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300 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. The highest locality, in Lost Creek, where the shale underlying the Clinton, can be seen, is in a ravine on Mr. John Lefevre's farm, below the old dam on the creek. In all exposures observed, the lower strata of the Clinton are of a coarse and sandy nature. The characteristic unevenness of the bedding renders the quarrying of it difficult, and makes it necessary, before it can be used for masonry, to cut it on all sides. The lower strata are used for fire-stones and hearths, and endure the greatest heat of the ordinary fire-place, as lining stones, for many years. At Mr. S. D. Green's, one Mile east of Lost Creek, the Clinton appears about twenty feet above the bed of the creek, and attains a thickness of some thirty feet on his farm. While the lower exposures are composed, in a large measure, of fragments of encrinites, the upper is made up of varioud species of coral. At the highest exposure, on Mr. Green's farm, is a very good quality of stone for lime. Very fine specimens of Syringopora can be obtained in the old quarry, as well as of Halysites. Between-Troy and Piqua the-new Trey hydraulic was cut for several hundred feet through the solid Clinton formation. Near this point the same stone may be seen exposed on the river bank. The lime-quarries, on the south of Piqua, are in the Clinton. The lime has nearly the same properties as that burned in Mr. Brown's quarries. Here the Clinton seems to be but a mass of fossils, mostly corals of the genera Siromato- pora, Halysites, Favosites and Syringopora. At the falls of Ludlow Creek, attempts were" made to open a quarry, a few years ago, to obtain building stone, particularly of a fine quality. It is called the " marble quarry." The stone is of a good quality, crystalline, even-grained limestone, which takes a fine polish ; but its hardness, and the frequent fractures and unevenness of strata, made it unprofitable as a business operation. I have given enough instances of the occurrence of this stone. Any one observing with care the horizon of each formation, and the character of the stone, can readily decide as to any exposure where it belongs. The Blue Limestone of the Cincinnati Group.--I shall attempt to do nothing more than indicate the horizon of this group, and refer the reader to the volumes of these reports in which this formation is specially treated of. The blue limestone comes in below the base of the Clinton. In some places heavy beds of shale intervene. It will be observed in the sections given, that various transitional strata exist between this formation and the next above. Whether these represent formations which are more distinctly developed in other localities, I do not undertake to decide. The blue limestone may be regarded as practically, in this county, coming in next below the Clinton. The Clinton is succeeded downward by blue or red shales. These may be observed at the base of the Charlestown cliffs and then at Col. Woodward's. On the same line of cliffs, further south of the National road, the blue shale is manufactured into a good article of drain tile by Mr. Mark Allen. It is to be seen in the railroad cut north of Tippecanoe. On the Stillwater, near Milton, the same shale is seen at the base of the cliff, and on the east of the river on the hill-side opposite. From the horizon of these localities, all below belongs to the Cincinnati group. All the streams below this horizon cut through the upper strata of this group. The outcrop of the blue limestone must be looked for up all the streams, far enough above these localities to allow the rise to reach the horizon of the base of the cliffs. SECTION AT KERR'S QUARRY.
PRAIRIES. One of the attractive features of this county in a very early day were the various tracts of land, devoid of timber, called prairies. We venture the opinion that these did not arise from natural causes, but that, long prior to the advent of white settlements, the forests in these localities had been cut off by the Indians, for the purpose of raising maize ; and the fact that they were found by the whites covered with growing corn, confirms this opinion. The different expeditions of Clarke, Harmer and others, destroyed vast amounts of corn raised by the Indians on these so-called prairies. Prairies are formed by dynamical causes, as explained by geological conformations, and, though we have not examined these localities, we do not understand them to be the result of any such agency, but, on the contrary, wholly the result of the agency of man. We take our description from Dr. A. Coleman. Beginning at the south side of the county, we will first mention Freeman's Prairie, which was named after Samuel Freeman, who entered a portion of it. It is about two miles southeast from Tippecanoe, opposite the mouth of Honey Creek, west of the river, in Monroe Township. It is said there were some two or three hundred acres ready for the plow, which was utilized by the early settlers, on the east side of the river. The second, about two miles north, on the east side of the river, in Staunton Township, was called Gerard's Prairie, for Judge John Gerard, who was one of the first white men to cultivate it. The next was called Gahagan's Prairie, located in Concord Township, below Troy, directly opposite the old village of Staunton, or the original Dutch station ' of 1798. The last two were largely cultivated by the first settlers of the above station, and yielded them a bountiful support for themselves and animals. The fourth was a small tract situated in the bend of the river, now embraced within the corporate limits of Piqua. The fifth was in Washington Township, west of the river, beginning three miles north of the city of Piqua, with the farm of Col. Johnston and James Johnston, and extending two or three miles northeast to the mouth of Loraimie Creek, and was known as Johnston's Prairie, after Col. Johnston. All these prairies were subject to overflow except the last, which was called " second bottom,' and was rolling. Being high and free from inundation, it was the favorite resorl of the Indians, and many of their densely populated villages were located here The Indian Piqua towns were located here, which were invaded by the Kentuck ians ; this was the dwelling-place of the ancient Twigtwees ; here were many bat ties fought, many war-dances celebrated, many feasts, scalp-dances, torturings an( all other characteristic scenes and features incident to Indian savage life. Here too, Tecumseh, when a boy, swam in the Miami River and shot at a mark with hi tiny bow. In addition to those already enumerated, we may mention two on Still water, one near the county line in Union Township, the other in Newton Township. 302 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. known as Williams' Prairie, named from Michael Williams, who settled on it in 1800 or 1801. While these latter were much smaller than those previously mentioned, they were utilized by the early settlers in the same way, and were a great advantage to them in furnishing products to sustain them while clearing out and improving their new homes. PLUM THICKETS. One peculiar feature of these prairies was the existence of plum thickets, covering their borders and in clumps over their entire area. Gerard's Prairie especially abounded with them. They were a source of some benefit to the early settlers, in the direction of a rather delicious fruit, which-was of various colors and quality—yellow, red, and occasionally purple. Some were of large size, and, though thick-skinned, were very palatable. The yield was abundant, continuing to the year 1825 or later, when the curculio destroyed the fruit, and the trees, being no longer of any benefit, were cut down. OLD FORTIFICATION AT PIQUA. On Wednesday, March 21, 1823, an expedition, under the care of Major S. H. Long, left Columbus, its ultimate object being the source of the St. Peter's River. Passing through Piqua on its route, the expedition remained a few .days for the purpose of surveying the old fortifications in this locality, a graphic description of which we here reproduce in the author's language : "Piqua is a small incorporated town, situated on the west bank of the Miami River, and on a spot which appears to have been the site of a numerous Indian population. The river is navigable for keel boats a few miles above the town, during half the year. The town is built in a semi-circular bend of the river, so that its streets, which are rectilinear, and parallel to the chord of the arc, are terminated at both ends by the water. The spot is one of the most advantageous in the country for a large population ; the situation is very fine for defense against aggressors ; and we find that, with their accustomed discrimination, the Indians had made this one of their principal seats. The remains of their works are very interesting, and being, as we believe, as yet undescribed, we surveyed them with such means as were at our disposal. They consist, for the most part, of circular parapets, the elevation of which varies at present from three to five or six feet, but which bear evident marks of having been at one time much higher ; many of them are found in the neighborhood of the town, and several of them in the -town itself. The plow passes every year over some parts of these works, and will probably continue to unite its leveling influence with that of time to obliterate the last remains of a people, who, judging from the monuments it has left behind, must have been far more advanced in civilization than the Indians who were found there a century or two ago, and of whom a few may still be seen occasionally roving about the spot where their fathers met in council. We observed one elliptic, and five circular works, two of which are on the east bank of the river, the others are on the west. The ground appears, in all cases, to have been taken from the inside, which forms a ditch in the interior ; its depth cannot, of course, be ascertained at present, as it is in a great measure filled up, but it must have been considerable. The area within the ditch, probably retained the level of the surrounding country. The parapet may have been front three to four feet wide, but from slow decay it appears much wider. The first which we visited is situated at about a quarter of a mile to the southwest of the town and half a mile westward to the river. It appears to have been the most important of all, and forms, as it were, the center round which the others are disposed. Its form is circular ; its diameter is about one hundred and fifty feet ; it has a gateway from eight to ten feet wide, which faces the river. Immediately connected, and in close contact with it, to the south-southeast, there is a small circular work, the parapet of which is considerably higher; its diameter is about forty feet ; it has no gateway or open- ing whatsoever. It has generally been considered as intended for a look-out post, but this opinion appears incorrect, from the circumstance that it is not raised high HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. - 303 enough for this purpose ; that its size is much greater than what would be required for a mere post of observation ; and, finally, that its construction essentially differs from that which is recorded by Mr. Atwater and other observers, as belonging, to such posts of observation. " There is nothing to support this opinion but its situation, which is in the most elevated part of the plain. We, however, think it more probable that it was considered as a stronghold which should be resorted to in-the last extremity. This opinion accounts for all the characters which we observe about it. Its situation near the main fort at the center of the works ' • its smaller dimensions, which, while they would admit a considerable force, would permit it to be defended more easily than the extensive works with which it is connected ; the height and thickness of its parapet—confirm this belief. The circumstance of there being no gateway, is an additional proof for us, that it was intended to be used, like the citadel of a modern fortress, as the last spot in which the remnants of a defeated army might be con centrated in order to make a decisive stand against their aggressors. " Proceeding in a direction south sixty-five degrees east from the first work, al a distance of about 760 feet, we find another fortification, which, like the former is partly situated in a plowed field, but which passes also over a by-road. In this old work, the white man has built his barns, stables, etc., and appears anxious t( hurry on the destruction of what would, if uninjured by him, have withstood the assaults of time. The parapet of the fort is not quite so elevated as that of the former ; its dimensions are larger, being about 225 feet in diameter ; it has a gateway fronting that -in the first fort, and similar to it. If any covered way existed by which these two works were connected, it has disappeared, •no trace of it being at present visible. Takingagain the first fort as a center, and proceeding from it in a course north eighty-five degrees east, we find another circular inclosure, distant 750 feet, from the first, and about 540 feet in a northerly course from the second ; its parapets are higher than those of the other two ; its diameter is about 150 feet ; it is provided with a gateway fronting that of the first fort. Between the second and third forts, and near the bank of the river, there are remains of a water-way, formerly connected, as we suppose, with the third fort. These remains consist of a ditch dug down to the edge of the river ; the earth from the same having been thrown up principally on the south side, or that which fronts down the river ; the breadth between the two parapets is wider near the water than som distance from it, some that it may have been used either for the purpose of offering a safe passage down the river, or as a sort of harbor, in which canoes might be drawn up, or, perhaps, as is most probable, it was intended to serve both purposes. This water-way resembles, in some respects, that found near Marietta, but in its dimensions a:,e smaller. The remains of this work are at present very inconsiderable, and are fast wasting away, as the road which runs along the bank the river intersects it, and, in the making of it, the parapet has been leveled an the ditch filled up. This is much to be regretted, as this work, if it could be seen in its perfect state, would, perhaps, discover the motive which led to the erection of these fortifications, the attacks against which they were intended to provided and the means with which the resistance was to be effected. But the largest of the works on the western banks still remains to be noticed. This is an elliptical construction of great eccentricity, its conjugate and transverse diameters measuring 83 and 295 feet ; it is situated 600 feet in a direction north forty degrees east from the first fort ; its transverse axis extends nearly east and west ; we observed no gateways. This work is almost effaced ; its parapet does not rise quite one foot above the ground. We crossed the river in a canoe and landed at the foot of a very steep hill, about 100 feet high. On the top of this hill, remains of a fort in a very good state of preservation, are to be seen ; it lies in a direction north sixty degrees east from the first fort which we visited, and is 123 feet in diameter. It is placed on a very commanding position on the brow of the hill, which has unfortunately, been partially washed away, and has carried down with it about one-fourth of the work. There is at present but one gateway visible, which is on 304 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. the east side, and is about six or eight feet wide. This part of the works is one of the most interesting, it having, as yet, received no injury from the hands of man. It is covered with trees of a very large size. Upon the top of the parapet we found the trunk of a tree, which had evidently grown long after the rampart had been constructed, and probably much after it had ceased to be the theater of bloodshed and of assault. " The interior part of the trunk was very much decayed, but we counted 250 concentric layers, in what appeared to be less than the outer half, whence we concluded that this tree was certainly upward of five-hundred years old at the time it was cut down. These works all bear the impress of a very remote antiquity. In some cases, trees of very large size are seen growing upon the trunks of still larger trees. We have, as we conceive, no data to enable us to refer to them any definite date ; but we are well warranted, from all their characters, in assigning to them an antiquity of upward of 1,000 years. At about fifty rods to the north-northwest of the last-mentioned work, there is another which is circular, and of a much larger size. It has two gateways, one fronting east and the other west. We did not see this last, but we are indebted to some of the inhabitants of Piqua for a description of it. About these forts there are, as might be expected, many Indian arrow-heads, and other remains to be found. Those which we saw present, however, nothing peculiar. We observed both the war and peace arrow-head, or that which is used in hunting, and which is distinguished from the war arrowhead by the absence of the acute shoulder with which the war arrow is always provided, in order to cause it to remain in the wound, from which it cannot be extricated without much danger and pain to the patient ; whereas, that used in hunting, is such that it can be withdrawn without difficulty. For the same reason, while the latter is attached to the arrow-head very firmly, the war-head adheres to it but imperfectly, so that, after it has entered into the body, if the arrow be withdrawn, the head remains buried in the flesh. Among other things found near these fortifications, was a piece of broken pottery, which was considered as of Indian manufacture ; but, upon examining it closely, we immediately recognized it to be a fragment of a small earthen crucible, and, from its appearance, we believe it to be of French manufacture, as it resembles more the French than the German crucibles. Taking this into consideration, and bearing in mind that the first French settlers in this country were constantly looking out for ores of gold, silver, etc., we entertain no doubt that this, instead of being of Indian manufacture, is a fragment of a crucible, probably imported from France, and used in some docimastic experiment. "We had an opportunity the ensuing day, on our road to Fort St. Mary, to see the remains of an old Indian work, which consists of stones apparently from the destruction of a stone wall, which is supposed to have been erected by the same nation. It is situated about three miles' west of Piqua, on a bluff elevated about thirty feet above the level of the valley of the river. The wall, which is considered by some as having been erected for purposes of defense, stood near the brink of the hill, facing to the southeast. It has been completely thrown down; but its limits may be distinctly traced by the stones which lay on the ground, forming an ellipsis, whose axes are respectively 1,500 and 900 feet. This work is stated, upon the authority of Col. Johnston, to inclose an area of seventeen acres. The longest axis extends in an east-and-west line ; the distance of the nearest point of the ellipsis to the river was estimated to be about seven hundred yards. At its southeastern part it is supported by a circular earthen fort, similar to those previously described, and measuring about thirty-six yards in diameter. The stones, of which the wall was built, are all rolled, mostly granite; few of them are calcareous ; they are in every respect similar to those we find scattered over the country, and especially on the banks of the river. At present they form a loose pavement, about six feet wide, around the ellipsis. The figure of the ellipsis deviates, in some cases, from a strict regularity, probably to accommodate itself to the surface of the country as it then was. In sundry parts, and more especially HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. - 305 toward the west side, are many gateways, or interruptions in the walls, which are generally from six to eight feet wide. Back of these, and within the area of the ellipsis, we find a number of stones heaped up in the form of mounds, which are supposed to be the remains of small works, thrown up for the defense of the gateway, and so situated that one mound will protect two gateways. Although the general opinion seems to be favorable to the idea that this stone wall was erected as a fortification, we by no means consider this as proved. All the stones which are found there, if arranged so as to form the highest possible wall, would probably not rise above four and a half to five feet ; but in order to afford the walk any degree of solidity, it would be necessary to give it such a breadth as would probably reduce its dimensions to less than three feet. On the part of those who do not consider this as the remains of a military work, it may be argued that we have no proof of these stones having ever formed a wall ; that they may have been gathered for the purpose of forming the elliptical pavement which they now present. That this may have been constructed for motives which we cannot at present conceive of, is no proof that such motives may not have existed • further, it may be said that, admitting these stones to be the remains of a wall, it is not probable that it was made for military purposes, as a work of this kind would certainly not have been erected for the protection of a small force, and as a large number of persons collected in it would have been quite unprotected against the arrows and other missile weapons ; that the 'situation, though a commanding one, appears quite untenable for want of water, which can only be obtained by descending the hill toward the river, in which case the party venturing out would be exposed to be cut off by the enemy. A spring was, it is true, observed within the elliptic inclosure ; but the small quantity of water which it affords at present, renders it improbable that it should have been, at any time, sufficient for the consumption of as large a force as would have been required in the defense of so extensive a work. The number of gateways, it may be said, likewise excludes the possibility of its being intended as a work of defense, for they are very numerous, and sometimes within four or five feet of each other. The unevenness of the ground, part of the wall being along the sides of the hill and much lower than the rest, may be urged as another strong objection to its being considered as a military work. If it be not intended for purposes of war, what was the intention of those who erected it ? Its extent, the labor which it required in order to accomplish it, its form and situation, in fine, all its characters, would then concur in leading to the belief that it must have been a religious monument, probably forming an arena for their sacred festivals ; their games, their ceremonies, could be conveniently carried on. The number of the gates, the heaps of the stones which lay near them, all tend to prove that no other origin can be safely ascribed to it. It was suggested that this may, perhaps, be the remains of a pound, similar to those made by the Indians to this day for the purpose of entrapping buffaloes and other game. " But this opinion is, likewise, excluded by the little resistance which a wall of such small dimensions, formed by the union of uncemented stones but loosely piled together, would have presented to the powerful efforts of the wild animals, which it would have been intended to inclose. Its situation on an uneven ground, likewise excludes this hypothesis from any claim to plausibility. The stones used vary much in size, from that of a walnut to the largest which a man can carry ; doubts may exist whether this wall was raised upon an earthen parapet ; if there was one of this kind, it has certainly disappeared almost entirely, yet in a few places the elevation formed by the stones appeared greater than might have been expected, from the quantity of materials which were observed. It is, therefore, not impossible that in some places, at least, the wall may have been supported by an earthen parapet. The motive for which these stones were collected will, probably, ever remain a secret, and we must be contented with surmises, all of which are unsatisfactory, because all are founded upon hypothetical manners which we ascribe to the authors of these works. Where we observe a circular 306 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. rampart with a fosse, a gateway and a transverse inside of the gateway, we discover a similarity to our modern fortifications, and we immediately consider that this may have been erected for the same purpose, without inquiring into the foundation which we have for assigning to them the same system of fortification which we have adopted. In examining into the character of man, whether civilized or savage, we are, it is true, struck with the powerful influences which two of the most opposite passions, a warlike and religious spirit, will exercise over him ; and to one or both of these, we may attribute his most astonishing actions, whether good or bad. The experience of every nation proves, that almost all religious faiths have led to the undertaking of vast constructions. .Withput recurring to the Egyptian and Indian antiquities, we find in the splendid remains of Greece and Rome, in the colossal and magnificent GothiC cathedrals of the middle ages, and even in the more recent edifices of modern times, that religion has at all periods been the principal motive which has induced men to exert their genius and expend their labor in constructions. Judging, by the same test, of the nations long since extinct, which at one time covered the banks of our Western streams, we will not be surprised if the remains of their finest works bear the character of having been undertaken, partly, at least, with religious views." About a mile south of Piqua is an old Indian cemetery, situated upon a level piece of ground, elevated about twenty feet above high-water mark, in EC romantic spot intersected by a small stream. The surface is formed by limestone rocks in horizontal strata, upon which it seems the bodies were laid and covered over with slabs of limestone. On the south, and higher up on the point of the hill, is a mound described by Mr. Wiltheis as being 240 feet in circumference, six feet in height, and surrounded by a ditch paved with pebbles. In May, 1880 he explored it and found it contained a sacrificial altar. After digging through a foot of soil he came to a stratum of yellow sand ten inches thick, then six inches of ashes mixed with burnt bones, pressed into •a solid mass, then nineteen inches of clay burnt red.' One mile southeast of the main fort is another, 160 feet in circumference, with ditch on the inside and entrance on the east and west. One mile south, on Section 7, is another, 300 feet in circumference, with a southeast entrance, gravel embankment and ditch inside. Three hundred yards to the northeast is another, 250 feet in circumference and nine feet in height. Excavations showed this also to contain a sacrificial altar, made of clay burnt red, and covered with ashes, charcoal and burnt bone three inches thick. On this was a layer, eight inches thick, of clay ; on this again was a layer of burnt bone pressed solid, covered with clay ; then five alternate layers of clay and charcoal, five feet thick ; the whole mass covered with gravel mixed with clay two feet in thickness. West of the altar, human remains were found, viz.: a skeleton lying with the head towards the southeast, imbedded in clay. The skull bore the appearance of having been crushed with a blunt instrument, as fragments of the cranium were found within the cavity. Near the surface were found broken pieces of pottery. Southeast of this, between the river and canal, was an ancient burial ground. Ten skeletons were exhumed by Mr. J. Reyt ; they were buried in a circle, with their feet toward the center, which was occupied by a beautifully ornamented pNce of pottery. About ten feet from this, he found a single skeleton with a piece of pottery near him The graves were lined and covered with limestone. Across the river, in Spring Creek Township, is another burial ground, containing many bodies exposed after the recession of high water. On Section 29, Washington Township, was a stone mound containing many bodies. Near the canal, same section, was a very large mound 400 feet in circumference, and from fifteen to eighteen feet high. Within the limits of the city of Piqua was one of their largest burial places reaching from Young street to the Rocky Branch. All along the bank of the canal were found many stone graves, but the stones were taken out and burnt for lime as long ago as 1820. On Section 30,,Spring Creek Township, were three circular fortifications, now obliterated ; on Sections 27 and 28, are also two more burial grounds, with human HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 807 remains. On Section 19, Newton Township, are two pre-historic works, situate near Pleasant Hill, on the west bank of Stillwater, on the bluffs forming the west bank. The larger of these works is 700 feet in circumference. On each side of the hill upon which the f >it was built, are two ravines of about 100 feet in depth, run--jug back from the river, and ,,)rmin,,o. a junction about three hundred yards from it ; in the angle of these the fort is built. The ravines running northwest and southwest protect it on three sides, and on the west side runs a half-moon embankment, 240 feet in length and six feet high, reaching from ravine to ravine ; where the wall joins the ravines they are about twenty-five feet deep. Ditches are cut inside and outside of the wall. From the bottom of the ravines, looking up, the fort has the appearance of an immense truncated mound. It presents a formidable front, and its ragged sides look impossible to scale. Five hundred yards north of this is a smaller one, protected on the north by a similar ravine, running from west to east. The embankment is a circular inclosure, .300 feet in circumference, about three feet high at present. Trees of great age stand within. RELICS. This county is prolific of specimen instruments of a pre-historic age, mostly to be met with along the rivers, made of different kinds of stone, viz.: Granite, greenstone, sandstone, quartz, in its various forms, as *chalcedony, agate, flint, jasper, slate stone, bone, horn, shells, and sometimes obsidian. Mr. Wiltheis, of Piqua, a German gentleman of much intelligence, has in his possession 1,350 specimens of ancient handiworks. He has stone axes, ranging from two ounces to nine pounds ; pestles, from three to six pounds ; rolling-pins, three to four pounds ; hammers and hammer stones, from one-half to three pounds ; zelts, from one ounce to three pounds ; chisels, all sizes ; spades and hoes of different sizes ; scrapers, of flint and other material ; fish spears, of slender form ; flint knives, of all sizes and shapes ; lance, spear and arrow heads, both for war and the chase ; stone beads and shell drills of flint, large and small spoons of shells, slatestone shuttles, calendar stones, of various patterns ; slings, discoidal stones, war-club plates, pendants, ceremonial instruments, badges of power, beau' tiful in design ; hollow tubes, perforated balls of stone, various kinds of ornaments, smoothing stones, jasper pipes, inscribed tablets, found one-half mile west of Piqua, in a gravel pit, buried eighteen feet, and fifty feet in the hillside. They are made of burnt clay. The smaller one has twelve characters inscribed on it; a bow and arrow on one side, and a Grecian cross on the obverse, inside of a square. This tablet is two and one-fourth inches wide, three and one-half feet long, and one-fourth of an inch thick. Through the upper corners are holes, evidently for suspension. The other is four inches by two and one-fourth, has twenty-one characters, seventeen on one side, with bow and arrow on the obverse, square, with Grecian cross, inside, holes, as in the former, and a hole through the cross, filled with lead. By comparison, the inscriptions on these tablets bear a striking resemblance to those found at the ruins of Nineveh and Babylon. Some of the characters are identical with the Phoenician. Mr. W. has taken casts of these tablets, and presented the originals to the Smithsonian Institute. Anyone interested in archological study will find a splendid collection and a hearty welcome by visiting Mr. W. at Piqua, through whose kindness and intelligence we have been enabled to present the above facts. STATISTICS. We copy the statistical reports as compiled by Dr. Coleman, which are undoubtedly correct : All taxes upon lands in Ohio prior to 1827, were by the acre, without reference to improvements, and for State purposes only. Personal property and town lots were taxed for county and local purposes. Lands were rated for taxes, first, .second and third, and the tax generally about $4, $3 and $2 per quarter-section 308 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. upon these rates. In 1827, the valuation of lands was placed upon the county duplicate, and, including town lots, amounted to $594,292, and chattel property to $156,941, making an aggregate of 758,238. The population of the county in 1830 (nearest census) was 12,807 valuation of property per capita (poll tax), $58.65. The agricultural interests of the county had, up to this period, been very slowly developed ; and there had been no advance in the value of improved land since the war of 1812. Improved farms, of as good land as was to be found in the county, could be purchased at $10 per acre, and frequently sales were made at from $5 to $7 in quantities for quarter-sections, one fourth or more improved, and under cultivation. At this period agricultural lands possessed but a nominal value, but at the same time the canal question was agitating in the Legislature, which gave promise of an improvement of the State in the near future. The second valuation, in 1835, was, of lots and lands, $1,161,050 ; chattel, $363,145 ; total, $1,532,193 ; the aggregate more than doubling in eight years. This improvement may, in part, be attributed, no doubt, to the completion of the Miami Canal to Dayton, which opened a limited market for produce. In the course of eight years, 1827 to 1835, agricultural lands advanced 100 per cent. In 1842 the third valuation was taken on Lands and lots, $1,654,758 ; chattel, $1,400,039 ; total aggregate, $2,054,747. The population, by the census of 1840, was 19,688, giving a valuation of property per capita. of $104.37, being an increase of about 100 per cent in fifteen years, and an extension of the Miami Canal to the north line of the county in 1837,, and the increase of land from $15 to $25 per acre. 1840 may be considered the termination of the log-cabin period. The increase of wealth created a desire for more commodious and better-appearing habitations, and the faithful log-cabin, that had sheltered them alike from the cold and rain, as well as from the bullets of the Indian, was deserted for the beautiful frame or brick. In 1853 the fourth valua- tion of lands was taken, amounting to $7,722,018 ; chattel, $3,401,082 ; amounting in the aggregate to $11,128,000. The population in 1852, was 25,000; giving a valuation of property per capita of $445.20, being an increase of value of the tax list of more than four-fold, in the last eleven years. The completion of the canal to Lake Erie stimulated the agricultural interests to such an extent, that land advanced from $25 to $50 per acre, which seemed to be the maximum increase by the opening of the canal. In 1859, the fifth valuation of lands and lots was taken, amounting to $9,852,652; chattel, $3,512,927; in the aggregate, $13,365,579. Population in 1860, 30,377, with a valuation per capita of $445.40. The Legislature failed to make appropriation for a sixth valuation, its approximate estimate can be made based on 100 per cent advance upon the previous valuation, which would give lands and lots, $19,704,304 ; chattel property in 1868, $6,452,888, making. in the aggregate, $26,057,192, being the approximate amount on-the tax list of 1868, with a probable population of 35,000, giving, 730.20 per capita. The valuation of property in 1870 was $17,478,998; in 1874, $21,938,672. State tax for same year, $70,203,73. Other taxes, amounting to $248,568,41; aggregate, $318,772,14. HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. - 309 BROWN TOWNSHIP. Brown Township, in the extreme northeastern corner of Miami County, is bounded on the north by Shelby County, on the east by Champaign County, on the south by Lost Creek Township and west by Spring Creek Township, in Miami County. The country round about is watered by several streams of considerable importance ; of these, Spring Creek flows through the two northwest sections ir the township, and passes from them into Spring Creek Township. Lost Creek the most important water-course in the township, rises by three heads in the north ern part of the township, and flows in a southwesterly direction to the central part of the western portion of the township, when it takes a course directly south, anc enters Lost Creek Township at its northwestern section. Leatherwood Creek rise: in the eastern part of the township, and flows in a northwesterly direction into Shelby County. It was so called from the great amount of that species of timber which skirted its banks. Ramp Run, another small stream in Brown Township received its name on account of the great abundance of ramps, a vegetable pro duction resembling Indian turnips, which grew along its course. The township contains some thirty sections, making about 19,200 acres of tillable land. A present, there are not more than ten miles of mud road in the township, whit] presents a cobwebbed appearance of free pikes, which have been built at an aver age cost of between $1,200 and $1,600 per mile. The first white man who located himself permanently within the present limit of Brown Township was John Kiser, who emigrated from Virginia in the earl: days of the nineteenth century, and came immediately to Ohio. He settled firs near Dayton, but, in 1806, came to this township and purchased the northeas quarter of Section 30, where he built his rude cabin and began life in this section of Miami County as a bachelor ; but, soon growing weary of a " life in the fores alone," he took to himself a wife, and began in earnest the work of clearing hi farm and making a pleasant home for his family. This, for one man, was no small undertaking, requiring not only a great expenditure of muscular force, but also will so determined as not to be thwarted by any common difficulty. Mr. Kiser: however, proved equal to the emergency, and soon had cleared a few acres c ground, from which he raised the first crop of corn and vegetables in the tows ship. Isaac Kiser, the oldest child of this family, was born in the fall of 1810, an was the first white child who had his nativity in Brown Township ; besides hin two other sons and two daughters were born to Mr. Kiser. Isaac, the eldest, son lives near the spot of his birth, the oldest resident in the township. He is a ma greatly respected by all, who, by his untiring industry. has succeeded in accumulating a goodly portion of this world's goods, which he does not hesitate to use for any laudable and benevolent purpose that may come under his observation. Hi sons, two of whom carry on the mercantile business in Fletcher, are wide-awals citizens. Mrs. Kiser has in her possession one of the coats worn by the Britishei during the Revolutionary war it is a sleeveless red jacket, and was taken during the war by a relative of Mrs. Kiser, from whom she received it. This is, without doubt, the oldest article of -apparel in the township, the sight of which reminds one not only of the futile attempts of Great Britain to rule the United Colonie but also of the grand work accomplished by our forefathers, when they obtained f( themselves and their descendants such desirable homes as are to be found not only in Brown, but in every township, almost, throughout the United States. The second settler in the township was 'John Simmons, a native of Pennsy vania, who immigrated here in 1807, with his family of ten children, and locate himself on Section 36 ; he, shortly after his arrival, entered several hundred acre of land in the vicinity, and was for many years the largest land-holder in the tow ship. Upon his arrival here he found the neighborhood sparsely settled, the Kise being the only white settlers for miles around ; nothing daunted, however, by the 310 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. gloominess of the external surroundings, he went to work with a will to build for himself a home and name in the place he had chosen to live, the initiatory steps to which proceeding was the erection of a cabin of round logs, which contained two rooms, being what was known as a double log house, and the fprst of its kind in the township, as the house inhabited by Kiser contained but one room and a, little loft, to which access was had by means of a small ladder. The Simmons residence was for the time a rather pretentious structure. A porch extended the length of the house, and in summer this served as a dining-room ; the roof was of clap-boards manufactured by Mr. Simmons. The floors and doors were of puncheon-plank ; the latter, swung upon the old-time wooden hinges, made a screeching noise on being opened, not calculated to be particularly soothing to persons of a nervous temperament. Patent locks and modern bolts were not used in the construction of this dwelling ; instead, a wooden catch answered every purpose. This was attached to the inside of the door by wooden pins, and was opened from the outside by a leather string which protruded through a gimlet hole and was fastened to the latch inside. At nights the house was locked by merely pulling in the string, thus making it impossible to open the door from the outside. The principal feature of this house was its window, which was of real glass—a substance by no means commonly used to admit light in those primitive dwellings. The cabin of Mr. Simmons, however, was illuminated during the day by a small glass window, about 10x12 inches in size, and thus the use of greased paper for that purpose was dispensed with in that household. The first year of his arrival here, Mr. Simmons, after building his house, succeeded in clearing two or three acres of land, from which he raised corn enough for family use during the next year. In a few years subsequent to his settling here, he managed to clear more than fifty acres of his wooded homestead, from which he raised good crops of corn and a little wheat. There being no market near at hand, and farm products being exceedingly low, the inducements to farm extensively were not great, even had it been possible ; all grain, beyond what was necessary for home consumption, had to be carried to the neighboring towns for a market ; and there being no regular roads at this time, and wagons not being yet in use, it will readily be seen that the means and modes of transportation were neither numerous nor convenient. Most of the surplus grain in this township was for many. years taken to Dayton for sale, till Piqua became a town, atter which the narrow pathway through the woods to that place was frequented more than that which led to the more remote market, and hence the fprst sale of grain in Piqua from this township was made by a son of Mr. Simmons, who carried to that place a few bushels of corn on the back of the old family horse, which he disposed of after some trouble, for the then enormous price of 9 cents per bushel, which he received in cash. On so small a scale as this began the sale of grain in this township, which has since assumed, in comparison, proportions almost gigantic. The third settler in Brown Township was William Concannon, who emigrated from Pennsylvania in 1807 and entered a farm in the western part of Section 36. He had, upon his arrival here, a large family of sons and daughters, so that, in the work of clearing, he was not single-handed, as his children were, some of them, old enough to lend a helping hand in the arduous struggle for a living, which was to be obtained from the farm, which contained plenty of nothing but wood, water and wild animals. However, by the united exertions of himself and family, Mr. C. soon caused his immediate surroundings to assume a more agreeable aspect. While himself and boys did the chopping, the girls piled and burned the brush, so that, the spring of their arrival here, not only did they build their cabin, but also succeeded in redeeming two or three acres of the surrounding forest from its original worthless condition, which they converted into a cornfield, from which they obtained grain enough to provide them with bread during the following winter. Mr. C. resided upon this place until his death, many years afterward. This family, with the two preceding ones, constituted, for some time, the whole popula- HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 311 tion of the township. Mr. C. was a prominent man in the little colony, and, after the township was organized, figured conspicuously in its affairs till his death. John Adney immigrated here from Pennsylvania, of which State he was a native, in 1807. Upon arriving in this township, he entered the southwest quarter of Section 31 and erected his cabin and put up a rude barn, as preliminaries to the more extensive operations which he expected to carry on afterward. He was accompanied to this township by his family, consisting, at that time, of several sons and daughters. Mr. A. worked upon this place seven years, and succeeded in clearing quite a large portion of his farm, when he disposed of his property here to Nicholas Platter, in 1815, and Mr. A., with his family, swelled the mighty stream of emigration pouring westward, and sought a home where such an abundance of wood and water was not to be contended against. Mr. Platter moved upon the place immediately after the removal of Mr. A., where he remained for fifteen years, when he disposed of his property to a Mr. Hamilton, in 1830. As will be seen hereafter, Platter was among the first of those who took the initiatory steps in establishing what was, at that time, one of the most important branches of the manufacturing pursuits then being carried on in the township. Alexander Oliver emigrated from Pennsylvania, with his family of three boys and two girls, in about 1808. He entered the northwest quarter of Section 30, upon which he built the fprst cabin and felled the first tree in that part of the section. Mr. Oliver remained upon this place till 1823, when, growing tired of the immense quantities of wood and water, the only redundant articles that might be made subservient to the use of man in this vicinity, he sold his farm and moved farther west, and procured a home among the prairies. At about this time in the history of this township, rumors became rife in the neighborhood concerning the fearful depredations of the Indians, not only in the State at large, but in the neighboring townships in particular. The terrible tragedy that has made the names of Dillbone and Gerard household words throughout Miami County, plunged the inhabitants of their respective neighborhoods into such a state of feverish excitement as was not to be allayed for the space of several" years. Blockhouses were built, firearms procured, constant .watch was kept, and all signs of danger rapidly reported from settlement to settlement. Brown Township, like the others, became submerged in a sea of feverish excitement, and preparations were made here to protect themselves and families from the fiendish cruelty of the red man. The few families in the neighborhood met at the house of Mr. Kiser in January, 1812, and decided to build a house where the inhabitants might meet and spend the nights free from danger. Accordingly, the blockhouse was built on Kiser's place early in the summer of 1812, and this was the common rendezvous in all times of apprehended danger. Nothing occurred, however, to mar the peace of the little colony, and, their fears gradually subsiding, the old fort was finally abandoned as a place of refuge, and, instead, was used by Mr. Kiser as a stable and genera] storehouse for many years ; but a quarter of a century has passed away since the old house has fallen a prey to Time's destroying finger, and to-day not a vestige of the building remains to remind the dweller in this peaceful community of the turbulent scenes that were hourly expected to be enacted in the days when the old blockhouse was built. After the war was declared ended and comparative peace again restored, the stream of immigration, which had ceased during the war, again began to pour westward, and quite a large portion of its surplus waters reached Miami County. Owing, however, to the fact that Brown Township is situated in t remote part of the county from the principal business centers, it was several year before the tributaries of the before-mentioned stream reached this vicinity. Amon the first families to come to Brown Township after the war was that of the Mun sells. Asa Munsell accompanied by his family, emigrated from Massachusetts, their native State, in 1818. They settled near Marietta upon their arrival in Ohio, but two years later, came to this township and located themselves permanently. Lean der Munsell, a son of Asa, entered a quarter-section of land, which was situatee some distance east from the present site of Fletcher. Mr. M. was a man of energy 312 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. and noted for the uprightness of his character and unflinching integrity, and was always deeply interested in all improvements necessary for the comfort and welfare of the neighborhood in which he lived. He built the first frame house in the township in 1820. He is also noted as having been the only inhabitant of Brown who ever occupied a seat in the Legislature of the State, to which he was elected, and filled to the satisfaction of all his constituents. He also took a prominent part in affairs pertaining to his county, for the good of which he was an indefatigable worker till his death. John L. Malloy settled on Section 25, near the present site of Fletcher, in 1821. He purchased his farm of eighty acres of John Simmons, and built his log-cabin, the floor of which was of sawed boards, instead of the puncheons usually used for that purpose. Mr. Malloy, in conjunction with John P. Davis, engaged in the lumbering business, and they were the only two men in this township who took advantage of the transporting facilities offered by the river, in carrying their lumber to the south. They made many successful trips to New Orleans, and some of them are reported as having been exceedingly hazardous. On one occasion, they had waited several weeks for the river to rise. that they might push off with an unusually large cargo of fine cherry lumber. They had grown somewhat weary and careless with the long delay, and, consequently, were not prepared for the emergency which came upon them, by the water rising unexpectedly, and without previous indications of so doing, in the middle of the night, and, it carried the boat, with all on board, rapidly down the stream as far as Troy, where, becoming entangled among the " Ninety-nine islands," it was found impossible to extricate themselves. Toward morning, the boat grounded, and shortly went to pieces, the lumber being carried off by the swift current, while the proprietors, with difficulty reached the shore. Such were some of the difficulties experienced by those who attempted to carry on commercial relations with the South by navigation, in the early days of our history. Mr. Malloy was engaged in this work many years, and was, for the most part, eminently successful in all his operations. He subsequently, however, removed from Brown Township, with his family, to California, where he became a bonanza king, and died years ago, possessed of a large estate. John H. Wolcott, a native of New Jersey, emigrated with • his family to Butler County, Ohio, in 1807, where he remained till 1820, when he came to Miami County, and located, first, in Lost Creek Township, where he remained one year, removing to Brown Township, in the spring of 1821, when he entered the north half of Section 5. Mr. Wolcott's family besides himself and wife, consisted of six boys and one girl, and, with the assistance of his boys, he soon caused the wilderness to disappear, in a great measure, from the spot he had chosen for his home. The first residence of this family did not differ materially from the dwellings of a majority of the first settlers in the township. The, cabin consisted of a single room, with floor of puncheon-plank ; the greater part of one side of the house was taken up by the huge fireplace, which answered the triple purpose of furnace, grate and range. The sun sent its gladdening, cheerful rays into this humble home, through a window made of real glass, instead of the greased paper then commonly used, the size of which did not exceed 10x12 inches. Mr. Wolcott was, by profession, a surveyor, and was the first regular operator in that profession who became a permanent resident of Brown Township, and most of the land in the township was first surveyed by him. As a citizen, he was one among the most prominent in the township, and always took great interest in all affairs of a public character, pertaining to the well-being of his neighborhood. His sons, some of them, now live near the old homestead, and are among the most prosperous and influential men in that part of the township. Giles Johnson, from Virginia, immigrated to Brown Township in 1820 and entered the southeast quarter of Section 6, and built the first cabin on that section. This family consisted of five boys and two girls, who all took part in clearing the farm, as well as bearing their share of all other duties necessary to be performed in the early days of our settlement. Upon their arrival here, there was no HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 315 cleared land in this part of the township, neither was there any regularly laid out wagon road, but all produce, beyond that necessary to meet the demands of home consumption, was conveyed to Troy on the back of the old family horse, which picked its way through the brush and briers, which skirted the pathway between the farm and town, with difficulty ; and when, at last, a market-town was reached, the greater part of the work was yet to do, for, instead of driving the horse with its load of grain to a grain warehouse, and at once disposing of the load for a good price, it was necessary to go from house to house, and from store to store, selling a little here and a little there, and even then the producer considered himself fortunate if he was so lucky as to dispose of his products by evening, when he returned home with a few cents in his pocket, satisfied with having sold his corn even for the pitiable sum of 74- cents per bushel. Michael Sills emigrated from Pennsylvania in an early day, and coming to Ohio, settled first in Champaign County, Where he remained till 1820, when he moved with his large family of boys and girls to Brown Township, Miami County. He took a lease for the southwest quarter of Section 6, and, with the assistance of his boys, cleared the farm on which he located, for one-half. The second log-cabin on this section was built by Mr. Sills, which, as to size and comfort, was as unpretentious as any in that neighborhood. After living in this humble home for about fourteen years, this family decided to remove to a country where such a superabundance of forest was not to be found, and consequently, in the spring of 1834, Mr. Sills started, with his family and all his household goods, in search of a more desirable location farther West. They finally settled permanently in Indiana, where members of the family still reside, having become the possessors of fine farms in the most productive part of the State. John Oliver, who settled in the northern part of Section 6, was a native of Pennsylvania, from which State he emigrated in an early day, coming immediately to Brown Township, where he entered land of which he had cleared a considerable portion, when he disposed of it to Azel Griffith, who, with his family of three boys and one girl, moved upon this place in the spring of 1820, where he remained for four years, when he sold the property to George W. Dobbins, who moved here in 1824, and was the first keeper of a public-house in this part of the township. His , tavern-stand was by no means an immense structure, or, at least, would not be considered such at the present day, but at that time it was considered a rather pretentious building, and certainly was as large as the limited amount of traveling at that time and in this part of the country would justify in building. In height it boasted a single story, in the loft of which beds were sometimes hastily set up, or rather laid down, for they boasted no bedstead in cases of emergency. There were only two regular rooms in the house, and these answered the purposes of kitchen, bedrooms, parlor, drawing-room and bar. The northwest quarter of Section 6 was entered by William Graham, who was a native ot Maryland, from which State he emigrated in 1818 and came immediately to this county, settling on the farm before mentioned. He erected the third cabin on this section, and was one of the most industrious, energetic men in the community in which he resided. Upon locating here, Mr. G. applied himself assiduously to the labor of clearing his farm, of which he had cleared considerable when he disposed of his property here and moved to Illinois. William Cox, a native of Pennsylvania, immigrated to Brown Township in 1815, and entered the southwest quarter of Section 1, Range 12. He had a large family of sons and daughters, who all assisted in the clearing of the farm. Some years subsequent to his settling here, he disposed of his property in this township to Sylvanus Allen, who moved here from Montgomery County, and still lives on the farm he purchased from Mr. Cox. The northwest quarter of Section 1, Range 12, was entered in 1817, by Edmund Yates, who erected a second log-cabin on this section. Joseph Jackson emigrated from New Jersey in 1826, and entered the north half of Section 11, Range 11, in this township, where he built his cabin of one 316 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. room the same year. He had a family of sons and daughters, all of whom died of consumption, save one, who lost his life in the army. Fred Gray, from New Jersey, settled on the southeast quarter of Section 5, in Brown Township, in 1828. His family consisted of four boys and three girls ; one of the former lost his life in the service of his country. Mr. Gray sold his farm in this township, after living upon it many years, and purchased another in Lost Creek Township, this county. At the present time, he resides in Lena, this township, being among the oldest residents of the place. Maj. Manning emigrated from New Jersey, in 1818, and, coming to this township, entered his farm on Section 3. He built a house of round logs, the size of which was 18x20 feet. The hands who assisted in the raising of this house came a distance of six miles. So thinly was the township settled at that date, that men could not be procured for such purposes without calling upon all the inhabitants of the community for several miles around. In 1824, Mr. Manning built a hewed-log house, which, at that time, was considered the second best dwelling in the township, being judged of suffpcient importance to justify the authorities in imposing a tax upon it. John D. Corry, a brother-in-law of Maj. Manning, with whom he came to this township, was a native of New Jersey, from which place he emigrated in 1818, and, reaching Ohio, stopped in Dayton the 4th day of July o the same year. Mr. Corry was the first merchant in this part of, the township, baying purchased a small stock of goods, which he sold at his house as early as 1825. After having been engaged in this business for three or four years, he sold tits property here and removed to Shelby County, subsequently moving on to Illinois, where he located permanently. Joseph Shanks emigrated with his family of five boys and four girls, from Pennsylvania, in 1794. He reached Ohio the same year and located near Cincinnati. His son Peter, hearing of the wonderful fertility of the Miami Valley, came to this county and settled on Section 29 in Brown Township, in 1821. The roof of his cabin was made of good shingles instead of clapboards, and the floor of smooth puncheon, so that this house was considered among the most elegant in the township at that time. He occupied this house till 1837, when he built his present residence. Mr. Shanks arrived here in the fall, and consequently was not overstocked with provisions. He spent the winter in working wherever he Gould find employment, and by his industry, managed to keep the wolf from the door till the spring of 1822, when he had cleared about four acres of his farm, on which he raised that summer a good crop of corn. He also, the same year, put out quite a number of fruit trees, from which, in a few years, he obtained a plentiful supply of good fruit. William Manson, a native of Pennsylvania, immigrated to this township with his family of three girls and one boy, in 1819. He entered a quarter-section of land, on which he built the first cabin. There had been a log schoolhouse built on this section the year previous to the arrival of Mr. Manson in the township. It was made of round logs, the benches of split logs, and the outlet to the fireplace was by a " cat and clay " chimney, an inartistic structure of mud, straw and sticks. Besides the pioneer settlers already mentioned, the names of John Wilson, William Walkup, David Newcomb, Thomas McClure, Benjamin Sims, Joseph Rollins, etc. are known as having been among those who sought to subdue the wilderness and who, by their industry, became important factors in all things pertaining to the well-being of the new country. The township was organized and the first officers, of which any record can be found, were elected in 1819, and were as follows, viz.: Trustees, Alexander Oliver, William Walkup and William Manson ; Clerk, Joseph Rollins ; Treasurer, Levi Munsell ; Justice of the Peace, John Wilson; Supervisors, John Oliver and Daniel Newcomb ; Lister, Jacob Simmons ; Fence Viewer, Benjamin Sims ; House Appraiser, Thomas McClure ; Overseers of Poor, John Simmons and Peter Kiser.. HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 317 The present officers are : Trustees, David Manson, Charles Simmons and D. S. Car- mony • Clerk, A. McClintock : Treasurer, W. I. Kiser ; Constables, C. H. Lane and C. M. Williams ; Assessors, J. M. Frazier and John Duncan ; Supervisors, Frank Sayers, Benjamin Wolcott, James Coddington, S. Worthington and W. E. Myers. The only railroad in the township is the Cincinnati, Columbus & Indiana Central, now leased and operated by the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad, passing east and west through the center of Sections 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36, and on which line are located the stations of Conover and Fletcher. TOWNS. Conover, one of the three in the township, is a small station on the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway, containing scarcely a, dozen houses. The land on which the village is situated was first entered by a Mr. Jones, from whom Solomon G. Brecount, the founder of the place, purchased it and laid out nineteen lots, in April, 1856. It was named in honor of A. G. Conover, of Piqua. The original plat has been increased by a single addition, which was. annexed in June, 1863. The lots are 150x50 feet in size, and the streets are sixty feet wide. The fprst house in the place was built by Brecount & White, and was used as a miscellaneous store-room. The grain store of the Brecount Bros. has been in operation in this place many years, and is doing a thriving business. This store, and the steam saw-mill near it, are the more important enterprises in the place. Besides these there are a blacksmith-shop, dry-goods store and shoe-shop in the place, as also one church, of which an account will be given in its proper place. Lena was laid out by Levi N. Robbins, in 1830, and was fprst called Elizabethtown, in honor of his wife, but, there being another town of that name in the State, in order to prevent all irregularities in postal matters, it was deemed proper to change the name of the village, which was accordingly called Lena. But, after the place had been named some time, there was found to be another place of the same name in Ohio, making the new name no better than the old. However, despairing of finding any name not already appropriated by some Ohio village, they concluded not to make another attempt in that direction, but the post office was called, as it is to this day, Allen's Post Office, in honor of Sylvanus Allen, who was the first Postmaster in the township, having had the office as early as 1830, at which time the Postmaster, for his labor, received and sent his own mail free, and got $2 per year in cash. Mr. Allen, also, was instrumental in establishing the second post office in Brown Township, in Fletcher, in 1832, which was first kept by old Squire Malloy. At the time Lena was laid out, there was nothing on the spot but woods, so that the only recommendation the place had was its abundance of shade. The first store was built by Joseph Beck, who cleared off a spot of ground large enough for his cabin, which he erected in 1830, and used as a store-room, the first in the place. He occupied this room several years, when he put up a small frame in which he carried on his business, till he was burned out a few years later. Before the village was laid out Elah Hayhurst had built a little log shop, as early as 1824, in which he did all the black smithing for the neighborhood ; but after Lena was laid out the first blacksmith was William Graham, who had emigrated from Pennsylvania and located here shortly after the first settlements were made in this place. The wants of the community are now attended to, and the business of the place carried on in Lena, by two dry-goods stores, one grocery store, three blacksmiths, one wagon-shop, three physicians, one millinery-shop, one agricultural implement store, one tailor and three carpenters, while the spiritual development of the citizens is attended to by one resident minister. Fletcher, a station on the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad, is the largest and most important village in the township, and was laid out in 1830, by John L. Malloy. The original plat consisted of forty-six full, and four fractional, lots, the size of the former being 66x99 feet. In the old plat, twenty-eight full lots lie north of Main street, and eighteen full, and four fractional, 318 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. lots south of the same street, which is sixty feet wide, as is also Railroad street, the cross streets being only forty feet wide. Since the date of its foundation, the place has been enlarged by five additions, viz. : Parrot's Addition, Moses' Addition, Clark's Addition. Eichelbarger's Addition, and Council's Addition. The first place of business in the village was in a little log-cabin, built by Samuel Dougherty, in 1830. He kept a miscellaneous stock of goods, embracing almost everything necessary to meet the demands of his customers, from the stimulating liquid down to a paper of pins. The cabin in which he carried on his business, has been weather-boarded, and is, to-day, in a good state of preservation. Samuel Crane, who was about the second merchant in Fletcher, sold goods as early as 1835 ; after carrying on the business for some time, he was burned out. The third merchant here, was Isaac Dukemineer, who erected a brick, and began business about 1850. After doing a good business for many years, he disposed of his property to Alonzo Montgomery. Isaac Kiser, Michael Duncan, and Solomon Brecount were also among the earliest merchants in this place. The various branches of commerce are carried on here by two dry-goods stores, one drug store, one grocery store, four blacksmith-shops, two shoeshops, one furniture store, two milliner-shops, one hotel, one tin 'and stove store, one barber, two grain warehouses, two physicians, one dentist, one dealer in patent medicines, two stock dealers, and one harness-shop. The officers of the corporation are, Mayor and Justice of the Peace, Michael Duncan ; Clerk, J. G. Simmons ; Treasurer W. A. Lewis ; Marshal and Supervisor, John Robbins ; Councilmen, A. McClintock, C. W. Crebors and J. P. Coffield. MANUFACTORIES. Probably the first distillery in the township was built and operated by Nicholas Platter, who erected a copper still in 1820, which he worked for about ten years, and is said to have manufactured a superior article of whisky. He disposed of his place, which was on the southwest quarter of section 31, to a Mr. Hamilton, in 1830, who carried on the business in his stead. The second distillery in the township, was built on Section 25, by Daniel Newcomb, in about 1821. His business in this line was not very extensive, but he did considerable work for his neighbors, for many years, and is said to have produced an excellent quality of whisky. The first blacksmith-shop in the township, was kept by Benjamin Bowersock, as early as 1814. It was situated on the southeast quarter of Section 19, on land entered by Benjamin's brother David. Benjamin Bowersock subsequently purchased eighty acres of land for himself, and then built the second smithy in the township. The third blacksmith-shop in the township was built in 1828, by Joshua Duer, who operated it several years. Owing to the fact that not much work in this line was done in those days, those who worked at this trade found it necessary to combine it with farming, in order to make ,both ends meet at the end of the year. The first saw-mill in the township was built by•John L. Malloy, on the banks of a small run which passed through Section 25, where the mill was built. This was about 1821, and, at that date, people in the vicinity began using sawed boards, instead of roughly-split puncheon, for flooring purposes. Mr. Malloy also connected with the saw-mill a corn-cracker, at the same date, which was the first and only grist-mill in the township till steam mills were introduced. He devoted• himself to these industries very successfully for many years, when he disposed of them and removed to California, where he died years ago. The second saw-mill in the township was built and worked by David Gray & Porter, in 1830. It was situated on Big Lost Creek. They had operated this but a few months when John D. Hendley built the third saw-mill in Brown Township, on the same stream, about half a mile east from Gray & Porter's mill. However, there was plenty of work for each mill to do, and the whirr of the saws, as they HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. - 319 rapidly converted logs into fine boards, might be heard at a considerable distance, from early dawn to nightfall. The first steam saw-mill in the township was the one owned by Harrison Loudenback, near Conover, which he began operating about the time the railroad was completed through the place ; after operating it some time, he disposed of the property, since which time it has passed through several hands, and is now owned by J. W. White, who is doing quite an extensive business in that line. The first steam grist-mill in the township was the property of Benjamin F. Shattuck, who erected it in Fletcher in 1849. He operated it successfully about four years, when it was destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt. In about 1857, Mr. Shattuck put up another mill near Fletcher, at the railroad, but, in a short time, this also was destroyed by fire and was not rebuilt. The Coppock Bros., who have been dealing in grain a good while, and have been doing a large business, which is constantly increasing, this year added a steam grist-mill to their business, which will, doubtless, not only prove advantageos to them from a financial point of view, but will also prove aofactor of no small importance in making Fletcher the business center for all the surrounding country. The grain warehouse near Lena has been in operation about twenty-five years. It is now the property of L. W. Colvin, who, being a man of good business ability and unswerving honesty, is almost constantly handling large quantities of groin. The only tile factory in the township is the property of H. S. Carmony, who has been running it since 1872. The work is done by a Penfield machine, which was purchased by the proprietor for $450. The buildings are substantial' and commodious, the pressing shed being forty feet square ; the drying room is 180x18 feet. A third room, made wholly of iron, is 17x24 feet. The kiln, 12x15 feet, is the second largest in Miami County. Two kilns, containing 700 rods of tile, are burned every two weeks. Eight different sizes of tile are manufactured here, and three men employed in the work, which is all disposed of near home, the demand for the article up to the present time exceeding the supply. CHURCHES. The first regular congregation in Brown Township, was the Methodists. They built their first church in Fletcher, in 1820, on land donated by Alexander Oliver ; it was a brick building, and the first brick house of any kind in the, township. Owing to the fact that the records of the church have been lost, nothing can be said of its early history, save that its members have always been forward in good works. Among the first ministers, James B. Findley may be mentioned. The old church has been torn down many years, and some of the lumber used in the making of the pulpit in 1820 is now in the possession of a lady in Fletcher, who has had it converted into cupboard doors, in which capacity it has served, and promises to serve, many years. The church was rebuilt some twenty-five or thirty years ago and at the present time the property is worth about $3,000. Services are held every two weeks. Sunday school is held every Sabbath morning, the average attendance being sixty-five. G. W. Gillmore is the Superintendent. The Methodists also have a 'church in Lena, worth about $2,500, which is in a prosperous condition. George Malloy is remembered as having been one of the pioneers who preached for this congregation in its infancy here. The Baptists are as old a denomination as any, in the township. Traveling ministers preached for this branch of the church in the house bf Mr. Kiser as early as 1809. Their first brick church was built on the farm of Edmund Yates, in 1830. This has ceased to exist long ago. The Baptist, in Fletch4r, was organized Tuesday, January 29, 1861, at which time there were fifteen members in the congregation. David E. Thomas, from Piqua, served as minister here till his death, in 1864. E. D. Thomas, of Illinois, was then called to the pastorate, over which he presided one year, and was succeeded by Elder Daniel Bryant, who served three years, when J. W. Weatherby, from New York, took charge of the congregation for a single year. George W. Taylor, the next minister, preached two years, after which 320 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. William S. Kent, from Virginia, served the same length of time. Joseph N. Scott from Pennsylvania, then took charge of the congregation, over which he has presided ever since. The church, a frame structure, 36x46 feet, was completed in 1862, at a cost of '$1,500. In the winter of 1867-68, Rev. Daniel Bryant, assisted by Elder Shepardson, of Piqua, had quite a revival, thirty-two persons uniting with the church. Other revivals, conducted by different ministers, have taken place at different times. Since the call of Rev. Scott, the congregation has been increased by thirty-one persons uniting with the church. The present membership is ninety-nine. Church property is valued at about $2,000. Wilber Higgins is Superintendent of the Sunday school, which has an average attendance of sixty persons. The Presbyterian Church in Fletcher was organized in the fall of 1837 by Revs. James Coe and Samuel Cleland, who were deputed to act in that capacity by the Presbytery at Sidney. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. Cleland, from Romans, eighth chapter and fprst verse, and the congregation was named the " Newton Presbyterian Church." Previous to the organization of the church here, Rev. F. A. Hemper, a licentiate minister, had preached for die people here. The congregation at first consisted of twenty members. The fprst ruling elder was William Brown. Matthew Dinsmore and James McQuillen were ordained elders, by Rev. Coe, at William Brown's schoolhouse, January 27, 1838. Rev. D. H. Green, formerly of Delaware, Ohio, the present pastor, resides in New Paris, and preaches for the people here every two weeks. Robert Scott is Superintendent of the Sunday school, which has an average attendance of forty. The church edifice is of brick, the whole property being worth about $4,500. The Baptist Church at Lena is a branch of that denomination at Honey Creek, and was organized as a separate congregation June 23, 1855, with forty-four members, all of whom had applied for and received letters of dismissal from the Honey Creek Church. The fprst offpcers of the organization were : Moderator, William Fusan ; Clerk, William J. Wolcott ; Deacons, Jeremiah McKee and James Wilson ; Singing Clerks, John R. West and William J. Wolcott. The first sermon after organization was preached by Rev. Matthews, on July 21, 1855. Rev. David Scott, the first minister, served the church six years, and Rev. William Matthews the same length of time ; T. N. Frazee served during the war two years, and was succeeded by T. J. Price, who preached here four years ; James Randle then took the charge for three years, after which James Simpson served the congregation six months, till the arrival of the Rev. Nixon, the present pastor, during whose time of service about one hundred and fifty persons have united with the church. B. B. Wheaton, George L. Wolcott and A. L. Brecount have labored as volunteer ministers at' different times. The church property is valued at about $3,000. The Universalist Church at Conover was organized at Lena, by Rev. E. Moore and T. S. Guthrie, the first Sunday in February, 1868, with a membership of thirty-two persons. First officers were, Trustees Dr. W. S. Cox, J, A. Hill and J. Abott ; Treasurer, Dr. Cox ; Clerk N. W. Cady ; first Deacons were, Calvin Hill and Moses Benham. Rev. E. Moore, the fprst pastor, served three years, and during that time received thirty-seven members into the church. J. D. Lauer succeeded him, in 1871, at which time, the church at Conover being completed, services were subsequently held there, and the name of the organization changed from Lena to Conover. Rev. Lauer preached for the congregation till the 1st of March, 1879, having during that time received one hundred and five persons into the church.. J. H. Blackford, the present minister, has been preaching for this people since the spring of 1879. Besides these regular Ministers the church has been favored at different times by the presence and assistance of Revs. S. P. Carlton, I. B. Grandy, T. S. Guthrie, H. F. Miller, E. Dick, C. N. Dutton and W. Woodley. One hundred and seventy-two persons in all have united with the church since its organizations Between 75 and 80 members now compose the congregation. The present brick edifice was erected in Conover in 1870-71, at a cost of $3,700. Present officers are, Trustees, Dr. W. S. Cox, B. H. White, and A. L. Brecount ; Treasurer, Alfred Morris ; Clerk, Joseph Johnson ; Deacons, J. Abott and W. S. Cox, M. D. HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY- 321 SCHOOLS. The first schoolhouse in Brown Township was built in 1810, on Section 36. It was of round logs, and so low that a tall person found it necessary to bow the head in entering this place of learning. The seats were of split logs with wooden pins for legs. The door was made of a split slab, and was so narrow that only .one could pass through it at a time. The window was a nicely greased paper pasted over a hole sawed in the logs. The first teacher in this old style academy was " Aunt Sallie Tucker," a spinster, who made it her business to teach the young idea how to shoot. The second teacher in the township was old " Aunt" Patty McQuillen. The third was probably Ares Denman and the fourth George Layman. The second schoolhouse in Brown Township was on William Manson's farm, and was built in 1818. Joseph Rollins was the first teacher in this school. Scholars came here to school through mud and snow a distance of four or five miles. Probably the third schoolhouse in the township was on Section 11. John Dinsmore taught here as early as 1828. The special district of Fletcher was organized in 1874, when, the- old house having been sold for $90, the present building of two rooms was built, at a cost of $4,500, the whole property is now worth $5,000. The enumeration of the district 1879 was 163. The teachers have been as follows, viz., 1874, N. W. Cady Principal ; Rebecca Wharton Assistant ; 1875 the same teachers were employed ; 1876, William McFarland, Principal ; Rebecca Wharton, Assistant ; 1877, A. McClintock, Principal ; Ella White, Assistant ; 1878, the same ; 1879, D. B. Earhart, Principal ; Mrs. Ella Brown, Assistant part of the year, and Albert Lane the remainder of the year. They have school during nine months of each year, and pay the Principal for his services $50 and the Assistant $30 per month. The following report of the Clerk for the year ending September 1, 1879, shows the condition of the township schools at present :
SECRET SOCIETIES. Masons in Lena.—The charter for Social Lodge, No. 217, was issued October 22, 1852, by the Grand Lodge, at Chillicothe. The charter members were as follows, viz. : G. C. Smith, George Throckmorton, J. W. Kelly, H. S. Carmony, J. W. Loy, D. C. Larone, N. Jackson, A. G. Boyd and Amos F lowers. First offpcers : N. Jackson, M. ; G. C. Smith, S. W., and J. W. Kelly, J. W. There are forty-three members at present. The officers now are J. J. Leedom, W. M.; L. F. Wolcott, 322 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. S. W. ; W. L. Graham, J. W.; E. A. Brecount, S. D.; J. G. Wright, J. D.; W. S. Cox, M. D., Treasurer ; J. F. Collins, Secretary ; E. F. Davis, T. ; S. L. Abiover and B. H. White, Stewards. The oldest living member of the lodge is Squire Throckmorton ; the youngest, James Wright. Joseph Frazier and James Wilson are both upward of sixty years of age. The property of the lodge is worth about $1,000. I. O. O. F. at Lena.—Industry Lodge, No. 256, received its charter from the Grand Lodge at Zanesville, Ohio, February 23, 1854. The charter members were James Griffis, Joseph Eichelbarger, Joseph Reeder, John Miller and G. P. Holloway. There are now thirty-nine members, of which the following are the present officers S. S. Yates, N. G.; E. H. Stith, V. G.; John M. Stith, Secretary ; Caleb Williams, Per. Secretary ; James M. Griffps, Treasurer ; Jared Wolcott, W.; David F. Lane, C.; Noah B. Wells, I. G.; J. W. Domyre, 0. G.; W. Williams, R. S. N. G.; W. Roberts, L. S. N. G.; John G. Wolcott, R. S. V. G.; Scott L. Allen, L. S. V. G.; Thomas Wheaton, R. S. S.; Isaac J. Merritt, L. S. S. They built their first hall in 1854. This was sold in 1876, and the present hall, thirty by fifty feet, was completed in the summer of 1877. The property is worth $1,000, for which amount it is insured. The oldest member of the lodge is E. W. Yates, who joined the 13th of December, 1856. James Carter is the oldest person in the lodge, and Jared Wolcott the youngest. I. O. O. F in Fletcher.—Taylor Lodge, No. 322, received its charter from the Grand Lodge of Ohio, convened at Mansfield May 14,1857; the officers of the Grand Lodge at that time being W. Chidsey, M. W. G. M.; Hiram Viele, M. W. G. D. M., C. J. Pardee, R. W. G. W.; Alexander E. Glenn, R. W. G. Sec.; William F. Slater, R. W. G. Treas. The charter members were James Griffps, T. M. Beamer, I. M. Jackson, Joseph Reeder, Oliver Toms, Emanuel Toms, Daniel Brelsford and N. I. Finch. The present officers are A. McClintock, N. G.; G. F. Fryling, V. G.; B. F. Simmons, R. S.; W. A. Lewis, P. S.; E. F. Drake, Treasurer ; Dr. J. B. Beamer, C.; J. H. Newman, W.; W. T. Shanks, R. S. S.; H. G. Kemp, L. S. S.; W. I. Kiser, R. S. N. G.; V. B. Sanders, V. G. R. S.; J. C. Wones, V. G. S.; W. R. Luce, G.; L. Davis, S. V. G. At this date there are sixty active members in the lodge. J. Sanders and Charles Search are the oldest living members of the lodge, both being upward of sixty. The latter is the second oldest in membership of any member of any secret organization in Brown Township. The building in which they meet is the property of the society. The lower floor is rented to the Kiser Brothers, who carry on the mercantile business here. The whole property is probably worth about $1,200. SPRING CREEK TOWNSHIP. The wheel of time has made some eighty annual revolutions since the first permanent white settler entered within the limits of what is now Spring Creek Township. To the youth eighty years seems a long time, but to him who has reached the age of four-score years the scenes of his boyhood's days seem but as those of yesterday, and it is difficult to realize that in so short a space of time such great and important changes have taken place. Spring Creek Township is bounded on the north by Shelby County, on the east by Brown Township, on the south by Staunton Township, and on the west by Washington Township. The superabundance of wood and water in this township were circumstances by no means inviting to the early settlers ; but they had heard the story of the first settlers in our county and had seen the forest disappear before the woodman's ax, and knew that in order to make homes as pleasant as any in the older States, required only a determined will and muscular activity. Those natures that had in their composition a liberal allowance of these essential elements, were the proper persons to lay the foundations of new settlements and to begin developing the immeasurable resources of wealth to be found in the West. Accordingly, HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 323 as the tide of immigration poured into Miami County, it is not to be wondered at that Spring Creek Township, situated, as it is, in the most productive part of the Miami Valley, should have been chosen as the abode of the fprst permanent white settler in the county. The township receives its name from the most important stream within its boundaries, which in its turn was so called because it has its source in, and all its additions to its waters are made by, the numerous springs along its route. It enters the township at the northeast quarter of Section 3, and, deflecting southeast in its course, makes its 'exit at the southwest quarter of Section 11. The most considerable branch of Spring Creek in the township is Bee. Run, so named by the pioneer settlers on account of the numerous and well-filled bee-trees formerly found upon its banks. It has its source in the northwest quarter of Section 12, and, taking a generally southerly course, adds its waters to those of Spring Creek just before it. enters Staunton Township, at the northwest quarter of Section 10. Several other tributaries of minor importance flow southeast and increase Spring Creek by their waters ; two of the most important have their source in Sections 2 and 7 respectively. The chorography of Spring Creek Township does not differ materially from that of the surrounding townships. An inconsiderable ridge rises in the northeastern part of the township and extends northeast and southwest through Sections 3, 8 and 13, causing the streams east of it to flow southeasterly, while those of the opposite side take a southwesterly direction and some of them a very tortuous course before emptying their waters into the Great Miami River. The surface of the remainder of the township is slightly undulating, sloping gradually to the southwest. The most important branch of the Miami River in Spring Creek, is Rush Creek, a stream of considerable usefulness in draining the northern part of the township. It rises in the northeast quarter of Section 14, and flows directly north, then west to the northwest quarter of Section 21, where it takes a southwesterly course to the southern part of Section 32, where it again bends in its channel and flows southeasterly, emptying into the Miami at the southeastern quarter of fractional Section 31. Shawnee Creek, a stream of some importance, rises in the southwest quarter of Section 8 and flows in a generally southwesterly course, pouring its waters into Rush Creek just before it empties into the Miami River. Besides the streams of which mention has already been made, there are quite a number of minor importance, which are branches of these, and several others, which, having their source in Spring Creek, flow through. Staunton Township before losing their identity by being merged into the Miami, which is the common reservoir for all the surplus waters, not only of this township, but for all the others in Miami County. Orange, one of the southern townships of Shelby County, bounds Spring Creek Township on the north. Brown, the northeastern township of Miami County, bounds it on the east, Staunton Township on the south, and the Great Miami River separates it from Washington Township on the west. It embraces twenty-one full and seven fractional sections ; the latter, situated in the western part of the township, are made so by the tortuous course of the river in this part of the county. The Cincinnati, Columbus & Indiana Central Railroad enters the township at the central line of Section 6, and passes directly east and west through the township till it reaches the central part of Section 30, when it assumes a direction slightly northwest before it passes into Washington Township. The Dayton & Michigan Railroad enters Spring Creek Township at the northwest quarter of Section 21, and passes southwest to the central part of the township, where it takes a southeasterly course, leaving the township at the southeast quarter of Section 29. The township is crossed in almost every direction by a venous interlacing of free pikes ; of these the • oldest is the Piqua and Urbana pike, which passes directly east and west through the township. These pikes were built at an average cost of about $1,200. Taking into consideration the many advantages hitherto enumerated, Spring Creek Township will readily be seen to possess facilities for carrying on the 324 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. various enterprises of life. excelled by none, and equaled but by few townships in Miami County. An excellent system of draining has been introduced and extensively used by a majority of farmers in the township, so that the bottom lands, which, three-quarters of a century ago, were considered utterly worthless and fit only as a home for the wild denizens of the forest, have not only been reclaimed from their original worthless condition, but have been brought to the highest degree of cultivation, and to-day are the most productive farms in the township. Had it ever entered the heart of man to predict, in the days of the township's infancy, that by the time their farms had been cultivated seventy-five years, the owners would be able to command the then fabulous sum of $100 per acre, he would have been considered by the settlers as a person whose predominant passion was an inexcusable proneness to exaggeration, and yet there are now many farms in the township that could not be purchased for that amount of money per acre, and but very few of the land-holders in Spring Creek would dispose of their highly productive farms for a less price than this. Almost every species of forest tree indigenous to American soil were found here in such abundance as to impress the early settler with the thought that eve$ old. Nature either forgot or saw no reason why she should economize in the materials provided for her use, and, apparently in a mood of apathetic indifference, grew extravagantly profuse both in regard to the kind and quality of these gifts which she scattered so indiscriminately over all parts of this township. The kinds of timber most abundant when the first settlers came here were the oak, beech, maple and ash, while walnut, elm,- hickory and basswood were found in quantities by no means inconsiderable. The greater portion of the4e spontaneous products of the soil have long since passed away, and now but a comparatively small pdrtion of the township is timbered, and these wooded parts that still remain have been so thinned out for building purposes, as well as for fuel, that, instead of the wild appearance it origiOally presented they have been converted into beautiful groves, which, threaded by murmuring streams of pure water, afford an inexhaust- ible quantity of excellent pasturage. Great quantities of the most durable limestone are to be found in many parts of the township, and, from the quarries now being operated, not only is enough material for the stone-work of all buildings within the township obtained, but there is also a considerable surplus over what is needed for home consumption, which is shipped, not only to different parts of our own State, but also the demand from other States proves so extensive as to be highly remunerative to those who engage in this traffic. The first white settler in the township was John Hilliard, who emigrated from New Jersey in 1792 ; went first to West Virginia, where he remained till he came to Ohio, and located in Hamilton County, coming from there to Spring Creek Township, Miami County, the 4th of April 1797, and permanently located himself on fractional Sections 30 and 36, Range 12. Previous to this, a Frenchman had settled in a log-cabin near the same place, who kept a supply store and traded his wares to the Indians for their furs and venison, of which there was always a great supply at that period ; but, as this trader had entered no land, Hilliard became the first land-holder and permanent settler in the township. Mr. H. was accompanied to his new home by his family of four boys and two girls. Two men, whose names were Broderick and Hutchinson also journeyed thither with their families, at the same time, in company with the Hilliards, but, after pitching their tents here for only a short season, they grew weary of the place and determined to seek another, where fewer difficulties would have to be contended with, and accordingly "pulled up stakes" and took their march farther into the wilderness. There was at this time, a small piece of ground, scarcely two acres in extent, which had been burned off by the Indians, and here this family raised the first crop of corn, beans, and vegetables, that had ever been cultivated by members of the Caucasian race in the limits of Spring Creek Township. The family at first took up their residence in a little bark but which had been vacated by the Indians, and, although a very humble-looking and unpretentious structure, proved a home to the growing family. HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 325 After the first winter spent in this primitive dwelling, Mr. H. built one more substantial from round poles, which, although by no means elegant, was quite an improvement on the bark hut. The roof of this house was of rude clapboards, and the chimney a most inartistic pile of mud and sticks ; the floor was partially covered with puncheon plank, while, in lieu of a door, a large, old quilt hung, curtain-like, over the aperture. which answered the purposes of ingress and egress. Having thus secured for himself a house of his own making, Mr. H. turned his attention to the labor of enlarging the cleared space upon his farm, and by dint of his indomitable will and unswerving perseverance, united with the great strength of his muscular powers, he soon succeeded in reclaiming a considerable portion of his farm from its originally worthless condition and bringing it under a tolerably fair state of cultivation. The nearest mill to the pioneer's cabin was at Dayton which town, at that time, contained but three or four houses, and to this place, along a blazed pathway through the forest, the sturdy farmer rode his horse to mill, where he obtained the corn-meal which constituted the principal article of diet for the old settler. There being no marketing done in Dayton at this time, it became necessary at times to take a journey to Cincinnati, for the purpose of laying in family ,supplies. After a few years hard labor in the new settlement, John H. died, and the members of his household, accompanied by a little handful of sympathizing Indians, formed the first funeral procession in the community. That burial presented a scene worthy of being des6ribed by an artist's pen ; the little group of mourning friends, assisted in the solemn burial rites by the awe-stricken natives, the solemn, awful stillness of the surrounding forest—all these present a picture to the mind well worthy being reproduced upon the canvas of some modern Raphael Charles Hilliard, a son of this family, was the first white man who married from Spring Creek Township. In 1804, he became the husband of Sarah Manning, a daughter of one of the pioneer settlers of Washington Township, who lived just across the Miami River from the Hilliards. John William Hilliard, born to this couple in 1805, is the first person of his race who saw the light of the sun for the first time in the township. This gentleman is at present a resident of Piqua, and, although his health is greatly impaired, yet his eyes kindle with enthusiasm and the blood runs more rapidly through his veins as he describes the scenes and recounts the incidents, so full of interest, of those good old times. The Hilliard family contended alone with the difficulties of frontier life for several years before the settlement was increased by the addition of any other families. Probably the second settler in the township was John Dillbone, who immigrated here from Pennsylvania in 1804 or 1805. He was accompanied by his wife and one son, the family being increased, after their residence here, by the birth of one son and two daughters. Mr. Dillbone located .on the northeast quarter of Section 1, at that time an unbroken wilderness. He immediately erected a rude cabin and began clearing his ground preparatory to planting his first crop. Upon his arrival here, he possessed nothing to assist him in his labors but his two willing hands, which found plenty of work to do. There had, by the time of his arrival, been a trading-post established near the present site of Troy, and here they obtained what provisions they needed at first. Mr. Dillbone worked by the month for a man near Troy for the money with which he bought his first cow. Mrs. Dillbone was noted for being an excellent spinner, and manufactured all the clothing material for her family, for which purpose they, as well as the other early settlers, always raised a field of flax, and it was while laboring with the flax, in the fall Of 1812, that both these people met an untimely and horrible death. Fears, about this time, began to be entertained that a general outbreak among the Indians was imminent. Whisperings of the terrible atrocities of the savages in other places reached the ears of the white settlers here, and caused the hearts 01 many to beat more rapidly under the dreadful apprehensions of danger that possessed them. Mr. Dillbone, being a bold, fearless man, disdained to be intimidated by the flying rumors of the day, and expressed himself so freely on the subject as to it 326 – HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. some manner incur the suspicions of the Indians, who resolved upon his destruction, together with Mr. Gerard, of another township ; and so well did they lay their plans that they succeeded in murdering their victims the same hour of the same day. Mr. and Mrs. Dillbone were in the field pulling flax, while their children were all close by, under the shade of a large tree. The field was partially planted with corn, and in this the red men secreted themselves, ready to seize upon the most opportune moment for the completion of their hellish designs. The sinking sun, casting its lurid glare on the surrounding forest, and the evening shadesy fast settling down upon that sultry August day, warned the tired laborers that their day's work was about completed. Little did they dream how soon a period was to be put to their earthly labors ; but so it was to be. They suddenly were aroused to the knowledge of some intruder's presence by the barking or a dog, and Mr. Dillbone raised himself from his stooping posture to see what disturbed the peace of the dog, and the same instant fell dead, pierced in the breast by a bullet from the gun in the hands of an Indian, who at that moment sprang from his place of concealment in the corn, in order to scalp his victim. Mrs. Dillbone, taking in the situation at a glance, started to the corn for protection, but was overtaken in her flight by the savage, and a single blow from his tomahawk felled her to the ground,. where, after taking her scalp, the Indian left her weltering in her own blood. During all the time this butchery was taking place, the infant children were compelled to remain lookers-on of the dreadful scene which made them orphans, with no power to render the least assistance to their dying parents, and knew not how soon they would be called upon to share the same fate. At one time, the Indian walked toward them as if intent upon killing the remainder of the family, but, before reaching them, stopped a moment, and, looking satisfactorily around upon the ruin he had already wrought, seemed to think his brutal thirst for blood and vengeance appeased, as, leaving the children unharmed, he took to his heels, and was soon lost to sight in the wooded depths. The oldest boy, who, all this time, had held the seven-months-old baby in his lap, now rose and ran to the nearest neighbors, and, procuring the assistance of James McKinhey, returned to the spot, where they found the victims of the terrible outrage, and removed them to Mr. McKinney's house. The horrible news soon spread, and the settlers, collecting together for miles around, went for the night to the blockhouse, expecting to hear of greater depredations, but, save the murdering of Gerard at the same time, no other scalps were taken, and the settlers finally returned to their homes.. The Indians who committed these horrible butcheries were never discovered. Probably the third settler in this township was-William Frost, who, with his wife, emigrated from North Carolina, in 1805, reaching Spring Creek the same year, where he entered the northeast quarter of Section 20. The first year of his living here, was spent in building his cabin, and preparing a small piece of ground to plant in corn the following spring, and, being entirely without assistance, for on his arrival here he had no children, the work progressed but slowly ; however, by constant application to the work before him, he managed to clear a piece of ground, consisting of several acres, from which, in the summer of 1806, he raised. the first crop of corn ever harvested in that part of the township. His son Ebenezer, born in 1807, is probably the second white boy born in the township. He resides at present on the old homestead of his father, which he has succeeded in perfectly transforming, and which now is one of the most productive farms in the neighborhood. Mr. Frost, in his youth, had a great fondness for the chase, and in his day has, with his trusty rifle, laid many of the noble Arates of the forest at his feet, and, old as he now is, his youthful passion for this kind of sport still clings to him, and he often scours the woods for hours, hunting squirrels, well remembering the day when this species of game was considered too small to waste powder and shot on, and the hunter would consider the day spent uselessly unless he had managed to kill a deer or two, and thus provide the family with the best of meat for several weeks. The only tile factory in the township is the property of Mr. Frost, who has operated it quite a number of years, and produces a good quality of tile, HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 327 which has been extensively used in his immediate neighborhood. John R. McKinney was probably the fourth permanent settler in the township. He immigrated here in 1805, having left his native State, Pennsylvania, the same year. He was an unmarried man, and consequently labored under many and great disadvantages ; but believing in the old adage which advises young men to procure a cage before trying to catch the bird, he labored manfully alone, put up his log hut, into which he moved his furniture, consisting of an oaken bench and rude table of his own make ; and to this rather limited stock of household goods he added a bed, which, by the way, is described as not being as soft as downy pillows are. These articles, together with the few utensils necessary for his culinary department, constituted the bulk of his earthly gear at that time. Better days were, however, in store for the lonely bachelor. Upon his arrival here he entered the whole of Section 32, and, being a man of extraordinary bodily strength, succeeded in accomplishing nearly as much with his single pair of hands as other farmers in the neighborhood would with the assistance of two or three boys. After working alone for five years, Mr. McKinney grew tired of spending the winter night alone by the side of his fire-place, and made things more agreeable all around by marrying Miss Jane Scott, a native of Kentucky, in 1810. From this time forward his immediate surroundings grew more pleasant and home-like, and in time the log-cabin gave way to a house of more pretentious dimensions Mr. McKinney died in 1834, universally regretted. He had been a prominent man in the little settlement, and played conspicuous part in all questions of a public character that agitated the minds of the community at that early day. At about this date settlers began to pour into the township more rapidly than heretofore. John Millhouse emigrated from Maryland in 1808, and located in the southwest quarter of Section 21. His family at that time consisted of two sons and two daughters. Mr. M. erected his cabin and cleared his land, as had other settlers before him, and remained upon the farm now occupied by his grandson, till his death. Gardner Bobo immigrated to this township in 1808. He entered the northwest quarter of Section 21, now owned by William Geiserman. He was accompanied to his Western home by his large family of sons and daughters. This being in the northern part of the township, near the Shelby County line, Mr. Bobo did his milling at Berry's Mill, in that county, to which place a pathway was blazed through the woods for the convenience of the settlers in this part of Spring Creek Township. Grain was always taken to mill on horse-back, and, as wagons had not yet come into vogue in this neighborhood, a simple path through the woods was all that was required to accommodate all the travelers of the day. The first wagon in the township was the property of old Mr. Dillbone. Mathias Scudder located in Spring Creek Township prior to 1808. Uriah Blue, James L. McKinney, Dennis Lindley and Henry Millhouse all entered land in different parts of the township about 1808. At this period domesticated animals had become quite numerous. Especially hogs were raised by all the farmers in considerable abundance. Railroads being at that time an invention yet to be discovered, to drive the stock to a market was the farmer's only alternative. They drove them through to Baltimore, Pittsburg, Philadelphia and other places, and, much of the way being through miry woods, many weeks were required to make the journey and return. - Owing to the fact that fences were not kept up by the early settlers, their stock roamed the woods at large, and hogs, especially, not being so easily distinguished from others of their own kind, became, at times, mixed with those belonging to a different herd, and, in attempting to separate them. it was found impossible to do so satisfactorily to all parties, so that it was deemed necessary to devise some means by which this endless and unpleasant disputing could be avoided. A system of marking was consequently agreed upon, so that every man had his own mark, by which he could' distinguish his stock from that of his neighbor, which always bore a different mark from his. Each man chose his own mode of marking his own stock, and this mark was recorded in a bool kept for that especial purpose, which was deposited with the Township Clerk, so 328 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. that, after this, all such disputes were settled by referring to this book, which contained such declarations as the following : " This is to certify that the mark used by Uriah Blue for the year 1815 will be slits in the upper side of the right ear." Another reads : " The mark used by Gardner Bobo for the year 1815 will be a notch cut in the tip of the left ear." This settled the matter, and from that time on no trouble was experienced from this source. At this period in the history of the township, the stream of immigration suddenly ceased for the time being. Wars and rumors of wars had spread throughout the country, and preparations were being made in all the States to repel the invading rndians. The few inhabitants of Spring Creek Township, anticipating an outbreak in their locality, convened in a meeting held for the purpose of devising means for self-defense, and decided on the erection of a blockhouse, where they might assemble at night and unite their forces for the mutual good ; this was built on John Hilliard's farm, a few rods from the present house. It was a large double log-house, built from round logs, capable of containing, at that time, all the population and much of the household goods in the township, and here the settlers would gather, with their wives and children, and pass the nights, in comparative safety. Save the killing of the Dillbones, however, nothing occurred to disturb the petite of the little colony, and in time the old fort was abandoned, after which it was used by Mr. H. for a barn for a great many years, and then, yielding to the shattering influence of the elements, it crumbled away, and its very existence is a fact not remembered by more than one or two men in the township. After the excitement, consequent upon the war was over and the fears of the people allayed, settlers again began to pour in from the older States. Among the first of these to reach Spring Creek Township was Samuel Wiley, who came here from Maryland in 1812 and settled on Section 25 and fractional Section 31. He was accompanied by his three sons. The family, after reaching Pittsburg, procured a raft and the services of a man to carry them down the Ohio to Cincinnati, which place they reached after a perilous voyage of several days in which they all narrowly escaped drowning ; one woman of the company being thrown from the boat, succeeded in reaching a large rock in the middle of the river, from which she was released with difficulty. Their destination was finally reached without the loss of any lives. The family reached this township the same day Mr. and Mrs. Dillbone were killed, Samuel Wiley, Jr., was the father of sixteen children, and, during one presidential campaign, twelve of his boys voted for Buchanan. These were prominent men wherever they lived. Their grandfather, Samuel, Sr., had served as an aid to George Washington during the war of the Revolution, by whose side he had fought many a bloody battle during the struggle of our country for its independence. On Section 25, entered by Mr. W., there are several mounds, which indicate the existence, in this locality, of a prehistoric race. The largest of these earthworks embraces about two acres in extent, and is some three feet high. Various pieces of workmanship found upon the spot, such as arrow-heads, pieces of pottery, and images carved upon stone, go to prove that this people were not wholly unacquainted with the fine arts, and that they possessed more than the ordinary intelligence of the Indian. Upon this mound a human skeleton was plowed up, which, although badly decayed, was judged, by those who examined it, to have been that of a man at least seven feet in height: An ash tree, more than a hundred years old, growing on one of the mounds, shows that they must have been built at a period of time very remote from the present. About the next arrival after the Wileys, was Joseph Kearns, who came from Pennsylvania, and located on Section 20, in this township, in 1815. This section was all woods at that time, and bee-trees were abundant; so that there was no lack of sweets for table use. Mr. Kearns put up a cabin of one room, with puncheon floor and clapboard roof, the chimney of mud and sticks being built on the outside. The table used by the family was also made of puncheon slab, by Mr. Kearns. Besides building his house, he succeeded in clearing two and a half acres of ground the same spring, which he planted the 10th of June, and from HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 329 which he obtained a good crop, notwithstanding, it had to be watched every day, till it was two feet high, in order to save it from the depredations of the squirrels, which, at that date, are described as being " as plenty as mosquitoes." Mr. Kearns had served in the war of 1812, for $5 per month, and kept himself ; he was also intimately acquainted with Daniel Boone, whom he had often heard relate his wonderful experiences with .the Indians, while on his hunting expeditions. Among the families that came to the township, between the years 1812 and 1816, the names of John Furrow, John Hendershot, John Wilson, Jacob Gates, John Webb, Ezekiel Boggs, Alexander Jackson, David Clark, David Floyd and Lewis Deweese may be mentioned. These were all men of excellent parts, and just such as were needed to bring order out of the original chaos. A meeting was held, to organize the township, the 4th of July, 1814, and the first Monday in April, 1815, the first township officers were elected as follows : Henry Orbison, James L. McKinney and Uriah Blue, Trustees ; David Floyd, Treasurer ; Lewis Deweese, Clerk ; John Wilson and Jacob Gates, Constables ; John Webb, Lister ; and William Concannon, John Rogers, Ezekiel Boggs, Alexander Jackson, David Clark and Nathaniel Gerard, Supervisors. Officers for 1880 are David ilanson, John. Saunders and L. Devinney, Trustees ; Paul N. S. Pence, Treasurer ; J. R. Snodgrass, Assessor ; Messrs. Houser and Sims, Constables ; William Snodgrass, and Thomas It. Patterson, Justices of the Peace ; J. R. Duncan, Clerk. There are two towns in the township, the oldest being Shawaneetown, laid out on ground owned by Mr. Hunter, and surveyed . by J. Bellow previous to 1840. The first house in the place was a log cabin put up by David Gates ; it has long since ceased to be numbered among the occupied residences of the town. The village received its name from the Indian tribe that formerly had a permanent camp upon the spot. Rossville was laid out on land owned by Mr. Ross, for whom it was named. The plat was prepared by William Knowles, between 1835-40. There are no business houses in the place, neither are there any in Shawaneetown save the furniture factory owned by Mr. Cron, which does an extensive business. Both of these villages being separated from Piqua only by the Great Miami River, which is crossed at each of the places by substantial bridges, the necessity for stores and groceries in their midst is done away with, the inhabitants preferring to do their trading in the larger place, which is so near at hand that the casual observer would suppose them to form a part of the town from which they are only separated by the river. In the early settlement of the township the first thing needed in the line of manufactories was a mill where they could procure meal for family use. Settlers went to mill in Shelby County and other remote places till 1808, when this great want of the people was supplied by James T. McKinney, who erected his mill on the banks of Spring Creek. This was one of the old corn-crackers then so common in Ohio, and as wheat had been raised in but few places in the county, and corn meal being the only article of flour used for bread, this corn-cracker was considered a great convenience, and Mr. McKinney, being called upon to do the grinding for the people far and near, had but few moments to pass in idleness ; but this necessity for constant action did not dampen the spirits of the merry miller, who might always be found at his post ; and early and late, when the atmosphere was clear, the cracking of the old hopper might be heard for miles around. Several years previous to the building of the grist mill, Charles Manning had erected a distillery in the township, which takes precedence of all other manufacturing establishments in Spring Creek. Mr. Manning ran this some time, and made at excellent quality of whisky, when he disposed of it to Henry Orbison, who con tinued to operate it. Mr. Orbison, by the way, was quite an influential man in th4 community, and was frequently called upon to occupy responsible positions in hii township and county. Silas Manning, who had settled in the township in 1811, built the second grist mill in about 1818 ; he operated it successfully a number of years, when it was sold It is now the property of Thomas Patterson, but has not been used for years. 330 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. A grist-mill was connected with a carding-mill by Mr. Ross, in 1830, who did a good business in both branches for many years, when the property was burned ; he afterwards rebuilt and operated for some time, when another fire destroyed the whole thing, which was never rebuilt. The first saw-mill in the township was built by Samuel Wiley, who, after putting a dam across the creek, erected his mill upon its banks in 1815. The demand for lumber for building purposes being great, Mr. Wiley did an extensive busi- ness while running this mill, furnishing boards and planks for all the buildings in the township for several years. This mill has long since gone down, and not a timber remains to mark the spot upon which it stood. About this date, Lewis Boyer, who had located in the township in 1810, started a distillery, not on a very extensive scale, it is true, but did a little work in that line for his neighbors, and is said to have manufactured an excellent article. Mr. B. had been a life-guard in the service of George Washington, and consequently was looked upon by his admiring friends as a great hero. His exterior was very uncouth, but he was one of those few men who are described as being diamonds in the rough, and is said to have been an unexceptional neighbor and valuable man in the community. He died in 1840, and was buried with all the honors of war. He was the second man in this township who fought side by side with the father of his country. Elias Manning built a saw-mill on Spring Creek in 1815 ; after running it for awhile, he connected with it a grist-mill, with which he ground wheat as well as corn. Dr. Jackson, the first resident M. D. in the township, put up the next saw-mill in 1826, near Spring Creek. The power was produced by water which was procured by conducting it to the mill in a large trough made for that purpose. The Doctor is said to have been quite successful in his profession, but his work in the saw-mill pro,Ted almost fruitless. He was a very eccentric individual, and invited men to help him raise his mill on Sunday, for which occasion he provided a large quantity of stimulating fluid. The crowd came, the mill was raised, and the occasion passed off satisfactorily to all concerned. rive or six logs were sawed after the completion of the mill, and then it was abandoned as an investment, which, in a. financial point of view, was a failure. The Doctor subsequently moved farther west, where he died. NIr. Ross also had a saw-mill on the, present site of Ross-vine, about 1825. David and James Caven also operated a mill of the same kind in an early day. These old mills, however, have long since been leveled by the destroyer, Time, so that now nearly all manufactured articles needed in the town ship are procured at Piqua. The only works in this line of1/4any importance is the furniture factory in Shawaneetown, which was first built by the present proprie tors some ten or twelve years ago. The Cron brothers have, up to this year, em ployed in the business regularly about one hundred hands. The original buildings becoming too limited for their steadily increasing business, the enterprising firm made arrangements last year to erect a more commodious building, and last spring began the construction of the immense brick structure now in a fair way for completion. The increasing demand for their work speaks better than words of the quality of the articles they manufacture. After the completion of the building now being built, they intend increasing their already large force of workmen by fifty men, making in all one hundred and fifty men, the largest corps of men employed in this business in Miami County. Although many changes have taken place, and great improvements been made, for which the citizens of Spring Creek Township cannot be too highly commended, for the efficiency and high standard of her public schools, they deserve to be spoken of more laudably than for anything else, for, while her mills, and even churches have nearly all perished, her schools, since their establishment, have been constantly improving, and to-day are in a better condition than ever before. The first schoolhouse in the township was built on Section 25, in 1815. It was a subscription school, taught by James Laird, who received for his services about $5 per month HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 333 in the winter and " boarded round." This first instructor of the youth in this township was a native of the Emerald Isle, and is remembered as a peculiar individual. During a severe sickness, he had been salivated by the excessive use of calomel, which caused a deformity in all his joints, making it impossible for him to perform manual labor, yet, in the school-room, he is described as having been a host in himself, his only failing being a great fondness for whisky, of which he would partake freely every opportunity. Upon such occasions, woe be unto the tyro who failed to devote his attention to his books, or to recite his lesson in tones calculated to strike favorably the then critical ear of the teacher. On such occasions nothing seemed to appease the anger of the teacher, till, with his big stick, he had brought the blood from the back of the offending child. The second schoolhouse was built on ground now owned by Stephen Alexander, in 1816 ; another was built on Section 21, in 1820. The first frame schoolhouse was built in the township in 1830. Among the teachers who taught between 1815-25, may be mentioned James Sims, George Lemons, James Cregan, "Aunt Sallie " Tucker, Thomas J. Larsh and " Pat " Murphy. The report of the Township Clerk for the year ending September 1, 1879, is as follows : Balance oil hand September 1, 187.8, $2,096.80 ; State tax, $708 ; irreducible funds, $138.97 ; township tax for school purposes, $1,770.34; fines, licenses, etc., $3.50 ; total receipts, $4,717.61. Expenditures—Amount paid teachers, $2,374.50 ; amount paid for building sites, $85 ; amount paid for fuel, etc., $253.32 ; total, $2,712.82 ; balance on hand September 1, 1879, $2,004.79. There are eight schoolhouses in the township, requiring the services of eight teachers, the average wages of male teachers being $39 per month, and female $26. The average number of weeks the schools were in session was thirty-three. Three hundred and eighteen pupils were enrolled, and of these forty-six were between sixteen and twenty-one years of age. At the present time, there is only one church in the township. The colored Baptists built tueir neat brick structure in Rossville, about sixteen years ago. At an earlier day, however, there were several denominations here. The Methodists held meetings in the township as early as 1815 ; Rev. Henry T. Bascom was their first minister. The Baptists built a log church in 1818, and the New Lights another, on Spring Creek, in 1819. The United Brethren also preached here it; 1820 ; Jacob Antram was one of the first ministers here. Services were held in the different churches, until Piqua had attained a good size, and, church privileges there excelling those in the country, the inhabitants of this township mostly removed their membership to that place. The first frame house in the township, was built by Henry Orbison, in 1817 ; it was torn down years ago. The first brick dwelling was erected by Charles Hilliard, in 1818, while the first stone residence was built by Joseph Hilliard, in 1816. This last is still standing, apparently in as good condition as ever. It has been remodeled since its erection, the second story, which was added, being of brick. The walls of this house are two feet thick, and in as good condition as when first built. Charles and Joseph Hilliard also put out the two first orchards in the township, in 1809. The largest orchard in the township, is the property of Thomas J. Statler. It contains 1,500 apple trees, one-half of which were planted in 1860, and the remainder in 1865, the whole covering fifty acres of ground. The first blacksmith in the township was Caleb Jones, who set up his forge, and began work in the fall of 1814. The first burial-ground in the township, was on Section 25, where John Hilliard was interred. This was used for such purposes, previous to 1810. Mr. and Mrs. Dillbone were buried in a field lying on the Piqua & Urbana road. No stone marks the spot where they lie. Another graveyard, on the same road, was opened about 1820. Many of the old headstones have crumbled away, and the grounds, which have a gloomy appearance, have not been used for years. The graveyard where the old Baptist Church formerly stood, is nearly as ancient as any in the township, and when the church was abandoned this ceased to be used.- Cedar Grove Cemetery,.near Piqua, is the property of the Jews. It is 331 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. inclosed by a neat board fence, and contains but few graves. Thus closes the history of Spring Creek Township, which contains such facts as could be gleaned from tradition and from the remembrance of the few pioneers yet living. Judging the future by the past, and noting the changes and improvements rapidly being made in the works of man, it is safe to infer, thatXby the time the cycle of her hundredth anniversary is completed, there will be events to chronicle, the magnitude and importance of which have not yet entered into the minds of the most sanguine of her citizens • and the appliances now used in the production of her mechanical and agricultural products, will, by that time, be comparatively rude and unmanageable. UNION TOWNSHIP Nearly eighty years ago the sturdy pioneer might have been seen standing upon the picturesque banks of the Stillwater ; nothing disturbs the sublime and oppressive silence of the primeval forest that surrounds him, save the gentle plashing of the murmuring stream below, and the occasional songtof the wild-bird, as it flits from branch to branch. Yet how sweet rnd beguiling aoever may have been the siren voice of nature, his purpose here is not to yield to her seductive influence, but, turning his back upon all her fascinations, he boldly advances still deeper into the profound recesses, and anon the death-like stillness of these umbrageous solitudes is broken by the music of his ax, resounding throughout their illimitable depths, which had hitherto re-echoed but to the howl of the wolf; the scream of the stealthy panther, or the savage whoop of the blood-thirsty red man. The giants of the forest soon yield to the steady strokes of his ax, and erelong the smoke from his cabin chimney may be seen curling through the tree-tops ; the rays of the sun, piercing the gloom, generate new life ; the germ of civilization is planted, which, through the vivifying influence of advantageous surroundings. has developed into the present thrifty and vigorous community, now known as Union Township. It will be observed that the local history of the above township is so closely interwoven with the general history of the county that, in many instances, it will be almost impossible to confine ourselves to its specific narration. Notwithstanding we shall use every precaution to avoid repetition of facts, and tautology of language, yet, in our endeavor to disentangle the one from the other, this 'may, at times, unavoidably occur. The exact time at which the tract of land, embraced within the present limits of what is now known as Union Township, became an organized body seems rather indefinite. Diligent research, however, reveals the fact, that prior to July, 1804, when the first election for county officers was held, the entire county constituted but two townships, viz., Elizabeth, comprising all the territory east of the Miami River, and Randolph, embracing that portion west of the same river. At the October election following, it seems Randolph had disappeared, and the territory formerly known by that name, was subdivided into five townships, of which Union, lying in the extreme southwestern corner of the county, is one. It embraces a rectangle eight miles long and six miles wide, containing an area of forty-eight miles, being the largest township in the county. Traversed by the Stillwater River on the east, the two brandies of Ludlow Creek on the north and west, and numerous other fine streams' a great portion of the township is, therefore, rendered gently undulating, thus forming a complete system of natural drainage which very materially enhances the productiveness of the soil. EARLY SETTLEMENT. The most attractive elements of a new country in the eyes of a pioneer are its topography, productiveness of soil, water facilities, etc. Nature, therefore, offers to the observer the only lucid solution why the country in the immediate vicinity HISTORY OF -MIAMI COUNTY - 335 of the almost classical Stillwater and its tributaries should have been chosen by our forefathers as a resting-place and nucleus, around which should cluster the forest homes of succeeding generations ; for here she has lavishly displayed her power in blending the grand with the beautiful, the sublime with the picturesque. The precipitous banks of Stillwater are gradually mellowed into irregular elevations, these into gentle undulations, until, as they recede, they are finally blended into the level plains that stretch far away in the distance. The many perennial springs that escape from the placid lakelets that give them birth, flow gently along the descending plain, increasing in velocity as they near their end, till at last they leap from rock to rock, many feet to the river below. We need not, therefore, wonder that Union Township is invested with a history that ante-dates the admission of the State into the Union. There appears to be some diversity of opinion in regard to the first of those resolute men who invaded the wild domain of nature in this township and wrested from her giant grasp the gifts with which she so reluctantly parts. The weight of authority seems to be in favor of Henry Fouts, who, in company with Leonard and Adam Eller, in the year 1801, erected the first cabin nestled in " this forest primeval." The Ellers located in the southern part of the township, east of Stillwater, while Fouts settled on the west side. Part of the land owned by Fouts seventy-nine years ago, is still in possession of his posterity, he having been dead about fifty-seven years. The next year, Caleb Mendenhall, with a family of six, increased the same night of his arrival by the birth of a daughter to seven. The next year, 1803, John Mast and son-in-law, Frederick Yount, came, and located a mill-site higher up. They were followed in 1804, by David Mote, Sr., with his sons Jonathan, Jeremiah, William, John and Jesse, all except William, with fam- ilies, settling further westward and northward. About this time the portion lying east of the river, was settled by Leonard Fincher, William Fincher, William Neal, Benjamin Pike, Jacob Byrket, and many others whose exact time of settlement is not known. David Mote was born in 1733, and was doubtless the oldest man who emigrated to this township. At the time of his arrival he was seventy-one years old. He and his wife both died in 1817, at the residence of his son John. Thep had been married over sixty years. Theit eldest son Jonathan purchased Section 20, and settled by a splendid spring not far from its center. He was so proud of his home that he called it " the garden spot bf the world." He came here at the age offorty-six, accompanied by five sons and five daughters. His wife dying on the way, he buried her by the wayside, in a very rude coffin, the best that could be provided. His children grew up, married, and many of them settled, fora time around him. It is not known that any of them are living, and few of his grandchildren are in this 'township. Jonathan married again in 1806 "or 1807, having kept his family nearly, if not all, together. In 1810, he built the first brick house in this township, and the first on Stillwater. Like the other immigrants, he cleared a farm and taught his children to labor.. Having lost his second wife a few years after marriage, he remained single until 1819, when he married the third wife. She died in a few months, and he never married again. The Motes were all Quakers, or Friends. Jonathan had been disowned by them about the close of the last war with England, and never regained his membership. After the death of his last wife, he lived for some years like a hermit. His youngest son, Jeremiah, marrying, he transferred his farm to him, reserving his house and a life maintenance on the farm. This was not very large, as he had previously bequeathed and sold the greater part of his land. It contained, however, more than 100 acres. The son soon traded off his interest in the farm, which was again transferred to a third party. In the spring of 1839, the old man, ill and unhappy, went to the house of his nephew, who live( adjoining, and shortly after died there. 336 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. Jeremiah Mote removed from this State at the time of his father's death, and died soon after. He left a numerous family, a part of them being yet in their minority. Three of his grandchildren are living here at an advanced age. William Mote married about 1814, and lived here until 1830, when he died, leaving three children. He was a very quiet little man, and is said to have killed more deer than any man in the country. John Mote, the Doctor, requires particular mention, being the first and longest-practicing physician in the township. He was born in 1767, the birth-year, also, of John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson. He possessed all their firmness, and, though but slightly educated, much of their ability. He appears to have been the first on the west of the river to settle away from a spring, the first to have a well and sweep, upon which was suspended what Wordsworth calls "The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered bucket that hung in the well." Such were his temperance proclivities that he might have said further, with the same poet, " How sweet from the green mossy brim to receive it. As poised on the curb, it inclined to my lips. Not a full, blushing goblet could tempt me to leave it, Though filled with the nectar that Jupiter sips." The Doctor was an industrious ana prosperous man, carrying on farming with his medical practice. Vomiting, blistering and blood-letting were his favorite remedies. Very tenacious of preconceived opinions, he could hardly be convinced that there was such a disease as sick stomach or vegetable poison. When called to a patient suffering with that disease, he treated him for bilious fever, and the patient died. It was not until after he had been afflicted with it himself, and was told by a visiting neighbor that he had the poison, because he (the neighbor) could smell it, that he concluded there might be such a disease, and took remedies for it. He practiced forty years, and died in the harness, for, having returned from visiting a patient, he fell between his house and barn, receiving a severe injury in the hip ; he was helped into the house, but never walked afterward, having received, it was thought, a light paralytic stroke. After a rew weeks of patient suffering, he died, having survived his wife but a few years. This occurred in 1845. His children were four sons and five daughters, namely, Elizabeth, John, two Daniels, David, Rachel, Anna, Rebecca and Mary, not one of whom is now living. But two of his grandchildren are living in this township. Dr. Mote was a warm-hearted and conscientious man, opposed to secret societies, and an Abolitionist of the highest type. If the world had more such as he, it would be better. Jesse Mote, the other brother, died so long ago that little is known concerning him worth publishing. Of the immigrants of 1805, the family of Samuel Jones, from Georgia, of whom mention has already been made, appears to have been the most prominent. Abiathar Davis, from the same State, came here about the same time, accompanied by his four sons, Samuel, Amos, John and Benjamin, and three daughters, viz., Mary, Lydia and Sarah. He established all his sons on Section 17, except Amos, who resided but a short time in the county. Davis evidently knew the value of good water, for he chose a place well supplied with never-dying springs ; he improved his farm, and by industry and economy, secured a competency: The greater part of the township's earliest settlers seem to have been actuated by these sentiments : " Get what you can, and what you get hold, 'Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold." It is not to be wondered at, then, that they succeeded in leaving large quantities of both land and money to their children. Mr. Davis and family belonged to the denomination of Friends ; he died in 1838. In 1805, a large number of immigrants came from Newberry, S. C., the greater number of whom were Friends. Of HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 337 these, Isaac, James and George Hollingsworth brought families, while their brothel Nathan, who accompanied them, had no family. Isaac occupied a portion of Section 20, and James a part of Section 32. The Hollingsworths were a stalwart and powerful race of men. " Big Isaac," as he was called in the South, though a Quaker, knew no such thing as fear ; he was born in 1748, and married in 1773 consequently, was the father of a family during the Revolutionary war. In those terrible times, when law was unregarded, and the country overrun by British and Tories, he was bold in speaking his mind to either. On one occasion, he remonstrated with an English officer, who was in the act of approaching his corn-crib for grain ; the officer unsheathed his sword, and threatened his life, but Mr. Hollingsworth advanced boldly, and, taking the sword from the Englishman's hand, said, " Thus far shalt thou go, but no farther," causing the officer to give up the attempt as useless. After coming to this country, the young Quakers began wearing suspenders, a practice which Mr. Hollingsworth considered as savoring of pride, and often at log-rollings, if the young men were not on the alert, he would slip his fore-finger under their suspenders, and then the button haci nothing to do but to fly. Notwithstanding his rough exterior, he had an excellent heart. Once an Irishman applied to him for work, when he put him to work at removing a pile of rocks, which task completed, he had him carry them back, after which, he paid him for his labor. His wife frequently attended missions, and he used to say that his corn never grew better than when she was out on a preaching tour. He died in 1809, and was buried in the West Branch burying-ground. Elisha Jones, a son-in:law of the preceding, settled on the same section in 1807. He was a chair-maker, and general mechanic, by trade, as well as farmer, and was more successful in his business transactions than any of his neighbors. He cleared and worked a large farm with his own hands, and saved some money besides his expenses each year ; this he judiciously invested in improvements, and in purchasing more land for his children. He owned 550 acres of land in this township, which. added to what he owned elsewhere. made a total of 1,600 acres. At his death he, left this land, together with considerable money at interest, to his wife and ten surviving children. A circumstance, most remarkable in' Its character, happened to this family. On the morning of May 22, 1817, Mrs. Jones, stepping to the door to attend to some household duties, was struck dead by a flash of lightning from a passing cloud. The cloud from which the electric fluid proceeded was of exceedingly small dimensions, but the peal was heard miles away. Although every means were taken to restore the unfortunate woman, she was never seen to breathe or stir again. Her niece was not far from the spot, and was rendered unconscious by the stroke, but finally recovered, and is now a resident of Iowa. On the day succeeding the catastrophe, the remains of Mrs. Jones were followed to the grave by the largest concourse of people that had ever convened at that place. One year from this time, Mr. Jones married Rebecca, the daughter of Enoch Pearson, of Monroe Township, with whom he lived twenty-two years, and died at the age of fifty-five years. In many respects, Mr. Jones was a remarkable man ; though possessing but a limited education himself, he was the ardent patron of learning, was a great reader, and especially delighted in reading the grand epic of Milton. He was a man industrious, energetic and skillful in business, conscientious in the observance of all religious duties, and honorable in all transactions with his fellowman. Joel Hollingsworth, born in 1778 ; he came here with a small family in 1806, and settled in Section 11, on the North Branch of Ludlow's Creek. Strong and fearless as his father, he encountered and overcame every difficulty that presented itself, and in the course of years had a large farm under cultivation ; being also of an, adventurous spirit, he repeatedly built flat-bottomed boats upon the Stillwater, which he loaded not only with his own pork and flour, but with that of his neighbors, and transported to New Orleans. These were enterprises both difficult and dangerous, yet Joel delighted in them. At such times, he left the management and work on his farm to his sons. From one of these trips, he brought home the first 338 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. telescope ever possessed in this township, which was an object of wonder to his neighbors and their children. They would draw it out and view distant objects with wonder. He reared twelve children, of whom, not one is now a resident of this township, and only about half are living. In 1839, he removed to Indiana, where he died about twenty years ago. His neighbor and cousin, Thomas McCool, settled adjoining him on the west, about the same time ; he was a-farmer also, but had in addition, a taste for office. He was accordingly repeatedly elected magistrate for what was called the Creek nation. He settled many a controversy between them, if not with the wisdom of a Hale, at least with the dignity of. a Mansfield. Some of these suits, conducted without attorneys, were most unique if not ludicrous in their character. One of these cases I must briefly notice. A man whom I will call I. F., known not only as the laziest man in the township, but most likely, the laziest in the State, once rented a rather desolate little farm, which he had acquired in early times, to W. F., reserving a favorite apple-tree and little cabin as a residence for himself. W. F.'s geese making a raid upon I. F.'* apples, the latter brought suit against the former to recover damages. The trial ended, the maais- trate, rendered a verdict in accordance with the facts, which verdict was that W. F. pay to I. F., si cents damage, and each party pay his own costs. The laughter of the spectators can better be imagined than described. Squire McCool's chirog raphy was somewhat like the late Senator Choate's, of Massachusetts, which is said to have resembled the track made by a spider crawling out of an inkstand. A transcript from McCool's docket once came to court which could not be deciphered by the writer himself. He remained on his farm during the war, a firm believer in the doctrines of Abolition, after which he removed to Iowa, where he died. Isaac Hasket, a pioneer noted for his great physical strength, came here about the same time as the preceding ; he came accompanied by his wife and child, the three having journeyed here from South Carolina on horseback. By trade Mr. Hasket was a carpenter ; a barn, built by him in 1819, is still standing ; it is the property of Frederick Yount, and is probably the oldest in the township. Mr. Hasket moved several times, but in 1823 he settled permanently on Section 19, at the age of forty-five. He was the father of five sons and three daughters ; of these, Thomas is a prosperous farmer, living near his father's last residence, while John, the fourth son, has a farm which joins him on the west, and also a large amount of land in different places. Joseph, the fifth son, now resides in Indiana. With the help of his children, Isaac cleared a large farm and provided land for his children. He died in 1849, leaving a name which for honesty and sobriety cannot be excelled. Henry Coate, with his father and five brothers, came from South Carolina at about the date of the preceding, and settled on Section 6, on Ludlow's Creek. He was not only a farmer, but also a skillful blacksmith ; he did all the work required by the farmers, such as- making trace-chains, hame-hooks, log-chains, mattocks, hoes, axes and sickles. The most important of all his shop productions were his sickles. In those early days, all grain, except oats, was cut by them, and to be provided with them was quite a requisite with the farmer. No livelier time was known to the cannel than when a company of merry reapers, falling into diagonal line, thrust their sickles into the teeming fields of golden grain. Much skill was required to reap with speed and neatness, and men prided themselves in the acquirement. The Acids being laid off in regular two-handed lands, the work went on with order and precision until the field was finished, when, if the farmer had no more, the reapers would go to his neighbors. From twenty-five to thirty dozen of wheat to the hand was a day's labor, and 50 cents per day was the price. For many years, Henry Coate's shop furnished sickles for the surrounding country, until they were nearly superseded by the scythe and cradle. During all this time, Henry 'Coate had the clearing of his lands and farming operations going on. He accumulated much land and money by his industry, and was able to give all his children a good start in the world. The names of them were Lydia, Isaac, Mary, Esther, Samuel, Rachel and Rhoda, all dead. When age had come upon Henry Coate, he gave up HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 339 his trade, his business, and spent the residue of his life in quietude. Born about the year 1770, he had witnessed the terrors of the revolution when quite a boy. When a man, he assisted in opening up the wilderness and building up our country. Thrice married, he died in 1848, leaving a widow who survived him several years. His name is held in honorable remembrance by those who knew him. The year 1808 experienced a revival of immigration, only part of which, however, swelled the weak settlements in this township. Among those who came about this time we may enumerate John Pearson, who, after following a romantic life for about two years, settled permanently near the south bank of Ludlow's Creek, in Union Township. The greater portion of the foregoing list were the heads of families, and settled in this township prior to the year 1810. The States of South and North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, all seem to be the reservoir from which flowed this almost unprecedented tide of emigration, which not only fed Union Township, but also Warren, Clinton, Montgomery and Miami Counties ; and, while it swelled the thin settlements of these counties, reflexively decimated almost to extinction the districts from which it flowed. In evidence of this, we are informed that it extinguished two large Friends meetings, one in Georgia and one in South Carolina ; from which we conclude, and the facts confirm it, that this township was first settled by the Friends, or Quakers, hence giving rise to the soubriquet of Quaker Township, which it has by common consent received. The stream of immigration seems to have exhausted itself during the years 1808, 1809 and 1810, after which it almost wholly ceased, and thenceforth the township received accessions principally from Pennsylvania and the New England States, which, in comparison to the Southern current, was very meager, 'diminishing, in fact, almost to complete cessation for several years, never fully regaining its former impetus. Subsequently, the war with England engaged the public mind and called out the whole energy of the nation, paralyzing the spirit of emigration. As a natural consequence, therefore, the southwestern, northeastern and northern portions of the township remained undisturbed and safe in the repose of nature. The other portions of the township having been occupied, and the labor of clearing off little homesteads been accomplished, the inhabitants manifested no desire to leave them to erect new homes in the virgin wilderness ; therefore, so late as the year 1825, all the territory previously referred to remained a vast wilderness, uninhabited, save by its native denizens, who held forth in wild revelries in their gloomy solitudes. STILLWATER. In noting the various attractive features of a country that play an important part in rendering it habitable, and conduce to its settlement, we know of none more deserving of recognition in this township than the Stillwater ; and, as we have in our introductory remarks but cursorily alluded to it and its tributaries, we shall now endeavor to describe that portion of it within the limits of this township more definitely. Stillwater takes its name from the sluggishness of its current, frequently appearing to be in a state of tranquillity, or so lazily moving along in a deep, unbroken volume, that its progress is almost imperceptible. This beautiful stream enters Union Township near the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of Section 4, flowing southwesterly until it nears the center of the section, when slightly turning it divides, inclosing a long, narrow island ; re-uniting, it pursues its course toward the southeast till it approaches the corner of the section, when it takes a line nearly due south, which it continues nearly to the center of the southeast quarter of Section 9, where it takes a course a little south of east to the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of the section, when it flows south, slightly deflecting to the east, pursuing a meandering course 340 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. till it reaches the center of the northeast quarter of Section 34, where it flows in a semi-circle ; dividing in its recurve it incloses an island, after which, uniting, it flows southwesterly out of the township, near the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of Section 34. A peculiar characteristic of this stream is distinguishable in the fact that throughout nearly its entire course in this township, the left or east banks are lofty and abrupt, presenting a bold, rocky front to the water, while on the opposite side the land recedes for a considerable distance, nearly on a level with the river, when it gently rises and stretches away in undulating plains. As a natural consequence, therefore, all, or nearly all, the " bottom" lands are on the west side of the river. Another beautiful stream deserving of mention in this connection is LUDLOW'S CREEK, which derived its name from one of the original surveyors of the public domain. The Main, or North Branch of this strea–a takes its rise from the junction of two small creeks near the center of the northwest quarter of Section 11; thence flowing across the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of the same section, it passes east through the southern portion of Section 1; deflecting slightly south, it continues about a mile, when turning, after receiving the Southwest Branch, it flows meandering in a generally northeast course, and empties into Stillwater, near its entrance into the township. LUDLOW FALLS. The scenic features of this stream are its most prominent characteristics. A short distance below the crossing of the Dayton and Covington pike, the stream glides along, gently plashing from ledge to ledge in its descent until it trembles on the brink of the precipice; then, leaping thirty feet over rocks whose dark heads are thrust through the foaming water, it bubbles and boils, then rushes on its mad career along the canon through whose rocky cleft we can trace the meandering course of the stream hewn from the solid rock ; cascade fountains within, a beautiful cedar grove and green ascending sward in the conservatory, with an outlook through the descending vista, along which the foaming stream finds its way still tumbling down—massive buttresses, and dark alcoves, in which grow beautiful mosses and delicate ferns, while springs burst out from the further recesses and wind in silver threads over floors of lime rock. To these grand and beautiful combinations is attributable the almost constant influx of visitors during the pleasant seasons to this Niagara of Miami County. RESOURCES. The physical conditions of a country determine in an eminent degree the direction of development, as well as the character of the people in so far as character is dependent upon occupation. In some localities we observe the full development of agricultural pursuits, in another pastoral, in a third manufacturing—all, to a great extent, influenced inceptively by the physical conditions of the locality. Chief among these are the numerous magnificent ever living springs located in this township, in the vicinity of Stillwater. Without trenching upon the general geology of the county, we may say in this connection, that these springs issue at the immediate outcropping of the Clinton limestone, which is overlapped by the Niagara. The vast surface of porous Niagara rock, many feet in thickness, receives the water as it percolates the drift, which grows deeper as it recedes, gradually sinking down until it reaches the impervious Clinton, and flows out over it to its outcropping as previously remarked. Hence, the foregoing premises stand out as lucidly explanatory of the early manufactories, and the various directions of development the different branches of HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 341 industrial pursuits have taken. The soil of this township is rich and productive, yielding abundant harvests of all the cereals and grasses, and possessing within itself all the chemical elements of regeneration. By means of artificial drainage, such as tiling, etc., almost the entire township has been utilized and brought up to a high state of cultivation, as is evidenced by the many fine farms, splendid residences, blooded stock and heavy chreorpsI quarries of limestone. suitable for quick-lime and all kinds of building. In addition to these, nature has deposited in this township untold riches in Hydraulic, or water-lime, is also found in some localities. This is so called because it will set under water. It is composed of lime-clay, silica, or sand, and sometimes magnesia. But this will be treated of more at length in the general history of the county. The gravel banks, afford ample material for the building of the many excellent pikes with which the township is intersected. Sand of excellent quality is also found in vast quantities in the drift. Valuable timber of all kinds, such as oak, ash, sugar, maple—from whose sap great amounts of sugar and that boys' delight, " home-made molasses," was manufactured—hickory, elm, walnut, poplar, beech, and many others, whose names will appear elsewhere. The mast of the oak afforded a nutritious supply of food for the hogs, and the hickory-nuts and walnuts were the delight of the pioneer fireside during long winter evenings, when the huge back-log was rolled on, and the forestick placed upon stones in front, with space filled in between, and the cheerful, crackling blaze lighted up the whitewashed cabin wall. But with the influx of people and the rapidly expanding population, the timber is fast melting away, and not many generations will have passed ere the once unbroken forests of this township will have disappeared, and in their stead waving fields of wheat and corn will be seen, and the Indian's wigwam and the pioneer's log but will have given place to the stone mansion of completely developed civilization. Such, throughout the countless ages of the world, have been the transitions marked by the footprints of time. PIONEER TIMES The ordinance, by Congress, of 1787, forever prohibiting slavery in the Northwestern Territory, while slavery was allowed to exist in the South, were the two principal reasons which caused at that time the great tide of emigration. The emigrants were anti-slavery in their character, and, though those from North and South Carolina passed through the fertile regions of Kentucky, where slavery existed, they would not stop there, but traveled on to the land of freedom west or northwest of the Ohio River. Continuing on above the settlements already made many of them pitched their tents, as already stated, in Union Township, truly glad that their long and perilous journey was ended. They found here what they expected, and what the poet calls " Dark, mephitic, tangled woods." The first thing in order was, for those who were able, to select and purchase their lands. In those days, land could be entered only by the section, and that at $2 per acre, rendering it impossible for the poorer ones to buy themselves homes. The Government, however, allowed them, on paying 20 per cent down, to pre-empt the land and pay the balance in four annual installments, without taxes, which conditions, if complied with, entitled them to receive from the Government a patent, or deed in fee simple, and then their lands were brought under taxation. Those who were unable to enter a section of land would sometimes put their money together, enter the land in the name of one of the party, then survey and divide it. By this means the emigrants mostly obtained homes. It was not long, however, until Congress reduced the price of its lands to $1.25 per acre, and also, allowed the entry of quarter-sections, or 160 acres. In process of time, the downward sliding scale adopted by Congress allowed the entry or 342 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. purchase of public lands to reach the low amount of forty acres, but we think the lands in this township were taken before this law was enacted. The next thing after purchasing homes from the Government was to make them such. Like the children of Israel, they found the land possessed (not so much by men, as in their ease,) by the denizens of the forest, the bear, the wolf, the wildcat, the deer, the rattlesnake, with numberless minor inhabitants, who seemed disposed to hold it, if not by force, at least by the title of pre-occupancy. The writer well remembers hearing the terrific howling of the stealthy wolf at midnight, causing his hair to rise, and seeing the half-devoured carcasses of sheep that had become their prey in the pasture. Simultaneously with the extirpation of wild animals came the erection of houses, stables, barns, and clearing away of forests for cultivation. The tools necessary for subduing the forests, and erecting their rude buildings, were at once brought into requisition. The chopping and hewing, or broad ax, the hand and crosscut saw, the mattock, the froe, the beetle or maul, and the iron and wooden wedges, were either brought along or procured for the occasion. The sight of the grand and lofty forest trees of gigantic pronortions, with interlocking branches, with earth-hiding under growths, presented a scene appalling to any heart but those of the heroic pioneer. They came to conquer, and were no more dismayed than were Hannibal or Napoleon at the Alps looming up before them. A common friendship and fellow-feeling pervaded the hearts of the first settlers. The first who had come and made a start (as it was called), by living in their wagons until a tent or house was built, readily threw open their doors to those who followed, and assisted them also in making a start, the first object being, after selecting a site, to clear it off, erect a house for the family, and a stable for the horses. On such occasions, they made what were called " chopping frolics," the neighbors gathering in with their axes, crosscut saws, etc., and assailing the forest simultaneously with a most hearty good will. These scenes continued for many years, and were conducted with sport, animation and gayety. The writer remembers them during the years of long ago, being by them reminded of the description of the poet : “Loud sounds the ax, redoubling strokes on strokes, On all sides round the forest hurls her oaks Headlong, deep echoing groan the thickets brown. Then rustling, crackling, crashing, thunder down." The fall of the forest giants would be attended by shouts of applause from the jolly wood-choppers, who proceeded immediately, if it was an ash, oak, hickory, poplar or black walnut of proper size, to work it into nails, stakes, boards or shingles. I may remark that but few shingles were made in those early times, the roofs being mainly constructed of clapboards, four feet long, upheld by rib-poles below, and kept to their places by weight-poles above. A mud-and-stick chimney, some eight or ten feet in width, would be joined at one end of the building on the outside, a suitable opening having been cut in the wall for it. The first ten feet of the chimney were joined to the house or hut, were built of cleft timber called slabs, being securely lined with stone laid in clay mortar. The upper part of the chimney was detached from the building, and made of riven sticks and clay mortar, being about three and one-half feet in width and two and one-half in thickness, reaching two or three feet above the roof to secure it against fire. The chimneys being considerably narrowed in at about ten feet distance from the ground, afforded a safe roosting place to poultry from the prowling wolves, and warm, comfortable quarters in winter ; they even roosted on the chimney tops, enjoying the warm columns of air ascending from the covered fires. A friendly co-partnership appeared to exist between the chickens and their owners in this recognition of mutual rights, 'the latter enjoying the fire by day, and the former by night. Many a time did the toil-worn pioneer hear from his chimney's summit the clarion tc aes of the chanticleer ringing out upon the air, and telling him of approaching day. HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 343 The industrious pioneer would obey the call, and quickly look around to see if any contributions had been levied upon him during the night by his wild neigubors the wolves and foxes ; if he found all safe he would consider himself fortunate. The cabins of those early days were about eight feet high by twenty or twenty-four in length, and eighteen or twenty in breadth, being somewhat larger than the one described by the poet as " The Hoosier's Nest "- “In other words a Buckeye cabin, Just large enough to hold Queen Lab." Containing from four to five hundred square feet, they at once answered the purpose of kitchen, dining-hall, bedroom, sitting-room and parlor. They often, particularly during the winter, contained the inevitable hand-loom for weaving both summer and winter apparel. In some eases the people had an upper half-story on their houses, which gave them much -bed room. Though it could hardly be said of these people as of some of old, that they loved darkness rather than light, yet so little appreciation had they of light that their windows were not only like angels' visits, few and far between, but small in dimensions, ranging from four to eight and nine panes to the window. The writer well remembers seeing a cabin, in which a family of seven or eight persons resided, having but one window, and that having but four panes or lights, all told ; it was even deemed necessary to have it inclosed by a shutter, which was upheld by one hinge in its center, thus allowing it to swing somewhat awry. Instead of chests and bureaus, they had broad pieces of elm‘bark bent around in the form of lard-,cans, in which they put such clothing as they had not room to hang upon the nails around the walls. It might be remarked that this house received additional light coming through its capacious chimney and fire-place ; this, with the aid of the blazing fire, rendered the room not exactly one of darkness. Was not this primi.tiveness in its most primitive form ? Everything connected with this family—their education, thoughts, pastimes, costumes and aspirations—was adapted to their mode of living. Being muscular and industrious, they cleared away the dense forests, killed deer and wild turkeys in abundance, wore deerskin breeches, and seemed to possess the philosophy of adaptation to condition and animal enjoyment. I would not have my readers believe that the above-described family was a sample of the early settlers in general, but only of those who were possessed by " forest philosophy." Before finishing the history of the primitive cabins, I would tell something of the mode of cooking in them. Having described the chimneys, I must further state that a strong pole, called a lubber-pole, placed at a safe distance above the fire, reached across the fire-place ; on this was suspended an iron pot-rack or trammel, composed of two parts, each about three feet long ; the upper part had a hook supporting it on the pole, with a clasp at the lower end, and a row of holes a few inches apart between. The other part had a catch at the upper end, and a hook at the lower. By means of the holes and catch, a sliding scale was established that enabled the cook to adjust the pot or kettle at the proper distance above the fire. The pot, kettle, Dutch oven, skillet and long-handled frying-pan constituted about all the cooking utensils of those primitive days. The grease or oil lamp, holding about a gill of lard or grease, with its curved handle, to which was attached a little bar, with hook, spike and wick-picker, thus allowing it to be hung or fastened to a crack in the wall, was then thought to be a cheap and valuable substitute for the tallow candle. These lamps, when filled with oil, gave forth a brilliant light, superior to that of the candle ; but when the oil was low, their light became dim and flickering. Wood being handy and abundant in those days, the reader may well believe that, during cold weather, large fires were not wanting. Back-logs, such as would require two men to carry, would be placed against the back wall. Near each jamb would be placed either two large dog-irons or two large racks to hold up the 344 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. burning fore-sticks. A fire, such as would send forth light and heat throughout the house, would then be made, around which the inmates would while away the tedious hours in calm domestic enjoyment, thinking that they enjoyed as much happiness as the rest of mankind. Who is there to dispute it ? In regard to food, it may be supposed that the early settlers of this township were but meagerly supplied, particularly as to variety. Wild meats, such as venison, wild turkey, pheasant, quail and fish, were abundant, only requiring skill in the hunter and angler to get ample piscatorial supplies from the Stillwater and its tributaries. But bread, another indispensable article of food, was, to many, almost unattainable. The scarcity of both grain and mills was the cause of this want ; but the courageous and patient pioneer, making a. virtue of necessity, conformed his wants, as much as possible, to his circumstances. Lye hominy, so-called (which needs no description), was brought into almost universal use, and many a hungry laborer, both male and female, satisfped their hunger by this simple article of food. The author remembers hearing it said that a man who once sat down to dine upon nothing but a loaf of bread, consoled himself by saying : " I have a variety here. I have top crust, bottom crust and crumb." That man surely understood the philosophy of contentment. A settler of 1833 related this circumstance : " I had to go a long distance to mill to get material for bread, and, stopping at a cottage by the way, asked the good housewife if she could provide me with dinner. She rather demurringly replied that she had little else but meat. I told her to provide what she could, and I would be satisfied. She went to the green corn patch, and returned with several ears that had just passed from the milky state, being about half way between roasting-ears and ripeness. Cutting the grain from the cob; she pounded it in a mortar until it became somewhat pulpy ; stewing the grain, then, in a vessel, she placed it, with meat, upon a most humble table, and invited me to dine. Having an appetite sharpened by fasting and travel. I partook with a hearty good will, and thought I had never eaten a more delicious meal, Another circumstance which I will relate shows that people were not always satisfied with such meager diet. I heard it told a great many years ago, but in what township it happened I cannot tell. After the means of living had been much augmented, two men were hired to make fence-rails, their employer, as usual, boarding them. Their food consisted of a kind of fermented corn bread, called pone, and hominy. This fare not being satisfactory to the laborers, they made their- labor unsatisfactory to their employer. One day, a member of the family observing that their mauls descended with slow speed and feeble force, and guessing the cause, told his parents those mauls seemed to say, Hominy and pone ! Hominy and pone ! ' and suggested an improvement in their food. This was accordingly made, and the re-animated beetles then descended to the lively tune of, ' Meat, cabbage and bread Meat, cabbage and bread ! ' thus proving that the improved diet, if it did not, like Tam O'Shanter's fiddle, put life and mettle into the heels, it did, into the hands of the rail-splitters." The first settlers of this township, having come from a region very different in climate, soil and productions from this, had much to learn, but no one to teach them. They had left the land of the cedar, the chestnut and pine ; a land whose soil, if soil it might be called, was so sandy, so sterile, so desolate, that, in the language of C. B. Faulkner, a Southern statesman, it seemed " barren, desolate and seared, as it were, by the hand of heaven ; a soil that annually requires the aid of every ounce of fertilizing material that could be obtained to make its productiveness anything like remunerative." So great was the contrast between the fertility of the Atlantic slope and the regions of the Stillwater and Great Miami, that an emigrant who had left South Carolina in 1803, at the age of seventeen years, and returned with the author in 1850, declared, after he had seen his old native State, that he would leave it if he had to go all the way upon his hands and knees. HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 345 One thing of great advantage to the immigrant, but of the art of which he was totally ignorant, was that his township was abundantly furnished by nature with the materials for molasses and sugar making. 'This tree, namely, the sugar maple, of which I have just written, is too well known to require a description ; neither need I dwell upon the great luxury in its sirup or molasses, which, when properly made, is so much superior to that of sorghum or sugar-cane that its flavor is almost equal to that of the fabled nectar of the gods. Neither will I describe the process of its manufacture, for it is too well known, but I Will say something of the convivial enjoyments of the young people of those early days, when they met around the sugar furnace or boiler, at what was called a " stirring-off." The poet, whose vivid imagination enables him to paint scenes as with the flashing fires of Mount Parnassus, thus describes : " Some sat apart, to tell and hear Things only meant for Love's own ear, While some, with little ladles, dipped The liquid sweet and slowly sipped, That seemed to linger on the taste; Others, with skill and nicest care, Drew off, the thick and grainy paste, To form in crystals in the air. ' Our forefathers appear not to have suffered much in going through the process of acclimation, as but few deaths are recorded in those early days. They endeavored to learn the easiest and cheapest methods of clearing away the forests and sowing and planting them with cereals and grasses best adapted to their nature. They had left a country in which cotton, tobacco and rice were the staple articles of the markets, but these they, did not attempt to cultivate here. ' Some would raise a few stalks of tobacco, for mouth consumption, but none for the markets, and, indeed, if they had, they would have found no market here for it. Their great aim was to raise that which was nutritious and beneficial. It was left to after years to bring the cultivation of tobacco and the making of whisky. The forests of this township were so dense that the smooth clearing-off of a single acre for an orchard cost a vast amount of labor.' As much as two hundred cords of timber would have to be cut and burned before the ground was ready for the planting of apple or peach trees. A vast amount of undergrowth had also to be grubbed up by the roots and, burned. While these were in a green state, it was no easy matter to burn them. The first object of the enterprising pioneer, after getting his necessary buildings, was to have a garden and orchard. When these were obtained and attempted to be plowed, a new difficulty presented itself. The numerous stumps left standing, with their green roots, interposed a formidable barrier to the plowshare. These roots spread out in all directions, crossing each other and forming a network, which tried the mettle of the team and the patience of the driver. The plow, stopped by the stubborn roots, would have to be drawn back and the team started again. If the roots broke and the plow passed through, they would often spring back with such force as to make it necessary for the driver to spring up, or he would receive their recoiling blows upon his toes or shins. Being unable to keep his feet up more than a moment or two, they would sometimes descend too soon and receive the strokes as aforesaid. On such occasions, the man or boy, if a rough, would make use of expletives that grated harshly on the ears of the moralist. These misfortunes, the writer, when a boy, full often experienced, but his early training prevented him, on such occasions, from indulging in profanity. In a few years, however, these tenacious roots would decay and fertilize the soil, the unresisted plowshare would pass steadily through them, and the teeming crops would amply reward the previous pains and labors of' the husbandman. The plows of those days were very simple and unique in their construction; and, though they were somewhat superior to those, which the prophet Elisha used with twelve yoke of oxen, they were greatly inferior to those of the present day ; they were called bar-shares, having an iron shoe and wooden mold-board; the sheath and beam were often made from a fence-rail, and the handles would be of 346 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. the most unpretentious character. A man who was anything of a mechanic could make one of them in less than two days, and they were not considered worth painting ; in time these were succeeded by the bull plow, about the only difference being that the front part of the mold-board of the latter was iron ; this was, however, considered a decided improvement. In a few years, the bull plow was succeeded by the patent, the mold-board of which was made of cast iron ; these were made at plow-shops, constructed with skill and painted. Many successive grades of improvement have brought this indispensable implement of husbandry to its present almost perfect form. In those early days, mast, such as acorns, hickory and beechnuts, grew in the forests in great abundance, furnishing autumnal and winter food for swine. The mast-made pork, as it was called, though softer and more flaccid that the corn-fed, was savory and much relished by the people, and, though millions of wild pigeons annually infested the forests, they did not appear materially to diminish the acorn crop. The pigeon-roosts, or places where these birds came to pass the night, were almost marvelous to behold. They would come to their nightly rendezvous in innumerable multitudes, settling in the tree-tops, in the greatest confusion. All night long the, breaking.of overloaded limbs could be heard, crashing on the ground, wounding or killing a part of their feathered-occupants. The roosts would occupy a great many acres. In the early morning, when the feathered myriads had flown, the upper forest would resume its usual quiet, while the lower would be strewn with wounded, fluttering birds, many of which would be taken to grace the tables of the neighboring cottages. The flesh of these birds was not as white and savory as that of the quail, but it was eatable and appeased the hunger of many families. One of these roosts existed for years in the western forest, not far from the present village of Laura. The writer has seen these birds in innumerable myriads passing overhead with a rushing sound, in one direction in the morning, but in the other in the evening. Their forest supplies having about ceased, they are now seldom seen. The pecuniary resources of the early settlers of this township, were very limited ; they had but little paper money, no specie but the old Spanish coin, consisting of milled dollars of 100 cents value ; half-dollars of 50 ; quarter-dollars of 25 ; eleven-penny bits of 12 ½ ; and five or fippennybits (so called) of 61 cents valtie. For the convenience of change, the larger pieces were many of them quartered, and they had what was called " cut-money." In the course of time, paper money and the American decimal coin came into use ; the Government at length, not liking a mixed metallic currency, determined, to make it all national, and, accordingly, passed an act, during Pierce's administration, cutting down the Spanish coin 20 per cent in value, at the same time offering its previous value in national coin at the mint ; this caused it nearly all to be sold to the Government, and recast into our governmental currency. Once in a while an old Spanish dollar, quarter, levy and fip may be seen, being kept only as mementoes of the past. But if money was scarce in those days, the real necessity for it was in like proportion ; the 'taxes on land were hardly 10 per cent of what they are at present. Luxuries, both in food and equipage, such as now exist, were then hardly known ; and, although the people were not bookish men, they seem to have understood the philosophy of adaptation, and to have reasoned like the poet : " Our portion is not large, indeed, But then how little do we need, For nature's calls are few ; In this the art of living lies, To want no more than may suffice, And make that little do." Accordingly, instead of casting about for money to purchase the requirements of life, as is much done at present, they looked to themselves to acquire them: From the sugar-tree, as above stated, they obtained sugar and molasses ; from their fields they drew the flax that, furnished their summer apparel ; and from their HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY - 347 sheep they clipped the wool which clothed them in winter. The uncouth but strongly made flax-breaks, the neatly made little spinning-wheel, humming all day long, and a part of the night, preparing both warp and woof, or chain and filling, (as it was called) for the awaiting loom. For every-day wear the linen was left uncolored, but for Sunday it was sometimes striped and checkered with copperas these fabrics were both cooling and enduring, being well adapted to the wear and tear of the clearing and harvest field. The wool, after being carded by machinery, was spun upon the big wheel, and woven into flannel, linsey or cloth (satinet coming in in after years) ; sometimes flannels and linseys would be striped and checkered in the most unique manner, according to the taste of their owners. With the exception of carding and filling, which last was applied to cloth, the work was done at home, leaving but little to pay for outside assistance. For coffee, they used scorched or browned rye, barley, wheat flour, potatoes, etc. For tea, they could get all they desired from the buds of the aromatic spicewood and the roots of the sassafras. They depended for beef and pork on their own raising, and also on their own grain for bread. Those who brought no wagons depended mainly on sleds of their own making. There being an ample supply of oak bark, those who wished to could do their own tanning. The writer knew a man who, in addition to furnishing himself with things as above stated, also made the shoes for his family. This man owned 160 acres of land, which he cultivated without much hired help, and could say at the end of almost every succeeding year, " I have $5 for the tax gatherer, $4 for the schoolteacher, $1 for the store-keeper, and a fig for the doctor." A few articles, however, such as salt, iron, nails, cooking utensils, cutlery, etc., had to be purchased ; but the demands for such from each family cost but few dollars per annum. To obtain those articles, it was necessary to go to Cincinnati, that being the nearest place where they could be had. Accordingly, one would furnish a wagon and two horses, or one, another would find the requisite number for a four-horse team, and, thus combining, they would start, taking a few barrels of flour, either for themselves or neighbors, and provisions, both for themselves and horses, they would start for the Queen City, often with a spirit of hilarity, particularly the younger ones, as thinking they were doing something rather big. It would require from five to six days to make the trip ; when made, the neighbors would joyfully gather in to receive the articles they had sent for. This custom lasted for more than twenty years, until the completion of the canal to Dayton made it no longer necessary. We will now call the reader's attention to the costumes of the first settlers of this township. Being nearly all Friends, they brought with them the form of dress peculiar to that society. The men wore low-crowned, broad-brimmed hats, short-breasted coats, with straight collars and no unnecemary buttons, long vests, and pantaloons without suspenders. This form of dress was defended the ground that they found it comfortable, and did not seek change, and that it was the same as in the days of George Fox, the founder of the society ; the only difference between it and the costumes of the English noblemen, being in the ornamental ribbons and fixtures appended to the latter. The portraits of the Father of his country, and the elder Adams, represent them as wearing the same kind of coats. The dress of the females was equally plain and conformable to the ancient order ; on their heads they wore immense white beavers, having an indentation or crown in the center, about half an inch in depth, and encircled by a white band or ribbon ; the brim was full six inches in width and having also white ribbons attached to the extremities ; they were drawn down over the ears, and the strings tied under the chin, thus securely holding it on the head. These hats were of very fine texture, being made of beaver fur, and were rather costly ; they were not calculated to keep the head warm, but to shade it. The next upper garment was a bed gown, or wrapper, reaching just below the waist and lapping over a petticoat or skirt ; the sleeves of the gown reached only to the elbows, where they were met by other pieces called slips ; even gloves, in those days, were made to reach to the elbows. They had also plain silk bonnets called hoods. These garments, made of as many 348 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY. pieces as possible, constituted the tout ensemble of a Friend or Quaker woman's dress. Their dress, however, excepting their beavers, did not differ much from that of other women. After coming here, the young women declined to wear these beavers, and, in time, the old laid them aside. These early female fashions changed a great many years ago. The male fashions have changed also, and now very little is to be seen of the original. Of all articles of female apparel, the beaver was the most grotesque ; stuck upon a woman's head, it looked somewhat like an inverted tray, or sugar-trough, with both ends out ; the article had undoubtedly been carried from Pennsylvania to the South, for in years long after its discontinuance, a family from that State having come and settled here, the mother wore one not only to the Dunker meetings, but to the Milton stores, where she did her trading. Passing, on horseback, by the schoolhouse, some of the sharp-eyed children would 'see her, and, giving the signal to the scholars, that mother D was passing, order would be for the time suspended, and both teacher and scholars, rushing to the door and windows, would join in irrepressible laughter. The good old dame did not seem to be sensible of the merriment she was causing, nor that she was the only representative of the head-dress of a bygone generation, for we think she wore it until her death. We propose now to give our readers a brief account of the labors and experiences of a prominent family of this township, having obtained the first fifteen years of its history from an only surviving son, now in his eighty-sixth year, and the only man living who remembers those early scenes. We refer to Samuel Jones, who came from Columbia County, Ga., and settled here in the year 1805. He was not the first settler, it is true, but none of those are left to tell their tale. About the first of June, in the year aforesaid, two teams, one drawn by four and the other by two horses, reached in the morning their place 'of destination, with his household goods and family, having stayed the previous night at his brother-in-law's. The place selected for their residence was about a half-mile west of the Stillwater, and nearly two miles north of. Milton, in Section 9, on the north bank of a most romantic glen, full forty feet in depth, which still remains un reclaimed from the forest. His family consisted of seven sons and four daughters, namely, the sons—John, Jonathan, Francis, Samuel, Jesse, Thomas and Asa ; the daughters were Dorcas, Mary, Sarah and Rachel. The eldest son was about twenty-five, and the youngest daughter about five years of age. There was, to use the words of Jesse, the only survivor, and who gave us this history, " not a stick amiss when we arrived there." Stalwart brothers, with their father and other help, soon made the impression that betokened in the near future a conquered wilderness. They first felled a large white oak ; while some were sawing off board-cuts, others were riving them ; others, still, were cutting forks and poles and putting up a tent frame. Before night they had it covered and weather-boarded on three sides, the south one being left open ; a small cooking-tent joined it on the south. The main tent, having the ground for floor, was covered with leafy brush, on which were placed their pallets. Whether their first night's slumber was sound or not, we are left to guess, but the thought of having reached their long-wished-for home must have given them much enjoyment. They had brought with them their necessary cooking utensils, such as pot, tea-kettle, skillet and frying-pan. During their long journey, they had learned the trade of gypsy-cooking, and were thus a t no loss in preparing forest meals. Their greatest difficulty was in getting material for bread. Of wild meat they had abundance, such as venison, wild turkey, fish, etc. The river, not having been as yet much disturbed by fishermen, was teeming with its finny inhabitants, whole shoals of which, in sportive gambols, would spring out of the water, dropping back with a splash. These fish could be taken by bushels, either with the hook or the drag-net. The drag-net was made principally of grapevines, some thirty or more feet in length and four feet in width • the strandy vines were interwoven with bark and the interstices filled with full-leaved shrub branches, presenting an impassable barrier to the larger fish. They were thus caught in desired quantities, and fish, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||