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CHAPTER VII. MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP. Mad River township was 0ne 0f the three townships organized on April 20, 1805, the first day the associate judges of the county met to divide the county into civil divisions. The Mad River township of 1805 included a wide stretch of territory : A fourteen-mile strip along the western side of the present counties of Champaign, Clark and Logan and extending from the Greenville Treaty Line on the north to the line dividing sections 31 and 32, township 3, range i 0. In other words, the original Mad River township was practically half of the county, as defined in 1805, north of Springfield township, which was a strip seven miles wide across the southern part of Champaign. The name of the township was given in honor of the river which traverses it from north to south along the eastern portion and which furnishes ample natural drainage for the entire township. As the township is now defined it is drained by Nettle, Anderson ( formerly known as Spring creek) and Owens creeks on the north, and Chapman creek and Storms creek on the south, all these being tributaries of Mad river. The highest point in the township, twelve hundred and eighteen feet, is found along the western side in section 32. The township contains as fine farming land as can be found in the county and was one of the most thickly populated townships in the county until 1850. LATER BOUNDARY CHANGES. As the county increased in population new townships were organized and Mad River township was gradually decreased as new townships were set off from portions of its original extensive territory. It is not possible to follow the successive boundary changes in the townships, but prior to the organization of Logan and Clark counties by the Legislature in 1817-1818, Mad River included in addition to its present limits, Jackson and two tiers of sections of township 3, range 10, in what is now Clark county. With the organization of Clark county on March 1, 1818, following the authorization 0f the act of December 26, 1817, Champaign was given its present limits and at the same time the northern tier of sections in township 4, range 10, was added to Mad CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 151 River. The township was restricted to its present limits after the orgaorganizationJackson township in 1827. As the township now stands it includes all of township 4, range I I, a1, the northern tier of sections in township 4, range io. 10.each section were perfect the township would contain exactly forty-two square miles, with a otal land area of twenty-six thousand eight hundred and eighty acres. The ownship is bounded on the north by Concord township, on the east by Urbana township, on the south by Clark county and on the west by Jackson township. THE FIRST SETTLER. In the summer of 1797 there rode into what is now Champaign county the first white man to become a permanent resident of Mad River. township and Champaign county. If there had been a hotel in the county he would have signed his name on the register—William Owens, but since he was the first inhabitant lie was compelled to furnish his own accommodations. Little is known of this first pioneer; born in Virginia, a poor man, a married man, the owner of four horses and a wagon, a few swine and a meager equipment of household furniture and farming tools—these are the main facts which tradition has preserved concerning the first settler in Champaign county. William Owens drove into the county, up Mad river and up Nettle creek, and settled, or, to be exact, "squatted" on a tract about two miles south of the present village of Westville, some place in section 9 or section 15. He is credited with settling in the northeast quarter of section 15 and some time after 1797, the date being unknown, he bought two hundred and forty acres from William Ward, part of which was in section 15 and the remainder in section 9. This land which today is easily worth one 0nedred and fifty dollars an acre, was purchased by Owens for one dollar an acre and the owner of the land, William Ward, was undoubtedly glad to get even that much for the land. Tradition has handed down some interesting things about this sterling old pioneer, which may or may not be true, but are nevertheless worthy of being preserved. For years he was the only white man in the community and 'such were his characteristics that he became fast friends with the Indians. They dubbed him Kosko Elene, that is to say "Hogman," because he brought the first hogs into this section of the state. His religion was of a variable quantity and of a very flexible quality; while professing a belief in the divinity of Christ, yet occasions arose that prompted him to call upon the name of the Master in terms other than those of adoration. But he became a member of the Baptist church at Nettle Creek when it was organized in 1805 and 152 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. with the support of the church gradually forsook his former lapses from grace and became a faithful member. He continued to reside in the township until his death in 1818, his demise resulting from a fever which he contracted while moving a family to Indianapolis. He left a family of eight children and they all grew to maturity and became respected citizens of the township, Many of his descendants are still living in the county. ARRIVAL OF OTHER SETTLERS. While the name and date of the first settler in Mad River township is well known, it is impossible to trace the order in which succeeding settlers arrived. When it is taken into consideration that on the first election clay in the spring of 1805 there were no fewer than one hundred and five voters in the township, it will be seen that the township filled up rapidly during the eight years between the arrival of the first settler and the organization of the county in 1805. The names of these first settlers have been preserved and are set forth in this connection. The names are recorded in the record book of the township, a book which contains the names of the first officer's of the township and the list of the voters who cast their ballots at the first election in May, 1805. The record shows the marks of time and many names are nearly undecipherable but there are one hundred and six which are sufficiently legible to be translated. The names of these first settlers of Mad River. township follow : Ezekiel Arrowsmith, George Boswell, William Ross, Jr., John Logan, Sampson Kelly, George Bacome, Archibald McKinley, Christian Harshberger, Job Gard, Abram Campbell, Silas Johnson, John Pence, David Broyles, Abram Pence, Caleb Carter, Philip Pence, John Clark, John Whitmore, William Kenton, Peter Smith, Philip Kenton, Andrew Davis, William Runkle, David Smith, Elijah Ross, Adam Buroker, Martin Frank, William Mouser, James Rouse, John Reynolds, Thomas Redmond, Martin Reynolds, George Mahin, James Montgomery, James Brown, Thomas Williams, Elijah Chapman, William Rhoades, Randall Largent, Ezekiel Boswell, John Colbert, Rezin Henkle, Valentine Miller, Gideon Trier, Philip Weaver, William Weaver,. George Ward, Henry Ritter, Elijah Harbor, William Owens, Henry Storms, Abraham Shocky, James Burns, Henry Boswell, John Cain, William Bacome, James Reynolds, Henry Bacome, James Mitchel, William Stevens, Charles Rector, Russell Jenkins, Nathan Darnell, Henry Pence, Peter. Boone, Daniel Pence, Isaac Anderson, David Pence, Joseph Hill, Levi Rouse, Thomas Kenton, John Norman, Mark Kenton, Archibald Hasbrooke, John Taylor, Alfred CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 153 Owens, Elijah Bell, Peter Runkle, Isaac Smith, Joseph S. Reynolds, George Glaspie, Thomas Parish, Frederick Ambrose, Silas Johnson, William Gearhart, Thomas Lansdale, Nancy Adamson, William Chapman, Jacob Fleming, John Thomas, Daniel McMillen, Joseph Sims, Daniel Snyder, Basil West, Christian Stevens, Gabriel Trier, Elijah Weaver, John Haller, John Wiant, William Harbor, Archibald McGrew, Christopher Weaver, Louis Pence, Sampson Talbott, Thomas Pierce, Felix Rock. FIRST ELECTION 1N TOWNSHIP. It must be remembered that the Mad River township of 1805 covered as extensive a territory as that of the entire county of Champaign today. It included the western half of the present county and in addition substantial portions of both the present counties of Logan and Clark. It even included a part of the present city of Urbana, the boundary line between Mad River and Salem townships in 1805 being the line dividing sections 24 and 30 within the present city limits. The first election in the township was held on May 3, 1805, at the house of Thomas Kenton, a nephew of Simon Kenton, a native of Virginia, and a resident of the future Mad River township since 1801. The election resulted as follows : Trustees, Peter Boone, David Broyles and Nathan Darnell ; clerk, James Reynolds; treasurer, Ezekiel Arrowsmith ; lister and house appraisers, James Burns and William Ross, Jr. ; constables, Archibald McKinley, James Mitchel and Job Gard. If there were justices of the peace elected this first township record fails to speak of them. Each of the Officers. elected on that (late were required to give bond in the amount. of four hundred dollars, payable to Ezekiel Arrowsmith, the treasurer, and in case of non-performance of duties or malfeasance in office the bonds were declared forfeited. Within less than a year from the time of this first election there was a change in the .official family of the township. The record tells the story : "Mad River township, Champaign county, January 31, 1806, The Trustees wit and oppointed Joseph Hill, constable,. instid of Henry Ceen, Isaac Anderson, Caleb Carter." This Anderson left his name on a creek in his township and this seems to be about all he did leave posterity. Efficiency was an unknown word in his vocabulary and if he worked more than Was absolutely necessary history and tradition are alike silent on the point. Apropos of his energy it is said that at one time when the rain was pouring down one night through his roof, his faithful wife awoke to find the water rising in the room and threatening to rise still higher. She wakened her husband and called his 154 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. attention to the fact that they were in imminent danger of being washed out of bed. The shiftless Ike stuck his hand 0ut beside the bed, decided the I% ater would not reach it, yawned, turned over and went to sleep. ELECTION OF OCTOBER 8, 1811. There has been preserved the poll book of the election held in Mad River township on October 8, 1811, and since the township had been very materially decreased in size since 1805, it is not surprising that there were only fifty-seven voters. Poll Book of the election held in the township of Mad River, in the county of Champaign, on the eighth day of October, A. D., one thousand eight hundred and eleven; David Bayles, Nathan Darnall, and Peter Bruner, Judges, and James Montgomery and William Nicholson, Clerks of the election, were severally sworn as the law directs. previous to their entering on the duties of their respective offices. NAMES OF ELECTORS. William Weaver, Sr., John Kalil, Archibald McKinley, Elijah Standiford, William West, Thomas Grafton, Levi Rouze, Peter Bruner, Nathan Darnall, Isaac Lansdale, Sampson Kelly, Isaac Myers, James Grafton, James Montgomery, William Nicholson, John Beaty, Gershom Gard, Jacob Conklin, Elijah Ross, William Ross, S., John Brown, John Rouze, William Baggs, John Baggs, James Baggs, William Weaver, Jr., George Glass, Boswell Darnall, Henry Steinberger, Owen Ellis, Ezekiel Boswell, Daniel Davis, Henry Boswell, Henry Pence, John Steinberger, Hiram Cotteral, John Logan, Jr., George Wickum, George Wilson, David Jones, Andrew Davis, Sr., John Taylor, Anderson Davis, Jr., John Bayles, John Pence, Peter Smith, David Beaty, Shadrach D. Northcutt, John S. Berry, Reuben McSherry, Alexander Brown, Joseph Dilts, Miller •illespy, Abraham Shockey, Samuel Pence, David Bayles. The poll book contains the following statement at the bottom of the page containing the voters : It is certified that the number of the electors at this election amounts, to fifty-seven. Attest: PETER BRUN ER, W. NICHOLSON, NATHAN DARNALL, JAMES MONTGOMERY, Clerks. DAVID BAYLES, Judges of Election. STORY OF THE OLD STOCKADE. The early history of this township, like that of all other townships in the county, was filled with the struggles of the early pioneers in their efforts to clear the soil and wrest a living from its stumpy surface. Until the close of the War of 1812 there was always the fear of an Indian uprising and it was not until after peace had been declared in 1815 that the minds of the people were set at rest. History must record that this fear of the Indians on the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 155 part of the pioneers of Mad River township was responsible for the erection of a fort, or palisade of some sort, in the immediate vicinity of Westville. The ancient fortification has been graphically described by M. Arrowsmith, a resident of the township at a time when the fort was still standing. His description of the old fort follows : To the best of my recollection it was in 1807 that the settlers in the valley on the north ,of the township, from their exposed condition to the savages, erected a fort by enclosing one-fourth of an acre with pickets and buildings. It was erected at the residence of Thomas Kenton on the southwest corner of section 12, township 4, range 11. It was quadrangular in form. His two cabins stood about ten feet apart. The space between was to be used as an inlet for any needed purpose, and protected with a swinging gate of split timber. The pickets were made of split logs planted in the ground and reaching ten to twelve feet high. These fiat sides (for they were doubled) were placed together, thus shutting the joints completely, and formed the north side. The east and west sides were made with log buildings, the roofs slanting inwards and high enough on the inside for a doorway into them. On the outside, about the height of the inner eave, was a projection sufficient to prevent the enemy from climbing up, and a space of a few inches was left between the lower wall and jut that could be used for portholes in case the Indians were to come to set fire to the building or any like purpose. There was one building about the center of the south side, and the other spaces were closed with pickets. There was a well of water in the inclosure. Fortunately, they never had need to use it for the purpose for which it was erected. PRESENCE OF INDIANS A CONSTANT MENACE. While the Indians never molested the whites, yet their presence was a constant menace to the quietude of the people of the county. On the whole, however, the whites and Indians were on friendly terms and it was not until the Indian became drunk that he became offensive, if not dangerous. A number of traditions have been handed down concerning the relations 0f the Indians and the early settlers. These stories are largely from the reminiscences of M. Arrowsmith and appear in the "History of Logan and Champaign Counties" (1872). Thomas Kenton had a fine horse which was very much desired by an Indian. The redskin came to Kenton's house one day to negotiate for the horse and, even though he was offered other horses at a lower price, still he insisted on having this one particular horse. The price asked was eighty dollars, but the Indian wanted to give only seventy dollars. The dicker proceeded, the red and white man matching their wits, and the Indian as anxious to get the horse as cheaply as possible, finally held up both hands seven times and one hand once. The trade was made on the basis of seven hands and a half which, being interpreted, meant seventy-five dollars. The Indian 156 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. found, however, he. only had seventy-four dollars in cash and after paying this amount he promised to be back at a stipulated time with the extra dollar. He was honest ; he came back. Prior to 1820 it was customary for the Lewiston Indians to come to the valley of the Mad river in the summer and spend a few weeks. They made their camps along the banks of the river or its tributaries, rearing their wigwams of skin and hark, and leaving their squaws and papooses to while away their time at the camps, the braves would hunt and fish in the neighborhood. The squaws made baskets and peddled them among the settlers and in this way picked up a little money, clothing or food. One of these Indians who responded to the name of Coldwater, went on one occasion to the home of one of the settlers to get some bacon on credit, promising to pay for it in specie, saying that he had specie at home. Upon this representation the Indian got his bacon—but he never returned with the specie. All of which goes to show that the Indian was no more honest than his white brother. CELEBRATED" BEAR-INDIAN-HOG SCARE. Another Indian story. During the days of Indians in the county the bears attacked a drove of hogs which were feeding on Chapman's creek in the southwestern part of the township. The hogs, true to porcine character, immediately began to raise a clamor and the clamor became so loud that it reached the ears of some settlers living in the neighborhood. They immediately concluded that the hogs were being attacked by the Indians and reasoned that after the Indians had feasted on pork they would attack the settlement. So certain were they that the Indians were on the warpath that the settlers spread the alarm and within a few hours the settlers within a radius of several miles had congregated at the Kizer fort near the present village of Tremont in Clark county, about a mile south of the Champaign-Clark line. Some settlers fled to McBeth fort which stood in Urbana township. On the morning following the bear-Indian-hog scare, Kizer, the commander-in-chief of the fort bearing his name. deployed his men on the parade ground in front of the fort and commanded them to fire by platoons. Some distance away, out of vision but within the sound of musketry, stood Ft. McBeth. The assembled multitude in the latter fort, hearing the firing at Ft. Kizer, naturally concluded that the Indians were at last trying to carry the fort by assault. Fear reigned supreme. What was to be done ? There was no question but that once the Indians had taken the other fort they would at once direct their savage attention to Ft. McBeth. The commander-in-chief CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 157 of Ft. McBeth ordered the portholes manned and placed the women and children in places of safety within the stockade. Everything was made ready for the expected assault. They waited—and waited—and still not an Indian appeared ; not another shot was heard ; the suspense was awful; hours passed and finally it began to dawn on the occupants of Ft. McBeth that there was a possibility that it was all a false alarm. A reconnaissance was ordered; the other fort was cautiously approached, only to find everything calm and peaceful—no Indians, no white men and everything as quiet as a summer's eve. And another Indian uprising had been quelled. DIFFICULTIES CONFRONTING THE PIONEERS. The first land entered was usually along the river and creek courses and it is safe to say that the great majority of the early homes were loCalocatedmarily with the view to their proximity to a watercourse or spring. For the reason that malaria and ague were so prevalent in the low ground, the early settlers avoided as much as possible building their houses on the low ground. The land was cheap and many of the first settlers were hardly more than "squatters," locating here for a short time and then packing up and going on West. The labor of clearing the heavily timbered land was enough to weaken the courage of all but the most hardy settlers, and thus those who were left behind, those who actually did stay in the county, were the most thrifty and proved to be good citizens. The first pioneer of the county has been briefly sketched. If it were possible to draw a pen picture of the one hundred odd pioneers who were in the township in 1805 it would make an interesting picture. But as a matter of fact, the story of one typical pioneer, with his struggles, his privations, and his efforts to make a home for himself and family, is the story of every one of these forefathers of ours. True it is that there are some who, because of peculiarities, eccentricities or idiosyncracies are better remembered than others, but their lives were strikingly similar in most respects. Fortunately, there has been preserved a few facts concerning some of the men who lived in this township in its early history. These facts have been preserved in the local newspapers, magazines and various historical articles which have appeared from time to time. A few of these old pioneers and some facts concerning their connection with Mad River township are given in the succeeding paragraphs. 158 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. PREDOMINANCE OF VIRGINIANS. Practically all of the first settlers of Mad River township came from either Virginia or Kentucky and those who came from the latter state had in most instances come originally from Virginia. There does not seem to have been any other settlers in the township than Owen before 1801. In that year Charles Rector and his brother-in-law, Christopher Weaver, located at the mouth of Storms creek, in what is now Clark county. Both these men came here from Kentucky. They were good citizens, industrious and honest, and were types of the best class of settlers. Conway Rector, the son of Charles Rector, later lived in section 12 in the southern part of Mad River township. William Ross, another prominent settler in the immediate vicinity with Rector and Weaver, was a man 0f unusual physical prowess and was noted for his feats of strength. THE PROWESS OF ABRAM SHOCKEY. Probably the most interesting stories concerning early pioneers of Mad River township cluster about the name and fame of Abram Shockey. He was nothing if not unique and his engaging peculiarities made him welcome wherever he went. Born in Kentucky, he came to this section of the then Territory of Ohio and settled along Nettle creek in what is now Mad River township shortly after 1800. He combined farming with the operation of a sawmill near the mouth of Nettle creek and between the two occupations made a comfortable living. Physically he was a man of goodly proportions, weighing about one hundred and seventy-five pounds, of a sandy complexion, and of tireless energy. He was the original "Weston," the champion pedestrian of the county and probably of the state, and many are the stories told of his feats of pedestrianism. The Rev. William Haller often told in later years of seeing Shockey start with a pair of good trotting horses and actually keep ahead of them mile after mile. The best example of Shockey's remarkable ability to walk is concerned with his effort to enter a tract of land before a neighbor of his could do the same thing. A few miles from his sawmill there was a fine tract of timbered land which was still in the hands of the government, and Shockey was wont to send his teams over there to get timber. It happened that one evening as he was coming from Uncle Sam's tract with a log, Judge Runkle observed him and remarked : "You cannot haul any more logs from that land, for I have CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 159 sent Joe Sims to Cincinnati this morning to enter it.?'' Here was where Shockey had a chance to show his ability as a walker. Realizing that he would have to get to the land office at Cincinnati before Sims, or he would lose the land, lie hurriedly drove to the mill, unloaded his log, put his team away, borrowed the necessary money from one of his neighbors and within a few hours from the time the Judge had told him that he had sent a man that morning to enter the land, Pedestrian Shockey was on his way to the land office. Sims had more than twelve hours the start of him and besides was mounted on a good horse, but Shockey was willing to match his good legs-with any horse. All night long Shockey walked and when the land office opened at nine o'clock the next morning, he was there on the doorstep waiting for it to open. He made the entry, paid his money and started on his return home rejoicing. While swinging along at a good rate of speed on his way back he spied in the distance his neighbor, Sims, riding into town with his horse flecked with foam. When the men met, Sims inquired as to the purpose of Shockey's trip to Cincinnati and Shockey informed him that he had taken a notion the night before to enter a tract of land near his farm and that he had just walked down to enter it. Only this, and nothing more. It is not on record what Sims thought, or said, or what Judge Runkle said when his emissary returned with the news that Shockey had entered the land before he reached the city. If any pedestrian of today wishes to emulate this pioneer walker he would have to make the trip to Cincinnati between sunup and sundown. Shockey was always willing to wager that he could walk at any time from Urbana fo Cincinnati in a day, and he did it on more than one occasion. Not only did he do this, but on one occasion he ran a race with a stage coach from Urbana to Xenia—and beat it. OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS IN NEIGHBORHoOD. The Weaver family were important factors in the early history of the township. The first poll book showed the names of four members of the family, Philip, William, Christopher and Elijah. William and Christopher were brothers, natives of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, participants in the Revolutionary War, and had settled in Kentucky as early as 1792. They came to Ohio in 1802, and in 1807 located on section 24 in what is now Mad River township. William Weaver married Mary Kiger, a native of Maryland, about 1783, and this worthy couple became the parents of fifteen children. Nelson, the youngest of this large family, was born on December 22, 1817. 160 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. In the same neighborhood, in the vicinity of Terre Haute, where the Weaver settlement was, there also located Henry Storms and it seems that lie probably was the first to settle along the stream to which his name is still applied. In the same neighborhood Thomas Redmond located prior to 1805, but he returned to Kentucky, his native state, in 1811. The most numerous family in the early history of the township was the Pence family, and no fewer than fifteen members of the family located in the township and county. The 1805 poll record gives the names of the following Pence voters : John. Abram, Philip, Henry, Daniel, David and Louis. Of this number, John, Louis and Abram settled in Mad River township, John in section 9, Abram in sections 4 and 10, and Louis in section 9. John Pence bought his quarter section from one Tarman, but when his brother Louis came from Virginia in 1811, he sold out to him and went on farther West. Abram Pence was an official scout during the Indian troubles and for a time was stationed in what is now Logan county. He was a deacon in the Baptist church for many years prior to his death in 1838. David Loudenback, another of the prominent early citizens of the township, married a daughter of Abram Pence. THE NETTLE CREEK SETTLEMENT. Nettle Creek was the Mecca for a group of the earliest settlers. To this neighborhood there came a group of Virginians from the Shenandoah Valley, the Kites, Wiants, Loudenbacks, Runkles and others. John Wiant became the neighborhood tanner (near the present Myrtle Tree church) and William Runkle also operated a tannery. The tanyard of the latter was located three miles south of Westville. Adam Kite located here in 1807 on two hundred acres of land, which he entered at Cincinnati while on the way from his native state to this county. He spent the rest of his life on that farm, his death occurring in 1842. Strange as it may seem, most of these early settlers along Nettle creek, and along other creeks, usually selected the higher ground for entry, prefering it to the lowland because they were under the impression that the heavily-timbered lowland would not raise good grain. Daniel, David and Reuben Loudenback were the progenitors of a numerous family of the name, and all of them became influential and substantial citizens. FIRST GRIST-MILL IN TOWNSHIP. John Norman is credited with building the first grist-mill in the township. It stood in the southeastern corner of section 30, in the northern part of the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 161 township, near where B. Wiant later had a mill. Norman threw a small diversion dam across the creek and in some sort of a crude way set a wheel in the dam in such a way as to get sufficient power to turn a small pair of buhrs. This mill was primitive in the extreme: He would fill the hopper in the morning with grain, turn the water on and go about his work in the fields until noon and then would return to the mill to see how much grain he had ground. If it was all ground he would fill the hopper again and return in the evening to get the afternoon's grinding. It is not on record how much he could grind in a day, but it is fair to presume that his mill was kept in constant operation while there was sufficient water to run it.. John Kain was in the township as early as 1808, but two years later he sold to a man by the name of Hill and left for the West. Other early settlers along the western side of the township were Jessie Goddard, William Hendricks, John Rouse, Elijah Standerford and Henry Ritter. Jacob Arney, of North Carolina, located near Terre Haute, as did a prominent family by the name of Dibert. THE WESTVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD. The most thickly settled community was the one surrounding Westville. Basil \Vest located on the site of the town in 1805, a poor man, but an honest and hard working pioneer. It is recorded that he and his family would not have been able to survive without the cow which the father of the family purchased on time when he came to the township. The Taylors were another important family in the Westville neighborhood. John Taylor settled west of the village. He had four sons, Lemuel, James, Benjamin and John. John Taylor, Jr., was the first Democrat in the county with sufficient courage to start a party organ, his Western Dominion, which appeared in 1844 in Urbana, being the first Democratic paper in the county. He was the father of James Taylor, one of the prominent lawyers of the county seat. John Taylor, Jr., was also honored with the title of "judge," although not a lawyer. It was his boast that he shook hands with every governor of the state from the time of its organization until his death. Joseph Diltz, a native of Kentucky, located in Warren county, Ohio, in 1803, and in Mad River township, of Champaign county, in 1808. It is a question whether he or William Ross is entitled to the honor of being the strongest man in the township. The physical strength of Ross has already been noted. Diltz is said to have been able to straighten out an ordinary iron horseshoe, and then straighten it back again, using no other means than his (11) 162 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. hands and knees. With all his strength, it might be imagined that he was a bully and inclined to exhibit his prowess on all possible occasions. The contrary is true. He was a peaceful, quiet man, but when once aroused—woe to the man who crossed his path! INTRUDER EJECTED WITH FORCE. A well-remembered incident has been handed down concerning Diltz's ability to demonstrate his strength when the occasion demanded it. A cornhusking was in progress at his house in 1812 and during the evening's gaiety one James Scott came on the scene. Scott apparently had imbibed more freely of corn in the liquid form than was compatible with the peace and quiet of such a gathering. It was very evident that he was drunk, and upon coming into the room where the crowd was busy husking he grabbed one of the Diltz boys by the hair of the head and jerked him off the floor and out of the circle of workers. The senior Diltz said not a word, but quietly walked over to the obstreperous intruder and, without a word to him, firmly hit him on the jaw with so much violence that he had to spit out several teeth to keep from swallowing them, and, incidentally, when his feet hit the ground again, he found himself outside the house and in the general direction of the front gate. He did not return. Shortly after the War of 1812 Diltz moved to Union township, where lie acquired nearly one thousand acres of land before his death in 1818. He was the first of the large family of this name in Union township. WEALTHIEST MAN IN TOWNSHIP. David Loudenback, Sr., the first of the family of that name to locate in the township, came from Virginia in 1817. In 1822 he removed to Concord township, where he lived until 1851. His son of the same name came back to Mad River township as a teacher in the subscription schools of the day and three years later permanently located in the township. He was one of the most remarkable men of the township, and certainly the wealthiest man the township ever produced. Elected justice of the peace in 1842, he served in that capacity by re-election until 1878, a record which has probably never been equalled in the county. The Jenkins family were connected with the history of Mad River township in ante-bellum days. John Jenkins, the original member of the family to locate in the county, was a native of Virginia, where he was born in 1789. Marrying Polly Burkholder in 1811, he and his wife came to Ohio in 1832 CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 163 with a wagon and two horses, the trip consuming thirty-one days. They located at Wilmington, in Clinton county, on coming to the state, but three years later settled in Champaign county, in the vicinity of St. Paris. Eleven children made up the family. One of the sons, Morgan Jenkins, had a general store at Terre Haute for nearly half a century. JOHN HALLER, PIONEER SMITH. An interesting pioneer of the township was John Haller, a native of Pennsylvania, a settler in Kentucky in 1796, and a resident of Champaign county from 1812 until his removal a few years before his death to Defiance, where he spent his last days. His son, William, contributed some reminiscences concerning his father to the "History of Champaign and Logan Counties" of 1872. and the facts here given concerning John Haller are taken from that source. John Haller was a blacksmith by trade and worked in Urbana from 1812 to 1814. He then bought a farm along Nettle creek in Mad River township and combined smithing with farming. He was an expert in tempering edged tools and such was his reputation as an axmaker, that men came to him from miles around to get his axes. He became an active member of the Methodist church when he was about forty-five years of age and was very much interested in its welfare until his death. He had an intense hatred of intemperance and would not allow any alcoholic drinks on his premises, not even for the use of his friends. He served as justice of the peace for many years and his decisions were marked with a justice not always found among local "squires." OTHER PIONEERS OF NOTE. In 1816 Louis Cook and his brother-in-law, Earthman Warren, with their families, came from New York to Mad River township and settled on section 13. When they arrived on the site of their entry it proved to be a dense forest. There was not even a clearing sufficiently large for a cabin, and it was necessary to cut down some trees before they could erect their first log cabin. Cook worked night and day in order to pay for his land and in the course of a few years lost two wives by death and married a third one. He and his last wife died in Illinois and are buried there. His son, Calvin, retained the old home farm in sections 7 and 13. In 1810, John Lee, a -native of Maryland, located with his family near New Lancaster, Ohio, and two years later settled three miles northeast of 164 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Urbana. He died in 1816 and two years later his wife and children, four in number, settled on the northeast corner of section 19 in Mad River township. Mrs. Lee later married Philip Stout (1827) and they lived on the farm she purchased until her death in 1848. Her son, William Lee, became the owner of the old homestead. FIRST SHINGLE ROOF IN THE SETTLEMENT. An interesting- family of eleven located in Mad River township in 1816. Peter Baker, his wife and their nine children, natives of Virginia, settled on a densely forested tract in section 26 along Storms creek. The land was entered December 24, 1816, but the family had previously erected a rude log cabin, covered, so it is said, with the first shingle roof in the settlement. Peter Baker lived to be ninety-four years of age and his son, Simon, in turn lived to a ripe old age. Simon Baker erected a large brick residence on his farm in 1835, one of the first brick residences in the rural districts of the township. Joseph Rhodes, a native of Virginia, came with his uncle, John Craybill, to the county in 1835 and located in Mad River township. Rhodes was a shoemaker and cobbler and later settled in Urbana. He built a mill there, but after it burned down he left the state for Indiana. The year 1853 saw him back on a farm in Mad River township, in section 26 ; but later he sold a part of the farm to his brother, Noah, who came to the county in 1856. Joseph Rhodes is one of the few men in the county of pioneer days who did not raise a large family—he lived and died a bachelor. SOME OF THE TOWNSHIP'S "FIRSTS." A Virginia group of settlers came to the township in 1829 composed of about half a dozen families. Of this number, David Miller, born in 1813; became a prominent factor in the community near the present village of Terre Haute. His father had died when he was seven years of age and young David was then adopted by an uncle named Good. In 1829 Miller, with the Good, Zirkle and Kesler families, came overland from Virginia with all of their effects in four-horse Conestoga wagons. All the families settled in Mad River township. Miller later located in Clark county, where he became apprenticed to a wagonmaker and as soon as lie learned his trade he opened a shop on Storms creek, near Terre Haute. He probably had the first wagon shop in the township and he soon had all the work he could do and eventually became a man of considerable property. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 165 Every township has its "firsts," and a few have been noted in Mad River township. As has been stated, John Norman built the first grist-mill; Abram Shockey had one of, if not the first, saw-mill; William Runkle and John Wiant opened the first tanneries ; David Miller opened the first wagon shop; Charles Rector built the first brick house in the township in 1823 ; the first sermon on record was preached in 1801 under a sugar tree on the land of Ezekiel Arrowsmith by the Rev. James Davidson; the first village was laid off by Archibald Magrew in 1816 and was known. as Magrew for many years (later known as Westville) ; on its site Abraham Stephens built the first building in 1818; a carding factory was opened in the village by a man by the name of Cook in 1818; Curtis Thompson opened the first carpenter shop about the same time. ORIGINAL FAMILIES STILL REPRESENTED. An effort to trace the history of the township year by year during the one hundred and twelve years of its existence would involve the historian in difficulty. The lives of many of the first settlers have been noticed; the part they played in clearing the forests is known to everyone who reads. Year by year the ownership of. land has changed, but, interesting to state, there are many families who arrived in the township in its early history, who are represented by their descendants on the same farms today. They built their little grist- and saw-mills up and down the creeks which furnished enough water to turn the wheel; they had their blacksmith shops, little carding-mills, cane-mills and tanneries scattered here and there over the township. As early as 185o a man by the name of Hess was operating a distillery on the Mad River valley pike and he ran it for several years, but it disappeared long years ago, and now only the memory of it remains. Another distillery was in 0peration in connection with Steinberger's mill. The first steam mill in the township was the Wiant mill in section 36, about two miles west of Westville, which was changed from a water to a steam mill in 1868. At this point was a combined flouring-mill and saw-mill which was the largest industry of its kind in the township for many years. The industries of the township have undergone many changes as may be seen from a study of the maps of the county. The first map of the county which has been seen was issued in 1858 and it shows mills in sections 30, 3, 2, I and 36; distilleries in section 9 (Hess distillery) and section I (Steinberger distillery) ; tannery in the northeastern corner of section 35; blacksmith shops and "shoe smiths" in several places over the township. It is not certain the shoesmith dealt in human or equestrian shoes. 166 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. In 1872 the map of Mad River township shows that both distilleries had disappeared, as well as some of the mills. The flourishing little industrial center around Myrtle Tree church was still in existence, but the tannery had disappeared during the fourteen years since 1858. In 1858 the township house was located at the crossing of the Bob Tail and Mad River pikes in the northern part of section 8, but in 1872 the township house stood in the west central part of section 15, about two miles northwest of its previous location. The toll gates which appear scattered over the township in 1858 had all disappeared. In 1880 there were four flouring-mills and six saw-mills still in operation in the township, but in 1917 there was no flour-mill and only one saw-mill remaining. PIONEERS BARRED THE NEGRO. An incident out of the ordinary in connection with the early history of Mad River township is concerned with the attitude of the early pioneer toward the negro. A resolution was placed upon the township records when it was organized which specifically stated that persons of color should not be allowed to settle in the township. The citizens who took this summary attitude toward the colored man did not realize that they were taking the law into their own hands, and it is apparent that this resolution, backed by no authority, state or otherwise, was never enforced. STOCK RAISING AND DAIRYING. One of the largest farmers of the township is A. F. Taylor, who with his son, operates a large stock farm in the northeastern part of the township, between Westville and Urbana. They are extensive producers of what is known as "baby beef." One of the tendencies of the farmers of the township during the past decade has been in the direction of more extensive stock raising. The raising of dairy cattle has been given an impetus since the establishment of creameries at. Thackery and Urbana. An investigation shows that the farmers in the southern and western portions of the township have profited by the establishment of the creamery at Thackery and that they are producing more milk now than ever before. Then again the high price of beef and pork during the past few years has stimulated stock raising as it has not been stimulated since the days of the Civil War. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 167 CHURCHES OF MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP. The career of the rural churches of Mad River township presents a curious study in religious history. No fewer than three barns in section 30 (southwestern corner) were formerly houses of worship. Two of these stood in the same section while the third was a former Methodist church building in Terre Haute. C. V. Goddard has the Methodist church on his farm. He bought the building when the present building was built in Terre Haute and tore it down and rebuilt it on his farm. On his farm J. S. Hill has the Lutheran church which stood in the northeastern corner of section 30, about half a mile southwest of Terre Haute. This building was built in 1855 and Mr. Hill bought it and remodeled it into a barn in 1898. The Lutheran church, which stood about half a mile southwest of the church bought by Mr. Hill, was purchased in 1900 by Zach Zerkle and by him was converted into a barn. Harmony church, which had a long and eventful history, is now doing duty as a granary for Richard Lee on his farm two miles northeast of Terre Haute. The congregation that formerly worshiped in this building, however, now has a new building west of Terre Haute. The Nettle Creek Baptist church became so weak several years ago that it was abandoned, the building itself fell into decay, and the township trustees finally took charge of it and put a new roof on it. There is a cemetery in connection with the Nettle Creek church and the trustees of the township repaired the building and put it in first class condition so that it could be utilized for funerals and public meetings of various kinds. The only churches now left in the township are located in the villages of Westville and Terre Haute ; Myrtle Tree in the northwestern part and the Thackery Lutheran church, just across the line from that village in Mad River township. This means that there are five churches which have disappeared in the township. LOCHARDSVILLE. The desire to have a village called in his honor lead one Walter E. Lockard to have a town of 36 lots laid out in section 8, township 4, range II, at the crossing of the main roads of Mad River township running through the middle of the section. The village was platted by Thomas Cowgill on September 3, 1845, and the plat was placed on record on the 6th of the same month. The proposed village never got beyond the "paper" stage and 168 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. its existence would be unknown i f its plat were not recorded in the official records of the county recorder's office. WESTVILLE. Westville is one hundred and two years old this year, its history dating from February 14, 1815. Located in the northern part of Mad River township, in sections 11 and 17, it is four miles due west of Urbana on the Piqua-Urbana road, and one-half mile north of the Pennsylvania railroad. For some reason this village, unlike many of the others_ of the county, was not located on a stream of any kind, being about equally distant from Anderson creek on the east, and Nettle creek on the west. The land on which the village was laid out was entered from the government by Archibald Magrew, a native of Pennsylvania, and a substantial citizen of Mad River township until his death. Undoubtedly he felt that the site he chose would eventually become the seat of a flourishing village and at one time it gave promise of becoming more than a mere cross roads hamlet. It was not until 1818 that the first courageous townsman appeared on the scene ready to build a house. The first dweller was Abraham Stephens and his house stood on the northwest corner of the square—that is, the square at the northwest corner of the cross roads. Jeremiah Hoffman erected the second house in that same year and about the same time a man by the name of Cook built a shop and established a carding machine. Curtis Thompson, a carpenter, appeared on the scene in 1818 and found plenty of work in his line of business. The year 1818 seemed to be filled with building operations; dwellings, store buildings, shops and even a large log school building arose during the course of the year. The first church in the village was a brick structure of the Methodists, which was built about 1826 and which was burned: during the winter of 1877-78. It was replaced by the present building during the following year. The Universalists erected a church building largely through the munificence of David Loudenback, he contributing the major portion of the eight thousand dollars which the building cost. In 1876 the Patrons of Husbandry (locally known as the Grange) erected a two-story brick building, thirty-three by fifty feet, at a cost of three thousand six hundred dollars. The Grange was assisted in the erection of the building by the Sons of Temperance, but this latter organization soon became defunct and the building reverted to the Grange. After the dissolution of the Grange the building passed into private hands. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 169 Among the business enterprises of the village in former years may be mentioned the folowing : Nichols & Hoak, grocers; John Richardson, general store; H. H. Baker, steam machine shop; Minnich Brothers, blacksmiths. There are two general stores in the village in 1917, operated by W. P. Ferst and Earl Walters, respectively. There have been physicians in the town since its earliest history. Dr. R. R. McLaughlin located in the village in 1861 and practiced there until his death in 1891. He served as postmaster for several years. His son, Clarence M,. born in Westville, August 19, 1864, was graduated from Starling Medical College in 1886; at once began practicing with his father in Westville., and is still practicing in the village. In June, 1917, the population was given as two hundred and eighty, of which thirty-four were children. There are now sixty dwelling houses in the village. TERRE HAUTE. The village of Terre Haute is located in the southwest quarter of section 19 and stands on the banks of Storms creek. When the present Detroit, Toledo & Ironton railroad was constructed through the western part of the county the village had great hopes of having a railroad connection with the outside world, but it was doomed to disappointment. The road as finally constructed passed up the valley of Chapman creek instead of Storms creek, and thus left Terre Haute two miles east of the road, its nearest point on the road being at Thackery. The name of the town indicates that some one with a knowledge of French was responsible for its selection, as the name of the village, the name signifying "high ground," and the contour of the townsite is sufficient explanation for the name. George Craig was the owner of the land on which the town was laid out and recorded on October 5, 1836. David Loudenback, deputy county surveyor, assisted by David Miller, surveyed it and laid out forty lots. Craig had visions of a flourishing village, if not a city, and fondly imagined that the favorable location of his site would attract a goodly number of settlers. But time has proved that his vision was not clear. While the little village, started with the best of intentions, failed to reach metropolitan honors, yet it was a prominent factor in the life of the community for many years. The first house in the village was a frame structure erected by Abraham Rosmick and later used by John Neese as a carpenter shop. George Neese built the second house, John Davis the third and David Miller followed with 170 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. probably the fourth house. The first merchant was John Conklin, who opened a department store on a small scale in which he vended dry, hard and wet goods. The store building was later converted into a dwelling house. Craig, the proprietor of the townsite, opened the first caravansary and ministered unto the wants of man and beast for several years. His hotel later passed into the hands of Morgan L. Jenkins. The first follower of Tubal Cain was Jacob Shafer and his blacksmith shop was the only one in the village for many years. David Miller, who has been previously mentioned in the history of the township, started the first wagon shop. Morgan L. Jenkins, of whom mention has been made previously, was the proprietor of the only store in the village for many years. Among other business enterprises which have flourished in the village in the past may be mentioned the grocery store of J. H. Blose ; wagon shop of Henry Eiper ; harness shop of Anson Smith; saw-mill of Isaac Evilsizor ; blacksmith shops of Raper Ropp, Jacob Kiser and C. Barcater. There seems to have been a Methodist church in Terre Haute as early as 1835, but it has long since ceased to be an active organization. Its history is given in the church chapter elsewhere. The first physician on record in the village was Dr. W. S. Hunt, a native of the county, a graduate of the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery in 1870 and a practicing physician in Terre Haute for many years. He was postmaster of the village during 1877-78. Doctor Hunt left Terre Haute to practice in Springfield in the eighties. He was followed by Dr. A. H. Middleton. Doctor Middleton was followed by Doctor Buhrer and he in turn gave way to Dr. W. H. Tippie, who has been village physician for several years. The first postmaster of the village was William Craybill, the office being established shortly after the town was laid out in 1838. At that time the mail was carried from Urbana to the village once a week, but a few years later the route was changed so that the village received its mail from Springfield. In the latter part of the seventies it was again attached to the Urbana postoffice and was given tri-weekly service. Among a number of postmasters of the village it is probable that William Dernett held that office longer than any other incumbent, his service of nearly a score of years being one of the longest tenures of any postmaster in the county. Dernett was followed by J. H. Ireland, who was also a storekeeper. The next two postmasters in order, C. F. Powell and W. H. Huston, were village merchants, while A. H. Middleton, who served from 1896 until the postmaster was discontinued in 1900, was a practicing physician. The present business enterprises 0f Terre Haute are in the hands of CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 171 the following: Nehemiah Lutz, general store ; Robert Towler, general store; James H. Ireland, tobacco and ice cream and candy ; E. H. Smith, sawmill; Anson Ireland, W. J. Zerkle and W. E. Gross, butchers. The last three men—Ireland, Zerkle and Gross— do not have a retail market in the village, but butcher and haul the meat in auto trucks to the public market at Springfield on regular market days. Each man has his own abattoir and does his own slaughtering and delivering. The local physician, Dr. W. H. Tippie, is in charge of the local telephone exchange and is proprietor of what may he termed the only hostelry in the village. It should be mentioned that the village now has as well-equipped a consolidated school building for a village of its size as any town in the state. It was erected two years ago at a cost of about twelve thousand dollars after a spirited legal fight which lasted for several years. The township now only has two school buildings, the one at Westville and the one at Terre Haute, all of the rural schools having been abandoned at the time consolidation was put into effect. The history of the schools of the township is given in the educational chapter. It may be said in conclusion that the town is in a more prosperous condition now than it has been for many years. Farming conditions are improving in the vicinity of the village and despite the fact that the town is not on a railroad and that all merchandise is necessarily hauled in, yet the local merchants have well assorted stocks and report a good business in 1917. The town will never become a metropolitan center, but it will serve a useful purpose and be appreciated by the community of which it is the center. It starts off on the second century of its existence with prospects of retaining its prominence as a good rural trading point. Its ninety inhabitants are glad to call it home. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 173 MILITARY LAND. The Ludlow Line cuts off the northeastern corner of Salem township which contains approximately four thousand acres. An examination of the records shows that twenty-four surveys in whole or in part are within Salem township. A list of these surveys, their numbers, acreage and proprietors are given in the appended table. In only a few instances is the date of the original patent given. The list follows : |
Survey Original No. Proprietor. |
Number of Acres. |
4284—R. Armstrong 4331 and 4332—A. Dunlap 4335—A. Dunlap 4492—Jesse Davis 4520—R. Osborn 4524—Jesse Davis 4534—Gabriel Peterson 4543—John Kean 4544—John Campbell 4636—William Tidball 4925—Jesse David 5042—James Denny 5044—D. Prevett 5169-H. Morton 5469—Denny, Morton, Parker 7223—Christopher Bartlett 8668—James Galloway 8762—Dunn & Haines 8964—Walter Dunn 11064—M. Bonner 11065—M. Bonner 11066—M. Bonner 12795—John Evans |
742 460 100 2,000 675 400 1,200 75 1,200 150 380 270 125 393 180 100 50 640 120 225 166 50 175 |
|
It is not known that any of the original holders of the patents to these several tracts located on their surveys. In only a few instances is the land recorded in the name of the person to whom the patent for it was granted. 174 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Some interesting data was observed in the compilation of the above list of original proprietors of military land. For instance it was noted that there were churches on surveys 4331 and 7223 ; mills on surveys 4925, 4520, 12795 and 4284. On survey No. 4284 there was also a distillery. The patent for survey No. 5169 was issued to John Watts, January 20, 1817, and on the following day Watts sold the entire survey to Enos Baldwin and the following week, January 25, 1817, Baldwin sold fifty acres of the tract to E. L. Morgan, one of the best-known of the early settlers of Champaign county. There was some of the military land in Salem township which was not patented until in the twenties. A patent was issued to Joseph Downs on December 6, 1823, for survey 4335 ; Bethnel Sample received a patent on March 26, 1823, for survey 11065 ; Aaron L. Hunt on March 24, 1828, for survey No. 1066, and on March I, 1831, for No. 12795. A PROLIFIC SOURCE OF TRoUBLE. The reader in looking at the list of original proprietors of military lands in this township must recall that the acreage given for the several surveys does not indicate the amount in this township. The surveys were selected many years before township boundaries were made and when the townships were defined no attempt was made to follow the lines of the military surveys. All of the surveys overlap which touched the boundary of Logan county to the north or Wayne township to the east. The Ludlow Line is followed practically the whole distance through the township with a public highway, the only part of the line not followed by a road being about half a mile north of where the Erie railroad crosses the line. The military land in this township, as in other townships of the county, has always been a prolific source of trouble for the surveyor. Some surveys of tracts run over and others are deficient, in the number of acres they are supposed to contain, the result being an endless amount of litigation. Fortunately, most of these difficulties over boundary lines have been settled, but in the twenties there was so much trouble about getting definite boundaries established that a number of settlers were in danger of being dispossessed of their land. Survey No. 4520, Richard Osborn original proprietor, was one which gave considerable trouble in 1824, and it was not until after an act of Congress and expensive court proceedings that the matter was finally adjudicated. The landowners of this tract in 1824 were John Thomas, James Thomas, Silas Williams, Asa Williams, Richard Williams, Phineas CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 175 Hunt, Benjamin Johnson, John Robinson and Jacob Stratton. In this year (1824) it was discovered that there were two hundred and twenty-five acres which had been thought, up to that time, to have been a part of the Osborn survey, No. 450, but it was shown conclusively that the two hundred and twenty-five-acre tract was not a part of that survey. It was held by Jacob Stratton, John Robinson and Garland Wade. The defect in the title of the Osborn survey was finally adjusted by Col. John Thomas, who went to Lancaster, Virginia, to see Major Hugh Boyle, who represented the Osborn family. The matter was finally settled and the interesting feature of the transaction was the compensation which was asked for the quieting of the title. When Mrs. Boyle signed the final papers Colonel Thomas asked what settlement she expected in return for her and her husband signing the quitclaim deed. Being a member of the Friends church, and several of the occupants of the land being members of the same church, Mrs. Boyle replied that all she asked was that the women living on the land make and send to her a plain cap such as worn by the women members of the church. This request was complied with and Mrs. Esther Down took charge of the making of the cap for their good sister, Mrs. Boyle, in far-away Virginia. AN HONEST SURVEYOR'S GRATEFUL ACT. While a white cap costing a few cents settled the claim concerning the Osborn survey, the two hundred and twenty-five acre tract has a far different history. It was proved that it really belonged to no one in the county, or in Virginia, but to the United States government. Accordingly the county surveyor, Aaron L. Hunt, promptly laid claim to it, and, legally, when he secured a patent for it, the land was his. As before stated he secured a patent for survey No. 11066 on March 24, 1828, (fifty acres), and for survey No. 12795 on March I, 1831, (one hundred and seventy-five acres). The former survey adjoins the village of Kennard, while the latter is about two miles north of the village and mostly in Wayne township. Hunt did not make any effort to take advantage of those who thought they had a perfect title to this land, but gave to each owner the land he then occupied for the nominal consideration of two dollars an acre. This barely covered the cost of getting the land surveyed and securing the title, but Hunt had no desire to profit by the mistake of some earlier surveyor. The land was easily worth eight dollars an acre and he, having the title to it, could 176 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. have sold it for any amount he chose. Hunt was a good, honest Quaker and many stories are told of his sterling honesty in connection with his surveying. DRAINAGE OF THE TOWNSHIP. The present limits of Salem include all of townships 5 and 6 in ranges 12 and 13 in Champaign county and a triangular tract between the Ludlow 'Line and Wayne township. The township is eight miles long and six miles wide and contains the equivalent of forty-eight sections or thirty thousand seven hundred and twenty acres--making it therefore the largest township in the county by six sections. The triangular section of Virginia Military Land contains approximately four thousand acres. Mad river enters the township. from Logan county in section a6 and meanders through sections 26, 25, 31, 33 and 32, along the western side of the township. The main streams tributary to it are the Mackachack (Macochee) Kings creek and Dugan run. The first two drain most of the township; the latter draining only a portion of the extreme southeastern corner. All of the township falls within the Mad river basin. An extended notice has been given.in another chapter to the effect on the township of the dredging of Mad river since 1914.. This improvement was the means of reclaiming hundreds of acres which had formerly been of little use other than for pasturing. The southeastern corner of the township drains through Dugan run .as above stated, and with the lowering of the channel of Mad river it has been found that all of the streams tributary to the river. furnish. much more effective drainage for their respective basins than. heretofore. Not only has Mad river been dredged, but a portion 0f Kings creek has been similarly treated, thus making it a more effective .drainage agent. The surface of the township is just rolling enough to furnish easy "natural drainage with the exception of a portion in the southern part, particularly that portion commonly known as Dugan prairie, which, until a few years ago, was a swamp of more than a thousand acres covered with water nearly the year round. Nearly all of section I was under water all the time. The highest point in the township is in the northeastern corner where the government survey has a mark of one thousand three hundred feet. The lowest mark recorded is at the confluence of Mad river and Kings creek where a mark of one thousand and twenty-five feet is recorded. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 177 FIRST SETTLER IN THE COUNTY. As previously stated the present discussion of Salem township is confined to the township with its present limits. There has been a difference of opinion as to who has the honor of being the first settler in the county. The honor belongs to either William Owens or Pierre Dugan and as long as there is no way of determining which man really was the first settler, both may be credited with the honor. Dugan settled along the creek which now bears his name and on the prairie which is similarly honored. While the date of his actual appearance in the county can not be definitely stated, yet it is known that he was here prior to 1800. This Dugan was a French-Canadian with an Indian wife and apparently lived. solely by hunting, since it is not known that he tried to till the soil. 'According to the best evidence Dugan's cabin stood near where the Pennsylvania railroad crosses. the highway, about two miles northeast of Urbana. Much of the territory surrounding him was very swampy and a considerable portion of it was covered with water most of the year. The southern part of Salem township until the thirties was extremely swampy and in the spring much of it had the, appearance of a lake. This was drained through Kings creek and Buck creek and through a ditch which bears the name of the old pioneer who fished and hunted over the swamp more than a hundred years ago. THE STORY OF DUGAN RUN. There is no one now living in the county who can remember when the artificial ditch authorized by the Legislature in 1827, more than ninety years ago, was constructed through this swamp in the southeastern corner of Salem township and down through 'the city of Urbana. As long as the county shall exist the name of Dugan will be applied to this artificial waterway, although there are very few people in the county who know that what is known as the Dugan ditch is an artificial waterway. As stated above, the Legislature in 1827 authorized Judge John Reynolds, a prominent citizen of Urbana, to take charge of the construction of what is now known as Dugan run and he pushed the work on it to a rapid completion. This ditch, known for many years as the Reynolds ditch because of Judge Reynold's connection with it, started in the southeastern corner of Salem township on land then owned by Reynolds, now owned by Edwin Hagenbuck, and making a curve to the north, entered Urbana township north of the city, passed through the (12) 178 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. city along the railroad track, and on southwest to Mad river. The ditch drained a large tract of land and not only, reclaimed thousands of acres, but also removed a very prolific cause of miasma, fevers, agues, etc., which had been so prevalent up to that time in Urbana. But the draining of the swamp had one unforseen result. The old settler Dugan looked upon the improvement with disapproval, because it meant the destruction of his fishing, trapping and hunting ground. Then again the. county was rapidly settling up and game of all kinds was getting so scarce in the county that the old hunter had difficulty in making a living. One day the old hunter packed his few belongings, gathered his squaw wife and their papooses and a motley collection of dogs, and walked across the country to the headwaters of the Scioto. There he pitched his rude cabin—it was probably little more than a lean-to and lived the remainder of his days. He returned to Urbana once a year to trade his furs and skins for his simple necessities, and at the same time he called on Judge Reynolds, who owned his former home, for what he called the rent of his "home." Reynolds always humored the old man in his belief that he really was renting the old settler's home, which, in .fact, never had belonged to him, and gave him a pound of tobacco (known as "pig-tail"), or a few yards of calico. INTERESTING TALES CONCERNING PIERRE DUGAN. Many stories have been handed down concerning this quaint 0ld pioneer. Dugan finds himself the central figure of many stories which probably never had their origin until after he left the county, but some of the tales told about him are well substantiated. Here is one. E. L. Morgan is responsible for the truth of the story, and it is given in the language of Morgan himself : "Having purchased a bag of corn meal of John Taylor at his mill on Kings creek, and having no horse of his own to carry the meal home, Mr. Taylor kindly offered to loan him a pony he called "Gopher." Pierre thankfully accepted the loan, but after looking at the bag of .corn meal, then at Gopher, and finally at himself, concluded that the load was too heavy for the horse, but as the bag was too heavy for himself to carry, he compromised the difficulty by shouldering the bag, then led the pony to a stump and mounted its bare back with the bag of meal on his own shoulders, saying as he did so, `that he could carry the bag and Gopher could carry him,' and in this way rode home." In 1872 Ed L. Morgan, one of the early settlers of the township, pub- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 179 fished an article in the Urbana Citizen and Gazette which sought to set forth all the facts the author had learned concerning Dugan. The article is interesting not only for the facts touching the life of the first settler, but also for the light it throws upon the early conditions in the county. The article follows: It is not known who was the first white settler in Salem township; nor at what time or place the first cabin was built. It is thought by many that Pierre Dugan, a Frenchman who had an Indian squaw for a wife, was the first. In 1803 he was living in a small log cabin a short distance from the present residence of Mr. Mark Higbee; and the Pan Handle railroad passes over, or near, the spot where it stood. Dugan Prairie took its name from Pierre Dugan, who was the first white settler upon its borders, where his name is immortalized. He spent his time in killing the beaver, the wolf, the bear and the prairie rattlesnake, thus preparing the wilderness for the secure settlement of the civilized white man. At that time, and for many years after, the prairie (with the exception of a few small islands, and here and there an elevated spot) was covered with water, in some parts to a considerable depth; for there was no outlet for the water which flowed in from the surrounding country. In spring and summer it had the appearance of a small lake and contained a vast numbre of fish ,frogs and turtles. It was also a resort for a countless number of water fowls, such as wild geese, ducks, cranes and storks. In every dry summer great numbers of beavers, otters, minks and muskrats had their houses on the margin of the lake, and numerous black rattlesnakes lived in the elevated spots throughout its whole extent. At such a time the water on the prairie would get so low that some parts would become entirely dry and large quantities of fish would be left on the dry bed of the lake to be devoured by the hogs, wild beasts and fowls, or to rot in the hot sun, causing an intolerable stench. It was thought that this caused the sickness for many miles around. We "young folks" once constructed a rude sail boat and launched it upon the "raging waters" of Dugan. In this boat, accompanied by "our darlings," we spent much time which might have been employed in a more profitable, though not in a more .agreeable and pleasant manner. Occasionally, either by accident or design, the boat would tip over. Since this seldom happened in deep water, all could wade ashore without being required to hoist the undergarments above the knee. Of the hundreds who enjoyed the happiness of a rapid and merry ride in that boat but few remain on earth. I know of none save four of Jonathan Long's family, four, of the family of Matthew Stewarts, one of the family of John Taylor and myself. This was probably the first boat ever launched in this township, and I know of but one other since that time, which was built some years after by John McAdams. The history of this boat and the adventures of its owners I expect to give in a short time. In 1827 the legislature passed an act authorizing Judge John Reynolds, of Urbana, to drain Dugan Prairie, which he accomplished in a short time at great expense. By this means he became the benefactor of the inhabitants for many miles around, since these in that neighborhood have suffered but little with fever and ague since that time, though it occurred every summer previous to the draining of the lake. When immigrants from the old states began to settle and make improvements around Pierre, and he could see the light of other fires in the "clearing" at night and hear the sound of the woodman's axe and maul by day, the worthy hunter concluded it was time for him to hunt a new home, as game was getting somewhat scarce. He 180 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. accordingly packed up his traps and, accompanied by his wife, children and dogs. wended his way northward and located near the head of the Scioto river, where he ended his days. It was his custom after he left here to visit Urbana at least once a year to sell his furs and skins. As Judge Reynolds had become the owner of his old home, he always expected him to pay some rent which was cheerfully done, and a pound of "pig-tail" tobacco or a calico dress pattern for his youngest papoose was usually given by the Judge, and thankfully received by Pierre as ample satisfaction. Many amusing anecdotes of Dugan were related by the early settlers who knew him. EARLY APPEARANCE OF "SQUATTERS." Before the county was organized in 1805 several venturesome settlers had wandered up the Mad river valley and squatted on the most eligible sites. Their cabins dotted the highlands on either side of Mad river and were even found here and there along many of the smaller streams. The Mad river township of April 20, 1805, must have contained several hundred settlers, but there is no way of determining how many, nor the exact location of their settlement. Many of them were not permanent settlers and were merely "squatters." A large part of the military land was settled by others than those who received the patent for the land from the government, and for this reason it is difficult to trace the records of the early settlers of the military land. The first settler has already been menfollowing 1802 or the year following William Powell came to the township and located on Kings creek. A. Baptist preacher by the name of William Wood was undoubtedly the first settler in Kingston and he was located near the present mill in the village as early as 1803.. Reverend Wood was the father of Christopher Wood, a distinguished soldier of the War of 1812. The first grist-mill in the township, and no doubt the first one in the county, was built at the confluence of Kings creek and Mad river by Arthur Thomas sometime prior to 1805. Thomas was later murdered by the Indians. Another grist-mill was opened about 1805 by Joseph Petty who located near where the Erie railroad crosses Kings creek. In 1804 Mathew Stewart, of Pennsylvania, and his two sons, Samuel and William, located on Kings creek. In addition to the settlers above menfollowingis known that the following located within the present limits of the township about 1805 and it is probable that they were all here on the day the township was organized in April, 1805. They were David Parkinson, George and Jacob Leonard, Abner Barrett, John Guthridge, William Johnson, James Turner and John McAdams. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 181 Most of these were from Kentucky and Virginia. John Taylor located within the limits of the present village of Kingston in 1806, purchasing a quarter of a section from Isaac Zane. HOME OF A GOVERNOR OF OHIO. It was in Salem township that a future governor of Ohio located in 1805. Joseph Vance was nineteen years old when his father came to the township from Washington county, Pennsylvania, and he called the farm two miles and a half north of Urbana his home as long as he lived. Whether he was serving in the hails of Congress or in the governor's chair, he still claimed his home on the old Vance homestead in Salem township, and it was there he (lied on July 24, 1852. An extended sketch of Governor Vance is given elsewhere in the volume. It should be mentioned, however, that after Governor Vance's father, Joseph C. Vance, (lied in the spring of 1809 that the son, then twenty-five years of age, assumed control of the old home farm. He built a large mill on Kings creek in 1818 about a mile above its junction with Mad river. This was one of the largest mills in the county and had a run of four pairs of buhrs. Governor Vance later added a sawmill in connection with the grist-mill and they were in his possession until 1848. At some subsequent date they became known. as the Saratoga mills. The Saratoga mills burned on Saturday night, February T., 1879. They were operated and owned by George Diebert, of Springfield, and were located about three miles north of Urbana. The building was an old one having been erected by Governor Vance about half a century before. It had been remodeled and was doing a big business. The loss on building and machinery was estimated at seven thousand dollars, with one thousand dollars on the grain. TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION. The township began its formal career with the meeting of the associate judges on April 20, 1805. The township organization is coincident with that of the county, but its early civil history, like that of the county, is very obscure owing to the absence of official records. The first complete poll record which has been found gives the voters of 1811, but there is no way of determining how many of these voters participated in the election of 1805. The first trustees were Christopher Wood and Daniel McKinney, with William Davis as the first constable and George Johnson as the first house appraiser and 182 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. lister. William Johnson was the first treasurer and Abner Barrett officiated as the first clerk: These officials of 1805 were not burdened with their official duties. They were evidently not enamored of their positions, since in 1806 not one of them appears in the same capacity. The names of the following officers of the township for 1806 have been preserved : Trustees, Joseph Petty, Thomas Pearce and William Parkison ; clerk, David Parkinson. A minute record in 1806 shows that the trustees allowed William Powell a small amount for keeping a poor woman and her child. No other elective officers are known prior to 1811, when the first poll-book of the township appears. The election of October 8, 1811, discloses forty-six voters present on election day. By this time the township was reduced to nearly its present size, but it is undoubtedly true that there were more voters in the township than found in their way into the poll-book. The complete record is given verbatim : POLL BOOK OF SALEM TOWNSHIP, OCTOBER 8, 1811. Poll Book of the election held in the township of Salem, in the county of Champaign, on the eighth day of October, A. D., one thousand eight hundred and eleven, Joseph Petty, John McAdams and Mathew Stewart, Judges, and David Parkison and Joseph Vance, Clerks, of this election were severally sworn as the law directs previous to their entering on the duties of their respective offices. NAMES OF ELECTORS. Allen Galent, John Galent, Francis Thomas, Joseph Petty, John McAdams, Mathew Stewart, John Vance, Michael Whisman, Joseph Vance, David Parkison, John Taylor, James Porter, Arthur Thomas, John Symmes, William Waukob, James Brown, Archibald Stewart, Ezekiel Petty, Bernard Coon, William Riddle, John Davis, Job Martin, Henry Davis, Jesse Johnston, Samuel Gibbs, William Powell, Christopher Wood, James Williams, John Thomas, Jacob Leonard, Abraham Powell, Joseph Duncan, David Brown. Randle Largent, John Williams, Jeremiah Bowen, George Leonard, John Reed, Jonathan Long, Joseph Reynolds, Philip Huffman, Joseph Wilkinson, Thomas Wilkinson, Michael Instine, James Turner, Robert McFarland. A number of these names appear in no other place than on this poll record. This may be the result of had spelling on the part of the poll-taker or the fact that the unknown voters were only "squatters" and hence have no legal connection with the county other than as a voter. On the other hand, at least half of the names represented in this list of voters in 1811 are represented by descendants in the township or county in 1917. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 183 ENORMOUS DROVES OF SQUIRRELS. Many interesting incidents cluster around the life of the early pioneers of this township. There are many stories of Indians, of the depredations of wild animals, of neighborhood feuds, of the building of churches and schoolhouses and stories without number touching the lives of the settlers themselves. Even the squirrels of the forests come in for their share of the traditions which have been handed down through succeeding generations. As early as 1808 the township trustees ordered the following resolution spread on the records : "Agreeable to the squirrel law, the trustees of this township have laid on each taxable citizen, ten squirrel scalps, or one scalp for each and every twelve and one-half cents his tax amounts due. Done the 23d day of April, 1808. Attest, David Parkison, T. C." No one now living can recall the droves of squirrels that used to make trips up and down the Mad river valley. They came by countless thousands from the south in the spring and in the early fall started on their return trip, passing through the county about the time the corn began to ripen. To quote from an old account "they appeared in such vast numbers, as apparently to cover the earth for miles and if not well guarded, they would clear the corn field as they went along. They would suffer death rather than to turn from their course; and would pass over houses and swim lakes, ponds and water courses. They traveled due south until they reached the Ohio river into which they would plunge, but .here an immense number would loose their lives by drowning in the river. Those that got over alive would crawl upon the hank, dry themselves, rest a short time and resume their journey southward. This accounts for the necessity of levying a squirrel-scalp tax." This is not a fish story—only a squirrel story, but it is well authenticated. Similar stories abound in Indiana and Illinois. THE CAPTIVITY OF MOLLY KISER. James McPherson, known as "Squalicee" by the Indians, settled along the Mac-o-chee at a nearly date and at that time many Indian families were still living up and down the stream. One Indian, a chief known as Capt. John Lewis, had a woman in his family who was known as Molly Kiser. She had been taken prisoner when a small girl and reared by the Indians. Efforts were made to induce her to make her home with some of the white families, but she preferred the Indian life. She married an Indian and had 184 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. at least two daughters. The story is told of a horse trade which she made with Daniel Corwin near the north fork of Kings creek. She had stayed one night at the house of John Thomas and the next day while riding through the woods came upon the cabin of Daniel Corwin and immediately offered to trade horses. Sometime later she was seen on the back of her new horse riding along and presenting a peculiar appearance. It appears that she had been out in a hail storm, or at least the horse had, with the result that the horse had been practically stripped of all the hair on its back. SOME OF THE EARLY SETTLERS. It is impossible to follow the early careers of all the first settlers; many of them left no records for the reason that they were only squatters; others left the county long before the Civil War; still others passed away leaving no descendants. In the following paragraphs there have been collected a number of facts and incidents concerning some of the early settlers; these have been collated from the newspapers, old records in the township and in the court house, former written accounts and interviews with old citizens. A number of the first settlers of the township have already been noticed. It was natural that all the early settlers should locate along the creek or near Mad river, or along the state road first. cut out by General Hull in 1812. The first settler to locate between Kings creek and the Mac-o-chee was Abram Smith. His cabin was located on what was then known as the "Barrens" and was on a hill a short distance east of the state road in section 24. He located there in 1813 and lived there until his death about 1821. Smith was one of the leaders of the township, held several local offices and was considered one of the well-to-do men of his community. He, his wife and their two children died within a few days of each other in 1821 with what was then known as "milk sick." John Enoch came to the township when a lad of ten years, his father's family locating in the northern part of the township in 1812. Enoch became the largest landowner in the township and at one time had one thousand six hundred and fifty acres in sections 14, 20, 26, 13 and 19 ; he also owned a small tract of military land adjoining section 14. Enoch was known in his day as the model farmer of the county and the atlas of 1871, on its map of Salem township, labels his farm as the "Model Farm of Champaign County." He was especially noted for his fine stock. There have been many large farms in the county since its earliest history and there are now quite a num- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 185 ber of farms of more than two hundred acres in extent. In the spring of 1917 one farmer, David Kerfoot, who lives on the Shuey farm, had one hundred and forty acres of corn in one field and as far as is known this is the largest corn field in the county. There are very few corn fields of more than fifty acres in extent. A. M. Glendenning, one of the county commissioners, has a seventy-five-acre corn field in Rush township. FREED SLAVES BECOME SETTLERS. The vicinity of Mt. Tabor received a few settlers as early as 1810. Griffith Evans and family, natives of Greenbrier county, Virginia, bought a large tract of Alexander Dunlap, in the vicinity of Mt. Tabor, in 1810. An infant of the Evans family was the first to be buried in the cemetery at Mt. Tabor and this spot has been hallowed ground since 181 I—a period' of one hundred and six years. The Evans 'family were probably the first Methodists in the township; but between 1810 and 1814 a number of other families of the same faith had come to the community from Greenbrier county, Virginia. The house of Griffith Evans became the first home of the Methodist church and in this humble cabin, with its dirt floor and puncheon seats, the Methodist class met for three or four years, or up to 1816. Mrs. Evans was a woman of wealth and inherited a number of slaves, but after her marriage she set them all free. According to the best authority all of these slaves came to Champaign county and settled here, many of them living in the vicinity of the Evans homestead. An extended history of . the Mt. Tabor church is given in another chapter. Another of the Greenbrier county, Virginia, families was composed. of Nathaniel Hunter, his wife, Ann, and their nine children. The Hunters left Virginia in 1811 and located in Madison county, Ohio, moving thence over into Champaign county in 1814.. They had purthased a large tract in section 18, about three miles north of the present village of Kingston. There four sons and five daughters, all members of the Methodist church at Mt. Tabor, grew to maturity, all married, all had large families, and the parents and all the children, as well as grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even to the fifth generation, are interred in the Mt. Tabor cemetery. Nathaniel Hunter and his four sons helped to build three churches on the site of the Mt. Tabor church. The Black family came to the township in 1809 and settled along Mad river and soon became recognized as among the leaders of the township. 186 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Alexander Black was the first member of the family to come to the counts'. He located between the Mac-o-chee and Mad rivers. He and his wife, Jane Crocket, were natives of Virginia, early settlers in Kentucky, and were married in the latter state. They arrived in Salem township from Kentucky on May 12, 1809. Alexander Black and wife had eight children. He died in June, 1854, at the age of ninety, and his wife died in August, 1849, at the age of eighty. Alexander Black was present at the battle of Fallen Timbers, August 20, 1794, and was a great friend of the Indians. During. the War of 1812, Governor Meigs rode up the river one evening to see Black about raising a company to go to the assistance of Ft. Finley, which was then being besieged. Within less than twenty-four hours Captain Black had his company on the road toward Lake Erie following Hull's trace. The siege was raised before the troops which were sent from this county reached the fort. EVIDENCE OF MOUND BUILDERS' OCCUPANCY. One of the interesting sites of the township in its early history was an Indian mound near where the state road crosses Kings creek. During the War of 1812 the government used the mound on which to herd cattle, which were kept there while waiting to be slaughtered from day to day for the use of the. troops. The cattle tramped and horned the walls 0f this ancient fortification so much that they nearly destroyed evidences of it. George Petty, the owner of the land, shortly afterward plowed it for the first time and there is no vestige of the wall now to be seen. The original mound contained about four and one-half acres in the shape of a rectangular square, the outside wall being about four and one-half feet high. This wall sloped inward and the center of the enclosure was on a level with the ground outside the wall. In 1880 a large 0ak, three feet in diameter, stood on the edge of the wall and the tree was evidently more than five hundred years old. Another mound stands south of this, but although it has been excavated no bones or Indian relics have been found. EARLY RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES. The Blacks, Mclllwains and many of the other early settlers from Kentucky were members of the Christian (New Light) church, and they seemed to have made arrangements to establish a congregation as soon as they reached the county. In 1813 a camp meeting of this denomination was held CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 187 along Hull's trace between the homes of Captain Black and Moses. McIlwain, Richard Clark, of Kentucky, being the preacher in charge. Another early preacher of this faith was Joseph Thomas, familiarly known as the "'White Pilgrim." Caleb and Nathan Worley, Virginians, were also early preachers of this faith in Salem township. THE INFLUENCE OF HULL'S TRACE. William Copes was one of a number of settlers who came t0 the township in 1814. The making of Hull's trace through the county made it possible for settlers to have an easy ingress into the northern part of the county and it is interesting to note that so many of the early settlers located on either side of the "trace." Copes settled on the west side of the trace in section 22, bought one hundred and sixty acres for two dollars an acre, became dissatisfied with his tract, sold it with the improvements for the same price he gave for it and bought another quarter section in another part of the township for four dollars an acre. Thomas Thomas bought the first farm of Copes and opened a tavern along the road which became well patronized by the movers, drovers, teamsters and travelers of all kinds who were continually traveling the old trace, later the state road, and now known as the Urbana Bellefontaine pike. Charles McClay, a brother-in-law of the Abram Smith previously mentioned as the first settler on the "Barrens," was another settler in section 22 along the trace; Robert Latta, John Williams and Archibald Stewart settled east of the trace in 1814 and 1815. William Mayse was one of the prominent early settlers north of Kennard and later moved to the farm which was subsequently owned by Levi Cowgill. John Thomas, born in Charles county, Maryland, in 1779, located on Kings creek in 1809. On the Thomas farm north of Kennard was one of the early block houses of the county. James Turner and his wife, Ann, settled about two and one-half miles west of Kennard in 1808 or 1809. Mrs. Turner died shortly afterward and was the first person buried in the cemetery at Kingston. It is recorded that her grave was dug by Thomas Stewart, Isaac McAdams and Edward L. Morgan. THE FIRST SCHOOL HOUSE. The arrival of George Leonard in Salem township in 1805 and his uncle. Jacob Leonard, the following year has already been noted. Both were born 188 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. in Virginia, the former on April 26, 1777, He died in this county in December, 1868. Jacob Leonard died in 1835. B. B. Leonard, a resident of West Liberty in 1880, in writing of the Leonard family and their early connection with the county conveyed the following information : "The first school house that I remember was a little brick one, built on the south bank of Kings creek, a half mile west of where Kingston now is. The first teacher was Edward L. Morgan. This house was also used as a place of worship. * * * The first Sabbath school in the neighborhood was held in the school house referred to and Joel Funk and his neighbors of the same age were the leading managers. It must have been as early as 1829 or 183o. A debating society was organized and continued in this `Little Brick,' as it was called, which was well attended and attracted general interest. Among the disputants who entered into the war of words, I remember Thomas Parker, Peter Walker, afterward an eminent surgeon, and Moses B. Walker, who studied law, became a state senator, became a brigadier general in the Civil War and subsequently was elected to the supreme bench in a neighboring state. Other young people in the society were Jesse Leonard, T. A. Gifford, Joseph Weidman, Russell B. Spain, I. P. Leonard and James Tolman." (This extract is taken from a letter written by Leonard to Dr. Thomas Cowgill, July 19, 1880.) COMING OF THE MORGAN FAMILY. The Morgan family date their connection with the township from 1813. They came from the same part of Virginia which had been the home of John Taylor, pioneer of Kingston. John Morgan was the first of the family to come and in the fall of 1813 sent his son, Edward L., to this county to select a suitable site. He selected fractional section 3, township 5, range 12, two miles due east of the present village of Kingston. The family lfet Virginia on September 10, 1814, with a single wagon and one extra horse, the women riding the horse alternately. They arrived in Champaign county on October 1, and settled temporarily in a house along the creek about half a mile east of Kingston, near the present railroad bridge. In 1816 they moved into their own house and there John Morgan died on July 16, 1833. While he had ten children there was only one who became prominently identified with the early history of the county, Edward Lloyd Morgan. E. L. Morgan was born on February 10, 1794, and died on February 23, 1875. His wife died on October 9, 1850. E. L. Morgan was an excep- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 189 tional man in many ways and just such .a man as was needed in the new county. He taught school near Kingston as early as 1815 ; was engaged every summer in surveying, serving twelve years as county surveyor; was elected to the Legislature in 1824, 1832 and 1837; served several years as township clerk and township treasurer, and, during the last years of his life, served as justice of the peace. He was one of the first members of the Masonic lodge at Urbana, helped organize. the lodge at Kingston in 1866 and served as worshipful master of the lodge until he was too old to attend the meetings. Of a family of eight children only one is living, Maskel E. Morgan, who has probably done more .surveying in Champaign county than any other man who has ever lived in it, although he never served as the official county surveyor. SOME "FIRSTS" IN SALEM TOWNSHIP. The first settler in the township was Pierre Dugan, although it is maintained that a Frenchman by the name of Deshicket was living in the northwestern part of the township as early as 1794. The late Doctor Cowgill always asseverated that Deshicket was not only the first resident of Salem, but also the first white settler in what is now Champaign county. The first mill was built by Arthur Thomas at the mouth of Kings creek, between 1803 and 1805. The first school house was built on the Black farm in the northwestern part of the township and Robert Crocket is known to have taught the second term of school in it. The first children in' this first school house were William, John, Samuel and James Kavanaugh, Moses Mcllwain's children, Captain Black's children and George Petty's adopted daughter. Moses Mcllwain built the firsts brick house in the township in 1817, Martin Marmon being the mason; Captain Black had a brick house built the following year by a mason by the name of Whitus. The first church at Mt. Tabor was built in 1816; the first person buried in the cemetery at that place was the daughter of Griffith Evans, about 1815. The first meeting of the Friends was held about 1812, and the first woman minister to preach in the township was Mildred Ratliff. The first postoffice was opened at Kennard in 1866, with Thomas A. Cowgill as postmaster. The first Mennonites came to the county and to Salem township in 1845, the first being Joseph N. Kauffman, closely followed by Jacob Hooley, his 190 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. brother-in-law. The first meeting of this sect was held in Salem township in 1849 at Christopher Yoder's house. The first church was erected in 1857, just west of the Ludlow Line, and at this church a cemetery was laid out. In 1877 the church built a much larger structure a mile northwest of the first church and cemetery, but the old cemetery was still used. RAILROADS. Salem township is crossed by three railroads—the Big Four, the Pennsylvania and the Erie. The Big Four was originally known as the Mad River & Lake Erie railroad and was surveyed through Champaign county in 1832 and completed. through the county in 1848. It runs the full length of Salem township, north and south, but there is not and never has been a station on the road in this township. The Pennsylvania was known as the "Pan Handle" railroad at the time of the Civil War, and it is still called by that name. It was built through the township in the fifties, but there has never been a village along the railroad in this township. There is a flag stop at Hagenbuch. The third railroad to pass through Salem township was the Erie, first known as the Franklin & Warren railroad, later known as the Atlantic & Great Western railroad. Kennard was platted along this road after it was built through the township in 1865, but for some reason the road as laid out missed Kingston by about half a mile. There is an elevator and station for the benefit of Kingston half a mile east of the village. The township is also crossed by the Ohio Electric Line which runs from Springfield through Urbana and Belle fontaine to Lima. The electric line follows the state road practically across the township. FARMING CONDITIONS IN TOWNSHIP. The general condition of farming in Salem township in 1917 would be hard to discuss. There are some of the best farms in the county in the township and some of the poorest. Being one of the larger townships in the county it is one of the best producers of grain and live stock. A trip through the township in June, 1917, shows as fine farming land, as good crops and as well-arranged homes as may be seen in any county in the state. On the state road running north of Urbana are seen fine homes from one end of the township to the other, and the same may be said of most of the other roads of the county. Since Mad river was dredged and the mouths of the streams flowing into it have been lowered the land in the valley of the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 191 river had greatly appreciated in value. The old Jennings homesteads, those of A. C. and Edward, have long been considered well-tilled farms. Reference has previously been made to the fine farm of John Enoch. Other large landowners of the township of a past generation were Samuel Taylor, John H. James, G. Foos, John Eichholtz, J. B. Thomas, J. G. Thomas, Jacob Hooley, William Stewart, James and Mary Black and Benjamin Gehman. Among the large land .owners of 1917 are Effie M. Shuey, R. H. Rogers, Jesse B. Kellogg, Julia B. Jennings, Q. and W. R. Yocum,. E. W. McBeth, T. B. Gest, Robert Henderson, Jonas Hooley, B. M. Madden, Harley H. and E. Shaffer, W. A. Grandstaff, Elizabeth Maguire, W. H. Madden, John F. Miller, B. F. Harris and Edwin Hagenbuch. The township is fortunate in having good roads, and they are being improved each year. All the main highways are either graveled or macadamized, with the result that the farmers are able to get to the county seat at all. times of the year, something which they could not do twenty-five years ago. With the improved drainage brought about by the dredging of Mad river, the excellent system of good roads and as fine soil as may be found in the. state, there is no reason why Salem township should not one day be the banner township of the county. KINGSTON, OR KINGS CREEK. The village of Kingston is nearly as old as the county itself. There were people living on the. site of the town when the county was laid out in 1805 and five years later John Taylor had built a race and started a grist-mill on the site where a mill has been in continuous operation since that time, one of the oldest mills in continuous operation in the state. It had been running for several years when Simon Kenton rode up to it with his corn to get it ground. For nearly seventy years the village made no attempt to set itself apart from the township, not even taking the trouble to have a survey of its lots made a matter of record. The first survey which has been found is dated April 1, 1870, this survey crediting the town with fifty lots of varying sizes and shapes. The village was first known as Taylorstown and later as Kingston. When the postoffice was established it was necessary to have another name, because there was another Kingston in the state. It was at this time that the name Kings Creek came into use and gradually this name has been applied to the village itself. However, both names are still heard, and maps are still printed with both names. 192 - CHAMPAIGN CoUNTY, OHIO. The town has never been incorporated and practically every house in it is found on either side of what the villagers call "Main street". The early history of the town is not different from that of all the other villages of this section of the state. It has had a Methodist and Baptist church since its earliest days and they are still in existence. It has had stores, blacksmith shops and the flouring-mill for more than a hundred years. Among the early storekeepers of the town may be mentioned J. F. Rettberg. Rettberg had a store at Powhattan, in Urbana township, several years before the Civil War and located in Kingston a year or two before the Civil War and continued in business there until the eighties. John McIntosh and James Colgan were early wagon-makers and C. R. Stonebraker had a cooper shop at the time of the Civil War. Blacksmiths have flourished since the earliest settlers located in this section of the township. In 1917 there were two stores, M. O. Ireland and S. Garard, being the proprietors. Blair Swisher had a blacksmith shop ; the Beatly elevator is located at the Erie railroad station, half a mile east of the village. The Gregg brothers own and operate the flouring-mill, which has been running continuously since John Taylor first located the mill on its present site in 1810. A history of the churches and schools of the village may be found in other chapters. KENNARD. The village of Kennard was laid out as Kent by C. W. L. Taylor, acting county surveyor, on November 18 and 19, 1863, the plat being recorded on December 31, 1863. The proprietor of the townsite was Samuel H. Robinson, who owned a considerable tract of land, including parts of surveys 4925 and 11066, the seventy-five lots of the town being on both surveys. The town was laid out because of the coming of the railroad through that part of the township. The lots were on either side of the Great Atlantic & Pacific railroad, now the Erie railroad. The original proprietor seemed to have met with reverses of some kind ; at least, before the plat was recorded on the last day of the year, 1863, the whole townsite had passed into the hands of Jonas Hedges. A record, dated December 30, 1863, states that Hedges was "the surviving assignee of Samuel H. Robinson." The town grew slowly and for various reasons never attracted the attention which fell to the lot of some of the other small towns of the county. Doctor Cowgill was the first physician ; the Thomas brothers started the first elevator ; John W. Pearce became the first railroad agent; John Sarten was probably the first CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 193 shoe cobbler; a man by the name of Downey was undoubtedly the first of a number of blacksmiths who have held forth in the little village. The town will never be any more than a mere trading center, but it has been a valuable asset to the farming community of which it is the center. There are now two general stores in the village—E. E. McDonald and Mr. Brockney. HAZLETON. A village of Salem township which never got beyond the paper stage was platted as "Hazleton" for David Hurley in 1837. The village was located on fractional section 4, township 5 and range 12. The village may be better identified by stating that it was at the crossing of the Ludlow Line and the road running from Middleburg to Urbana, and near Judge John Taylor's mill. The original plat contained thirty-two lots, but as far as is known the proprietor, Hurley, never sold any lots. Hurley had bought one hundred and four acres of fractional section 4 in September, 1830, from Ruhannah Taylor, this amount covering the northern half 0f the section. The history of the village stops short with its platting and recording—that is, its history begins and closes on May 2, 1837. (13) CHAPTER IX. CONCORD TOWNSHIP. Concord township was a part of the original Mad River township which had been organized in 1805 and was set off from that township in 1811. The exact date of its organization by the commissioners is lost, but the record of an election held on October 8, 1811, furnishes indisputable proof that the township was in existence at that time. It is more than probable that it was created in that same year and that the election on the date mentioned was the first held in the township. Another point of uncertainty concerns the original limits of the township. The earliest record in the commissioners' minutes gives the boundaries of the township as it existed in 1817, but whether this was its original limits, or its limits as changed between the date of its organization and 1817, are facts which can only be ascertained from the commissioners' records. Their absence, therefore, makes it impossible to state with certainty what the limits of the township were prior to 1817. The limits as defined in 1817 were as follows : "Beginning at the southeast corner of the fourth township in the twelfth range ; running north to the northeast of the same ; thence west to the county line ; thence with said line to the south boundary of said range; thence east to the place of beginning." This description shows that the township in that year included all of its present limits ; all of Johnson except the southern tier of sections; the two southern tiers of sections of the present Adams township; and the southern tier of sections of the present Harrison township. Johnson township was detached in 1821 and this restricted Concord to township 4, of range 12, but the commissioners' records do not state when the northern tier of sections was detached from Concord and attached to Harrison. The latter township was organized in 1815, but at that time it did not have the northern tier of sections of township 4 in range 11. It is probable that Concord received its present limits at the time Johnson was cut off in 1821. It now contains thirty sections of land, six sections from east to west and five sections from north to south. It would be interesting to know who suggested the name of "Concord" as the name of the new township in 1811. It is not beyond the range of CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 195 probability that some of the pioneers who petitioned for the organization of the township had fought at Concord bridge in 1775—"By the rude bridge that arched the flood." Be that as it may, the township was so named and it has honored the original Concord of Massachusetts, even though it may not have been named in its honor. At the election of 1811 which has been previously mentioned, there were only thirty-five votes cast, and all of these were not residents of the Concord township of today; some undoubtedly lived within the present limits of Johnson, Adams or Harrison, which townships were in part at that time attached to Concord. The complete poll-book is given verbatim : POLL BOOK OF CONCORD TOWNSHIP, OCTOBER 8, 1811. Poll Book of the election held in Concord township, in the county of Champaign, on the eighth day of October, A. D., one thousand eight hundred and eleven. Sampson Talbot, Thomas Stretch and Joseph Hill, Judges; William Stretch and Daniel Jackson, Clerks, of this election, were severally sworn as the law directs, previous to their entering on the duties of their respective offices. NAMES OF ELECTORS. Felix Rock, Silas Johnston, Adam Wise, George Faulkner, Philip C. Kenton, James Johnston, Philip Coiner, Walker Johnston, Archibald McGrew, Sr., Christian Stevens, William Kenton, Jr.. James McLaughlin, Jark Kenton, Elijah T. Davis, Ezekiel A. Smith, Sampson Talbot, Thomas Stretch, Joseph Hill, William Stretch, Daniel Jackson, Robert Blaney, Jacob Sarver, Samuel Mitchell, Sr., Joel Fuson, Abraham Custor, William Custor, Isaac Custor, Mathew McGrew, James Mitchell, Thomas Kenton, Thomas Daniel, Samuel Smith. Marcus Clark, Benjamin Line, Joseph Hurings. This election was held at the home of Robert McFarland, who located near Concord chapel, but no record seems to have been preserved of the officials elected at this election. There is not only no record of the officials selected at this election of 1811, but the late T. S. McFarland, who was the best informed man on the early history of the township, stated that the first officers were elected in 1818. Writing in 1872, McFarland stated in the "History of Champaign and Logan Counties" (p. 299) that the first election of officers was in 1818 and at this time the following were elected : Trustees, Philip Kenton, George Robinson and John Bouseman ; clerk, John Daniels. The same authority gives the following list of clerks during the early history of the township : Robert McFarland, the father of T. S. McFarland, was elected in 1819 and served for thirteen consecutive years, his house serving as the election place for several years; and following McFarland came in order Joseph Hough, Stilly McGill, James Russell, D. H. Neer, L. M. Steward, 196 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Philip Corner, Austin Heath, John Russell (later secretary of state of Ohio), R. G. Allen, Fleming Hall, Joseph Groves and N. D. McReynolds. FIRST SETTLER IN TOWNSHIP. There seems to be no question that Joseph Hill was the first settler within the present limits of Concord township. Hill settled in section 8 in 1802 and for many years prior to the setting off of Concord township was a constable. He was the father of Joseph Hill, later superintendent of the Panhandle railway, with headquarters at Logansport, Indiana. When Hill arrived on the scene in February, 1802, he found on the tract he had entered a "squatter" by the name of Isaac Anderson. Anderson had made some few improvements, but not having any title to the land, he was forced to move. This Anderson left a reputation in Concord and Mad River townships as the laziest man in the community and many are the stories of the effort he put forth to keep from doing anything. It is not possible to trace the settlers in the order of their arrival in the township, but a number of the first arrivals will be briefly noticed. Following close after Hill in 1802 came Sampson Talbot who settled just west of the Arrowsmith mills in the southern part of the township. Talbot had served as a justice of peace for a number of years before Concord was se off from Mad River township. He was famous for the large number of marriage ceremonies which he performed, his unique method of conducting the ceremony making him a favorite with the young couples of the community. He died in 1846 and is buried on the old Talbot farm. The land has been in the Talbot family since it was entered in 1803. It is now owned by Mary R. and Laura C. Talbot, granddaughters of Sampson Talbot. Adam Wise came to the township prior to 1805 and settled on the late Oliver Taylor farm in section i in the southeastern corner of the township. His grandson, James Stevens, of Kingston, lived to be nearly one hundred years old. Another early settler in the southeastern part of the township was Alexander Dunlap, who located on the farm later owned by S. M. Pence. Dunlap prided himself on being a little different from ordinary men. On one occasion, in 1830, he decided to make the race for the Legislature, and he proceeded to announce his candidacy in a manner befitting his peculiarities. It ran as follows : Take notice, that I offer as a candidate to represent Champaign county In the next legislative session of Ohio in the ensuing election October next. I am a Republican. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 197 I am against the black and colored people being on the same footing as the whites is. I am in favor of general Aandrew Jackson being president to take seat in March next. I adds no more at present, but remains a candidate. Aug. 4th, 1830. ALEXANDER DUNLAP. His originality availed him. nothing—he was defeated. Dunlap had two sons and two daughters and all of them lived to ripe old ages, but only one of the daughters ever married. William, the youngest son, evidently was a chip off the old block ; he became wealthy, but later in life developed a consuming desire to light cigars with five-dollar bills. It is needless to add that he spent his declining days in the county infirmary. SOME OTHER EARLY ARRIVALS. The Mitchell family were early settlers in the vicinity of Northville. James Mitchell, Sr., was an old man when the family located in the township in 1806. He had three sons, John, Samuel and James, Jr., and all three of the sons married and settled in the vicinity of Westville. In 1809 the first member of the Longfellow family arrived in the township, Joseph Longfellow, a native of Delaware, later resident of Kentucky and still later of Concord township, Champaign county. He was a cousin of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet. The trip of Longfellow and his wife from Delaware to this county is fraught with a great deal of interest and is worthy of being perpetuated in the history of the township. They emigrated in a one-horse cart from Delaware to Kentucky and the same vehicle furnished their only means of transportation from the latter state to Champaign county. The harness for this one horse was homemade and there was not a bit of iron used in its construction. They stopped only a short time in Kentucky and then set out again on the long trip for Ohio. They packed their household goods in the cart, but when this was done there was not room for either of them to ride. Not only that, but there were two things necessary to take along which had to be carried—he wanted his gun, and she insisted that a bread tray could not be left behind. So, armed with the gun and bread tray, respectively, the couple—and both were over sixty years of age—started with their cart and faithful horse for the land of promise, for Concord township, Champaign county, Ohio. And they walked the entire distance, he leading the horse and she following with her bread tray to give notice if anything should fall off the cart. Thus came to the county the first members of a family which have become well known and substantial citizens and are represented by many descendants today. 198 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Longfellow was not a large man physically, but he was a man of unusual energy and physical endurance. He fought during the War of 1812 and returning to his farm in this township, continued to reside on it until his death, December I, 1865, being one hundred years old at the time of his death. He voted for George Washington for President in 1788 and voted at each succeeding Presidential election down to and including the second election of Lincoln. He was the father of twenty-two children and a number of these children attained positions of honor in their respective communities. PREVALENCE OF "MILK-SICKNESS". Henry Bacome entered land in 1810 west of Concord chapel. In this settlement there was prevalent a peculiar disease which was commonly known as "milk-sickness," but just what the disease was, or how to treat it, the pioneer physicians were never able to determine. Bacome moved his cabin three times in order to escape the disease, but it caught him before he moved the fourth time. He believed it came from the water ; others thought it came from buckeye sprouts ; still others thought that it came from the dew on fleabane; as a matter of fact, the disease completely baffled the best physicians of the time and there are those yet today who maintain that the disease was largely a matter of imagination. FATHER OF THIRTY-TWO CHILDREN. Felix Rock was one of the early settlers and located on the farm in section 9 which he sold to Daniel Kizer when he removed to Iowa in 1844. The entire Rock family died shortly after they went West. The farm which was later in the hands of the Taylor family for many years was entered by John Tippin and was sold by him to John Daniels. John Duckworth, an Englishman, came to the township from Warren county, Ohio, in 1815 and entered the northwest quarter of section 9, and, interesting to note, he paid for it by cutting wood at twenty-five cents a cord. The Harbours were Carolinians who came to the county in 1805. It is probable that Jesse Harbour accumulated more children and more acres of ground than any pioneer in the county. T. S. McFarland is responsible for the statement that Harbour had thirty-two children and that "he gave each child eighty acres of land, or its equivalent, when they arrived at the age of maturity." William Harbour, a brother of Jesse, arrived from Carolina in the same CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 199 year. Jesse Harbour entered his first land in the northwestern corner of the township, about a mile west of Heathtown. He died in 1865. AN EXPERIENCE WORTH RECORDING. Longevity was one of the characteristics of the early settlers of Concord township. Feather beds are said to be an excellent safeguard against lightning, but Thomas Tipton, one of the early settlers of Concord township, put them to another practical use. He conceived the notion that he would liye an untold number of years if he would but sleep between two feather beds, in summer as well as winter, and he succeeded in warding off the Grim Reaper until he was one hundred and eleven years old. It is not known whether he missed a night or two away from his feather beds, but his experience is worth recording. Tipton sold his farm to Peter Baker. It was the southwest quarter of section 29. Many of the settlers who entered land before 1820 found themselves unable to meet their payments and had to relinquish their patent. In many cases this seemed unfair and local historians have expressed themselves in no uncertain terms regarding the injustice of the act of Congress which compelled some of the best of the settlers to give up their farms. Some tracts changed hands very frequently in the first few decades. The records show that one farm, originally entered by Joel Harbour passed through the hands of Joel Fuson, James Bacon, William Snodgrass and William Werden before 1819. Another farm which eventually became the property of Jesse Neer was entered by Samuel and John Hogg and passed through the hands of a man by the name of Taylor (not Judge John Taylor), George Gideon and John Shriver. AN INTERESTING DOCUMENT. Along the western side of the township Thomas and William Stretch located early in its history. These two brothers served as constable in their township and the bond which they signed upon assuming the duties of their office is an interesting document of ancient Champaign history. This unique instrument is given verbatim : Know all men by these presents, That we, Thos. Stretch and Wm. Stretch of the township of Mad River, county of Champaign and State of Ohio, are held and firmly bound to Ezekiel Arrowsmith, Treasurer, or his successor in office in the just sum of four hundred dollars, for which payment well and truly to be made, we bind |