Logan County, Ohio History

HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 519

CHAPTER XX.

UNION TOWNSHIP - PHYSICAL FEATURES - EARLY SETTLEMENT - INCIDENTS OF PROMINENT PIONEERS - CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS.

In the southern tier of townships in Logan County, just west of the middle part, lies Union Township. It is a rectangular body, about four and a half by five miles square, and is bounded on the north by Harrison, on the east by Liberty, on the south by the county line, and west in Miami. Stony Creek enters about midway from the north and south ends of the township from Liberty, and Masses across in a general northwesterly direction. with its branches running north and south from the main streams. This affords the only natural drainage, save as the numerous lakes in this township subserve the same purpose. The surface of the township is high, tolling ground,, abounding in those finely-fashioned hollows that look like dimples in the face of nature, Grid in many of these spine of the little lakes for which Logan County is noted have found place. The principal ones are the Twin Lakes, located on the farms of John and William Carter, in the northeastern part of the township, which cover some four acres. "Opossum Lake " is a small sheet of water on the farm of David McCracken. A larger lake, though without a name, is on the property of John Branden. and covers about eight acres, Another, on an adjoining farm, covers some six acres. The water of these lakes is pure, and reaches a depth of some forty feet. In an earlier day, these later-s afforded an excellent opportunity for hunters, that was hell well improved, but of late years, with the clearing up of the land, game has taken to the more secluded ponds, and even fishermen find here small inducement to come frequently. Stony Creek is a small stream as it passes through the township, and affords but little inducement for the location of mills upon its banks. A grist-mill in the northwestern part of the township depends wholly upon it for power, and, by utilizing all the means at command to increase that power, it generally proves sufficient, though an occasional drought will stop business for awhile. The timber of all this region is largely oak, beech and maple, the latter, however, not appearing in such quantities as in the eastern part of the State. The soil is principally clay, underlaid with limestone gravel. There are some lowlands that are of the loam order, but this lies in small tracts, The valley of Stony Creek is not very broad, and the low banks of the river allows a general overflow on every occasion of freshets, making the contiguous territory not so desirable a tilling land. On the higher grounds the clay predominates, which is remarkably productive as found in this county. It is admirably adapted to cores and wheat, which are everywhere grown in great abundance. A belt of open land along the creek is known as else prairie. This is a characteristic of Stony Creek throughout its course. The first settlers found the margin of the stream denuded of timber and occupied by a marsh that grew a trop of wild grass of wonderful luxuriance, and called this the prairie.

There is no town or post-office in Union Township. The old Wall map, one of the earliest publications of the kind in the county, designates a cross-roads as Noodletouzy. This incongruous title had its origin, it is said, in the whim of a Pennsylvanian who moved into the place. It appears that he came from

520 - HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY.

a place in his native State that bore the same mule. Its characteristic, he said, was that easily portable commodities seemed to be considered common property, and were used without remand to the question of ownership. Whether he conceived that this was a fit place to inaugurate that system, or thought that the West took naturally to the free-and easy-system, has not been explained. The name has been rejected by common consent long ago, and Union Township recognized no center of attraction, save its voting precinct. The early history of the township is closely allied to that of Miami, from which it was formed in 1820. Among the first settlers were Robert Moore, Samuel and James McIlvain, William Carter, John and Thomas Makenson, John and Benjamin Schooler Robert Porter, William and Archibald Moore, David Askrin, Robert Newell and his four sons, Samuel, William, Hugh and John. W William and Joseph McBeth, Robert Crocket, David Kirkwood, William Gray, John and James Wall, and Martin Shields, At a later date Hiram White, James Stockhouse, Adam Rhodes, Jonathan Norton, Henry Culp, and others, joined the community gathered within the limits of Union Township.

The McIlvain family was a very early one, and settled here not far from 1810, Samuel settling on what is known to most of the old settlers as the Old Dunn farm, which has since been divided. He was universally ally respected, and is remembered as one of the staunch men of his time. William Carter was a native of New York, emigrating from the vicinity of Rochester, to Fort Meigs, now Perrysburg, Wood County, O., about 1810 or 1811.There were about 67 families residing at the foot of the rapids of the Maumee when the war of 1812 broke out, and among them was the family of William Carter. The first intimation the settlers had of Hull's surrender at Detroit, was by the appearance of a party of British and Indians at the foot of the rapids, a few day after it took place. The Indians plundered the settlers on both sides of the river, and departed for Detroit in canoes. The families at once fled to a place of greater security, leaving all they had that could not be taken with the m in their hasty flight. Carter came to what is now Union Township. and took up his abode on the old Dunn place. The land was not in the market then, and he took up a squatter's claim, which was all he owned until his death. He was killed in early manhood by an accident in raising a log cabin. Of a large family, Samuel is the only one who is remembered the present generation as one of the pioneers in this land, and perhaps Union Township may present as strong a claim to him as her citizen as any other township. though not living there all his life. He enlisted at the age of 16 in a spy company under Capt. Hingston and served through the war of 1812. Soon after returning home he was married, and as he left his father's cabin his father told him he would beg for a living as long as he lived. His only, reply was to assure him that he would never beg from his father at any rate. He was a positive character, plain spoken and courting no friendships based on anything but an honest representation of facts. When married he borrowed a hat and a handkerchief; owned an ax and was in debt two dollars. His wife, it is said, had to cut a piece of linen out of the loom to make him a second skirt, that the first might be washed; but before he died through his indomitable energy and perseverance ho accumulated a fine property, which his sons are enjoying today. His first start was to rent two fields for cultivation. While caring for this work, his landlord came about directing him, as he felt in an offensive manner, when he threw up his lease and declared that he would never plant another grain until he planted it on his own hand. He made good his word, and struggled up to a flue competency. He

HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 521

was a member of the first jury in Logan county. and heard the first preaching of his life in his own cabin.

A vivid picture of the old time is found in his address to the Pioneer Association, and we give it in his own words. He said when his father came to this country, there were three Indians to one white man. "The cabins had but one room, in which they lived, ate and slept, Furniture was scarce. When he was married and moved into his cabin, he made a cupboard by putting together some rough clapboards with wooden pins-for there were no nails then nearer than Urbana-which was their 'dresser.' The first table they ever had was made with an ax, hewing out rough boards and pinning them together. The first thing he ever put salt into was a gum. In their room was a spinning-wheel, beds, bins for grain, etc. In 1818 he built a log house, without door or window; he sawed a hole to go in and out at, and, as there was no floor below they slept upon the loft, and cooked outside; the studs took shelter beneath. In the day he worked hard cutting hay, and at night worked at his house, and when they got a mud chimney completed, so they could have a fire in the house, it was the happiest moment of their lives. He wore homespun then, and all he had was a pair of tow-linen pants and a shirt, but no drawers or boots, and considered he was very well prepared for winter. Like a great many, he bought band, and had to work fund to clear and pay for it. This was slow work without money or markets; but he kept or., and after a while population increased a little, but they could not sell anything. A bushel of wheat could not be sold for twenty-five cents. They had no money, and the only way they could pay for their land was to raise hogs, cattle etc., which brought but little profit. He had raised many a fine steer for ten dollars, which would now be worth sixty dollars. They had no other means of getting money except by hunting for furs, and could not buy tea and coffee, etc., but they had plenty of venison and raccoon, and many a good meal he had made of it. He thought society was better then than now; they had not so much to do, and time was not so precious as now. Now we had not time to visit, but then people went several mile, and when they had got a good fiddler and a puncheon floor, would dance all night, and go home with the girls in the morning. After awhile he began to advance in the world and prosper; he bought a new cotton shirt, and thought he was coming out. In a short time he bought another, and then he had a change. But since then there had been a great change. The Moores were early settlers in Union. Robert came from Union Township, in Pennsylvania, to Cincinnati in 1798, and from thence to Clarke County in 1800, and to the farm now owned by H. A. Haling, in 1807. His son Samuel was a cabinet-maker, and plied his trade in the new country, supplying the community with coffins and furniture at very satisfactory prices, if we compare them with the present. It is said drat he made a windmill drat was the wonder and admiration of his time, and they would pro probably prove no less a wonderment at this day.

The community here was very slow in its growth. Speculators had bought up the band in this vicinity and were holding it at an advanced price, so drat settlers went further r on and got cheaper lands. Here the new nearest point for milling was at King's Creek, awl mail and store supplies could be secured only at Urbana. When they first began to sow wheat, the blackbirds came in swarns and picked up the grain as fast as it could be sown, in spite of every exertion to keep them away. At length, when a crop was grown, it proved to be "sick wheat,'' i. e., it grew so rank that

* Antrim's History

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it caused sickness when it was used, so that it had to be thrown away. The first mills were on Stony Creek, and were known as Thomson's and Blaylock's mills. In giving her early recollections in Antrim's History, Mrs, Sarah M. Moore says: "In those day we had what was termed Overseers of the Poor, and Fence-viewers, who were duly elected at the annual township election. The duties incumbent on the Overseer of the Poor was to order them out of the township if they were deemed villainous or vagabonds. Otherwise, in case of destitution, the children were board out to servitude until capable of taking care of themselves. The duties of Fence-viewers viewers was to examine the condition of fences. There were no picket or board fences in those days in our place, but split rail were fashionable, with a slip gap, or pair of bars at best. According to law, a fence must be in a condition to turn stock of any kind, or else the owner could recover no damages for the breach, or the spoiling of his crops by stock that was running at large. The wild woods and prairies were our pastures in those days. A laughable occurence happened at the spring election one year. The men, wishing to have a little fun, elected Adam Rhodes, a remarkably tall man, and Hiram White, a small man, as Fence-viewers. Adam was to chin the fence, and Hiram to look after the pig-holes.'' Hogs formed an important feature in frontier life, and were to be found everywhere. An incident in relation to the old-fashioned way of raising them is told by Mrs. Moore as follow: "Two neighbors got in a dispute about the ownership of a certain hog, which they both claimed. One, being more shrewd and less scrupulous about honesty or truth than the other got a men to swear before a Justice of the Peace that he knew the hog to be his, because he knew that he raised it. It was afterward ascertained that the way he raised it was that he stooped over a low fence and lifted it off its feet by the bristles, Hogs had bristles in those days. A lean shoat could well be compared to a fish, the bristles answering to the fins on the back, while the sides were as flat, with mutton hams to match. Stealing or killing hogs in the woods was a very common occurrence. Very frequently would come running home with new and bloody ears, and one or two missing. The poor Indian had to bear the blame often when the deed was done by some white sinner. This subject occupied so large a space in the public mind that Robert Moore suggested that the new county should be called Bristle County, It was a common thing for earth to come up with one missing, and upon search being made it would be found swamped in the mud somewhere. Neighbors would assist each other, and with hand-spikes and ropes, pry up and drag out. Sometimes the poor creature could stand after it would get on solid footing, and sometimes it would have to be lifted to its feet for days and weeks. Each owner of stock had to have his own peculiar mark, which was done by slitting and cropping, and cutting the ears and then having their mark recorded in the public records of the county.

"Men used to have a cruel and silly practice of what they cancel docking their horses. The manner in which it was done was to part the hair about six or eight inches from the point of the tail, then take a sharp ax and set the pole on the horse's mulls, turn the tail up over the edge of the ax and then with maul, or heavy mallet, stripe it hard. It took four men to do it-one to hold the head one to hold the tail, one to hold the ax, and the fourth was the executioner. Another practice, which was still more ridiculous, was nicking, which was done by cutting the tendons on the under part of the tail, and turning it up and fastening it in that position

HISTORY OF LOGAN COUNTY. - 523

until the wound would heal up. Young men thought they made a grand display when they rode by with a nick-tailed horse.

"But we had some noble boys among us in early times - young men who could cut and split 200 or 300 rails in a day, pile and burn brush at night, or shell their sack of corn and ride with it on horseback to mill. The girls could mill: the cows, churn the; butter, make the : cheese, pull the flax, spin, weave and bleach it, and then make it up for the boys. They could help sheer the sheep. then card and spin the; wool, color it and weave it, and then make dresses of it. Such was frontier life fifty or sixty years ago.

"About the year 1810 or 1811, there was felt a shock of earthquake, which caused a distinct vibration of some three inches of skeins of yarn that were suspended from the joist of our log cabin. Well do I remember how frightened was when my father told us what it was.

"Of game there was plenty. Deer were often seen in herds, six. eight or ten together. How beautiful they were, leaping over hills or across the prairies, with their white flags waving. But the poor creatures were hunted and slaughtered without mercy by both white and Indian hunters. The sly and sneaking wolf, too, was often seen skulking through the brush, and woe betide the poor sheep that was unhoused at night. These depredators were often caught in traps, as their scalps brought the round price of $4. Occasionally a bear was killed. A little son of William Moore, living on McKee's Creek, near where the Bellefontaine and West Liberty turnpike crosses it, was sent after the cows one evening. He always carried his trusty rifle on such occasions, and in passing through the woods he espied a huge black bear standing with its paws on a log close by, apparently watching him. Without waiting to think of the consequences should he miss his aim, he blazed away and down came bruin, the ball entering his forehead. Bill at once ran home to tell his father, who could scarcely believe the story. 'But, father, just come and see,' said Billy. He went, and there sure enough, was the bear, a very large animal weighing nearly 400 pounds, lying dead beside the log.

"It would be inmost impossible to give the young folly of to-day an adequate idea of the immense flocks of blackbirds that used to collect about our cornfields. They would be seen coming in flocks, by the thousand, and alighting on the corn, about the time it was in good order for roasting, tearing open the husk and feasting on the soft corn. Then there was work for the boys, with the horse rattler, old tin pails, or anything to scare off the birds. But, notwithstanding this, they destroyed soup fields almost entirely. Pigeons, though more plentiful than blackbirds, were not so mischievous. At certain times of the year, in favorable seasons, they might be seen flying in such flocks overhead as to almost darken the air, and in continuous lines for miles in length. One season the pigeon-roast was at a place called Beaver Dam, in Union Township, where then collected in such vast numbers as to break down the timber. Large limbs would be broken off trees, and saplings bent to the ground.

"Rattlesnakes were also plenty. Well do I remember the time when quite a large one got into our house, and was found coiled up at the tout of the bed where my brothers were sleeping. Feeling something at their feet, they caned father, who, grasping a large iron poker, dexterously pitched it into the fire. Shortly after, the dog was making. a great ado outside the house. Father cut out, and there was another snake, no doubt mate to the one in the house, which he also killed.

"A very important thing in frontier communities, after corn was grown and harvested.

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was to know how to make it. available for family use. In making hominy, the first thing was to prepare the mortar to pound it in. This was done by sawing off a log about two feet in diameter and three feet long, then chopping it in from one end, leaving a rim for the bottom; then dressing it off smooth in the shape of a goblet, settling it up on the bottom and piling chips or bark on the top, suet burning it out, on the inside, taking care to leave a rim at the outer edge. When this was done, it was dressed out smooth and clean. Then shell about half a bushel of corn, pour boiling water on it, in some vessel, and let it stand a spell; then hour the water off and turn it in the hominy block. The pestle for pounding it was made by taking a stout stick, about like a handspike, shaving it smooth, splitting one end and inserting an iron wedge, such as is used in splitting rails, taking care to have an iron ring on the stick to keep it from splitting with the wedge while pounding the cure. The chaff, or husk, would Dart from the grain, and leave it clean and cracked, fit for cooking. Then put on the kettle and boil it.

"We used to have spinning bees. A neighbor would send flax enough around the neighborhood to spin twelve cuts for each one, and send an invitation for us to attend on a certain day and bring our dozen of thread, and partake of a good dinner and a good time in general. The men would have log-rollings, house-raisings and corn huskings, We would have our wool-pickings and quiltings. We could and did rid: on horse-back for miles, to meeting or to market, or visiting, and thought it only a pheasant recreation."

Pigeon Town, an Indian village, was located on what is known as the old Dunn farm Here the natives remained for years after the whites had settled all about them. After it passed into the hands of the whites, numerous relics were turned out by the ploughshare. Mrs. Moore says : "Indians were plenty about here in the early time, and often came into the settlement to trade their split baskets (which were very pretty, being colored black I and red, and striped with the natural color of ash wood), dressed deerskins and moccasins, for flour, a little corn-meal, or a piece of meat. They were very friendly with the whites, generally, if they were well treated.

"Meanwhile, the heralds of the cross were notable. Father Joseph Stephenson, than whom few could boast a finer physical organization- tall, erect and well proportioned-he stood forth a giant for the cause of religion and morality, and as the Good Master, 'went about doing good;" and, like the Apostles, preached from house to house.' Camp - meetings were quite common. One year there was one held on the place of Lodman E. Spry, at which them was a large crowd of Shawnee and Delaware Indians, some all the way from Sandusky. Their encampment was back of the preacher's stand. They seemed to enjoy the meeting as well as the whites, and were quite as orderly. Some of them were beautified ful singers, and would get very happy at the night meetings" Some of the earliest efforts were made by the Methodists at Messick's cabin, and for some time this was the only local preaching. About 1835 a little frame chapel was erected on the corner of the lot owned by Mr. Beers, which sufficed until 1862, when the Lake Branch Church erected a frame building, at a cost of some $1,400, a mile east of that point. The movers in this enterprise were Alexander Doke, Thomas Moore, E. C. Doke, William and John Carter, and J. L. Seegar. The organization is now in a flourishing condition, and holds regular services. In the southeastern part of the township is the Walnut Grove Ormish Church. The Ormish sect is a division of the German Mennonite denomination, and have a fellowship of about 100,000 in the United States.

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A settlement of these people be an to gather here about 1840. They soon got strong enough to erect a church in Liberty Township which served until 1875, when the present building was erected on land given by D. D. Yoder. This structure is a fine frame, neatly painted, with blinds, and is beautifully situated in a grove of walnut trees. It cost $1,753 in cash. besides such contributions as could be secured by "frolicks.'' There are about 150 members, with Dun. F. Yoder as deacon, David Plank and Samuel Headings as local preachers, and John Weary as Bishop. For some time this church used the building erected by the Presbyterians, near the centre of the township. The latter organization has long since abandoned its organization. The church building is now occupied by the Christian church, who, for a while, shared it with the Ormish.

The Dunkards, or German Baptists, have bad an organization in the northwestern Dart of the township for some thirty or forty years. For years they met from house to house, until, about 1857, they determined to build a place of worship. This stands near the farm of Raphael Moore, in the we tern middle part of the township. Their local preachers are Jacob Franz, Michael Swonger, Abednego Miller and Henry Garber. They have about l50 members.

In the matter of schools, Union Township was quite as forward as her sister townships, but the sparse settlement obliged the pioneers for some time to forego this establishment. There were the usual subscription schools, and among the early teachers in these institutions was Peter Knox. He was unusually well educated for that time, and was, besides, a strict disciplinarian. His custom was to give the children tasks to commit to memory when he dismissed them on Friday night, and Monday was devoted to hearing them recited. Another feature of this part. of the exercises of the school was the fact that the delinquents in these tasks received an admonishment with a rod that never failed to work good results in the matter of committing tasks. The school-house stood on Peter Detrick's place, the first one of its kind in the township, and was a rude log affair. Three logs were sawed out of the side for light, and greased paper pasted over it to keep out the weather. Here the children of the pioneers, provided with the Introduction to the English Reader, a Testament, unruled paper, several lead pencils, indigo ink and quills, went through with their "reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic." The lead pencils were of home manufacture. The bullet lead, of which there was an abundance in every frontier cabin, was beaten into long, slender pieces and hammered to a point. With these-the writing paper was ruled, and sundry hieroglyphics and inscriptions placed before an admiring crowd of young folks, much to the disfigurement of the schoolhouses and to the dissatisfaction of the grayer part of the community. George Dunn was another of the early teachers. He was not so well versed in educational matters. His certificate showed him to be qualified to instruct in "reading, writing and arithmetic to the rule of three." He was a slow-going sort of a man and greatly given to sleep. It is said aid that he frequently fell asleep in school, a fact of which the pupils eagerly took advantage to go out of the house to play. On awaking any finding himself deserted, he would summon them back again, only to relapse again. The rule of the rod in those days was supreme. Education was of no value unless cultivated and fixed by the rod. The principle seemed to be that it was better that ten innocent should suffer than one guilty one escape, and it often occurred, that for some misdemeanor perpetrated by an unknown pupil, all were made to suffer in a common cause. In the winter of 1834-5 the "district

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school'' system was established, Union Township being divided into eight districts. With this change came a change of methods, until we have the present system. There are now but four districts, all provided with neat brick buildings, save one, which has a neat frame structure. All are provided with improved school furniture. Among the teachers of Union Township is John Carter, who has taught each year for thirty-five consecutive years, and boarded at the same table his own-all the time, a record which would be difficult to duplicate. The Auditor's records make the following showing for Union; Balance on hand Sept. 1, 1878, $1,442.46; State tax, $405.00; local tax, $793.62; total amount paid teachers this year, $1,105; value of school property, $2,000; average wages to gentlemen, $41 per month; ladies $23; average enrollment-boys, 86; girls, 78.

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