Coshocton County Ohio villages

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CHILI

Phillip Fansler(1761-1833) of Lancaster Pa, fought in the War of 1812. In 1816, upon coming to Ohio, he settled in Crawford Twp. His two sons laid out the town of Chili.
In 1829, Philip and his wife Mary Magdalena(1770-1842) donated 2 acres for a log church built about 1832. During 137 years of church operation, it was rebuilt, enlarged, and its name changed from the English Lutheran Church to Mt. Zion Lutheran Church. Before it was demolished it also served as the Chili Grange.
Fansler's daughter Catherine(1785-1850) married Jacob Miser(1784-1854) one of many Pennsylvania Germans, who settled the area. At one time they owned land from Chili to Pearl.
Near the site of the church, a school was erected in 1883. Between the school and the church was Miser's Grove, the site of the annual Chili picnic.
Outstanding citizens from Crawford Township include George Washington Crile and William Edgar Lower, who co-founded the nationally acclaimed Cleveland Clinic.

References:Meisser Family Genealogy 1966 and CCGS Crawford Twp. Cemetery Book 2001
Contributed by a former resident