed to Montgomery County, Ohio, where he was married, and lived there until he came to this county, June 14, 1826, with his wife and four children.  He located on the east side of Walnut Fork of the Eel River, about a quarter of a mile cast of Reelsville, but feeling that that side of the river was unhealthy, he built on the opposite side, on the same site where his son Daniel now lives, and the house he built is still standing and is used for a store-room by his son.  In this house John Reel breathed his last, and he lies buried in the Reelsville cemetery, the land being donated by him.  John and his brother, Henry Reel, now of Harrison County, Iowa, at one time built a keel-boat and loaded it with various supplies of meat, flour, meal and whisky, and started down the Ohio River, thence down the Mississippi River, and up the Arkansas to Little Rock, where they sold their supplies and also their boat.  They bought a mule, which they loaded with guns and provisions, and started on their return trip for home on the Miami River, whence they had started.  They came across the Wabash, near where Vincennes now is, and struck the Eel River near Bowling Green, and coming up the stream they found James Athey, a white man, and stayed over night with him.  He selected the site for a mill where Reelsville now is.  It was in the fall of 1824, and they passed through this part of Putnam County, and in June, 1826, John Reel brought his family here.  In November of the following year he built a log mill and commenced to grind corn about the middle of the month.  He had one run of burrs, made of boulders, called “nigger heads," and these run the mill for about ten years.  He then built a frame mill, 50 x 54 feet, and three run of stone, which was swept away by a flood in August, 1875.  At that time the mill was owned by Daniel Reel.  John Reel was the father of eleven children, of whom four are living -- Daniel, John A., Joseph H. and Elizabeth.  His wife was formerly Sarah Beason, who was born in South Carolina, and when a child, in 1808, emigrated to Montgomery County, Ohio, with her parents, where she was reared and married.  She survived her husband two years.  During the war of 1812 John ran away to join the army.  He carried his gun and swam the Miami River in order to accomplish his purpose.  The money that was paid him for his services was afterward used in Putnam County.  He paid $75 of this money to buy a skillet that could now be purchased for 50 cents.