Thomas Alexander and Charlotte Parke Alexander were early pioneers in Westerville, Ohio. Thomas ran a foundry and barn where he hid and transported runaway slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. Their son John later served in the Civil War. Dr. Isaac Newton Custer was a Civil War veteran and dentist in Westerville who was devoted to patriotism. His daughter Dacia Custer Shoemaker worked to preserve the Benjamin Hanby House and wrote about his life. Joseph Caulker, a student from Sierra Leone, attended Otterbein University but died in an accident; however, he began a family legacy of relatives attending the school.

1. THE WESTERVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
LOCAL HISTORY RESOURCE CENTER NEWSLETTER
Spring 2012
1
A Walk Through Westerville
Thomas Alexander and
Charlotte Parke Alexander : Pioneers
Thomas would load his
secret passengers in a
wagon... then would
move them farther
north on their journey
to freedom.
Thomas Alexander and Charlotte Parke came to Westerville with their parents as young people. Thomas moved here
from Granville, and Charlotte, walking barefoot beside her family’s covered wagon, from New Jersey. Charlotte and
her two sisters had shoes made by their father Abner whose business was to make and sell shoes, but those shoes
were considered very precious and only to be worn to church on Sunday, not for everyday walking. Thomas was
descended from a couple and their very young son who had come on the Mayflower to the shores of this country.
Charlotte’s ancestors were also very important. She was descended from John Nixon, who gave the Declaration of
Independence its first public reading in Philadelphia.
Once married, Thomas and Charlotte made their home on College Ave. near his business. Thomas ran a foundry
which made iron tools for farmers, window weights (some of which were used in the Ohio Capitol building), and his
patented windmills the popular “Alexander Storm King”. Thomas was also busy with secret activities in his foundry,
because he hid runaway slaves there and the nearby barn. In the middle of the night the runaways would be moved
from the Hanby barn a block away to the Alexander foundry. In the morning
Thomas would load his secret passengers in a wagon which had a special
compartment for hiding the slaves and then would move them farther north
on their journey to freedom.
Charlotte was an accomplished seamstress who lent her talents to the Union
cause during the Civil War. She along with other local women worked on uni-
forms for the soldiers. One of the best stories about her sewing and also her
love for her family involved her son John. She made a very fancy velvet suit
for him but when he wore it the first time he came home crying, saying that
no one else had any-
thing like it and most of the other young people had patches
on their clothes. To make him feel more comfortable Charlotte
sewed patches on the knees and elbows of his nice velvet suit.
Thomas was an important community leader, serving two
terms as mayor of Westerville. He and Charlotte were married
for over 50 years, had three sons and a daughter. She died in
1901 and
Thomas died a decade later in 1911. The local newspaper
wrote upon his death, “He died as he lived, respected by all.”

2. 2
Isaac Newton Custer
...”Yours in the flag”
Patriotic Dr. Isaac Newton Custer (1832-1908)
signed all of his correspondence with the
closing to the left. Born in New Rumley, Ohio,
the seventh son of Jacob Custer, Isaac lost his
mother when he was three years of age. He
was raised in the home of his younger cousin George Custer, who as a United States army general
fought at the Battle of Little Big Horn losing his life with all his fellow soldiers.
Isaac studied with a dentist and began his own practice in 1852 in Steubenville, Ohio. During the
Civil War he served as a First Lieutenant in the 88th Ohio. His military service may have led him
to be devoted to the United States flag and all things patriotic. For many years he would wake all
his neighbors near his home at 89 W. College early in the morning on the 4th of July by blowing a
horn and riding up and down the streets.
Isaac Newton Custer in his Civil
War uniform.
Isaac Newton
Custer’s home
on 89 W.
College Ave.
Isaac Newton Custer
and his wife.

3. 3
Dacia Shoemaker Custer
Above is a picture of the Hanby House dedica-
tion in 1937. Left is a picture of Dacia Custer
Shoemaker with her father’s Civil War Swords.
Dr. Isaac Newton Custer’s daughter, Dacia (Daisy) was born in 1873, delivered by Benjamin Hanby’s
brother, Dr. William Hanby. Dacia attended Otterbein graduating in 1895. Her talent in the violin and
vocal music led her to compose music. While at Otterbein Dacia met John Shoemaker, who she wed a
year after she graduated. Before the marriage Dacia spent a year in Texas teaching music.
After her marriage Dacia moved to Pittsburgh, Pa., where she became very active in the Press Club. In
1922 when Otterbein was celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding, Dacia co-wrote a pageant
that was performed at the university. Dacia wrote of Ben Hanby and his music for the pageant and de-
veloped a lifelong love of Hanby and the mission of writing his story for future generations. Four years
after the pageant word reached Dacia in Pittsburgh that the Hanby home was in terrible shape and was
going to be torn down by the town. It had been unoccupied for a decade and had deteriorated. Dacia
persuaded her husband to purchase it for her birthday. Not everyone was excited that the home was
going to be preserved. Dacia worked to get support from the W.P.A. and the Ohio Historical Society to
move the property. Even school children raised pennies to restore the home – some in Westerville and
some in Kentucky where William Henry Fouse was principal of Dunbar High School. His family had lived
in the home so he was part of the effort to save it.
Finally June 13, 1937, the home was dedicated with 500 people gathered on the lawn listening to
speeches by Benjamin Hanby’s son Brainerd, William Henry Fouse and the governor of Ohio. A home –
today known as the Shoemaker Cottage – was built at the back of the lot behind the Hanby House and
was where Dacia lived after she was named curator of the Hanby House at the age of 64. Dacia spent
the rest of her life until she died in 1973 at the age of 100 documenting and writing about the life of
Benjamin Hanby.

4. 4
Joseph Caulker
Son of an African chief, Joseph Caulker sailed from his native country Sierra Leone on his 24th birthday bound
for the United States to study at Otterbein University. Born in 1872, a descendant of Thomas Corker, an En-
glishman who was an agent for the Royal Africa Company, and his wife Senora Doll, a member of a ruling West
African family, Joseph graduated from the Rufus Clark Training School but longed for more education. After
teaching in Sierra Leone for four years, he began his big adventure, traveling across the ocean and then across
the United States ending up in Westerville.
While at Otterbein, Joseph Caulker was involved in
many activities. He was a member of the Glee Club,
the volunteer band where he played three instruments
and the track team where he set a school record in the
100-yard-dash. He also placed second in a state speech
competition. Sadly, shortly before he was to graduate,
after spending four years at the college, there was an
accident in his room at the school. In those days stu-
dents were responsible for fireplaces in their dorm
rooms. They had to start the fires to keep the rooms
warm. Joseph was lighting the fire in his room with coal
oil when there was an explosion and he was severely
burned. He could not be saved, died shortly after the ex-
plosion and was buried in Otterbein Cemetery far away
from his family and his native land. His classmates hon-
ored him by dedicating their class yearbook to Joseph.
That could have been the end of Joseph’s story. Howev-
er, he was just the first of his family to attend Otterbein,
not the last. The connection between Otterbein and the
Caulker family strengthened through the years as more
members of Joseph’s family chose to leave Sierra Leone
to come to Westerville to study at Otterbein. These
Caulker family members graduated from Otterbein and
went on to
positions of
importance
including school principal, ambassador to the U.N., member of Sierra
Leone’s parliament, director of the World Health Organization and
family nurse practitioner.
Ninety-five years after Joseph’s death, in 1995, Otterbein bestowed
upon him a posthumous degree. Many family members attended the
spring graduation ceremonies including Barthaebin Caulker, Joseph’s
nephew, who traveled from Gateshead, England to accept the degree
for his uncle Joseph. After the ceremony the family members walked
up the street to Otterbein Cemetery to gather at the grave of Joseph
Caulker and conduct a graveside service. Whenever family members
are on campus they go to the grave of Joseph Caulker to honor his
memory.
When Joseph Caulker was a freshman at Otter-
bein, he kept a journal. Imagine how different
the land and climate were here than in his na-
tive Sierra Leone as you read these words.
“Many a thought hurries through my mind as I
behold nature, from the deathlike look of the
wintery desolation when the robin ceases its
chirping and the martin vacates its abode in the
eaves of the houses, change into the life-inspir-
ing beauties of balmy spring.
My mind wanders far into that sultry land where
the sun lavishes his energy and the palm trees
everywhere majestically wave their evergreen
branches under the azure canopy.
At this window, I often times have wandered
in imagination among the distant worlds; have
watched the clouds gather and vanish; have
seen students pass by; have seen and heard the
milk man’s bell as he goes by with his nourishing
liquid. Day by day this recurring picture greets
my eyes.”

5. Map Activity
As you may have gathered from reading the stories in this newsletter, people in Westerville have ties to
places in other parts of the country, and even the world. After reading the stories, match up the numbered
locations on the two maps with the corresponding event.
1
A. Where Charolette Alexander was from originally
B Where Joseph Caulker was from originally
C. Battle of Little Bighorn location, where General George
Custer fought
D. Where Dacia Shoemaker Custer moved after she got
married
E. Where Thomas Alexander’s family landed on the
Mayflower
F. Where everyone eventually ended up
2
3
4
5
6
1. _____
2. _____
3. _____
4. _____
5. _____
6. _____
Africa
5