CHAPTER III.

CIVIL GOVERNMENT.

ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-PROCLAMATION OF GOVERNOR ST. CLAIR-THE FIRST COUNTY SEAT-THE FIRST COURT-THE FIRST ELECTION PRECINCTS-THE FIRST CONSTABLES AND ELECTION SUPERVISORS-A UNIQUE WAY OF RAISING MONEY-THE FIRST MEETING OF THE SUPREME COURT IN BELMONT COUNTY-A BIT OF UNWRITTEN HISTORY-A TRIBUTE TO GOVERNOR ST. CLAIR-COUNTY SEAT REMOVED TO ST. CLAIRSVILLE-THE FIRST MURDER TRIAL-BOUNTIES-THE FIRST COURT HOUSE AND GAOL-THE EVOLUTION OF THE TOWNSHIPS. ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.

(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE)

At the time of the adoption of the ordinance of 1787, Belmont County was only a part of the great undivided territory of the Northwest. Of this ordinance a distinguished attorney has said it was the most remarkable political document, with the possible exception of the Delcaration of Independence, ever produced by uninspired men. The declared purpose of the ordinance was to fix and establish the principles of civil and religious government as the basis of all law. Knowledge, morality and religion were declared to be necessary for good government and the happiness of all the people and it was accordingly ordained that schools and all other means of education should be encouraged. Thus was laid early and deep the foundation of our common school system and higher educational institutions throughout the great Northwest. Among the other beneficent provisions of that great ordinance were justice and taxation, the integrity of private contracts and good faith towards the native Indians. Human slavery was also forever forbidden in all that great territory 87 years before the curse was stricken from our national Constitution.

The Continental Congress that enacted the ordinance of 1787, providing for the government of the Northwest Territory, was presided over by General St. Clair, who was subsequently made governor of the new territory and arrived at Marietta in July 1788, to assume the duties of his office. One of his first official acts was to establish the county of Washington that embraced nearly all the territory now within the boundary of the State of Ohio. In the division and subdivision of this gigantic county, there arose much conflict and strife between Governor St. Clair and the Legislature, by reason of which 11 of the 30 bills passed by the first General Assembly were rejected by the Governor because many of these bills provided for the erection of new counties and the Governor held that that prerogative rested solely with him. He charged, furthermore, that land speculators sought the erection of new counties for corrupt purposes, and the Governor maintained this contention until it led to his removal by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. Prior to this, Governor St. Clair established Jefferson County, which included all of the territory now embraced in Belmont County, except Kirkwood and Somerset townships, and

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a portion of Flushing township; subsequently Jefferson County was again subdivided and with the addition of lands from Washington County, the county of Belmont (the beautiful mountains) was organized November 7, 1801. This was the 10th county of Ohio in the order of establishment and the last county created before the admission of Ohio into the Union.

PROCLAMATION OF GOVERNOR ST. CLAIR.

The proclamation of Governor St. Clair creating Belmont County reads as follows :

TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES,

NORTH WEST OF THE OHIO,

By Arthur St. Clair, governor of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio. Whereas, in my proclamation erecting the county of Belmont bearing date 7th day of September last a mistake, to-wit: the word north instead of west in the description of one of the boundaries crept into the press copy. To rectify the same and remove all doubts about the boundaries of said county of Belmont, I have issued this my present proclamation, hereby declaring that the lines of boundary shall begin as in the aforesaid proclamation on the Ohio River at the middle of the fourth township of the second range of townships in the seven ranges and running with the line between the third and fourth sections of the said township, counting from the township line, but which are numbered 16 and 17 upon the map produced west to the western boundary of the said seven ranges ; thence south with the said western boundary to the middle of the fifth township in the seventh range; thence east to the Ohio River where the line between the ninth and tenth section of the third township in the third range intersects the same, and thence with the Ohio River to the place of beginning, and the said lines as above described are hereby declared to be the lines and limits of boundary of the county of Belmont and are the same which were intended to be established by the aforesaid proclamation.

Given under my hand, and seal of the territory, at Cincinnati, the 13th day of November, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and one, and of the independence of the United States, the twenty-sixth.

AR. ST. CLAIR.

THE FIRST COUNTY SEAT.

After the issuance of the above, the county seat was established at a little village called Pultney, that was laid out by Daniel McElherren, August 22, 1799, after a sharp contest with the village of Jefferson, now Martin's Ferry, laid out by Absolem Martin, in 1795. • Pultney was located about one mile below Bellaire, and Jefferson is now the prosperous city of Martin's Ferry.

THE FIRST COURT.

Held in Belmont County convened in the home of Jacob Repshire, one of the judges in Pultney, Tuesday, November 24, 1801. It was a Court of Quarter Sessions, with Judges Daniel McElherren, Jacob Repshire and David Lockwood on the bench. At this session the first division of the. county into townships was enacted. Up to this time the county embraced all the present area of the county, and all the east tier of townships in Guernsey and Noble counties, and nearly all of Monroe County. But this court divided the county into four parallel townships, namely, Kirkwood, Pultney, York, and Salem.

The first grand jury consisted of Notley Hayes, Patrick White, John King, Anthony Rizer, Joshua M. Sherry, Thomas Duffield, William Bush, George Barnett, Peter Buzzard, John Wall, Abraham Emerine, Richard Hardesty, John Lamb, Robert Giffin, Henry Leep, Samuel Barnes, Andrew Miller, and Archibald Smith. The distinguished Charles Hammond was chosen by this court to act as prosecutor, until his appointment could be confirmed by the Attorney General. Two roads were ordered by this court, namely the construction of a road, under the supervision of Jacob Coleman, surveyor, between Pultney (Bellaire) and Newellstown (St. Clairsville) ; and a license for the construction of a road over the Zane Trail, from the river at or near Kirk . wood west through the county, practically along the line of the present National Road. At this term of the court, we also find an entry upon the court journals as follows : "That there be built on the public grounds in the town of Pultney a brick house 35 feet square, two stories high. The first story to be 12 feet in the clear, and the second eight feet in the clear. The same to be occupied as a Court House for this county."

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Jacob Repshire, David Lockwood (two of the judges) and Samuel Dille were appointed to purchase material to the amount of $500 for the Court House. And they were subsequently empowered to make additional purchases and employ additional workmen for the speedy completion of the same. Until the new Court House was completed, the court rented a house from Judge Repshire, in which court was held until the new Court House was completed.

THE FIRST ELECTION PRECINCTS.

In 1803, the court appointed an election precinct in each township. Prior to this action of the court, there were but two election precincts in the whole county. One of these was the home of Bassil Israel in Newellstown, now St. Clairsville, and the other in the home of Jacob Repshire in the town of Pultney, near the present city of Bellaire, and to these two distant precincts all the electors of the county assembled. Two years later two more precincts were added. One at the home of William Congleton in York township, and the other in the home of Robert Latte, in Salem township. And thus the precincts increased in number with the added townships and the increasing population until at the lapse of our first century there were 52 precincts in the county. At the second term of the court held in February, 1802, the following judges were present : David Vance, David Lockwood, Daniel McElherren. In response to a call the following grand jury was chosen :' Ezra Hall, Peter Wirich, Eben Phillip, John Caldwell, John Nixon, Louis Sherer, John Kidd, John Williams, David Wordly, Matt Hungerford, Alex Duke, Henry Lingo, Robert Russell, Ebenezer Smith, Archibald Smith, Ezekiel Boggs, and James Eagleson. At this term of court three indictments were found against Judge Jacob Repshire for assault and battery, but the charges were not sustained and the Judge was acquitted. Judge Repshire was one of the magistrates holding court the previous year and was twice indicted at this term for the same offense, "salt and battery," which was a frequent cause of trouble about this time.

THE FIRST CONSTABLES AND ELECTION SUPERVISORS.

At the same term the following constables and election supervisors were appointed: Kirkwood township—constables, William Congleton and Thomas Richards ; supervisors, Thomas Richards, William Boggs, Joshua Hatcher, and James Knowles. Pultney—constables, Philip Dover and Joseph Lashley; supervisors, Jacob Repshire and David Wherry. York—constable, Samuel Dille; supervisors, John Dille, Ephraim Bates, and Michael Moore.

Much of the county revenue in those days was obtained from licenses; all business firms and places of entertainment were licensed and the fees for license ranged from $2 to $12 per year. At this session of the court, a license was granted Ananias Randall for keeping a house of public entertainment, and Jacob Holtz was licensed to keep a tavern in St. Clairsville.

A UNIQUE WAY OF RAISING MONEY.

The revenues thus derived were not sufficient to meet the needs of the people in the construction and maintenance of schools and academies.

The people of St. Clairsville were anxious to build an academy at the county seat that would be an honor to the county, but were unable to raise the money by subscription, or other private enterprises. Whereupon they decided upon the following unique method of raising the funds.

A petition numerously signed by many influential citizens of the county, including ministers of the Gospel, was presented to the Legislature as follows : "To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of Ohio.

"The petition of a number of the citizens of the town of St. Clairsville and the county of Belmont humbly showeth that they labor under many disadvantages for the want of a seminary of learning in that part of the State in which they reside. They further state to

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your honorable body, that they are unable by private enterprise to raise funds for the erection of an academy. From petitions deeming an institution of this kind in that section of the State of immense advantage not only to the citizens of the county aforesaid but to the State in general, we pray your honorable body to pass a law at your present session authorizing a public lottery in the town of St. Clairsville in Belmont County to raise the sum of $7,000 for the purpose of erecting a public academy in the town or vicinity of St. Clairsville in said county, and your petitioners are in duty bound, etc."

At the same term of the court, it was ordered that a house on public ground be erected in the town of Pultney 24 by 15 feet, of complete hewn logs and shingle roof, strongly built with a log partition across the center to be used as a gael. This, the first jail of Belmont County, was built by Richard Butler at a cost of $165, and was completed on May 26, 1802. Upon August 25th following the court ordered the construction of a "pound" for the imprisonment of the estrays, and this building when completed was 66 feet square and built of posts and rails of good oak timber, a gate hung on iron hinges and secured by a strong lock and key.

THE FIRST MEETING OF THE SUPREME COURT IN BELMONT COUNTY.

We find the first records of the meeting of the Supreme Court on June 28, 1803, at Pultney. The presiding judges were Samuel Huntington and William Spriggs, and Elijah Woods was appointed clerk. At this court, Charles Hammond was appointed United States prosecutor, and Daniel Barney was admitted to practice. The work upon the new Court House was not pushed with vigor, and much discontent was expressed because the completion of the jail and pound outstripped it. For this and other reasons, a movement was inaugurated to remove the seat of justice to Newellstown in Richland township. The name of Newellstown in the meantimewas changed to St. Clairsville, in honor of Governor St. Clair, and it is charged with the expectation of winning his support in the movement.

A BIT OF UNWRITTEN HISTORY.

With regard to the removal of the county seat from Pultney to St. Clairsville, C. C. Kelly of Bellaire says : "A few years before the death of `old 'Squire Kellsey,' one of the pioneers of Pultney township, he told me that a great barbecue was held at Newellstown, to which General St. Clair, the Governor of the Northwest Territory, was invited. The word of General St. Clair was considered authority on about all matters regarding public affairs at that time. The General responded to the invitation, was wined and dined by the good people of Newellstown, although wine was probably a scarce article at that time and the probabilities are that something more in keeping with the times was used as a substitute for wine. At any rate it seemed to produce the desired effect. In the midst of the feast of good, things, and while every one, especially the General, was feeling real good and of a disposing mind, a motion was made and unanimously carried changing the name of the town from Newellstown to St. Clairsville in honor of General St. Clair. The Chauncey Depew of the occasion then suggested to the General that St. Clairsville would be a good place for the county seat, that it could not do anybody any good away down there at Pultney in the woods, while its location at St. Clairsville would be nearer the center of the county and at the same time help to build up the town just named for him. The General at once fell in with the idea and ordered the removal. A yoke of cattle with a cart was sent down to Pultney and the records of the county were taken to St. Clairsville, and this was the beginning and end of the first county seat removal question in Belmont County."

A TRIBUTE TO GOVERNOR ST. CLAIR.

This distinguished, but unfortunate officer,

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the first Governor of the Northwest Territory, deserves more than a passing notice. General St. Clair was born in Thurso, Scotland, in 1734, and died in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in 1818. He was a grandson of the Earl of Roslyn, was educated at the University of Edinburgh, and studied medicine under John Hunter, but, entering the English army as an ensign, he came to America with the British fleet, and served under Amhurst at Lewisburg, and under Wolfe at the storming of Quebec. In 1762 he resigned his commission, and settled in the Ligonier Valley, Pennsylvania, where he erected mills, and held many important civil offices. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he was created a colonel in the Continental Army, and in August, a brigadier general, and fought in the battles of Trenton and Princeton. In 1777, he was made a brigadier general, and placed in command at Ticonderoga, but was obliged to evacuate before the superior army of Burgoyne. For this he was tried before a court martial, but was acquitted. In 1781, he remained in Philadelphia to protect Congress, while Washington marched to Yorktown, but was again in the field before the surrender of Cornwallis. In 1786 he was sent to Congress, of which he became president, in 1787. When the government of the Northwest Territory was organized, he was made Governor, and held that position until 1802.

In 1791 he became commander-in-chief of the army operating against the Miami Indians. He was surprised on November 4th, near the Miami villages, and his forces cut to pieces. Washington refused a court of inquiry, and St. Clair resigned. However, Congress appointed a committee of investigation that fully exonerated him.

The late Judge Burnett of Cincinnati, who was personally acquainted with St. Clair, says he was a man of superior talents and great uprightness of purpose, as well as suavity of manners. As Governor of the Northwest Territory, he believed that the power he claimed legitimately belonged to the chief executive, and the manner in which he exercised it was for the best interests of the territory. Soon after his removal by President Jefferson, he returned to his home in Pennsylvania, poor and destitute of the means of sustenance. In this extremity he presented a claim against the government of $200 or $300 he had assumed in fitting up an expedition against the Indians, when to his mortification it was refused. The pride of the old veteran was touched and, after spending several winters in seeking remuneration from Congress he returned to the Ligonier Valley, where he lived in the most abject poverty. At length Pennsylvania, from considerations of respect and gratitude for his past services, settled upon him an annuity of $650, which gave to the gallant old soldier a comfortable subsistence for his remaining days.

COUNTY SEAT REMOVED TO ST. CLAIRSVILLE.

On April 1, 1803, the first General Assembly of Ohio, held in Chillicothe, passed an act appointing John Mathews, James Brown and Robert Speer as commissioners to examine and report whether a removal of the seat of justice in said county of Belmont be necessary for the convenience and accommodation of the citizens thereof, and certify their opinion thereon. And when this committee visited St. Clairsville it was said that Governor St. Clair accompanied them. The report of the commissioners, as recorded in Vol. II of the Ohio laws, is as follows:

An act to establish the seat of justice in the county of Belmont.

Whereas, John Mathews, James Brown and Robert Speer, commissioners for Belmont County, in pursuance of the powers delegated to them by an act entitled an act to provide for the permanent seat of justice in the county of Belmont, passed at Chillicothe, the first day of April, 1803, have reported to this General Assembly that on examination they do find that St. Clairsville is the most proper place for the seat of justice in the county of Belmont ; therefore,

Section i. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio that St. Clairsville in the county of Belmont be and the same is hereby declared the seat of justice for the said county of Belmont, and that all courts hereafter to be holden in and for said county shall be held in the town of St. Clairsville, and all

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officers are required to conduct themselves accordingly.

Passed 19th January, 1804.

ELIAS LANGHAM,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

NATHANIEL MASSIE,

Speaker of the Senate.

So, in April, 1804, the seat of justice was removed to St. Clairsville, and soon thereafter the county property at Pultney was sold for $219 to Daniel McElherren. The first Court of Quarter Sessions, with Judge Pease presiding, was held in the house of William Congleton, of St. Clairsville, on the 16th of April, 1804, for which Mr. Congleton received a small consideration. Two months thereafter, the Supreme Court met at the new seat of justice, and at this session Jacob Nagle and Daniel Church were admitted to the bar.

THE FIRST MURDER TRIAL.

The first record of a murder tried in Belmont County appears in the proceedings of this court with Jonathan Meigs, Samuel Huntington, and William Spriggs on the bench. A grand jury, composed of Elias Ellis, foreman, Francis Bowen, Valentine Ault, George DeLong, Edward Milliner, Samuel Brown, John Bradshaw, Risson Masters, John Boyd, Joshua Hatcher, Arthur Morrison, Michael Carroll and Edward Bryson, brought a true bill against Peter Sunderland, for the murder of John Holtz, who, being arraigned before the court, pleaded not guilty. The day following the prisoner was brought into court for trial, and the following jury was impaneled : Levi Okey, Andrew Marshall, John Dungan, Moses Given, John Nichol, James E. Newell, Arch McElroy, William Hulse, Robert Giffin, Benjamin Masters, William Woods, and Isaac Hogue. Jacob Nagle was appointed to prosecute, and the jury brought in the unique verdict, "Not guilty of murder, only guilty of feloniously killing the said John Holtz." Sunderland was sentenced to pay all the costs and be burned upon his left hand. Whereupon the prisoner was placed in charge of Sheriff Jacob Coleman, and the burning was inflicted uponthe scene of the murder, on Main street, St. Clairsville, just west of the present Court House, and just opposite the residence and store of Ellis Wilson.

In 1809 this court sentenced an old offender, a negro, "Cuff," who was arrested for petty theft, to a sound whip lashing, which was vigorously administered, the negro meanwhile bawling lustily. Among the civil cases, we note the first slander suit in the annals of the court was held at the summer term of the court in 1815, in which John Wherry obtained $80 damage from John Winter for damaging his character.

BOUNTIES.

At this period in our history the records show that the injury done by wolves and panthers must have been very great, for in 1802 the commissioners ordered that the highest bounty be paid for wolf scalps and in 1804 the amount paid out for wolves was very much greater than panthers, indicating that the wolves greatly outnumbered the panthers. The bounty paid was from $I to $3 per head, and all claims were required to be attested by oath. Parties killing such animals were required to take the scalp before a justice of the peace, who must certify that they were genuine, when the hunters could secure their bounty from the treasurer. There is a record of $125 having been paid out for such bounties between 1803-08. While the panthers were not as numerous as bears, they were regarded as infinitely more ferocious and dangerous. It is related of a citizen of St. Clairsville named Robert Thompson that while attending divine worship in the old

Presbyterian Church of a century ago, his little daughter entered the church very much alarmed and disturbed the congregation by crying to her father, "Come home, oh, come home quick." The father hurried home, and to his astonishment saw a fierce panther on a tree a few feet from the door and the children greatly alarmed. Hurrying for his rifle, the ferocious beast was soon brought to the ground. At the report of the

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gun, the already excited congregation broke up and hastened to the scene of danger.

THE FIRST COURT HOUSE AND GAOL.

After the removal of the seat of justice to St. Clairsville, the county commissioners met in the September following. Present : Levi Okey, John Williams and Robert Giffin. In the proceedings we find the following entry with reference to the construction of a Court House and gaol.

The public buildings were "let up" to the lowest bidder, who was Alexander Young, with Sterling Johnson as surety, and the amount was fixed at $1,000 for the jail and jailer's rooms and $70 for raising an upper story upon the same for a Court House. The expense of furnishing which was to be paid for by donations, for which Sterling Johnson and Robert Giffin and William Congleton entered into bond. These buildings were used for jail and jailer's residence and court rooms until 1814, and stood about where the present jail stands. After the completion of the second Court House in 1803 the building was sold and the logs were removed and used in the construction of a one-story building on the lot now occupied by Mrs. A. Cochran.

The commissioners at the same session allowed the sheriff $20 for salary for the year 1803 and $8 fees for service in the case of Peter Sunderland, the murderer, and Samuel Courtland was also allowed $122.75 for guarding the prisoner. Some of the early justices of the peace who served as early as 1802-03 were : Thomas Mitchell, John Ferris, Jacob Davis, Andrew Marshall, Moses Merritt, James Starr, John Greer, Jacob Repshire, Thomas Wilson, Levi Okey, James Henthorn, David Ruble, James Smith, Sterling Johnson and Thomas Thompson. And some of the first marriages performed by these justices were: William Patterson and Kitty Clark in 1803; John Grant and Elizabeth Masters in 1803; Peter Alexander and Jane Mitchell in 1804; John Plummer and Nancy Sidwell in 1804; Jacob Long and Martha Lashley; Timothy Bates and Ruth Moore in 1804; Myers Thomson and Sarah Cole in 1805; Joseph Wilson and Ruth Hardesty in 1805; John Gray and Hannah Okey in 1805; Cornelius Okey and Hannah Weir in 1805; James Taylor and Elizabeth Barton ,in 1805; John Dille and Nancy Gallagher, and Conrad Neff and Elizabeth Feely. The first couple married by a minister of the Gospel of which there is any record is Alexander McWilliams and Margaret Nixon, who were married by Rev. Alexander Calderhead, August 7, 1804.

The county seat being thus established, we present as next in order our first county officials. These were as follows : Congressmen for the district in which Belmont County was embraced, — Jeremiah Morrow, of Warren County, from 1803 to 1813. State Senators,—William Vance and Thomas Kirker, 1803. Representatives in General Assembly, Joseph Sharp and Elijah Woods, 1803. Sheriff,—Jacob Coleman, appointed 1801 to 1803. Treasurer, — Daniel McElherren, appointed 1801 to 1803. Clerk of the court,—Elijah Woods, appointed 1801 to 1806. County commissioners,—Levan Okey, John McWilliams and Robert Giffin, 1804. Prosecuting attorney,—Charles Hammond, appointed 1801 to 1804. Recorder, — Sterling Johnson, 1804. Coroner,—John Dungan, 1801 to 1806. The offices of county auditor and Probate judge were not created until 1823 and 1851, respectively.

Having quoted from the records of the first court in Belmont County, and some proceedings of its first board of county commissioners, we will now present some of the first deeds entered upon the book of the county recorder. The first deed was given by Henry Lingo and Rebecca, his wife, to Robert Bell, dated October 13, 1800, and it conveyed T00 acres of land, being part of lot number 24 in the sixth township of third range, consideration $500. This lot was probably near Stewartsville, and an abstract of its title shows that the tract of land was granted to Robert Johnson in April, 1780, and by Johnson to Obadiah Hardesty, date uncertain, and by Hardesty to Lingo on

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March 7, 1796. The second deed given was recorded October 29, 1800, by Benjamin Newell and Jane, his wife, to James Caldwell, of Ohio County, Va., and consisted of two lots in the town of St. Clairsville, one numbered 28, fronting on Main street, the other, lot 53, cornering on the first mentioned lot, each containing a quarter of an acre, consideration $32. These lots are supposed to be a short distance west of the Court House. Another is dated November 4, 1801, from David Newell and wife, of the county of Belmont, Northwest Territory, to Emsby Rush, of Brooke County, Virginia, in consideration of $12 for lot number 157, in St. Clairsville, and containing about one-fourth of an acre.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE TOWNSHIPS.

About this time began the evolution of the townships whereby the four original and parallel townships were increased to 16 and we cull freely from an article in the Belmont Chronicle describing this evolution.

By an act of the General Assembly in 1810, creating Guernsey County, a portion of Kirkwood, Pultney and York townships were ceded to Guernsey County, and in January, 1813, by a similar act of the Legislature, the whole of the township of Salem was ceded to Monroe County, thus materially reducing the boundaries of Belmont County. By subsequent divisions and subdivisions the following changes occurred : The erection of Richland township, so named because of its productive limestone soil, was the first following the original division as enacted by the court sitting at Pultney Bottom, February 24, 1802. The original Kirkwood township was cut in twain, and all that portion of it lying east of the present west boundary line of Richland township, north to the county line and east to the river, was embraced in Richland township as originally formed. On May 26, 1802, the boundaries of Richland were again extended two miles south, so as to include a part of the original Pultney township. Again on March 7, 1809, the boundaries were again extended to include two-thirds of what is now Smith township,and the remaining 12 sections of what is now Smith were added to York township. Richland has thus embraced in its boundaries Pease, Colerain, and the greater part of Wheeling and Smith townships as now existing, though not all this area at one time.

The next townships to be set off were Pease and Union on August 15, 1804. Pease was named after Judge Pease, one of the presiding judges, and at the time of its formation embraced the territory within its present boundaries and also 12 sections that now belong to Colerain. Union township, formed at the same time, embraced all in its present territory and those parts of Flushing and Wheeling townships included within the east and west boundaries of the township and extending north to the county line. On March 11, 1805, two rows of sections of what is now Goshen were added to it.

Warren was erected June 10, 1807, from Kirkwood as extended in 1802. In the latter year a part of what had been Pultney was added to Kirkwood. Warren at first embraced all within its present boundary and all of what is now Goshen, except two rows of sections on the north side.

On January 14, 1808, Colerain and Wheeling were erected. The description given of Colerain does not agree with its present boundaries. It is probable that its present boundaries were formed from Richland and Pease, though one row of sections on the east side may have been added later, though no record to that effect is in evidence after diligent search.

Wheeling was cut off from Richland and embraced its present territory except the six sections on the west, which were taken from Union in 1817 and added to Wheeling.

Goshen was erected September 6, 1809, from Warren and Union townships, all but the north two rows of sections being taken from Warren.

Wayne was formed March 5, 1811, from York and embraced all of what is now Wayne and Somerset and a part of Washington township. It also included some territory now in Monroe County.

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Mead township was formed January 3, 1815, from parts of Pultney and York townships, and seems to have assumed at that time its present boundaries, in which no change was ever made.

Flushing was erected on March 14, 1817, being formed from parts of Kirkwood and Union, 16 sections being taken from Kirkwood and 12 from Union. On that date Kirkwood, one of the original townships, having been divided and subdivided and extended, assumed its present boundaries.

Smith township was erected January 2, 1819, from parts of Richland and York, and then assumed its present boundaries.

Somerset followed Smith in close order, it being erected March 16, 1819. Somerset was cut off from the west end of Wayne.

Washington was the last township to be erected, this being ordered in 1831, 12 sections being taken off Wayne, and 30 from York. Then the township lines assumed their present location.