(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) MEIGSVILLE - 461 CHAPTER XXIV. MEIGSVILLE. AN EARLY SETTLEMENT-HISTORY MADE BUT SLOWLY-CHARACTER OF Tim PIONEERS-FIRST SETTLEMENTS ALONG THE MARIETTA ROAD AND ON MEWS CREEK-WATER-COURSE.: SOIL-THE FIRST ELECTION IN THE TOWNSHIP, 1819- NAMES OF VOTERS AT THIS ELECTION- OTHER EARLY SETTLERS-JOHN DUFFY AND THE LAWYER-SCHOOLS-EARLY MILLS AND STORES-FAMILY SKETCHES- PIONEER PICTURES-CHURCHES. MEIGSVILLE Township, although one of the earliest settled in the county, has led a very quiet and uneventful life, and its history is not marked by anything startling or exceedingly interesting, aside from the experiences of the early pioneers. The first settlers of Meigsville were a sturdy race of men and women, and a history of their lives, properly depicted, would furnish interesting and valuable reading for the present generation and would teach many lessons of thrift, perseverance and industry not readily obtained elsewhere. For a long time the settlements were confined to the water-courses and along the line of the Marietta and Zanesville road, which was cut out in a very early day. Meigs Creek, in this township, receives "Dye's Fork," which runs through and along its eastern border. The main creek, which runs across the township from its northern boundary, entering Centre Township at its southeast corner, "Four Mile," is a considerable branch of the main creek, so called from the fact that it enters the creek just four miles from its mouth. Dye's Fork is named after Thomas Dye, who at a very early day, probably about 1798, settled high up on this branch in what is now Brookfield Township, Noble County, but a portion of Morgan up to 1851. Meigs Creek, which enters the Muskingum in Centre Township, waters the township of Meigsville in nearly all portions. It was so called in honor of Governor R. J. Meigs, the first governor of Ohio after its admission into the Union. Upon Meigs Creek and its branches the land is excellent very productive. It was several years after the 462 - HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO. first settlements upon the creek and its branches that the congress lands upon the ridge were entered and settled upon. These uplands in the early days were excellent hunting-ranges for the pioneers, and this may have been one of the causes that retarded the growth of the township. The area of Meigsville was at one time quite extended. While one of the subdivisions of Washington County, it embraced all of what is now Bristol, Bloom and Morgan Townships. In 1805 Robert McConnel, in company with a party of prospectors, while passing through the woods at, Meigsville, camped one night upon " Four Mile Run," at a prominent point now known as " Cave Rock," upon the lands of John Harman. At that period wolves were numerous, and the party were entertained during the night with their unceasing howls. Mr. McConnel [was at time sixty-eight years of ago, and] before taking his departure in the morning wrote his name in a bold hand upon the smooth side of the rock with a piece of red stone picked up in the run near by. This sign manual of the old pioneer might have been seen by the inquisitive visitor only a few years since. No record is extant of the first organization of Meigsville, but there is on file a poll-book of an election held for two justices of the peace on the 12th day of October, 1819. No mention is male of the place where the election was held, but the pioneers came together and proceeded to hold the election by selecting Samuel Murray, William Laughery and Andrew Welsh, judges ; Thomas aml William Murray, clerks. Only twenty-five .votes were cast for the two justices of the peace; John D. Rutledge and William Horner were elected. Following are the names of those who cast their votes at this, the first election held in the township : Andrew Blinn, William Laughery, John Taylor, Sr., Robert Welsh, Joseph Kidd, Henry Hoover, William Perry, John Murray, Thomas Murray, John W. Taylor, David Welsh, Andrew elsh, Isaac Counsil, Samuel Murray, William Murray, Henry Nichols, Thomas Taylor, William Homer, John Jones, John D. Rutledge, Joseph Kelly, Robt. Welsh, 2d, John Heskett, John Wilson, John Wickham. Judging from the election returns, only two accessions were made to the voting population in the follOWing year, as only twenty-two votes were cast for the election of a magistrate. In 1822 at an election for a justice of peace, only twenty-six votes were polled, of which Robert Welsh, 2d, received sixteen and was declared elected. From 1822 to 1825 there seems to have been considerable immigration, as there were forty-six votes cast for the election of a justice of peace in 1825. About this period the most prominent families in Meigsville were the Rutledges, Murrays, Counsels, Taylors, Pattersons, Welches, Ballards, Heads, Morrisons, Berrys, Kidds, Martins, Homers, Kellys, Hesketts, Harmans, Joneses and others. In addition to the list given for 1819 the following names appear on the record previous to 1825 : John Dickson, James Patterson Zephaniah Tyson, Lewis Ramey, Ebenezer Barkhurst, Simeon Elliott, David Welsh, Harrison Nichols, Samuel Darnell, Samuel Ferry, Thomas Harper, William-Durbin, Robert Martin, Robert Brown, John Hughes, Thomas McCoid, MEIGSVILLE - 463 James Boller, Christopher Mummey, Josiah Kennison, William Patterson, Nicholas Durbin, Samuel Fouts, John Patterson, John Duffy, Samuel Morrison, Andrew Welsh, Levi McCarty, Alex. Boller. Among the earliest settlers of the township, most of them, prior to 1808, were Henry Nichols, John Wilson, a wheelwright by trade ; John Murray, Isaac Counsil, Andrew and Robert Welsh. Judge Gaylord, in his " Historical Reminiscences," relates the following anecdote of John Duffy, whose name can be found in the pioneer list of 1825 : "John was by birth an Irishman, and possessing all the ready wit and shrewdness of that people, he was conspicuous at all the gatherings of the people and never backward in taking a prominent part in the broils and fights that would sometimes spring up among the best of the inhabitants at Meigsville. . At that time John was an attentive visitor to our early courts, either as a witness, suitor or spectator. On one occasion he was called to the stand, and after he had been thoroughly examined as to what he knew of the case, was handed over to General Goddard, then a young attorney of considerable practice in our courts. He took Duffy in charge and plied him with questions to elicit something favorable to his client, or have John cross himself in his testimony in chief. In this undertaking he seemed to have failed and was about to give him up, when it occurred to him to ask Duffy another question, 'Well, Mr. Duffy, you have told us all about what he said about Taylor, Lupardis and others, will you please tell us what he said about me?' Phat's it yez are axin' Does yez want to know what he said about yez, Mr. Goddard ? Well, sir, he said that yez were the —est rascal he had ever anything to do with, and I think he was about half right, do ye know.' Take your seat, Mr. Duffy,' was the gruff order of the General. The audience was convulsed with laughter, while a grim smile might have been seen upon the visages of the bench of dignified judges." John D. Rutledge, a native of Maryland, came to Ohio from Brooke County, W. Va., in 1817, settling on the farm where his son John now lives. The journey was made by wagon, bringing the entire family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Rutledge and nine children. John, who was then in his seventh year, recalls the journey plainly, and remembers distinctly the fact that he walked nearly all the way. His father had previously entered a piece of unimproved land in Section 6. After the arrival of the family, they remained with John Kirk on Meigs Creek until a cabin could be built and prepared for their reception. John D. Rutledge was a blacksmith by trade, but worked only at farming after coming to Ohio. He was the first justice of the peace of the township, and held the office twenty-one years. He died in 1852, aged seventy-eight years. His children were William, Ann, Elizabeth, Sarah (Tavenner), Susan, John, Elijah, Jacob and Mary (Strong). Sarah, John, Elijah, Jacob and Mary are still living, all in this township, except Jacob, who resides in Muskingum County. John Rutledge, one of the few surviving early settlers, was born in West Virginia in 1810, and has resided in this township since 1811. He has followed farming and lives on the old 464 - HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO. homestead. He is unmarried ; has served nine years as justice. Christopher Mummey and family came to Meigsville Township about 1818. He was a native of Maryland. He settled in the northern part of the township, and continued to reside here as long as he lived. His son John, a successful farmer and reputable citizen, died in 1863 on the farm where his son Jacob F. now resides. Another son, David, resides in Kansas. Isaac Counsil, one of the early settlers of Meigsville Township, was born in the State of Delaware in 1785. When a child, his parents removed to Pennsylvania, and from thence, in 1811, in company with a family by the name of Murray, to Ohio. He married Miss Anna Murray, and shortly after their marriage removed to Meigsville Township, then a very sparsely settled region. Their pioneer life was replete with hardships and privations. A few years after his immigration they had the misfortune to lose thiir house and its contents by tire. He was without money with which to rebuild and furnish his home ; but through the kindness of a neighbor he was enabled to erect a new house and furnish it. Zanesville and Marietta were the nearest points from which household goods could be obtained, and he had to transport them on the back of a horse. The Wilsons are of Scotch-Irish extraction. Benjamin Wilson, the progenitor of the family in this country, emigrated from Ireland in 1718, and settled in New Hampshire, where they founded a town which they named after the city of their adoption in Ireland, Londonderry. John Wilson was the son of Benjamin and father of John, jr. The latter came from New Hampshire in 1815, and first located in Guernsey County, where he remained until 1818, when he came to Meigsville Township, where he bought a quarter-section of land. He made chairs and Spinning-wheels, which vocation he followed for a livelihood for many years. He died August 16, 1848, aged eighty-one years; his wife died February 28, 1879, aged ninety years and six months. J. D. Wilson, a son, was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, December 29, 1817. He was one of a family of twenty-one. children. John Boden was born in Ireland and came to Meigsville from Belmont County in 1829 and bought a new farm in the South part of section 21. The family were in extremely limited circumstances. During the summer Mr. Boden was employed on the National Pike, then being built, while the wife and the children attended to the farm. In 1844 he removed to Athens County, where he died. As an illustration of pioneer times and to show the condition of the township at that time, the following incident is given : One Sabbath afternoon Mrs. Boden attended a religious meeting at the schoolhouse near where is now the McKendrie Church, two and one-half miles east of McConnelsville, about five miles from her residence, which was within about a mile of where is now Hooksburg. During the services a rain came on and its continuance induced her to tarry, so that soon after starting it became very dark, and she became bewildered and finally lost her way. From this unpleasant dilemma she was aroused and warned of a more immediate danger by the fearful, indescribable howl of wolves, only in time to take refuge in a tree beyond their MEIGSVILLE - 465 reach, where she remained until morning, while the wolves " their vigils kept." She had left her home in charge of her small children, her husband being absent. George A. Vincent, a native of Pennsylvania, came from Brooke County, Va., with his family of six children, and settled in Meigsville Township in 1830. He was a mechanic and built a sawmill upon his farm. He . died in McConnelsville in 1861. He was prominent in ante-bellum days as an anti-slavery man, and for many years was one Of the magistrates of the township. William Harman and his wife Diana came to this township in 1819, settling near where the McKendrie Church now is. While on their way hither they met with a great loss, being robbed in Zanesville of money and silverware. The Harmans were English. John Harman, son of William, was born in England in 1806, and came to this country with his parents, who first settled near Philadelphia. John Harman was one of the successful. farmers of this township, where he died in 1884. The other children of William and Diana Harman were Ann, Elizabeth and Diana. John and Mary Jones, who were Welsh people, came at the same time with the Harmans. They afterward moved to Licking County. As early as 1825 a log schoolhouse was erected where the McKendrie Church now is. James Patterson was the first teacher there, and Sarah Russell the second. Other early teachers were John B. Jones, William Johnson and Charles McCarty. The first store in the township was kept by Jeremiah Ford at Unionville. With slight intervals there has been a store there ever since. The first store at Mill Grove was kept by Edward Holly. William Perry was the first blacksmith. His shop was on Perry's Run, near Mill Grove. The first mill in the township was John Taylor's, a gristmill and sawmill. It was erected near where Unionville now is, as early as 1820. Prior to that time, the early settlers went to mill at Olive Green. The early elections were held at the house of Thomas Murray, grandfather of Edward Murray. Peter Hanson was born in Maryland, February 24, 1795. He came to .Belmont County, Ohio, when young, and was a soldier in the war of 1812. In 1817 he married Amelia Israel, born in Belmont County in 1793. About 1829 he settled on the farm in this township where he remained until his death, August 30, 1882. His wife died March 23, 1878. Their children were : Rachel, William, Nancy, Sarah' A., Mary, Reuben, Robert, Samuel, Leander and Hamilton. Of these, William, Sarah A., Robert, Samuel and Hamilton are dead. The following picture of pioneer life in Meigsville is furnished by an old resident : "Every family raised flax from which the summer clothing of the family was manufactured, the spinning, weaving and making being done by the women. Sheets, towels and grain-sacks were also made in the same way. In winter, woolen goods were worn. The wool was carded, spun . and woven by hand. Grain was harvested with sickles, thrashed with flails, and the grain . separated from the straw by dropping it through a wooden sieve into a sheet held below ; a windy day 466 - HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO. was usually chosen for this work. Going to mill was thought to be one of the hardships. In portions of the township they were obliged to go to Luke Chute, on the Muskingum River. The grists were packed on horses, and going to mill often required two or three days, as each was obliged to wait his turn." James and Mary Patterson were among the early pioneers of Meigsville, and their names are associated with many of the initial events in its history. Their settlement was in the spring of 1819. At that time this section was destitute of roads, mills, and in fact was almost an unbroken wilderness. Here and there a pioneer had carved a hole in the woods and erected a cabin, but settlers were few and far apart. They were obliged to go to Zanesville to mill. Mr. Patterson and his wife were subjected to all the .hardships of pioneer life, a description of which is given in another chapter. They were intelligent people, and appreciating the value of educational and religious advantages, they aided in the construction of the first schoolhouse and first church, and it is said that Mr. Patterson was the first teacher. lie died in 1879 at the age of eighty-seven. His wife is still living. James S., a son, was born in 1825. lie has served the township in several minor positions, and is a worthy member of the M. E. Church. In the autumn of 1829 John and Mary Sillions emigrated from Loudoun County, Va., and settled in Muskingum County, Ohio. The following spring he came to Morgan County, and settled in Meigsville Township, where the elder Sillions purchased a farm, on which he resided. until 1850, when he went to Cass County, Indiana, where he died in 1855. He was a very reputable gentleman and during his residence in Morgan County vas one of its best citizens. Stephen Sillions, a son, was born in Loudoun County, Va., in 1817, and came to Morgan County with his parents. He has been a resident of the township over half a century. He follows the vocation of a carpenter and has served his fellow-townsmen as treasurer. William and Melinda Ethell came from Loudoun County, Va., in 1826; to Belmont County, and from thence to Meigsville in 1834. They were reputable people and resided in the county until their deaths, the former in 1868. Mrs. Ethell died in 1834. A son, Fenton., is one of the well-to-do farmers of the township, and was born in Virginia. Samuel Spencer settled in Meigsville in 1829. He was born in Belmont County, Ohio. But few men have been identified with the township's history for a longer period than he, or have made a more honorable record. David Spencer was born in Belmont County in 1829, and is one of the prominent and successful farmers of the county. He has served the county as magistrate and clerk, and has reared a family of twelve children. Thomas Richardson was a native of Baltimore, Md., where he was born in 1798, and where he spent his early life ; from thence the family emigrated to Jefferson County, Ohio, where they remained for some time, when Thomas went to Wellsburg, W. Va., where he engaged in distilling; here he met his destiny in the person of Miss Sarah R. McDowell, whom he married about 1827. Shortly after his marriage he came to Morgan County and settled where his daughters, Leah A. and Sarah MEIGSVILLE - 467 J., now reside. His pioneer life in Morgan County was attended with Many struggles and privations, but by perseverance and economy he won a home for his children. He died in 1882, His son, Goodsell, occupies a part of the old homestead. In 1835 Hugh and Margaret Porter came from Jefferson County, O., to Meigsville Township, and in the following year, 1836, William and Mary Tennant emigrated from the same county. Mr. Tennant purchased a new farm and erected a cabin in the woods and began the construction of a . home, sharing with the neighbors the hardships and privations incident to life in a new country. In connection with the development of his farm, Mr. Tennant worked at his trade, that of a cooper. Mr. Porter was a weaver and a stonemason. Mr. Tennant was a Presbyterian, and was identified with the organization of the first church of that faith in the township. He was also an ardent friend of public schools. William M. Tennant was born in 1848, is a ruling elder in the Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church and for some years was engaged in teaching, his grandparents were natives of Ireland ; his father, of Dauphin County, Pa., and emigrated to Jefferson County, Ohio, in 1817. Hugh Porter died in 1873, his wife in 1876 in her ninetieth year. William Tennant died in 1880. J. P. Jett came to the county in the spring of 1830. He was a native of Virginia, whence he went to Louisiana, and from the latter state to Ohio. His dislike of slavery caused his removal north. Mr. Jett was prominent among the early abolitionists of the county. Abraham Barnes came from Philadelphia in 1843.. He was poor, having previously been an employe in a cotton-mill. After coming to Morgan County he took jobs of any kind that were offered until he had saved enough to buy a farm of forty acres, the same on which William Scott now resides.. In 1846, Mr. Barnes married Margaret Welch, by whom he has six children. He is a Presbyterian and a democrat. John O. Day, Esq., present justice of the peace and merchant at Mill Grove, was born in Front Royal, Va., January 26, 1848. He came to Morgan County in 1871, and was married to a granddaughter of John Taylor, one of the pioneers of the township Mr. Day located at Mill Grove in 1881. John Robinson was born in County Donegal, Ireland, and came to America. in 1867. Ile settled in Meigsville Township, where he secured employment in making shingles for John Thompson. From this insignificant beginning he has become one of the prosperous farmers of the township. Unionville is a pleasant little hamlet situated in the eastern part of the township. It has two general stores and the necessary appointments of an interior village. Neelyville. was laid out by Robert Neely. one of the early settlers. It was originally known as Newcastle, but on the establishment of a postoffice, the name was changed to Neelyville, in honor of its founder. It has one store kept by Thomas J. Neely, a grandchild of the original proprietor of the village. CHURCHES. McKendrie M. E. Church --This organization is one of the oldest Methodist societies in Morgan County. The 468 - HISTORY OF MORGAN COUNTY, OHIO. first class was formed at the house of Philip .Kahler about 1823, and consisted of sixteen members : Philip Kahler and wife, James Patterson, William Harman, Diana Harman, Ann Harman, Jane Dickson, Sarah Rutledge, Susan Rutledge, John Hughes, Esther Hughes, Rebecca T. Hughes, Tacy McCarty, Matthew Elliott and Joseph Kirk and wife. Philip Kahler was class-leader, succeeded by Benjamin Hammond, John I. Smith and others. First regular meetings were held at John Harman's. In 1828 a log meetinghouse was erected, 30x40 feet. Which served until the present edifice— a neat frame structure—was built in 1858. In early years the membership was large, this being the only M. E.. Church in the county east of the river. Revs. Thomas McCleary and Thomas Taylor were on the circuit when the first class was formed. Unionville M. E. Church.--We have been unable to correctly ascertain the date of the organization of this society. Reason Ong was the first class-leader, and among the original members were Mrs. Ong, Solomon King and wife, Mrs. Mattie Betts and her two daughters, Albert Grossman and wife, Mrs. Flora Thomas, Mrs. Hetty Kidd and others. Among the early pastors were: Revs. A. D. McCormick, Smith, Ward, Waters, Hollister, Knowles, Huston, Edwards, Knowles, Grimes, Webster, Cummings, Marsh, and others. The first class was organized in about the year 1849, and was held in a schoolhouse until the year 1868, when the members and the order of I. O. O. F. jointly built a church, which they now occupy. The cost of the structure was about $1,500. The present membership is 29, with a Sabbath-school of 35 pupils.