488 - Rome Township. CHAPTER XVI. Rome Township. ROME was formed from a portion of the township of Troy in 1811. The first entry on the subject, in the records of the county commissioners, is as follows: "Thursday, April 4, 1811.--Ordered by the commissioners, That so much of the township of Troy as is contained in the original surveyed townships, numbered 5 and 6, in the 11th range, and 6 in the 12th range, be erected into a new township by the name of Rome. " Ordered by the commissioners, That their clerk notify the inhabitants of the township of Rome to meet at the house of Amos Crippen, in said township, on Saturday the loth instant, for the purpose of electing township officers." But no election was held under this order, and, on the 4th of June ensuing, the commissioners " Ordered, That the boundaries of the township of Rome be as follows, to wit: beginning at the southwest corner of township No. 6 in the 12th range, thence east on the township line History of Athens County, Ohio - 489 until it intersects the river Hockhocking, thence up said river until it intersects the range line between the i 1th and 12th ranges, thence on said range line (being the line between the counties of Athens and Washington) to the south boundary of Ames township, thence west on said township line to the township of Athens, thence south to the place of beginning, and that tbe remainder of the township of Rome be and is hereby attached to the township of Troy. [This refers to the previous order of April 4th.] " Ordered by the commissioners, That their clerk notify, by advertisement, the inhabitants of the township of Rome to meet at tbe house of Daniel Stewart, on Saturday, the 15th instant, for the purpose of electing township officers." The only change that has Since been made in these boundaries, was by an act of the legislature, passed February to, 1814, which detached Sections 31 and 32, township 6, range t 1, from Washington county, and added them to Rome, thus taking in the Strip east of the Hockhocking, and causing the offset at the Southeast corner of the township. The population of Rome in 1820 was 497; in 1830 it was 522; in 1840 it was 852; in 1850 it was 1,309; in 1860 it was 1581. The Methodist church was planted in this township at a very early day. Daniel and Archelaus Stewart were the first to move in the matter of forming a Society here. They Settled here in 1802. About two years later Daniel Stewart rode twenty miles to meet the Rev. Jacob Young, who was then on the Marietta circuit, and engaged him to visit Rome township. Mr. Young 490 - Rome Township. came according to promise. In his autobiography, published a few years Since, in narrating the events of 1855, Mr. Young Speaks of Daniel Stewart: "Under whose hospitable roof I have spent many a happy night, and from whose hand I had received many a dollar, when I stood in great need of money. I first lodged with this good man in 1804, preached and organized a church in his house. He was then in the vigor of manhood, and was one of most active and enterprising men in Ohio." William Pilcher, Job Ruter, Eliphalet Case, Elijah Rowell, and their wives, were among the earliest memberS of the Society thuS formed by "Father Young." The Methodists now have three neat and SubStantial church buildings in the township, where Services are held regularly. One of the first ministers who preached in the township, was the Rev. Cyrus Paulk, jr., who preached in 1803, and, thereafter, regularly for many years. He was a "Calvinist Baptist." There is one Baptist and one United Brethren church in Rome. The first school house in the township, a log structure sixteen feet square, was built in 1804, on the east bank of Federal creek, about two hundred yards below the bridge and near the mouth of the creek. Abraham Richards was the first teacher, and Mrs. Polly Driggs, a daughter of Ebenezer Barrows, was the next. The school was supported by subscription, and was the center of a school district about five miles in diameter. History of Athens County, Ohio - 491 There are now eleven school houses in the township, each with ample accommodations for forty scholars. The "Miller Seminary," owned and managed by the Rev. Amos Miller, is pleasantly located on his farm; about one mile east of Savannah, near the Hockhocking river, and three miles from the Marietta & Cincinnati railroad. When first established, in 1841, Prof. Miller used a large room in his dwelling house as a School room. As the school increased a separate building on his farm was made use of, and, in 1859, Prof. Miller erected a handsome and convenient two-story building, in which the school has since been kept. Neat cottages have been built close at hand, for the use of pupils who desire to board themselves. The Seminary will accommodate one hundred pupils. Some hundreds of youths of both Sexes have been taught here, and the institution is a credit to the founder and to the county. Professor Miller has taught in Athens county at intervals, and most of the time for the last forty-two years. At Savannah is located the " Savannah academy." This School, the management and SuccesS of which have been highly creditable to all concerned, was founded in the Spring of 1867 through the efforts of some public Spirited citizens of the township. Frederic Finsterwald, Peter Boyles, Vincent Caldwell, Harvey Pierce, and John Caldwell were elected the first board of trustees of the academy and have been its steady patrons 492 - Rome Township. and supporters. They employed Mr. George W. Boyce as principal teacher, and the school has been well patronized from the beginning. More than one hundred and forty scholars, in the aggregate, attended during the first year. The active interest in education thus manifested, and the liberal support accorded to this enterprise by the leading citizens of the neighborhood, are worthy of the highest commendation. There is also a good school at Big Run, founded in 1866 through the voluntary contributions of the citizens. A neat and convenient school building has been erected, and the School is useful and prosperous. It is under the management at present of Miss Elizabeth Monahan. In 1808 the first bridge in the township was built over Federal creek, near its mouth, by Elijah Hatch, and in 1818 a second one was built at the same place. Both were clumsy structures, and neither of them very permanent. In 1842 a greatly superior bridge was erected by Peter Beebe, Isaac Jackson being the architect; it was at first a toll bridge but is now free. About the year 1851 or 1852, a bridge was built over Federal creek near the mouth of Big Run but was soon swept away ; another has since been erected on the same site. The bridge at Savannah was built about ten years ago, the funds being supplied partly by the county and partly by subscription. Another has been built over the Hockhocking about two History of Athens County, Ohio - 493 miles below Savannah, the funds being raised in the Same manner. The first grist and saw mill in the township was built in 1802 by George, Henry, and James Barrows on Federal creek, about a mile from its mouth. The mill was a log building with only one run of stones, which were made of the " Laurel hill granite " and run by a large undershot wheel. This enterprise was hailed with delight by some half dozen infant settlements, some of them distant fifteen or twenty miles. Before this the nearest mill, where wheat could be ground, was Devol's, on the Muskingum, at least forty miles distant. Many families, however, possessed that great desideratum of pioneer life, the primitive hand mill and the " hominy block." There were also a few horse mills in the county, but they were only used for grinding or, as it was called, "cracking " corn. In 1818 Reuben Farnsworth built the first mill on the Hockhocking river, within the township limits. This was one of the most solid and substantial mill Structures ever erected in the county. Farnsworth failed, and the mill passed into the hands of Peter Beebe, who afterward Sold it to Thomas Welch. It was Sold by Mr. Welch to Cook, Crippen & Co., who are the present owners. In 1820 the Savannah mill (grist and saw mill) was built by Ezra Stewart and his brother Charles, sons of Esquire Daniel Stewart. It has three run of stones 494 - Rome Township. and does a great amount of custom work. It is Situated on the Hockhocking river, in the village df Savannah, about three miles from the west line of Rome township. About 1834 Alexander Stewart and George Warren built the Stewart mill (a saw mill), near Savannah; but it was Soon destroyed by fire, and a large three-story grist and Saw mill was erected on the site by Daniel B. Stewart. In 1844 Mr. Stewart connected a woolen factory with the establishment, which is now owned by Captain Charles Byron, late of the 3d regiment O. V. I. It runs four hundred and Seventy spindles, has four looms, four carding machines, two spinning jacks, and a full set of fulling and dressing machinery. During the Season of 1867 the mill manufactured eight thousand pounds of rolls, ten thousand pounds of yarn, and six thousand pounds of wool into cloth. The grist and Saw mill are Still in active operation. Two miles above Savannah are the Kincade mills built in 1842 by John and Allen Kincade, and now being rebuilt by John Kincade on an enlarged plan and in a more substantial manner. About 1854 Heman Frost—Son of Abram Frost, one of the pioneers of Carthage township—built a grist and saw mill three miles below Cook & Crippen's mill ; it was subsequently replaced by a saw mill, which was swept off by a high "freshet" in the spring of 1867. What was called " upper settlement " of Rome township was formed in the year 1808 by Joshua Selby, History of Athens County, Ohio - 495 John Thompson, Robert Calvert, and Jonathan Simmons, from Virginia, and Richard, George, and James Simmons from Pennsylvania. They were all good citizens. In 1810 or 181 1 Christopher Herrold, one of the pioneers of Ames township, Settled in Rome. He was a Pennsylvania German and a man of enterprise and thrift. He afterward removed to Dover. A Singular evidence of the enterprising spirit of the early settlers is afforded by the fact that in 1811 a Seagoing vessel was built in Rome township, a mile below the mouth of Federal creek on the south bank of the Hockhocking. She was launched and taken to New Orleans in the spring of 1812. The vessel was built by Captain Caleb Barstow, from Providence, Rhode Island, and was called The Enterprise. Elections, musters, and house raisings were in early times events of special interest. Plenty of good cheer abounded on such occasions, and boisterous frolicking, with the roughest sort of practical jokes, was the order of the day. Colonel Wm. Stewart, an early resident of the county, furnishes the following account of a house raising in Rome township : " As early as the spring of 1804 father built what was then called a double log barn, about eighteen feet high, all of white oak timber. It required nearly all the settlers of Rome, Carthage, Troy, Ames, and Canaan townships to raise it. In those days, however, no one thought of not responding to such a call, and on this occasion they were all present. As early as sunrise there were about fifty men on hand. As was the universal custom in those 496 - Rome Township. days father furnished a copious supply of old rye whisky, and by breakfast time—about 7 o'clock—many of the men felt its effects. The building went on, however, with a will, and the heavy logs were rushed up on large skids with a strength and daring that were surprising, the men cheering and laughing all the while. Dinner came on. According to custom three large chicken pies were placed on the table, one in the center and one at each end. Average decanter of whisky stood by the center one. The crowd being seated grace was said by father, and all being hungry were ready to fall to vigorously when James Crippen (he and his brother Amos were the leading spirits of the day), having made an excavation in the center of the chicken pie, seized the decanter and said, Gentlemen, it has all got to go one way at last, so here goes,' and with that he poured the whisky, more than a quart, into the smoking pie. It produced a great laugh ; some ate heartily of the pie, some cautiously, and some declined the new sauce, yet all in great glee. After dinner all hands went to work again, and by dark the barn was completed—the greatest day's work, I suspect, ever performed in tbe county. The work over, father thanked them all for their kindness. James Crippen responded, saving, No thanks, Daniel, what we 've done to-day we owe to every one that makes a like call ; but before we part we desire to have a social dance, and especially do we wish to dance with the good old lady Mrs. Wickham and her husband,' and walking up to the old lady he immediately led her out for a jig. In less than a minute they were dancing with all their might, the men singing and beating time. At least twenty of the men danced a jig in turn with Mrs. Wickham till she was tired out, and then they danced with old Mr. Wickham till he was exhausted. But they were not through yet. Mr. Wickham being tired out it was proposed in great glee to bury him. An old ox sled was immediately procured, two boards laid on it, and Mr. Wickham laid on the boards. Numbers of the men seized the sled and prepared to drag it over the ground, while others with cowbells and sleighbells led the procession. The sled was drawn History of Athens County, Ohio - 497 several times around the yard amid great noise and laughter, and then the old man was released. It was nearly midnight before the scene closed and all left. During the whole day and evening there was no profanity nor any hard words used. All was cheerful labor, and innocent, though boisterous, mirth." Esquire Elmer Rowell, to whom we are indebted for many facts concerning the early settlement of Rome township, says : " When I first settled here the nearest post office was at Athens, sixteen or seventeen miles distant, and I have frequently gone that distance for a single expected letter ; now there are four post offices in the township. Then we went thirty miles to obtain our necessary dry goods, groceries, hardware, etc. ; now there are seven or eight good country stores in the township. While musing on the times and people of fifty-five years ago, the whole scene for thirty miles up and down the valley seems photographed on my memory—the men and women, their costumes, the log cabins and the cleared patches. The men all dressed m homespun during summer, and during winter a great part of the clothing consisted of buckskin ; the females, both matron and lass, for every day in homespun, except in later years, now and then began to appear in a factory dress,' and all had for Sunday and holidays the more costly and gayer calico and cambric dresses. Those were the days of warm friendships and close attachments. Common hardships and labors begot a fellow feeling. If there was a cabin to raise, every man for miles around turned out with alacrity to help raise it and put on the last clapboard. If there was any job too heavy for one man to do, all assisted. When a hunter or any one else was belated, be he a stranger or acquaintance, he found a home and a welcome in any log cabin he might chance to find." 498 - Rome Township. Between 1800 and 18io the township received a number of good settlers. John Johnson and father on the Hockhocking opposite Federal creek ; Job Ruter, with his Sons Martin and Calvin, on the river about two miles above Federal creek ; and about the same time came Nathan Conner, Rev. Moses Osborn, the Calverts, the Thompsons, the Selbys, and the Mitchells, all of whom settled on the river. Most of these came from Virginia. Also prominent among the early settlers were Abraham Sharp, who gave his name to Sharp's run and Sharp's fork of Federal creek ; Francis Munn, a revolutionary Soldier, Archibald Dorough, Thomas Richardson, Dr. Seth Driggs, the Hewitts, Jeremiah Conant, Wm. Pilcher, Aaron Orm, Thomas Swan, Aaron Butts, Eli Catlin, Daniel Anderson, a lieutenant in the revolutionary army, David Chapman, and Enos Thompson, a Methodist preacher. When war was declared in 1812 Athens county was called on for a company of infantry to consist of fifty men. To raise these the militia regiment, then commanded by Colonel Edmund Dorr, was Summoned together and volunteers called for. The quota was filled in a few minutes by volunteering, and of the fifty men, nearly one-fifth were from Rome township, and all of these from the School district of which the old school house was the center. Their names were James Crippen, Peter Beebe, Thaddeus Crippen, Ebenezer Hatch, Charles Stewart, William Starr, Andrew Stewart John History of Athens County, Ohio - 499 Wickham, and Daniel Muncie. Subsequently, when the company was enlarged to sixty, Rome sent one more volunteer, George Driggs, and he is the only Survivor of the whole number. In 1813, when" the governor of Ohio called for forty days mounted riflemen, George Barrows, Montgomery Perry, and a young man named Swann, went from Rome. William T. Hatch, son of Elijah Hatch, was the first male child born in the township, and his sister Harriet, the late Mrs. Hill, is said to have been the first female. Mrs. Elijah Hatch, mother of Judge Hatch, was the first perSon who died in the township. Township Trustees since 1811. 1811 - Job Ruter, - Elijah Hatch, -James Crippen. 1812 - Daniel Stewart, - George Barrows, - John Thompson. 1813 - Elijah Rowell, - James Crippen, - “ 1814 - Daniel. Stewart, - “ - Joshua Selby. 1815 - “ - “ -William Barrows. 1816 - “ - Elijah Hatch, - Joshua Selby. 1817 - James Crippen, - John Thompson, - Henry Barrows. 1818-19 - “ - Archelaus Stewart, - “ 1820 - “ - “ - Daniel Stewart. 1821 - “ - John Thompson, - “ 1822 - Elijah Hatch, - Joshua Selby, - “ 1823 - James Crippen, - Elmer Rowell, - Archelaus Stewart. 1824 - William S. Doan, - Joshua Selby, - Henry Barrows. 1825 - Daniel Stewart, - Elijah Dalbey, - Peter Beebe.. 1826 - “ - “ - James Crippen 1827 - “ Josephus Butts, - Joshua Selby. 1828 - John Thompson, - “ - “ 1829 - John Johnson, - “ - “ 1830 - John Thompson, “ - Daniel D. Cross. 1831 - John Johnson, “ - Joseph Mitchell. 1832 - William S. Doan, - James E. Hatch, - “ 1833-34 - Levi Stewart, - " - “ 1835 - Alexander Stewart, - “ - Peter Beebe. 1836 - Joseph Mitchell, - “ - Samuel Hill. 1837 - “ - S. T. Richardson, - George Warren. 1838 - James E. Hatch, - Joshua Calvert, - “ 1839 - Peter Beebe, - Wilson Selby, - Wm. P. Doan. 1840-41 - “ - Joseph Mitchell, - Levi Stewart. 500 - Rome Township. Township TRUSTEES—Continued. 1842 - Daniel B. Stewart, - William Mitchell, - Nelson Cook. 1843 - William P. Doan, - William Crippen, - B. F. Johnson. 1844 - Peter Grosvenor, - William R. Winner, - Joseph Mitchell. 1845 - “ - Levi Stewart, - “ 1846 - D. B. Stewart,  - William Simmons, - B. F. Johnson.. 1847 - “ - “ - Abraham Parrill 1848 - Elmer Rowell, - Artemus S. Crippen, - Levi Stewart. 1849 - “ - Peter Grosvenor, - “ 1850 - Nelson Cook, “ - Connell Roberts. 1851 - “ - “ - T. F. Jones. 1852 - Levi Stewart, - “ , - W. R. Winner. 1853-55 - Elmer Rowell, - D. B. Stewart, - Wilson Selby.  1856 - T. R. Rider, - Perry Barrows, - Harvey Pierce. 1857 - “, - Voltaire Barrows, - “, 1858 - Josephus Tucker, - Perry Barrows, - Elmer Rowell. 1859 - James Rice, - Haman Frost, - Artemus Buckley. 1860-61 - ", - Josephus Tucker, W. L. Petty. 1862 - A. S. Crippen, - Artemus Buckley, -   G. S. Simpson.. 1863 - “, - P. W. Boyles, - James Cross 1864 - Blanford Cook, - “, - “ 1865 - “, - “ , - J. W. Johnson 1866 - “, - Joseph Patterson, - Harvey Pierce. 1867-68 - “, - Amos Patterson, - Robert Bean.  Township Clerks. 1811 —Caleb Barstow. 1812—Amos Crippen. 1813-15—Elijah Hatch. 1816-20—William Stewart. 1821—John Green. 1822—Daniel Stewart. 1823-25—Elijah Hatch. 1826—John Thompson. 1827-28—Samuel Thompson. 1829—Edmund Cook. 1830-31-Guy Barrows. 1832—John Welch. 1833—Elijah Hatch. 1834—Wilson Selby. 1835—Thomas Newcomb. 1836-37—Blanford Cook. 1838-39—Elmer Rowell. History of Athens County, Ohio - 501 Township Clerks—Continued. 1840-42—Wilson Selby. 1843—E. B. Parrill. 184.4-45—Wilson Selby. 1846-47—Joshua Calvert. 1848—B. F. Johnson. 1849—Sydney S. Beebe. 1850-51—B. F. Johnson. 1852—Joshua Calvert. 1853-55—B. F. Johnson. 1856-57—Charles H. Grosvenor. 1858—Robert Bean. 1859-62—Blanford Cook. 1863—James Moore. 1864-65—Harvey Pierce. 1866—Charles Dean. 1867-68—George M. Ross. The first township treasurer in Rome was Amos Crippen, elected in 1811. Then followed in succession George Barrows, Daniel Stewart, Hopson Beebe, David Chapman, Charles Beebe, John Johnson, John M. Perry, Peter Beebe, Sydney S. Beebe, Guy Barrows, James Starr, Hiram Stewart, Daniel B. Stewart and B. F. Johnson. Successive Justices of the Peace. Elijah Hatch, Daniel Stewart, James Crippen, Elmer Rowell, John Thompson, Thomas Welch, Joseph Mitchell, C. C. Beard, Joshua Calvert, H. S. Butts, D. D. Cross, Timothy F. Jones, Thomas Grosvenor, Abraham Parrill, Heman Frost, Elam Frost, R. A. Fulton, S. S. Beebe. 502 - Rome Township. Personal and Biographical. The first person who Settled in what is now Rome township was David Dailey, a veteran Soldier of the revolution, and decidedly " a character." Born in Vermont in 1750, he removed to western New York after his discharge from the army, and thence to Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, whence he migrated in the year 1797 to the northwestern territory. With his family, consisting of two daughters and five sons, of whom Benonah H. Dailey, of Carthage township (the youngest son), is now the sole survivor, he came down the Ohio river in a pirogue to the mouth of the Hockhocking, and up that Stream to the mouth of Federal creek, where he at once opened up a farm. The place on which he settled is now known as the Beebe farm. Around him was an unbroken wilderness. The nearest neighbors were at the Settlement at Athens, about twelve miles distant. Parties of Indians were frequently Seen on hunting excursions, or on their way to Wheeling to barter their furs. Having lived about three years on the farm first settled by him, he sold it to Judge Elijah Hatch, and, with his family, removed to Carthage township. Dailey was a famous hunter, fond of the exciting sports of pioneer life, and cultivated a sort of contempt for the comforts and conveniences of civilization. With his dogs and hunting equipments, and with a dead bear or deer on his back, History of Athens County, Ohio - 503 homeward bound, he was as happy as a king. The story of his many encounters with wolves, bears, and panthers, after settling in Athens county, would form an interesting narrative, and graphically illustrate the excitements of pioneer life. Our informant says: "I exceedingly regret that some of these stories, which I have heard him relate, are so blurred in memory that I find it impossible to reproduce them. And, then, the old man told them with such a peculiar zest that much would unavoidably be lost in a repetition. His imperturbable gravity, the immobility of his countenance, even when uttering a dry joke or relating an amusing anecdote, at which the bystanders were in a perfect roar of laughter, were wonderful. Yet I have often seen his eyes fill with tears at a tale of suffering. Even in relating the death of a favorite dog—Piper—belonging to a fellow huntsman, the tears would start. He assisted in burying the dog with military honors,' on the bank of a branch now bearing the dog's name." Captain Chittenden, afterward governor of Vermont, commanded the company in which Dailey Served during the revolutionary war. Several years after he came to Ohio to live, Dailey applied for a pension, and walked all the way to Vermont to obtain, from his old captain, the necessary certificate and vouchers. After his return to the west he would often relate, with much gusto, the hearty greetings and warm welcome he received from the governor, and, during his Stay of Several days, remembered to have particularly relished the governor'S "cognac." 504 - Rome Township. The old man was exceedingly severe in his criticisms on St. Clair's disastrous campaign against the Indians, in 1791. It So happened, on one occasion, that St. Clair, while governor of the northwestern territory, in passing across the country, called at Dailey's cabin in Rome, to obtain refreshments for himself and horse. Dailey's larder, however, was exhausted, and, though full of hospitality, he could do little or nothing for the hungry governor, who was compelled to press on to Athens, where he arrived very much exhausted and very angry. The incident worked on his mind to such a degree, vexing him more the more he dwelt upon it, that he threatened to Send Dailey out of the territory— declaring that he would not have such a shiftless man within his jurisdiction. This, Dailey pretty soon heard of. Not long afterward the governor met Dailey in "Southtown" (Alexander), and thought it a good opportunity to at least administer a Sound reprimand for his delinquency as an agriculturist, and commenced with, "Well, Mr. Dailey, how do you Succeed in farming at the mouth of Federal creek?" Dailey, assuming an unusual amount of Solemn gravity, replied: "Pretty d—d poorly, as you did fighting the Indians; but I think the difference, if any, is on my side, for, being born without a shirt, I have made out to hold my own till the present time, which is an almighty sight better than you did." The governor let Dailey alone after that. History of Athens County, Ohio - 505 Elijah Hatch (Judge Hatch) migrated from the eastern part of the State of New York to the northwestern territory, and Settled in Rome township in the year 1800. In 1801 he went back and removed his father, Elijah Hatch, Sen., and his mother, with their family, to this township—the former being Seventy-two, and the latter seventy-one years old at that time. They came in wagons to the Youghiogheny, in Pennsylvania, where, in connection with others, they procured a flat boat, twenty-five feet long by twelve feet wide, which they loaded with Seven horses, one wagon, one carriage, a quantity of hardware and farming utensils, and fifteen persons—men, women, and children. Thus they proceeded down the Youghiogheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers, to the Ohio Company's purchase. Judge Hatch was the first man who ever drove a team, with a wagon, through the woods, from the mouth of little Hocking to the big Hockhocking. He struck the latter Stream two and a half miles below the mouth of Federal creek, about half a mile below where the present ridge road now joins the Hocking road. Judge Hatch possessed talents above mediocrity, a sound judgment in public affairs, and was an active and influential man in the early Settlement of the county. He was appointed judge of the court of common pleas by Governor Tiffin, in 1805, and was afterward appointed or elected Several times to that position. He Served nine terms in the State legislature, being first 506 - Rome Township. elected in 1804, and was appointed by that body one of the first board of trustees of the Ohio university, which position he held for the remainder of his life. He was a man of affable and courteous demeanor, possessing a large fund of anecdote and social qualities, that made him always a welcome guest at pioneer gatherings. He died January 19, 1849, aged eighty-one years. Roswell Culver and Joel Spenser Settled, with their families, in Rome about 1801. They were brothers- in-law of Judge Hatch, having married sisters. The "widow Comfort Crippen," another of Judge Hatch's sisters, settled in 1804 on the river, about a mile and a half below the mouth of Federal creek. She brought with her six sons and three daughters. One of the sons was Amos Crippen, long a leading citizen of the county, and the memory of one of the daughters, who was married to A. G. Brown, of Athens, is still fondly cherished by her relatives and friends. Of this large family, brought into Rome in 1804, only one now survives, viz: Mrs. Orinda Branch, of Middleport, Meigs county. One of the sisters, the late Mrs. Olive Currier, relict of Judge Ebenezer Currier, died at her residence in Athens, January 7, 1868, aged eighty-two years. Elmer Rowell, one of the few surviving pioneers of this period, was born in the county of Middlesex, History of Athens County, Ohio - 507 Massachusetts, in the year 1793, of excellent parentage, the family on both sides of the house being noted for their sterling honesty, intelligence, and patriotism. In 1811 his father, Elijah Rowell, migrated with his little family to the then "far west," and settled in Rome township, where Mr. Rowell has passed nearly the whole of his peaceful and useful life, and where he continues to reside, respected and beloved by all who know him. In the year 1812 young Rowell, then only nineteen years old, began to teach school, and continued teaching during the winter season for many years. He had eminent fitness for educating the young, and his unwearying fidelity and philosophic methods of instruction gained for him a deserved popularity. In 1815 he married Esther Culver, daughter of Roswell Culver, who is still living. To them were born six children, of which only three survive, viz : Ohiolus, born in Rome township in 1816, now a farmer in the same township, Mrs. Theresa P. Dorr, wife of Edmund Dorr, and William Wirt Rowell. Esquire Rowell has been a farmer during the most of his life. He has always taken a lively interest in the welfare of the community where he dwells, and has filled, at different times, all the township offices and the office of county commissioner. Eliphalet Case came to Rome township, with his family, in 1808, and brought into cultivation the fine 508 - Rome Township. farm on which Professor Miller now lives. Case married a daughter of Job Ruter, and was an influential citizen during the early days of the county. Joseph Wickham settled in Rome in 1805. He was a native of England, and serving on an English vessel when the revolutionary war broke out. He deserted, joined the American army, and served till the close of hostilities. After the war he lived for a time in Vermont. Having married there he set out, in the winter of 1804, for the new state of Ohio, but the roads getting very bad he disposed of his horses and wagon, bought a yoke of cattle and a sled, and came on to "Olean point." Here he procured a white pine raft, and floated down to the mouth of Hockhocking, and thence came up that river to Rome township, where he lived till his death, May 3, 1833, aged seventy-four years. One of his grandsons, Killian V. Whaley, was a member of the 38th and 39th congress from West Virginia. Another of them, William Reed, is known as one of the enterprising business men of the township. Timothy Jones, a native of Rhode Island, was born of wealthy parents, graduated at Brown university, became a lawyer and also a graduate in medicine, and held a high social position in Providence, Rhode Island, where he lived. In 1805, when near fifty years old, his wife having died, he relinquished the comforts of Settled life History of Athens County, Ohio - 509 and removed to Ohio. He arrived in Rome township in that year and buried himself in the forests of Federal creek. He was a man of considerable scientific research. During the revolutionary war he obtained the first premium, offered by the legislature of Massachusetts, for the manufacture of Saltpeter. His descendants possess the certificate of his admission to the bar in Providence, in 1786. Dressed in the garb of a pioneer working on his farm on Federal creek, he presented to those who knew his history and character an interesting study. Some time after coming here he married a second wife—the widow Polly Hewitt, a daughter of Ebenezer Barrows. The Rev. T. F. Jones is a son of theirs. An aged citizen of Rome, who knew Dr. Jones, Says, " in the forest he was a hunter—in the log cabin parlor a perfect Chesterfield." Leonard Jewett in 1804 or 1805 Settled at the mouth of Federal creek on a fine tract of land which lay chiefly on the South Side of the Hockhocking. He Sold out very Soon to Mr. John Johnson and removed to Athens. Mr. Johnson married Miss Sarah Wyatt, a daughter of Deacon Joshua Wyatt, of Ames, and a woman of rare excellence. By their industry and good management they in a few years opened up one of the best farms in the county. Mr. Johnson was a " close dealer," and so tenacious of his rights as to be thought by some a hard man ; but he was benevolent at heart, 510 - Rome Township. and would rather give away a dollar than be cheated of a cent. Many a destitute emigrant or needy family has had timely relief at his hands. He was the father of Dr. Wm. P. Johnson, the present representative of the county in the State legislature, and whose character as a man, as a physician and a public officer is too well known in his native county to require comment. Mrs. John Johnson, who was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1786, and came to Athens county with her father's family when she was fourteen years old, died December 26, 1859. Daniel Stewart was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, November 18, 1762. When fifteen years old he enlisted as a soldier in the revolutionary army, and served till the close of the war. He then removed to Sussex county, New Jersey, where he engaged successfully in business for several years and accumulated some means. In 1801 he exchanged his property in New Jersey for two shares in the Ohio Company's purchase and closed out his business with a view to moving west. Colonel William Stewart, a Son who accompanied his father to Ohio, says " In October, 1802, father returned to the old farm to rig out a team for emigration to the northwestern territory. The preparations having been completed, a day and hour were set for starting. At the appointed time, 8 o'clock A. M., about a hundred friends and neighbors from all quarters came flocking in to History of Athens County, Ohio - 511 bid us farewell, and I shall never forget the scene that followed. They all thought we were going so far beyond the world's boundary that we should never be heard of again. The hubbub lasted till 5 o'clock in the afternoon before father could say good bye with a strong voice, and then we started. Went three miles and camped for the night. The next morning we moved on. The teams were heavily loaded and the roads tolerable till we approached the Alleghany mountains when they became terribly rough and dangerous. Crossing the mountains the family were afraid to ride in the wagons and, therefore, walked this part of the way. At the very steep descents father would cut saplings, fasten them top foremost to the tail of the wagon and then go down, depending on the saplings as a brake. The journey was a long, wearisome and dangerous one, but we finally reached the Hockhocking in safety." This was in the winter. Mr. Stewart Settled on a fine tract of land on the river about a mile above the mouth of Federal creek. Possessing considerable means, great energy, and uncommon business talent, he soon had the best farm in the county. As early as 1810 he had an orchard of three thousand bearing fruit trees—two thousand peach, and one thousand apple trees —at that time probably the largest orchard in the State. As his means increased so did his benevolence and public Spirit. In business he left no points unguarded, and no man could defraud or overreach him with impunity ; but if he husbanded closely he gave liberally, and was always accessible to the claims of the really needy, and of educational and religious movements. He was one of the first two justices of the peace in the 512 - Rome Township. township (Elijah Hatch being the other), and acted as such, altogether, more than twenty years. He was county commissioner for many years, and was appointed by the legislature one of the early appraisers of the college lands, Captain Joshua Wyatt and John Brown being the other two. Few men have left more decided marks on the history of the county, in its social and business affairs, than Mr. Stewart. An active member of the Methodist church for Sixty years of his life he always contributed liberally to the Support of its ministers and the erection of churches. He died February 20, 1858. Mr. Stewart had fourteen children, viz : Andrew, William, Charles, John, Ezra, George, Lois, Sarah, Mary, Lucinda, Harriet, Alexander, Daniel B., and Hiram. One of these, the Rev. John Stewart, has been a traveling preacher in the Methodist church for fifty years. Another, Ezra Stewart, married Harriet, daughter of Esquire Henry Bartlett, in 1826, and spent his life in the mercantile business in Athens. He was a man of wonderful energy and endurance, and his unusual capacity for business is well remembered. He died in Athens, November 28, 1858. William Stewart came to this county with his father'S family in 1802, and lived here nearly forty years. When Seventeen years old he was elected a lieutenant in the militia, and was captain of a company raised here in 1812, which expected to be but was not called into the Service. History of Athens County, Ohio - 513 Some years later he was appointed a colonel. The contract for erecting the Ohio university building was awarded to him in 1817, and Several years later the contract for building the county jail. In 1840 he removed to Lee county, Iowa. In 1847 he was elected Superintendent of the common schools in that State, and during that and the next year organized one hundred and five school districts. He has held other public offices in Iowa. Daniel B. Stewart, Son of Daniel, was born on the old Stewart farm in Rome township, September 26, 1812. The first School he remembers and which he attended was kept by Jabez Bowman, on the hill about a quarter of a mile below the old homestead. This School was supported by contributions of its patrons. As he grew up Mr. Stewart developed a great fondness for machinery, and was never happier than when managing or handling it. He finally obtained his father's consent that he should go into the mill at Savannah as manager. Here he succeeded admirably, and without any instruction. After he had run this mill about two years he bought it of his father, run it two years more and then Sold it to James E. and William T. Hatch. The next two years he lived in Meigs county, engaging in the mercantile business at Rutland with his brother Alexander. Returning to this county he Started a Store at Coolville, and also bought the Saw mill on the river 514 - Rome Township. two miles below Savannah. This was in 1836. In 1837 the mill was burned. Mr. Stewart rebuilt it in 1838, putting in at that time the first patent Parker wheel used on the Hockhocking. In 1842 he added a grist mill, and in 1844 a woolen factory to the property. In 1864 he sold these mills, and in 1867 removed to the town of Athens, where he ownS the old Miles or Gregory mill, and has added to it a woolen factory. Though not among the largest this factory is one of the best arranged and most complete in the country, and may challenge comparison with any of its size to be found east or west. It is capable of carding and Spinning three hundred pounds of wool daily, and when the looms are all in, can make six hundred yards of cloth a day. Mr. Stewart has been one of the most energetic and useful business men in the county. At one time he was the owner of four mills on the Hockhocking, and part of the time also cultivated five farms in Rome township, raising as high as four thousand. five hundred bushels of wheat in one year. He served as justice of the peace twenty-one years, and in 186o was chosen presidential elector for this district. Alexander Stedman, a native of Vermont, and by profession an architect, Settled in Rome township in 1804, having previously lived for nearly two years at Athens. In 1805 he was appointed one of the judges of the History of Athens County, Ohio - 515 court of common pleas for Athens county and held the position for several years. Soon after coming here he married the widow Comfort Crippen. One of his sons, Eli Stedman, was a minister and Somewhat celebrated as a pulpit orator. Another, Levi Stedman, was for many years a prominent citizen of this county, Serving as county commissioner, etc. On the organization of Meigs county, in 1819, he moved thither, and was one the first common pleas judges in that county. Another Son, Bial, was an associate judge of Washington county. Judge Stedman was a man of excellent judgment and of commanding influence among the pioneers. Some of his descendants are still living in the county. A grandson, Frederic Stedman, was elected sheriff of the county in 1861, but left his office and entered the Union army as captain of a company of infantry. Amos Miller, only son of Judge Abel Miller, was born in Athens county, July 27, 1807. The early years of his life were passed on his father'S farm in Canaan. At the age of sixteen he entered the Ohio university, and graduated in the class of 1830. In 1831 he was elected Sheriff of the county, which office he held for two terms. In 1832 he was elected by the legislature a member of the board of trustees of the Ohio university, which position he has held continuously ever Since. In 1840 he removed to Rome township (having 516 - Rome Township. previously purchased the Case farm), where, in 1841, he established the Miller Seminary, which, from a very small beginning, has become one of the most prosperous and useful academies in this Section of country. Professor Miller, though not an aged man, may be classed among the pioneers. Captain Hopson Beebe was born in Connecticut, February 17, 1749, was a Soldier of the revolutionary war, and settled in Rome township in 1804, where he resided till his death in 1836. One of his Sons, the venerable Mr. Charles Beebe, now in his eighty-third year, resided on the " old farm " until quite recently. He now lives with Mrs. J. W. Johnson in this township. Doctor Wm. Beebe, another son, was an assistant surgeon in General Tupper's brigade in the war of 1812. After the war he Settled in Belpre, and practiced medicine there for the rest of his life. His Son, Dr. Wm. Beebe (grandson of Captain Hopson Beebe), is now a practicing physician in Barlow, Washington county. The youngest Son, Peter Beebe, was an active and successful business man, and for Several years one of the township truStees. He died in the prime of life in 1849. Thomas. Welch, removed from the northern part of the state and settled in Rome township in 1826. He History of Athens County, Ohio - 517 remained here Several years, living part of the time at the mills and part of the time on the " Case farm," which he bought and cultivated. About 1828 he Sold the mills to his two sons, Thomas and John Welch, the latter of whom is further noticed in connection with Athens township. Peter Grosvenor, born at Pomfret, Windham county, Connecticut, January 25, 1794, removed to Athens county and Settled in Rome township in May, 1838. His father, Colonel Thomas Grosvenor, Served with distinction through the revolutionary war, part of the time on the Staff of General Warren and of General Washington, and was wounded at the battle of Bunker Hill. Peter Grosvenor served in the war of 1812. He was among the first to clear up and make an improvement on the present road from the Canaan line to Federal creek, the northwestern part of Rome, where he Settled, being at that time very Sparsely populated. He died September 29, 1859, on the farm where he first settled. Mr. Grosvenor was a man of uncompromising integrity and an excellent citizen. Four of his Sons served in the Union army during the war of the rebellion. Edward Grosvenor entered as a private, and for good conduct was commissioned a captain in the 92d regiment 0. V. I. He died while on the march with Sherman's army " to the Sea." Daniel A. Grosvenor Served as a private in the 3d Ohio regiment, and John M. served in the quartermaster's department. 518 - Rome Township. Thomas Grosvenor, a brother of Peter, settled near him in 1839. He lived in Rome about twenty years and then removed to Washington county, where he died April 9, 1867, aged eighty-one years. All of his sons, five in number, enlisted in the Union army at the beginning of the war of the rebellion. Of the nine sons of the two Grosvenor families who volunteered only four lived to return. William S. Doan came from New England to Washington county in 1806, to Athens county in 1813, and settled in Rome about 1820. He was an industrious farmer and a good citizen. Several of his descendants now live in the township. Mr. Charles Doan is a grandson of his.