NAMES Samuel Benington Robert McNoun Mary Burns John Burns Andrew Frazier Elenor Frazier May Shaw

Born 1768 1781 1772 1763 1776 1779 1794

Died 1845 1847 1847 1850 1823 1843 1837

Age 77 66 75 87 47 64 43

Whole number of interments in the grounds, 115. In 1831, the Associate Reformed branch of the church built a house near the limits of Russellville, on the east side of the town, and a part of the grounds on which they built their church was set apart as a cemetery. A. list of those born prior to 1800 who lie buried here is as follows: JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - 615

NAMES	BORN	DIED	AGED	NAMES	BORN	DIED	AGED
James B. Moore William Evans John Smith Sarah Smith Robert Moore Rhoda Pearson Isaac Bostwick May Calahan S. W. Calahan Henry Ryner Russell Shaw James McMillan Thomas Butt Thomas Shreve Nancy McElfresh Basil McElfresh Caleb Shreves	1800 1787 1766 1779 1789 1778 1787 1790 1792 1797 1781 1789 1795 1785 1784 1771 1754	1888 1873 1840 1855 1833 1835 1855 1863 1860 1853 1864 1850 1851 1854 1850 1847 1817	68 86 74 76 44 57 68 73 68 56 83 61 56 69 66 76 63	Matilda Moore George Baird Jane Baird John C. Henry Sarah Baird Samuel A. Butt David Kendle Theodosia Kendle John Clark Elizabeth Bower Robert Bower Sarah Bower John Stephenson Sarah Stephenson May Fuller William Johnson May Johnson	1800 1776 1770 1794 1797 1790 1786 1794 1790 1798 1781 1788 1787 1784 1789 1796 1785	1833 1838 1820 1854 1873 1870 1858 1875 1870 1868 1862 1856 1866 1833 1861 1871 1871	33 67 50 60 76 80 72 81 80 70 81 68 79 49 72 75 86

NOTE.—The number of interments in the grounds, as near as can be ascertained, is 295. Linwood Cemetery is located one mile east of Russellville, on the Winchester pike, and was surveyed in the spring of 1861. It contains five acres, and was purchased by the township Trustees under an act of the Legislature, authorizing Township Trustees to levy a tax for the purchase and inclosing of a cemetery. The ground was bought of the heirs of Jacob Schwallie for $475. They are inclosed by a beautiful osage orange hedge, and for adaptability and beauty of location are not surpassed by any cemetery grounds in Southern Ohio. This cemetery, besides all others in the township, is under the care of George K Sidwell, Trustee of Cemeteries, under whose efficient management it is beautifully and neatly kept. The first interment in this township was that of the remains of John A. Kendle, youngest son of Leroy J, and Mary J. Kendle, who was removed from the society of tender and loving parents and a large circle of acquaintances on the morning of his life. SCHOOLS. The means provided for the education of the children of the pioneer settlers were very scant and limited, and the first houses used for school purposes were cabins that chanced to be without a dweller. In these houses, homemade chairs and benches made from poles constituted the seats. The first houses, built for the special purpose of school were rude structures of logs, built on a very unpretentious plan. One end of the house was generally occupied by the fire-place, finished inside with slab seats and puncheon floors, with clapboard roof, held in place by weight-poles. The books in use were Webster's Speller, American Preceptor, Murray's and Kirkham's Grammar, Olney's Atlas and Geography. As the population increased in numbers and wealth, the desire for better houses began to develop, the different districts assumed a more desirable shape, and good frame houses took the place of the pioneer log schoolhouse. The wages paid to pioneer teachers were from $10 to $15 per month. The early teachers were Anderson, Vail, Fancher, Cooper, Brown, Spencer, Wilson, Robe, Peacock, McKnight, O'Hara and many others. The present status of Jefferson Township in respect to common schools is not excelled by any of the surrounding townships. The township is divided into five school districts, besides Russellville, which forms an independent district. In each of the districts is a good and comfortable frame house, furnished with seats of modern manufacture, heated with coal, and well ventilated and furnished with desks, maps and blackboards. The attendance is from twenty-eight to fifty scholars. In each district, a term of from six to eight months is taught. 616 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. The books in use are McGuffey's Readers, Ray's Arithmetic and Algebra Holbrook and Harvey's Grammar, Eclectic Geographies, McGuffy's Speller and Barnes' United States History. The teachers receive from $28 to $37 per month for winter terms, and $18 to $28 for spring school. In 1854, the town of Russellville was incorporated. and within its limits is embraced one square mile of territory. In 1855, a two-story brick school building was erected, divided into three departments—Primary, Intermediate and High. The Primary Department is composed of pupils from six to twelve years of age, the Intermediate from twelve to fifteen and the High above the latter age. In the Primary School is taught the alphabet, the first principles of spelling, mental arithmetic, writing and reading to McGuffy's Third Reader. In the Intermediate School, arithmetic, geography, grammar and writing. In the Higher Department, arithmetic, descriptive geography, higher arithmetic, algebra, grammar, physical geography, mathematical geography, United States History, geometry and physiology. There are in this district about 185 pupils. The average wages paid are: In the Primary Department, $26 per month: in the Intermediate, $40, and the Superintendent, $55 per month. WAR RECORD. That the men of Jefferson Township bore an honorable part in the great struggle with secession, during the four long, eventful years from 1861 to 1865, and performed deeds of loyalty and heroism, the hotly contested fields of Cheat Mountain, Green Brier, Chickamauga, Stone River, Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge and many others bear ample evidence. Among those who slumber in unknown and unmarked graves beside the still waters of the South, lie a number of the sons of Jefferson Township, there to await the reveille of the heroic, when time shall be no more. But the memory of their heroic acts will be cherished in the hearts of a grateful people, who to the latest generation will call them blessed. We give herewith a list of those who entered the service of their country from Jefferson Township, and were honorably discharged by death or expiration of time of enlistment: Fourth Ohio Independent Cavalry—Martin Hayes, J. N. Cox, Ferris Strait, S. D. Porter, Alfred Glaze, Hugh Evans, Harvey Evans, Peter Mitchell, Leonidas Bayne, John Bayne, George Bayne, Newton Long, Alfred William son, Ellis Kennett, Albert Lewis, Joseph Henderson, Edward Credit, Sanford Williams, Lewis Williams, Samuel Edwards, Albert Williamson, Hiram Kendle, Stephen Bohrer, Porter McKee. Ohio Cavalry—William Ellis, Josiah Edwards, James Shaw, Byers Hughey, Francis Metz, Elymer Drake, William Tucker, Basile Glaze, G. H. Davidson, John L. Davidson, Russell McMannis, Thomas McElfresh, Caleb McElfresh, A. G. Shaw. Thirty-fourth Ohio Infantry-Elymer Shaw, William Wills, John Wills, George Crest, William Lewis. Fifth Virginia Infantry—S. A. Collins, E. P. Wilkins, J, T. Williams, J. A. Collins, W. P. Williams. Fifty-ninth Ohio Infantry—J. W Shinn, William Triplet, Samuel Wills, William Culter, Cephas Davis, William McGlaughlin, W. A. Work. Seventieth Ohio Infantry—Robert Baird, Lewis Baird, Abraham Evans, Samuel Blair, Baker Woods, James Sidwell, Wilson Sidwell, Alex Sowards, John Ramey, Louis Love, A. S. Coale, N. W. Williams, James Dixon, Joseph Cox. First Ohio Artillery—John Stephens, Matthew Harrington. Thirty-ninth Ohio Infantry—John Sidwell. Regiment unknown—J. C. Preston, William Moore, Jacob Cooke, Alex Leggett, James Porter, Samuel Day, Frank Fowler, Robert Moffett. JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - 619 Fiftieth Ohio Infantry—Nathan Dnnn. Eighty-ninth Ohio Infantry—Frank Pittser, Tailor Evans, Anderson Harris, Alfred Kendle, Isom Hatfield, James Edwards, Jr., George Metz, Warren Work, George H. Culler, Jefferson Thomson, Lee Evans, Joseph Wright, Nathan Ellis. Fifty-ninth Ohio Infantry—Samuel McElhanie, William Jacobs, L. D. Fowler; George P. Tyler, Johnson Jacobs. Seventh Ohio Cavalry—John Brown, John Rankin, Jeremiah Ellis, James Blair, John Parry, Amos Willliams, John Baird, Charles Hook, Samuel Metz, Robert Work. Tenth Kentucky Cavalry-Hiram Tyler, Oliver Carr, William L. Johnson, Amos McKinley, George Howland. One Hundred and Ninety-fifth Ohio Infantry—John D. Seip, Wilson W. Young, John B. Porter. SOCIETIES. Russell Lodge, No. 573, I. O. O. F., was chartered May 16, 1874, and instituted June 20, 1874. It is an active lodge and has done a large amount of work since its organization. It now has a good amount of funds on hand, and is in a thriving condition. Its charter members were John Williamson, George P. Tyler, William Brady, Amos McKinley, L. H. Williams, Charles Kancher, George L. Johnson, Amos Myers, A. W. Williamson, Albert Conn, G. C. Risinger, McShaw Hiram Tyler, A. M. Williamson and James Johnson. The present membership is thirty-eight. The present officers: N. G,, T. Prine; V. G., S. C. Glaze; Secretary, James Johnson; Treasurer, Amos McKinley. Russellville Lodge, No. 166, A., F. & A. M., was chartered on the 27th day of September, 1848, and, with the exception of a short time during the war of the rebellion, it has always been in a prosperous condition. It has had a representation at every communication of the Grand body of the State since receiving its charter. The charter members were P. L. Wilson, Lambert Now- land, Louis Fridley, Wilshire Womax, Reason Fowler, Charles McClain, J. J. Green, William McColgin and others. Its present officers are: A. M. Williamson, W. M.; S. A. Myers, S. W.; C. B. Evans, J. W.; W. P. Williams, Secretary; Johnson Miller, Treasurer; T. N. Salisbury, S. D. ; James Johnson, J. D. ; W. Ball, Tiler. Magnolia Lodge, No. 96, Knights of Pythias, was chartered May 24, 1876, and instituted the 7th day of June following. In the early days of this organization, it did a fair amount of work, but not so much of late. Its charter members were F. M. Woods, W. W. Ellsberry, Amos McKinley, George P. Tyler, James Johnson, L. H. Williams, J. K. McGregor, L. J. Evans, Johnson Miller, J. B. Clifton, John McGregor, William Brady, Samuel Pilson, Thomas Woods, L. C. Troutman, J. W. F. Melvin, J. W. Day, Jacob Schwallie, C. D. Thompson, J. J. Lewis and Lee Kendle. The officers at present are: C. C., Henry Williamson; V. G., A. B. Woods; Prelate, R. O. Evans; M. A., George P. Tyler; K. of R. and Seals, A. M. Williamson; Inside Guard, Wilson Prine. THE FIRST FAIR. The first fair in Brown County was held in Russellville in October, 1852, on a small lot adjoining the lot on which the Disciple Church now stands. The officers were: Alex Campbell, President; John Glaze, Secretary; Samuel Glaze, Treasurer. The Board of Directors were: John Williamson, of Jefferson Township; George Snedaker, of Union Township; Samuel Kerr, of Byrd Township; Absalom King, of Pleasant Township. The ring in which the stock was exhibited was made by encircling a small piece of ground with a 620 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. strong rope, which was made fast to stakes driven deep into the ground. The display of vegetables, machinery and mechanical manufactures, etc., was made in the Presbyterian Church, which stood adjacent to the grounds in which the stock was shown. The premiums paid were small, but they acted as a strong incentive to the people to make the fair a success. The next. fair was held at Russellville, in October, 1853, in the lot now occupied by the steam flouring mills. This was the last Russellville fair. Since that time, they have been held at Georgetown. RUSSELLVILLE. The first and only town of Jefferson Township is Russellville. It was platted in 1817 by Russell Shaw, and named for him. It is situated on the southeast corner of a tract of land containing 200 acres, which he bought in 1816; it was then an unbroken forest, without a trace of civilization, except that a road passed near by in the direction of Ripley. The first sale of lots was in the autumn of 1817; the number sold was thirty-two, which brought the sum of $840. The first lot sold was purchased by Seth Gardner. The first house in the place was built by the founder of the town on Lot No. 29, and is yet standing. It is now occupied by and belongs to John D. Seip. A short distance to the north of the town, Mr. Shaw built a dwelling-house for himself, where he quietly lived and tilled his farm; he also was a blacksmith, having learned the trade in New York, and he worked at his trade here. The first people here were obliged to go to Maysville, Ky., to do their trading, but about 1834, Mr. Shaw opened a small store at Russellville. He resigned his hammer and anvil to his son Anthony, and devoted himself exclusively to merchandising. He received his youngest son, G. N., as a partner in business, and in a few years financial disaster overtook the firm, and they retired from business. Succeeding merchants have been Seth Gardner, Porter Tomb, Thomas Culter, James Culter, William Smith, Eli Collins, Silas Thomas Nolance and Devore, Caleb Shreves, Kerr, Fowler, Tweed & Kirker, T. Mitchell, Womax McKnight and Prine, Henry Prine, John Seip, Hedrick, Richard Conn, Robert Conn, Conn & Mooney, C. C. Ball, Conn, Mingua & Co., Seip & Moore and others. Those now in business are T. H. Davis and Seip & Williamson. A few of the blacksmiths who succeeded Mr. Shaw and his son Anthony were William Stephens, Franklin Pittser, Mowrer Bros., Wykoff, Wills, Tyler, Dawley, Jones, Johnson, Ewick & McKinley. The first tanner was Hill D. Stayton. He was succeeded by William Jones, Edwards, Brown, Kendle and others. There is no tannery in the village now. Early shoe-makers were Ma- thers, Menaugh, Wilson, McNown, Lucas, Gardner, Brown, Prine, Hatfield Edwards and Johnson. Among the early harness-makers were Fisher & Lane, succeeded by Snider, James Culter, Crute Bros., McMahon, Allen Culter and W. P. Williams. In 1835, Michael Benner came to Russellville from Pennsylvania, and commenced the manufacture of hats. He worked with considerable success at the business for a number of years, then purchased a farm in the southern part of the township, to which he moved and gave his attention to agricultural pursuits. Mr. Benner was a good mechanic, and it has been said of him that when a man bought one hat of him he never needed another. The first hotel was kept by Calvin Shaw; the second by Seth Gardner. These proprretors were followed by Henry Prine from the time of the opening up of business in Ripley down to about 1848. The business of hotel-keeping in Russellville returned fair profits. All the wheat that was raised for fifteen or twenty miles north of Russellville, and sometimes farther, was wagoned to Ripley to find a market, and the pork also was driven to that town to be packed JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - 621 preparatory to shipment to foreign markets. Russellville was located midway between the producing section and the place of market, and a profitable hotel business was long maintained here. The hotels kept in late years were by Main, Conn and the present one by John Williamson. The pioneer physicians were Hersy, Beasly, Sharp, Mathers, Lilly and Orr, succeeded by John Thompson, Stevenson, Shepherd, Thompson and Hayes. The present physicians are J. N. Salisbury and A M. Williamson. The first account we have of wagon-making was by James Curran, who came from Pennsylvania at an early day, settled in Russellville and engaged in the above business. He spoke the Hiberian dialect, and was somewhat eccentric in his ways and manners, yet a good mechanic. To him may be assigned the honor of making the first pleasure wagon or carriage in this part of the country. He worked here until 1854, when he sold his property and went to one of the Western States. In the early days of Russellville, a large amount of coopering was carried on, there being then a large amount of the finest oak timber hereabouts. It was manufactured into flour barrels, pork barrels, lard tierces, whisky barrels, etc., which found a ready market in Ripley. The first school building in Russellville was a Small,. round-log cabin, built on Lot No. 31, now owned by the heirs of C. A. Ewick; the floor was built of puncheons, the seats of small timber, split in two pieces, smoothed, and with large pins for legs. The windows were of oiled paper; the chimney was built of small sticks plastered with clay, which was held together by straw cut in short pieces. The exact date of the establishment of the post office at Russellville is not known, but it is thought to have been between 1825 and 1828. Alfred Beasly was the first Postmaster; his successors have been Robert Tomb, Thomas Mefford, Caleb Shreves, and J. N. Salisbury, the present incumbent. In 1866, a post office called Red Oak was established in the extreme southern part of the township. The first Postmaster was Mr. Warwick; he was followed by Messrs. Miller, McKnight and the present Postmaster, Mr. Hook. A dry goods store, blacksmith shop and wagon shop comprise the business of the place. In closing this sketch, we desire to tender our especial thanks to Mrs. Rhoda Collins, John Menaugh, Alexander Wilson, Mrs. Lavina Shaw, John Williamson, J. N. Salisbury and many others for much information received. 622 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. CHAPTER XI. SCOTT TOWNSHIP. BY R. B. M'CALL, M. D. THE first comers to a new country for certain reasons choose the fertile regions bordering water-courses as the most fitting for settlement. Here in abundance they find that most indispensable article of household and farm consumption-pure running water; animals of the neighboring forest which congregate here to slake their thirst, the game destined to recruit the table with meats; and to these may be added the hope or belief that others may likewise be attracted to the same spot. In the White Oak Valley, the hardy pioneer found much to be desired by the settler—a wealth of timber for fuel and building, a forest overflowing with choice game of nearly every mention able species, a fine, large stream of water teeming with innumerable fish, and promising excellent facilities for future usefulness, and a climate that has ever been esteemed for its healthfulness. All these he received in his deed of purchase by paying a trifling sum for the land. Hardships and perils were encountered, many of them, indeed, for they were inseparable from the lot of the venturesome pioneer. He endured much, suffered much, may be, yet his insecure, wild life had a kind of fascination in it, sweetened, we may conjecture, by the inspiring thought that he is laying the foundation to a state of future greatness for posterity. The Indian must have been friendly; the four-footed denizen of the forest harmless or unsuccessful in quest of prey, as there is recorded no mention of savage butchery or blood-curdling tragedy enacted in the darksome depths of the forest.. He levied without let or hindrance his contributions on forest and stream; his bill of fare, consisting of fowl, fish and fruit, was something truly wonderful, calculated by its plentifulness, freshness and variety to kindle the liveliest emotions in the bosom of an epicure. Bountiful nature with lavish liberality scattered her gifts on every hand; game was had at the dooryard, wild fruits of various kinds and in wasteful profusion were convenient of access, and had without price for the trouble of gathering. Honey and maple sugar, obtained with little labor, supplied his table the year round with the most delicious of sweets, for the bee tree was an institution of the country, and royal camps of sugar tree and maple were early put into successful operation. No elaborate contrivance was needed to ensnare the finny treasures of White Oak. His dwelling place was a cabin of unhewn logs, a single room doing duty as kitchen, dining room and sleeping apartment; a few logs properly placed and joined together, a roof of clapboards, kept in place by long poles, a chimney of mud and sticks, a broad, deep fire-place, in some instances capable of taking in a good sized saw log, and a puncheon floor, such was his castle rude and simple. Something to wear, plenty to eat, the prospective treasures of an uncultivated soil, robust health, a resolute will and an unswerving determination to do, these were his stock in trade. The fur cap, buckskin garments, Indian moccasins and trusty flint- lock were a ne plus ultra to frontier life. Wife and daughters required the expensive services of no modiste to adorn their persons with the latest styles in fashion and fabric, one, or at most two, plainly made frocks fulfilling every need, and for the rest they were con- SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 623 tent with nature's unlabored embellishments. No imposing church edifices were there, no humble meeting-house where he might go " to hear the parson preach and pray," but then there were around him "God's first temples," where, kneeling on a carpet of green and drinking in the sweet music of birds, he performed his simple devotions. Every cabin was a schoolhouse, and children were almost universally taught to read, write and cast up accounts, and the specimens of proficiency in these branches that have escaped the hand of time conclusively attest the correctness and efficiency of early methods of instruction. The hospitality and benevolence are proverbial; every man was his neighbor; no one went hungry from his door; he had a Spartan's inflexibility of purpose, and a Roman's devotion to honor; he was truth and candor embodied; his comforts were divided, his opinions shared and his sorrows confided. The earliest settlements within the present limits of Scott Township were for the most part by adventurers from Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Vermont. Little more than a decade had elapsed since the close of the War of Independence when the army of emigration from the Atlantic States and from Kentucky took up its devious march through the trackless wilderness to the remote Northwestern Territory. The column reached and halted on the banks of White Oak Creek in the spring of 1800. In this year, Robert Wardlow purchased and settled on a tract of about three hundred acres in William Moore's Survey, No. 1,053, on the east bank of White Oak, in the extreme northern part of the township. The following year, Col. Henry Zumatt moved on a smaller piece of land located in J. Burton's Survey, No. 1,213, in the central part of the township; and two years later, that is to say in 1803, Lewis Shick bought and took possession of a considerable tract in the southern quarter. To Robert Wardlow, Henry Zumatt and Lewis Shick belongs the distinction of the traditional founders of the early settlements on White Oak. From some old correspondence in the bands of Henry Kimball, it is learned that prior to 1800 Mr. Wardlow resided near Rockridge, Va. He must have been esteemed a man of consequence and possessed of much pecuniary means, as is witnessed by a letter from Charles Campbell, attorney of Rockbridge, Va., dated August, 1804, and addressed to Mr. Wardlow, which, after referring to some matters of a business character, alludes to many messages of affectionate . inquiry and interest. At his decease, Mr. Wardlow left quite a numerous family of children, four of whom survive their father. Henry and Levi and another (name unknown to the writer) are living. Col. Henry Zumatt was born in Harrison County, Ky., in 1771. His early life was passed in hunting and Indian fighting in the savage wilds of his native State. Having negotiated the purchase of a fine body of land on White Oak, in John Burton's sectional survey, as already noticed, he with his family crossed the Ohio River, and after a tedious journey of several days' duration reached his destination in the spring of 1801. Zumatt pitched his tent on the east bank of the creek at a point a mile south of New Hope. The land bought by Zumatt for $2 an acre, and now owned by Henry Kimball, a son of his widowed wife by a subsequent marriage, is considered one of the most valuable farms in Brown County. In 1808, a grist-mill, which stood on the site of Henry Young's flouring mill, was erected by Zumatt, and this was the first of any kind in the township, if not in the county. Up to this time, the settler took his grist of corn to Levanna, a small town on the Ohio River, and if he wished to procure flour, had to cross the river, as none could be had nearer than Augusta, Ky. Zumatt was commissioned a Colonel of militia at the outbreak of the war of 1812, and 624 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. served with distinction at the head of the Fourth Detachment of Ohio troops. He died in 1814 in the prime of useful life, his untimely end deplored as little less than a calamity. Of Louis Shick not much can be said beyond the fact that he emigrated from Virginia and settled in the township on the land now owned by Jackson Pitzer. As nearly as may be ascertained, he came to Ohio in the year 1803. A few years later in the wake of Wardlow and Zumatt, came the Myers family, consisting of Francis Meyers and wife and three sons—Thomas, Francis, Jr., and William, then Joshua Davidson, Benjamin and Nicholas Smith, James McCall, the McBeth brothers—John and Robert—John Stansberry, John Pitzer, Jacob Fite, Jonathan Atwood and James Morris. Three families, namely, Zumatt, the Myers and McBeth, purchased the whole of John Button's Survey, No. 1,213, of 1,333 acres, Zumatt taking in the southeast, the Myers in the southwest, and the McBeths in the north. O. F. Dunn and John Samms own the Myers purchase; Henry Young, James J. Smith, Henry Wardlow and Jefferson Fite, the McBeth. Francis Myers took possession of his purchase in the spring of 1804. In a few years he divided his farm equally among his three sons, Thomas and Francis, Jr., subsequently acquiring the whole by buying the other brother's share. Mr. Myers was a Kentuckian, of whose life little more is known than that he was a good neighbor, and lived to the remarkable age of 105 years. Thomas married, and began life on the farm of his inheritance. A few years of farming sufficing to give him a distaste for agricultural pursuits, he converted his ready means into cash, abandoned his home to a tenant, and removed to Levanna to begin the career of a very successful merchant. Becoming with small returns, after one year in Levanna he removed to Augusta, Ky., where in less than a quarter of a century he had built up a fortune of a quarter of a million dollars. Mr. Myers was married to Betsey Davidson, a daughter of Joshua Davidson, who, bore him several sons and daughters, and made him a most exemplary wife. An old neighbor of Mr. Myers tells of that gentleman that his first venture as a merchant was a little affair kept in his cabin on the farm. Two shelves supported by pegs driven in the wall behind the only door, a bolt of jeans and a few simple articles beside, this was the first store. Mr. Myers had a business motto, and it ran thus: " Take care of the cents, and let the dollars take care of themselves." Francis remained a farmer, took an active and intelligent interest in the concerns of the little community wherein he dwelt, was prominent in the local politics of the township, and was elected its first Clerk, and subsequently twice chosen a Justice of the Peace. His amusing whimsicalities, droll ways and quaint sayings are remembered with immense satisfaction by his early acquaintances. He died in 1860, and was interred in the family burying ground on the farm. The year that witnessed the commencement of the Myers settlement, brought the McBeth brothers, John and Robert, in their hands a deed of gift from their father for 800 acres of land. They became the largest land-holders in the township, owning more than half of John Burton's large survey of more than 1,300 acres. Robert built on the land where Henry Young lives, and John built a cabin near where James J. Smith resides. In the following year, 1805, Lieut. Joshua Davidson and James McCall erected cabins on the west bank of White Oak, the former in John Brown's Survey, No. 1,795, at a point a little south of Zumatt's place of settlement, and the latter in Lewis Booker's Survey, in the southern quarter of the township. Henry Pickering lives where Davidson's cabin stood seventy-seven years ago. Lieut. Davidson had been an officer in the patriot army, serving through the seven years' struggle for American independence. He crossed the frozen Trenton with bleeding feet, starved with his SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 625 beloved commander at Valley Forge, helped to make it hot for the red coats at Brandywine, and triumphed with Lafayette at Yorktown, where he had the satisfaction of seeing Cornwallis transformed into Cobwallis. He was with the hero of Stony Point, in his Indian campaigns, and one night in an altercation concerning some prisoners he was guarding, he raised a musket he had snatched from a soldier to shoot Wayne, who was approaching him with drawn sword. He was the father of nine children—John, Joseph, William, Joshua, Ruth, Mary, Ellen, Betsey and Nancy. Mary was married to Lot Stratton, Ellen to John Birngammon, Betsey to Thomas Myers and Nancy to More Ralstin. The children are all dead. Until his death, which took place in 1844, at the age of ninety years, any mention of the grand struggle through which he had passed would rekindle the martial fire in the old man's breast. John McCall and Samuel McCall own and live on the land which their grandfather purchased in 1805. James McCall was an Irishman, whose parents came over to the colonies while the war of the Revolution was in progress. His father hated the British with religious fervor born of English persecution of the Irish; therefore, the vessel that bore him across the Atlantic had no sooner embarked its living freight than he sought his son and urged him to enlist in the cause of liberty. James enlisted, taking the bounty of $1, and served three years in the privateer navy of the infant Republic. After the expiration of the war, he settled in Pennsylvania, his father having purchased a farm of several hundred acres in that State. In 1785, he married Jane Ramsey, by whom he had six children—Margaret, John, Robert, James, Nancy and Samuel. None of the family save James emigrated to the Western country. A younger brother of his was the father the late Gen. George A. McCall, of Pennsylvania, who was a prominent Division Commander in the late war of the rebellion. Only James, John and Robert of all his family settled on White Oak. In 1816, Robert was married to Phoebe Kimball, the issue of which union was James, Albert, Mary, Samuel, John, Jane and Benjamin, of whom only James, Albert, John and Samuel are living. All that is remembered of Mr. Morris is that he built a cabin somewhere on the land now owned by David Brannen; that he had occasion once to clear off ten acres of land and did so by felling all the timber so as to cross and interlace, and then set fire to the whole, making a magnificent bonfire. The Pitzer family settled in the western part of the township as early perhaps as 1805. John Pitzer was the patriarchal head of the family. To the writer's knowledge, only four children survive—Joseph, Matilda, John and Jackson, of a family of ten, namely, Eliza, Rebecca, Delilah, Matilda, Nancy, Martha, Joseph, John, Henry and Jackson. Joseph, John and Jackson are prosperous farmers, and have lived all their lives in Scott Township, where they were born. Benjamin Kimball and family departed from Hopkinton, N. H., in 1801, with Wheeling,Va., as the objective point of their journey, where they arrived three months later. Subsequently he moved to Ohio, and, at the opening of the late war with Great Britain, joined a regiment of Ohio troops, and served till the treaty of Ghent put an end to the struggle. In 1816, he married the widow of Col. Zumatt, deceased, who bore him one child, Henry Kimball. Of the fruit of his first marriage, only Timothy and Hazen are known to be living. Jacob Fite, the founder of the numerous family of that name, came to Ohio and settled in the western quarter of the township somewhere in the first decade after 1800. He chose a tract of land nn the survey of D. Lambert, No. 2421. William and Charles, the two surviving descendants of Jacob Fite, have not wandered from the home of their father's adoption. All who know them respect their industry, honesty and temperate habits. 626 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. John Stansberry moved to White Oak about the time that the Myers and the McBeths did. He located in the eastern part of the township on an extensive tract of fine land, where he went resolutely to work to conquer, single-handed, the hardships that beset the path of the settler. In a few years, he had cleared off a good deal of land, established a fine sugar orchard and camp, and put things generally in good shape. When hostilities between Great Britain and the United States began in 1812, he volunteered in defense of his country's flag. He and John McCall and perhaps others from the same settlement were handed over to Gen. Brock in Hull's remarkable surrender at Detroit. Mr. Stansberry married early in life a very estimable lady. He died a few years since at an advanced age, having passed the allotted threescore and ten, and earned by a worthy life the commendation of "well done, good and faithful servant." Samuel Gibson emigrated to Ohio, and settled on White Oak in the year 1814. Mr. Gibson reared a family of ten children—Andrew, Margaret, Jennie, William, Samuel, Sara, Robert, James, Agnes and Hugh. Hugh Gibson, the only living representative of the family, resides in New Hope. Andrew Gibson, recently deceased, who was the eldest son, was the father of several children. A daughter of his, Mrs. Martha Gibson Davy, was married to John R. Davy, a wealthy business man of Cincrnnati. The youngest daughter, Drusilla, married Joseph L. Clemens; Margaret was married to Joseph Scott; Betsey to John Thompson, and Nancy twice, the last time to William Stratton, all of whom reside in New Hope or neighborhood. Among the settlers who came after 1820 were James J. Smith, Henry Young and William Stratton. William Stratton was born in Pennsylvania, and came to the settlement on White Oak about the year 1820. Soon after locating a farm in the western half of J. Brown's Survey, No. 3261, behind the west bank of the creek, he was offered employment on the canal, where he went and died. He left a family of eleven children—Lot, Aaron, Christopher, John, Sandford, Bonde, Lavina, Nancie, Susie and America. Perhaps the only survivors of this large family are Lavina Holten and America Wisbey. Lot Stratton married Mary Davidson, and settled near the ancestral roof-tree. This union, like that of his father, was a prolific one, there being born ten children, who are all dead, except Marion and Nancy. Napoleon, a deceased son, was for many years a prominent and successful educator. James J. Smith and Henry Young came to White Oak in 1835. Mr. Smith bought a part of the old McBeth purchase, and erected a dwelling east of New Hope, just in the outskirts of the village. Here he has lived for forty-seven years. Mr. Smith has filled offices of trust and profit, both in the township and county. He is now eighty years of age, has good health, and may live many years to come. Like Mr. Smith, Henry Young settled on a part of the McBeth purchase. He has owned and operated for many years a flouring and grist mill on the site of the one built by Col. Zumatt. He has served the township and county in various official capacities. He has but one child living—Matilda, wife of James McKinly, and two sons and one daughter deceased—Robert, Richard and Lucinda. Mr. Young is over eighty years of age, is hale, and looks as if he might live a score of years yet. Any sketch of the early settlements along White Oak would be incomplete without a mention of George Bingamon, James Boothby and Mr. Wills. George Bingamon bought and settled on the west bank of White Oak in the northern part of L. Booker's Survey, No. 901, at a point opposite the McCall purchase, on the east bank, about the year 1812. By energy and pru- SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 629 dent management, Mr. Bingamon succeeded in accumulating quite a competency before his death, which took place some eighteen years since. Several sons blessed Mr. Bingamon's happy wedlock—Solomon, Lewis, Harrison, Sanford, Richard and A. J. Bingamon. James Boothby bought in the southwestern quarter of J. Kerr's Survey, No. 6702, and Mr. Wills, the father of Howe, located in the western part of the same survey, probably as early as 1808. Such is a brief and imperfect resume of the facts in the history of the early settlement of Scott Township. One by one the old settlers dropped off, until two years ago the last of that venerable band closed his eyes on the fleeting scenes of the world. The chronological course of our summarized narrative now brings us down to the date of the organization of the township. In 1828, detached parts of Clark and Franklin, two original townships, were united into one whole, and the new corporation called Scott Township. Scott is the smallest township but one in the county, comprising an area of twenty-one and one-eighth square miles, or 13,520 acres, valued in 1881 by the Board of Equalization at $208,752, or about $15.43 per acre. But what is lacking on the one hand in extent of territory is made up on the other in importance and advantage of location; for although not exactly in the center of the county, it may be said to be the most nearly central, as it has five other townships adjoining it, namely, Pike, Washington, Franklin, Pleasant and Clark, while extent, value and variety of productions, internal improvements, political strength and influence are about equally distributed on the four points of the compass Scott Township is bounded on the north by Pike and Washington, on the east by Washington and Franklin, on the south by Pleasant and Franklin and on the west by Clark, and has an outline of twenty miles in length, made up on the south and west by two straight lines at right-angles, and on the north and east by a succession of short lines and angles forming one broken and extended boundary line. The general surface is undulating, broken here and there by ravine and vale, and traversed by a multitude of streams, principal among which are White Oak, Sterling and Miranda Creeks. White Oak is much the largest, and is the outlet of all the others; it flows from north to south the entire length of the township, being joined successively by Sterling and Miranda. Sterling and Miranda come in from the west and join White Oak, the former a quarter of a mile west of New Hope, and the latter north of the village of White Oak Valley. Along White Oak, and extending for perhaps half a mile back on either side to the higher or table land, is a belt of alluvial lands called bottoms, whose unvarying level is interrupted only by the small channels of tributary streams. Before the timber was stripped off, these bottoms were frequently inundated by the annual spring freshets, and received rich deposits of sediment from the receding waters. Though in the recollection of the oldest citizen they have been overflowed but once since the removal of the timber, yet their productiveness remains apparently undiminished. In the table-lands behind the bottoms a distinctive limestone clay, relieved in many places by strips of sandy loam along the smaller water-courses, is the prevailing character of the soil. No mineral wealth has been found, notwithstanding there have not been wanting enthusiastic visionaries who have diligently sought to find treasures of gold and silver, which they firmly believed to be hidden somewhere in the foundations of the hills. The economical and commercial importance of the timber of the White Oak region merits for it a particular mention. White Oak, from which the country derives its baptismal name, and beech predominate largely. Extensive bodies of white oak are met on every hand, notwithstanding the destructive warfare waged for forty years by the woodman's ax. A stranger would find it hard to believe the considerable growth still to be 630 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. seen is little more than a trace of the vast luxuriance of forty years ago. White oak has been the farmer's well nigh exclusive resource for material to build his fences, for boards and cooper stuff and for building material. Poplar was once plentiful, but at present barely one of those royal looking giants of the forests is left to greet us. Beech has always been abundant and valuable to the farmer, and in the future will be an object of solicitous care so long as he shall require wood for fuel. Black and white walnut, ash, elm, hickory, linn and sycamore are indigenous. Formerly, there was much black walnut grow- ing both on the bottoms and upland; the trees were of the largest dimensions, affording a very fine quality of lumber, but recently large quantities have been cut off and sold, yielding handsome returns. There used to be much sugar tree and maple, and sugar orchards and camps were a legion, but the enterprising exactions of the farmer in his quest for rich newly-cleared lands have swept away about the last remnant of them. Hickory, with its toothsome fruit, has passed away. Slippery elm, red elm, ash, linn and wild cherry, the prunus virginiana of botany, have become scarce. The first has been much in quest for its bark, and both it and the last have been extensively used in domestic medicine. The tall sycamore that used to line both banks of White Oak, standing like giant sentinels with their leaning stems and towering tops meeting above the flood, have, too, well-nigh disappeared. Grain, grass and tobacco are abundantly produced on bottom and upland. In quality and yield of wheat, corn and hay, Scott Township will doubtless compare favorably with similar equal areas in the same industry anywhere in the State. Wheat and corn have ever been esteemed the leading products of the White Oak Valley. As has been stated, they are not now as formerly as much depended upon for revenue, or, more properly, general income, yet are largely grown, principally for local consumption. Previously wheat and corn were raised chiefly on the bottoms and second bottoms, but since underdrainage by means of tiling has been introduced, and the oak flat-lands adequately relieved of the cause of their former unproductiveness, no such superiority can be claimed. The yield of wheat per acre will vary perhaps from ten to twenty-five bushels, and that of corn from twenty-five to seventy-five bushels. Oats are raised to an inconsiderable extent; rye not at all, except for dressing. Timothy and red-top are harvested on a pretty large scale, but not to an extent that would give them any great prominence among the products of the country. Some clover is grown, chiefly for grazing and land dressing. Of the 5,023 acres of meadow and pasture land, four-fifths may be are in timothy and red-top and one-fifth in clover and all other grasses. Tobacco since 1860 has been the staple, affording the farmer a large and ever-increasing revenue. Growing and fitting for market of large droves of sheep, cattle and hogs has hitherto been the chief industrial pursuit of the landed proprietor, but is now almost abandoned in favor of tobacco culture. Samples from a crop raised on the farm of Henry Kimball, Sr., and sold to Robert Young, tobacco merchant of Higginsport, received the first award at the Centennial in 1876. The principal growers of the weed have been Henry Kimball, F. M. Stratton, John McCall, George W. Stratton, O. F. Dunn, John Samms, D. M. Brannen and Jefferson Fite. Scott Township began political life in 1828. December 28, 1828, the oath of office was administered by Martin Gatts, a Justice of the Peace to Dr. Enoch Ellsberry, James McCall and William Hilligoss, Trustees; Jacob Thomas, Treasurer; Francis Myers, Clerk; Andrew Gibson, Constable, and David M. Smith, Fence Viewer. This was the first official act performed in the name of the newly created township. The Trustees met March 2, 1829, SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 631 for the purpose of laying out and establishing road districts, which they proceeded to do with suitable official dignity and deliberation, dividing the township into seven such districts. At the same meeting, Andrew Gibson, Constable, was directed to publish by written proclamation the next annual election for township officers, to be held at the house of Daniel Holloway April 6, 1829. At a meeting held March 9, 1829, to organize the township for educational purposes, it was agreed, after much wise legislating, to authorize the formation of six school subdistricts, but it was not, however, until after the ensuing April election that the new regime was put into effective operation. According to a list in township book No. 1, dated May 3, 1829, Scott Township had 111 householders, among whose names appear the following: Abraham Forcyth, Jacob filer, William Hilligoss, Joseph Blair, Nicholas Peddicord, Daniel Vandament, Reuben Fite, Duncan McCoy, Samuel Liming, Robert McCall, Jonathan Atwood, Joseph Pitzer, John Palmer. Lot Stratton, More Ralstin, Thomas Cotterill, Robert Patton, Jacob Gatts, Samuel Gibson. Henry Gatts, James McFadden, Cyrus McGehey, George Bingamon, James Boothby, John Ross, James Allen, Abraham Remley, Hezekiah Lindsay, Abraham Smith, Nicholas Smith, Elijah Sollenberger, Benton Smith, Daniel Reynolds, Daniel Holloway, Joshua Davidson, George Courts, Thomas Young, Everett Smith, Thomas Sillman, John Stansberry, John foss, James Knight, Jacob Fox, Benjamin Kimball, Garland Anderson, John Hill, John T. Wills, Samuel McBeth, Henry Pickering, George Hendrixson, Abraham Foulk, John filer, Widow Fisher, Nancy Gotherman, John Fite, Jacob Vandament, Willis Bert, Samuel Glascock, John Whites, Catherine Stratton, James Johnson, James Brown, Francis Myers, Jr., Charles Fite, James McCoy, Andrew Gibson, Andrew G. Patton, John Barngroover, Matthew Buzby, Josiah Boothby, Alexander Hanna, John Pitzer, Daniel White, John Hening, Thomas Ross, John Fields, Rebecca Smith, Ebenezer Smith, Conley McFadden, Mary. Davidson, William Lindsey, Benjamin Smith, Toliver Roglin, John Forsythe, Thomas Forsythe, Michael Landerback, Jasper Kimball, Nancy Robbins, Parmelia Ellsberry, Enoch M. Eilsberry, Wesley Ellsberry, John Fox, William M. Patton, Joseph McDannold, Martin Gatts, Nicholas Wallace, Enoch Hendrixson, Isaac Holloway, Aaron Stites, James Gibson, William Buzby, Lewis Stratton, John Bingamon, John Day, John Courts, James McCall, Alexander Patton, Jacob Hoss, John McKibben, Jacob Thomas, David Thomas. In a statement of annual settlement made by the Trustees March, 1830, no charge for services has been made by any township officer. An exhibit of receipts and expenditures for 1831 has this quaint recital of facts: " receipts, nothing; orders drawn on the Treasurer in favor of Jacob Vandament, $4.64" following which is the stupendous showing for 1832, of nothing for receipts and a $20 promise in the shape of orders drawn on the Treasurer. We learn that in 1833 the Trustees devoted the proceeds of the sale of an estray horse, amounting to $45.50, and sold to Levi Samms, to township purposes, $36 of which was expended in the purchase of four plows for the use of Supervisors. For 1833, the receipts by the Treasurer aggregated $67.45, and the expenditures for public service amounted to $70.20. In 1835, the Treasurer's per centum was the handsome sum of 48 cents and no mills, while the compensation of Trustees was $2.25 each for two of them; and $1.50 for the other. Supervisors received from 75 cents to $1 presumably to make up losses against delinquents or for extra work. In the annual settlement for 1840, the Trustees found in the Treasurer's hands 22 cents for township purposes, and $59.29t of road funds, and gave an order for 12 1/4 cents to be paid out of those funds, and at the same time 632 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. caused John Ristine to give his bond for $1,500 as Treasurer. The subjoined statement of a settlement made with the township officers dated March -7, 1842, is added with the hope that it may be of interest to some: "Trustees, John Fiscus received for service $1.50, John Stansberry, $0, James Boothby $0; Treasurer, John Ristine, $1.50; Clerk, B. W. Whiteman, $2; Supervisors, Henry Young, $2.25; Vincent Robbins, $3.50; Jacob Hiler, $3; Amos Dawson, 75 cents; Joseph Bingamon, $1.50; Christopher Stratton, $1.35; Constable, G. W. Stayton, $1.35. Signed: B. W. Whiteman, Clerk of Scott Township." In 1845, there were between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five, ninety, and between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, forty-five, making a total enrollment fit for militia duty of 135 men, and there were, besides, twelve exemptions. The first to fill the responsible office of Justice was Martin Gatts; the first Clerk was Francis Myers; the first Treasurer, Jacob Thomas; the first Board of Trustees, Dr. Enoch Ellsberry, James McCall and William Hilligoss; the first Constable, Andrew Gibson. The Justices of the township have been: Martin Gatts, Francis Myers, Reuben Fite, Garland Anderson; Hezekiah Lindsey, James J. Smith, George Hendrixson, Lyman Vanmeter, Amos Dawson, William Espey, W. S. Wharton, B. W. Whiteman, Hyson Moler, Henry Young, G. W. Stayton, A. E. Stansberry, Walter Gooden and W. N. Parker. The office of Clerk has been filled by Francis Myers, John Ross, John Fiscus, John Dorman, John Ristine, James J. Smith, Alfred Duncamon, B. W. Whiteman, N. B. Stratton, Amos Dawson, C. P. Myers, W. D. Courts, T. S. Kimball, W. S. Wharton, John Cook, A. J. Bingamon, J. K. P. Stevens. G. W. Stayton and J. H. Smith. The township revenues have been entrusted successively to Jacob Thomas, John Ristine. John Ross, G. H. Wrestler, J. H. Thompson, R. R. Blair, William Blair, Joseph Scott, John Stansberry, Henry Young and W. A. Bivans. Among the Assessors elected for the township are found the names of James Thompson, Col. Butt, R. R. McKenzie, Thomas Moler, F. M. Patton, Christian Wahl, Peter Wahl, William Campbell. According to the best information to be had, the first elections held in the township were held in the old log mill built by Henry Zumatt, and at the time of holding them owned by John Sollenberger. Afterward a house for the purpose was rented in New Hope, and ever since elections have been held in that village. In politics, Scott takes rank among the most prominent of her sister townships. Hezekiah Lindsey, elected Auditor in 1833, and James J. Smith, his successor in office, elected in 1840, were both Scott Township men. More recently, in 1862, Dr. W. W. Ellsberry was elected Auditor, and subsequently re-elected. B. W. Whiteman and Alfred Parker were called to take charge of the Treasurer's office, the former for one and the latter for two terms. Henry Young had one term as Sheriff. Wall Applegate was Chosen, but died before the time to assume his office. Scott has had two Commissioners, James McCall and Jefferson Fite, and two Representatives in the Legislature, Dr. Enos B. Fee and Eli B. Parker. The town of New Hope and the hamlets of White Oak Valley and Wallsburg are the three villages of the township which vie with each other in friendly rivalry as centers of traffic and political wisdom. To the prudent forethought of Daniel Holloway and Lawrence Rose the New Eloper is indebted for the choice of a site at once attractive and healthy. Seventy-five years ago, Daniel Holloway, with assistance of neighbors, laid the foundation of the first house in the embryo town, an unpretentious structure of SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 633 unhewn logs, rough fashioned, of a single room, illuminated by one small window. A few years Mr. Holloway's little dwelling stood alone on the slight plateau above White Oak; then came Lawrence Rose, and another house was added; and as the years came and went others sought and found homes, clustering around the first rude cabins of Holloway and Rose. Ere long a mill was added, then a blacksmith shop, to gladden the ears of the hamlet, hungering, so to speak, after the familiar sounds of industrial life. Early the merchant discovered the new field for enterprise. Above the entrance to a lowbrowed, rambling frame building that stood on the spot now occupied by F. M. Patton's residence, old inhabitants remember seeking the legend, Peter Kookis, the first store-keeper of New Hope. Peter was unquestionably the first dispenser of dry goods and groceries that beamed on the delighted town and country folk. His stock was small but ample; the business grew and prospered, and Peter did not fail to lay up the wherewithal to extend it. Following Kookis next came George Bingamon, who displayed his wares in a frame which stood on the corner where John W. Young has his residence. At the expiration of a year or two, the business was disposed of to Lot Stratton and Morefield Patton. These gentlemen enlarged the stock and extended the trade until they made it one of the most prosperous in the county. Kookis, Bingamon and Patton & Stratton, each in his way and unconsciously, labored for the same end—the building up of an interest which, in after years, grew into a marvelous structure of activity and wealth. But the war came, and with it inflation and high prices. The war vanished, and with it the glory of the town as a commercial center. Succeeding the last-named firms, the following gentlemen, at various times, were engaged in the dry goods business: A. C. H. Cotterill, William Blair, William Creighead, James Young, James Walker, Joseph Steward, Benjamin Whiteman, Lewis Bingamon, William Keys, James McCall, Andrew Fox, W. W. Ellsbury, F. M. Patton, Doepka, Philip Krum, V. B. Smith and M. W. Fite. A. C. H. Cotterill sold goods in the rooms occupied by F. M. Patton, and did a thriving business for many years. The firm of O. J. Steward, for the time and country, had an immense business, the annual sales being little, if any less, than those of the largest house in the county. The first inn in the town was a small affair, kept by John Fiscus. The first blacksmith shop was that of John Fox; the building had stood in the bottom, near what was called the " Sterling Fork of White Oak," was torn down, and put up on a spot nearly opposite to Mr. Fite's present residence. The first tannery was operated by Nicholas Wallace; the next, by Benjamin Purdum, where Jonah Purdum now lives; and the third by James Heaton. Dr, Enoch M. Ellsbury opened the first physician's office, and also kept the first post office in a small house about ten by twelve, still standing, an appurtenance to Jonah Purdum's dwelling. This was the first post office established in the township. The appointment of Dr. Ellsberry was from John McLean, Postmaster General under John Quincy Adams, confirmed and dated at Washington December 15, 1828. After Ellsberry, Benjamin Purdum, O. J. Stewart, G. W. Stayton, W. P. Wharton and F. M. Patton, have successively kept the office, Purdum, Stewart and Stayton each having it for several years, and F. M. Patton, the present incumbent, for the last eighteen years. In this connection it may not be out of place to annex the following, addressed to Dr. Ellsberry from the Post Office Department: 634 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, April 30, 1834. To Enoch Ellsberry, Postmaster of New Hope, Brown Co.. Ohio: SIR—To determine, with as much accuracy as possible, the relative position of the several post offices, and the courses of the post roads in the United States, so that they may be correctly designated on the maps of the Department, I am desirous of obtaining such information of the topography of the country in your vicinity, as you may be enabled to give. You will, therefore, receive a series of questions, on the 'annexed leaf, from one to ten. You will please to fill up the blank spaces left for your answers, and return the leaf, with all convenient dispatch, addressed to the "Post Office Department, care of D. H. Barr." You are also especially requested to furnish a plat, or sketch, of the country in your vicinity, showing: The courses of the post roads; The sites of the post offices; The distances along each post road, from office to office; The courses of other roads than post roads, if any; and the distances along them to the post offices. or to places where mail roads join, or cross; and the Bearings and distances, on straight lines, from your office to the other offices. Early attention to this sketch, or plat, with a return of the replies and statements called for in the annexed inquiries, inclosed and directed as above, is desired. Very respectfully, W. T. BARRY, Postmaster General. In the summer of 1849, the cholera scourge made its appearance in New Hope, carrying terror, death and bereavement into every family. On the third day of its appearance, seven deaths occurred, the first victim being William Purdum. The total number of deaths in a population of 100 was twenty- two. The victims were William Purdum, Thomas Early, Martin Gatts, Sr., and wife, Martin Gatts, Jr., and wife and two children (all died in the same house), Cinderilla Lauderback, Andrew Young and daughter, Wilson Fox, wife of John Stills, wife of Andrew Fox, Nelson Fox and wife and child, wife of G. W. Cotterill, Perry Applegate, Robert Stills, Samuel Whiteman and Jacob Gatts —Jacob Gatts being the last victim. Squire Henry Young relinquished his business and heroically devoted himself to the care of the sick and dying, never forsaking his post for a moment till the grim king of terrors was vanquished and the field won. The date of the settlement of White Oak Valley is obscure, no reliable data being at hand. From the best information given, the settlement on the west bank was the oldest (past tense, because Rosstown no longer exists). It is said there was a mill built on the site of the present one in 1835, by Alexander Hanna and James Ross. However, it is known that Robert Blair and John Ross erected a carding-mill here, and afterward attached a grist-mill. These gentlemen probably built the excellent mill for` many years known as Gatts' Mill, now owned by Robert McCall. At one time, White Oak Valley was a thriving hamlet, possessing, besides the mill, two or three good storee, a post office, a blacksmith shop and a shoe shop. William Espey and Joseph Hills sold goods at different times. John Robbins has been the principal goods dealer for many years. Wahlsburg Post Office, named in honor of Peter Wahl, is a youthful hamlet. It is located at the junction of the Georgetown•& Mount Oreb Free Turnpike with the White Oak Valley & Arnheim road, at a point equidistant from Georgetown and New Hope. But a few years ago, two blacksmith shops, one of them John Lee Brown's, and two dwelling houses, were the only buildings. Ten years since, Peter Wahl erected a large building, storeroom and living house in one and opened the first and only dry goods trade in the place. About three years ago (1879), Wahlsburg was granted a post office, and Mr. Wahl was appointed Postmaster. After Mr. Wahl, Wilson Leonard, a blacksmith of the place, added another improvement to the place by building a handsome SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 635 two-story frame residence. Not far from his new dwelling, Mr. Leonard has more recently erected a two-story blacksmith and wagon shop. In the past year, Christian Wahl has built an attractive cottage in the place. Wahlsburg is a thriving little burg, and promises to improve in the future. Schools for the instruction and moral training of youth are so intimately connected with the interests and organic growth of the State that we are not surprised to learn that, away back in the eighth century, in the reign of Charlemagne, that monarch made a successful effort to popularize the instruction of all classes of people, by decreeing a public school to every parish in his empire. Later, Alfred the Great, of England, was inspired to the same good work, and, with the lapse of time, Germany became the acknowledged leader in the advancement of learning. The colonists of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia, English, Scotch, Irish and Germans, brought a love of learning with them to the New World, and a knowledge of the methods of imparting it to others. From such a source, our forefathers in the Northwest possessed the requisite rudiments of knowledge to enable them to educate their children in some degree, in the absence of schools and teachers. Of the first schools of Scott Township, for the want of authentic records, not much is known. Tradition takes the place of record, and informs us that the few in operation anterior to the historical epoch of 1828 were maintained almost solely by subscription, and were kept in the most primitive of log structures. Teachers were paid from $5 to $15 per month, not in metallic or paper currency, as nowadays, but in the then no less current products of the soil and chase. When the teacher happened to be an unmarried man, or the school remote from his home, the patrons took turns in boarding him, receiving his labor morning and evening on the farm or extra instruction given the children, as adequate compensation. Reading, writing and arithmetic were the branches, and a teacher's reputed proficiency in them was considered a fair gauge of his usefulness. There are not wanting evidences to show that the pioneer teacher was successful in his noble calling. Indeed, many specimens that have been spared, in the writings as well as in the persons of pupils of the schools of that age, betray the fact that their methods were little if any inferior to those of the present day. Zachariah Pettijohn, David Smith, Joseph Ralston, Reuben Fite and Jacob Peddicord were among the teachers of an early day. Zachariah Pettijohn is said to have taught the first subscription school in the township. David Smith, Joseph Ralston, Reuben Fite and Jac& Peddicord are the best remembered by persons living who were indebted to them for what education they received in early life. The schoolhouses of the period were log cabins, with a single door, lighted by a long, narrow aperture in one side, filled in with oiled cloth or paper, and warmed by a fire-place of the most extraordinary dimensions. They were by, no means numerous, and, as they were used only in the winter time, and the pupils in some instances had to trudge many miles in the cold, large fires of burning logs were kept, so it was not an unusual occurrence for teacher and pupils to be engaged in the praiseworthy effort to extinguish an incipient conflagration that somehow had started in the neighborhood of the fire-place. After the passage of the legislative act of January 28, 1825, relative to the better organization of the schools, the householders of Scott Township met in pursuance thereof and divided the township into eight school subdistricts. A committee of three, a Clerk and a Collector were selected for each district. By the law, a tax of half a mill was authorized, which, with private contributions for the same end, enabled each district to provide itself with a more suitable house. They who were too poor to defray the expenses of schooling their chil- 636 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. dren were partially provided for by the same law, and partly by assessments imposed on their neighbors. March 9, 1829, the Board of Township Trustees, composed of Enoch Ells- berry, James McCall and William Hilligoss, met and re-organized the township for educational purposes, replacing the eight subdistricts of the old administration by six new ones, making five white and one colored. The year 1854 dates the construction of the first accredited Board of Education in the township. The members were B. W. Whiteman, Chairman; Henry Palmer, Secretary; Dr. E. B. Fee, N, B. Stratton, Joseph Wills, G. H. Wrestler and Jacob Newman, and they met in Temperance Hall, New Hope. The enumeration of youth in 1854 was 373 whites and 63 colored. The colored district was formed in behalf of a colony of blacks, which was settled half a century ago in the northern part of the township, under the auspices of a rich Virginia planter. Not many years ago, the spirit of improvement was engendered, and the result was that in a surprisingly short time each district had exchanged its old house for a handsome new frame structure that does much credit to the taste of its projectors. Amount of money in hands of the Township Treasurer, for school purposes, in 1839, $327.59.8; in 1840, $337.89.4; in 1841, $362.87; in 1842, $270.67; in 1844, $353.55; in 1845, $314.81; in 1847, $499.93. The average annual cost of all the schools of Scott Township, for ten years, from 1870, has been $2,228.96. This amount includes the cost of two buildings and incidental expenses. And the average paid teachers for the ten years, commencing with the year 1871, is $1,637.62. It may be added that in the last eighteen years, District No. 1 has had a new schoolhouse, built in 1864, at a cost of $750; District No. 2 (Smoky Row), one built in 1866, at a cost of $700; District No. 3 (Goose Run), one built in 1869, at a cost of $650; District No. 4, one built in 1877, at a cost of $1,000, and District No. 5, one built in 1870, at a cost of about $1, 200, with a recent annexation (in 1881), at a cost of $800, and one in the colored district, built in 1874, at a cost of $400. To the schools is wedded the church, with its restraining and refining influences, the two united as one marching on and overthrowing the defenses of ignorance, sloth and bigotry. The settler carried to his wilderness home with his love of learning a profound reverence for the institutions of Christianity, and while he sought to instill in the minds of his children the light of intelligence, he did not forget to imbue their hearts with the Divine inspiration of truth. The church that held the first divine services in the township was of the Methodist Episcopal denomination; the building in which the service was administered was an edifice of that primitive type never seen anywhere except in a new settlement. It stood on a spot nearly opposite the former residence of Dr. Enoch Ellsberry, where A. J. Bingamon now lives, in the town of New Hope. Here our fathers were wont to assemble, not in gawdy holiday garments, but attired in homespun and buckskin, and here they offered up their fervent prayers. For a quarter of a century there was no other place of worship; then, in 1849, Temperance Hall was placed at the disposal of the church, and service held in it till 1851, when the substantial brick that crowns the commons was erected at a cost of about $2,000. The building fund was raised by subscription, the success of the enterprise being in a great measure due to the efforts of the Rev. Charles Ferguson. The winter of 1850 witnessed the memorable revival, by which 140 accessions were made to the membership of the church. Mr. Ferguson's connection with the church as its pastor terminated in 1852. A Sunday school was organized in 1852, and while nursed by the foster- SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 639 ing care of the church, made an excellent record; but some years since the attendance began to decline, and continued to do so, notwithstanding the well-meant exertions of friends to stay its decay. Of late, successful efforts have been made to revive it, and it is believed with a fair prospect of success. In 1867 or 1868, Rev. Henry Robison, of the Christian Union persuasion, by indefatigable endeavors, succeeded in uniting a congregation in every school district in the township. He held meetings at regular monthly intervals in all the schoolhouses, multitudes from the country round flocking to attend his ministrations. The New Lights have built a beautiful church edifice at Fair View, and given it the suggestive name of Fair View Chapel. The prospects of the church at Fair View are indeed flattering; besides having a membership scarcely exceeded by that of any other church in the county, its pastors are among the most talented and best workers. Fair View Chapel has a good working Sunday school, with a large and interested attendance. White Oak Lodge, No. 292, I. O. O. F., was instituted at New Hope July 18, 1855, by Thomas J. McLain, Grand Master, with Brother G. W. Slayton, Brother Joseph R. Scott, Brother James L. Weaver, Brother William Blair and Brother O. J. Stewart as charter members. Brother G. W. Stayton and Brother Joseph Scott still live near the scene of their early labors in the cause of Odd Fellowship, and watch with uncommon interest the ever increasing prosperity of the order. Brothers Weaver and Blair, many years ago, sought homes in the West, where, it is believed, they have continued to devote themselves to the good of the order. Brother O. J. Stewart, who was one of the most active and interested of workers, long since crossed the dark river to rejoin the Grand Lodge beyond. Save a short period dating from the outbreak of the war of the rebellion, the history of White. Oak Lodge has been one of encouraging prosperity. During that exceptional period, its affairs fell into neglect, its organization was broken and only the most strenuous efforts of friends obviated the impending forfeiture of the charter. The blow was a heavy one, and it was several years before the lodge entirely recovered its primitive vigor and activity. In the twenty-seven years of its existence, it has had 110 initiations and eight accessions on card. For the first year, there were twenty-five new members added; for the decennial period, from 1855 to 1865 inclusive, fifty-five; from 1865 to 1875, forty-six; from 1875 to 1882, nine. The whole number on card, eight; the number dropped, forty-six; the number of deaths, six. The benefits to date aggregate, in round numbers, $800. Value of assets, including stabling attached, amounts to $939.63. The following list includes the names of all the Past Grande of White Oak Lodge: Brother O. J. Stewart, P. G. ; Brother William Blair, P. G; Brother J. L. Cornell, P. G.; Brother William Hays, P. G. (Maj. Hays); Brother Andrew Gibson, P. G. ; Brother H. C. Gibson, P. G.; Brother Joseph R. Scott, P. G.; Brother E. B. Fee, P. G.; Brother W. W. Ellsbury, P. G.; Brother G. W. Stayton, P. G.; Brother F. M. Patton, P. G.; Brother M. Patton, P. G.; Brother Jonah Purdum, P. G.; Brother A. J. Parker, P. G.; Brother Andrew Fox, P. G.; Brother John G. Thompson, P. G.; Brother Joseph Blair, P. O.; Brother Z. T. Peddicord, P. G.; Brother L. W. King, P. G. (Grand Representative); Brother O. P. Ralston, P. G. (Grand Representative); Brother William Shields, P. G.; Brother R. B. McCall, P. G.; Brother W. A. Bivans, P. G. ; Brother A. J. Bingamon, P. G. ; Brother D. M. Brannen, P. G.; Brother T. P. Dunn, P. G.; Brother Lewis Bingamon, P. G. ; Brother Warren Carr, P. G.; Brother A. C. Wardlow, P. G.; Brother Isaac Atwood, P. G.; Brother A. F. Remley, P. G. ; Brother V. C. Brown, P. G.; Brother W. S. Whorton, P. G. ; Brother Aaron Leonard, P. G. ; Brother John Bovis, P. G.; Brother H. W. Warner, P. G. ; Brother O. F. Dunn, P. G. 640 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. From the firing of the first shot on Fort Sumter till the day the President issued his famous call for 75,000 men, April 15, 1861, the hearts of the people of this township throbbed with a single impulse, a desire to avenge the insult. Those who went forth to do battle in defense of their country's flag, were: In the Fifty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, William Applegate, Anthony Wallace, Jacob Wallace; in the Fourth Ohio, Foster's Independent Company, James Blair, Samuel Boyd, A. K. McGonedrick, Dr. G. W. Gordon, promoted Surgeon of Eighteenth Indiana, M. D. Thompson (died); in the First Ohio, Volunteer Cavalry, Cornelius Bingamon, Clinton Fiscus, Jacob Gatts, John McKenzie, M. D. L. McKenzie, Jerry Purdum, F. G. Smith, V. B. Smith, B. F. Young, Winters Young, T. B. Young, Francis M. Young, George Young, James Barnes (killed); of the Seventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, H. R. Craig, John Gatts (wounded), Walter Gooden, V. B. Purdum, E. C. Smith, J. E. Smith (died at Andersonville), J. V. Srofe, promoted Second Lieutenant January 1, 1863; T. L. H. Wardlow, G. W. Young, J. O. Young (died at Andersonville), Samuel Stephens (discharged), John Couther; in the Seventieth Ohio Volunteer :Infantry, O. P. Cotterill, John Cotterill, Aaron Fiscus (killed), Martin Long (killed), Samuel Myers (killed), Henry White (discharged), Thomas L. Scott, promoted First Lieutenant; in the Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Eli Campbell, B. O. Morris, E, E. Roney, J. V. Srofe, Second Lieutenant (resigned), F. M. Young (killed), H. Couther, W. N. Barngroover, Samuel Doty (killed), S. A. Keys, John Hitesman (wounded). John McKenzie (wounded), Peter McKee, John C. Bingamon, W. F. Srofe, promoted Second Lieutenant (1863), commissioned First Lieutenant (1863), commissioned Captain (1865), J. W. B. Anderson; in the Thirty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, George W. Stratton (imprisoned in Libby); in the Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, A K. McGonedrick, Winters Young, F. G. Smith, W. P. Srofe, Francis M. Young; in Forty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Rudolph Neff; in the Sixty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Benjamin Kimball, Green- bury Keyes, Alfred Radstin (killed); regiment unknown, B. F. Remley, W. B. Wrestler, William Lindsay, John Barnes, James Barnes, of Lieut. J. V. Srofe's command, was shot and killed while making a night sortie on the enemy's pickets. Alfred Ralstin was shot and killed at Antietam, the ball piercing his forehead. Samuel Doty was shot in the face while marching in the advance at the battle of Pittsburg Landing, and died in the hospital at Cincinnati. Aaron Fiscus and Martin Long were killed at the same time, by the explosion of a transportation boat on the Mississippi. Greenbury Keys, F. M. Young, M. D., L. McKenzie and Francis M. Young all died in their country's service. The foregoing list was made up from information furnished by Lieut. Srofe, and may be imperfect as shown by the files, as that gentleman drew upon his memory for the facts. The annexed congratulatory order, addressed to the First and Seventh Ohio, in which were many brave lads from Scott Township, as it meets the veteran's eye, will recall one of the most pleasing events of his experience: HEADQUARTERS FOURTH DIVISION, CAVALRY CORPS, M. D. M., EDGEFIELD, TENN., June 10, 1865. GENERAL ORDERS, No. 21: Before severing his connection with the command, the Brevet Major General commanding desires to express his high appreciation of the bravery, endurance and soldierly qualities displayed by the officers and men of his division in the late cavalry campaign. Leaving Chickasaw. Ala., on the 22d of March.as a new organization, and without status in the cavalry corps, you, in one month, traversed 600 miles, crossed six rivers, met and defeated the enemy at Montevallo, Ala., capturing 100 prisoners; routed Forrest, Buford and Rhoddy in their chosen position at Ebenezer Church. capturing two guns and 300 prisoners; carried the works in your front at Selma, capturing thirteen guns, 1,100 prisoners, and five battle flags, and finally crowned your successes by a night assault upon the enemies' intrenchments at SCOTT TOWNSHIP - 641 Columbus, Ga., when you captured 1,500 prisoners, twenty-four guns, eight battle flags and vast munitions of war. April 21, you arrived at Macon, Ga., having captured on your march 3,000 prisoners, thirty-nine pieces of artillery and thirteen battle flags. Whether mounted with the sabre, or dismounted with the carbine, the brave men of the Third, Fourth and Fifth Iowa, First and Seventh Ohio and Tenth Missouri Cavalry, triumphed over the enemy in every conflict. With regiments led by brave Colonels, and brigades commanded with consummate skill and daring, the division, in thirty days, won a reputation unsurpassed in the service. Though many of you have not received the reward to which your gallantry has entitled you, you have, nevertheless, received the commendation of your superior officers, and won the admiration and gratitude of your countrymen. You will return to your homes with the proud consciousness of having defended the flag of your country in the hour of the greatest national perils, while through your instrumentality, liberty and civilization will have advanced the greatest strides recorded in history. The best wishes of your commanding General will ever attend you. E. UPTON, Brevet Major General Commanding. Official, JAMES W. LATTA, Asst. Adjt. Gen. Official, CHARLES D. MITCHELL, Lieut. A. A. A. G. The physicians of Scott Township have been among the most popular and successful in the county. Dr. Enoch Matson Ellsberry came to Scott Township in 1824, and opened an office in the village of New Hope. Here was began a career of professional usefulness that extended over a period of twenty-eight years, and ended only with his life. Dr. Ellsberry is remembered by many who love to recall his fearless independence, candor and unostentatious benevolence of character. His deeds of charity and numberless acts of disinterested kindness, as well as his prompt and energetic punishment of insult and injustice, have ever been popular themes of fireside reminiscences. He was born in Tennessee December 29, 1797, one year after the admission of the State into the Union. When a boy, his parents emigrated to the State of Kentucky, and settled near Paris. Seven years later, or about the year 1810, they removed to Ohio, and settled at Bethel, Clermont County. Until he was sixteen years old, his habits and occupation were those of a farmer, but at that age, having profited by the slender advantages of the times for a good education, he became a teacher and a successful instructor. Unsatisfied with so unambitious a field and its unprofitable compensation, he left it at the age of twenty-one to begin the study ,of medicine in the office of Drs. Wayland & Hopkins, two eminent physicians of the day. After a thorough course of study, he opened an office in Bethel and commenced the practice, which was interrupted in 1822 by his marriage with Miss Eunice Morris, a daughter of Judge John Morris, of Tate Township, Clermont County, and a niece of the late distinguished Senator Tom Morris, who made his name famous by introducing in the Senate of the United States the first petition urging the non-extension of domestic slavery in the new States and Territories. The issue of this marriage were five sons and three daughters. John Rush Ellsberry was the oldest, and a physician whose promise of usefulness was broken by the decree of death. Isaac N. Ellsberry, like his eldest brother. died young, just when he was at the threshold of a brilliant career at the bar. Thomas Ellsberry, who was a farmer, died at the age of thirty-three. Dr. W. W. Ellsberry, like his oldest brother, embraced the profession of medicine, and by his splendid talents and devotion to his chosen art, has won for himself an enviable position. Benjamin, the youngest son, is a prominent business man, who, by tact and indomitable perseverance, has made a name in the business, world. Dr. Enoch Ellsberry died November, 25, 1852, leaving behind him a name untarnished by a breath of reproach. He was once the Democratic nominee for Congress, but was defeated by his Whig opponent. In the footsteps of Dr Ellsberry came Dr. Enos B. Fee. These gentlemen formed a partnership in 1844, which lasted two years. On its dissolution, Dr, Fee began the practice on his own responsibility, and only ceased to be 642 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. the beloved and universally respected medical adviser of the good people of Scott Township with his removal to Georgetown, the county seat, in 1870. Dr. Fee, while a resident of Scott Township, was thrice chosen to represent the county in the Legislature, and declined a re-election for the fourth time. Since his removal, the Doctor has been twice elected Treasurer of Brown County, which office he found in a very unsatisfactory condition, but will leave perfectly rehabilitated. These two gentlemen were the pioneer physicians of the township. Dr. William Gatts, Dr. James Weaver, Dr. George Gordon, Dr. W. W. Ellsberry, Dr. James Connell, Dr. W. A. Bivans, Dr. W. J. Srofe and Dr. R. B. McCall have at various times practiced at New Hope. Drs. Weaver and Gatts were eclectics, and came to New Hope during the prevalence of the cholera in 1849. They were quite successful in combat with that dread scourge, and consequently acquired an extensive practice. Dr. Srofe at present resides in Lynchburg, Ohio, where he has acquired a lucrative business. Dr. W. A. Bivans and Dr. R. B. McCall, are the only two physicians in New Hope. The former gentleman has resided there for twenty years, the latter since 1873. Both are well known to the profession of the county, and have, by a fair share of ability and a conscientious regard for the duties of their calling, deserved the respect and patronage of the community. GREEN TOWNSHIP - 643 CHAPTER XII. GREEN TOWNSHIP. BY E. B. LANCASTER. IN shape, this subdivision is rectangular. It is bounded on the north by Perry Township, on the east by Highland County, on the south by Pike Township and on the west by Sterling Township. It occupies a position in the boot leg of the county. The territory embraced within these boundaries formerly belonged to Sterling Township, and, on the 2d day of December, 1834, was set apart by the County Commissioners and formed into a new township, designated as Green. This name was given it by Joseph Kratzer, who was active in measues leading to its separation from Sterling, from the fact that the place where he was then residing was called Greenbush. At this place, there was a thicket of green bushes, and from this came the name of the village Greenbush and the township of Green. The first election was held at Mr. Kratzer's house, and thirty-three votes were polled, thirty-two of which are said to have been Democratic, Jacob Hare being the only Whig voter. Mr. Hare voted alone for two or three years, when he was re-enforced by Nicholas Smith. These men lived to see their principles triumphant. The surface of the township is level, and the lands are drained by the Sterling Fork of White Oak Creek, and by a portion of the main creek, which crosses the southeastern corner. Much artificial draining is done by means of ditches, conveying the water into these streams. The State road passes north and south through the western part of the township, and the old Chillicothe road passes through the center, east and west. The Cincinnati & Eastern Railroad crosses the extreme southern part, and forms for some distance almost the boundary line between Green and Pike Townships. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The lands of Green Township were level and swampy and uninviting to the early emigrants seeking homes in the North and West, and, in consequence, permanent settlements were not made, comparatively speaking, until a late day. There were probably no residents at all of the country now comprising the territory of Green prior to 1810. or even as late as the war of 1812. If so tradition fails to give any account of them. The first to occupy the lands were squatters and the poorer classes of emigrants, who, driven from the better lands in the neighboring country by those coming in possession of them, were compelled to pitch their tents where they could. This class made little or no improvements, and lived almost entirely by hunting and trapping. For some years, this line of settlement continued, and those coming from the adjoining country were, in general, men of little or no means, and made temporary stops only. For this reason, and from the fact of the death of all of the pioneers who made permanent settlements, and the removal of their immediate descendants from this locality, but little can be given of Green's pioneers. Prior to the year 1816, Joshua Archer, a man of family, settled in the southern part of the township. He emigrated from Kentucky, and had lived, before settling in Green, farther south, in what is now this county. He was an exhorter, and preached some, conducting the religious services of the neighborhood. 644 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. About one mile north of the village of Mt. Oreb, in 1816, there lived Mrs. McFarron, widow of George McFarron. Her family consisted of one son and several daughters, one of whom was the wife of Benjamin Frazier. Mr. Frazier lived in the same vicinity. Another son-in-law of Mrs. McFarron was Charles Dunham. His wife's name was Nellie, and among their children were Polly, John, Samuel, Nathaniel and Gideon. John Rhubart married another of the daughters of the widow mentioned above, and lived in the same neighborhood. These folks had previously lived in the vicinity of Georgetown. George Laferre lived in the southern part of the township about the same time as the families above named. He was a man of family. The families thus far mentioned made few improvements, and did not remain long in this locality. Prior to 1816, Joseph Kratzer and family settled in the vicinity of Green- bush, which village he afterward laid out. He emigrated from the State of Pennsylvania, and lived on Straight Creek, in this county, before coming up into Green Township. While living in the Straight Creek neighborhood, he married Polly Dunn. Their sons and daughters were Enos, Henry, Samuel, Benjamin, Simon, James, Rosa, Hannah and Dolly. The father improved land here, and lived in Green until his death. Most all of the sons improved land in the township. Samuel is a resident of this locality. Enos and James died in the township. Thomas Harris, another pioneer of this locality, is a native of Pittsburgh, Penn., where he was born in 1802, and, in 1807, with his parents, removed to Clermont County, this State, and settled in the neighborhood of Bethel. In 1816, he removed to this vicinity. He has been twice married—first, to Sarah Fiscus, and second, to her sister, Matilda Fiscus. The children by the first marriage were Abram and Sapphira, and by the second, Rebecca, James, Levina, Nancy, Martin V., Thomas, Sr., John E., Jeremiah, Cynthia, Henry, Thomas, Jr., Elizabeth and Mary A. Thomas Harris, our subject, has lived over fifty years with his present wife, and has celebrated his golden wedding, at Mt. Oreb, which was attended by eleven of his children and thirty grandchildren, and numerous others of his relatives and friends. When Harris moved to this township, Brown County was a part of Adams and Clermont Counties, and Green Township was part of Sterling. From our interviews with Harris, who is now eighty-two years of age, and who is corroborated by all of the old pioneers now living, we derive much of the information concerning the early settlement of Green Township. In 1816, there was not a house between Mt. Oreb and Greenbush, if, perhaps, a but is excepted that stood on what is now the Weaver farm. Where Jesse Day now resides, not far from the year 1816, there lived Robert Ellis. Thomas Ross, about the year 1817, settled on the premises formerly occupied by Benjamin Frazier. His children were Israel, John, Thomas, Isaac, Margaret and Sarah, and perhaps others. Mr. Ross cleared considerable laud, which he improved, and erected good buildings thereon. He lived in the township until his death, which occurred in 1849. Joseph Keethler emigrated from Bracken County, Ky., and settled in what is now Pike Township in 1810. He had a large family of children, some of whom, later, settled in Green Township. Among them were James, Louis, William and Samuel, all of whom improved land in the township. James and Louis still reside here. As early as 1817, Fred Bingamon was a resident of this locality. He improved the David Weaver farm. Robert Hicks and Thomas Slade settled here about the time that Thomas Ross came. Elijah South removed into the township from near Bethel, in GREEN TOWNSHIP - 645 Clermont County; cleared some land in the neighborhood of Mt. Oreb, but remained only a short time. Among the second class of settlers coming into the township can be named the following: Praetor Mallott, who settled and made improvements in the vicinity of Greenbush not far from the year 1824; Samuel Day, whose parents and their family settled in the western part of Sterling Township at the close of the last century, an account of whom is given in the sketch of Sterling Township; Mr. Day improved a farm in the vicinity of Benton, and erected good buildings thereon; Nicholas Smith settled just west of Samuel Day; Hezekiah Stout settled on White Oak, improved land and became a permanent settler; he was one of the pioneer settlers in that locality; after Mr. Stout's death, George Bingamon became a resident of the land; in the same neighborhood, Samuel Garron settled and improved land. The township was slow in being peopled and improved ; the land from Greenbush up to the northern boundary line comprising fully one-half of its acreage, is very flat and level, and was for years very swampy, and, until 1840, was unoccupied, if, perhaps, is excepted one locality. This portion was then a dense forest and unimproved. Jacob Hare was perhaps the only resident in this section prior to the date given. He settled on Five-Mile Creek about the year 1836. In 1840, John Wallace removed from Huntington Township to the land now occupied lay him, situated a little north of the center of the township, and made improvements. Jacob Hare was then, to his knowledge, the only neighbor of Green on his north, east or west. About ten years later., the northeastern part of the township began to be settled by a class of foreigners, coming principally from Belgium, who, by frugality and industry, have made for themselves good homes, and are well- to-do farmers. Among the first families settling here were Peter Leonard, with wife and two children; Michael Pierre, France Cordie and Joseph Gillum, all men of families. The lands of Green have been ditched and drained, and now compare favorably in productive quality to any of Brown County. The old pioneer foreigners will leave a goodly heritage for their sons and daughters to enjoy. All honor is due to those horny-handed sons of toil, who left their native land and crossed the ocean, cast their lot in the swamp lands of Green Township, and, by hard labor and unceasing toil, have made it what it now is. It is true that our township has been looked upon as almost worthless by some people in other parts of the county. These persons must remember that we are just emerging from the backwoods, as it were. Wild deer were killed in this township as late as 1848. James Keethler killed a deer near where Mt. Oreb now stands in 1847. The last deer was killed by G. W. Stansberry. A few wild turkeys are yet found in the township. CHURCHES The first religious services in the township were conducted in the settlement along Sterling Fork of White Oak, by Joshua Archer, as early as the year 1815 or 1816. The meetings in this locality were held in the cabins of the pioneers, and, when the weather permitted, in the groves—God's first temples. This region of country was, from the year 1808, continuing for many years, in White- Oak Circuit, and was, from its earliest settlement, visited by the itinerant ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The following named were the preachers who traveled the circuit from 1808 until 1824: 1808, David Young; 1809, John Johnson; 1810, Isaac Pavey; 1811, Benjamin Lakin, Eli Trent; 1812, W. Griffith, Reuben Rowe; 1813, Robert Finley, D. Sharp; 1815, John Strange, S. Cheneworth; 1816, John Strange, Isaac Pavey; 1817, W. Griffith, James Simmons; 1818, B. Westlake, S. T. Wells; 1819, F. 646 - HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY. Landrum; 1820, William Page, L. Swormstedt; 1821, A. W. Elliott, Z. Connell; 1822, William Page, Benjamin Lawrence; 1823, D. D. Davidson, Samuel West; 1824, G. W. Maley, J. Everhart. Methodist Episcopal Church at Mt. Oreb.—About the year 1824, the first regular church organization of the township was effected at Benton, by the Methodists of the neighborhood, among whom were John Thomas, Nathan Rust, William Weeks, David Vandyke, Thomas Ross, Thos. Kratzer, Nicholas Smith and Samuel Pay. Their first meeting-house was built of logs, and stood on the farm now owned by E. Bratton. After some years, the building was destroyed by fire. It was thought to have been the work of an incendiary. This denomination soon rebuilt, but this time a frame structure was erected, which was occupied by the congregation as a place of worship until about 1875, when they again rebuilt, and the present neat frame church, with belfry and bell, at Mt Oreb, is the monument of their enterprise. The church has been on a number of different circuits, and attached to various stations, but in the absence of records, we are unable to give them. At present, it is on the circuit designated Mt. Oreb and Sardinia, with Rev. G. W. Fee in charge. It is in a flourishing condition. The first Sunday school of the church was organized about the year 1843 or 1844.- Among those prominent at the organization were Samuel Day, Adam Shroufe, Nicholas Smith, Thomas Ross, Enos Kratzer, James Keethler and Ervin Huggins. The first Superintendent was Samuel Day Among the teachers were Ervin Huggins, John Ross, Thomas G. Ross, G. W. Day and Dennis Callahan. The organization took place in the old log church building in the village of Benton. Among the first scholars were John C. Day, Mary E. Day, John Richards, W. B. Richards, A. Smith, Benjamin Smith, Mary Callahan, Nancy Callahan, Bennett Kratzer, Samuel Kratzer, Nancy Kratzer, Margaret Ross, Sarah Ross, Isaac Ross, Deborah Ross, James Ellis, Samuel Wright, William Wright, Amanda Truitt, Jane Truitt, Eliza Truitt. Samuel Day remained as Superintendent for eight or ten years, and was succeeded by James Campbell, who held the office about one year. William Weeks was Superintendent for a series of years, and was succeeded by H. W. Day. Mr. Day remained Superintendent for five or six years. The school averaged about sixty in attendance. Mr. Day was succeeded by F, M. Smith April 3, 1870. March 19, 1871, Mr. Smith was re-elected to the Superintendency. Previous to this year, school had only been conducted during the summer season. The average attendance up to this time was about sixty. April 7, 1872, the school was re-organized, and the average attendance for the year was over one hundred, there often being present from 150 to 175 scholars. Mr, Smith served as Superintendent until March 24, 1877, when he declined a renomination for re-election. His successor became D. L. Day, who continued in that capacity until September 21, 1879, and then resigned. The next Superintendent was H. W. Walker. In 1880, F. M. Smith was again elected Superintendent, and has since served the school. He is an earnest worker in the Sabbath school cause. Christian Union Church. —In 1864, a church society by the name of Christian Union was organized at what was known as the " Gum Corner " Schoolhouse, located in the northwestern part of the township. The minister effecting the organization was Rev. Peter Wolf. The congregation continued worshiping at this schoolhouse and at one called Maple Grove until the summer of 1881, when they erected the church building now standing in the northwestern part of the township. This house was dedicated to the service of God in September, 1881; sermon by Rev. Peter Wolf. Services are held twice a month. The present ministers in charge are Revs. George Slusher and T. J. Screetchfield. GREEN TOWNSHIP - 649 Christian Union Church at Mt. Oreb.---This church was organized in 1867, by Rev. W. H. Robinson, with a large membership. Mr. Robinson was a very successful revivalist, and, under his earnest efforts, 159 accessions to the church were made during the winter of 1867-68. The writer of this history was present one night when seventeen persons joined the church, and the congregation was dismissed, the benediction had been pronounced, and the congregation were departing for their homes, when one of the new converts remarked: "Bro. Robinson, had you have held on a little while longer, my father and mother would have joined." Robinson recalled the congregation and renewed the invitation, and eleven persons united with the church afterward, making twenty-eight in all that joined the church that night. Mr. Robinson continued as pastor of the church for several years. While a successful revivalist, he had not the modern power of converting the pocketbook, and, being poorly paid, had to resort to other means for the support of himself and family. Rev. Absalom Brooks succeeded Mr. Robinson to the pastorate of the church. These were the only regular ministers that the congregation have had. In 1870, the membership was seventy-four, and, three years later, numbered 130. Some time after the organization of the society, the present one-story frame church building was erected. It is the; largest house of worship in the township, and is supplied with a belfry and bell. The church is not now in a flourishing condition; the membership seems not to have adopted the modern plan of keeping up churches. No church can exist in this day unless it has a good financial basis, which has been the case from the earliest ages. SCHOOLS. As nearly as can be ascertained, the first school held in the township was taught by Thomas Ross, in a cabin which stood in the immediate vicinity of where the hamlet of Benton now is. This was about the year 1820. The first house built for school purposes stood in the southern part of the township, on Sterling Fork of White Oak. There are now eight school districts in Green, with as many buildings, valued at $6,000. The report of the County Auditor to the State Commissioner of Schools for tho year ending August 31, 1881, makes the following exhibit: Number of boys enrolled, 249; girls, 207; total, 456. Average monthly attendance, 383, of which number 210 were boys. Average number of weeks school was in session, 27. Average wages paid gentlemen teachers, $33 per month; average wages paid lady teachers, $24; number of teachers employed, 12, two of whom were ladies. Branches taught—alphabet, reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, geography, English grammar, oral lessons and composition. Amount paid teachers during the year, $2,231.20; amount paid for fuel and other contingent expenses, $288.21; total expenses for carrying on the schools for the year, $3,544.41. VILLAGES. Mt. Oreb, the largest village in the township, is located on Sterling Fork of White Oak and the State road, twelve miles north of Georgetown. It was laid out by Daniel Keethler September 3, 1850, and the lots surveyed by William S. McLain. The original number of lots was nineteen. Before the village was laid out, a store was kept on the southwest corner of Hight street and Broadway, where the Lancaster building now stands, by Henry Dennis, who became the first merchant of the place. James McClure was another of the early merchants. Henry Varley and Charles Zeller were the first village smiths. The growth of the village was at first slow, and few improvements were made until after the completion of the Cincinnati & Eastern Railroad, when it began to assume a business air, and is now a thriving little village.