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CHAPTER XI.


GOSHEN.


The township of Goshen (number seventeen, range four) contains thirty-two square miles.            Its principal streams are the Middle fork of Beaver creek, which rises in Perry, flows through the eastern part of Goshen, and a branch of the Mahoning river, which rises in section nineteen and flows in a general course northerly through the western portion of the township, and leaves it about a mile east of the northwest corner.


The township of Goshen has an undulating surface, and yields to the landscape outlines of quiet beauty in infinite variety. The soil is fertile and well adapted to grazing and the raising of small fruits.


FIRST SETTLEMENTS.


Anthony Morris came in 1804, and settled in section thirty-one. His wife was Hannah French. He was overseer of the poor in 1812. His daughter Sarah married James Bruff, who came in 1822.

Barzilla French also settled on part of section thirty-one.


Thomas French first came to Damascus in 1805, and his brother Elijah soon after. Thomas married a daughter of Jonas Cattell, who located in Salem.


Horton Howard entered several sections of land in Goshen for a man named Hoopes and acted as his agent. The tract was bought by Benjamin Wright in 1847 and divided among his five daughters.


David Venable came to Goshen in 1805 and settled as a tenant on the farm of Jonas Cattell.


Isaac and Thomas Votaw came from Winchester, Virginia, in 1896. Isaac purchased two hundred. and forty acres on section nineteen and died in 1829. He had two sons, Benjamin and David, and was trustee of the township in 1812-18. Thomas Votaw settled in section six, and served as supervisor and trustee. He had three sons, Thomas, Samuel and Isaac. Descendants of both Isaac and Thomas live in the township.


Robert Armstrong was an early settler and held various township offices. His descendants still live in the township.


About 1806 Stacy Shreeve came with his wife from New Jersey and settled in section nineteen. John, his son, lives on the old homestead.


Joseph Kindele, a brother-in-law of Shreeve, also located on section nineteen in 1806.


James Brooke came from York State in 1806, and settled in section seven. A daughter of Mr. Brooke married Dr. James Hughes and resides in Berlin.


Isaac Ellison came from Virginia in 1806 and married a daughter of James Cattell, locating on section seven. Zachariah Ellison, father of Isaac, came in 1816 and settled in section nineteen. He married Mary, a sister of Isaac Votaw, and died at the age of eighty.


William and James Cattell came before 180. William settled about a mile west of Goshen. James had a large family of daughters and settled on section nineteen.


Samuel Davis, of Salem, entered section twenty as early as 1804, receiving a deed from the Government dated November r, 1898. He gave the southeast quarter of the section to his daughter Rachael, who married Lewis Townsend, a brother of Mrs. Dr. Benjamin Stanton, of Salem. The northeast quarter was given to William Davis, a son, who was killed on the mountains a few years after, when the property passed to his children.


Joshua Morris came in about 180 and located a farm a little north of William Fawcett. He sold it in 1818 to James Hemingway, from New Jersey, whose son James was clerk of the township from 1827 to 1842.


Aaron Stratton, elder brother of Michael and Stacy, came from New Jersey in 1808 and settled in section twenty-three, on Beaver creek, where he soon after built a grist-mill, which well accommodated the country round. The property was sold in 1834 to Emor F. Weaver, and afterwards to Samuel Mathers.


Henry Hinchman came from New Jersey about 1898 with a large family of children,— John, Henry, Aaron, Hannah, Elizabeth, Grace, and Mary,—and settled on section thirty-six. His son Henry lives in the township. Aaron published a newspaper in 1842, which he printed in his father's house. He afterwards removed to Salem.


Benjamin Butler, Hannah his wife, and their children, Lawrence, Ellen, Hannah, John, Meribah, Ann, and Sarah, came from near Phil-


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adelphia, by the way of Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Pittsburg, in a two-horse wagon, and were about four weeks on the route. They arrived at Salem in April, 1811. Mr. Butler was poor and settled on the farm of Robert French, in section thirty-six, where he lived a year. He then moved into the present township of Goshen and occupied land owned by Aaron Street, near the western boundary, and lived there two years. A Friend gave him an opportunity to buy and build, and he purchased one hundred and sixty acres on section eighteen, where Elihu Cobb lives, and moved into a building of round logs which he there erected. He lived in this until August, 1828, when he died.


John Butler, son of Benjamin, purchased a farm adjoining the Friends' meeting-house, and in 1825 built a two-story cabin, of hewn logs, in which he began housekeeping in August of that year, His wife was Priscilla Fawcett, whom he married at the Friends' meeting house in Salem, In 1829 he purchased the farm he now occupies, which was at that time all woods. Here he built, in 1830, a log house with a shingle roof, but, his wile dying in that year, he changed his plans, and did not move to the farm until his second marriage, in 1834. While living with his father on the farm in section eighteen, it fell to his lot to do the " milling," He generally carried to mill about two bushels of grain, The mill was nearly due east from the fat in, on a branch of Beaver creek, was known as the "Stratton mill," and was probably built about 1809,


Mr. Butler, a prominent member of the Society of Friends, was appointed one of the associated executive committee of Friends of the Central Indian Superintendency of the United States.


William Fawcett, with his wife, came from Virginia in 1811, and purchased one hundred and sixty-four acres on section thirty-two.


Samuel and Thomas Langstaff in 1812 settled on section eighteen, where now is a hamlet called " Boswell."


Joseph Wright came from New Jersey in 1810, settled first on section thirteen, and moved therefrom to section fourteen. He lived to old age, and served the township in various offices almost continuously until the time of his death.


Benjamin Malmsbury came from New Jersey with his wife and children about 1812, and bought one hundred and sixty acres on section thirty-six.


Bazel Perry and his wife came from Maryland in 1811 and settled on section five, east of Thomas Votaw. He was not an aspirant for position evidently, for in 1813 he declined the honor of an election to the office of constable,


Benjamin Lloyd settled on the southwest quarter of section twenty-one.


Caleb Shinn settled in the township very early, where some of his descendants remain.


Richard Templin, from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, a moulder by trade, seltled in section thirteen about 1825. His son John moved to Patmos about 1831, and settled on section three. John King, from the same place, and also a moulder, settled on section one in 1831, where Joshua Bowman lives. His son Joseph lives in Patmos.


Jesse Straughn, in October, 1820, came from Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and lived a while with John Straughn, his brother. In 1822 he settled on section thirty-four, of which he boughl seventy-four acres. Daniel Straughn, father of John and Jesse, some years earlier settled the east half of section thirty-four, and gave it to his children.


Stacy Stratton (a brother of Michael and Aaron Stratton, who came in 1806) came from Burlington county, New Jersey, and settled first on Mr. Cattell's farm, on the Ellsworth lroad.


Adam Fast, in 1816, purchased the southwest quarter of section one, and was probably the first person who settled in that part of the township. Jacob Leyman, from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, who married the daughter of Mr. Fast, received from him this piece of land in 1821.


Peter Gloss, about 180, bought land in the southeast quarter of section twelve, where he built a factory and manufactured wooden bowls. He afterwards settled upon the Cessna farm.


Josiah and Jacob Bowman (sons of Philip Bowman, who settled in Green township,) about 1831 settled on the northeast quarter of section one. This part of the section was entered by a man named Bowers in 1816.


Drade Husk entered and settled upon the northwest quarter of section two, which was afterwards purchased by Raphael Campbell.


William Bradshaw, in 1832, came from Bucks


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county, Pennsylvania, and bought one hundred and six acres of section nine. This land was entered by William Swenn as early as 1820.


Among other early seltlers may be mentioned Noah Deed, Christian. and David Countryman, Isaac Evans, Enoch Gaus, Joseph Mirl, Nathan Brown, Benjamin and Joshua Owen, Thomas Johnson, Levi Rakestraw, Charles Curl, and Abraham Keifer.


ORGANIZATION.


Goshen was incorporated September In, 1810. The first volume of records contains, as the first Minute of proceedings, under date of December 3o, 181 0, an account of the appointment of Thomas Watson to the office of constable by the trustees. The names of the trustees are not given.

January 8, 1812, "lhe township officers met on the first Second day of March," and settled the town accounts. April 6, 1812, the following resolution was passed at a meeting of the inhabitants :

Resolved, That Isaac Votaw, Michael Stratton, Thomas Conn, Thomas French, and Joel Sharp be a committee to view the southeast quarter of section number sixteen, and to conclude on a suitable piece of ground for to set a house for to hold elections in, and to warn the inhabitants to meet and raise a sufficient house for that purpose, and to have the house to hold the fall election in.

The following officers were chosen at this meeting: Joseph Wright, township clerk ; Michael Slratton, Isaac Votaw, Levi Jennings, trustees ; Anthony Morris, Isaac Barber, overseers of the poor; Thomas French, Josiah Stratton, appraisers of property ; Robert Armstrong, Asa Ware, fence-viewers; Barzilla French, Stacy Shreeve, Thomas Votaw, Thomas Conn, Abram Warrington, supervisors; George Baum, treasurer; Joseph Kindle, constable.


There seems to have been some difficulty in securing a constable, for, on April 10, 1813, out of thirty-three persons named for that office, thirty were summoned, of whom twenty-eight refused to serve, and were fined. The following is the list of the names chosen : Isaac Ellison, Bazel Perry, Henry Hinchman, Christian Countryman, Joseph Hoile, Simeon Jennings, Isaac Gaus, William Johnson, Levi Rakestraw, Joshua Owen, Enoch Gaus, Joseph Mirl, Joel Sharp, Charles Stratton, Nathan Brown, Robert French, John Webb, Noah Reed, David Countryman, Robert McKim, Evan Gaus, Levi Hoile, Joshua Morris, William Faucett, Richard Webb, Abraham Barber, Thomas Johnson, Jonathan Votaw, Benjamin Owen, Samuel Votaw, Charles Curl, Abraham Keifer..


VILLAGES.


Damascus, situated on the line between Butler and Goshen townships, was platled and laid out by Horton Howard in 1808. It contains about four hundred inhabitants, and on the Goshen side has one church (Wesleyan), a post- office, academy, steam saw-mill, woolen-mill, and several slores and shops. The post-office was established in 1828 with James B. Bruff as postmaster.


Patmos was first settled by Benjamin Regle, John Templin, William Ware, and Levi A. Ley- man. James W. Templin opened the first store in 185o. Levi A. Leyman was the first postmaster, appointed in 1850, and continued in office twelve years. While Leyman and Captain Coit, of Ellsworth, were cogitating upon a name for the new post-office which should be different from any other in the State, they noticed an open music book near by upon whose pages appeared the good old time "Patmos." The word was spoken and the name adopted, and " Patmos it remains. The postmasters who have succeeded Mr. Leyman have been Mrs. Catharine Roller, William Bradshaw, and J. W. Templin. The settlement contains a post-office, store, saw-mill, blacksmith shop, carriage shop, and a dozen dwellings.


Boswell post-office was established in 1850, John Martin first postmaster.


Garfield post-office was established in 1875 at Garfield station, on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad. S. A. Fogg was appointed postmaster.


SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.


The Friends at an early day formed by far the largest part of the population of the township, and instituted schools, which they kept up even after the organization of the township into school districts. There were at one time nine schools under the care of a visiting committee appointed by the " monthly meeting," whose territory comprised the townships of Butler and Goshen. Several of these Were family schools.


The first school in the town was opened in the winter of 1812 at the log meeting-house in


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Goshen, a settlement near the west line of the township. The house was in size about 15 x 24 feet, and was built for both school and " meeting " purposes, The first teacher was Samuel Votaw, a son of Isaac Votaw, an early settler in the northwest section of the township.


A school was opened a little later near the Stratton mill, and was taught by Daniel Stratton. The teachers who served at the school in the Goshen neighborhood after Mr, Votaw were Martha Townsend (now Mrs, Martha Stanton, living at Salem), who taught in the fall of 1814; William Green, an Irishman ; William Titus, a Yankee; and Joshua Crew, who let the pupils do as they pleased ; Benjamin Marshall, who taught three winters ; John Butler, who taught ten winters; Isaac Trescott, Solomon Shreeve, Jesse Lloyd, and Stephen Roberts.


At Damascus a school was first taught by Joshua Lynch, afterwards by James Bruft, John P. Gruel, Jacob Hole, Simeon Fawcett, Lydia Maria Stanley, and others.


Professor Israel P, Hole, with his brother Jacob, afterwards established a school in a large two-story building of brick, situated is spacious grounds on the Goshen side, This they continued for three or four years, when the Friends purchased the property for a "quarterly-meeting school." Jesse Lloyd, William P. Pinkham, and Otis Beal were the principal teachers,


There was a school in the Votaw settlement in its earlier years, mostly taught by females. Elizabeth Blackburn taught during several summers. James Hemingway taught in the Benjamin Malmsbury neighborhood.


A log school-house was built and a school supported by subscription about 1825, in what is now district number one, half a mile east of Patmos. Andrew Templin was the first teacher, The town has eight school districts.


The first church or " meeting-house " was built by the Friends. It was burned in 1842. In 1852 their present brick church was erected. A Methodist class was formed about 5820. Their present building on section eight was built in 1863. Two miles east of Patmos is the Bethel Methodist Episcopal church, built in 1847, and another Methodist church exists at Damascus,


A newspaper called the Self-Examiner was published at Goshen a short time in 1842,