464 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

CHAPTER XV.*

ZANE TOWNSHIP - EARLY SETTLEMENT- LIFE IN THE WOODS-PIONEER INDUSTRIES - GROWTH , SOCIETY - CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS.

ZANE is the oldest township in Logan County. The changes of over three-quarters of a century have passed over the scene until at this day, looking backward through the receding years, we can scarcely realize the hardships, the trials and the sorrows of those who made this wilderness to blossom with the flowers of an advancing civilization. Nature, ever bountiful, seemed to lavish her gifts on this section of country. In its primeval state there was presented almost every feature that could delight the simple "sons of the forest." and charm the pioneer. Its beautifully undulating surface, the mighty forest trees of walnut, maple, poplar and oak, the soft murmur of its rippling creeks and babbling brooks, the lime-stone springs welling from the rocks, cool and refreshing-above all, its fertile soil, early attracted the rude savage and later called forth the admiration and energetic impulses of the frontiersman.

The Big Darby Creek takes its source just beyond the north boundary of Zane Township, at a limestone spring on the farm of Joseph Outland. It flows through the northeastern portion of this township, receiving, near where it leaves, the waters of Mill Branch, and a short distance further south, in Champaign County, the waters of Big Branch, which latter stream drains the back lands of the southern and western portions of Zane township. Mill Branch, itself a considerable stream, takes its rise in a low swamp, abounding in springs, on the western boundary line of the township, within a few feet of the head waters of the historical Mackachack.

* Contributed by L. S. Wells.

Both streams head in this swamp, which contains about 100 acres, and is the largest in this section. This low land seems to be the break in that limestone belt. or water-shed. which traverses the township northwest and southeast, forming the dividing line between the waters of the Scioto and those of the Great Miami. Formerly older swamps abounded in the township but through the exertions of the progressive farmers of this section they have been drained, leaving a soil rich and exceedingly productive. At the present time the land is well cleared and under cultivation. fine system of the under-drainage prevails throughout the township, making the tillable land especially valuable. No other township in the State possesses so many maple sugar "camps," forming thereby an industry third only to wheat and corn.

Zane Township is situated in the extreme southeastern part of Logan County, and is composed entirely of Virginia Military land. It was one of four original townships, into which Logan County was divided, and formerly comprised within its boundaries what is now Perry and Bokes Creek. Its present boundaries are as follows: On the north by Perm Township, on the east by Liberty and Allen Townships, in Union County; on the south by Rush and Wayne Townships, in Champaign County, and on the west by Monroe Township. The chief production: are wheat, corn and maple sugar. Stock raising also receives considerable attention. It contains but one village, that of Middleburg, situated in the north central part of the township, ship, on the highest point of land in this section


HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 465

Zane Township received its name from Isaac Zane, who was born in 1753, in Virginia, and at an early age was taken prisoner by the Wyandots and carried to Detroit. He grew to manhood among them, and married a squaw of that nation. Soon after the Greenville Treaty he bought a tract of land, consisting of 1,800 acres, where the town of Zanesfield now stands, and died there in 1816.

Perhaps the first entry of land was made by Robert Power, March 17, 1800, and consisted of a 2,000 acre tract in the eastern part of the township. This tract was subsequently divided between Lucas Sullivant and General Duncan McArthur.



The first settlements made in either Champaign or Logan Counties were indirectly the result of Wagner's campaign on the Maumee. When the army in part disbanded at the Maumee Rapids, after the defeat of the Indians and the consummation of the Greenville Treaty, the soldiers, many of whom came from Virginia and Kentucky, returned to their homes, bearing glorious accounts of the magnificence of this locality. Soon a wave of emigration set in toward the head waters of the Great Miami and the Mad Rivers, bearing upon its crest Job Sharp, the first white settler in either Logan or Champaign County, lie was a native of New Jersey, but entered the to northwestern territory from Culpepper Co., Va., locating near Chillicothe in 1800. He remained here but a short time, and then with his family, consisting of Phebe, his wife, his son, Joshua, and daughters, Achsah and Sarah, together with his son-in-law, Carlisle Haines, a mere lad, he started with a four-horse team for the head waters of the Mackachack, and arrived in what is now lane Township, and settled on the farm now owned by Lucius Cochran, on Christmas day, 1801, locating on part of the tract surveyed by Levi Sullivant in 1797. Of that long journey through the them unbroken wilderness and the hardships endured, none are now living who shared them. Suffice it to say, that immediately upon his arrival, with the help of his family, a rude structure was erected, which sewed to protect thorn from the inclemency of the weather. In the spring a small clearing was made, upon which they raised a crop. Thus, in the midst of the mighty forest which stretched for miles in every direction, and in whose shades lurked the Indian and his still more savage companions, the wolf and panther, beleaguered by the terrible privations of pioneer life, then was planted the germ of that civilization which to-day flourishes throughout the length and breadth of this section. Job Sharp died on January 13, 1822. His wife, Phebe, who survived him a short time, was a remarkable woman, being for many years the only physician in this locality, and well versed, it is said, in those simple but effective remedies that were used in curing diseases which prevailed in pioneer settlements. She was highly esteemed by all the early settlers, and her dying request was that he should be buried, not in the cemetery, but at the roadside, so that her friends might see her grave when passing, and thus call to mind her beneficence. Her request was complied with, and to-day a plain stone, with her initials upon it, marks her resting-place. Both the girl, are dead, and Joshua has also departed. In 1802, Esther, daughter of Job Sharp, who had married Thomas Antrim in Virginia, and had moved with her husband to Chillicothe, came up to the little settlement alone, on horse-back on a visit to her parents. They were so overjoyed at seeing her that they insisted upon her remaining and sending for her husband. This was done, and in 1803 Thomas Antrim, the second settler in this locality, entered the township, settling upon his father-in-law's farm. By trade, he was a blacksmith, and proved a valuable adjunct to the


466 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

little community. He was also a Quaker preacher, earner, and thus, side by side with the advance of the settlement, grew up and expanded the Christianizing influences of that denomination, its early start showing, in a striking manner, the deep religious character of the first settlers. Thomas Antrim and his wife are both dead. Their son, Daniel Antrim, was the first white child born in either Union, Champaign or Clarke Counties. His birth took place in 1804, and he died in April, 1879.

The same year, 1803, John Sharp, brother of Job Sharp, who hod remained behind his brother in Virginia, followed after and settled in the immediate vicinity, He began to improve and clear his land, harassed, however, by all the drawbacks incident. to pioneer life. He reared a family of eight sans and three daughters. He died at the advanced age of 98, universally beloved and respected. Many of his descendants are well-to-do citizens of this township.

Moses Euans, an old Revolutionary soldier, at the earnest solicitation of Job Sharp, , who had known him well in Virginia, and had sent him accounts of the settlement in Zane Township, came up to the Sharp settlement in 1803 on horseback. Satisfying himself in regard to tale fertility of the soil, the excellent climate, etc., he returned to Virginia and purchased several military claims. In 1804, with his family, he started for Zane Township, but reaching Chillicothe at the beginning of the winter season, he remained there until the following year, when, with a five-horse team, he started and came through to the settlement, locating his claims on the land now occupied by his grandchildren. His two sons, William and Joseph, served in the war of 1812 - the latter as captain. None of his family survive him. The year 1805 witnessed the settlement of James and Joseph Stokes. They were both born in Culpepper County, Virginia. James brought with him his wife, a daughter of Moses Euans. They settled in Zane Township, and put up the first frame house in this township. This frame house was a great curiosity to the whites and Indians. Joseph was a Lieutenant in the war of 1812, and after its close engaged in the mercantile business. He also served as County Commissioner for many years.



Quite an influx of settlers took place the following year, 1806. In that year came Daniel Garwood with his sons. Jose, Daniel and Jonathan, and daughters, Patience and Sarah; John and Joshua Inskeep and their families; Robert Ray and his son, Joseph, all from Culpepper, Virginia; Joshua Outland, from the State of North Carolina, and Joshua Ballinger, from New Jersey. The Garwoods early became prominent citizens of this section; Jose in particular, having received more than an ordinary education, was given several positions of trust and honor. He served with distinction in the war of 1812, and was appointed Brigade Inspector under Gen. McArthur, Arthur, with whom he was on very intimate terms. All the members of the family are now dead.

The Inskeep brothers were related by marriage to the Garwoods, and came to Ohio in 1805, settling on Darby Plains, near Milford Centre. Preferring the uplands, they moved to this locality the following year. No man played a more prominent part in the early history of the township than John Inskeep. He served as the first Justice of the Peace in what is now Zane and Perry Townships, his commission bearing date November 16, 1816, and the signature of Thomas Worthington, Governor of Ohio. He was elected to the Legislature from Champaign County when it embraced what is now Logan and Clarke Counties, and, in 1816, conjointly with Reuben Wallace, Member of Legislature, and


HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 467

Daniel McKinnon, Senator, procured the separation of the three counties. He was a local minister, first in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and subsequently in the Methodist Protestant Church, assisting in the establishment of the first church of the former denomination in this vicinity. He died in 1859. His son, William Inskeep, now living, was the second male white child born in the county, the date being January 29, 1807; William is also a minister in the Methodist Protestant Church.

Joshua Inskeep also became an influential citizen. Like his brother, he was a minister in the Methodist Church. The brick house that he built a most substantial structure, now standing on the farm of Alonzo P. West is perhaps the oldest now used as a residence in the township. It is said of him that it was no uncommon thing for him to entertain on Quarterly Meeting occasions fifty to seventy-five people, such was his hospitality. He is dead. Many of his descendants are still residents of the township.

All of Josiah Outland's worldly effects were transported from Jackson County in North Carolina-the "Pine Tar'' State-to Zane Township in a one-horse cart. The trip was over the mountains, and it was six weeks from the time he started before he reached his destination. He settled in the extreme northern part of what is now Zane Township, and it is from a spring near his house that the Big Darby takes its rise. He and his wife reared a family of eleven sons and five daughters, all of the former settling around their father in such proximity that it is said they were all able to hear him call his stock to be fed. The names of his sons gave rise to the following happy stanza, current a quarter of a century ago, and said to owe its origin to the reply of an old lady at a quilting party, who, in answer to the question, What were the names of Josiah Outland's sons? replied: There is Jerry, Rob and John, Bill, Edd and Tom, Pete, John and Joe, Sam and Ezrio.

The good old dame corrupted the last name slightly-we suppose to preserve the rhyme. Josiah Outland lived to be 86 years of age. He was a member of the Friends' Church.

John Warner and John Cowgill came to the settlement in 1807; Warner was a native of N New Jersey, and served in the frontier armies for sis years, fighting for some time under Wayne, being in the litter's army when it disbanded ; he immediately passed north into Canada, where he married and settled. Job Sharp had known Warner, hiring met him in the East, and the two had become fast friends, but Sharp had lost sight of him for several years ; accidentally hearing where he was located, through an Indian trader, he sent him a letter, asking him to come to Zane Township and settle. Warner, immediately acting upon the suggestion of Sharp, left his plow standing in the furrow, and, gathering his household effects, crossed to the American side. Placing his goods in a dug-out canoe, he "poled" along the American shore until he reached the mouth of the Maumee River, passed up the river to the mouth of the Auglaize River, poled up that stream until his further progress was checked by drift-wood, when he secured his canoe, and striking across the country, accompanied by his wife, he reached the hospitable cabin and received a hearty welcome from his old friend, Job Sharp. The next day, Sharp, in company with Warner, took his pack-horses and brought Warner's goods to the little settlement. Warner located on Mill Branch, about one mile south of the present village of Middleburg; ; he and his wife are both dead: Cowgill came from the Old Dominion, and, when he first entered Ohio, located in




468 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. .

Columbiana County; he came to Zane and settled in the southern part of the township.

Abishai Warner, brother of John Warner, joined his brother in Zane Township, in 1809, after a separation of over twenty years ; he brought with him his wife, four sons and four daughters ; the names of his sons were-Isaac, Samuel, David and Jesse. Isaac was a great hunter and trapper, and it is said that many times the family were kept from suffering for want of food by his skill as a marksman ; he was also a scout in the war of 1812. . The father, Abishai, served as one of the first Trustees in the township. Samuel is the only one of the family living, and of all the pioneers, he alone remains - a man 77 years of age; he has the use of all his faculties, and preserves his early vigor to a remarkable degree; at present he resides in Portersburg, Union County.

Joseph Curl came to Ohio from Lynchburg, Va., in 1801, and settled in Columbiana County ; in 1809, he purchased part of the farm of Job Sharp, and, accompanied by his son, Joseph Stratton Curl, he came to the settlement, in this township. Deceived by the deer licks in this locality that there was an abundance of salt. which was very scarce and difficult to procure, he bean to bore for the same, and it is said that he spent over $1,000 a very large sum of money in those days- in his fruitless endeavor.

Dr. John D. Elbert, of Kentucky, was the first physician in this township. He came in 1809, and settled on the farm now owned by Job Bishop. He was one of the founders of the first Methodist Episcopal Church, and died on his way to visit a patient, December 25, 1838. The epitaph upon his grave-stone expresses the opinion of those who knew him well. It is as follows: "Dr. Elbert was a good physician, an honest man, a sincere Christian and truly the friend of the poor and afflicted. He died in the 67th year of his age."

Samuel Ballinger and his sons, John and Joshua, came here from the Old Dominion in 1810. They first located on a farm on the edge of what is now Middleburg. Joshua married Delilah, daughter of John Inskeep, the first white female child born in the township. She still survives. Walter Marshall, a native of the "Blue Grass'' State, came the same year and located in the southwestern part of the township on a tract of land adjoining Dr. Elbert's. He died recently.

Thomas Seger was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and located in the southern part of Zane in 1811. His house, which had been built in a very substantial manner, was frequently used as a block-house, and here the settlers would gather on the rumor of a threatened Indian invasion.

The earliest settlers were noted for their hospitality. Whoever came among them, though a stranger, they shared with him their humble but wholesome food; and, indeed, such was their generosity that ofttimes they would deny themselves for the purpose of ministering to the wants of their guest.

Their domestic economy was simple, because cause their wants were few and their demands easily satisfied. Their little log cabin was to them a home whose memory was long cherished, even after a better building had usurped its place; and at this day the oldest inhabitants speak with delight of the many happy moments spent in the pioneer home. In the earlier days of the settlement, the men wore breeches and roundabouts of tanned deerskin, with shirts of homespun. The women wore kirtles of doeskin, while linen and linsey-wolsey served in place of the homespun garments of the men. It was not until 1823 that Lot Inskeep opened the first store in a small cabin near the old Inskeep sawmill, and sold pins, needles, tinware, and a little English calico. Previous to this time, the only goods soul were by an Indian trader at


HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY - 469

Zanesfield, named Robindi. The store of Lot Inskeep was subsequently moved to Garwood Mills by Joseph Stokes, who succeeded Inskeep.



Shoe packs and moccasins were the only coverings for the feet. The latter were made by the Indians from deerskin; the former were made from hogskin, and consisted of a piece of skin large enough to cover the foot, which was lapped across the front and then sewed up from the toe to the instep, where an opening was left to insert the foot. The heel was then sewed up, forming quite a comfortable covering. When the weather was very cold, then were lined with wool and were half-soled. Shoes were subset subsequently made by traveling shoemakers, who would come into the settlement and manufacture am number of them for fifty cents a pair. Traveling tinkers used to journey from settlement to settlement, and remelting all the old pewter dishes and platters that had been broken or worn out, would recast them. In 1818, the Connecticut (Yankee) clock peddlers made their appearance for the first time, and clocks became an institution in all the well-to-do families. It was some time before scissors came into the settlement; and it is related of Mrs. Lydia A. Marquis that, in making a quilt, she was compelled to cut the blocks out with a knife, as there was not a pair of shears in the settlement. For salt they were either compelled to travel to Portland, now Sandusky City, or to Chillicothe. They generally went through with a load of wheat, and returned with salt and other necessary commodities. In the fall of 1810, Abishai Warner went to the latter settlement and bought a bushel of salt, paying for the same $13. Several projects for making salt from deerlicks were attempted, but in all cases signally failed, after a considerable outlay of money. In later times, previous to the building of the Cincinnati, Sandusky and Cleveland Railroad, the wheat was all hauled to Portland, a distance of 100 miles, the entire trip occupying nine days. The price of wheat in the settlement in 1842 was 50c. per bushel, while at Portland it brought $1. A load consisted of twenty-five bushels, and the teamsters usually went through in companies, camping out on the way. The barter price of wheat was a bushel of salt, no matter what was the price of wheat; and salt and leather would usually constitute the load back. Sugar was also produced for the market, and. brought from 5c. to 6c. per pound, and molasses from 50c. to 60.c. per gallon. Ginseng found a ready market at 8c. per pound for green and 25c dried, and many a maiden fair arrayed herself in stylish English calico from the proceeds of what she dug out of the ground. Meal was the staple article, and formed the foundation of the pioneers' supplies.

In the year 1808, the greatest consternation prevailed in the little settlement on account of the failure of the corn crop. Jose Garwood, in a manuscript written a few days before his death, relates that in that year Dan Garwood, Moses Euans and George Harris, with a fire-horse team, went to Chillicothe to get a load for the use of the settlement; and Jose himself, then quite a boy, went along to rule the fifth horse as then threaded their way on the zigzag road down the Darby. He further relates that wheat was not planted until 1808. The first crop, when made into bread and eaten, made every one sick, and the experiment was not tried again until the war of 1812. The principal meat was venison and other wild game which the forest afforded. When a long, cold winter compelled the game to seek other localities, the settlers often suffered for want of meat. Edmund Outland relates that his father's family lined at one time nearly two months without bread, and at the same period meat also became very scarce. One morning, after being without food iii' any kind for some


470 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

time, his mother went to the spring near the cabin, and saw two pigeons. With joy, she returned to the house, and informing her husband, he immediately went down and shot them. These were thankfully eaten.

The first cook-stove introduced into the township created a profound sensation. It was purchased by Dr. John Elbert in 1839. The second one was purchased by Jose Garwood. They each cost $55, and were paid for in dressed hogs at $2 per hundredweight. Strange as it may seem, this introduction of stoves was. considered an unwarranted innovation by the good people, and they were treated with distrust and contempt, many preferring to bake their "Johnny cake'' on the board and "hoe cake" in the ashes, the "pone" in the oven over the fire-place, and the wheaten loaf in the old-fashioned tin reflector beside the large open fire-place. For their supply of kettles, both for house use and for making maple sugar, the settlers had to go to the Mary Ann Furnace in Licking County; and when the old ten-plate stove for heating churches, school-houses, and occasionally the "best room," made its advent, quite a trade was carried on from that point

Farming utensils were also very slow in their introduction, and meeting the favor of the settlers. The first left-handed plow was brought into the township in 1841, and was made by John Cooper of Urbana. Previous to this time, the plow in use was the right handed one, consisting of a wooden moldboard and shod with an iron point.



The grain in the early times was tramped out with horses or pounded out with a flail. The first threshing machine was a crude affair, but, of course, created a great sensation in the township. Its characteristic feature was its huge wings which beat the grain out. The machine was owned by a man named William Brown, and was first operated on the farm of Jose Garwood.

Stock, as a general thing ran wild in the woods, but at night they had to be carefully housed. Hogs were long, lank and dangerous. Many having escaped, ran wild in the woods, and became very ferocious. Samuel Warner, while on his way through the woods, was attacked by a drove of these wild hogs, and pressed so hard that he took to a tree, where he was compelled to remain for a number of hours, the hogs in the meantime tearing the bark from the bottom of the tree with their huge tusks. After some years it was necessary to hunt these hogs like other wild game, so numerous and dangerous had they become. In the bear, however, the hogs had a formidable enemy, and it, is said that a hog that could not outrun a bear had no show for an existence. Cows would often get lost in the woods, and not infrequently, when found, would be mired in some lick or spring. On account of the wild pasture, the milk would often become tainted, thus inducing what was known as milk sickness, which did not disappear until time pastures became the feeding ground for the cows. Of course it was necessary that the cattle, hogs, sheep and horses should have some mark by which each individual could distinguish his own animals. This was done in several ways, by slitting, cropping and cutting the ears, and having each peculiar mark registered with the Township Clerk.

Wild animals caused the settlers a great deal of trouble, and were very numerous in early times. Bears, especially at times, were quite bold, as the following incident shows: In very early times as a wife of one of the settlers was busily engaged with her household affairs, she was suddenly startled by the loud barking of the house dog, followed by the screams of her three-year-old child.

Rushing into the yard, to her horror she beheld a full-grown bear perched on a low outbuilding. and the faithful dog standing


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guard over the child, which was only saved from a horrible death by its sagacity. The mother snatched her child from it's perilous situation, and called her husband from an adjoining "clearing," who quickly shot the bear. The wolves, both on account of their sagacity and ferociousness, were a terrible pest, necessitating the enactment of a law for their extirpation. It was almost impossible for the early farmers to raise a flock of sheep, as a few of these animals would kill an entire flock in a short time. They were very watchful, and as they traveled mostly at night, it was hard to shoot them. Job Garwood and Isaac Warner, induced by the premium of $5 a scalp, made a specialty of trapping them. This was accomplished by either a dead-fall or the steel trap. It is related as a fact that when a wolf was caught in a steel trap, and the trap was fastened to a tree or stake, that the wolf would gnaw its leg off to escape. Rattlesnakes also infested the country, having their dens in the limestone cliffs along the creeks. Raccoons were also a. great pest, destroying the corn and other productions of the settlers. Thus, a farmer who produced a good crop, and saved his stock, could be congratulated. The first orchard was set out by Job Sharp, in 1802. The same year, his wife planted, near the house, a sprig of a pear which she had brought from Mitchell's, down near Urbana. as a ruling whip. Strange as it may appear, this little sprig took root, and grew into a fine, large tree. Some vandal hand drove a spike into the tree many years ago, causing it to decay in the interior, Hut it has preserved enough vitality to bear fruit even at this late day. In 1810, Johnny Applleseed, a personage familiar in almost ever settlement at an early day, and whose name is yet held in regard and respect in the locality, planted a nursery on the farm of Joshua Inskeep. Many an old orchard in Zane Township owes its origin to the foresight of this truly remarkable man, and, as long as the traditions of this locality will be cherished, the name of Jonathan Chapman will linger among the people.

"And if they enquire whence come these trees

Where not a bough once swayed in the breeze,

The answer still comes as they travel on-

These trees were planted by Appleseed John."



Such is the productive character of some of these trees, that one on the farm of John Inskeep has keen known to Hear as many as sixty bushels of apples in one year.

Death, the inexorable iconoclast, found its first victim in Henry Jones, known throughout the settlement as Grandfather Jones, in March, 1810. His body was interred in the Quaker graveyard. The first marriage was drat of William Euans and Rachel Stokes, which occurred in 1811.

The Indians loved this locality with all the passion of their race, and often, after having been driven from its sylvan fastnesses, they would wander back in obedience to a law - innate, higher than instinct-that of love for home and childhood associations. Previous to the war of 1812, the Indians were much more numerous than the whites, and were warlike. The steady and aggressive push of the whites had driven them to desperation, which only succumbed at the defeat on the Maumee by Mad Anthony Wayne, and sunk out of sight upon the death of Tecumseh, in the battle of the Thames. The tribes represented in this locality were the Shawnees, Mingoes, Wyandotts, Delawares and Pottawatamies, of which the latter seemed the most offensive, and were distinguished from all the other tribes by their complexion being of a darker hue. As a necessary consequence, the pioneers never felt safe with the Indians within striking distance, and when the discouraging news of Hull's surrender reached this locality; when the alarm was sounded that the Indians were massacring all along the


472 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

border; when Procter's threat, that he would march to Chillicothe, became known-the utmost terror prevailed, and a number of blockhouses were built in anticipation of a speedy and sudden attack. But this did not occur, and the Indians that came to the settlement after the war of 181;2, were generally friendly. They entered the settlement for the purpose of trading, and did so while on their way to and from the Indian towns at the north to their cornfields south on the Darby Plains. Their articles of barter consisted of skins, furs, moccasins, etc., but generally they had beautiful worked baskets, made of many colored stripes, taken from the box-alder. These baskets they filled with cranberries, which latter could be bought for fifty cents a bushel. They generally received in exchange meal, potatoes, salt, and, under some circumstances, whisky. The squaws, as a rule, did all the work, and the perseverance and ingenuity manifested by them is still retained in the stories of pioneer times. Lane Township is celebrated for its maple sugar camps, but the Indians made sugar in this locality long before the white man had learned of its valve, and, even after the country became settled, they would return to the camp for this purpose. The squaws, of course, did all the work, and their manner of proceeding was as follows: To tap the tree they struck an underhand lick with a squaw-hatchet, which ax is described as having an eye like an old-fashioned weeding hoe, a long blade, and weighed generally from one and a half to two pounds. They then would split long, thin strips of wood, eight or ten inches long, and drive them into the split in the tree, so that the sap would run into the elm bark troughs. These troughs were made as follows: Finding a. tree of the proper dimensions, they would cut round the trunk in length about three feet, and peeling it off would trim it with their butcher knives so thin that it became pliable. They would then gather or pucker the ends, so that, by the bulging of the middle, a trough would be formed. They would then tie up the ends with elm bark string. To keep the middle from coming together, when the bark began to dry, a cross-stick was placed in the inside. These troughs were generally made in the spring and placed in a shanty to dry, so that they would be ready for the ensuing; year. The shanties were also constructed by the women, and consisted of a framework of poles upon which was placed a covering of elm bark. These shanties were very durable and were seen standing many years after the Indians had left the locality. Samuel Warner related an incident of seven squaws cutting down a large forest oak, and the only implements used were three of these squaw hatchets. The work, it is said, took them seven days and they never left the work day or night, and when the tree was felled, eleven coons compensated them for their labor and saved them from starvation. Although the Indians were generally friendly, the following incident shows that the settlers had to be ever upon the alert: When Samuel Warner was ten years of age, he, in company with his brother David, was one day sent by his father to attend to a charcoal heap, that the latter was burning, when a renegade Indian, known as Indian John and a reputed thief and dangerous man, came suddenly upon them, and, without saying a word, drew from the pocket of an old overcoat, which he had on, a piece of tangled rope, which he immediately began to untangle meanwhile approaching the boys. Believing his suspicious movements boded no good, Sam dispatched his brother to the house, which was at quite a distance, for their father, while he continued to rake up the dirt on the heap, determining to do his best with the ugly iron rake which ha was using, while he contrived to move away from the Indian, who followed around after him, leisurely




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unwinding the rope. Suddenly the father came breathlessly running, and John slipped the rope into his pocket, denying that he had one. The father, warning the Indian against another such a visit, told him to make off, which he did, and was never seen in the settlement again. After the war of 1812, the Indians did not appear in this locality in great numbers. and soon ceased to come only at great intervals, finally disappearing altogether. The Wyandotts, who had a reservation at what is now Upper Sandusky were the last to leave and the ruins of their old mission church can yet be seen in that town.

As has been noticed above. there were numerous deerlicks in this locality. and to these licks deer in great numbers used to repair. Joseph Curl had a terrible encounter with a wounded buck near one of these licks, Having shot the animal, and supposing g also that he had killed it. he went up to it fur the purpose of sticking it. when the buck suddenly sprang to its feet and charged Curl, trying to impale him upon his antlers, which he only avoided by dodging around a tree. For a time the battle seemed in favor of the animal; but at last, by a lucky stab, Curl disabled him. and finally killed him. In all probability, if the buck had not been badly wounded at the start, he would have been more than a match for his antagonist. So plentiful were the deer Hurt Samuel Warner relates that he has killed as many as three in ten minutes, without leaving his tracks, while wild turkeys could be shot any time from the door of the cabin.

The pioneers. as a general rule. were men of great strength. agility and endurance. One of Joseph Curl's sons, Marion, was noted for his fleetness and agility. It is stated on the best of authority that he has been known to jump fifty feet on a level in what is known as a hop, skip and jump. In bravery he was surpassed by none. He was killed in the war, but, like Col. Bowie at the Alamo it was not until seven of his assailants had been ; killed that he was compelled to succumb to superior numbers.

The home of the famous Simon Kenton was in this township when it included Zanesfield, and even after the divisive he used to frequently be seen in this locality. He related to Samuel Warner that once, when a captive among the Indians. he picked up a papoose and threw it into a kettle of boiling hominy. and in the excitement that ensued made good his escape.

On the 2nd day of June. 1816, an alarm was sounded through the settlement in Zane Township that the little son of James Curl, aged seven years. had keen lost in the woods. At this late day the alarm of a lost child will produce consternation, but words cannot depict the excruciating agony that was conveyed in those two words when this country was a wilderness. and the great forest heard only the tread of wild beasts-knew no track but the Indian war trail. The child, in company with two of his elder brothers. had gone into the woods for the purpose of hunting wild gooseberries. His two brothers. growing tired, returned home, leaving him to follow; but he, continuing his hunt. soon wandered so far that he was unable to find the trail back to his father s cabin. Night came on, and the little waif took refuge in a tree-top. The next day he wandered forth. his only food being wild gooseberries and wild onions. Toward evening he laid down, and was visited by two animals supposed to have been wolves, but they did not molest him. From this time on until the eighth day he wandered through the woods. subsisting on the wild berries that he could find. while the only protection that he had against the wild beasts was his innocency and little hands. He said, in relating his adventure, that one day a large black. woolly dog came up to him, and


474 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

he put his hands on it and petted it. No o doubt, this dog was a black bear. All the settlers in the meantime. had turned out, but, as day after day went by and no trace of him was discovered, the parents, in despair, began to think that further search was useless. and gave him up for lost; but the little fellow traveled on until he reached the mouth of Bokes Creek, which enters into the Scioto River in Delaware Co., twenty miles from his home. Here, with his clothes hanging in shreds from his little body, and bleeding from innumerable scratches received in the woods, he found the cabin of Samuel Tyler. He entered the omen door of the cabin and stood in the middle of the floor before he was discovered, and with his pale face. emaciated form and wild look, produced about as much surprise asa wild animal would under the same circumstances. The good housewife folded the little waif to her heart, and then did everything to relieve his wants. At this cabin he was found by his brother, who returned with him to the anxious father and mother, who were overjoyed at what they considered the especial dispensation of Providence.

Mrs. James Marquis relates that she. together with a sister and two brothers, was once lost in the woods. They had all gone to a slate quarry to procure some slates, and through some cause they wandered off, and, on account of the woods having been burned over, they were unable to find the trail back to the cabin. Night coming on. the older children built a shelter of bark to protect their little sister who was only two years old. The neighborhood having been alarmed, search was made, and they were found far in the night, three miles from home, in the midst of the dense forest. Mrs. Marquis was then: only six years old, and carried her little sister all the distance.

This section has been famed from earliest times for its sugar-making, and was a favorite resort for the Indians for that purpose, as before described, and is yet said to be the greatest sugar-producing township in the State, and the value of the production is only exceeded here by that of corn and wheat. Some of the sugar houses are fitted up in a most elaborate manner, of which that of Talford Blackburn is a fair example. It consists of a large building about 20x60 feet, in one end of which is a furnace on which is a sugar pan twenty feet long and three feet wide, on one side of which are nine large kettles, while on the other side are eight flat iron pans. Into these receptacles the sap is conducted by an iron pipe from two large tanks, called store troughs, in an adjoining building, while the sap. by an ingenious arrangement, is changed from one pan to another, according to its varying conditions, until it is finally "sugared off." The capacity of such a furnace is two hundred barrels per day, but the amount usually handled is from one hundred to one hundred and fifty barrels. The cost of fitting up such a camp, including buckets, crocks. hauling barrels, etc., is from $800 to $1,000. The larger camps contain from 1,000 to 3,000 vessels, and produce per annum from 2,000 to 5,000 pounds of sugar at an average of about l0 cents per pound Thirty thousand dollars worth of sugar was formerly considered an average yield for the township, and twenty-five years ago one camp is said to have produced over 25,000 pounds. but the sugar interest is now on the decline.

The fathers of many of the earliest settlers in this township were soldiers in the Revolutionary War, and a few of the pioneers themselves acted their part in that great struggle and in the Indian wars which, for years, blazed along our frontiers. "Mad" Anthony's overthrow of the Indians at the Maumee Rapids, and the crushing defeat at the battle of Tippecanoe, had the effect. however. of checking


HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 475

the Indians in their depredations. and it was only through the insidious and malicious machinations of the British agents, in 1811, that they were again prevailed upon to dig up the hatchet and take sides against the Americans - a policy reprehended at home and bitterly censured among all civilized nations. They joined the British, and the first knowledge of that fact came from the lurid glare of the burning cabins which blazed a foreboding beacon light along our defenceless borders. The news of Hull's disgraceful surrender of the fort at Detroit spread consternation and alarm among the settlers. A company was at once organized. consisting of nearly all the able bodied men in the settlement, and Zanesfield. then a part of this township. became a frontier post. The garrison at that point narrowly escaped an attack and surprise by a mere accident. A few soldiers. who were out on a scouting expedition some miles from the post, had gotten up one morning early for the purpose of hunting squirrels for their breakfast; after shooting quite a number they returned to their camp. and, later in the day. while scouting. came across traces of a large band of Indians. The latter, evidently, had heard the firing and had hastily decamped, supposing their movements had been discovered. The strong log house of Job Sharp was used as one point where the families of the Sharps. Warners, Inskeeps. Euans, Stoles, Ballingers and Curls gathered on a threatened attack ; from the top of the house a lookout was kept for the Indians. The house of William Seger, in the south part of the township. was used for the same purpose. Isaac Painter remembers going to a block-house, in what is now Champaign County, with his mother and her children, in company with other families, on the occasion of a threatened Indian descent. while his father was off serving as a soldier. William Inskeep recollects well the day of Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie. It was a day of unusual clearness and beauty, and, as he and his father were cutting corn, they heard the roaring of what seemed to them like distant thunder, and they considered this quite phenomenal on account of the weather. not a cloud being perceptible in any direction. It was afterwards explained to be the roar of artillery about one hundred miles away,





As early as 1825, an anti-slavery agitation was begun in this locality. Meetings were held in schoolhouses, and the matter was generally discussed by the citizens. The reason son that the agitation assumed such proportions was because the slaves, on their way north, came up this way. and of necessity the people were frequently called upon to take sides. pro or con. with the runaway slaves. The poor negroes, in escaping from their pursuers, would in passing through here, be harbored by the Quakers. The nearest station of the underground railway was at Pickereltown, in an adjoining township. They generally came north through London. Madison County, via, Marysville, to Canada. Samuel Warner relates that he once met a crowd of nine heading for the "big woods," as their pursuers were close upon them.

Money was scarce for many years, but, fortunately, there was but little use for it. Counterfeiting, however. was carried on quite extensively at one time. and a great deal of bogus money was circulated. Several parties were arrested. but, after being confined in jail for some time, were discharged for want of sufficient proof.

The great earthquake of 1811, the shock of which was felt as far west as the Mississippi River and as far South as New Orleans. was distinctly perceived in this township. Samuel Warner recollects his father running to catch the dishes in the cupboard. as they began to go through a variety of antics. and the farmers becoming very much alarmed.


476 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

The winter of 1809 is spoken of as one of most uncommon mildness. and the sugar season which followed was a failure. many not opening their camps.

Two murders occurred in this township which occasioned a great deal of excitement. The first was the killing of Capt. D. S. Norviel by Waller Marshall, Jr., at Israel Pool's. in Middleburg, on July 18, 1868. The parties, having become parties to a suit, repaired thither for the purpose of settling their difficulties. During a, scuffle between Marshall and another man, Capt. Norviel attempted to wrest a knife which Marshall had drawn for the purpose of striking his antagonist, and in the melee that ensued received a stab in the breast from which he died in a few minutes. Marshall was subsequently tried and acquitted on the ground of self-defense. On the 30th of April, 1878, there occurred in this township one of the most shocking and deplorable tragedies that have ever occurred in the history of this county. It was the killing of George W. Rockwell. Deputy Sheriff of Logan County, by Amos Inskeep. The prominence of both the parties, the especial regard in which the family of the latter (one of the oldest and most respectable in the country, together with the fact that Inskeep himself was a very talented and educated man, who had cultivated himself in a broad and liberal manner, giving especial attention to the investigation of subjects of a scientific nature, made the affair one of peculiar sadness. The circumstances in brief were these: A judgment had been rendered in favor of Sherman against Inskeep, on a libel suit. and a posse of officers had repaired to the faun of Inskeep for the purpose of levying on chattels to satisfy the claim. They were warned off by Inskeep with threats. Rockwell, pursuant to his official authority, was leading some horses from the stable when Inskeep shot him with a rifle, from the effect of which he died in a few hours. Inskeep was arrested at Plain City, as he said on his way to make a requisition on Gov. Bishop for a company of soldiers to protect his property, taken to Bellefontaine and indicted for murder in the first degree. In December, 1878, he was tried. and after thirty days the case was given to the jury. After a consultation of seventy-two hours they were unable to agree, it is said being equally divided as to insanity and murder in the second degree, and were discharged. By a change of venue he was again tried in September, 1870, in Marysville, Union County, first as to his present. insanity, and, notwithstanding the fact that as far back as 1858 he had exhibited signs of mental derangement and had been adjudged insane by the Probate Court of Logan County, he was found by the court sane enough to be tried. In November, while waiting for trial, he broke jail and returned to his farm, a distance of twelve miles, where he remained about three months. He was rearrested, tried on his indictment, found guilty of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to the Penitentiary for life, where he is now incarcerated. He was ably defended by the Hon. T. E. Powell. of Delaware, and Judge P. B. Cole, of Marysville, while Judge William West and S. L. Price as ably assisted the Prosecuting Attorney. The costs of the various suits, aside from the judgment for damages in favor of Rockwell's widow, amounted to between $16,000 and $17,000.

The first mills were hand affairs, consisting of a block of wood about three feet long and eighteen inches in diameter, in one end of which a hole was made by successive burnings, so that it would hold a quantity of corn. which was reduced to hominy or meal by a hand pestle. An improvement on the latter part was a sweep, not unlike an old-fashioned well-sweep. into one of which was inserted




HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY - 479

an upright piece, to which all iron wedge was attached to pound the corn, while the other end of the sweep was made fast. This was operated by two persons. The first grist- mill was built by Job Sharp, and was the first in Logan County. It was erected in 1803, and was the rudest kind of a corn-cracker. The lower stone was a nigger - head, and the upper a limestone, which latter, being soft, wore rapidly, and did very inferior work. A few years later, finding a flat "nigger-head," about two feet in diameter, and six or eight inches thick, by working several days he succeeded in drilling a hole through the same, and in 1807 rebuilt the mill by substituting for the brash and pole-covering a building with a clapboard roof and puncheon sides. After this, they did some custom work. Previous to this improvement, the capacity of the mill was about one bushel of corn in twenty -four hours; now they could grind as many as four bushels per day, and frequently several bags of corn could be found in the mill at one time. This mill, which has not been standing within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, is known only by tradition. There was no dam, but the water-wheel, which was about eight feet in diameter, was fed from two races, the remains of which are seen at this day, leading from two strong springs in different directions, and were united, flowing through a penstock consisting of a poplar log, into the wheel. The first flouring-mill in the township was that built by John Garwood at what is now East Liberty, in Perry Township, which was a part of Zane until 1831. It was used first as a corn-mill, and not for grinding wheat until 1812. Previous to this the settlers were compelled to go for flour to King's Creek, in what is now Champaign County, The mill gave the village which sprang up around it the name of Garwood's Mills. The first flouring-mill in what is now Zane Township was built about 1824, by Caleb Ballinger and was a one-story affair, about 25x30 feet, with one run of buhrs. This was purchased in 1831, by David and Daniel Eicher, and subsequently remodeled. It was entirely rebuilt in 1856, and is now one of the best in the county. Previous to the war of 1812, the only lumber was sawed out by hand, and Joshua Antrim, in his history of Champaign and Logan Counties, relates that the lumber for the double log house now standing on the old Sharp farm. and built in 1807, was sawed by a whip-saw. Puncheons split from logs, and worked down by hand, were mostly used. Mrs. Mary Reams has a cradle, made by John Garwood, in 1807. The boards were split from a walnut log, worked down by hand as smooth as if sawed, and then dovetailed together. The first saw-mill was erected about 1815, by Joshua Inskeep, on Mill Branch, and soon after, during a freshet, floated away. The second was made fast to a stump, and when the rains descended, and the floods came, it stood. This was followed by what was known as the Stratton Mill on the same creek, a little above the Inskeep mill. The next saw-mill was built by Jose H. Garwood, in 1831, and is the only site of the three now occupied. The first steam saw-mill was introduced in this part of Ohio, and was built in Middleburg, in the winter of 1833 and 1834, by Brattany and Sellers, and was occupied about 1865, by Chesher & Son, as a bucket factory. Col. Joel Haines established a woolen factory on his farm, about one mile southeast of Middleburg, in the year 1846. He subsequently converted it into a chair factory,

The first distillery in the township was started a short distance from Middleburg, in 1835, by John Hellings, who manufactured peach and apple brandy and subsequently whisky. Here W. M. Hellings, now one of the most ardent supporters of the temperance cause, learned the mysterious art of distilling.


480 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

The first tannery was started in 1808 by Daniel Garwood, on his farm, about two miles southeast of the present village of Middleburg. He also built the first brick house; date of the same, 1818. It is said that sand was so scarce that they were compelled to mix ashes with the lime to make mortar. The first frame house was built by James Stokes in 1820, and was considered quite a curiosity. Such was the hospitality of the people of this section that taverns were not a necessity among them. It was not until 1832 that Asher Lyon opened an inn for the traveling public, in what is now a shingle factory in the town of Middleburg.

The Indian trails through this township leading from Franklinton, now part of Columbus, came up the Big Darby to Garwood's Bills, now East Liberty, by way of the site of Eicher Mill and the Strings on the old Sharp furor, which the Indians frequently visited, and which was a favorite camping-ground with them. In early times there were no roads except bridle paths; hence, we find the residences on the oldest improved farms off the road, beside come spring or some other natural advantage. This is so striking that strangers would scarcely suppose this township inhabited, so few of the residences being seen from the roads. The first road was that from Garwood's Mills to Urbana, and was laid out by John Garwood, Jr., as early as 1815. This was followed by one from Milford to Zanesfield. The Zanesfield and Columbus pike, extending from the Union County line to the head of the Marmon Valley, a distance of six and one-third miles, was begun August 12, 1867, and finished in 1878, and cost, exclusive of bridges, $2,650 per mile. This was followed by one from the Champaign County line to Mt. Moriah Church, built in 1874, by subscription, at a cost of $1,175.25 per mile, and is a little over two and three-fourths miles in length. The Newton pike was built in 1873, and cost $2,500. The bridge across Garwood's mill-race cost $750. All the pikes are free.

The first bridge was the one across Big Darby on the Newton Pike, and was built in 1859, at a cost of about $1,100. It was boarded up and covered in the fall of 1879.

The first post-office in what is now Zane Township, was kept by Jose Garwood, at his house, and was established about 1825. There was a mail route from Marysville to Bellefontaine, and over this route George Kelleyman carried the mail on horseback, except when the roads got bad, when he took it through on foot. He was succeeded by a boy named James Simpson, and he by Bob Gibson, who carried a bugle to give warning to the Postmaster of his approach. In 1833 Jose Garwood resigned, and the post-office was removed to Middleburg, and kept by Dr. John Elbert, Jr., duct went by the name of Elbert Post-office. The name was finally changed to W West Middleburg,

The village of Middleburg was laid out, and the plat recorded Mar 24, 1832. It is located on Survey 3,155. Columbus street runs east and west through the center, and Urbana street north and south, also through the center. All the lots west of Urbana street were on the land of Levi Grubbs, and all the lots east of said street on the land of William Grubbs. James W. Marmon was the County Surveyor. At this time there was a small store kept by Elias D. Gabriel and one or two other buildings. Soon after the frame store building, now a part of the store room of T. J. Hellings, was erected, and was followed by other residences and shops, until quite a village grew up. Two of its early citizens igured prominently in its rise and progress. The first was Arthur Criffield, who came here soon after it was laid out. He was a man of uncommon energy and more than ordinary talent. He was a minister of


HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 481

the Disciple, Church, and his progressive spirit is evinced in his starting in April, 1836, a newspaper, called The People's Palladium, and the Union, Hardin, Allen and Logan County Advertiser. The editing and typesetting for some time was wholly done by him. T. Chester has in his possession a copy of an issue dated July, 1836, in which he hoists the name of Martin Van Buren as candidate for President. The terms of the paper were $2.00 a year in advance, and $2.50 if not paid in six months, and $3.00 if not paid for until the end of the year. Various kinds of country produce were taken in exchange, if delivered at the office. His paper was subsequently changed to a religious monthly, and called the Heretic Detector," and was finally moved to Cincinnati. The second man prominent in the history of this township and section was Edward Allen, who came to the township about 1832, and opened a store with an uncle, named Worrell, about one mile northwest of the village, where he soon after failed. He subsequently opened a store in Middleburg, where, by ha prudence and energy, and strict attention to business, he built up an enormous trade, covering a radius of twenty-five miles. He dealt largely in hardware, as well as general merchandise, adding to his business that of beef and pork packing and shipping. He is spoken of as a very exact and honest man. Starting with a few hundred dollars, in the short space of ten years he had accumulated forty or fifty thousand dollars. The tax on his strength was too great and his mind gave away under it. One morning, in 1851, he was found hanging to a tree near a neighboring town, but as to whether he committed suicide or was fouly dealt with, is a mooted question. Many best acquainted with the circumstances are strong in the latter belief. The location of a land office at Lima sent a great amount of travel through the village and several taverns sprang up with their usual concomitants of loafers and whisky, and for a number of years Middleburg was noted for the lawless character of those who were accustomed to congregate here, and death, in one instance at least, is attributed to one of their drunken carousals. At one time the bar-keepers were greatly surprised by the visit of the State Inspector, who, on examination, found all the cash of liquor adulterated except one, and ordered their contents poured into the street division of the Order Sons of Temperance was organized here on June 17, 1848, and a lodge of Good Templars in 1855, which disbanded only when the local necessity of such an organization had ceased. For the past nineteen years the village has been noted for its sobriety and the high moral character of its citizens, and was wholly without a saloon, except in a single instance, and in this case the saloon-keeper was prosecuted with so much vigor, that he was glad to leave. flourishing Grange was maintained here for several years, and was only disbanded when the general object for which the Order had been instituted had been attained. There is yet alive an active branch of the Order in the southwest part of the township, known as Jericho Grange, No. 277, and was established December 19, 1873, with George Creviston, Master: Isaac M. Sharp, Steward; J. W, Stokes, Secretary. The present membership is eighteen and the present officers are W. I. Bishop, Master; Orville Stokes, Steward; T. J. Creviston, Secretary, Maple Grove Grange, No. 460, was instituted May 27, 1874, near Mt. Moriah Church. The first Master was David Alexander; Treasurer, Job Bishop; and Secretary, Henry Bishop. The present officers are Master, John R. Wilson; Treasurer, Job Bishop; and Secretary, Henry Bishop. Middleburg contained, according to the census of 1880, a population of 272. It has two general stores, one drug store, one carriage factory, two blacksmith shops, two shoe shops, one


482 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

saddlery shop, one shingle factory, one pottery and the factory. The latter enterprise was started about 1850, to meet the great demand for sugar crocks, and is carried on at present by the Marquis Brothers. The town also contains a fine township horse, built in 1879, at a cost of $1,750.50, and including the furnishing $2,250. It is a frame structure, the upper part of which is a hall. while the lower part is used in part for holding elections and transacting other township business. There is also a very fine hotel in the town, now under the efficient management of Col. Joel Haines, underlying which is a thick vein of limestone of which there is a fine quarry near. The town is on an eminence, and great difficulty is experienced in finding a supply of water. Recently Nelson Devore sunk a shaft to the depth of ninety-six feet, over seventy-five of which was through solid limestone before striking a good flow. A few years ago the enterprising citizens of the village placed a hydraulic ram in one of the springs on the old Sharp farm, about half a mile distant from the town, and now a good supply of water is forced through h pipes up into the central part of the town, where it pours a refreshing stream sufficient to supply all the citizens.

The first church was that of the Friends, built about half a mile northeast of the present town of Middleburg, and was built about 1805. It was a double log structure, with puncheon floor. This was occupied until after 1825, but was finally abandoned. There the first school was taught, and in the graveyard adjoining the first burial was made. The oldest gave-stone now to be found is that of Esther, wife of John Garwood, and bears date 20th day of the 12th month, 1811. It is a simple sandstone slab. Col. Haines, when a boy, acted as sexton, and, time after time, kindled the charcoal fire on the brick hearth that occupied the centre of the church. The remuneration that he got was 25 cents for several months' work. This structure was also occupied at times by the Methodists, until they built a church of their own, about eighteen feet square, at what was known as Inskeep's mill-dam This latter church was built about the time of the war of 1812. This church was on what was known as the Mad River Circuit, and had preaching on week-day, Meeting's were held once in six weeks. This church was used as a place of worship until about 1830, when it was used for a short time by the Protestant Methodists. The third church erected was that of the Methodist Episcopal, and was known as the Mt. Moriah Church, and its building dates 1829. It was a hewed log structure, built by voluntary contributions of labor. The first members were Dr. John Elbert and wife, John Inskeep and wife, Thomas Ballinger and wife, Joseph Euans and wife, Benjamin Weatherby and wife, Allen Sharp and David Sharp; the latter, in all probability, was the first minister. This building was succeeded, in 1854, by a brick structure, which cost $1,225. This edifice was burned in a very mysterious manner, at midnight, August 24, 1874. How the fire originated was never definitely known, but was generally supposed to have keen set on fire. It was rebuilt, however, the following year, at a cost of $l,425 and was furnished at an outlay of some $300 more. In April, 1860, a severe storm unroofed it aril blew in a gable end, which necessitated an additional outlay of $350. There is adjoining the church a graveyard, where sleep the early members of the church. The first interment was that of Mary, wife of John Painter, early in 1828, and in the same year she was followed by Samuel Sharp. Mt. Moriah Church now has a membership of about thirty. The Pastor is Rev. C. T. Wells, A Sunday school has been maintained in its connection since 1850, with an average attendance of about twenty or twenty five. G. W. Tallman is the present


HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 483





Superintendent. The church was followed by another Methodist Episcopal Church, which was built in the village of Middleburg, in 1834, then but recently laid out. The building committee consisted of Daniel Garwood and Thomas Ballinger. The church was built of logs, and volunteer labor raises the structure. It would have cost, in all probability, about $300. It was abandoned as a church about 1840, and is now used as a dwelling. The decline of this church was no doubt owing to the defection of a large body from the Methodist Episcopal Church, who severed their connection with the parent church for the purpose of establishing the Methodist Protestant Church. The Christian Church at Middleburg followed next, being erected in 1835, and was the first frame church built in the town township. It, was the only church of this denomination within fifty miles, and Arthur Criffield was the lust minister. The cost of the structure was about $400. The present building, a frame structure, was erected in 1870, at a cost of $3,200, completely furnished. It was dedicated by the Rev. N. A. Walker. The present membership is about seventy-five, and is now without a cougar pastor. Connected with the church is a Sabbath school, with an attendance of about sixty-five. This is under the superintendency of William A. Ballinger. The Methodist Protestant Church was built in the town of Middleburg, in 1836, at a cost of about $1,200, and was a frame structure. The membership consisted largely of those who had been prominent in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The old church at Inskeep's Mill was used a short time by the new organization, when they decided to build a structure far eclipsing anything of the kind in the vicinity. The prime movers were those who had figured prominently in the early history of the township-namely. Capt. Joseph Euans and John and Joshua Inskeep. Both Euans and Joshua Inskeep had saw-mills, and contributed largely to the building. It is said that Joshua Inskeep, who was a man of most remarkable pluck, contributed more than half the funds to built it. The building, however, was on a more elaborate scale than the times and condition of the congregation demanded, and as a consequence was never finished, but continued to be sued until a smaller one was built, when it was sold, and is now used as a carriage factory by Eurem Carpenter. The present Methodist Protestant Church was built in 1873. It is a substantial frame, surmounted by a belfry, containing an excellent bell, and cost, when finished, $1,650. It was dedicated b; Rev. P. T. Johnson, and the first minister was Rev. A. C. Hall. It has a membership now of about seventy-five, and a Sunday school the year round of about sixty-five scholars. J. W. Young is the Superintendent.

Union Chapel is situated in the southwestern part of the township on the line of Monroe Township, and was organized September 1, 1874, and was dedicated November 22, 1874, with Rev. J. M. Robinson, Pastor. The church was formed by a part of the membership of the old Salem Church, one mile and a half below, in Monroe Township, when the latter was abandoned as a place of worship. The original members were: Elizabeth Stuart, N. M. Stuart, Catharine Stuart, Jane Sharp, J. M. Sharp. Catharine Sharp, T. W. Haines and Phebe Haines. The church cost, including the furnishing of same, $2,200, and both the church and Sabbath school are in a flourishing condition. The membership is about sixty, and the Sabbath school about the same number. The present Pastor is John S. Pumphrey. The Superintendent of the Sabbath school is James Seamon.

The first schoolhouse was located near Joshua Inskeep's. It was a log building of the rudest sort, with puncheon floor and huge fire-place, with greased paper pasted over an


484 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

aperture, as a substitute for glass. Here presided, as first teacher, William Seger, who is mentioned among the earliest settlers.

"A man severe he n was and stern to view.

Well had the boding trembles learned to trace

The day's disasters in his morning; face."

Here nearly all the youth, in what is now Zane Township, attended school in that day and learned to read by means of Webster's Speller, the Testament and Columbian Orator, or were instructed in the mysteries of figures by the aid of Pike and the Western Calculator. This, however, was burned, and was succeeded by a frame in 1820, far in advance of its times ; the spaces between the studding are said to have been filled with brick laid in clay mortar. Here Edward Watt was the first teacher.



The first brick school was built on what is the pike leading from North Lewisburg to Middleburg, and is noted as being the first house in which a stove was used. Here, also, for the first time, the study of geography was introduced in 1838, Hiram Garwood being the first pupil in that branch. The township now contains six sub-districts, in five of which are substantial frame schoolhouses, while in the village there is a fine two-story building, erected in 1874, at a cost of about $2,700. The two lower rooms of this building are occupied by the schools of the village district, while the upper part, built by the township, is open to pupils from all the districts.

The schools of Zane Township are. abuse average, and employ female teachers usually in the sub-districts, at an average salary of about $38 per month, continuing from seven to eight months in the year. In the township school, a good male teacher is employed, for six months in the year, at a salary of about $47 per month.


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