Name of Holder	No. of Survey	No. of Acres.
Wilson Pemberton Maj. Alexander Parker James Knox William Fowler John Stokes Robert Beal Alexander Armstrong	579 577 701 760 390 975 4,087	1,000 1,300 700 1,000 1,000 1,000 1

It is known that many of these original holders of surveys of military land were not soldiers of the Revolution. The warrants which were given the veterans called for a certain lot of land, but the location of the tract was not determined, the holder of the warrant being allowed to locate his tract anywhere between the Little Miami and the Scioto. In many cases the old soldiers kept these warrants in their possession without having their land surveyed, and then the warrant came into the possession of their assignees. Again, it was often the case that the veterans sold their warrants to land speculators. It can thus be seen that the ultimate holders of these warrants were not always Revolutionary soldiers. Of these holders of military land given above, the names of William Pemberton, James Knox, GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 207 John Stokes and Alexander Armstrong are not mentioned in the list of Virginia soldiers who were given land in the reservation. It is possible that they were either assignees or speculators who bought the warrants from the old soldiers. Alexander Armstrong was a district surveyor who found that the one acre on the Little Miami would not be claimed by a warrant, hence he took a patent out on the little tract. Furthermore these original holders of surveys were absentee owners, because their names do not appear on the enumeration books of the township at any time. Of the four soldiers who owned surveys here, Alexander Parker was a major, William Fovvler a captain and Robert Beal a captain. To each of these men a large tract had been given ; Major Parker, 6,888 acres ; Captain Fowler, 4,000, and Captain Beal, 4,666 acres. These men were not constrained to locate their warrants all in one tract, but they could have surveys made of different tracts in the reservation, the aggregate of which would be the total amount of land to which they were entitled. Not all of these military surveys are wholly within the township. TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE. Beavercreek township is one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the county. The surface of the land is gently rolling and many prairie valleys stretch away in fertile fields between the sloping ridges. The soil in the uplands is generally of a rich clay while in the valleys the darker and more alluvial soil is to be found. The chief grains produced in the township are corn and wheat, with a marked predominance of the former. Thus there is much live stock raised within the borders of the township. In the southern part of the township some tobacco is raised, but the production is nothing considerable. The agricultural interests of the township are re-served for discussion in a special section of this chapter. When the town-ship was first settled in the last years of the eighteenth century, it was thickly forested, but that has all changed now. The woodman and his ax has made conclusive inroads upon the stately forests of oak, walnut, beech, ash, hickory, elm and sugar trees which formerly stood thickly over the entire surface of the township except a few prairie like areas. At this time (1918) there is little use for the saw-mill in this section. Although there is still considerable timber scattered here and there, the farmers are in the main conserving the surviving trees. THE VALLEY OF BEAVER CREEK. The chief topographical feature of the township is the valley of Beaver creek, which is entirely out of proportion, on account of its striking width, with the small stream which meanders through it. This valley is a large scope of meadow land of extraordinary productiveness and the extent 208 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO of the valley leads one to the conclusion that formerly through it flowed a river of large proportions. This, however, is discussed at length in the general chapter of topography and geology. This valley extends north from the village of Alpha for approximately five miles and it is drained by Big Beaver creek. On the ridges which extend along the sides of this fruitful valley, the prosperous farmers have built their large and comfortable homes and have established their complete farm plants, and rarely is there found a more pleasing rural prospect than can be gained from one of these elevations which command a view over this beautiful valley. DRAINAGE. Beavercreek township is a section cut out of the basin of the Little Miami river, which enters the township on the southeast and flows directly across the southeast corner. The river enters Sugarcreek township in the middle of the boundary line which separates the two townships. The chief tributaries of the Little Miami which drain the township are the Little and Big Beaver creeks. Big Beaver creek, which is a stream of some size, rises in the southern part of Bath township and flows southward through the eastern part of Beavercreek township. It empties into the Little Miami a short distance south of Alpha. Little Beaver creek rises just across the county line in Montgomery county. It flows directly eastward, being joined by Bull Skin run from the northwest and other minor branches from the southwest, and empties into Big Beaver creek just west of Alpha. It is from these streams and from their wide fruitful valley that the township takes its name. Ludlow run, another small stream, rises in the extreme northwest corner of Xenia township, enters Beavercreek township at its northeastern corner, then flows directly south through the eastern side of the township, and empties into the Little Miami northwest of Trebeins, formerly called Beaver Station. EARLY SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP. Almost one hundred and nineteen years have passed since the first set-tlement in Beavercreek township. It was in the spring of 1799 that Owen Davis and his son-in-law, Benjamin Whiteman, the first settlers of the township, struck out northward along what is now known as the Pinkney road, which was then a mere blazed path northward through the forest from Cincinnati, with their families and located near the present site of the village of Alpha, in the vicinity of what now is known as the Harbine farm. The place they had decided to settle was advantageous in those days, for it promised to be a trading point for the surrounding country. Facilities for water-power were excellent from Beaver creek which flowed nearby, and their holdings were located where the Pinkney road turns eastward toward Old- GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 209 town and the vicinity of Xenia. During the summer the settlement which they had established was increased by newcomers. John Paul, who became a person of prominence after the organization of the county, located about three miles northwest of the Little Miami river not far from Trebeins Station and William Maxwell, the editor of the first newspaper in the North-west Territory, moved northward from Cincinnati and settled on the Maxwell farm in the township, and the indications were that many more settlers would come pushing northward on the Pinkney road into this new county. This fact convinced Davis and Whiteman that they had chosen their place of settlement well and they set to work to establish a regular trading post for the surrounding settlers. The first need of the new community was a mill where the settlers could come to grind their coarse meal, and Owen Davis accordingly set to work establishing a mill not far from the site of the present Harbine mill, a short distance from the village of Alpha. During the winter of 1799 he finished the mill, the motive power of which was furnished by the farmer who had the grist to grind, and it was opened up for the use of the public in the winter of 1799. Settlers from the whole surrounding country came here to grind their meal, many from twenty to thirty miles distant. A short distance south of the mill, about one hundred yards from the south line of the Harbine farm, and about two hundred yards east of Beaver creek, Benjamin Whiteman erected for his father-in-law a substantial log house which later was used as a place of meeting for the first court held in Greene county. The chief reason why it was designated for this purpose was that it was located on the Pinkney road, the chief thoroughfare of the county at that time. A little to the northeast of this building was the little ten-by-twelve log smoke house, which was used as the jury room after the county was organized. Two blockhouses were built a little east of the mill, so that if the occasion arose they could be connected with a line of pickets so that the mill could be protected in case the settlement was attacked by Indians. Later the dwelling erected by Whiteman was occu-pied by Peter Borders and it was during his occupancy that the house was used as the place for the meeting of the court. These four men, the earliest citizens of Beavercreek township, became important personages in the early history of the county and are treated of in a more extended manner elsewhere in this volume. EARLY SETTLERS IN BEAVERCREEK TOWNSHIP. Not long after Benjamin Whiteman and Owen Davis had established themselves on Beaver creek, the sound of the ax could be heard above the mill belonging to Davis, where John Thomas, John Webb and John Kizer (14 ) 210 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO were felling trees and hewing the logs into shape for the erection of their cabin homes. Kizer enlisted as a volunteer in the War of 1812 after Hull's surrender at Detroit. He was also aided in the establishment of his home here in Beavercreek township by his three stalwart sons, Peter, John, Jr., and Daniel. John Kizer, Sr., a brother of Benjamin Kizer, who settled in the township in 1804, was known as the champion pugilist of the county until he met Aaron Beall at Oldtown in 1806. In 1800 Jacob Coy, Sr., came from Maryland and settled on the Shakertown pike, in the southwest quarter of section 31, township 2, range 7. Coy and his wife, Susanna, were natives of Germany, who came to America when they were quite young. During the voyage the parents of the former died and were buried in mid ocean. Since their belongings were confiscated by the ship's crew, the seven children were thrown upon the shores of the New World penniless. Jacob, who was eighteen years of age when his brothers and sisters landed, sold his service to a Pennsylvania planter for six years in order to clear himself and his brothers and sisters from debt. Later he married and removed to Maryland where he lived a number of years and accumulated three hundred and fifty acres of land. In 1800 he emigrated with his family to Ohio, coming down the river to Cincinnati where the family remained two months. At that time there were only sixteen log cabins in the village. There he purchased necessary tools and other articles a settler would have need of when entering a new country, and then the family pushed out up the Pinkney road for the northern part of Hamilton. county. Here they settled on a tract of three thousand acres of land which Coy had previously purchased in Beavercreek township. He soon began the construction of the cabin, for which he needed nails. Accordingly he sent his son, Jacob, Jr., on horseback to Cincinnati to purchase two kegs of nails for which twelve and one-half cents a pound was paid. The hardest kind of labor on the part of the entire family was necessary to improve the holding, oftentimes the father and sons burning brush until midnight. The prices paid for the products raised by the family were very small. They sold flour in Cincinnati at two dollars and a half a barrel after they had delivered it there by hauling it overland. Wheat sold for twenty-five cents and corn for ten cents a bushel. They paid seventy-five cents a pound for coffee, but three or four pounds lasted the family for a year. OTHER EARLY SETTLERS. One by one up from Cincinnati, where they gave their last farewell to civilization, the covered wagons and lagging horses came struggling up over the Pinkney road, guided by the sturdy pioneers who were bringing their families here to establish their homes by great toil in the forest of the town- GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 211 ship. Others who came in 1800 were Andrew Hawker and his wife Sus-anna and their family, settling on the farm which adjoined the Adam Hawker farm; and Jacob Judy, who built his cabin on the land which comprised the central part of section 30, township 2, range 6, about one mile south of the site of the village of Alpha. He, too, was a soldier of the War of 1812, and his death occurred in 1823. In this same year, George Shoup, a native of the Keystone state, settled in the southwest quarter of section 36, township 2, range 6, and built his cabin near Mt. Zion cemetery. Possibly a little later John Morningstar lighted the way of his brothers George and Philip into the township. Joseph Palmer, who became a soldier of the War of 1812, came to the township in 1805, and settled on the farm which joins Trebeins on the north. In 1806 David Herring, a native of Frederick county, Maryland, came to the township and purchased the farm belonging to Benjamin Whiteman, who removed to the vicinity of Clifton. Herring erected his cabin in the southwest quarter of section 20, township 3, range 7. In the same year George Frost built a cabin in the northeast quarter of section 16, township 3, range 7. In 1807 Silas Kent settled in the southeast quarter of section 22, township 3, range 7, which land is now known as the David Garlough farm. He built his cabin a short distance east of the present Garlough farm house. In this same year, George Morningstar followed his brother John into the township and settled on land in the southwest quarter of section 9, township 3, range 7, which farm is now known as the John B. Stine farm. He built his cabin on the site of the present Stine farm house. At the same time came his brother, Philip Morningstar, who built his cabin in the northeast quarter of section 9, township 3, range 7. Some of the later comers were Matthias Gray who came in 1813 and settled in the southeast quarter of section 8, township 3, range 7, on what is now known as the Samuel Andrews farm. Two years later came John Kenney and settled in the southwest quarter of section 10, township 3, range 7. ADAM SWADNER, THE HANDY MAN OF THE SETTLEMENT. It was in 1807 that Adam Swadner, a native of Maryland, entered one hundred and fifty acres of land in section 16, township 3, range 7. He became the holder of this land with the stipulation that he should improve it, and he built a log house which was occupied for many years. During his early life he learned the trade of shoemaker, to whicj he later added some proficiency in the more simple mechanical lines. This made him a very valuable man in the settlement. 212 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO RESIDENTS OF BEAVERCREEK TOWNSHIP IN 1803. The poll book of the first election which was ordered by the associate judges to be held at the house of Peter Borders on Beaver creek in 1801, is extant, but the names of the judges of the election and the officers elected are not given. Neither is the exact date given, save that the election took place in October, 1803. The richest fund of names of the residents of Beavercreek township in that year comes from the report of the enumeration taken by James Popenoe, the lister. The names included in this document, to which are added names of settlers from the poll book, names which are not included in the enumeration report, are appended. It must be borne in mind that Beavercreek township then comprised the larger part of what is now Greene county and some of the names mentioned belong to the early settlers of townships later erected; nevertheless they voted and paid their taxes as residents of this township. The names follow : George Alexander, George Allen, Nathan Allen, William Allen, John Aken, William Aken, Gabriel Bilderbach, Peter Borders, William Bull, Sr., James Bull, Richard Bull, John Bosher, Gardner Bobo, James Benefield, Jesse Bracken, James Buchanan, John Buchanan, Robert Bogges, Elias Bromegen, Jacob Coy, Adam Coy, Levi Connelly, Abel Crawford, James Carroll, John Cottrell, William Chenoweth, Benjamin Devere, John Driscoll, William Downey, Owen Davis, Lewis Davis, Robert Frakes, Jonathan Flood, Edward Flood, John Fogey, John Freeman, William Freeman, Samuel Freeman, Elijah Ferguson, William Ferguson, Zachariah Ferguson, Benjamin Ginn, James Galloway, Sr., James Galloway, Jr., George Galloway, Thomas Godfrey, John Harner, Jacob Harner, George Harner, Michael Hendricks, Andrew Hawker, Abraham Hanley, Alexander Haughey, David Huston,- William King, Adam Koogler, Jacob Koogler, Richard Kiser, Peter Kiser, John Kiser, John Kenney, Joseph 'Kyle, Mathew Kavender, Isaac Kruzan, George Kirkendale, Jacob Kent, Samuel D. Kirkpatrick, George Kirkpatrick, William Kirkpatrick, William Law, Justice Luce, Arthur Layton, Arnett Longstreth, Cornelius Morgan, John Morgan, Sr., John Morgan, Jr., Isaac Morgan, Evan Morgan, Christie Miller, John Miller, James Miller, Isaac Miller, Frederick Morelander, William Maxwell, William Minnier, Abraham Minnier, Edward Mercer, Jonathan Mercer, Henry Martin, William McCloud, Charles McGuire, William McClure, John McKaig, Daniel McMillan, Alexander McCollough, William McFarland, Alexander McCoy, Sr., Alexander McCoy, Jr., James McCoy, Daniel McCoy, John Nelson, William O'Neal, William Orr, John Paul, James Popenoe, Peter Popenoe, Sr., Philip Petro, Nicholas Petro, Paul Petro, William Price, William Pasel, Nicholas Quinn, Sr., Nicholas Quinn, Jr., Matthew Quinn, James. Riddle, John Rittenhouse, Garrett Rittenhouse, William Robbins, Isaac Rubart, GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 213 Alexander Rough, John Rue, Abraham Rue, Andrew Read, William Stockwell, Andrew Stewart, Jacob Shingledecker, James Stevenson, William Stevenson, John Stevenson, Peter Sewell, John Shigley, Frederick Shigley, 'Thomas Simpson, Michael Spencer, William Smith, Jacob Smith, John Smith, Joseph Smith, James Scott, Christopher Truby, Jacob Truby, John Tingley, Silas Taylor, William Taylor, George Taylor, Thomas Townsley, John Townsley, Joseph Tatman, James Tatman, Remembrance Williams, Charles Williams, Christian Willand, Benjamin Whiteman, Andrew Westfall, James Westfall, George Wolf, John Webb, Henry Whittinger, Henry Ward and Henry Young. RAILROADS OF THE TOWNSHIP. There is no other township in the county, excepting Xenia township, that has better railroad facilities than Beavercreek township, which has at present (1918) two steam roads and one traction line. One difficulty with these lines is that they extend parallel a short distance from each other from the eastern to the western side of the township. The first rail-road extended through the township was the Dayton, Xenia & Belpre road, which was completed in 1853 and was consolidated with the Little Miami railroad in the same year. In 1869 this line was leased for ninety-nine years by the Pennsylvania, under which it is now operated. Another line parallel to the one before mentioned, called at the time of its construction the Dayton, Xenia & Southwestern, was being constructed through the township at the same time, but before it was completed it was bought out by the Pennsylvania. It lay dormant until 1876-77, when the right-of-way was taken over by the Baltimore & Ohio, and the road was completed in 1878. The township formerly had two parallel traction lines, the Dayton & Xenia and the Rapid Transit, both of which were completed in 1898-99. Since that time the latter has ceased to operate. A more complete history of these railroads can be found in the chapter on transportation. MURDERS 1N THE TOWNSHIP. The autumn of 1872 was a season for murders in Beavercreek township, for during the months of September and October of that year two murders occurred. Late on the night of September 7, 1872, as Jack Davidson and Jesse Curry, two young men, were returning from a dance near Zimmermanville, the former shot and killed the latter with a revolver, the murder occurring on the road northwest of Alpha. At the trial Davidson was convicted and sentenced to a life term in the Ohio penitentiary. Later, however, he was pardoned by Gov. R. M. Bishop. About eight o'clock on the evening of October 22, 1872, John William 214 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO Fogwell, or more properly Faulkwell, was murdered by William Richison on the road about one mile north of Trebeins. The former was returning home from Dayton when he was fired upon by the latter who had secreted himself in a fence corner with a shotgun loaded with balls. The flash of the gun revealed the face of the assassin and he was recognized by Faulkwell, who lived long enough to tell the name of his murderer. On this evidence Richison was arrested, charged with the crime. During the trial additional evidence was found which fastened the guilt upon him without a doubt. The paper used for the wadding of the shot gun was found to correspond with pieces of torn paper found at the murderer's own house. He was found guilty on his first trial, but for some reason he was granted a second trial. He was again found guilty and was sentenced to death by hanging. Before the appointed day for the execution he committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell in the county jail at Xenia. He was buried in his own dooryard in a lone unmarked grave, near the scene of the tragedy. THE PINKNEY POND. Before the widespread use of drain tile on the farms of the township there was a large body of standing water on the Steele farm, just south-west of Trebeins Station, known as Pinkney pond. The pioneer road over which the early settlers came into the township and Greene county took its name from this body of water and was known as the Pinkney road. In the early days before the forests were cleared away and this district was the haunt of deer and other wild animals, it was the custom of the early settlers to go to this pond at night on hunting expeditions, for the deer and other game came here for water at that time. The story is told how John and Samuel Morningstar, two pioneer boys of that section, launched their canoe on the pond one night and paddled around its brink cautiously in search of game. For such a hunting they had a large torch and their rifles. As they proceeded slowly along the banks, they suddenly came upon a large buck, which became so stricken with astonishment and curiosity at the sudden appearance of the light that it did not seek safety in flight. Moreover, the boys were almost as thoroughly nonplussed as the buck, and they had an immediate attack of the bane of all hunters, "buck ague." Soon, however, the boys recovered their senses to such an extent that they sought to use their rifles. At the report of the rifle, the buck bounded into the water, capsized the frail boat and precipitated the young nimrods into the water, for they had evidently been somewhat nervous when they fired upon their prey. The ducking in the cold water brought the boys around to full consciousness, and a long struggle GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 215 took place on the brink of the pond, which ended with dispatching the buck. AGRICULTURAL 1NTERESTS OF THE TOWNSHIP. In the Main, Beavercreek township is in the beautiful valley of Beaver creek, which is one of the best agricultural regions in the county if not in the state. Generally its entire extent is fertile, well timbered, rolling and picturesque, and it is noted for its fine farms. Hundreds of cattle, and sheep graze on the fine pastures on the ridges above the magnificent valley, and over three thousand hogs, according to the agricultural report of the county for last year (1917), are fed out for the market annually. More-over, much milk, butter, wool, and poultry and many eggs are sent to market from this district each year. The automobile and the tractor have not entirely eliminated the horse from being the necessary animal that he is in carrying on the agricultural operations of the township. The rich bottoms of the Little Miami and the fertile valley of Beaver creek and the fertile upland farms afford ample space for raising grain. hay, potatoes and other vegetables. In potato culture Beavercreek township leads all the other townships in the county, and there is also considerable tobacco raised in the southern part of the township. In general the farmers of the township are skilled agriculturists, for they seem to use the proper methods in caring for their soil by a carefully worked-out system of crop rotation, in the use of fertilizer, and in the growing of humus crops. In 1917 almost three hundred tons of commercial fertilizer and several tons of lime were used and hundreds of acres of clover sod were turned under. Great changes have been made in agriculture in the last half century ; some crops are no longer grown and many others are doubled in their yield. It is a source of interest to compare the agricultural statistics of sixty-seven years ago with those of the present. From the returns of the census of 1850 data has been obtained concerning the production in the township during the year 1849. Access also has been had to the agricultural statistics of Greene county for 1917. Generally these two sources are fairly reliable ; however, the items of the former seem more nearly correct than those of the latter. Through an oversight or carelessness on the part of the assessor, or the failure of the assessed to make a full return, the report of 1917 seems incomplete in many instances. The fact that from the 422 sheep of the township in that year only 216 pounds of wool were clipped, makes the report seem somewhat incomplete. Nevertheless, from these reports some very interesting comparisons can be drawn. For this purpose the fol-lowing table has been arranged : 216 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO LIVE STOCK.

	1849	1917
Horses, number Cattle, number Sheep, number Hogs, number Butter, pounds Cheese, pounds Wool, pounds	807 1,796 3,606 4,402 74,062 302 10,335	1,065 2,050 422 3,155 8,396 ------ 216

A striking feature of the 1917 report is the number of hogs which died in the township from cholera during. the year. In this township 712 hogs died from this disease. In the report for 1850 cattle were divided into three groups: Cows, evidently for dairy and breeding purposes, 852; work oxen, 22; other cattle, presumably beef cattle, 922. The value of animals slaughtered in that year (1849) was $14,865. GRAIN, SEED, VEGETABLES, ETC. The table which follows compares the grain, seed, vegetable and mis-cellaneous production in the township in the years 1849 and 1917:

	1849	1917
Wheat, bushels Rye, bushels Corn, bushels Oats, bushels Buckwheat, bushels Flax seed, bushels Clover seed, bushels Timothy, seed, bushels Irish potatoes, bushels Sweet potatoes, bushels Tobacco, pounds Honey, pounds Hives, number Hay—    Timothy, tons    Clover, tons       Total, tons Alfalfa, tons	48,102 1,050 134,485 18,870 143 2,903 191 26 8,295 905 ------ 1,113 ------ ------ ------ 1,651 ------	77,192 4,311 (shelled) 269,163 29,146 62 -------- 114 -------- 17,140 -------- 2,710 26 6 1,486 914 2,400 2,119

A glance at the first part of the above table reveals that grain farming in the township has almost doubled its production since 1849, and the culture GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 217 of the lowly tuber as shown by the respective production of these two years compared is surely gaining in extent. It can be seen that flax is no longer grown in the township, for the day of linsey-woolsey has passed. This is a striking contrast to what it was a half century ago, for then Alpha was an important center in the county in the production of linseed oil, and almost every farmer in the township had his acreage of flax. It is obvious that the township no longer takes the interest in bee culture that it did formerly when there were more than a thousand pounds of honey produced; yet the fact that six hives of bees yielded only twenty-six pounds of honey in 1917 shows that the return was not at all complete or the residents of the township took very little interest in honey production. MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION. The fact that there are items in the one report which do not occur in the other makes it necessary to deal with them miscellaneously. In 1850 there were 16,043 acres of improved land in the township, while there were 14,396 acres which were unimproved. In all then here were 30,439 acres of land in the township which were owned at that time. In 1917 there were in the township 22,655 acres under cultivation, 2,240 acres in pasture; 2,488 acres in timber; 216 acres in orchard and 1,240 acres of waste land. There were then 28,829 acres owned in the township. The estimated value of all the farming implements in the township in 1850 was $29,893, but this total will not at all compare with that invested in the same at present. This is the age of machinery and the progressive farmers of Beavercreek township avail themselves of the use of all improvements to make farm work more pleasant, more profitable and more efficient. ALFALFA AND SILOS. Many marks of progress which are now to be seen in the township were unknown in 1850. The use of alfalfa was then as nearly within the ken of a farmer as orchid culture, hence it does not appear in the report for that year. In 1917 the farmers of the township had thirteen silos, but it is quite possible that the farmers of 1850 would have considered such corn-canning sheer foolishness. During the season of 1916 these silos were filled with 685 tons of ensilage cut from 137 acres. LAND IMPROVEMENT. The farmers of 1917 believe in using proper methods in improving the fertility of their soil by the use of commercial fertilizers and the like. During 1917 the farmers of the township sowed with their wheat and planted with their corn 546,260 pounds of commercial fertilizer and eleven tons of lime to neutralize the surplus of acid in some tracts. The growing of legu- 218 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO minous crops, such as clover and alfalfa, has come in for its share of importance. In 1916 Beavercreek township had the largest acreage of alfalfa in the county, 712; and in the same year 312 acres of clover sod were turned under as a humus crop. The digging of ditches has caused the passage of such bodies of water as Pinkney pond and the reclamation of large tracts of land. This work is kept up, for in 1916, seven hundred and ten rods of drain tile ditches were laid. MILK, BUTTER AND EGGS. The day for the fanner making his own cheese has passed and it seems that the day of the old-fashioned, home-made brand of butter is going the same way. The extended use of the cream separator in the township has tended to bring this about, for it is more profitable to the farmer to market his cream, selling during the last year 48,190 gallons. During this same time there were sold from the township 215,050 gallons of milk. The hen must come in for her share in enhancing the prosperity of the township, for in 1916 she laid 187,210 dozens of eggs. The uplands of the township are admirably suited for fruit growing and during the last year the apple trees yielded 10,160 bushels. There are also many peaches grown in this same orchard section when the season is suitable for this fruit. It may be mentioned here that the onion and tomato patches of the township yielded 129 bushels of the former and 210 bushels of the latter. LAND HOLDING AND TENANTS. Lastly, it is of interest to note that during 1917, according to the report for that year, there were eighteen renters of farms in Beavercreek township who worked for wages and the number of farms rented to tenants was twen-ty-one. One of the gravest problems that confront agricultural production today is the removal of farmers and agricultural operatives to urban centers. It should be a source of gratification to the residents of the township that during the year 1917 there was not a single farmer within its borders who removed to the city or town. THE VILLAGE OF ALPHA. Alpha, which is the largest village within the bounds of Beavercreek township, is located in section 19, township- 2, range 6, in the southeast part of the township, about a mile and a half northwest from the Little Miami river. It has excellent transportation and communication facilities for a town of its size, there being two railroads and a traction line passing through or near it. At present its population is approximately one hundred. The village takes its name from the fact that it is located near where the first GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 219 settlement in the township was made. The name arises from alpha, the first letter in the Greek alphabet. THE GENESIS OF ALPHA. It undoubtedly was the intention of Owen Davis and Benjamin White-man to establish a trading post here when they became the first settlers of the township, on the old Pinkney road, but the establishment of the county seat at Xenia and the shifting of the center of government from the neigh-borhood of Alpha to the county seat, evidently caused these two pioneers to sell their possessions here and go to the vicinity of Clifton. It seems then that Alpha received its beginning when Owen Davis built his mill and Benjamin Whiteman the house, which later was used as the place of meeting of the first court in the county on Beaver creek. Alpha did not become a reality until fifty years after the erection of the county. The old log house which was the first "court house" of the county and the surrounding acreage were purchased by John Harbine in 1827 and since he had learned milling in his native state he began utilizing the waterpower of Beaver creek to the southwest of the site of Alpha. For many years there was only a semblance of a settlement in the neighborhood of where the village stands today, but the coming of the railroad in 1853 began making the residents of the section buzz with enterprise. This railroad was first called the Dayton, Xenia & Belpre railroad, but it is now the fine trunk line of the Pennsylvania called the "Panhandle." When the railroad was projected, Harbine gave the road the right-of-way through his farm, and the station established there was Called Harbine. It was not until that year that the first house was erected upon the actual site of the village. The story goes that Enoch Needles and Bain Dice each began to erect his house at this time and there arose a contest between the two as to who would be the first to finish his dwelling. Needles' house was to be located across the railroad from the present dry-goods store and Dice at the same time began his house just opposite. Although Needles succeeded in raising the frame of his house first, it fell during the same night, such was the hurry in the construction. This then gave Dice the right of declaring that his house was the first to be erected upon the site of the town of Alpha. Needles finally completed his house after he had learned that "haste makes waste," and in that structure soon opened up the first dry-goods store in the village. LAYING OUT THE VILLAGE. In the following year, 1854, it was decided by the owners of the land whereon. the village now stands, to plat a townsite along what was then known as the Xenia, Dayton & Belpre railroad. The spot seemed to promise 220 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO well for the establishment of a shipping point here, hence the owners of the land, John Harbine and William J. Needles, engaged the services of the county surveyor, Samuel T. Owens, to lay off the town. The work was carried on in the spring of 1854 and the plat was certified as follows : I hereby certify that at the request of William J. Needles and John Harbine, the owners and proprietors, I surveyed and laid off the Village of Alpha as shown on the annexed Map or Plat thereof. The sizes of the lots, width of the streets and alleys and several courses they bear, all marked on said Map accurately. Survey made on the 28th day of February and the 1st day of March, 1854. SAMUEL T. OWENS, Surveyor of Greene County. In a note that follows, Owens makes an explanatory statement of the plat, stating the location of the site, the size of the lots and from the land of which proprietor the lots were taken : Of the above lots numbered from to 5 are laid off by W. J. Needles and contain 1.95 acres, and the balance from 6 to 20 are laid off by John Harbine and contain 5.95 acres, all in section 19, township 3, range 7, and which quantities should be deducted from the lands of Needles and Harbine. SAMUEL T. OWENS. The plat was certified at Xenia on March 1, 1854, by Samuel T. Owens, in the capacity of a notary public. The plat was received for record in the recorder's office at the court house in Xenia on March 10, 1854, and it was recorded by M. W. Trader, the recorder, on the following day. Thus the village of Alpha received legal recognition. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAT OF THE VILLAGE. As was said before, Alpha owes its location to the railroad, which extends through it east and west. A short distance to the northeast the Dayton pike curves to the west, and Main street of the village is extended out to the pike, thus giving the town access to this thoroughfare'. Main street extends in a northeast and southwest direction and is cut at about the mid point by the Panhandle railroad. On the east side of this street are lots of the original plat numbering from the northeast from one to ten, inclusive. This street is sixty feet in width. Extending along the railroad are the remainder of the lots numbering from eleven to twenty, inclusive. These lots front Beaver street, a street which is sixty feet wide and leads off from Main street in a westerly direction. THE HUBBELL ADDITION. No additions were made to the village until 1914., when Frank C. Hubbell made an addition of seven and forty-two hundredths acres in an irregularly shaped tract to the north and west side of the village, on the north side of the railroad. This addition was laid out by S. Milton McKay, surveyor and engineer of Greene county, 0n February 2 and 3, 194, and the land GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 221 from .which it was taken was formerly a part of the John Harbine farm. The addition was certified as follows : State of Ohio, Greene County Be it remembered that on the 6th day of March, 1914, A. D., personally appeared before me, H. S. LeSourd, a Notary Public in and for said County, Frank C. Hubbell and Hetty F. Hubbell, and acknowledged the within plat. H. S. LESOURD, Notary Public. The plat was presented for record on March 6, 1914, and it was recorded by B. F. Thomas, the county recorder, on March 9, 1914. This tract lies in the northwest quarter of section 19, township 3, range 7, and it contains twenty-two lots. It is reached by Maple street, which leads off of Main. Maple street is crossed at right angles by another, Linden street, which extends north and s0uth. RAILROADS. There are few towns of Alpha's size which enjoy better relative railroad facilities. Passing directly through it is the Panhandle and to the south of it the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton, which only recently became' a part of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad. To the south of it runs the Dayton & Xenia traction line. Thus it is put in communication with both Xenia and Dayton, both of which places can be reached by residents of Alpha each hour of the day. THE POSTOFFICE. Some years before Alpha was regularly laid out, the people who were residents of the vicinity secured the establishment of a postoffice there. The first delivery of mail at that station took place on Thursday, May 2, 1850, four years before the village was laid out by Needles and Harbine. Joseph Siddall was the first postmaster. Fred Barnard is the present postmaster and also has the only store in the village. Leonard Barth, who has been there since 1874, runs a meat market. His son, Fred Barth, now has active charge of the business. Frank C. Hubbell has an elevator and mill and operates under the name of the Alpha Seed & Grain Company. BUSINESS INTERESTS IN ALPHA. In its early years Alpha was a lively manufacturing center. Many a gallon of whisky was distilled at its distillery, which. was owned by John Harbine. It was only by turning their corn into whisky that the fanners could find a market for this grain. There were also flour, woolen, grist, saw and oil mills, and in addition to these enterprises, a large tobacco, grain and shipping business was carried on. 222 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO THE VILLAGE OF ZIMMERMANVILLE. Zimmermanville is a closely settled neighborhood at the crossing of the Xenia and Dayton and the Fairfield and Bellbrook pikes, located about two miles northwest of Alpha, in the northwest quarter of section 32, township 2, range 7. The first house built here was erected on the southeast corner of the cross roads by Jacob Zimmerman, for whom the village is named. It was in this house that Zimmerman kept the first store and it also served as a tavern in the earlier days. This old house is still standing. The next house was built by Samuel Tobias just across the Dayton pike, and this building was used as one of the first voting places in the neighborhood. In 1881 the village was comprised of one school house, a German Baptist church, a grocery store and about forty houses. The population in 1910 was about one hundred. Burley Coy is the only merchant of the place in 1918. SHOUPS STATION. In the southwest quarter of the same section and about a quarter of a mile south of Zimmermanville is a railroad station, called Shoups Station, located on the Panhandle. Here there is one store and about fifteen people. TREBEINS STATION. Trebeins Station is a small village two miles east of Alpha on the east bank of the Little Miami river in Beavercreek township. It lies in the Mili-tary Survey, on the Dayton and Xenia pike. The village had its beginning in 1800 when John Paul erected near there, on the banks of the Little Miami river, the first mill in the neighborhood, or the first mill in the county, which used water for its motive power. This was a saw- and grist-mill and it was known in the neighborhood as Paul's Mill. It is possible that this mill was located on the western side of the river. Evidently when Paul left the town-ship, his mill fell into decay. Not long afterward Adam Emory built a mill on the site of the village and the milling enterprise has continued to be a part of the village since that time. This village has been known by different names since its establishment in the early part of the nineteenth century. Possibly not exactly on the site of the present village there was at the time of the erection of the county a village by the name of Pinkneyville. When the county was organized and the matter of the location of the county seat was an important question before the residents, Pinkneyville was one of the sites under consideration. At a later date, possibly after the Panhandle railroad, or the Dayton, Xenia & Belpre, as it was then known, was projected through the site of the present village, the little town became known for some unknown reason as Frost Station. During the eighties the village was called Beaver Station. It took GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 223 the name which it bears at present from F. C. Trebein, who operated a flour-mill and distillery there for many years. The transportation facilities of this little village are excellent. Two railroads, the Baltimore & Ohio and the Panhandle, pass through or near the village and the Dayton & Xenia traction line, which touches the village, places it within almost instant communication with either of these two cities. In addition to these means of transportation, the Dayton and Xenia pike, an excellent thoroughfare, extends through the village. BUSINESS INTERESTS OF TREBEINS. The village in 1918 has one general store owned by Clarence O. Miller. In fact, Miller is the principal business factor of the place. He not only owns the only store, but he also owns the elevator and flour-mill. The mill was erected during the winter of 1914-15, the construction beginning immediately after the former mill of Dewey Brothers burned on Thanksgiving Day, 1914. Miller bought the old site and at once began the erection of the present mill and elevator. The mill is operated by electric power and the elevator is also electrified, if such an expression may be used. All grain is dumped, carried from elevator to bins, from bins to the hopper, or from bins to a car on the tracks—all by the turning of a button. A car of wheat can be loaded in two hours by the method which Miller has installed. He does a large amount of custom milling and has already built up an extensive trade. THE VILLAGE OF NEW GERMANY. The village of New Germany is a small cluster of houses in the extreme northwestern corner of Beavercreek township, situated in the northwest quarter of section 5, township 2, range 7, on the Harshmanville road. The records do not reveal when the site of this village was first settled. Apparently the first residents of the little village were of Teutonic origin, because the name applied to the settlement is New Germany. The village is not situated on a railroad. CHAPTER XII. CAESARSCREEK TOWNSHIP. Caesarscreek. township was one of the original four townships erected at the meeting of the associate judges at the house of Owen Davis on Beavercreek, May 10, 1803. It was the second township erected at that meeting and its boundaries were delineated by the judges as follows : The Township of Ceasars Creek shall Begin at the North West Corner of Sugar Creek Township, running thence North to the Little Miami ; Thence East to the East line of said County ; thence bounded on the East and South by lines of said county, and. on the West by Sugar Creek Township. Elections in said Township shall be held at the House of William J. Stewart in Caesarsville. THE BOUNDARIES OF THE TOWNSHIP. The original south and east boundaries of Caesarscreek township were definitely located, since they were coincident with the county line, but the difficulty arises in the location of the north and west bounds. The location of these two lines depends entirely upon the situation of the northwest corner of Sugarcreek township. This point was established by the intersection of the north and east lines of the latter township. The east line extended northward from a point in the county line four miles east of the Little Miami river and the north line extended eastward from the northwest corner of section 10. It can thus be seen that this east line of Sugarcreek township if produced would strike the Little Miami river at the mouth of Massies creek and this was also the understanding of the county commissioners when they erected Xenia township in 1805. It follows then that the west line of Caesarscreek township extended due southward from the mouth of Massies creek to the southern boundary of the county, intersecting the latter line about a quarter of a mile east of Painters creek, and the north line of the town-ship extended due east to the county line, passing about a mile south of Cedarville and about a quarter of a mile north of Grape Grove in Ross township. In those days the township was bounded on the north by Beavercreek township, on the west by Beavercreek and Sugarcreek townships; on the east by what is now Fayette and Madison counties, and on the south by what is at this time Clinton county. It is thus obvious that the township has been the parent of three townships in entirety and of four in part. The three which have been taken wholly from territory which sometime before had