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CHAPTER XVII

JACKSON TOWNSHIP.

ERECTION OF THE TOWNSHIP AND ORIGIN OF ITS NAME- AREA, BOUNDARIES AND POPULATION - DRAINAGE AND SOIL-FIRST SETTLERS - GOING TO MILL JUSTICES - SCHOOLS - CHURCHES - TOWNS AND POSTOFFICES.

JACKSON was one of the earliest settled townships of Hancock County, and the fifth erected and organized. On the 7th of December, 1829, certain residents of Amanda and Delaware Townships petitioned the board of commissioners to erect Township 1 south, Range 11, into a new political subdivision to be named Jackson, which request was accordingly granted. The name was chosen in honor of Gen. Andrew Jackson, elected the previous year to the Presidency, who had many warm admirers in this part of the county. No change occurred in its territory till March 5, 1845, when the commissioners ordered the eastern tier of sections, from 1 to 36 inclusive, to be attached to Amanda. Since that time Jackson has contained thirty sections, or an area of 19, 200 acres. It is bounded on the north by Findlay and Marion Townships, on the east by Amanda, on the south by Delaware and Madison, and on the west by Eagle. In 1540 its population was 631; 1850, 830; 1860, 1,272; 1870, 1,209, and 1880, 1,338, or more than 44 inhabitants to the square mile.

The Blanchard River enters the southeast corner of the township on Section 35, thence passes northeastward into Amanda, and meandering up the western side of that subdivision, crosses back into Jackson near its northeast corner. It thus assists in draining the eastern side of this township. Lye Creek rises in Madison Township, enters Jackson on Section 32, and, winding in a general northeast direction, strikes the northern line on Section 3; thence turns to the northwest. and passing onward empties into the Blanchard a short distance east of Findlay. A small run flows into Lye Creek from the southeast, affording good surface drainage between that stream and the Blanchard. The western part of Jackson drains mainly into Eagle Creek, which flows northward along the eastern side of Eagle Township. Good water is readily found in every part of this subdivision. The timber in Jackson is generally the same as found in other portions of the county, differing only as to the amount of each particular kind. Along the streams the soil is a vegetable loam, mixed with alluvial deposits; while away from the water courses it is a clay and sandy loam soil, with a gravel mixture in some places. Taking it as a whole, the soil of Jackson will compare favorably with the surrounding townships.

First Settlers.-On the 21st of November, 1823, Peter George, the " pioneer land hunter," entered the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 35, which was the first entry made in the township. He, however, became a settler of Amanda. William J. Greer entered the east half of the southeast quarter of the same section, adjoining George's entry on the south,

418 - HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY .

December 10, 1823, but he subsequently settled in Delaware Township. The next entry was made by Mordecai Hammond May 30, 1827. He took up the west half of the northeast quarter and the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 35, upon which he located the following autumn, and was therefore the first settler of Jackson Township. Mr. Hammond was born in Maryland April 27, 1791, removed to York County, Penn., and there married Zilla Gilbert, a native of that State, and in 1826 located in Pickaway County, Ohio. In the fall of 1827, with his brother-in-law, Aquilla Gilbert, he left Pickaway County and took up his abode on the east bank of the Blanchard, in Section 35. In April, 1828, he took part in the first county election of Hancock, and in October, 182, was elected county commissioner, and served one term. In 1842 Mr. Hammond was appointed associate judge, which position he filled seven years. Nine children were born to him, of whom six survive, and four reside in this county. Judge Hammond died on the old homestead in Section 35, February 25, 185, his widow surviving him nearly twenty-two years, dying February 4, 1871, in the eightieth year of her age. Throughout his residence in this township. Judge Hammond was regarded as an upright, worthy man, and one of the leading citizens of his adopted county.

Alpheus Ralston is believed to have been the next to locate in this subdivision. In September, 1829, he entered the southwest quarter of Section 7, upon which he settled permanently in October, 1830, where he has ever since resided. He is a native of Rockingham County, Va., born in June, 1801, whence he removed with his parents to Wood County of that State. In 1826 he came to Pickaway County, Ohio, where he soon afterward married Miss Elizabeth Williamson, sister of Mrs. Thomas Thompson, whose husband was the first settler of Amanda Township. After a residence of some four years in Pickaway County, Mr. Ralston, with his wife and two children, removed to the farm, upon which he has spent fifty-five years of his life. His cabin was at that time in the heart of a wilderness; a rude wagon track led through the forest to Findlay, and his nearest neighbors were abort three miles distant. His first wife dying he married her sister, Julia A. Williamson, who yet survives. Eight children were born to him, four of whom are living. Mr. Ralston is now the oldest surviving pioneer of Jackson Township.

In 1831 Henry and Jacob Cooper, with their mother and one sister, came from Fairfield County, Ohio, and built a cabin in Section 14. Henry Was but fourteen years old, when his father died and the care of the family largely devolved upon him. As an illustration of some of the hardships undergone by the pioneers, the following was often related by Mr. Cooper during his life-time. Soon after settling in this county, he started one morning on a trip to Findlay, with William Ebright and son, Philip. The ground was covered with snow, and the journey was made in a sled. They had to cut out a road with their axes as they went along, and by hard work were thus enabled to reach the cabin of Michael Myers, in Section 28, Marion Township, about dark. Here they spent the night sleeping on the clay floor of Myers' cabin, and the next morning resumed their journey to Findlay, where they arrived before noon, the whole distance traveled being only about seven miles. Henry Cooper married a sister of Nutter Powell, and both died on the old homestead. Jacob removed to Indiana.

The Williamsons came to the township in 1831, from Pickaway County,

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Ohio. Aaron settled in Section 6, where both he and his wife, Margaret, resided till death. Five of their children are residents of the county. Levi and his mother located in Section 18, immediately south of Mr. Ralston, his brother-in-law, but subsequently removed across the road into Eagle Township. The mother died here, and in 1857 he sold out and went to Iowa.

During the succeeding four years Jackson Township received several families, viz. : the Tisdalls, Hemrys, Petermans, Hoys, Biblers, Newells and Bears. Mrs. Tisdall, with her sons, James and Lucian, settled in Section 18 in 1832-33, but in a few years removed from the county. Henry Hemry, with his wife, Sarah, and eight children, some of whom were full grown, settled in Section 3 in the spring of 1834. He was a native of Virginia, and removed to Carroll County, Ohio, where he married and lived until his coming to Hancock. He accumulated a large amount of land in this county, though he died about five years after settling on Lye Creek. Six of his children are residents of Hancock County. John and Mary A. Peterman came from Holmes County, Ohio, in 1834, and built then cabin in the southwest quarter of Section 8, where he died in 1862. Three of his sons live in this township. Abraham Hoy settled in Section 21, but died in Findlay. Abraham and Elizabeth Bibler came here from Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1835, their son, David, having preceded them the previous year. They settled in Section 17, where the parents died. Two of the sons, John and David, are leading citizens of Jackson. William Newell, a son-in-law of Abraham Bibler, came the same time, and also settled in Section 17. The family removed to Putnam County, Ohio, some years ago. William was an elder brother of Joseph and James Newell, who came later. Samuel Bear, of York County, Penn., located east of the Biblers, and both he and his wife died upon the farm, which they settled. Mrs. John C. Hayes, of Jackson, is one of their children. Other settlers of this period were Rufus Bennett in Section 10, in 1834; Simeon Butler in the same section, in 1835; and the Maphets in Section 9 during the latter year, all of whom are well remembered.

In the spring of 1836, Levi and Eli Sampson, natives of Baltimore County, Md:, came from Richland County, Ohio, and settled in Sections 22 and 23, respectively, erecting their cabins across the road from each other. In 1851 Levi was appointed associate judge, which position he held until the spring of 1852, when, under the operation of the new constitution, the office was abolished. Judge Sampson possessed a very limited education, but he had a great deal of strong common sense and practical experience. He was a genial, whole-souled man, familiarly called "Sunny" Sampson, synonymous with that warm friendly good-nature, which he always exhibited. At the time of his death, March 13, 1879, Judge Sampson Was regarded as one of the wealthy farmers of the county. Eli resided on his farm till 1816, when he removed to Mt. Blanchard, where he is at present living.

James Newell, with his mother, Barbara, and three sisters, Sarah, Elizabeth and Salome, settled in the township in 1835. The parents removed from Shenandoah County, Va., to Fairfield County, Ohio, when the sons were quite small, where both grew to manhood. Joseph and his wife came to the township a short time after James and the rest of the family, William having also settled here in 1835. James and Joseph located on adjoining farms in Section 8. The Newells were among the first Methodists of this part of the county, and were prominent in organizing the Methodist Episcopal Church of their neighborhood, the first building being erected on

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land donated by Joseph for that purpose. The mother died here and James and family left the county prior to the late war. Joseph married Barbara, a daughter of Abraham Bibler, raised a family of seven children and still lives on a part of the old homestead:

In 1836 and 1837, James Shelden, Jacob F. Houck, William Harris and John Orwick settled in the township. Mr. Shelden, his wife, Mary, and seven children came here from Belmont County, Ohio, in the fall of 1836 and built their cabin in the south part of Section 23. The parents, who were Pennsylvanians, died on the old farm, but some of their children are residents of the county. Jacob F. and Eva Houck, natives of Baltimore County, Md., settled in Section 27. In 1853 he laid out North Liberty, which is better known as Houcktown. William and Nancy Harris came from Columbiana County, Ohio. about 1830, and both spent their lives in this township. Several of their descendants reside in Delaware Township, where their son, Jacob, died in 1880. John and Margaret Orwick and family, natives of Pennsylvania, came to Hancock County in the fall of 1835, and in 1837 located southwest of the site of Houcktown. Mrs. Orwick died in 18411, and he afterward married a Mrs. Franklin, and died in this township. Two sons, Jacob and George, and two daughters, Mrs. David Bibler and Mrs. John Russell, are residents of Jackson. Some other settlers, doubtless, came in during the ten years from 1821 to 1837. among whom were John Treese, Benjamin Wiseman, John, Henry and Sylvester Bell, Reuben Fabun, Hathaway R. Warner and Thomas Marlow; but our list embraces those best remembered by the few living pioneers left to tell the tale of early settlements made in the forest of what is now Jackson Township.

Going to Mill.-The territory now embraced in Jackson Township has never possessed a grist-mill, and the settlers had to go to Wolford's mill in Delaware Township, Campbell's (now Carlin's) mill at Findlay, Bishop's mill in Eagle Township, or Misamore's mill in Amanda, to get their grinding done; while some patronized mills located outside the county. Prior to 1845 Misamore's mill was in this township, but in that year the eastern tier of sections was attached to Amanda, and thus Jackson lost the mill. Aquilla Gilbert says: "The first hand-mill in the southern part of the county was owned by Godfrey Wolford, of Delaware Township, and Judge Hammond (with whom I resided throughout the winter of 1828-29), and I used to go to Wolford's three times a week to grind corn meal-the only sort of grain we then possessed." The present generation can scarcely realize the great boon a neighborhood mill was fifty years ago. In fact, a settler who came in and erected a gristmill was looked upon as a benefactor. But those days of privation have long since passed away never to return, and good mills and good flour are plentiful.

Justices.-Aquilla Gilbert, the first justice of Jackson, was thrown into Amanda Township in 1845, and a sketch of him will be found at page 359. His successors have been George Hemry, Joseph Twining, Arthur Russell, Charles O. Mann, John Teems, Andrew W. . Houck, D. W. Eagle, Joseph S. Struble, James Waltermire, Henry Bowers, Thomas Waltermire; Eli J. Shelden, Israel Sampson, John C. Hayes and Henry Bowers.

Schools.-In the fall of 1832, a few settlers living along the Blanchard in Jackson and Amanda Townships, erected a log schoolhouse in Section 13, on the east bank of the Blanchard, then in Jackson Township, and employed

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Aquilla Gilbert to teach throughout the winter of 1832-33. "I was paid, "' says Mr. Gilbert, "by a voluntary quarterly subscription at $1.50 per scholar, and I boarded at home. The children came from both Jackson and Amanda, as the country was very sparsely settled." In 1834-35 a school was taught by Nancy Burns at the house of Alpheus Ralston, which was the first in the township west of the Blanchard. The Ralstons, Petermans, Crams and Williamsons attended here. A log schoolhouse was built on Mr. Ralston's farm in the fall of 1835-36, and a school was afterward taught here by Miss Julia Parker. Their second teacher was Miss Jane Wilson, and the children of the surrounding settlers patronized this pioneer institution. Such was the beginning of education in the township, which now contains nine good schoolhouses, wherein the children of both rich and poor may receive a fair English education.

Churches.-In 1835-36 a class of the Methodist Episcopal Church was. organized in the northwest corner of the township, the Newells being the prime movers in this good work. For a few years the society met at private houses and the old log schoolhouse, and then erected a building in the southwest corner of Joseph Newell's farm. This was the first church building in the township, and served the congregation for many years, when it was succeeded by the present structure, half a mile north of the old site. With the passing years the Methodist Protestant, United Brethren and Baptist denominations organized classes, each of which have a church in Jackson Township. That of the United Brethren stands in Section 14, the Baptist in Section 20 and the Methodist Protestant in Section 23. During the political excitement of the war, the Methodists became divided, and to harmonize the two elements the Christian Union Church was afterward organized, and a building erected in Section 30, near the west line of the town ship. The Methodist Episcopal denomination has two church buildings in Jackson Township, and is quite strong in numbers.

Towns and Postoffices. - Martins Town was laid out by Martin Hollabaugh, September 30, 1836, in the southwest quarter of Section 31, extending across the range line into the southeast quarter of Section 36, Eagle Township, where Mr. Hollabaugh lived. Nothing ever came of this first attempt at town building, and the recorded plat is all that remains to show that such place was ever contemplated. Early in 1838 a postoffice called Martins Town was established at the house of Hathaway R. Warner, in Section 31, on the Bellefontaine road. Mr. Warner was postmaster till 1846, when the office was removed to Arlington.

April 20, 1853, Jacob F. Houck laid out fifteen lots in the northwest corner of Section 27, which he recorded as North Liberty. Two additions have since been made to the plat. About three years after the town was laid out a postoffice named Houcktown was established here, with Robert Davidson as postmaster, and the village thus began to be called Houcktown, by which it is most familiarly known. Mr. Davidson's successors have been as follows: J. R. Babcock, John Garst, Israel Sampson, Eli Gorsuch, John Ebaugh, David Beagle and H. L. Hatcher. Though located in the center of a rich agricultural district, North Liberty has never made much progress. Its business interests consist of one general store, a grocery store, a saw and shingle-mill, a wagon factory, a blacksmith shop, a shoe shop and one physician. There are also a schoolhouse and a church within its limits. The official census of 1880 gave the village a population of 112, and there has. been since no perceptible increase.

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Clements postoffice, established at the house of Amos Crum in Eagle Township in 1845, was upon Mr. Crum's death attended to by his widow. John Crossly and Noah Sherrick, both of Jackson Township, were the next postmasters, and in 1858 John Swank of Eagle Township got the office. In 1862 he removed across the Bellefontaine road into Jackson, and held the office till 1866, when it was abolished. Another office named"Swank," was established at Mr. Swank's store in 1882, but was discontinued in December, 1884, as most of the farmers in that vicinity perferred to go to Findlay for their mail.

Ewing's Corners was another postoffice that once existed in this township. It was established in 1863, at the house of Jesse Ewing, in Section 15, northeast of Houcktown. Mr. Ewing died in the fall of 1872, and was succeeded by S. S. Huffman who held the office until it was abolished. Though such free offices as those mentioned were for the time an accommodation to the neighborhoods in which they existed, yet their absence is now little felt, and their discontinuance not much regretted.