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CHAPTER LXIII.

AUBURN TOWNSHIP.*

SURVEY - ORGANIZATION - PHYSICAL FEATURES - JEDEDIAH MOREHEAD - TWO HERMITS-FIRST SETTLERS-FIRST ROAD - GEORGE MYERS - CHURCHES - VILLAGES.

THE territory comprising Auburn Township was surveyed by Maxfield Ludlow in 1807. Until April 3, 1820, it was part of Plymouth Township which was twelve miles long from east to west. and six miles wide. At that date, this territory was divided by a line through the center north and south and the west half called Auburn making it six miles square. Thus it remained until the county of Crawford was organized, in February 1845, when it was again divided by a line north and south. the four tiers of sections on the west being given to Crawford leaving the remainder (two tiers) attached to Plymouth. December 6, 1849, Cass being erected out of the east part of Plymouth these two tiers of sections were attached to the latter and the whole of Auburn (four by six miles in extent) remained in the northeast corner of Crawford County. It is

* Now in Crawford County, formerly in Richland.

said to be one of the finest townships of land in the State for agricultural purposes. the soil being deep, dark. rich. and the general surface comparatively level. It slopes gently to the north, and, in an early day, before the white man began its cultivation. the northern tier of sections were mostly under water for the greater part of the year, as they bordered on the great cranberry marsh lying to the east and north. It has always been considered "swamp land " throughout its northern part, but since it has been cleared of timber and underdrained it appears as the finest of farming land. there seeming to be no end to the strength and productiveness of its soil. It is watered on its eastern side by Cuykendall's Run. which rises in the southern part and passing directly north through its eastern sections, enters Huron County about the center of the northwest quarter of Section 3. On the west side is Honey

638 - HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

Creek, which also rises in the southern part and, passing north the entire length of the township, enters Huron County through Section 6. The Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad passes across the southwest corner, and Tiro, on this mad, is the only railroad station and post office within its limits.

One of the earliest settlers in this territory was Jedediah Morehead it hunter and trapper. He might not in those very early days have been called a settler at all, its he roamed about a good deal, squatting here find there wherever he found the best hunting. though later. lie moved his family a large one to Vernon Township, where lie purchased land and settled, on Section l. He hunted the swampy region about the cranberry marsh (the old settlers called it "the mash" ), where he found hear and all other four-footed wild animals plenty, as well as wild geese and ducks. Even to this day it is is a good ducking ground. In the northern part of the township. and extending into Huron County is a narrow, irregular strip of dry land jutting into the swamp: and upon the extreme point of this strip. Morehead built a small brush cabin, which is well remembered by the later settlers in which he spent much of his time. This is yet known as "Morehead's Point." There is little doubt that he was the first settler and built the first cabin in the township.

Two very singular characters, bachelors and hermits, named Varnica and Wadsworth. were among the earliest residents of the township. They could hardly be termed settlers, as they lived here in caves, and did not associate with their fellows. They were solitary in their habits, and sufficiently eccentric to be called "crazy" by those who knew them.

Varnica was a German, a fine scholar, and in his youth, it was said, was a military commander, in Europe, but for some unknown reason, fled to the wilds of America, and his entry of land in Auburn Township was among the first. He had money which he kept hid in the most singular places and lived a hermit until quite old when he took a fancy to a young man by the name of Robert Wilson, with whom lie resided until his death.

After his death, very little money could be found until they came across a will, written in German and properly witnessed giving his fine quarter of land and some money to his friend. Wilson, who was also made executor and enjoined to give the residue of his money, several thousand dollars to poor, aged and friendless females and to make the distribution in small sums. This provision of his will was surprising, as during his life here, he was never known to notice the opposite sex, and appeared to detest them. The will also revealed the place where the money was secreted; $2,200 in gold was discovered in a gate post in the top of which a large hole had been bored and the coin dropped in after which the hole was plugged with a pin of the same wood as that of the post. Other smaller sums of money were found in singular places. This strange man died about forty years ago. From the clause in the will regarding women and other evidence it is conjectured some one of them had something to do with shaping the man's life. Young Wilson, who has also been dead about thirty years executed the will with commendable fidelity, and relieved the wants of many poor women.

The other man, Wadsworth, was also a fine scholar a graduate of Yale College, and studied theology. He also made one of the first entries of land in Auburn, and lived in a cave on his land. He was singular in appearance as well as action, being very round shouldered so much so that it amounted almost to deformity but was one of the most muscular men in the township. He was an expert hunter and trapper and a miser. He raised chickens, melons and vegetables, and peddled his own produce later; when settlers came in and villages began to spring up. He would take a bag of melons

HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY. - 639

on his shoulder, a basket of eggs on his arm, and walk several miles to Plymouth or other places, and peddle from house to house. He was strictly honest and conscientious in his dealings, careful in making change even to a cent or the fraction of a cent. He was never known to laugh, or even smile, and never owned or would use a horse, always carrying his grist to mill upon his back, and returning with the meal or flour the same way. He died about 1840, without a will, leaving considerable money and a fine quarter-section of land, which was taken possession of by his rich and aristocratic Boston relatives, who had frequently visited him, and tried to induce him to return to Boston. His was, also, a severe case of " woman."

The early settlers were John Pettijohn and William Greene, who came as early as 1815; Charles Morrow, 1817; Adam Aumend, Rudolphus Morse and Resolved White, who came from New York in 1819; John Blair, 1821; A. T. Ross, 1825; John Webber, 1817, Section 13; Jacob Cuykendall, John Blair, Van Osdoll, Van Fleet, Ruckman, Capt. Joseph Gardner, John Bodley, Jesse Ladow and Samuel and Robert Hanna. These were all here before 1820, except Ross. These early settlers are all dead. They and those who immediately followed them were generally New Englanders, New York. Hollanders and Pennsylvania Scotch-Irish.

Probably the first road opened through the township was one cut by a portion of the army of Gen. Harrison, in 1813-14, from Mansfield to Fort Ball, near the present site of Tiffin, which passed diagonally across it from southeast to northwest. This route was frequented by Harrison's couriers with despatches to the East. One of these couriers, well known to the settlers, was George Myers, a German, who afterward laid out New Washington, in Crawford County, and called it after the "Father of his Country." A fact may be here noted, that nearly all the early settlers in Plymouth and Auburn Townships were soldiers of the war of 1812. They must have been attracted to this beautiful country, and returned to it after the war.

Auburn is well supplied with churches, there being seven, at present, within its limits. One of the oldest religious organizations is that of the Presbyterians, at Waynesburg. Rev. M. Wolf, a missionary, organized this society in a very early day. Their meetings were held in private houses and schoolhouses no church building was erected.

The Baptists organized a society about 1830, Deacon Howe was the founder and leading spirit. About 1840, they erected a small frame church on Section 16, which they occupied until January 1, 1880, when they dedicated a new one which had been erected at a cost of $2,500.

The Methodists have a church called "Pleasant Grove," in the southern part of the township. The United Brethren also have a church near Tiro in the southern part of the township, erected in 1878, at a cost of about $1,500. In the same neighborhood, on the Plymouth and Bucyrus road, is the Lutheran Church, organized about 1855. One of the earliest Methodist churches was located on Section 8 ; it was used for many years, and sold to the Winebrenarians, or Church of God, who organized about 1874, and have since occupied it. The "Good Will" Methodist Church, is located on Section 20, and was organized about 1850. The church was not erected until 1870; Thomas Milliard, who came from Pennsylvania and settled near here in an early day, was the founder. During 1879, the Catholics erected a church at a cost (including parsonage) of $4,000, on Section 7. But two towns have been started in this township - Waynesburg, on the west side, which became a village with two or three business places, but was killed by the passage of the railroad through Plymouth, and Tiro on the Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad. This latter is generally called DeKalb station, Tiro being the name of the post office.