HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY - 491

CHAPTER XX.

BENNINGTON TOWNSHIP-DESCRIPTIVE-LAND WARRANTS-COMING OF THE PIONEERS

THE BENNINGTON MYSTERY-VILLAGES-RELIGION

EDUCATION-EARLY TEACHERS.

WHEN the war of the Revolution had severed the colonies from Great Britain, Congress, to reward the soldiers of Independence for their gallant conduct on the field of battle, issued Western land warrants of one or more hundred acres, to those who had armed to fight for their country. These warrants afforded vast opportunities for speculation to the opulent men of the East, who purchased them of the holders at enormous discount. Great inducements were held temptingly before poor men in the East, to secure the rapid colonization of the boundless forests and fertile lands of the West. Poor men, unable to make but a precarious living in settled localities, pushed westward to secure homes, which, with care, would place them in affluent circumstances in after years. The warrants were sold to such as contemplated a change of residence, and handsome fortunes realized in their sale by speculative men of capital. Military land warrants, given to Revolutionary soldiers by Congress, comprised the western half of Bennington township. The military lands were divided into sections, each embracing four thousand acres, and four of these constituted a township. A whole section was usually purchased by the speculator, who held it until rapid settlement in its vicinity had greatly increased its value, when, after being surveyed into lots of divers sizes, it was thrown into market. Large bodies of land were thus held by capitalists, one man often owning thousands of acres. In about 1808, Jonathan Dayton purchased the land warrants of Section 3, Bennington Township, and, shortly before the war 1812, offered this section, which contained the usual four thousand acres, for sale. Dayton owned vast tracts of lands in Ohio, both before and after its admission as a State, one of them being located in Montgomery County, and a population and beautiful city there to-day bean his name. hen he disposed of the last of his Bennington Township land warrants, the records fail to show; but the greater portion of the earlier settlers in that section received their titles from him. About the time Section 3 was purchased, the father of Thomas Saulter secured the warrants of Section 2; but, dying soon afterward, the ownership descended to his son, Thomas, who, immediately after the war of 1812, advertised the warrants for sale. When the war cloud of 1812 swept over the land, it disturbed, for a time, the rapid settlement of these sections; but, immediately after the close of hostilities, surveyors were employed to subdivide the sections into lots or sub-sections of various sizes, usually of eighty-five, one hundred or two hundred acres. As early as 1804-6, pioneers had come in what are known in the West as "prairie schooners," and had formed settlements at Sunbury, Delaware, and other portions of Delaware County. In a few years, these settlements became quite populous; and, land in their vicinity becoming dearer than many could afford to pay, settlers began to branch out into the trackless forests. In 1812, when it became known that war between Great Britain and the United States was a settled and startling truth, the pioneers of Ohio, aware of the treacherous nature of the savages, and knowing that attacks from them would come unheralded, made rapid preparations for their

492 - HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY

safety by the erection of strong fortresses and stockades. These forts, capable of resisting sudden onslaughts by the wily savages, were erected in the more populous localities. Messengers were dispatched to carry warning of danger to venturous settlers on the outskirts of the colonies. Families often came in confusion and excitement to these forts, with thrilling stories of narrow escape from impending conflict with Indians.

But one settler is known to have lived in Bennington Township prior to the war of 1812. This man was John Rosecrans, a distant relative of Gen. Rosecrans. As the settlers slowly began to leave Sunbury and Delaware, and to locate north along the banks of' Walnut Creek, John Rosecrans finally overstepped the present southern boundary of Bennington, and built a small log cabin about half a mile north of the present site of Pagetown. This cabin was built in IS 11, and a small clearing made around it, barely sufficient to insure its safety in case of wind-storms. In 1812, he raised a small crop of corn and potatoes, which, with the addition of a little wheat flour obtained at Delaware, constituted his vegetable diet, while his never-failing rifle supplied him with any quantity of the choicest venison or turkey. He had a wife, but no children, and was a great hunter, roaming the forests for miles around, in search of more stirring adventures with animals of greater courage and ferocity than deer and wolves. One day in the winter of 1811-12, while hunting, in the woods about eight miles from his cabin, becoming hungry with that unlimited appetite known only to the hunter, lie shot a large turkey, and, striking a fire, made hasty preparations to enjoy his repast. He tore off the skin, and, cutting a generous portion of the tenderest flesh, held it on the point of his hunting knife before the blazing fire. When sufficiently browned to satisfy him, it was quickly devoured, and the act was repeated until the best portions of the fowl had disappeared. When his appetite was appeased, lie scattered the burning brands, that the fire might do no damage, and again struck into the woods. He had gone but a short distance, when he heard a peculiar sound above his head, and glancing quickly up, saw the green, glaring eyes of a huge wildcat fixed upon him from a large limb behind which it was endeavoring to conceal itself It was about forty feet, above him., and, raising his rifle, he took deliberate aim at its head and fired. With one convulsive spring it bounded to the ground, striking within a few feet of where lie stood, scattering and tearing up the leaves and snow in its dying struggles. It was one of the largest of its kind, and had a fine mottled skin, which was made into a cap, and was worn by Rosecrans for many years.

The Indians did not become troublesome until the autumn of 1812, when they began to appear in war paint and feathers. Small hostile bands were seen roaming the forest at various points, and reports were circulated through the settlements to beware and to seek safety in the forth. Although Rosecrans was aware of the proximity of danger, he had delayed going into safe quarters for sonic time. One morning, he heard a turkey gobble in the woods near his cabin, and, from the coarseness of the tone, judged that it must be a large one. It continued to gobble at irregular intervals, until the apprehension of Rosecrans was aroused. Thinking that it might be something far more dangerous than a turkey, he grasped his long rifle, and, with his knife in his belt, stole cautiously out of the cabin, on the opposite side from the turkey, instructing his wife to bar the door securely after him. He took a circuitous route, and crept forward with the utmost caution. In about twenty minutes the sharp report of his rifle was heard, and shortly afterward Rosecrans came swiftly into the clearing, but with no turkey. He hurried into the cabin and told his wife to make immediate preparations to start for the fort. They hastily packed sonic clothing, and barring, the door as best they could, started rapidly on foot toward the fort, the husband with his rifle in his hand, on the alert, leading the way. He told but few what he shot that morning in the woods and was usually reticent when the subject was

HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY. - 493

broached; but the report became current, and was universally believed, that the soul of some redman started that morning for the "happy hunting grounds." At the close of the war, Rosecrans did ,!lot return to his cabin, but settled in some other locality, and his clearing became overgrown with weeds and undergrowth.

In 1813, two brothers named Olds, erected a rude cabin north of Pagetown, on the cast side :of Walnut Creek, and began to clear the land. They met with several Indian alarms, and were compelled to return for short periods to the fort. In 1814, they sold their partly earned title in the. laud to a man who became the most prominent in the early history of the township. This man was Allen Dwinnell. Possessing no small amount Of means, he invested largely in land, becoming one of the heaviest land-holders for miles around. He was well educated, for the backwoods, and was a lawyer, the first in the township. He was often sent for, in the neighborhood to plead size and shape. the cause of some person wronged; and, when lie arose before a country "Squire," or a jury impaneled from the settlers, with his advantage of learning, he was almost sure to win his case. Many of the early attorneys at Delaware found to their sorrow, that Allen Dwinnell's influence and ability were more than a match for their legal erudition. He dealt largely in horses, buying, selling and trading. In 1817, he, together with Samuel Page and Justin Dewey, erected near the present site of Pagetown, the first saw-mill in the township. It was run by water-power, having a re-action wheel. Prior to its erection., settlers in all that region of country, (rot their sawing done at the Quaker settlement on Alum Creek. After its erection, a large share of the eastern and southern custom of the Quaker Mill, or the Benedict Mill," as it was called, was taken away. Settlers in South Bloomfield, Hilliar and Porter Townships came to this mill for boards for their floors, doors, tables, etc. It did an extensive and first-class work, and was of great value to the community, in that it saved many a harassing journey after sawed lumber. The mill was afterward sold to other parties, who continued the business with varying success. Dwinnell was a native of Northern Vermont, Bennington being his native town.

On the 22d of April, 1817, the Commissioners of Delaware County authorized the creation of a new township, and, on that day, the County Surveyor laid out the now township from the following bounds: " Beginning at the southwest corner of Clinton Township, Knox County; thence west on the line between Townships 5 and 6, to the center of the 17th Range; thence north to the county boundary; thence east on said line to the stake between 15 and 16 Ranges; thence south on said line to the place of beginning, Dwinnell assisted in the survey, and was the one to suggest Bennington as the name of the new township. Subsequent to its creation, it had been surveyed into lots or subsections of irregular size and shape.

This township is one of the most fertile in the county. Its natural drainage from geological slopes renders the character of the soil largely alluvial and greatly productive. It is usually a rich sandy loam, with a large proportion of alluvium. Walnut Creek, or "Big Belly," runs south through the western half, and its winding branches drain the entire township, except the northeastern corner and the central portion of the western side. Since the forests have disappeared, the action of the sun is unchecked, rendering the hills, containing a fair percentage of clay, subject to severe baking after a heavy rain followed by sunshine, but fitting the valleys for satisfactory and unlimited production. These facts account for the almost invariable rule followed by early settlers in selecting their farms from the higher land. Two or three quarries have been opened in the township, and a fair sample of sandstone obtained. A quarter of a mile west of Marengo, on an extensive prominence, is a large earth inclosure, made by Mound Builders, or Indians. The inclosure comprises about four acres, and the encircling embankment must have been

494 - HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY.

originally seven feet high. At present, it is a foot and a half above the general level, and is covered with trees two feet in diameter. A petroleum excitement once spread over the township, but it was soon ascertained to be caused by a well that emitted a. peculiar-smelling gas.

In 1814, shortly after Allen Dwinnell bought the Olds property, Thomas Hance came into the township and erected his cabin about two miles north of Pagetown. This man became well known, because of his having kept the first store in the township, and also the first carding mill. The will was built in 1824, and was a two-story, frame building, the machinery occupying the upper story, and the tread-wheel, which furnished the motive power, the lower. In 1828, a small room was partitioned off from the carding room in the upper story, into which Mr. Hance placed $500 worth of goods. This was the first stock of goods in the township. If articles not kept at the store were asked for, Hance took note of the wants, and supplied them at his next visit to Delaware, where his goods were purchased. In 1815, Dr. Alfred Butters settled in the township, building his log cabin (in one corner of which was a small office) about a mile north of Morton's Corners. He was an "apothecary" doctor. His practice became quite extensive, anti his face was familiar for miles around. He usually went dressed in a complete suit of deer skin, and was intelligent, a good the talker, and was in the habit of supplying the Elder's place when that dignitary was absent. He preached in his deer-skin suit at one end of the room, while his rifle, brought with him to church, remained at the other. One Sunday, in 1819, he started to church with his rifle on his shoulder, and, having proceeded about half way, saw a large bear in front of him traveling along at a rapid rate. He raised his gun and fired, and the bear, with a howl of anguish, fell dead upon the earth. The animal was conveyed to his cabin, and the hunter reached the meetinghouse in time to conduct the services.

In 1815, Alden Sherman, the first blacksmith, appeared. He worked at his trade for many years, and his descendants are yet living in the township. Stephen Barnaby came in the same year, and began making chairs, tables, spinning-wheels, bedsteads, etc. In 1816, Jonas Vining, Joseph Powers, Samuel Page, Joseph Horr and Peleg Sherman appeared, and began to make homes in the forest. Peleg Sherman was a wagon maker, and did not erect his shop until 1819. The others were farm ers, and all settled near Pagetown. In 1817, David Wilson, Justin Dewey, Benoni Moss, Stephen Sprague, John Stoddard and James Westbrook came in, Moss and Sprague settling in the north eastern corner of the township. Just across the line in South Bloomfield was their neighbor, John Manville. The settlers in the southern part got their grinding done, either at the Sunbury Mills, or at the Quaker settlement on Alum Creek. There were no roads-nothing but winding paths and trails through the woods, and often in the nighttime troops of ravenous wolves would surround the belated traveler on his way home from mill, making him cling closer to his horse, and urge the weary animal into a swifter pace. The following is related of Jonas Vining He had gone to the Sunbury Mills, and, being obliged to wait until late at might for his bag of flour, resolved to start for home, though the night was dark and the path obscure. It was a chilly night late in autumn, and the wind sighed mournfully through the branches of the trees, and the sudden rustling of leaves and weird creaking of the trees kept the traveler on the anxious lookout for signs of danger. The wolves began uttering their discordant notes, and, to add to the unpleasant situation, heavy thunder was heard in the distance. Mr. Vining drew his "great-coat " closely about him, and urged his horse on as fast as could be safely done through the deep woods. Finally a startling wail, ending with a peculiar, heavy tone, was heard above the rustling leaves and sighing winds, and lie knew that he was followed by a panther. He heard it bounding lightly over the leaves to "leeward," endeavoring to ascertain by scent the nature of the game it was in pursuit of. It appeared several times, but only for an instant, as it flitted through

HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY. - 497

the glades of the forest. It finally veered off into the wilderness, and its screams were lost in the sounds of the gathering storm. When his jaded horse carried him into the clearing at home, which he reached in safety, it was almost daybreak.

In 1818, Isaac Davis, Cornelius Roleson, Elias Wilson and others joined the settlement at Pagetown. The former was a cooper and began making barrels, kegs, tubs, churns, pails, etc. He brought five or six sheep with him, but had to guard them day and night from the wolves. These were the first sheep in the township, though in 1820, Jonas Vining and Thomas Hance brought in two small flocks. Semantha (Davis) Wells, daughter of Isaac Davis, is yet living at Morton's Corners. Her mind is as clear and bright as ever, and she loves to recall, as none but old people do, the varied shade and sunshine of pioneer life. She call recollect the old log schoolhouse of 1819, with its puncheon floor its benches of split logs, its clapboard desks, its chimney built of " "nigger heads," its capacious fireplace, its absence of books, its presence of dirt, and its two windows, if such insignificant apertures deserve the name. She remembers making tea from sage and rose leaves, and coffee from browned wheat and rye. She also remembers the wedding that was celebrated five miles south of her father's cabin; the baked beans served at the wedding supper; the "goodly company " that gathered there the young pioneer who came on horseback to her father's cabin, and invited her to go; how she donned her best gown, and

"So light to the croup the fair lady he swung,

So light to the saddle before her he sprung,"

and, together, with five other young couples, they went down from "the corners," as guests, to the wedding. She recalls the question that was asked her that night while

"She looked down to blush, and she looked up to sigh,

With a smile on her lips, and a tear in her eye. "

Those old times will never be forgotten while those who enjoyed them are living. nor is it strange! The settler's lives were molded to their surroundings, and from the hardships of wilderness life there sprung up pure fountains of enjoyment

In 1822, Robert Noe, Daniel and Lewis Hoyt, E. E. Morehouse, Thomas Ayres and others settled in the township, Noe and Morehouse locating near Marengo. The Noes have become citizens in Northern Bennington. E. E. Morehouse built a saw-mill near his father's farm in 1839, and, after conducting it about ten years, sold it to John M. Brown, who neglected the business, and the mill went down. In 1823, Stephen, Andrew and Christopher Denman came in. The latter erected a combined saw and -rist mill. in 1827, on a small stream that flows into Walnut Creek. He did an extensive business at sawing, but the grist mill, not proving profitable, was discontinued at the end of about two years. It was run by water-power in connection with his sawmill, and for the first year was quite well patronized.

This was the first, last and only grist-mill ever in the township. It had the usual " nigger-head" stones, dressed to about eighteen inches face by one of the early blacksmiths. The machinery was almost entirely made of wood. Rods, bolts, cogs, pinions, wheels, etc., were made of the hardest wood found in the forest, usually of white oak, thoroughly seasoned and hardened by being tempered in the fire. The only iron was the large pin upon which the stones turned. A person to-day, eating broad made from the flour obtained at that mill, would say it was coarse and black.

In the summer of 1822, a distressing circumstance occurred in Bennington, which cast a shadow over the surrounding neighborhood. Two brothers, Daniel and Lewis Hoyt, with the assistance of one or two neighbors, were engaged in digging a well on their farm, near the central part of the township. Having reached a depth of about twenty feet, they were called to dinner, and, when it was over, Daniel arose before the others, saying he would go down into the well and strike water before the others came out. In ten minutes, Lewis, on going to the well, glanced down into it, and saw his brother lying insensible at the bottom. He

498 - HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY.

shouted to him, but received no reply. Seizing the rope, he lot himself swiftly into the well; but, striking the fatal atmosphere, shouted to be drawn up. It was too late, however; the poisonous -as had entered his lungs, paralyzing his muscles, and he fell insensible on the bottom. No others dared venture down, and the women, half crazy, ran wildly about, scarcely knowing what they did. The men quickly fashioned some iron hooks, and, passin" them into the well, drew the unconscious forms to the top. Doctors were sent for, and every possible effort made to resuscitate the men, but without avail. They never spoke again, and were buried in one grave in the cemetery north of Pagetown.

A large percentage of the settlers of Bennington came from Delaware County, which was settled largely by New Englanders and Quakers. Many of them were from well-bred families in the East, who came to improve their worldly prospects in the more promising Ian d of the West. Several families, however, that settled in the township at an early day, were of a different type, and were sadly lacking in some of the moral and essential qualities that go to make up good citizens. But these have long since left the country-for its good - and the population of Bennington now compares favorably with any portion of the county. The history of the township would scarcely be considered complete without some allusion to what is known as the "Bennington Mystery: "

In 1833, a horse was found dead in the woods near Vail's Cross Roads, having a bullet hole through its head. This aroused suspicion that foul play had been done some traveler, and many of the neighbors flocked in to view the dead animal. The reports vary as to the color of the horse, some insisting, that it was black, with a white star in the forehead, and others that it was a light sorrel. The neighborhood became excited, and began to speculate as to the guilty parties. With spades and shovels they began turning up the earth at all suspicious places. A large tree had lately been blown down near where the horse lay dead, and as the earth at its roots seemed fresh, the men began digging there. Roswell Clark. was present, and, being fond of a joke, cleverly pulled a small portion of hair from the mane of a horse standing near, which he mixed up with the earth, unseen by the men, and finally held up a double handful of the mixture, with the exclamation that he had found human hair. The men swarmed around him, and the utmost excitement prevailed. All were satisfied except Roswell Clark and a few others, that an awful murder had been committed. Some say that a few weeks after this event, while several men were hunting, in the woods near where the dead horse had been found, they came upon a silk handkerchief, a silk hat and a buffalo robe, used as a saddle blanket, upon which was a bloody hand mark. These were shown to the excited neighbors, and a system of espionage was adopted to ascertain, if possible, the guilty parties. Two of the men suspected were said to have been seen dragging the bottom of a small swamp near the Cross Roads, as if trying to bring up something

from the murky waters. The mystery will never be fully cleared up, perhaps, to the satisfac tion of all. Roswell Clark and Andrew French, two old and respected citizens at Bloomfield, say, that, a few days before the horse was found, a man named Marr, riding a sorrel animal, came by, traveling westward, stopping at the cabins and endeavoring to sell or trade his horse. The animal was noticeably afflicted with glanders. He failed to dispose of the horse, and, reaching a small glade in the woods, turned it out, as it could barely stagger along. He journeyed on westward, and two d ys afterward returned, and finding the horse in a sad plight, out of pity shot it. This mail was not murdered, but returned to Mount Vernon, where he afterward lived. This is the story told by the two men mentioned above, and is doubtless true. There was another report, however, that a few days before the horse was found, a good-looking, well dressed man, riding a fine black horse, which a white star in its forehead, and upon which was a buffalo robe used as a saddle blanket, asked for accommodations for the night at Potter's tavern.

HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY. - 499

Potter, having no empty room, told him to ride forward, that he could secure lodgings at Vail's Cross Roads. The man rode away, and was never afterward heard from. This report insisted that the horse found dead was a black one with a white star in its forehead; that the robe, silk hat, and handkerchief found were the identical ones seen with the stranger who was denied lodgings at Potter's tavern. It was also related, that, about two months after these events, a young man came from the East, inquiring for his father, who answered the description of the stranger on the black horse. His father had come West with considerable money, to buy land, and, no tidings reaching home of his safety, or his whereabouts, his son had followed him to ascertain his fate. After leaving Potter's tavern, all traces of him were lost. Roswell Clark and Andrew French are the only ones now living who saw the horse after it was dead, and while it was living. They say, emphatically, that the horse was sorrel, that no hat was found, that the handkerchief and saddle blanket were not found until the next spring, and that they were bright and fresh, as if just from the store. Many stories are told in regard to the matter, some of which are too absurd for this enlightened age, and we will drop the subject, which we deem really more of a neighborhood tradition than anything else, leaving it still to remain as the "Bennington mystery."

Christopher Wilson and Henry Cronk owned saw-mills in the eastern part of the township in about 1833. Since then, numerous mills have been started, sufficient to supply the citizens with all classes of rough building material. The mills, with the exception of a few in later times, have been run by water-power. The streams have considerable slope, making it easy to secure an excellent water-power by means of strong dams. The earliest wheels were re-action, and the mills were called "up-and - down" mills; but the overshot wheel soon supplanted the former kind, and "muley" and "circular" mills took the place of the less convenient up-and-down ones. Vast heaps of logs were collected during the winter months, as the snows rendered their transportation much easier at that season , then, in the spring and fill, when the equinoctial rains came on, and large. quantities Of water were dammed up, the saw was run night and day until the logs were converted into suitable building timber. The settlers hauled their logs on sleds to the mills, where they would remain until the sawyer could work them up. No distilleries have ever been erected in Bennington. The early settlers, however, believed firmly in the beneficial use of liquor, not only as a cure for disease, but as a preventive of the same. The following, is told in illustration of their temperance ideas: In 1828, Christopher Denman, discovering that "wine is a mocker, and strong drink is raging," resolved at one of his rollings to furnish no liquor. His logs were cut, and everything got. in readiness, and then the neighbors were invited to assist, having been informed that no liquor of any kind was to be allowed on the premises. The result was that not a man came to help him, and his logs lay rotting there for many years. William Hance tried the same experiment a few years later, and invited about twenty men to assist, all of whom were church members except three. The curious result was that not a church member appeared, with shame be it said, while the three; "unbelievers" were present, ready for work.

One dark night in autumn not far front 1841) Sheldon Sanford, it resident of South Bloomfield Township, brought two half-starved, half-clothed negro men to the cabin of Hance, and stopped "twenty minutes for refreshments." It wits the custom on the underground railroad to change engines at every station ; so Sanford returned to his cabin, and Hance conveyed the weary runaways to the Quaker " station " on Alum Creek. Micajah Dillingham was a well-known and successful engineer on this road, which did all its business under cover of the night. Many poor slaves, aiming for the North Star, will remember the kind treatment received at several stations in Bennington, and at the much larger Quaker station on Alum Creek.

500 - HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY.

The first building, erected in what is now Marengo was a log cabin, built in 1843, by Isaac P. Freeman. Two years later, he built a two-story, frame building, designed for a storeroom, into which he placed a general assortment of goods, valued at $1,400. This became the central point around which northern Bennington revolved. The post office was secured in 1847, by Thomas L. Freeman, son of Isaac P. ; and thereby hangs a tale: Numerous petitions had been raised for the location of an office at Freeman's Corners, and had been forwarded to headquarters only to be returned and the petition denied. John K. Miller was Democratic Congressman at that time, from the eighth district, and Amza Morehouse, living near the Corners, was Chairman of the Democratic Central Committee. Thomas L. Freeman, being something of a politician, devised the following scheme to secure the office. He wrote a letter to Miller, to which he secured the signature of Morehouse, purporting to come from the latter as Chairman of the Committee, insisting that the feeling around the Corners was so intense that, unless the office was granted, he would lose a large Democratic support. The device worked like a charm, and the post office was immediately established, through the influence of the duped Miller. Mrs. Freeman, wife of Isaac P., was a great admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte. She had been reading how, on the 14th of June, 1800, -Napoleon had defeated the Austrians, at the battle of Marengo. She suggested this name for the new post office, which was adopted by Isaac P. Freeman and William Davis, who gave the office the name it now bears. In 1853, George McMaster kept 84,000 worth of goods in Marengo. He has since been followed by Standish, Green, Ingraham, Powers, Livingston Evans, Hance, and lastly, by Robert L. Noe, who, in 187 1, owned a stock valued at $6,000, In February, 1871, Noe's store burned to the ground, consuming all his goods and much other valuable matter. It was, undoubtedly, the work of incendiaries. He placed another stock, almost as large as the first, in an adjoining building, and this, in June, 1874, was also burned. In April, 1873, Marengo was surveyed into thirty' lots, by John T. Buck, County Surveyor. Robert L. Noe was the projector and proprietor. Additions have since been made by Noe and T. D. Hance, until the lots now number one hundred and five. A new impetus was given to the town when the Ohio Central Railroad was surveyed through the township, and the news spread abroad that a station was to be located at Marengo. Buildings began to go up like Aleutian's palace. Suddenly, the news, came like a knell, that the railroad project was a failure! Business fell prostrate, and men wandered about with woe-begone faces. In 1878, the road became a certainty, and enterprises, fearing another stroke, are slowly recovering their former activity. The town has a population of about sixty.

The village of Morton's Corners, formerly known as Nimmons' Corners, and still later as Macon, was surveyed and platted by James Eaton on the 14th of April, 1838. Francis C. Olmstead, then owning quite a tract of land at that point, was the projector and proprietor, his land having been purchased of John C. Nimmons. The village was first called Olmsteadville, after its projector. Many years before the town was laid out, Jonas Vining, one of the earliest settlers, had entered the land after purchasing the land warrants of Jonathan Dayton, and had owned it until eight or ten years before the village was platted.

In 1828, Vining sold the land to Nimmons' who, eight years afterward, transferred it to Olmstead. This man bought the land with the thought of making it profitable to himself, designing to found a town which he ardently hoped would soon be peopled with hundreds. But he found a deadly rival in Pagetown, which had been laid out the year before, and which, under the generalship, of the Pages, threatened to climb to loftier heights than its neighbor. Pagetown had its foundries and mills which the less-fortunate citizens at Morton's Corners failed to secure. Levi Morton succeeded in getting a post office located at the Corners in 1840; but Pagetown, its rival, with a greater

HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY. - 501

population and more influence, by a system of strategy, accomplished the task of having the office changed. Marcus and Dr. Samuel Page were the leaders in this flank movement, and the latter was rewarded for his generalship in receiving the appointment as first Postmaster. Prior to the .Platting of the town, Isaac Page owned the land upon which the village now stands. In 1837, he sold seven acres to Marcus Page, who immediately employed James Eaton to lay out a town, which, in honor of its founder, was called Pagetown.

The Mortons had already opened their store at the Corners, and were making preparations to lay out a town. Marcus attempted to start a small store at Pagetown, to rival the one at the Corners, but the effort proved abortive, the beginning being the end. A good business was being done at the Corners with a stock valued at $1,600, and the Mortons, seeing the efforts made by Page to supplant them, began offering extra inducements to men of capital and tradesmen, to invest their means and work their trades at the Corners. They erected an ashery, and made black and white salts, and a small quantity of pearl-ash, giving orders their store or money in exchange for ashes. In the mean time, great efforts were making at Pagetown to surpass the energy and enterprise of its neighbor. Extra inducements were offered men at Delaware and other points, to invest at Pagetown. Samuel Johnson ventured to establish a store there in 1842, but he was soon compelled to close his store, transferring his goods to Delaware. The Corners could boast of a tavern, kept by Cadwell Olmstead; and Pagetown, to rival this, was overjoyed when Ball Fisk began entertaining the public there. The two towns have ever been practically one.

From the earliest times, the citizens of each town have exhausted all the cunning known to their wiliest tacticians, to build up and populate their own town at the expense of the other. The post office has been oddly changed from Morton's Corners to Pagetown, and vice versa, many times, until the citizens declare themselves lost, unless some movement is on foot to again change its loca tion. The office, at present, is located at Page town with a branch office at the Corners, supported by the citizens of that village. How long the ominous quiet will prevail is as uncertain as the Wind. In 1847, a Mr. Turney was induced, by offers and promises, to establish a carding-mill at Pagetown. It ran briskly for about two years doing good work. But the wool-growing interests of Pagetown and its proselytes were alone insufficient to supply the patronage necessary for the running of the mill. While it was new, and while the blood of Pagetown was up, extra endeavors were made to supply it with a paying business. But when the people cooled down in a measure, and the enthusiasm and novelty had worn off, wool was gradually taken to other mills doing better work. Perhaps the animosity at the Corners, and the cautious efforts made there, had something to do with the death of the mill. At the end of about three years it closed its doors, which were not again opened for business. Henry Rawson, with greater enterprise than sagacity, erected a foundry building there about the same time. This was an important industry, and, for a time, revived the drooping spirits at Pagetown. He did a general casting business for about three years, making plow-points, and andirons, etc., from pig and scrap Iron. He likewise, soon discovered the fatality attached to such enterprises at that point, and, loadin- his machinery on wagons, shook the dust of the place from his feet. Hamilton Johnson dressed skins there a few years, about the same time. Several years ago, the original forty-eight lots at the Corners, to which no additions were ever made, were thrown out into the adjacent farms, and but few of them are now occupied by lot-holders. Though pugnacious and bitter in the extreme toward each other, the rival towns have joined hands in many undertakings, and the citizens in their personal dealings are neighborly and friendly.

In the spring of 1819, a log schoolhouse was built about half a mile north of Pagetown. This was the first and has already been described. Sally

502 - HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY.

Dwinnell was the first teacher. Sbe died the following year, her death being the second in the township, Mrs. Lawrence's being the first. Solomen Westbrook taught during the winter of 1819-20, which was very Iong and cold. The settlers suffered in their cabins, many of them having no flour or meal for several months. Wild animals came close to the cabins, distressed with hunger. Through poorly clad, the children went to school. The sons of Joseph Horr, having no shoes, were compelled to go barefoot or stay at home. Each boy heated a shingle scorching hot, and, after thoroughly warming his feet, started at the top of his speed for the schoolhouse with the shingle in his hand. When he could stand the cold no longer, he placed his feet upon the shingle until they were relieved, when grasping his "stove," he again started on the double-quick for school. Our youth of the present day would think this a hard way to get an education. Frederick Davis taught in the same schoolhouse the next winter. In 1828, a log school building was erected near Isaac Davis' cabin, but who the early teachers were is forgotten. Samuel Lott was the first teacher in the eastern part. He was an eccentric, old bachelor, and had a white spot on the side of his head about as large as a silver dollar. This spot afforded much speculation for the pupils, who were unable to account for the capillary freak. He had the social habit of snowballing, with his scholars, and of joining their other -anics of ball or racing. Upon entering the schoolroom lie, however, resumed his dignity, and kindly but firmly rebuked any attempted familiarity permitted on the play-ground. William Bailey taught, soon after him, and was the first in the township to employ, as an aid, the now well-known method of object-teaching. A frame schoolhouse was built at Morton's Corners in 1835. The year before, the first one in the northern part was built half a mile north of Marengo, and Refella Madden was, likely, the first teacher. This lady is said to have originated the modern custom of giving pupils "curtain lectures," keeping them for that purpose after the usual hour for closing the school. Her tongue was very effective in supplying the place of the rod. The poet evidently had her in his "mind's eye" when he wrote

"Nature, impartial in her ends,

In making man the strongest;

In justice, then, to make amends

Made woman's tongue the longest."

George Mead taught school in the northeastern part in the winter of 1837-38. He was ignorant and churlish and was disliked by his scholars. The directors promised the scholars, that, if they were studious until Christmas, they should have a treat of sweet cider. The day came around, and with it came the directors with a large keg of cider. The pupils drank deeply and often of the innocent beverage, but alas! alas! the directors had deceitfully mixed the cider with a large percentage of whisky. The scene became ludicrous in the extreme, and the cruel directors, and teacher who was in the plot, sat holding their sides with laughter. The hilarity became contagious, and all the different phases of drunkenness were exhibited. One bright boy, now an eminent divine, was so intoxicated that he had to be carried home by his half-tipsy sisters. The directors and teacher, as they so richly deserved, were severely criticised for this shameful act.

The school cabins were at first built in the most primitive fashion; but, as time advanced, they became more commodious and comfortable, and in later years are as convenient as those in other townships. There are no costly school buildings, and the wages are low. A new schoolhouse is being built, a half-mile north of Marengo, to take the place of the old one that has seen such long and useful service.

A church society was established in Southern Bennington in 1818. The members began meeting in the settlers' houses; afterward in schoolhouses, and finally in churches. Elders Tivis and Swarmstead, from Delaware County, visited them about every two weeks. Dr. Butters was one of the earliest members, and was himself a sort of local preacher, taking the Elders' place when they

HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY. - 503

were absent. He was a popular citizen, and a good physician, and did more than any other man in early times to further the cause of religion in the township. Through his exertions, a small log church was built near his cabin, north of Morton's Corners, in 1828. At the time of its erection, there was quite a large band of Christian workers they resolved to hold a camp-meeting in the wood, near the church, looking for assistance from the Quakers on Alum Creek, and, at its close to dedicate their church. Elders Walters, Ashley and Marvin were the ministers in charge of the meetings; they had large audiences from all the surrounding country. Elder Ashley was a man of great personal magnetism; and, it is said, had the power of miraculous healing. On one occasion he was called to the bedside of a dying woman, and, kneeling there, prayed with great power that she might be saved from death; she immediately arose from her couch, and the next day was as well as ever. The camp-meeting greatly strengthened the society, which soon began to make an improvement in Bennington morals.

In 1838, the old Methodist Episcopal Church building, now standing silent and deserted, at Pagetown, was built at Morton's Corners; this took the place of the hewed-log building near Dr. Butters'. In 1848, a rupture occurred in this church, dividing the congregation, and forming a new one known as Wesleyan Methodists. In 1850, seven members met at the house of Marcus Phillips, in Peru Township, and organized the Wesleyan society. These seven were Marcus Phillips, Henry Bell, Mary Ann Whipple, Martha Crist, Henry Crist and his wife Amanda, Caroline Ames, and another, whose name is forgotten. In 1854, they were permitted to meet to worship in the Methodist Episcopal Church at the Corners. In 1859, much bitterness sprang up between the two societies, and the Wesleyans were denied the use of the church, which, in the following year, was moved down to Pagetown. The Wesleyans, not in the least disheartened, immediately erected their present fine church building at. the Corners, at a cost of $1,800. The other and older church society died slowly out until meetings were discontinued, and the church left to the owls and bats. The now society sprang into fresh life from the ashes of the old, and is now one of the strongest country churches in the county, having a membership of two hundred.

A church society was organized in the southeastern part, in 1830. It grew slowly until 1850, when the members built a small church at Vail's Cross Roads. Elders David id Lyon and Robert Chase were among the earliest Pastors through their influence the society was continued many years; but, when they were called to other fields of labor, it flickered for a time and then died out. The building still stands tenantless and deserted at the Cross Roads.

The Episcopal Methodists organized a society at an early day near Marengo. The membership was small, but the laborers were in earnest, and the society still lives. About twenty years ago, a commodious church was built at Marengo, and now the society is strong and gaining strength. Benning ton had a hard name in early times, but the prep, ent is atoning for the past.

In 1848, much excitement was created in the East on account of wonderful exhibitions of power given by various parties of Spiritualists. The news spread like a prairie-fire, and, in all portions of the country, "circles" were formed to secure manifestations from the spiritual world. Bennington TownI ship did not escape the epidemic. Mary Ann Hance became a powerful medium, possessing the power of miraculous healing. She began with seances at her house, and the spirits of any of the countless dead could be conversed with. She converted many to the faith, and they began to bold regular circles at the cabins of the mediums. The custom was for them to sit quietly in a circle and wait for the spirit to move them. The spirit of some departed man or woman would finally enter the body of one of the mediums compelling him or her to lecture, write, or perform an act of healing So much interest was manifested, and so many were

504 - HISTORY OF MORROW COUNTY.

convicted to the faith, that the society resolved to build a church, which was done at a cost of bout $500. The conditions of membership were: "A belief in spirits which communicated with the world." The society became quite strong, beginning with the following membership: Adam Hance, William Hance, Wright Weaver, Selah Vansickle, E. E. Morehouse, Jacob Mellinger and their wives; also, Harriett Witham, James Chase and others. They claimed to be able to find the key to the Bennington mystery, but, for some unexplained reason, did not succeed. The members finally disbanded, and sold their church to the township, which uses it for a town hall.