HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 425 nary address commemorative of the history of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, and during his address suggested that the church and congregation organize an academy, and "raise an Ebenezer to the Lord for His goodness to them in the past." His suggestion was warmly seconded by Revs. M. A. Sackett and C. P. Taylor, who were present at the time. Mr. Stearns asked permission to devote two weeks to the work of raising the necessary funds to make the academy a success, and if not able to secure the means required within that time, he would abandon the project. A board of trustees was appointed and work immediately commenced on a two-story brick building, 34 by 40 feet in dimensions. The building was not completed as soon as was expected, and the school was first opened in the church, which was thus used for about a month, at which time the academy building was completed and the school was transferred to its permanent home. Soon after its inception the subscribers unanimously offered the control of the academy to the Columbus Presbytery, who accepted of the offering and made the institution their presbyterial academy. The first teacher was Rev. James Stirrett, who was assisted in the female department by Miss Rose Ann Porter. The school remained in charge of Mr. Stirrett most of the time until 1858 to 1859, when he died. He was absent several years previous to 1853, and during his absence Rev. Timothy Stearns was in charge of the school a portion of the time, and a portion of the time Rev. Mr. Sackett was the instructor. Mr. Stirrett returned some time about 1857, and bought the academy from the Presbytery, designing to make it a private school, but his death occurred before his plans were perfected. After the death of Mr. Stirrett, the school was for a time under the control of Mr. Colemary and Mr. Killen, and again under Mr. Thorn and his wife, and Mr. Haywood. Rev. George Carpenter, pastor of the church at Kingston, was also its principal for a time. The property was owned by Daniel Entrekin after the death of Mr. Stirrett, and by him the use of the building was given to the school for several years. He sold it to James and John May, who owned it for several years, and then sold it to the school district, in 1867, for use as a village school. In its palmiest days the academy numbered some eighty scholars, and was in a prosperous condition. From the death of Mr. Stirrett dates its decline as a school. SECOND GENERATION OF TOWNSHIP PIONEERS George, William, and Matthew Ritchie, brothers of James, located in Green Township in 1805. William settled some two miles 426 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY south of Kingston, and kept tavern many years. His sign was a white swan. George Ritchie also kept tavern on the old Chillicothe road, some three miles below Kingston. For a sign he had a large painting of a bear. The other brother, Matthew, lived on section 8. He sold to George, who owned 900 acres of land in the township. The family of Famulinger settled east of Kingston in 1804 or 1805. There was a large family of them, and a part settled over the line in Pickaway County, where some of their descendants now live. Still others reside in the West. Major Lingrell arrived in 1805 and settled two and one-half miles west of Kingston, near the south line of Pickaway County. He afterward moved to Marion County, where he died. His son, Thomas, then a young man, served fifteen months in the War of 1812, and participated in the battles of Fort Erie and at Black Rock, near Buffalo. During his life he made six trips to New Orleans as a flat-boatman. He was married in 1834 and settled in Green Township. Harmon DeHaven came from Columbia County, Pennsylvania, to Green Township, in 1805, with his family, consisting of wife and two children. He settled a mile east of Kingston, making a purchase of eighty acres of land, a part of which he cleared. He was by trade a cabinet-maker, and was the first to exercise his calling in the township, working at his trade until 1820. In that year he died, leaving a wife and six children, the two eldest, twin girls, sixteen years of age. After the death of Mr. DeHaven the work of improving the farm devolved upon Charles and Jacob, the eldest boys, both of whom remained upon the place until about 1840, when they sold it. Jacob moved to Illinois, where he died in 1846. Charles became a resident of Kingston. Harmon DeHaven, the father, was a very ingenious man, and, at the time of his death, had perfected a model for a fanning-mill, which he purposed carrying to Washington in order to obtain a patent upon his invention. His wife died in 1863, aged 81 years. Daniel Walters and his family, consisting of his wife and four children, came from Pennsylvania in the same wagon with the family of Harmon DeHaven, and settled on the adjoining lot of 100 acres, which he improved and sold, after which he moved with his family to the north part of the state, where he died. He was by trade a shoemaker, and worked at the business in his house as long as he resided in Ross County. John and Joseph Stroup came to the township in 1807, and made homes a mile and a half south of Kingston. Joseph was a brick-layer, and the first one of that trade to locate in the neighborhood. Samuel Wallace settled in Chillicothe in 1807, and remained there until 1818, when he married Sarah, daughter of Dr. Edward HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 427 Ostrander, and settled on the school land in the south part of Green Township where, in company with John Wilson, he opened a tan-yard which they kept in operation seven years. He then bought the McCarthy farm, where he remained several years. He died in Kingston, and his widow married Capt. George Wolf, of Pickaway County. Frederick Pontius and family came from Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania, and settled on section 11, Green Township, about 1806, where he made a home and died in 1823. He had a family of twelve children, several of whom died in thc township, leaving children. Two sons and several daughters married and settled in Franklin County, where their descendants now reside. Isaac Green, from Pennsylvania, settled in Green Township in 1808 with no family besides his wife. He first located on land belonging to Gov. Thomas Worthington on Kinnikinnick Creek, where he remained several years. He then purchased 160 acres of land in section 5, on the Scioto River, where he made a home and passed the remainder of his life. His children were eight in number. Michael Seniff came from Pennsylvania to Ohio about 1808, remaining in Pickaway County for a time, and thence moved to Chillicothe, where he worked at blacksmithing a number of years. He then bought a farm in the south part of Green Township, which he afterwards sold to Robert Oliver. He then bought one-half of section 23, from which he sold 100 acres to Mr. Hickle soon after purchasing it. The remainder of the land he retained, and there he passed the remainder of his life, dying in 1845. He had a family of fourteen children, ten of whom grew to maturity. John Holman, Sr., settled in Ross County in 1808. After locating, he spent several years in a tannery at Adelphi, where he learned the business, after which he returned to his old home in Pennsylvania for a visit. Returning to Green Township, he married Christine Eyestone in 1814, and located on land given her by her father, Abraham Eyestone, who established Mr. Holman in a tannery the same year. This business he continued until the marriage of his son Abraham, who then succeeded him in the business. In 1810 David Umsted, Sr., from Frederick County, Maryland, came to Ross County with his family, consisting of wife and three children, and settled in the southwest part of Green Township, on property later owned by Addison Umsted, where he died in 18'39 or 1840. His widow survived him and died in October, 1875, aged nearly ninety-one years. In 1812 Jacob Foy settled on the northwest corner of section 33. His brother Samuel owned land adjoining him. Both sold to Peter VanGundy, and went to Wabash, Indiana. VanGundy mar-. 428 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY ried a young wife and died soon afterward, leaving his property to his widow. Timothy Brown came from Virginia to Ohio in 1813, and settled on a lot of 106 acres, in section 23. He bought the land from Mr. Bunn, and passed his life there, dying in 1845 and leaving a family of eight children. His descendants still live in the neighborhood. David Moor came from Pennsylvania and located on a farm northwest of David Umsted, Sr., in 1812. He moved to Fremont, Ohio, where he died in 1829, from injuries received in a mill. Dr. Edward Ostrander, from Troy, New York, settled on the McCoy farm near Mount Pleasant Church, in 1813. He was the first physician who settled in the township, and continued in active practice until his death in May, 1835. He did not remain in Green Township during the entire period of his practice, but spent some years in Waverly, returning to Kingston, where he died. He raised a family of eight children. Jacob Long was a native of Pennsylvania and when a young man went to Canada, where he remained until after the War of 1812. In 1816 he moved to Green Township, purchasing a small farm east of Kingston, on the southeast corner of section 2, where he made a home. He afterward bought over 100 acres, situated on the pike a half mile south of Kingston, where, with his son, John, lie built a still-house which they kept in operation several years. He returned to his first purchase, and died in 1835, leaving a family of six children. George Cullum came from near Baltimore, Maryland, to Green Township, in 1816, and rented land of John Evans, who lived in Colerain. Mr. Cullum died seven years after he settled in the country, and left six children, double orphans. Previous to 1816 Jacob Halverstot, from Pennsylvania, rented land owned by Philip Reedy, who lived in Pennsylvania. He disposed of the property to George R. Smith. George R. Smith came into the township from Pennsylvania about 1812. He settled near the southeastern corner of the township, on the east branch of the Kinnickinnick, where he owned 130 acres of land. His family consisted of eight daughters. FLOUR AND GRIST MILLS The first flour mill in Green Township was a log structure built by William McCoy, on the Kinnickinnick Creek, in 1797. This mill he kept in operation about one year when he sold to John Crouse, it not proving profitable to him. Mr. Crouse operated the mill many years, and greatly improved its efficiency. He added to it a HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 429 still-house, which proved a good investment, but was long since discontinued. Christopher VanGundy built a grist mill on Kinnikinnick Creek, on the northwest corner of section twenty-one, about 1805. He sold to John Wolf about 1815. Wolf conducted it until about 1820, when he sold to Jeremiah Crouse, who discontinued it. Wolf was a very large man, who cared more for hunting and other sports than for hard work, and in 1823 located in a less "thickly" settled district near Marion. He finally became reduced in circumstances and passed the last years of his life in the poor-house. Gov. Thomas Worthington built a grist mill near the Columbus pike on Kinnickinnick Creek, in 1805. He continued to operate it until 1828, when he sold to Daniel McCollister, under whose control it remained until about 1837, when Mr. McCollister sold it to David Crouse. Since that time it has at two different periods been conducted as a paper mill, but is not now in operation. EARLY DISTILLERIES In the days of its early settlement, Grcen Township, and indeed all the surrounding country, were well supplied with distilleries. At this date it cannot be definitely settled who established the first distillery, though John Crouse conducted one in connection with his mill several years before the commencement of hostilities in the War of 1812. James Torbert, over the line in Pickaway County, also had a still in operation during that period. He afterward became one of the strongest temperance advocates in the state. Abraham Reedy operated a still as early as 1820, when he made peach brandy and other liquors. Jacob Long had a large peach orchard, the fruit from which he had made into brandy. Many of the first settlers were from Pennsylvania, and after building a cabin they cleared a space for an orchard and planted fruit trees. James Stanley had a distillery a mile southwest of Kingston, where is now the railroad crossing. This was in operation as early as 1820. The property was afterwards purchased by Jacob Long and his son, John, who, after managing it for a time, closed the still. Jacob Charles also had a distillery on Blackwater Creek. Wolf had one in the eastern part of the township, and Thomas Worthington had one near his mill. COTTON, WOOLEN AND PAPER MILLS A cotton mill was built on the bank of Kinnickinnick Creek, two miles south of Kingston, about 1811. Raw cotton was brought 430 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY from the South and manufactured into batting and yarn. The managers of the mill were Doolittle and John Wallace, who conducted the business but a few years. A school was afterwards taught there for some years. In 1832 the building was removed to Kingston, and remained on stilts until 1842. After its removal to Kingston it was used for several years by a man named Riddle as a hat shop. In 1842 it was torn down and rebuilt for use as a pottery, by Caleb Sprague. It was then used as a wagon shop, and was afterward owned and occupied by the Odd Fellows as their lodge hall. Abraham Eyestone built a sawmill and a carding and cloth-fulling machine on his property previous to 1812. His was one of the first sawmills built in the township, and was destroyed by fire before 1812. When rebuilt, the fulling and carding machines were continued until 1837, when they were given up. The sawmill was run for a number of years afterward, but was discontinued with the loss of water power. About 1815 Jim Trimble leased a mill site on the bank of the Kinnickinnick not far from the railroad crossing on the old Chillicothe road, where he built a woolen mill. He added to it an oil mill, which was in operation some years, but was finally abandoned. He was succeeded in the woolen mill, about 1820, by James Rice, who managed it for three years, when it again changed hands, and was operated several years by Mr. Ferguson, who succeeded Jeremiah Crouse in the ownership of the property at the death of the latter. In 1848 Thomas H. Bennett, a son-in-law of Jeremiah Crouse, came into possession of the plant, which he ran until 1859, when he sold the machinery at a sacrifice and retired from the business, soon after which he died. The first paper mill in Ross County was built on the northwest corner of section 10, about 1812, by Hezekiah and Isaiah Ingham, Quakers, who leased the land from David Crouse. As paroled prisoners of the War of 1812, they built a brushdam across the Scioto River just below the mouth of Deer Creek, dug a race across the bend of the stream and built the mill near where the water from the race emptied into the river. On expiration of the Ingham lease, about 1820, Mr. Crouse bought the mill and continued the business, by which he accumulated a fortune. The paper manufactured in this mill was transported in large wagons to Columbus and other points, for sale. Mr. Crouse continued the industry until his death, in 1837. He was succeeded by his sons, who followed in his footsteps until about 1857, when the building was allowed to fall to pieces. A second paper mill was built on the site of the old Worthington flouring mill, in 1848, by the sons of David Crouse, Shepherd HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 431 and Jeremiah, who continued it until about 1860, when they sold it to Matthew Lewis. Mr. Lewis closed out the business in the early '70s. TANNERIES Among the early industries of the township were numerous tanneries. The earliest of these of which any record can be obtained is that established by John Holman in 1814. This he managed until 1835 or 1836, when he gave the control of the business to his son, Abraham Holman, who continued the business for fifty years or more. James Ritchie, a son of George Ritchie, had a tannery on his farm in an early day, but he kept it in operation only a short time. This was about 1823. Henry May and John Larkins owned a tannery in the village of Kingston, in 1828, though it was located just across the line in Pickaway County. They continued the business until 1864, when they closed it out. CHAPTER XVII COLERAIN TOWNSHIP AND ADELPHI VARIED NATURAL FEATURES-ORIGIN OF THE NAME-SET OFF AS COLDRAIN- LOGAN AND CAPTAIN JOHNNIE-A FIGHTING TOWNSHIP - PIONEERS OF 1796-1815 — ADELPHI FOUNDED BY THE ABRAMS BROTHERS-EARLY EVENTS AND ADELPHI PIONEERS-VILLAGE INCORPORATION-ADELPHI OF THE PRESENT-MINERAL WATERS-THE ADELPHI BANK—SOCIETIES—ADELPHI BORDER NEWS-THE CHURCHES-ADELPHI 'S OLD CEMETERIES-HALLSVILLE-EARLY MILLS NEAR ADELPHI AND HALLSVILLE—ONLY ONE GUNPOWDER FACTORY. Colerain Township, in the extreme northeastern part of Ross County, is largely a rural section, with a varied surface and soil. Adelphi, in the northeastern corner of the township, is a pretty village, and the only considerable center of population. VARIED NATURAL FEATURES At least seven streams of some size find their sources in the township. Flowing to the northwest is a branch of the Kinnickinnick. Taking a northerly direction are two streams which find their way into Salt Creek, in Pickaway County. The most easterly of these is Beech Fork. Patrick's Branch rises to the east of the center of the township, flows down "Brimstone Hollow" in a northeasterly direction, passes out of the township to the south of Adelphi, and into Salt Creek in Hocking County. South of the divide the headwaters of three streams flow southwesterly, southerly and southeasterly, eventually uniting to form Walnut Creek. The soil of the township is mostly clay, or a clay loam, with a subsoil of gravel. Here and there are hills composed largely of gravel and stone. The valleys and level portions are very fertile, while upon the hills the soil is moderately productive. The eastern hillsides are more fertile than the western, because the prevailing winds, which are from the west, have for ages blown the leaves of the forest to the eastern hillsides, thus forming richer deposits of mould. Springs abound everywhere, affording rich pasturage and pure water. - 432 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 433 Colerain was originally very heavily timbered, and parts of it are so yet. Walnut, butternut, hickory, oak, chestnut, beech, maple, yellow poplar, whitewood, ash, elm, cottonwood and locust were abundant. Buckeye, sycamore, wild cherry, ironwood and dogwood were present, and the shrubs were hazel, blackberry, huckleberry, Juneberry, hackberry, spice and pawpaw. On the hills to the south, yellow pine and spruce flourished. Most of these varieties of tree life are still to be found, although not in such abundance as in the early days. The surface of the township is quite varied. The northwestern portion is quite level, and partakes somewhat of the character of the prairies of Pickaway County, which lie immediately to the north. To the south and east of this portion the surface becomes elevated and rugged, and at the center of the township a divide is reached, extending in an easterly and westerly direction across the entire township. This divide marks the southern limit of glacial action. The hills to the north are worn and rounded, and numerous deposits of sand and gravel are found. To the south of the divide the surface is very different. The hillsides are steeper and show no marks of rounding and wearing. The native rock is exposed in the valleys of the south-flowing streams. Water-worn pebbles (limestone) and boulders are found in abundance ; almost none to the south. This configuration determines the courses of the streams. ORIGIN OF THE NAME Colerain Township was set off from Green by order of the county commissioners, June 11, 1804. Local historians do not agree as to the origin of the name. The popular explanation is that when the commissioners met to erect the township it was a cold, rainy day ; hence, etc. The more probable explanation is, that as not a few of the early settlers were Scotch-Irish, and that as the prominent Renicks, of Liberty Township, originally emigrated to Virginia from Coleraine, Ireland, it was decided to fix the name upon the new township. SET OFF AS COLDRAIN Whatever the true origin of the name, the county commissioners set off Colerain Township, on the date named, through the following official order : "That the township of Green be divided by beginning at the southeast corner of township 10 and range 20 ; thence south between the 20th and 21st ranges to the line of Jefferson township ; thence with said line to the eastern boundary of Vol. I-28 434 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Ross county; thence with said county line, north and west, to the place of beginning. The same to be known by the name of Coldrain." LOGAN AND CAPTAIN JOHNNIE Wayne's successful treaty with the Indians in 1795 greatly encouraged pioneer settlements in the Scioto Valley. Hence in the following year numerous settlements arose along the Scioto River, as far north as the Kinnikinnick and Blackwater creeks, and thence eastward along the foothills as far as the tributaries to Salt Creek, in Colerain Township. The Indians were still numerous, though not so hostile as to seriously endanger the new colonies. The celebrated chief, Logan, was well known by the early pioneers of Colerain. He had for his companion on many a hunt Peter Dumm. Captain Johnnie was another Indian whose face brought no terror to the white man. Logan was short and of heavy build, and so much unlike the typical Indian as to raise a suspicion in the minds of many as to his being a full-blooded Indian. Captain Johnnie, on the other hand, was very tall (6 feet 7 inches) and very slender, but straight as an arrow, and lithe and supple as a deer. In wrestling matches with the whites he could not maintain his own, but in long, swift journeys over rough country he easily outstripped them. Once a party of Shawnees wanted Peter Dumm and Henry Strauser to join them in a bear hunt. With some misgivings they consented, for although the Indians appeared friendly, it was impossible, knowing the treacherous nature of the savages, not to have at least some anxiety lest they might make some sudden attack. The party, starting from "Brimstone Hollow," proceeded in a southerly direction without success until they reached Pike Run, when a huge bear was seen on the hillside. As quick as a flash the Indians were in hot pursuit. Peter did not keep up with the rest of the party, but on reaching the place where the bear was first seen, he discovered three large cubs. These he killed. The Indians returned unsuccessful, and were still more chagrined to find that their palefaced brother had bagged three cubs, which in their haste they had not seen. A FIGHTING TOWNSHIP Colerain was settled by stalwarts, men who could wrestle with the mighty forests. They delighted in their strength of limb, and at one time it was known as a fighting township. Election day was also a signal for the general settlement of family and neigh- HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 435 borhood disputes. At general musterings or campmeetings, townships were sometimes pitted against townships. In these affrays Colerain took the lead and maintained it. Strong young men, middle-aged men, and even brawny old men, would enter the lists, singly or together, and bruise and get bruised. If there was nothing to quarrel about on the morning, a plentiful flow of whiskey would usually disclose some serious affront before night, and a melee would follow. PIONEERS OF 1796-1815 Colerain was settled nearly as early as any of the townships of Ross County. In 1796 Zedekiah and Thomas Dawson, brothers, left their home in Virginia and built a cabin an the east bank of the second stream of water east of Hallsville. Thomas Hinton settled near by on the northern quarter of section nine at the same time. The Dawsons kept bachelor's hall for a time and then returned to Virginia and brought their wives. There the first improvements were made and the first crops raised. Mr. Hinton remained two years, on the above mentioned place, when, owing to much sickness caused by the damps and dews of the prairies in which he was living, he moved to a place a mile to the southeast, where the land was higher and dryer. There he took up the east half of section 10. He had a large family—eight boys and three girls. He died June 17, 1821, aged eighty-four years, leaving his youngest son, Elias, to succeed him on the farm. Elias Hinton was a trustee of the township several terms, and justice of the peace fifteen years. He died July 17, 1877, aged eighty-one years. His sister, Rebecca Hinton, married Daniel Roberts, before leaving Virginia. Mr. Roberts built thAdelphi.hewed log house in Ade1phi. Andrew J. Hinton, son of Elias, lived on the Elias farm and served the township as justice of the peace three terms (nine years) and as trustee for many years. Isaac Dawson came to Colerain as early as 1800. He was born in Hampshire County, Virginia, in 1773, and his wife on the 4th of July, 1776. Mr. Dawson, after his marriage, went to Bourbon County, Kentucky, and purchased land. The titles to the property were so defective that he was obliged to pay for it twice, and would have been forced to make a third payment, had he retained it. As it was, he abandoned it, and came up the Scioto Valley, settling at first on the High Bank prairie. Finding he could not get as much land there as he desired, he came to Colerain, under the guidance of an old Indian and there purchased a large tract of land, some of which he divided among his relatives, keeping one section for him- 436 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY self. A part of this section he eventually sold to Abraham Buckwalter. Mr. Dawson built a mill and carried on the business of distilling. He also handled stock quite largely, sometimes driving the animals over the mountains to market. He was conspicuous in the War of 1812, going out first in command of a company of rangers. Returning, he served a second time in command of a battalion of cavalry. Then, returning, he departed on the "six months' call." He rose to the rank of colonel, and was soon thereafter (April, 1815) elected state senator by the district including Colerain. In the fall of 1796, Conrad Bitzer and wife made a journey from Berks County, Pennsylvania, by way of Portsmouth, Ohio, to Chillicothe. But a single house, and that a hut, was passed in the journey up the Scioto Valley. The couple then proceeded eight miles farther north to the Blackwater creek, where they found another cabin. Here they passed the winter, and in January, 1797, the wife gave birth to John Bitzer, her first-born. In the spring they moved to the neighborhood of Kingston, where they resided four years. In 1801 the family, increased by two children, moved to Colerain Township and entered the west half of section 18. There, in the same year, was born Elizabeth Bitzer, probably the first native white child born in the township. Anthony G. Bitzer, the eighth child, was born December 27, 1809, and became prominent in the affairs of Adelphi Village. His father died in October, 1860. There were eleven children in the family—six girls and five boys. In the same year that Mr. Bitzer entered Colerain (1801), William Throckmorton located. He brought with him from Hampshire County, Virginia, a wife and six children. Five more children were born in Colerain. The family settled about a mile west of Hallsville. Mr. Throckmorton died in 1814. Jacob Bowsher came to Colerain. on horseback, in 1801, from Berkshire County, Pennsylvania. He purchased 100 acres in section 2. In 1802 he brought his family, then consisting of his wife and three children. He died in 1849, at the age of seventy-seven years, and his wife in 1864, at the age of ninety-six. They were the parents of seven children, most of whom married and had families. Three brothers from Virginia, by the name of Jones, were among the early settlers near Hallsville. Abraham came in 1802 and died about 1844. David arrived in 1804. He had a family of four sons and four daughters; three of the sons, Aaron, Moses and Jabez, were in the War of 1812. Moses and Aaron were enterprising and thrifty farmers, and held several offices of trust. Both served as justices of the peace. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 437 In April, 1808, Peter Jones, a brother to Abraham and David, entered land in Colerain. In 1815, John Jones, a nephew to David Jones, settled in Halls-vile with his mother. He was then a lad fifteen years old. Isaac Larich came to Adelphi in 1804. The same winter he entered a quarter section in Salt Creek Township, Hocking County (then Ross County). He was married three times, and had ten children. His son James was born in 1812. Isaac died June 23, 1850, at the age of seventy-six years. Samuel Merriman was born at Lansing, Pennsylvania, 1789. He was a boatman on the Ohio River for twenty years, and a part of the time Simon Girty and Mike Fink were his associates. He was a fighting character, and learned to imitate the scream of a wildcat with such startling effect as to earn the sobriquet " wildcat squealer. " The men of his day all agreed that Merriman's wildcat scream would raise the hair of the head about as effectually as the real thing. In his prime, Merriman was considerable of a singer. He moved to Colerain in 1818. Peter Dumm, the elder, came with his family from Berks County, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1805. While on the way, near Zanesville, Ohio, Mrs. Dumm gave birth to Sally, afterward Mrs. Pickens. This event occurred in the woods, and delayed the party three days. The family settled in what is called Brimstone Hollow. There were ten children in the family, and of the sons Peter was a soldier in the War of 1812. He volunteered for three months in Col. Isaac Dawson's company. When they reached Urbana, General Harrison ordered them to St. Mary's. From St. Mary's they marched to Fort Wayne, cutting the road as they went. Not meeting the enemy as expected, a large number of whom Peter was one, volunteered to proceed to Pottawattamie Town. Again the Indians fled, and the troops, after destroying much property, were discharged and returned home, having been gone five months. The elder Peter Dumm died April 20, 1837, aged eighty-two years. Jacob Bunn came to Colerain from Berkeley County, Virginia, in 1805. He settled a mile northwest of Hallsville, bringing with him a wife and five children. The number of children was increased to eight. He died April 25, 1850, aged seventy-two years, and his wife a year later, aged seventy years. In 1806 came Henry Strauser. He settled in Brimstone Hollow, on the place afterward owned! by George Cryder. His family consisted of three boys and five girls, of whom Henry, the father of Henry K. Strauser, was the oldest son. Henry, the elder, died in 1830, seventy years old. Henry, the younger, died October 28, 1865, nearly eighty-two years old. Henry K. Strauser held numerous civil offices. 438 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY The father and mother of John Betz moved from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, to a locality two miles north of Ade1phi, in 1808. They camped out until a log cabin could be put up. Here the family lived two years, and then moved into Salt Creek Township, Hocking County, also near Adelphi. After residing there ten years they moved, to the village. In the family were fourteen children—seven boys and seven girls. In 1809 Mr. Betz bought two sheep, among the first to be brought into the country. In the Engle family were three boys and three girls. Matthias was a very prominent man. He was a major in the War of 1812, and afterward held numerous township trusts. He died February 1, 1826, at the age of fifty-three years. He had two brothers, Adam and James, of whom the latter was blind. With his cane as a sounding stick, James Engle would go anywhere in the Town of Adelphi without aid, except when the weather was damp and rainy, when the usual distinctions of sound would partially fail him. He worked at cabinet-making, being guided by the sense of touch. Knowing no difference between daylight and darkness, he would often work in his shop through the night. His neighbors would hear the sounds of his hammer and saw, but he and his work were shrouded in darkness. He did very excellent work ; was a good man, and at times would preach. Daniel K. Defebaugh was born six miles below Chillicothe, January 1, 1798. He was a strong, atheletic youth. When yet a boy he took the place of a sick drummer boy in the army, and was sent into Michigan, where he received a wound in the ear. He was taught the millwright trade, and was in his line a noted man. Martin and Benjamin Dreisbach, brothers, entered Colerain in 1809. They settled near Hallsville. Martin had five children by his first wife and seven by his second. He died at the age of seventy-four, September, 25, 1850. Daniel Goodman settled in Adelphi in 1809. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and died in 1861. Several of his descendants still live in the township. Several members of the Pontius family, consisting of Martin, John, George, Benjamin, Jonathan, Jonas, Sophia and her husband, Mr. Speaker, Ann M., wife of Jacob Pontius, and Elizabeth Dreisbach came from Buffalo Valley, Pennsylvania, in 1811, and settled in Colerain and Green townships, Ross County, and in Pickaway and Fairfield counties. William Roberts entered section 10, in Colerain Township as early as 1811. He planted an orchard in 1813. Abram Cryder moved from Virginia to Colerain in 1815. He married Sophia, the widow of John Daly, and sister of Isaac Larich. Joseph Buckwalter came to Colerain in 1812. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 439 Jesse Spencer for many years had charge of the land office at Chillicothe. He married a Miss Winship, who belonged to the Winship family that came to Chillicothe in 1796. Later Mr. Spencer moved to the place afterward owned by Frank Cryder, near Adelphi, where he continued in charge of the land office for several years. He died in 1840, seventy-two years of age. ADELPHI FOUNDED BY THE ABRAMS BROTHERS The brothers Reuben and Henry Abrams were members of the large colony which settled Chillicothe in 1796, under the direction of General Massie. In April, 1804, they entered the east half of section 1, while Colerain Township was still a part of Green, and within the year the General surveyed and platted the town under the name of Adelphi. A patent was issued to the Abrams October 10, 1809. Reuben is described as short and thick-set and Henry as tall and heavy. The former was one of the early associate judges of Ross County ; his log house in Chillicothe was the first courthouse, and he seems, on the whole, to have been more prominent than Henry. The latter appears to have given more of his attention to Adelphi and his death occurred in his log cabin about a mile northwest of the settlement. EARLY EVENTS AND ADELPHI PIONEERS When Peter Dumm, then fifteen years old, came to Colerain Township, in 1805, there were but three cabins in Adelphi. One stood on the corner where D. E. Rose's drug store was afterward built. In this cabin Killian Ruse lived and opened the first tavern. The second cabin stood to the east of Ruse's. Henry Johnson was the occupant. The third cabin stood on the site of the Methodist Church, and was occupied by James Stewart Webster; in it Webster opened and taught the first school in the township. It was a subscription school, parents paying at the rate of $2.00 per scholar for a term of three months. There, also, was opened the first post-office, with Webster as postmaster. The mail came weekly from Chillicothe, and John Campbell was the first mail carrier. John Beach occupied a house on the north side of Main Street, across from Killian Ruse's. There he opened a tavern, the second in the place, and died April 28, 1831, at the age of fifty years. Col. Isaac Dawson was a justice of the peace in town as early as 1804. In January (the 12th) of that year, he married Alexander Cowgle and Mary Crow. This was five months before the Township of Colerain was formed. The first native white child of Adelphi was Israel Zimmerman, 440 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY who was born the twelfth of December, 1804, about the time the town was laid out. His parents' names were Henry and Polly Zimmerman. They came into the woods where Adelphi was to be, in 1800, and there Hannah was born in April, 1802. The oldest stone in the Lutheran cemetery, the oldest in the township, has this inscription : DE PARTED TH IS LIFE ON THe iS JULY 1807 JOSEPH ENG LE AGED 3 The slab in which the inscription is cut is a rough sandstone, apparently taken from the bed of some stream near by, and smoothed upon one side. Martin Dreisbach, was the first Adelphi man to withhold whiskey from workmen in the field. George Will kept the first dry-goods store in Adelphi. Nicholas Leopard was the first regular blacksmith. Peter Markel was the first to establish a regular boot and shoe store. Rough carpentering was performed by almost every one. David Faust has been named as probably the first regular carpenter (1806). VILLAGE INCORPORATION In the winter of 1837-38 the State Legislature passed an act to incorporate the Village of Adelphi. On the seventh of April, 1838, an election was held which resulted in the selection of the following officers : James Hall, mayor ; John Patterson, Abraham Cartlich, John A. Smith, William Hugh, Peter Markel, councilmen ; John Lewis, recorder. These qualified the same day, and elected James Fowler treasurer, and Amos Howell marshal. ADELPHI OF THE PRESENT The present village of perhaps 500 people lies a short distance west of 'the Columbus and Southern line, its nearest railroad station being Laurelville. Besides several good stores, Adelphi has a planing mill, a small machine shop for repair work, a broom factory and a plant which manufactures brick, cement block and sewer pipe. Its flour supply is drawn from the Laurelville mills. Among its public buildings are a neat town hall and a substantial schoolhouse. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 441 The pupils of the village number about 125, of whom some thirty-five are enrolled in the high school. MINERAL WATERS The drinking water of the village, derived from wells, some shallow, others as deep as sixty feet, is reputed to be as pure as any in the state. Quite a phenomenon occurs here. All water from wells located on the north side of Main Street is tinctured with sulphur ; all on the south side of Main Street with lime, and in the extreme west of town the water is strongly impregnated with iron. There is a resort on the north of town called the Mineral Springs grounds, with a beautiful spring of iron, sulphur and other minerals, much in demand by people who live at a distance and free to everyone. THE ADELPHI BANK For some years Adelphi depended upon Laurelville for its banking accommodations, but in July, 1907, a private bank was organized. In October, 1908, it was chartered as a state institution under the style of the Adelphi Banking Company, a building for its use having been completed in that year. E. J. Wittwer is its president ; George B. Armstrong, vice president ; 0. B. Armstrong, cashier. The capital of the bank is $25,000 ; surplus and undivided profits, $5,600 ; average deposits, $210,000. 442 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY SOCIETIES The societies are unusually well represented for a place of its size, the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs, Knights of Pythias and Pythian Sisters, Masons and Order of the Eastern Star and the Improved Order of Red Men (also two bodies) having organizations. The Grand Army of the Republic has a small post. The strongest of the orders is the Red Men, its official organ for the state, the Ohio Red Man, being issued from the office of Hugh F. Egan, publisher of the Adelphi Border News. It is a monthly publication, established at Steubenville in 1904. Corn Planter Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men, was instituted in Adelphi in June, 1895, with a charter list of twenty-four. It now has over 200 members and owns a handsome hall. Mr. Egan was its first sachem and P. G. Griffin, leading farmer and politician, its first prophet. Kinnickinnick Council, degree of Pocahontas, No. 56, an auxiliary to Corn Planter Tribe, was instituted in June, 1900, and has a membership of sixty, mostly women. ADELPHI BORDER NEWS The Adelphio Border News, already mentioned, was established January 1, 1879, by Daniel F. Shriner, who came from Chillicothe for that purpose. From the date of the first issue until August 8, 1883, the paper had several editors and proprietors and a rather checkered career. From the latter date Hugh F. Egan, also a Chillicothean, has been its editor and publisher, and has made a successful business out of the paper and its adjuncts. The Ohio Red Man, also noted, is in that class. Mr. Egan is one of the prominent men of the order. He is a past grand sachem and has represented Ohio in the supreme body of the United States for ten years. THE CHURCHES The Lutherans were the first to organize a separate church among the denominations represented at Adelphi. They had a society as early as 1810, and regular preaching for many years. They divided into old and new school, and suffered other defections which weakened their unity. The Presbyterians also had a church for about twenty years from 1834, the German Reformed Church being an offshoot from them. At present the Methodists are the only local religionists who maintain a permanent and substantial organization. As a church at Adelphi they have been in existence since 1820, when they had a log meeting house on the southwest HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 443 corner of Market and High streets. A second and more modern edifice was built in 1858 on the southwest corner of Main and Dawson streets. Rev. J. R. Fields is pastor of the church now active. ADELPHI'S OLD CEMETERIES As some of the oldest burial grounds in the state are located at Adelphi, the editor is pleased to present the following interesting account from the pen of Hugh F. Egan : "Before General Massie, United States Government surveyor, laid out the town in 1804, what is known as the German Lutheran Cemetery was established by the earliest pioneers from Berks County, Pennsylvania. In this cemetery are bodies interred one hundred years ago, among the lot a number of Revolutionary and Mexican war soldiers of 1812. This cemetery is located near the center of the village. The next cemetery to be established was the Methodist, in the center of which was built the first Methodist Church. Numerous pioneers and several relics of the Revolutionary war are at rest in this cemetery. "The next was Belleview, lccated in the late '60s. John Strous donated the grounds and laid it off into lots. In this cemetery lie the grandparents of the founder, and many of the ancestry. Among other prominent people of the early days, who are buried here, are Andrew and Frederick Haynes and their wives and family of children and grandchildren ; Amos Bowsher, his wife and descendants ; John Strous and wife and descendants ; J. H. Larrick and wife, John Wittwer and wife and children. In 1870, this cemetery, or that part of it overlooking the Salt Creek Valley, covering several acres, began to slide toward the creek, gradually .sinking and exposing bodies, until now the highest point, of the sliding and sinking portion is thirty feet below the surface from which it separated. This condition caused the removal of many bodies to other cemeteries. In the sinking portion are many graves and tombstones, going down with the slide, but not exposed. Geologists attribute this phenomenon to quicksand that is gradually oozing out into the creek bed and undermining the sacred burial spot. "Our fourth cemetery (Green Summit) is one of the most beautiful in the state and comprises fifty acres on the summit, just west of the village. This cemetery was instituted principally through John Karshner, who owned the grounds. A company was formed and Mr. Karshner was its president until his death a few years ago. Within its confines now rest the remains of the founder and his wife. Ninety per cent of the burials are now made in Green Summit. Probably the only lady sexton in the state is superin- 444 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY tendent of these grounds. At the death of her father, Robert Clarke, his daughter, Mrs. Lillian Morrisson, succeeded as superintendent and makes her home in a nicely constructed lodge at one of the entrances." HALLSVILLE This is a hamlet on the Adelphi pike about five miles west of that village. On June 22, 1837, it was laid out as a town by John Buckwalter, Ephraim Dreisbach and Ambrose Grafton. It was originally named Economy, in honor of the industrial town in Pennsylvania, but finally became known as at present, when a post-office was established and called Hallsville, after its first postmaster, William Hall. Russell D. Rockwell opened the first store on the present site of Hallsville, in 1831. The pioneer schoolhouse in the neighborhood of either Hallsville or Adelphi was erected between the two little streams east of Hallsville, on the south side of the pike, in 1827. In 1844 the Evangelical Association and Methodists obtained an early foothold among the people and in 1844 united in the building of a house of worship. The United Brethren Church, which became quite strong, finally obtained control of the property. EARLY MILLS NEAR ADELPHI AND HALLSVILLE Although Colerain had several streams of water, sufficient at that time for milling purposes, Salt Creek and its tributaries, Laurel Creek, an to the west Kinnickinnick Creek, being stronger streams, attracted the first mills to them. In 1797 Henry Zimmerman erected on Beech fork, near its junction with Salt Creek, just over the line in Pickaway County, a small sawmill and " corn cracker" or grist-mill. About the same year William McCoy built a grist-mill in Green Township, on the Kinnickinnick. This usually has gone under the name of Crouse's mill. Some years after a mill was put on Laurel Creek by Anthony Sweinhart. These early mills were simple and rude. Four posts, with crotches, were sunk into the ground ; a floor was laid on the beams extending from crotch to crotch, and the whole covered with a roof of slabs or straw. Here one run of stone, or possibly two , would be arranged. The bolting was often done by hand. About 1805 Col. Isaac Dawson erected a sawmill in the northeast quarter of section 8. Near by, in 1816, a corn-cracker, or grist-mill, was erected by Mr. Dawson, which flourished till 1833. Meanwhile, it had been purchased by Abraham Buchwalter. He converted it into a woolen HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 445 mill, and enlarged and improved it, until woolen blankets of excellent quality, and even fine dress goods, satinets, etc., were made. In 1805 Jacob Larich sunk tan vats and established a tannery immediately south of Adelphi, in "Brimstone Hollow." This tannery flourished a few years, till Mr. Larich went to Tarlton, Pick-away County, and established himself permanently. In 1807 Aaron Jones established a tannery in the neighborhood of Hallsville. It was not very extensive and ceased to exist about 1815. Everybody drank whiskey. The surplus crop of corn was invariably reduced to liquid form—a form in which it would keep without spoiling. No harvest could be gathered, no barn or house "rolled together," no public gathering held, without a supply of the " in vigorator. " To Jacob Karshner, who came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, and settled in Colerain in 1807, is conceded the erection of the first distillery. He brought his still (a small copper one) with him from Pennsylvania and made some whiskey the following year. It was not many years thereafter, however, before stills were nearly as numerous as the farms. It was a staple in trade, and even the ministers of the Gospel took it as part of their pay. ONLY ONE GUNPOWDER FACTORY Once, and we believe only once, an attempt was made to manufacture gunpowder. To the east of Adelphi a few miles were caves or rocks, which dripped water containing a small percentage of saltpetre. This saltpetre was extracted by an enterprising man by the name of Myers, and duly mixed with the other ingredients necessary for the compound. The mixture was then placed in Mrs. Jacob Karshner's brick oven to dry. While watching the drying process he discovered a spark of fire in the bag. He spat on his fingers and reached out to extinguish the spark, but too late. The result was disastrous to the oven, the man, and the trade. CHAPTER XVIII TOWNSHIPS AND MINOR TOWNS DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP AND CLARKSBURG-TWIN TOWNSHIP AND BOURNEVILLE - OLD BOURNEVILLE CEMETERY - SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP AND HOPETOWN- UNION TOWNSHIP-LIBERTY TOWNSHIP AND LONDONDERRY-OLD BURIAL PLACES-BUCKSKIN TOWNSHIP-SOUTH SALEM-SALEM PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND ACADEMY-LYNDON-PISGAH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP AND RICHMONDALE-FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP-THE HERMIT OF THE SCIOTO-HUNTINGTON AND HARRISON TOWNSHIPS. In addition to the villages mentioned separately and included in the histories of the townships, Ross County has a number which are worthy of being grouped, and classified as of more or less promise. Several of them, such as Clarksburg and Bourneville, are incorporated ; others are of interest from events associated with them, such as South Salem and Londonderry, and still others are little more than railway stations, the future of which is uncertain. There are also not a few events outside of all existing centers of population, large and small, and also persons of prominence whose activities and influence have been exerted in the rural districts—both events and individuals entitled to a representation in a history which is designed to cover, in its essentials, all features and forces which constitute elements in the development of the county. This chapter has been reserved, in a word, to fairly round out the history of Ross County. DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP AND CLARKSBURG This township was erected in July, 1804, from a portion of Pickaway County and parts of Union and Concord townships, Ross County. It had an early reputation, in common with other sections of the old Military district, of being well watered and fertile. That reputation was fairly earned and most of the early settlers who were drawn thither by the game and fertile tracts associated with Deer Creek remained in the township. They also found an abundance of oak, walnut and maple, as well as level stretches of bottom lands easy to cultivate and fertile in character. The town- - 447 - 448 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY ship, in fact, occupies the borderland between the fertile prairies of the Pickaway country and the more diversified areas of Ross, Highland and Pike. The continuous history of both the township and Clarksburg, its only village, commences with the coming of White Brown, with his relatives and slaves, from Delaware. In 1799 his reduced circumstances prompted him to enter at the Chillicothe land office a large tract of land on Deer Creek for settlement. As he disapproved of slavery, like several other prominent emigrants he contemplated a transfer of his establishment to these new lands northwest of the Ohio with the expressed purpose of freeing his black bondsmen, forty in number, after they had assisted him to transfer his establishment to this frontier region of the Northwest Territory. In the year 1801, under these circumstances, White Brown came to Ross County with his older sons and purchased at $2.00 an acre 500 acres of the McArthur and Massie survey included in the farm owned years afterward by his grandson, Austin H. Brown. It was on this tract that the camp of Massie's surveyors was located when they were attacked, in 1790, by a war party of Shawnee Indians. A clump of black walnut trees near a mill on Deer Creek long marked the site of the camp. When White Brown came to that locality in 1801, it was still unbroken forest, and, pending the time when it should be cleared, Mr. Brown's sons and the negro servants raised a crop of corn on the ground now occupied by the Ross County infirmary. The family reached the Deer Creek farm on the thirteenth of August, 1802, and camped there for three weeks, while a log house was building. Steven Timmons, whose name afterward was a prominent one in Deerfield, and who married Mr. Brown's oldest daughter, came out with them and assisted in the work of clearing the farm and building the house. This house, so built, was one of the earliest in the township. During the year 1803, the balance of Mr. Brown's family, coming out from Delaware, joined him. In that year was built, near the house, a log barn, which stood until a comparatively recent date ; and it possessed an interest, apart from its age, as it was the cradle of religion in that whole region. Within its walls, from 1803 to 1818, were held the services of the pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church in Deerfield. Steven Timmons, the son-in-law of Mr. Brown, above mentioned, Was probably the first to gather the scattered settlers of the new country to hear, in this rude sanctuary, the preaching of the word of God. After Timmons, the log walls echoed the eloquence of such men as Bishops Francis Asbury, Whatcoat and McKendry, as well as George and L. R. Dow and the Finleys, father and son. An HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 449 organization of the church was effected, and, in 1818, a house of worship was erected where the new and ornamental Brown chapel is now situated. Previous to the removal to the new site, Mr. Brown's farm had offered hospitality to the living and the dead alike, for there was established, about 1805, the first cemetery in Deerfield. This was situated on the hill, back of the old house, and it is estimated that fully two hundred interments were made before the establishment of the new cemetery at the chapel. The class was organized on Christmas, in the year 1802, John Sale preaching the sermon. Mr. Brown and his wife, and five colored people, were original members of the class. During the year 1803, a revival occurred at a campmeeting held on the Brown farm, and sixty persons were converted to Christianity and united with the new church. After that time, for thirty-four consecutive years, campmeetings were held at the same place, with the result of making the neighborhood a stronghold of Methodism. In the year 1818, as has been stated, a church building was erected at a point on the Brown farm, some distance from the old barn. Later, in 1835, a frame church building was erected on the same site, and in 1871 it was, in turn, replaced by a larger brick structure. In 1805, White Brown erected on his farm a sawmill, having made a very primitive dam over Deer Creek by cutting a tree so that it fell across the stream, and then piling brush across above it. This was the first mill of any kind in Deerfield. In 1815 Mr. Brown built a grist-mill adjoining the sawmill, and from that time controlled the business of the neighborhood for some years. Previously the settlers had been obliged to go, first to Portsmouth, and later to the falls of the Paint to have their grinding done. Both of these buildings stood for years, being owned by William Brown, son, and Austin H. Brown, grandson of the builder. It is curious to note the increased volume of Deer Creek, indicated by the fact that the present dam is three hundred and forty-five feet long, probably five times the length of the one built seventy-five years ago in the same place. This is partly due, no doubt, to the fact that the damming of the water has widened the channel, but it also shows the influence of climatic changes and increased surface drainage. Hall's mill, three-fourths of a mile below Brown's, was erected previous to 1830. Col. Peter Jackson was one of the very first settlers in Deerfield. He came in the year 1801 or 1802 to Deer Creek, and built him a cabin within 100 yards of the spot where Brown's mill was afterward erected. For some time the community was comprised of the Jackson, Brown, Timmons and Clark families, and the colored people who accompanied Mr. Brown. John F. Fulton was one of the Vol. I-29