(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) 100 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY Scurlock, Moses Hale, Arthur Callison, Christopher Long, Benjamin Hale, Robert Irwin, Moses Gillespie, David Stoker, Nimrod Arthur, Allen Rice, Michael Stoker, James Lackey, Martin Poor, John Stephenson, Sr., Samuel McClure, Andrew Donnally, John Stephenson, Jr., Robert G. Hanna and Alexander Poor. There was considerable excitement at this voting place, occasioned by a number of free fights, growing out of a feud between members of the Long and Hale families. The origin of the trouble is unknown, but at some time in the day Joel Long and John Hale started the ball rolling by agreeing to "box and fight each other at fisticuffs." The well known code of the backwoods was no doubt followed to the letter in this fistic duel, but the result did not give satisfaction. Blood was up, and some words led Christopher Long to assault Moses Hale, and, according to the indictment, did "strike, beat, wound and ill treat, to the great damage of the said Moses Hale." John R. Corn interferred in behalf of the latter, and Long promptly gave him a dose of the same medicine. At this point James Lackey got mixed up in the affair, and Benjamin Long then took a hand and assaulted him. These contests furnished some of the grist for the first term of court in the following August, John Hale and Joel Long being fined $12 each, and Christopher Long $6 under each indictment. Benjamin Long's affair with Lackey was not adjusted until the November term., when Long plead guilty and was fined $10 and the costs. FRANKLIN—The officers in this township were Judges John Rook, John Farney and Abraham Baker, and Clerks Isaac Baker and William Stephenson. Teter Null was the first of the sixty-one electors to cast his vote. The others were: Jacob Wishon, Peter McCain, Basil Johnson, John Wallace, Lewis Howard, Stephensonns, Isaac Kilcoderic, Jesse Martin, Peter Seel, Samuel Stephenson, Isaac Kilcoderic, Hugh Malin, Nathan Kirby, John Graham, John Peters, William Lyons, Eli Dixon, Thomas Crabtree, James Graham, James Higginbotham, Jonathan R. Nelson, John Dixon, Abraham Dixon, Thomas Craig, Ralph Nelson, James Johnson, John Martin, John Duncan, Ross Nelson, Emanuel Traxler, Richard HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 101 Johnson, William Martin, Hugh Gilliland, John Burnsides, Alexander Wilson, Alexander Anderson, Nathan Dixon, John George, William Holland, Francis Holland, Nottingham Mercer, Samuel Craig, Levi Mercer, John Traxler, Benjamin Ellison, Samuel Traxler, Jonathan Traxler, Nathan Sheward, Thomas Scott, John Far ney, John Rook, Abraham Baker, John Webb, James Martin, William Stephenson, Isaac Baker, Joseph Graham, Isaac Hartley, James Pennelton, Henry Dixon. A_n election to choose Justices was held the same day, but by a different set of officers. They were Teter Null, Samuel Traxler and Hugh Gilliland, Judges, and John Martin and Francis Holland, Clerks. Sixty votes were cast, of which John George had 32, Thomas Scott 29, Isaac Baker 28, Nottingham Mercer 26; George and Scott were winners. LICK—The officers were James Weeks, John Ogg and Asa Lake, Judges, and Joseph W. ROSS and George L. Crookham, Clerks. The first of the fifty-nine voters was Major John James, grandfather of ex-Warden C. C. James, John W others were: Abraham Dehaven, William White, Horam Denny, JohnW. Sargeant, Joseph Clemmens, Philip Stother, Samuel Bunn, John Gillaspie, Asa Lake, James Weeks, George Bowen, Jacob Culp, Matthew Rider, Absa-lom Wells, Hugh Sharp, Valentine Pancake, 'William Givens, John Stockham, Joseph Armstrong, James Adams, John Brander, George L. Crookham, David Mitchell, Jacob Schellenger, William Brown, Salmon Goodenough, John Crago, John Armstrong, John Ogg, John O. Kelly, John Higginbotham, Charles Higginbotham, David Watson, Samuel A. Hall, John Henry Grant, Peter Mar-shall, Daniel Comber, John Praether, John Stewart, Henry Routt, Joseph W. Ross, Francis O'Ray, JohSamuel John McGhee, Jared Strong, Daniel Harris, Daniel Clark, Sam.uel Aldridge, A. J. Higgins, Isaac Newell, Jesse Watson, Alexander Hill, Abraham Welch, Elk Bramlett, William Higginbotham, William Howe, John Allen, William Hewitt. It will be noticed that Franklin had two more electors than Lick. Lick at that time included a tract of six miles square, belonging to the State Government, and all its inhabitants were 102 - HISTORY OP JACKSON COUNTY. lessees. Many of them had purchased lands in Franklin in order to be freeholders, and claimed their residence there. This is the only explanation that can be offered for the action of so many Lick men voting in Franklin. MADISON—The election of this township was held at the house of Jacob Moler, which stood near the site of Madison Furnace. The officers were: Judges, Jacob Moler, Willi,m H. C. Jenkins and John Atkinson and Clerks, John Horton and Jeremiah Callahan. Twenty-one electors participated, Samuel Radabaugh being the first to vote. The others were: George Radabaugh, John Callahan, Sr., Henry Radabaugh, William Comer, Robert Taylor, Benjamin Arthur, Lewis Adkins, Sr., Joel Arthur, Amos Arthur, John Horton, Jacob Moler, John Atkinson, William H. C. Jenkins, Elijah, Delano, John Shoemaker, Joseph Pauley, Jeremiah Callahan, Jere' miah Roach, Lewis Adkins, Jr., Jesse Radabaugh. The returns were taken to Jackson by Jacob Moler. This gentleman was for years the leading citizen of Madison, and the family of Aaron McLaughlin are connected with him. William El. C. Jenkins was another of the leading men. Cyrus Jenkins of Bloomfield is one of his sons. The Radabaughs are all gone from Madison, but William, of that name, is living in the old Arthur schoolhouse, which stands on ground formerly a part of Madison. Some of the descendants of Jeremiah Roach still live in the township, and a namesake lives in Wellston. John Horton's descend-ants are numerous in Jefferson. MILTON—The officers were George Martin, John Baccus and George Burris, Judges, and Joshua, Scurlock and John Crouch, Clerks. There were forty-two votes cast, the first by Austin Palmer, The others were cast by Andrew Frasure, Peleg Potter, Charles, Ratcliff, Joseph Crouch, John Phillips, Thomas Phillips, William Crow, John Baccus, George Martin, George Burris, Patrick Shearer, Joshua Scurlock, John Crouch, James Stephenson, William Burris, Reuben Rickabaugh, Drury Bondurant, William Delay, William HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 103 Bass, Jonathan Delay, 'William Craig, Cuthbert Vinson, John Snuke, Robert Howard, James Dempsey, Joshua Rhodes, John Kite, Robert Ward, Jeremiah Brown, Zephaniah Brown, David Paine, Charles Robbins, Adam Althar, Daniel Hollinshead, John Hollinshead, John Delay, Joseph Howard, Jacob Delay, Joseph Crouch, Jr., John Brown and Nathan Brown. The majority, if not all of these men had been citizens of Athens county. Several of them have descendants living in the township and in other parts of this county. Rev. Jacob Delay was perhaps the most Widely known The peculiar spelling throughout is that of the poll book. COUNTING THE VOTES—The returns were all taken to Poplar Row and placed in charge of Judge William Givens. Hugh Poor, David Paine and William Givens had been commissioned by Governor Thomas Worthington, who, it will be remembered, was one of the men that had surveyed Jackson county, as Associate Judges for the new county. Their first meeting, of which there is record, was held at Givens' house on April 6, 1816, to open the election returns and declare the result. The house of Givens stood a little west of the site of Fulton Furnace. This has been disputed, but I make the statement on the authority of James H. Darling and A. F. McCarley. The house was built of logs, but was better than the ordinary log house of the early days, in that it had two stories. This accounts for its selection as the temporary seat of justice. The lower floor consisted of two rooms, while the upper story consisted of one large room, unceiled. All the Judges being present, the votes were counted. Following is the official abstract: Sheriff - Abraham Welch 119, John Lake 93, Samuel Traxler 1; Welch declared elected. Commissioner—John Stephenson 114, Emanuel Traxler 108, John Brown 100, Samuel McClure 94, Francis Holland 36, Reuben Long 84, Jesse Watson 21, John Delay 46; Stephenson, Traxler and Brown were the winners. Coroner—John Gillaspie 84, William Howe 54, Samuel A. Hall 39, David Mitchell 4, Jacob Delay 2; Gillaspie won. The vote by townships was as follows: Bloomfield 37, Frank- 104 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. lin 61, Lick 59, Madison 21, Milton 42; total 220. It is probable that almost the entire vote in the county was cast at this election. The total vote cast at the presidential election in 1896, eighty, years afterward, amounted to 8,362. This shows a healthy growth. The record of this meeting of the Associate Judges has been lost, but it is evident that the new officials appeared before the court, gave bond and took the oath of office. The Commissioners appointed by the Legislature were elected by the people for the short term until the Fall election. Welch, the Sheriff-elect, had been at the salt works for some eight years. He was a tavern keeper, and his acquaintances were so numerous that he won his election easily over a popular opponent. Welch's record was not what it might have been, however, and certain passages in it will be referred to later. And now a word about Judge Givens, the wealthiest and most influential man in the county at that time. The following sketch was written after the death of his son, of the same name, and may contain a few repetitions: A NOTED SALT BOILER—The following special, which appeared in a Cincinnati paper Sunday morning, was sent from Buena Vista, in Scioto county, July 30, 1898: "William Givens, a pioneer farmer of Southern Ohio, died on his farm near here this morning. He would' have been 87 years old tomorrow, and had lived all his life on the farm on which he died." The death of Mr. Givens deserves more than a passing notice, for he was the oldest son of Judge William Givens, the most noted salt boiler in the early history of Jackson county. He was really 87 years old on the day of his death, for he was born July 31, 1811, at Poplar Row, the village of the salt boilers. William Givens, Sr., was born in Pennsylvania in 1782. After his father's death his mother removed with her family to Kentucky. William was then ten years old. In early manhood he came to Ohio and settled in Scioto county. Later he came to the Scioto salt works, then located in Ross county, but now included within the limits of Jackson. He was married October 23, 1810, to Rachel, daughter of William and Susan (Paine) HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 105 Stockham, and went to housekeeping on Poplar Row. There William, the oldest of, eleven children, was born as stated. Mr. Givens prospered at the salt works, and to maintain his standing in the community he erected a two-story log mansion, which was for years the finest residence in all Jackson county. This house stood near the site of Fulton Furnace. When Jackson county was erected in 1816, this house was designated as the first seat of justice in Jackson county, Section 5 of the law reading as follows: That the courts of said county of Jackson shall be holden at the house of William Givens, within the reserved township, at the Scioto salt works, until the permanent seat of justice for said county shall be established— A large oak tree stood in front of the house, and an interesting and authenticated tradition is connected therewith. The first term of court for Jackson county convened August 12, 1816. The entire male population of the county, salt boilers, planters, hunters, trappers, hermits and squatters, were in attendance. The house was too small to hold the crowd. The weather being warm, Judge John Thompson ordered Sheriff Abraham Welch to open court under the spreading branches of this primeval white oak, and the sessions of the first day were held there. When the grand jury was organized, the Court Constables led it away some distance to another tree, where it carried on its deliberations, the crowd being kept out of hearing by the Constables. It was a memorable day in the history of the new county. Under the old Constitution, three Associate Judges sat on the bench with the Presiding Judge, and William Givens, whose activity, energy and influence had been largely instrumental in securing the organization of Jackson county, was elected by the Ohio Legislature on February 24, 1816, as one of the first three Associate Judges of this county. The others were Hon. David Paine, father-in-law in later years of Hon. H. S. Bundy and Hon. Hugh Poore, founder of the Poore family in this county. Givens was thus head and judge in his own house, much like the Patriarchs of old. In 1818 he was honored by his fellow-citizens with an election to the Legislature, but he served only one term. In 1823 he was again elected Associate Judge, and served until 1826, when he left the county, and 106 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. moved to Nile township, in Scioto county. He lived there 37 years, and died June 26, 1863, aged 80 years, 9 months and 8 days. His wife survived until February 18, 1865, dying at the age of 70 years 9 months and 15 days. Mr. Givens was a Whig in politics, and a member of the M. E. Church. It was as a manufacturer of salt that he first acquired prominence in this county, and he was closely identified with most of the later salt works legislation. It appears that the expense of salt boiling at the Scioto licks was always heavy, and about 182 it became so excessive that the Legislature appropriated $300 to pay for boring 200 feet, in hopes of finding stronger brine. No one undertook this work, and the Legislature found it necessary to increase the appropriation. Accordingly, $1,500 was appropriated February 5, 1813,and Abraham Claypool was authorized to sink two wells to a depth of 200 feet. This money does not seem to have been spent, and William Givens, Joseph Armstrong, John Johnson, Ross Nelson, John W. Sargent, John Prather and Asa Lake petitioned for assistance to dig a salt well each, they to bear incidental expenses, and to have exclusive use of wells for five years. In 1815 the Legislature appropriated $700 to pay William Givens for sinking a well 350 feet, to be two and one-quarter inches in diameter at the bottom. It appears that Givens proceeded to sink the well, and by December 23, 1815, he had reached a depth of 275 feet, and was paid $375. On February 21, 1810, he was given until April 1, 1816, to finish and tube the well There is no record that Givens was paid any more money by the State, but he continued the work on the well until he reached the depth of 450 feet. The last 175 feet were sunk at his own expense. Hildreth says that Givens procured a stronger water, but it was in small quantity, and did not rise to the top of the well; probably from a deficiency of carburetted hydrogen gas, which at several other works, rises in great volume, and forces the water for many feet above the surface. Givens' experiment demonstrated that a brine strong enough to compete with that of other salines could not be secured at Jackson, and the legislature passed a resolution January 3, 1818, favoring the sale of the Scioto Salt reserve. Givens' salt well is still open. It is a few hundred feet HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 107 above the Baler building, and the water stands the year round in the well pipe. Givens' furnace stood on the knoll near by to, the south, and its remains may be seen whenever the ground is ploughed. The small creek emptying into Salt creek, a few hundred feet below, hears the name Givens' run. Thus the name survives here, although the family has been forgotten. William Giyens, jr., was 15 years old when the family left the county. The other. children were Allen, David, James H., Thomas J., John, Samuel, George, Cynthia, Jane and Mary. The descendants of the family are scattered in many states. COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS—The record of the first meeting of the Commissioners of Jackson county has been lost. At the second meeting held, Dr. Nathaniel W. Andrews was appointed clerk of the board, and he kept a very faithful record, although many acts of the board were not recorded, for reasons not now known. Some of the entries were quaintly worded, and others refer to conditions which have long ago ceased to exist. The following extracts can not fail to interest: April 25, 1816—Be it remembered that at a special meeting of the honorable commissioners of Jackson county, held in the house of Jared Strong in Lick township, present Emanuehe Traxler, John Stephenson and John Brown; ordered that Nathaniel W. Andrews be appointed clerk to this body, he having been qualified according to law. A petition was handed in by the hands of Daniel Harris praying for a new township; deferred until the next meeting. Orders were issued to the listers of Lick township, Milton township and Franklin to attach the fractional parts adjoining the different townships to each of them. The meeting adjourned until the first Monday of June next. June 3, 1816—Proceedings of the honorable Board of Commissioners at their annual meeting on the first Monday of June, 1816, held at the house of Nathaniel W. Andrews in Lick township, 108 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY present John Stephenson, Emanuel Traxler and John Brown. For want of the statute law, adjourned until tomorrow at 9 o'clock. June 4, 1816—According to yesterday's adjournment the Commissioners met, present John Stephenson, Emanuel Traxler and John Brown. Abraham Welch was appointed collector to this county, he having given bond and security according to law. John James was also appointed treasurer to this county, he -having given bond and security according to law. Ordered that the price of license for retailing merchandise shall be Fifteen Dollars per annum, also that the price of tavern license throughout this county shall be Six Dollars per annum. Nathaniel W. Andrews was appointed keeper of the county seal and sworn into office according to law. This meeting is adjourned until the first of July next by order of Commissioners, this 4th day of June, 1816. July 1, 1816—Pursuant to the adjournment June 4, the honorable Board of Commissioners this day met, July 1, 1816, present John Stephenson, John Brown and Emanuel Traxler. Jackson—It is ordered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants of the following boundaries, that they shall be incorporated in a new township and be called Jackson; beginning at the northwest corner of this county and running east to the seventeenth range line; thence south along the same line to the corner between the Seventh and Eighth townships; thence west to the southwest corner of the Eighth township in the Eighteenth range; thence south one mile to the corner between section Nos. 1 and 2 in the Seventh township in the Nineteenth range; thence west along the section lines to the line between Nineteen and Twenty; thence north along the same line to the place of beginning. Clinton—It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants of Township No. 10 in range Seventeen, that the said township be incorporated according to its original surveyed boundaries by name of Clinton. HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 109 Milton—It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants of township No. 9, in range Seventeen, that the said township remain incorporated according to its orignal surveyed boundaries by the name of Milton. July 21, 1816—Pursuant to the adjournment, the honorable Board of Commissioners met according to appointment the second day of the term July 2, 1816. Bloomfield—It is ordered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants of township No. 8 in range Seventeen, that the said township remain incorporated according to its original surveyed boundaries, by the name of Bloomfield. Madison—It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants of the following boundaries, that they be incorporated in a new township by the name of Madison; beginning at the northeast corner of section No. 3 in range 17 and township 7; thence running south to the county line to the southeast corner of section 34, range 17 and township 7; thence west to the southwest corner of section 31, range and township afore. said; thence south to the county line to the southeast corner of section 36 in the 18th range and 5th township; thence west to the southwest corner of section 35, township and range aforesaid; thence north along the section line to the northwest corner of section No. 2, range and township aforesaid; thence east to the range line between 18 and 17; thence along the same line north to the northwest corner of section No. 6, township 5 and range 17; thence east to the place of beginning. Franklin—It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants of the following boundaries, that the same remain incorporated according to its original name of Franklin; beginning at the northeast corner of section No. 1, township 6 in range 18 and running south along the said range line to the southeast corner of section No. 36 in township 6 and range 18; then west to the northeast corner of section No. 3; thence south with section line to the county line; thence west along said line to the southwest corner of section 36 in township 5 and range 110 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY 19; thence north along the section line to the northwest corner of section No. 1, township 6 and range 19; thence east to the place of beginning. Scioto-It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants of the following boundaries that they be incor-porated in a new township by the name of Scioto; beginning as follows: At the northeast corner of section No. 2, township 6 and range 19, and running south along the section line to the county line, to the southeast corner of section 35, in township 5, range 19; thence west to the southwest corner of the county; thence north along the county line to the old Ross county line; thence east to the place of beginning. Lick-It is ordered that Lick township have the following boundaries: Beginning at section No. 1, the northeast corner of, running south to the southeast corner of section No. 36, township 7, range 18; thence west to the county line, southwest corner of 'section 31, range 19, township 7; thence along the county line north to the northwest corner of section No. 7, township 7, range 19; thence east to the northeast corner of section No. 12, range 19, township 7; north to the northwest corner of section No. 6, range 18, township 7; thence east to the place of beginning. Hamilton - This township was not erected until December 6, 1825. The commissioners' entry in the journal is as follows: "Or-dered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants in the following boundaries, that they be incorporated in a new township by the name of Hamilton, bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of section 1, township 5, range 19; thence -south along the township line to section 36, township 5, range 19; thence west along the Scioto county line to section 33, township 5, range 19; thence north to the northwest corner of section 4; thence east to the place of beginning. And ordered that Scioto township be hereafter designated by the following boundaries, to-wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of section 2, in township 6, range 19; thence west to the northwest corner of section 6, range 19 and township 6; thence south to the northeast corner of section 12, township 5, range 20; thence west to the northwest corner of HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 111 section 11, township 5, range 20; thence south to the southwest corner of section 35; thence east to the southeast corner of section 35, township 6, range 19; thence north to the place of beginning. THE FIRST ROAD PETITION-A petition was this day (July 3, 1816) handed by the hands of Isaac Baker, praying for a road to be opened; beginning at the fork of the creek two miles and a half above Lewis Mercer's, on the new county road leading from Portsmouth to the Scioto Salt works; thence running the nearest and best way to Hugh Gilliland's on the waters of Simm's creek; thence to Abraham Baker's; thence the nearest and best way to intersect the new road that leads from the Salt works to Gallipolis at or near Mr. Radebouth's on the Most suitable place. Ordered that the above road be reviewed and the following persons are appointed as reviewers, they having agreed to do it without charge; reviewers, Levi Mercer, John Horton, Lewis Adkins; surveyor, Gabriel McNeal. These reviewers made a favorable report January 8, 1817. The report was considered June 2, 1817, and the road was established as proposed, as "one of the public highways of the county." This road was nine and three-quarters miles long. It began at a white oak in the forks of Little Scioto, ran by a beaver pond and intersected the Gallipolis road near Henry Radabaugh's. FIRST YEAR'S TAXES-The Commissioners met on the 29th of July, 1816, present Emanuel Traxler, John Stephenson and John Brown, and proceeded to make out the alphabetical duplicates of the property tax, and finished them ready for delivery, the total amount being $301.20. The following persons served as township listers in 1816: Lick, Joseph Armstrong; Madison, John Atkinson; Franklin, Richard Johnson; Milton, Joshua Scurlock; Bloomfield, John Stephenson. June 6, 1817-It appears from all statements, the total amount of expenditures for this year up to the fifth of this month, and up to order 176, amounts to $547.18. "The receipts were $363.874. Thus the county was in debt $183.306 at the end of its first fiscal year. The total amount of taxes to collect for the 112 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY year 1817 was $354.85, distributed as follows: Clinton, $29.60; Milton, 1,39.50; Bloomfield, $48.55; Madison, $48.90; Franklin, $53; Lick, $67.60; Jackson, $35.70; Scioto, $32." FIRST TERM OF COURT—The new county was in the second judicial circuit, of which Judge John Thompson was president. He set the opening day of its first term of court for August 2, 1816. He arrived at the Springs on horseback, riding up from. Chillicothe, accompanied by a number of attorneys, and sightseers who came to see the noted Salt works. Judge Thompson became the guest of his associate, Hon. William Givens, whose residence was the temporary seat of justice. The attorneys were quartered with Nathaniel W. Andrews and Sheriff Abraham Welch. When the hour came for opening court, it was found that no room in the Givens' residence would hold the crowd. This, together with the great heat, led Judge Thompson to order that chairs and tables-be taken out and set under the wide spreading branches of a white oak tree, standing near the home. It was a motley crowd that gathered there. Three classes were largely represented and deserve mention. The salt boilers with their rough exterior, much resembling the denizens of the more modern mining camps, were the most numerous. Second in number, but first in influence, were the sturdy yeomen planters, clad in homespun. Trappers, hunters and half hermits, silent men, with coonskin caps and clothes of deer. skin, formed a third class. There was beside a small sprinkling of the better dressed, which included the Methodist circuit rider, two-or three tavern keepers, a few salt well lessees and furnace owners, some small merchants, and a, bakers' dozen of visitors from Chillicothe and Portsmouth. The hour having arrived, Judge Thompson and the associate judges, William Givens, Hugh. Poor and David Paine, took their seats, and Sheriff Welch was ordered to open court. Following is the record of the first proceedings, as they stand approved: August Term, 1816, Jackson County, State of Ohio—Pleas held before the Honorable John Thompson, president of the court of common pleas for the second circuit, Hugh Poor, David Paine and HISTORY OF JACKSON. COUNTY - 113 William Givens, esquires, associate judges for the county of Jackson, at the house of William Givens, temporary seat of justice, on the 12th day of August, Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen, of the independence of the United States, the 41st, and of our State, the 14th. Present, Nathaniel W. Andrews, clerk pro tempore, and Abraham Welch, sheriff. The sheriff, to whom the venire facias was directed, this day here returned the same, and the names being called, appeared, to-wit: James McDaniel, George Camble, Samuel Traxler, John McBride, Gabriel McNeal, Robert Erwin, James Higginbotham, William Martin, William Stephenson. And the other named presons not appearing, ordered that the sheriff summon sufficient number of the bystanders to complete the panel of 15. Whereupon the following persons were summoned as talesmen: Joseph W. Ross, Joseph Crouch, Joshua Winks, Andrew Donnally, Moses Hale and Jared Strong. Whereupon Jared Strong was appointed foreman, who with his fellows having taken the oath prescribed by statute, and having received their charge, retired to consult. The court appointed Joseph Sill, Esq., prosecutor. This day, on motion, ordered that the electors of Scioto township have leave to elect a wise, sensible, prudent and discrete person a justice of the peace, in addition to the one at present acting in that capacity, and that certificate issue to trustees. Judge Thompson, in issuing this order, must have had in mind Jethro's advice to Moses: "Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers." The first case called at this term was styled, "Brown & McCort vs. Peleg Potter; debt." Hon. Richard Douglass appeared as attorney for the plaintiffs. The case was called, for Potter to get an opportunity to give bond, and John George was accepted as his surety. The next business to engage the attention of the court was the appointment of the first administrator to serve in the county, viz: Joseph Crouch appointed to administer the "goods and chattels, rights and credits" of his father, Joseph Crouch, Sr. Jacob Delay, James Stephenson and John Brown, all of Milton township, were appointed as appraisers of the personal estate of decedent. The first business transacted 114 - HISTORY ON JACKSON COUNTY. August 13, 1816, the second day of the term, was the considering of the petition of Andrew Donnally for a license to keep a tavern, which was as follows: A PETITION FOR A LICENSE TO KEEP A TAVERN—July 10, 1816—To the honorable judges of the court of common pleas of Jackson county: The petition of the undersigners, freeholders of Bloomfield township, humbly represent to your honours that we conceive a publick house of entertainment in Bloomfield would conduse to the publick convenience, therefore we recommend Andrew Donally, one of the citizens, as a man of a good carricter and every way calculated to accommodate the publick, we therefore pray your honours would grant him a licens for the purpose and your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.—Andrew Donnally. The other signers were Hugh Poor, Elijah Long, Moses Hale, Andrew Boggs, Samuel McClure, William Stephenson, James. Stephenson, Samuel Allison, Reuben Long, Alexander Poor, Joel Long, Christopher Long, Gabriel McNeal, Robert Irwin, John Stephenson, Robert G. Hanna, Benjamin Long, Azariah Jenkins, George Burris, George Campbell, Anthony Boggs. The text of the petiton was written by Donnally himself, and, like Shakespeare, he exercised the right of spelling his name in more than one way. This fact may explain why the spelling in the petition is out of the ordinary. He, may have felt that inability to spell was no bar, but rather a recommendation, with the backwoodsmen. He could spell, but did not want to. Be that as it may, his license was promptly granted. FIRST CRIMINAL CASE—The criminal docket for the term was then taken up. John Hale and Joel Long had been indicted because, "on' the first day of April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen, with force and arms, in Bloomfield, etc., they did agree to box and fight each other at fisticuffs, etc." This fight occurred on election day and has been men- HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 115 tioned before. The boys were arrested, both plead guilty, and each was fined $2 and the costs. FIRST PETIT JURY—A petit jury was empaneled on the same day, in the case of Elkanah Bramlet, "otherwise called" Elcano Bramlet. He had been indicted for assaulting William. McConnell in Lick township on July 10, 1816, and the case was tried to the following jury: Basil Johnson, Moses Gillespie, John Ogg, David Mitchel, John Corn, Salmon Goodenough, Allen Rice, Austin Palmer, Samuel Stephenson, James Weeks, William Alden and John George. The witnesses for the State were, Joseph Armstrong and Andrew Donnally. The verdict was "guilty" and Bramlet was fined $6 and the costs. Singulary enough, one of the jurors, Austin Palmer, had settled a little affair of his own with the court, just before taking his seat in the jury box. He had been indicted for assaulting Andrew Frazee, of Milton township, on August 10, 1816, entered his plea of "guilty" and had been fined $12 and the costs. These affairs of honor were very common among the sturdy backwoodsmen, who brooked no insult. OTHER BUSINESS—The only other transaction of interest at this term was the appointment of Dr. Gabriel McNeal as surveyor of Jackson county for the term of five years. There were no resident attorneys in Jackson at that time, and a foreign attorney had to be appointed prosecutor. The attorneys in attendance at this term of court, according to the records, were Joseph Sill, Richard Douglass and N. K. Clough, all of Chillicothe. It was the custom then, for the attorneys to travel the circuit with the court. This term closed August 14, 1816. THE FIRST FALL ELECTION—The voters of Jackson county were called upon in October, 1816, to vote for State and district officers, and for county officers for the long terms. The county had been divided by this time into eight townships, viz: Bloomfield, Clinton, Franklin, Jackson, Lick, Madison, Milton and Scioto. Two hundred and fifty-two votes were cast. The candi- 116 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. dates for governor were Thomas Worthington and James Dunlap. Worthington received 120 votes and Dunlap 132, but the former was elected. The vote for congressman stood as follows: Joseph Kerr, 72; Levi Barber, 25; John A. Fulton, 2; Samuel Monett, 17; Henry Brush, 41. Jackson county was then in the Third congressional district, and Levi Barber was elected from the district. Two years afterward, Brush, mentioned above, was elected, but in 1820, Barber again regained his seat for this district. For State senator, Robert Lucas received 107 votes and David Ridgeway 150 votes. The senatorial district was then composed of the counties of Gallia, Jackson, Pike and Scioto. Ridgeway' was from Gallia. Lucas was from Pike and he was elected. The vote for representative stood: Jared Strong, 171; George L. Crookham, 89; Guthrie, 5. The legislative district consisted of Pike and Jackson, and Strong was elected. He thus became the first representative of Jackson county. He was a citizen of the county. His early history is unknown, but it is said that he moved to the Salt works from what is now Vinton county. He early built a mill on Salt creek below Jackson, which was known by his name for many years. He was the statesman of, the county, for he was re-elected in 1817, and again in 1819, 1822 and 1823. At the first term of court he was appointed foreman of the grand jury. He became one of the contractors for building the first jail, and he was interested in building the first court house. He was thus foremost in all public affairs. He died early, else he might have become much more prominent in county affairs and might have represented the county in congress. His tombstone stands in the old graveyard near the new school building and the inscription is as follows: "Sacred to the memory of Jared Strong, who departed this life December 20, 1827, aged forty-five years, seven months and ten days." Crookham, his opponent at the first election, has been already spoken of at some length. There was a hot contest for sheriff. Joseph Armstrong, a jolly, good-natured citizen, with considerable executive ability, was pushed by friends in order to try to secure the defeat of Welch, whose record was not of the best. The vote stood Welch, 144; Armstrong, 127. Welch's triumph was HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 117 of short duration, for he was compelled by circumstances, to leave the county a short while afterward. The vote for coroner stood as follows: John Stockham, 94; Peleg Potter, 49; John Gillespie, 31; William Jolly, 24; John Kite, 1. Gillaspie was thus defeated for re-election. There was a spirited contest for commissioner, the vote standing as follows: John Stephenson, 185; Emanuel Traxler, 165; R. G. Hanna, 153; John Brown, 12; John Delay, 24; Samuel Hall, 27; John Scott, 21. Stephenson and Traxler were re-elected, but Brown was defeated by R. G. Hanna. The Commissioners held their first meeting November 11, 1816. The first official act of the Board was to determine by lot who should get the long terms. Traxler was the luckiest, and drew the three-year term; Stephenson drew the two-year term. Hanna was re-elected in 1817, and in 1820 he was elected to the Legislature for the counties of Jackson and Pike. He continued one of the most prominent citizens of the county while he lived. EARLY CRIMINAL RECORD.—The first settlers at the licks being squatters, many of them were lawless men. Davis Mackley, who knew something of the early times, wrote as follows: There was no law administered nearer than' Portsmouth or Chillicothe, and as many of the men around the salt furnaces were the worst type of adventurers, and as whisky was used in large quantities, it is not strange that fighting Was common, and that murder was committed occasionally. In the year 1803 a man named Fitzgerald was murdered by one Jack Brandon, and about the same time a man named Squires was murdered by one Pleasant Webb, a notorious and dangerous character. He had been a Tory during the Revolutionary war, and was the terror of the early settlers. He was known by the nickname of Pompey. I could not learn that either of these murderers was brought to justice or punishment. All that part of Jackson from Pearl street to and beyond the fair ground was originally a wet and marshy place, with large maple, elms, birch and other trees, with an undergrowth of alder, wild rose and other bushes. After a time it -was cleared and. the timber cut, except one of the original maple trees, which yet stands 118 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. on the rear of Samuel Stevenson's lot, a short distance north of the schoolhouse. After this portion of the present town had been cleared, it was enclosed with a worm fence, and was an old pasture field seventy years ago. This field was the place where the fighters usually went to settle their drunken quarrels. Judge Salter, of Portsmouth, worked at the licks when he was a boy; and he once told me that a day scarcely passed without one or more fights in this field, and that blood could be seen almost any time either on the battle ground or where the pugilists had crossed the low rail fence when retiring from the field of battle. Whisky and peach' brandy were always in great demand about the licks. A man once came with a yoke of oxen and a small wagon, and a keg of whisky, which he desired, to barter for salt. There happened to be no salt on hand at the time, but the inhabitants of Purgatory were bound to have some whisky. They proposed to barter anything they had, but the owner of the whisky wanted nothing but salt. They proposed among other things to trade him a calf, but he still refused and was preparing to leave early next morning. During the night they caught the calf, tied it and put it into the wagon, which was a. covered one, and the owner drove off before daylight next morning. After he had got some two miles from the licks, several men followed him and pretended they had a search warrant, and accused him of stealing the calf. Of course he denied it, and told them, to search his wagon. One of the party raised the cover, when sure enough there was the calf. The pretended officer then comb pelled the man to haul the calf back to Purgatory, and treat the crowd to all the whisky they desired before they would release him from the pretended prosecution. Even after the county was organized„ drinking whisky and fighting continued to be the principal diversions of many of the settlers. All the criminal prosecutions at the August and November terms of court in 1816 were for fighting. The men indicted plead guilty in nearly all cases, for such a plea established his record as a fighter. Many of the fights were fistic duels, both parties having agreed to fight at fisticuffs, but it not infrequently happened that a ruffian would seek to- whip every man that came in his way, in order to win a HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 119 reputation as a bully. At the April tetm, 1817, prosecutions for violations of the liquor law began. The first indictment was found against William Howe. It was charged that he did, on January 10, 1817, barter, sell, retail and deliver, for money, certain spiritual liquors or strong drink, not cider or beer, by less quantity than one quart, to-wit: One-half pint of whisky to James Mail, without having first obtained a license therefor. He plead guilty, and was fined $2 and the costs. This kind of a conviction was then considered as not in the least reflecting upon the man convicted. Even the very best men in the community were occasionally indicted for such an offense, and they invariably plead guilty. A study of the Court Record almost convinces one that such convictions were regarded as good jokes, for even the court officers were indicted in turn. At the July term, 1817, Abraham Welch was indicted for three sales of half-pints of whisky, and one of the sales had been made to the foreman of the grand jury. Welch was always in trouble with the courts, although he was the sheriff. At the July term, 1817, he was indicted for assaulting one Valentine Pancake on January 10, 1817. He plead guilty, of course, and was fined $30 and the costs. He was also required to give a peace bond in the sum of $250. A riot that occurred at the Jackson township spring election in 1817 furnished almost as much grist as that at the Bloomfield town house the year before. It began with a fistic duel between Robert Darling and Joseph Hartley. Hartley was so badly vanquished that his brother Philip went to his rescue, only to be pummeled in turn. Darling was indicted for both offenses, the wording in the latter case being as follows: "Robert Darling, unlawfully, riotously and routously, did beat and wound and illtreat, and other wounds, to the said Philip Hartley in Jackson township." THE FIRST CONVICT—The first person sent from this county to the penitentiary was Burgess Squires, convicted at the May term, 1817, of issuing counterfeit money. There was a great scarcity of the circulating medium at the licks at all times, and this led some adventurous souls to increase the circulation by 120 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. issuing counterfeit bank money to a considerable amount. There was no bank here, and no persons handling money in sufficient quantities to become familiar with the currency of the country. This made the passing of counterfeit money that much the easier, for the victimized merchant, tavernkeeper or official would not learn of the imposition that had been practiced upon him, until he tried to pass the money at Chillicothe or elsewhere. But experience is a dear school, and the business men of Jackson began to be on the lookout for bad money. Andrew Donnally, the tavern-keeper, was the first person to cause an arrest. It seems that one Nimrod Kirk gave him six notes, signed by I. Ross and N. Mercer, and each payable for 50 cents in specie or bank currency at Brownsville. He received these notes March 1, 1817, and a few days later he learned that they were forged. When the grand jury met at the July term he laid the case before them, and Kirk was indicted. He plead not guilty, and the case came on for trial. Kirk was ably defended and was acquitted July 23, 1817. The next day the trial of Burgess Squires began. The indictment charged that Burgess Squires, on March 10, 1817, did unlawfully utter and publish as true and genuine a false, forged and counterfeit bank note, purporting to be drawn and payable for $10 by the Bank of Pennsylvania; also one false, forged and counterfeit bank note payable for $1 by the Bank of New Lisbon. It appears that he had paid these notes to Abraham Welch, the sheriff of the county, who, together with Dr. N. W. Andrews, Francis Holland and Levi Mercer, was a witness against him. Burgess was represented by Hon. N. K. Clough, of Chillicothe, while Hon. Joseph Sill, of the same place, acted as prosecutor. Burgess plead not guilty, and a jury was empaneled. The jurors were Cornelius Culp, Anthony Howard, James Dempsey, William Reed, Joseph Armstrong, Jared Strong, Moses Gillespie, Alexander Poor, Peter Williams, William Grove, Daniel Harris and Reuben Long. Some prominent men were on this jury. Armstrong was director of the town of Jackson and Strong was the representative in the Ohio Legislature. The jury returned the verdict "guilty." All of Clough's efforts to save his client were unavailing, and Squires HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 121 was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary, twenty-four hours of that time to be in a solitary cell. The conviction of Squires led to some very ugly talk about others, even Welch, the prosecuting witness against him, and another county officer. still more prominent. Welch was finally indicted for counterfeiting, and gave bond in the sum of $500, with J. W. Ross, Francis Holland and John Graham as securities. At the next term of court Welch's case was called, but he did not appear, and his bond was declared forfeited, but it was respited .one more term. On Monday, March 23, 1818, the case was called the last time, but no Welch appeared, and the bond was forfeited. Welch had left the county and never returned here. The conviction of Squires and the departure of Welch put an end to the circulation of counterfeit money in Jackson. THE COUNTY SEAT—The organization of a new county involved the establishment of a county seat. The largest village in the county was Poplar Row, and its central location made it suitable for the seat of justice. But the land on which it stood belonged, to the National Government, and all that the Legislature could do at the time of the organization of the county was to establish the house of Judge William Givens as the temporary seat of justice.' The matter of securing the consent of the General Government to lay out a town in the Scioto Sale Reserve, and to -sell lots to raise funds to erect county buildings was pushed at once after the erection of the new county, and Congress passed a law April 16, 1816, which authorized the state to sell one section of the reserve for that purpose. But while these matters were in progress a. county building was a necessity at each term of court and at each session of the commissioners. The house of William Givens was used by the courts during 1816, but the commissioners met at other houses to suit their convenience. At the April term. 1817, court was held at the house of Dr. N. W. Andrews, the clerk. No reason is known for the removal from Givens' house. At the July and October terms court was held at the house of Andrew Donnally, the tavernkeeper. It happened once or twice that broih 122 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. would occur in the barroom while court was in session in the parlor, and the offenders were brought before the court red-handed. These interruptions drove the court from Donnally's house, and after that it held its sessions at the houses of Joseph W. Ross, Charles O'Neil, the Widow Richmond and perhaps others, until the new court house was ready for occupancy, which did not occur for several years. When the Legislature met in the winter of 1816-1817 Representative Jared Strong worked hard to get the General Assembly to take action in accordance with the law passed by Congress, authorizing the sale of a section of the Reserve, and on January 14, 1817, the following law was passed: Whereas, It is provided by an act of Congress approved April 16, 1816, that the Legislature of the State of Ohio is authorized and empowered to cause to be selected and sold in such manner and on such terms and conditions as they may by law direct, any one section not exceeding the quantity of six hundred and forty acres, of the tract of land of six miles square reserved for the benefit of this state, at the Scioto salt springs, in said county of Jackson; provided, that the section so selected shall not include the said salt springs, and that the money accruing from the sale of the aforesaid section shall be applied to the erection of a court house or other public buildings thereon, for the use of the county of Jackson, in this state; and whenever the selection and sale of the said section of land shall have been made, and the same shall; be duly certified to the commissioner of the general land office, a patent shall be granted by the President of the United States for the said section in trust to such person or persons as the Legislature shall appoint and authorize to sell and execute titles to the purchasers of the land aforesaid; therefore, Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That commissioners shall be appointed to fix the seat of justice in the county of Jackson as is pointed out in the act entitled, "An act establishing seats of justice," passed the 28th day of March, 1803, and the said commissioners, when met in the county of Jackson for the purpose of fixing the seat of justice HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 123 for said county, shall select any one section, not exceeding the quantity of six hundred and forty acres, of the six miles square reserved by congress for the use of this state at the Scioto salt springs; which section shall not include the said salt springs, and shall not be on either boundary of said township or tract of land, and when selected it shall be the duty of the commissioners to point out thereon such spot as in their opinion will be most eligible for the seat of justice in said county, and shall make report thereof to the next Court of .Common Pleas, to be held in said county agreeably to the provisions of the before recited act Section 2. Be it further enacted, That there shall be a town laid off on such section, to be known by the name of Jackson, and a director appointed by joint resolution of both houses of the General Assembly and commissioned by the Governor, who shall hold his office until the duties required by this act shall be performed, if so long he behaves well, and previous to entering on the duties of his office he shall take an oath or affirmation faithfully to discharge the duty assigned to him by this act,, and also shall enter into bond, with one or more securities in such sum as the Court of Common Pleas in said county may direct, made payable to the Treasurer of Jackson county and his successors in office, conditioned for the faithful paying over and accounting for all moneys that may come into his hands by virtue of his office as director. Section 3. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the director, on being duly notified by the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas of Jackson county, that the commissioners have selected a section and pointed out thereon the seat of justice, to proceed to lay off one-half of said section into a suitable number of in and out lots at the places selected by said commissioners, of such a size as he may think most advantageous, no one of which 'shall exceed ten acres, and make out an accurate plat of the same, and cause it to be recorded in the Recorder's office of Jackson county, and shall proceed to sell the said town lots at public sale; giving at least thirty days' notice of the time of such sale in the newspaper printed at Gallipolis and one of the papers 124 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. printed at Chillicothe, which sale when commenced shall continue from day to day until all the lots are sold, which shall be on the following conditions: One-fourth part of the purchase money to be paid at the time of sale, one-fourth part in twelve months, and the balance in two annual payments, the purchaser or purchasers giving his or their bond with good and sufficient security to the director thereof, and if not punctually paid at the time the money shall become due, to bear interest from the time of sale; the director shall give each purchaser of, a lot or lots a certificate of purchase, specifying therein the number of the lots by him pur-chased, and that a conveyance will be made when the last install-ment shall be paid, and when the lots are all sold the director shall deposit in the office of the Secretary of State an accurate plat of said town, designating the section on which the same is laid off, accompanied with a list of the sale, which shall be filed in said office, and the Governor thereupon shall certify the same to the commissioner of the general land office of the United States, and procure a patent for such section in the name of the director, and his successors in office, in trust, who shall make conveyances to the purchasers of lots on their complying with the terms of sale. Section 4. Be it further enacted, That the half of the section of land so, as aforesaid, selected, as shall not be laid off into town lots, agreeably to the provisions of the third section of this act, shall be and remain under the direction of the Court of Common Pleas of said county of Jackson, and the director of said town shall make sale thereof at such time and under such regulations as said court may direct. Section 5. Be it further enacted, That the director shall be entitled to receive $2 per day for, each day he may be necessarily employed in the discharge of his duty as director, to be allowed by the commissioners of Jackson county, and to be paid out of the county treasury. Section 6. Be it further enacted, That all moneys for the sale of lots in said town shall be collected by the director and paid HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 125 into the county treasury of the county of Jackson; and the commissioners of said county, after defraying the expense incurred by the director and his fees, shall apply the balance to erecting a court house and other public buildings for the said county, and for no other purpose. Section 7. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons having heretofore settled on said section of land so as. aforesaid selected by the commissioners to be sold under the law of the United States, for the purposes aforesaid, having leased the lot or lots upon which they may reside of this state, and whose lease will expire on the 1st day of March, 1817, if on the sale of the aforesaid lots by the director of said town the lesees do not become the purchasers, then in that case the purchasers of such, lots shall pay to such lessee of such lot the price of the buildings, erected on said lot, to be valued by the commissioners of said county, or any two of them. COMMISSIONERS AND DIRECTOR APPOINTED—The selection of the commissioners to fix the seat of justice under this. act, and of the director, was made by joint resolutions, which are as follows: Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That Samuel Reed of Pike county, Lewis Newsom of Gallia county and, Henry Bartlett of Athens county be, and they are, hereby appointed to fix the seat of justice in the county of Jackson. January 24, 1817. Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That Joseph Armstrong of Jackson county be, and he is, hereby appointed director of the town of Jackson, in said county. January 27, 1817. SELECTING THE SITE—The commissioners had a notice posted at the Salt Reserve February 9, 1817, announcing that they 126 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY would attend March 18, 1817, for the selection of a town site. On the appointed day a large assemblage of salt boilers, planters, hunters and trappers greeted them at Donnally's tavern. They found their duty a very simple affair. Nature had long before prepared a most beautiful town site, and all that it needed was the official sanction of Ohio's agents. The report of the commissioners was laid before Judge John Thompson on Monday, April 7, 1817, the opening day of the April term of Court of Common Pleas, and was as follows: The commissioners appointed by joint resolution of the Legis-lature of Ohio for fixing the seat of justice in the county of Jackson, after being notified of their appointment, and the inhab-itants having due notice of the time and place of their meeting, entered on the duty assigned them by the Legislature, and after -examining different sections of land in the six miles square re-served by Congress for the use of this state, do report that they -are unanimously of opinion that section numbered 29 is the section they have chosen for the use of said county of Jackson, and that they are unanimously of opinion that the north end of said section, south from Salt creek and immediately back of the houses occupied by N. W. Andrews, Mr. George and Mr. A. Welsh, upon the highland, is the most eligible place for the seat of justice in said county of Jackson. All of which is respectfully submitted. Given under our hands at Poplar Row, Lick township, the 18th day of March, 1817. HENRY BARTLETT, SAMUEL REED, LEWIS NEWSOM, Commissioners. NEW TOWN LAID OUT—This report was approved by the court and ordered filed. The clerk was then directed to notify the director to give bond and qualify. Joseph Armstrong came into court April 8, 1817, presented his bond in the sum of $10,000 with John Stephenson, Emanuel Traxler, Robert G. Hanna and Andrew Boggs as securities, which was approved, and he was HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 127 thereupon authorized to proceed to the execution of his duties as director. His first duty was to lay out the new town. Surveyor McNeal did not care to undertake the work, and the services of Judge Joseph Fletcher of Gallipolis were secured. He was assisted by N. W. Andrews and David Radcliff. Joseph W. Ross, Francis Ory and George Riley acted as chain carriers, and the stakes were made by James Chapman and a son of Sheriff Welch. The stone for the corners of the public square were furnished by Major John James. The public square was surveyed first, and -was laid out with reference to the houses designated by the state commis-sioners. The house of John George stood on the lot facing the Ruf tannery, and that of A. Welch on the site of the residence of Jacob W. Beyron. The sides of the square determined the bearing of the streets. The remainder of the half section was divided into 137 inlots, 36 outlots, a common and the necessary streets and alleys. The survey occupied eight days, during which the surveying party was boarded with John George, whose account was $19.62 1-2. Judge Fletcher was paid $60 for his services. SALE OF LOTS—Next came the lot sale. It began June 2, 1817, and continued ten days. J. W. Ross was auctioneer, and N. W. Andrews and Richard Johnson served as clerks. A large num. ber of land speculators from Ross, Pike, Scioto and Gallia counties were in attendance, and the bidding on desirable lots was lively. Inlot 1, the southeast corner of Main and Portsmouth streets, was bid in by Elisha Fitch of Ross county, who also secured the Commercial bank corner, paying $107 for the first, and $79 for the other. The four lots facing the public square brought $390. Inlot 5, the Martin corner, was bought by Robert Lucas for $100. Daniel Hoffman bid in the Gibson corner, paying $141 for inlot 52, and $102 for inlot 51 adjoining. Inlot 35, the Isham corner, was run up to $145, and fell to Reason Darby. The liveliest bidding was on the improved lots on Poplar Row, but the majority of them fell to the lessees. Inlot 110, the McKitterick corner, was bought by Major John James for $140. John George paid $120 for the lot facing the tannery. Daniel Hoffman bid $165 for inlot 116, 128 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. the Methodist corner, on Portsmouth and Water streets. The southwest corner on the same street was run up by speculators to $200, in order to secure the tavern standing upon it. Andrew Donnally was the winner. Abraham Welch was forced to pay $102 for the Beyron lot, where his house then stood. The highest bidding was on inlot 20, the northeast corner of Portsmouth and Water streets. Benjamin Kiger finally offered $225 and became the purchaser. Outlot 1 was bought by Samuel W. Blagg, who bid $200. Eleven inlots and one outlot failed to sell. The sum realized from the sale of lots was $7,196.75. Whisky was free during the sale, and was furnished for the county by Andrew Donnally. His bill amounted to $25.75. The expense account of the survey and sale amounted to $349.95. The balance was to be' devoted to the erection of public buildings for the use of the county. And now a word about Joseph Armstrong: JACKSON'S FIRST DIRECTOR--The most noted personage buried in Mt. Zion cemetery was Joseph Armstrong, who died February 4, 1857, aged 77 years and 4 days. He came to the Scioto salt works when a young man, and was at once recognized as a leading spirit. In 1817 he was honored by being appointed the first director of the town of Jackson. Under his supervision, the new town was surveyed and the lots sold, as already related. In 1819 he had the south half of the town laid off and the lots sold. He then secured a patent from the General Government for the whole section, No. 29, which was issued February 16, 1820, and signed by James Monroe. Armstrong and the Commissioners had a difference about certain affairs connected with his office, and he resigned July 3, 1822. Daniel Hoffman was appointed in his place, and he served until November 22, 1826, when he resigned, and Alexander Miller was appointed. When Armstrong resigned the directorship, he did not go out of office. In the fall of 1816 he had been a prominent candidate for sheriff, and was beaten by Abraham Welch by a few votes only. The latter got into trouble soon after and left the county, and in the fall of 1817 Armstrong was elected sheriff over a: number of opponents. He was re-elected HISTORY OR JACKSON COUNTY - 129 and served until 1823. He was elected again in 1828 and served two terms. John Duncan, a friend, was elected next, but after his incumbency Armstrong was elected for a third period. Altogether he served more years as sheriff than any of his successors. When out of office he was frequently deputy, so that he may be said to have been in virtual charge of the sheriff's office for about twenty years. He seryed as tax collector many years, and as road commissioner more than once. He was the executive head of the county during the years of its organization, and knew, and was known to all the citizens of the county. He had three sons, Stephen, James and Joseph, but none of his descendants live in the county now. THE FIRST JAIL—The Commissioners were in session during the first week of the sale, and when they found the lots selling lively, they determined to make arrangements for building a jail. Accordingly, they ordered, on June 4, 1817, that notices be posted, "advertising the letting of the building of a jail for this county, on the 4th day of July next." Other business occupied the time of the Commissioners on the glorious Fourth, and the matter was deferred to July 5. Joseph W. Ross was appointed to cry the sale. There was only one bid, and the contract was let for §3,000. John George was the nominal bidder, but the jail was built by Ashley Gibbs, who, together with Jared Strong and Levi Mercer, became security for George. The work was pushed rapidly, and the completed jail was received by the commissioners February 7, 1818. It was a log building, "thirty feet front and twenty feet deep." It was two stories high, with four rooms and a hall on each floor. The walls of the prison part consisted of two tiers of oak logs, each a foot square. The walls were painted white, the roof and shutters Spanish brown, and the casings lead color. No prisoner ever escaped from it. The Associate Judges, at a special court held February 25, 1818, ordered that "the jail bounds for this county extend four hundred yards each way from the jail of said county." The completion of the jail relieved the county of the heavy expense of guarding prisoners. Up to that time all prisoners had 130 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. been fed at Andrew Donnally's ordinary, and guarded by deputy sheriffs. John George, the contractor for the building of the jail, was in trouble with the courts all the time, and the expense of guarding him in the fall of 1817 amounted to $33.75. The guarding of Peter Marshall for a few days in August, 1817, cost $39.75, and he escaped after all. The further sum of $25 was paid as a reward to William Jolly for his recapture. The following extracts from the Commissioners' Journal relating to the lot sale and the letting of the contract for building the jail throw additional light on the business methods of the early days. It will be noticed that the sale was worked for all that was in it by the inhabitants of Poplar Row: JULY 4, 1817—This day, according to appointment, the Commissioners of Jackson county met for the purpose of selling out the building of a jail for the county of Jackson, legal notice having been given by advertisement at our annual meeting in June, and also for settling, and receiving a statement of the sale of one-half section of land belonging to the county of Jackson of Joseph Armstrong, director. This meeting was held at the seat of justice in Jackson county, in the house of Andrew Donnally; present, Emanuel Traxler, John Stephenson and Robert G. Hanna, Commissioners, and Nathaniel W. Andrews, clerk. This day Joseph Armstrong presented a statement of the sale with the number of lots belonging to the town of Jackson, to-wit: Inlots 137 and outlots 36, one outlot, No. 36, out of which number was reserved for the use of this county until next sale, being a fraction. Eleven inlots were also reserved until the next sale, to-wit: Nos. 64, 66, 74, 78, 85, 92, 95, 96, 98, 99, 136. The balance of the lots sold, the first installment of which amounted to $1,799.31 1-4, the total amount $7,196.75. The director, Joseph Armstrong, then presented the following accounts as expenses of the survey, and the expenses of the sale, and also his own account of the number of days employed up to the present time. HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 131 Ordered, that Judge Fletcher be allowed for surveying the town of Jackson, etc., $60, and that an order issue for the same payable to Joseph Armstrong. Ordered, also, that the following accounts be allowed, and an order issue for the same, payable to Joseph Armstrong. Three days taken up by the director in employing a surveyor, $6. Four days taken up in getting hand bills and advertisements printed by the director in Gallipolis and Chillicothe, $8. The printing of the hand bills and advertisements, $3.25. William Ransom, for going to Chillicothe to surveyor general's office, for the field notes of the section, $3. Abraham Welch, for the use of a horse in going for said field notes, and a boy one-half day making stakes, $1. Nathaniel W. Andrews, for two days and a half assisting surveyor, $2.50. John George's account for boarding in the time of the survey, $19.62 1-2. Hugh Poor, for two hands employed seven days. making stakes, etc., and hauling plank for a shed for clerks, $11.50. John James, for the use of a boy and one-horse wagon for hauling stakes and stone for the corners of the public square, and a hand one day in making stakes, $6.50. Joseph W. Ross, for carrying chain three days, $2.25. Francis Ory, do. six days, $4.50. George Riley, do. four days, $3. David Radcliff, assisting surveyor, $2.75. James Chapman, two days making stakes, $1.50. Joseph Armstrong, for two days taken up in employing hands, $4. Do, do, to eight days attendance on surveying town, $16. 132 - HISTORY OP JACKSON COUNTY. Richard Johnson, employed to go to Chillicothe for blank notes and certificates, $3. J. Nashe, for printing blank bonds and certificates, $10.25. Absalom Wells, for going to Gallipolis for the plat of the town, $3. J. Armstrong, for ten days attendance on the sale of lots, $20. Richard Johnson, for acting in the time of the sale 10 days as clerk, $10. Nath'l W. Andrews, do. do., $10. Do. do. do., five days after the sale, $5. Joseph Armstrong, for five days employed in settling sale business, $10. Andrew Donnally's account for whisky in time of sale, $25.75. John James' account for boarding hands time of sale $14.2 1-2. Joseph W. Ross, for crying sale ten days, $17.75. Joseph Armstrong, to two days employed in getting hand bills and advertisements printed, $4. To one-half paper of pins, 20 cents. For one quart whisky for hands erecting shed for clerks in time of sale 37 1-2 cents. To writing paper, three quires, $11.2 1-2. Being the total amount of this order, $289.95. THE FIRST COURT HOUSE—After the completion of the jail the Commissioners found themselves without enough money to build a Court House at once, but on November 5, 1819, they gave notice that the sale of the contract for building would be made December 4, 1819. The proceedings of that date as they appear on the old Journal are as follows: December 4, 1819.—The Court House in the town of Jackson was let according to law, and Elisha Fitch, of the county of Ross, became the purchaser HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 133 at $4,061, he being the lowest bidder; whereupon, the said Elisha Fitch, together with Levi Mercer, William Givens, Hooper Hurst and Jared Strong, his securities, entered into bond conditioned for the faithful performance of the work. The building of the Court House occupied several years. There was trouble with the contractors, and as late as June 4, 1821, the roof had not been put on, for an order of that date reads as follows: "The roof to be what is called a hipped roof, and the cupalow to be in proportion with that in Piketon and finished in the same manner; likewise the octagon to be of the same size and form of that of Piketon." The finishing of the interior took several years more, for one of the contracts for that part of the work was not let until July 16,825. The building never was entirely finished. A bell was put o in the Fifties, and in 1860 the old structure burned to the ground. THE FIRST MERCHANTS—French and English traders visited the licks during the Indian occupation, and after the salt boilers took possession, traders became expected and regular visitors. The memory of these pioneer agents of commerce has passed away. The first merchant at the licks of whom there is a record was Daniel Hoffman. to whom a license was issued November 5, 1816, by the Court of Common Pleas, "to vend merchandise other than the growth and manufacture of the United States." The tax on a merchant's license was $15 per annum. In order to give an idea of the scale upon which this pioneer merchant did business the following entry from the Commissioners' Journal is inserted here: June 27, 1818:—This day the Commissioners of Jackson county met for the purpose of valuing the house in which Daniel Hoffman now lives and at present keeps store; present, John Stephenson and Robert G. Hanna. Having carefully examined the said house, with all the loose plank on the lot, counter and other work for the store, with all its appurtenances, we do appraise the whole to be worth $175. The house referred to was newly built and stood on the Gibson House corner. The second store at the licks was 134 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. started after the county seat had been located. It was owned by Peter Apple & Company, and was licensed April 8, 1817. Daniel Burley, the third merchant, took out a license May 2, 1818. George Dovenet took out a peddler's license June 27 of the same year. The firm of Hugh Poor & Company, consisting of Hugh Poor, Horace Wilcox and Edmund Richmond, was licensed July 15, 1818, and the firm of Strong & Givens, consisting of Jared Strong and William Givens, was licensed September 26, following. The next year, James & Hurst started a store, and the little town was well supplied with merchants. THE FIRST BANKRUPT—The Court Journal shows that Walter Murdock was the first bankrupt in the county. He peti-tioned the Court of Common Pleas on June 30, 1818, for "benefit of act relieving insolvent debtors." The court ordered that notice be published in a Chillicothe paper named The Supporter. TEACHERS' EXAMINERS—Little attention was paid in the early days of Jackson county to schools and education. The strug-gle for life was too hard, the farmers were scattered too far apart in the woods to organize school districts, and the population at Jackson, the only village in the county, was not of a character that appreciated. the advantages of an education. The village was much like the mining camp of later days, a large proportion of the inhabitants being single and transients. The first teacher we hear of was William Wilds, who taught a school about 1820 in a log house built for the purpose on the Adam Sell place, near A Coalton. James H. Darling, who was the last survivor of the pupils of that school, furnished me the following particulars co cerning it: The school house was a low log building, with puncheon floor, a large fireplace at one end and a window on each side he windows had been constructed by cutting out lower half of one log and the upper half of the log under it for a distance of several feet, thus making a narrow slit, over which greased paper was pasted. Hoisting was a matter of impossibility in the case of these windows, but the securing of ventilation was an easy HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 135 matter, for paper was cheaper than even the cheap glass of today, and a diamond was not needed to cut an artistic looking hole in it. The only furniture in this school house were the benches for the scholars to sit on, which had been constructed by setting slabs on legs, and a stool constructed in a like manner, which was used by the teacher. The latter was always equipped with a bundle of switches cut from a hie. fry thicket nearby, and Mr. Wilds had the reputation of never sparing the rod. The oldest scholars read the Bible and studied arithmetic and writing. The smaller pupils studied the spelling book, and mischief. At Christmas tithe the big boys and girls locked the teacher out, and he capitulated gracefully by agreeing to treat. is old custom, which prevailed from time immemorial in the western country, survived in this county until 1877. The last case I can recall occurred at the Oak Hill school, in Madison township, just before the holidays of that year, when Hon. T. J. Harrison was barred out on a certain noon intermission. He had gone for a walk, as was his custom, and when he returned and found the door locked, he stepped back into the play ground, picked up a fence rail, which had been used as base in. playing "bIackman," placed it on his shoulder, and then made a run for the door. The rail battering ram crushed in du door., and Harrison was master of the situation. He taught out the term and then resigned. But he put an end to the custom of "locking out." After the county had been organized some -lei years, there came an educational awakening. The cause is no known. The departure of the salt boilers may have had sOME thing to do with it. Be that as it may, one of the results was the appointment of a committee by the Court of Common Plea to examine applicants for certificates to teach. The appointment was made June 8, 1826. This first Board of Examiners consisted of the three best informed men in the county, viz: George I Crookham, Daniel Hoffman and Alexander Miller. This was the initiative of the common school system in the county. AUTUMNAL FEVERS—Nearly all writers neglect to me: tion perhaps the greatest trial of the pioneers. Every family Um 136 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. moved into the woods knew that the move meant death to one or more of its members. Finley says: The new settlements were regularly visited with autumnal fevers. They were of the bilious type, and sometimes the symptoms resembled those of yellow feyer. Billions intermittents, or fever and ague, prevailed to a great extent. They were supposed to have been caused by the effluvia arising from the decomposition of the luxuriant vegetation which grew so abundantly everywhere. These fevers were attended with great mortality, and the sufferings occasioned by them were intense. Often there was not one member of the family able to help the others, and instances occurred in which the dead lay unburied for days, because no one could report. The extensive prevalence of sickness, however, did not deter immigration. A desire to possess the rich lands overcame all fears of sickness, and the living tide rolled on heedless of death. In the summer of 1798 the bloody flux raged as an epidemic with great violence, and for a while threatened to depopulate the town of Chillicothe and its vicinity. Medical skill was exerted to its utmost, but all to no purpose, as but very few who were attacked recovered. From eight to ten were buried per day. The Scioto salt works, located in a low swampy valley, was perhaps' the sickliest place in Southern Ohio, and the death rate was very high. Even visitors who came here after salt in 1798 sickened and died. There was hardly any hope for any one attacked, for there were no physicians located here until 1810, when Dr. Gabriel McNeal came from Virginia. For eight years after the epidemic of 1798 there was a comparative respite, but according to Atwater, in the autumn of 1806 a fever of the remittent type made its appearance, extending from the Ohio river to Lake Erie. Its symptoms were chills in the forenoon, between 10 and 11 o'clock, which were succeeded by violent fever, afterwards, in an hour and a half. The fever continued to rage till about 6 o'clock in the evening. During the exacerbation great pain or oppression was felt in the brain, liver, spleen or stomach, and frequently in all these organs. sweating stage took place about midnight. By daylight there was a respite, but not a total exemption from the urgency of these symp- HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 137 toms. The first cases mentioned afforded no opportunity for interposing tonics. From information given us by many in the circle around Chillicothe, one-sixth part of the inhabitants were swept off by death. In 1813 and 1814 there were like epidemics. But perhaps the worst of all was that of 1823. Heavy and long continued rains commenced about e 14th of November, 1822, and continued almost daily until t e 1st of the ensuing June. It is computed by some persons t i at the country lying between the Scioto and Miami rivers had th twentieth part of its surface covered during the months of Marc April and May with water. A fever commenced its ravages and continued its course during the months of June, July, August, September and during the early part of October. It was of the remittent type, affecting more or less, man, nineteen-twentieths of the people. In 1824 there was a repetition of the epidemic on a smaller scale. The families living in the valley of Salt creek were visited by another, but lighter epidemic, again in 1827. This was the last epidemic, but for nearly 40 years after the settlement of the county many suffered and died from autumnal fevers. To this cause may be ascribed the early death of so many of the pioneers. Those afflicted with any chronic ailment succumbed to these fevers. THE FIRST DEATHS.—The earliest settlers at the Scioto salt licks found many charred tree trunks still standing in the cleared ground on the ridge which is now occupied by the business part of Jackson. They were so many monuments to white prisoners who had died at the stake. The exact number of those unfortunates will never be known, but any one that has studied the history of the sixty years' war between the Ohio Indians and the white pioneers of the Alleghenies will readily concede that fully one hundred persons may have perished thus within the present limits of the city. The large number is thus accounted for. Bands of Shawanese, Ottawas, Wyandots, Delawares and other Indian tribes came to the licks every summer to make salt. The drudgery at the kettles was squaw's work, and while the women toiled and the old warriors smoked, gambled or hunted, parties of young 138 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. braves made incursions into the Virginia mountains, and brought back many scalps, and not a few white prisoners. The boys were often spared for adoption and the women for drudges, but the majority of the men, in fact, all who failed to win favor with their captors, were tortured at the stake. These barbarous execu-tions generally occurred on the high ground on or near the site of the Public Square. The Indians cut off the top of a small tree, leaving the trunk for a stake, to which the victim was tied. The torture then began, and did not cease until life was extinct. These executions were regarded by the Indians as entertainments, and the tribes expected every returning war party to furnish at least one victim, especially if the party had lost a man on the foray. Inasmuch as the licks were the first safe stopping place after crossing the Ohio, a number of whites must have been tor-tured here each year, particularly between 1755 and 1785, when the border warfare was most bitter. It was the Indian custom to gather the remains of such victims and give them burial, but the spot has not yet been discovered. THE OLD GRAVEYARD--The first white settlers that died at the licks were buried on the hill afterward known as the Ford hill, not far from the Lutheran church. Later a number of salt boilers were buried on the hill, which is a part of the McKitterick farm. The graveyard lies east of the old Indian trail from the licks to Chillicothe. The place was selected by the whites because it had been used as a burial ground by the Indians. There is no record of the names of those buried there, but the number must have exceeded fifty. The graves were marked with native sandstone, many of which crumbled in time, while others were carried away by collectors. Names and dates were cut on a few, but the great majority bore only initials. A visiting collector asked permission years ago to take away the stone bearing the oldest inscription, but Mr. John McKitterick, Sr., refused. A few days afterward, it was discovered that the stone had disappeared, and it was suspected that the stranger had stolen it. For half a century the graveyard remained uncultivated, but after the ground HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 139 was cleared the stones disappeared rapidly. Ten years ago, when I first visited the place, only two were left. One of them bore the following inscription: "D. F. D., Sept. 23, 1802." Daniel F. Dean was killed at a log rolling. He was a large and powerful man, but on that unlucky September day he lost his hold while raising a heavy log, and it rolled back and crushed him, killing him instantly. Many of those buried here ere men who were murdered at the salt works. Some of the earliest salt boilers were lawless men, and the morals of the community were at a par with those of the wildest mining camps of the early gold days. It was a com-mon occurrence from 1795 to 1803 to find the corpse of some one murdered overnight floating in a sal water tank, and to discover later that one or two others had departed between two suns with-out leaving their addresses. The last of these murders was committed by a negro. was caught and lynched, the lynching taking place near the Mitchell rocks. His remains were interred in the old graveyard, which caused it to fall into disrepute. Many of the earliest burials were made without coffins, but they came into use later. They were made of good old oak, and one of them lasted over sixty years, for Mr. G. C. McKitterick remembers when the grave fell in. I have been informed that members of a family named Hill, living in Liberty township, have been buried here, but the information has not been verified. A FORGOTTEN GRAVEYARD—The salt furnaces were built in the valley from James A. Lackey's farm up to the infirmary. Pieces of the old salt kettles used at the furnace on Lackey's farm were plowed up in the spring of 1900. The salt boilers at the upper furnaces found it inconvenient to bring their dead to the "Old Graveyard," and they began to bury in a spot near Smith's lane, where it crosses the railroad, on land now owned by W. H. and M. K. Steele. There are forty to fifty graves at this place, but none of them are marked. Peter Bunn, who is now in his eightieth year, says that two of his infant brothers and another little boy named Walden were buried there. Mrs. Sophia Mitchell remembers that she attended the burial of a little daughter of 140 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. John Radcliff at this place, when she was a mere child, about seventy years ago. THE BUNN GRAVEYARD—This old burial grounds occupies the greater part of outlot 26, and a part of outlot 27 in the south half of the original town of Jackson. The lots were laid out by Gabriel McNeel, the county surveyor, on May 25, 1819 but the spot had been selected for a town cemetery before that date, for Charles O'Neil was buried there May 17, 1819. Mrs Sophia Mitchell states that her mother, Mrs. Tacy Bunn, attended his funeral, and that this burial was the first in the cemetery. The spot was selected on account of its location and the character of the soil. It lay a Quarter of a mile from the new town of that day, but it could be reached without crossing low or wet ground. The high ground selected forms a little hummock, which was more than half surrounded by water at that time, and therefore unsuitable for building purposes. The soil was sandy, free from slate or rock, and thoroughly drained, considerations that appealed to the pioneers. The sale of the lots in the south half of Jackson occurred in June, 1819. Outlots 26 and 27 were purchased by Peter Bunn, the first for $31 and the second for $25.25. The title remains in the family to this day. The Bunns came originally from Germany and settled near Baltimore. Peter Bunn, Sr., born in Maryland, moved with his family to Ross county, in this state, about the beginning of this century. Four of his children, Peter, Jr., Samuel, Hannah and Polly, settled in this county. Peter Bunn, Jr., was born near Baltimore, January 1, 1780. He married Tacy Howe in this county February 29, 1824. Five daughters were born to them. Mary Ann died an infant. Sophia, who became the wife of Dr. D. H. Mitchell, was born May 29, 1826; Elizabeth, who became the wife of John Ratcliffe, was born February 4, 1828; Eunice, who married John Smith, was born October 16, 1829, and Tacy, who married Henry C. Hale, was born July 27, 1836. Elizabeth is dead, but two of her children, Mr. Peter Ratcliffe and Mrs. W. H. Steele, survive. The other three daughters are still living, Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Smith in this city, and Mrs. Hale at Warrensburg, Mo. HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 141 Their father died July 19, 1853, aged 72 years, 6 months and 19 days. His wife survived until January 4, 1881, dying at the age of 78 years, 8 months and 29 days. Both now lie side by side in the burial ground bought by Mr. Bunn in 1819. The oldest tombstone in it is that of Charles O'Neil. It is a flagstone, and the inscription reads as follows: "In memory of Charles O'Neil, who departed this life May 16, 1819, aged 26 years." O'Neil was county treasurer at the time of his death. Although a young man, he became a victim of the insalubrious climatic conditions at the licks. A number of other county officers suffered a like fate, as the following inscriptions indicate: "Sacred to the memory of Jared Strong, who departed this life December 20, 1827, aged 43 years, 7 months, 10 days." "Sacred to the memory of William Ransom; born September 20, A. D. 1794, died December 8, 1832; aged 38 years, 2 months, 19 days. or me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' " "In memory of Absalom M. Faulkner, who departed this life September 18, 1829, aged 31 years, 7 months, 10 days." Strong was the first representative of this county, and held many other positions of trust. Ransom Was treasurer of the county for about 12 years, dying in office. Faulkner, who was a Free Mason, was clerk of courts for about six years and died in office. Henry May Faulkner, his little son, died the same day, and his infant son, Jacob Offnere, died December 13, 1829. The fatality among county officers was great in those days, for the records show that in addition to those named above, Sheriff William White died in 1824. Other prominent people in early Jackson who died in the twenties where Edmund Richmond, who died February 16, 1820, aged 55 years, 5 months and 6 days, and Huldah, his wife, who died August 21, 1823, aged 59 years, 3 months and 18 days. The Richmonds were an influential family here for years. There were four brothers in all, named Seth, Nathaniel, David and Edmund. I have not been able to learn what became of the other three. A woman that deserves to be mentioned was the wife of Thomas Scott, who was prosecuting attorney in 1830-2. The inscription on her tombstone reads as follows: "In memory of Eliz- 142 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. abeth Scott, consort of Thomas Scott, who departed this life December 13, 1822, aged 43 years." A large, wide spreading elm tree now grows near her grave. It sprouted after her burial, but it now shades a space sixty feet in diameter. It should be cared for and preserved. Not far away lie the remains of the first wife of Daniel Perry, who was sheriff of this county two terms. The inscription reads thus: "In memory of Jane, consort of Daniel Perry, who died February 1, 1833, in the 29th year of her age." The graves of two children of Daniel and Susan Perry, named Cornelia and Isham, are on the same lot, also that of Perry's brother, Simeon, who died February 28, 1825, in the 32nd year of his age. The majority of those buried here before the fifties died before reaching old age, which goes to show that the climate was fatal to whites until Salt Creek valley was cleared and drained. More than 700 persons have been interred in this cemetery, but the graves of the great majority were left unmarked, and even the names of many of them have been forgotten. For instance, 217 bodies were removed in March, 1900, to Fairmount, of whom only 64 were known. The unknown removed and left included some men and women who were once prominent in this county, Mr. Peter Bunn remembers that he helped to dig the grave of one of them way back about 1835, viz: Joseph Schellenger, uncle of ex-Auditor William Schellenger and brothers. Schellenger had served with Samuel Bunn, the father of Peter Bunn, in the war of 1812. SOME RECOLLECTIONS—A letter written by Michael McCoy and an interview with James H. Darling throw additional light on life at the salt works. Michael McCoy, who spent the last fifty years of his life in this county, furnished his recollections for The Standard a few years before his death, and they are worth preserving. He was born in Lawrence county, 0., January 22, 1800. He removed with his parents to this county in 1816, and lived in Hamilton township until his death, November 8, 1869. Following are the most interesting passages from his letters: We came to this county in the spring of 1816. We landed on the 17th HISTORY Or JACKSON COUNTY - 143 of April and settled near where Jacob Brown now (1866) lives. At that time there were but two houses where the town of Jackson now stands, and they were taverns. One was down below where the Isham House stable now stands, and the other was down towards where Steel's (Ruf's) tanyard now is. These taverns were kept by Abraham Welch and Jared Strong. There were five salt furnaces in operation at that time, run by Ross Nelson, John Johnson, John W. Sargent, Asa Lake and William Givens. I suppose there were some five or six hundred oters in Jackson county. Abraham Welch was the first sh riff of Jackson county, and Nathaniel W. Andrews was the fir t clerk of courts. Welch and a man named Wilson,, and anot t er named Squires, and another, whose name I will not give, as he has some relatives yet living in this county, got to making coun erfeit money, and they all left the county except Squires, and he was sent to the penitentiary. For some cause Andrews resigned as clerk, or was removed, and a man named Charles O'Neil was the next clerk. He afterward died of consumption. O'Neil's widow married Vincent Southard. Dr. Andrews was again appointed clerk, and held the office until he removed to Portsmouth. Absalom M. Faulkner was clerk and held the office until he died. Colonel Strong had the contract for building the old Court House for $7,000 ($4,061). This much I know: The brick was made in 1820, not far from where Pearl street and Broadway cross. I do not think the wall of the Court House was built until 1821. What makes me think so is, that the Elias Long house was built in 1820 by a man named Gibbs. I made and carried the mortar or more than two-thirds of that house; Nathan Sheward carried t e brick. We worked for 50 cents a day, or at least the promise o it. I never got over half my pay. The same year that little c eckered brick by Noel's tanyard was built by a man named Puffenbarger. I made and carried the mortar for that building rom foundation to the top; same wages and same pay. Both men broke up, and I had to take just what I could get. There were two wells of salt water near Jackson in 1816, one owned by Asa Lake, 144 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY not far from where the bridge crosses Salt creek on the Chillicothe road. The furnace was out on the road not far from where George L. Crookham built some years afterward. There was another well not far from where Diamond Furnace is now located, belonging to William Givens. The furnace was on Givens' Run, in a south-west direction from town. The courts continued to be held in private houses until 1824 or 1825, maybe as late as 1826, when the old _Court House was taken possession of by Ezra Osborne, president judge of this circuit. I was at the first day's sale of the lots in the town of Jackson. A shed made of plank was put up on the public square. Joseph Armstrong was director of the town of Jackson. Joseph W. Ross was the crier, or auctioneer, and Richard Johnson was the clerk of the sale. The highest priced lot was bought by Daniel Hoffman, where he afterwards lived and died. The next highest lot sold was where Noel's tanyard was located. It was sold to a man named Henry Kiger. Robert Lucas and Elisha Fitch, from Piketon, were prominent bidders for lots at that sale. Now, I will give you a sketch of the wild aspect of things about Jackson when the first lots were sold. True, there was a great deal of timber cut for the salt furnaces, and in some places the young growth had started considerably. There were three or four public roads that led to Jackson, the Gallipolis and Chillicothe road, the Athens road and the Piketon road. 'The latter was made for the purpose of hauling corn from the Big :Scioto to the salt works. Then there was a track that was called the Guyan trace, along which hundreds of bushels of salt were packed to the Ohio river. That trace left town where Nelson's Furnace was located. It ran a south course and crossed the divide near where Irwin's station now is. It then ran southward to the Adkins place, from there to old Joseph Price's, crossed the Black Fork of Symmes creek, then crossed Dirty Face near Philip Lambert's mill, then up Sweet Bit, crossed the Dry Ridge road, went down a run and crossed Symmes creek near where old Henry McDaniel lived, then up Long creek, and crossing Greasy Ridge ran down Trace Fork to the forks of Indian Guyan, now Scott town; thence south or nearly so to Guyandotte. Many a Red Man of the HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 145 Forest has traversed that path." Some of the above statements are inaccurate. The description of the old Guyan trace is the only one that I have been able to find. This was the famous Indian highway from Virginia to the Shawanese towns on the Scioto, and it had been in use for centuries when the whites entered the country. Many a white captive has toiled along this trail, every step taking him farther from home and kindred, and, in many instances, taking him nearer to the spot where he was to die at the stake. Many a, young child, unable to keep up with its captors, was slain on this trail and left for wild beasts to feed upon, as in the case of the little daughter of Mrs. Martin already mentioned DARLING'S INTERVIEW—James H. Darling, then living in the west, visited this county a few years before his death, and while here he called upon me an furnished the following facts about the pioneers: "My father's name was Timothy Darling. He came to Ohio in 1815 from Wood county, Virginia, and settled on Pigeon creek, where Coalton now is. Jackson county had not been organized then. My mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Cook, and she was a sister of Nancy Cook, who married John James, after whom Jamestown was named. I had two brothers and three sisters, viz: William, Derrick, Barsheba, Elizabeth C. and Aurora. Aurora married Isaac Brown, son of Nathan Brown. Aurora married Charles Love. Elizabeth C. died unmarried, and was the first person buried in the Jamestown cemetery. I was born December 30, 1813, and was only two years old when my family moved to Ohio. My father soon purchased the property now known as the Hippel place, and there is where I grew up. I used to come to Jackson to Sunday school in the old Court House. There were two salt wells here that I remember. A man by the name of Aldridge had a salt well near the old Horse creek bridge, and Givens' salt we I was on Givens' Run. There were only four houses of any size Jackson then. There was the old Miller house on Main street, a brick house. The house of Richmond stood where the Orange Furnace property was afterward. Richmond was killed 146 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. by a falling tree in a storm near Runkle's bridge. There was the Hooper Hurst house. It stood on the point on Main street, not far from where the Ruf property is now. The Donnally House was the first hotel here and stood on Water street, opposite the Hatton residence. This hotel was afterward called the Warren House. There were a great many log cabins here and nearly all of them were strung along Salt creek below Water street, and were called Poplar Row. The salt boilers lived in them. I remember that the old Givens' house stood near Fulton Furnace. I used to go to a horse mill near Berlin, owned by Zephaniah Brown. It stood near the Cross Roads. We would take our own horses to work the mill. I also went sometimes to Jared Strong's mill, on Salt creek. It stood near where Bierly lived afterward. I think Jared Strong came to Jackson from the neighborhood where Wilkesville is now. Jared Strong was the first representative of this county. He had three sons that I remember, Jared, Stephen and Jehiel. Jehiel was killed when his father was in Columbus attending the Legislature. He was riding horseback, going to the house of McKinniss to a frolic. It was winter time and the creek was out and the water frozen. When near Jacob Sell's house, his horse fell and injured him, and he died. His father did not reach home until after his death. I remember going after salt once to Judge Givens' salt works on Givens' Run. Salt was measured and not weighed then. They stopped making salt on account of the scarcity of wood and the failure of the salt wells. The salt that I got was white. My father, Timothy Darling, died in 1830. I was married in 1833 to Rachel Howe. She died last winter in Kansas. She was a sister of Tacy Howe, the wife of Peter Bunn, the pioneer. He owned the old cemetery south of Jackson. They began burying in it at a very early day. Charles O'Neil is buried there. I remember when he died. He was county treasurer then. He had one child that I remember, Mary O'Neil, and my wife used to play with her when they were little girls. O'Neil's widow married Vincent Southard afterward. One of the old citizens buried in the old cemetery was Dr. Mussett. I knew Daniel Perry, the ex-sheriff. He was a carpenter, and died in Jackson township. HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 147 knew George W. Hale, Stephen Vaughn and Joseph W. Ross. Rev. David C. Bolles was a preacher, and I remember his death. He has a box vault in the old cemetery. (Rev. David Bolles died April 20, 1840, aged 47 years.—Ed.) I haye heard of Jonathan Gilkeson and John Runkle, but never saw them. The stars fell in 1833, the year I was married. The stars fell all night, like drops of rain. The great flood occurred in Jackson December 10, 1847. There was a stranger drowned on the Athens road, near where Tropic Furnace is. I knew James Hughes, the man who started The Standard, well. He married a sister of William Ma s er and went west. Henry Rout was an old settler, and lived on Salt creek. John James was my uncle. He came here f om James Island, in the Ohio river, near Marietta. John D. Ja n es was his only son. Daniel Hoffman married my cousin, Julia James. He lived where the Gibson House stands and had his store where the Sternberger Building stands. He sold out the Salt Lick Reserve for the state. Mrs. Elihu Johnson, Mrs. Alexander Miller and Mrs. Andrew Long were three other cousins. Muster Day was an important event in early times. Jared Strong, Captain Kincaid, George W. Hale and others used to be officers. General muster was held usually about the middle of September. THE END—In 1817 the State, with the consent of the General Government, donated Section 29, of the Scioto Salt Reserve, for the site of the new county seat, the town of Jackson. A joint resolution of the Ohio General Assembly adopted January 3, 1818, declared that experiments at the Scioto salt works, had failed to find water of a sufficient quality to render it an object to the State to retain lands reserved at said works, and asked permission of the General Government to sell the lands. Congress was slow to act, and the Legislature on February 18, 1820, authorized the agent to lease la ds for cultivation or pasture. An act of January 25, 1823, fixe the agent's salary at $60 a year. Congress acted at last, and on December 28, 1824, it passed a law permitting the state to sell its salt lands, and directing that the proceeds be applied 148 - HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY. to such literary purposes as said Legislature may hereafter direct. On February 7, 1825, the Legislature passed a law providing for the survey of the salt lands, and for making two maps of the same, a report of all to be made by December 25, 1825. The agent em-ployed Hon. Joseph Fletcher, of Gallipolis, to make the survey, and the whole tract was laid out in eighty acre lots. The Legisla-ture on February 7, 1826, passed a law providing for the sale of the Scioto Salt Reserve in June of that year, the sale to be held for three days, and the lots remaining unsold to be disposed of at private sale. There was no further use for the office of agent of the Scioto salt works, and it was abolished, and all laws relat-ing. to leasing salt lands repealed, by an act passed January 26, 1827, the disposal of the lands being placed in the hands of Daniel Hoffman, the agent for selling lands. Thus ends the history of the Scioto salt works as state property. HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY - 149 MISCELLANY. A SOUTHERN TERM—The term plantation was common in the early history of the county, and was an importation from the South. Some of the Virginians retained southern words and expressions as long as they lived. The Virginians brought many things with them that revealed their origin. They settled, as a rule, near a spring, and planted calamus in the swale where s waters ran. These calamus patches were the drugstores of the pioneers, and they yet remain in places to mark the site the pioneer's settlement. One of the largest tracts, that the Ater remembers, is on the north end of the William H. Howell farm, in Jefferson township. TOWNSHIP NAMES—Jackson county was named in honor of General Andrew Jackson, who had made himself famous by winning the battle of New Orleans The county was at first divided into five townships, viz: Bloomfield, Franklin, Lick, Madison and Milton. The last was named for the great poet, two others for two American statesmen, and Lick on account of the salt springs within its bounds. Other townships organized the same year, 1816, were Scioto, Jackson, Hamilton and Clinton. The first. was named after the river of that name, and the others in honor of three distinguished Americans. A few years later two other townships were organized, and named for the first and third Presi dents. The journal entries relating to them are as follows: WASHINGTON—On application by petition in writing on sundry citizens, within the following boundaries, to me, auditor of Jackson county, be it therefore hereby known that Washington township shall be bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of the reserve for the Scioto salt works and run ning on the north line of the reserve to the southeast corner Section No. 7 in Lick township; thence northwest so as to include