CHAPTER XXI.
TWIN TOWNSHIP.
TOPOGPAPHICALLY this township is wonderfully diversified. Paint creek drains the territory and flows in a northeasterly direction, entering the township near the west central line, and dividing it into nearly equal parts. The valley or bottom lands adjacent to this creek are especially fertile, highly improved, and very valuable. The hilly boundaries of the valley are not so rich for agricultural purposes. The northern tributaries of Paint creek are Upper and Lower Twin (from which the township derives its name), Campbell's run, Wilcox run, and Cattail run. These afford the drainage of the northern portion, while Sulphur creek and Black run empty into Paint. creek from the south. Upper Twin and Lower Twin are very appropriately named, since they are about equal in size, and flow nearly parallel to each other, and at no great distance apart.
The surface of the township is generally rolling, and some elevations of considerable magnitude appear. There is some land of little value for farming purposes, and such is either used for grazing lands, or is still in the primitive state', nourishing the native timber which is yet standing.
The principal varieties of timber which abounded in exhaustless supply and excellent quality were hickory, walnut, butternut, ash, poplar, sugarmaple, oak of all kinds, cherry, sycamore and hack-berry. The buckeye also flourished in most localities, and was a source of considerable loss to the settlers, as their cattle ravenously devoured the poisonous fruit. A peculiar and striking feature of the virgin forest was the entire absence of the usual rank growth of underbrush. This was attributed to the annual forest fires, caused, or permitted, by the aborigines.
With the advent of the first white settlers, the woods abounded in game of all kinds known in the country. Deer and wild turkeys, exceedingly plentiful, afforded the principal meat supply of the early settlers. Every man and boy, and some of the female population, were expert hunters, and many are the tales told of hair-breadth
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escapes from, and single-handed contests with, bruin, the arch enemy of the young domestic animals about the settlers' cabins. Wolves, panthers and wildcats also made night hideous, and nocturnal travel precarious, with their prowling, stealthy and deceptive methods of attack.
The first settlement of Twin township antedates its organization by several years. The township organization was effected on the twentieth of February, 1805, from territory previously embraced within the townships of Union, Concord and Paxton. The house of J. Elliott was designated as the voting place, and was so continued for a number of years.
Lewis Igo is entitled to the honor of first settler, he having emigrated to the Paint creek valley in the autumn of 1797. He was born near Baltimore, Md., in 1767, emigrating from there to Kentucky, thence to Ross county. Mr. Igo purchased land from General McArthur, on Lower Twin, and there built his cabin and established a home on the farm later owned by his son William. In the spring of 1798 he returned to Kentucky and brought his family, and was accompanied on his return trip by his brother-in-law, Philip Hare. When within sight of his cabin, Igo discovered smoke issuing from the chimney; and, believing that the Indians were in possession, the party prepared for a battle with the redskins. Advancing cautiously, they were both surprised and pleased to find that the cabin was occupied by a white family who were occupying Mr. Igo's home temporarily during his absence, and pending the erection of their own. This "squatter," whose name was Jeffers, settled on a farm adjoining the Igos and became their nearest neighbor. Families were "near neighbors" in those days, however, if only separated by the distance of a few miles. For some time after Mr. Igo located in the wilderness on Lower Twin, he brought all his family supplies from Kentucky, himself making the trips with a pack horse. He was a cooper by trade, and willingly exchanged his mechanical skill with the settlers for rail-splitting, thus supplying the neighborhood with wooden ware. He raised a family of eight children, only one of whom remained in the township, and only three survived the period of middle life. Descendants of William Igo still live in Twin. Lewis Igo died in 1844.
Philip Hare opened up a small farm to which be brought his family from Kentucky ; but he ended his days in the west. The families of George V. and Jacob Haller settled on Paint creek in 1798, and there established a home on what was locally known as Haller's bottom, George Haller owning most of the land in the vicinity. Their first winter in the new country was spent in a shanty made of puncheons, the walls of which were lined with bear-skins, the result of Mr. Haller's success on the chase. One entire end of the cabin was left open, and a huge fire of burning logs served the double purpose
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of warming the room and protecting the family from the howling wolves who often showed their lank forms, hungry eyes and cruel teeth across the fiery barrier. George V. Haller was a local preacher, a man of strong religious convictions and an excellent citizen. He was among the first to bring sheep into the country. His first home being subject to overflow during freshets, he relocated on higher ground, but subsequently removed to Adams county, though his death occurred in Chillicothe September 8, 1839. He was born in Berkeley county, Va., December 16, 1770. The last survivor of his twelve children died in Bourneville. Jacob Haller, before mentioned, settled on Upper Twin where he died in 1823, at the age of fifty-seven.
Samuel Teter and family were among the earliest settlers, coming from Washington county, Pa., in 1799. They settled on Lower Twin, where Mr. Teter owned a large tract of land. This he divided among his sons, Samuel, George, John and Daniel, and removed to Union county, where he died. George and John occupied their parental inheritance and ended their days as residents of Twin township, where some of their descendants still live. Daniel died on his farm in Huntington township. The latest survivor of this family in Twin township was Mrs. John C. McDonald. John married Mary Edmiston, whose father was one of the earliest settlers in Paint township.
William and Edward Keran came from the south branch of the Potomoc during the last days of the eighteenth century. William lived about five years on Hailer's bottom, afterward relocating on Plug run where he resided some sixty years, and died there. Edward Keran lived in the township until 1812 when he removed to Hardin county and died there. Hugh Cochran emigrated with his family from Kentucky in 1796. His first location was at Station Prairie below Chillicothe ; but he soon after purchased a large tract of land in the vicinity of Bourneville, which he divided among his children. Hugh Cochran, sr., died in 1829, at the age of eighty-four years. His son, Hugh, was among the earliest pioneers of Twin township, and spent his life on the farm his father had given him. He married Jane Myers, daughter of another early pioneer of Twin. His sister, Miss Elizabeth Cochran, became the wife of George Kilgore, who came to the valley with General Massie in the spring of 1796. They were married in Chillicothe April 17, 1798, and this is said to be the first ceremony of the kind in the Scioto valley. Several brothers of Hugh Cochran settled in Twin township, but James, David and Andrew removed to the west, while Allen remained. The last named served several years as a justice of the peace in Twin. His death occurred in his sixty-third year as the result of an accident.
The family of John Core was another of those established prior to the township organization. He located on Lower Twin, in 1800,
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and there erected the first mills in the township, first a grist mill, and soon afterward a saw mill. These he operated successfully until 1819, when they were burned. He afterward established a mill operated by horse power, and this proved a very good substitute for the popular old plant which had proved so valuable to the community. Three sons of this pioneer, John, Henry and Chrisley, were soldiers in the war of 1812. His youngest son, whose name was David, married Miss Mary, daughter of the well known pioneer and historian, Col. John McDonald.
The family of Peter Storm came from near Martinsburg, Va., in the fall of 1802. They arrived in October, and located on Haller's bottom where Mr. Storm raised one crop, after which he purchased one hundred and fifty acres from General McArthur. There the family home was established in 1803. Nine of the twelve children accompanied the parents from the old Virginia home, and two sons, George and John, then mere lads, drove two cows through with the caravan, walking all the way. Mr. Storm was a blacksmith by trade, opened a shop on his farm, and was one of the earliest mechanics in that line. John Storm, in the war of 1812, was a member of the first company of rangers, in which he served over a year. Descendants of this family are still residents of the township.
Abijah Flora was one of the earliest settlers on Hailer's bottom. He was a Virginian, and served from that state as a lieutenant in the Revolutionary war. He died in Twin township at the age of seventy years.
Daniel Hare came from Kentucky in the fall of 1797 and located on Paint creek about a mile above the present town of Bainbridge, in Paxton township. There he built a cabin, and devoted the winter to hunting. The victims of his rifle he salted in a large trough, which he dug out from a sycamore log, covering this with another one of similar dimensions. This food supply he concealed from the Indians by covering the troughs carefully with brush in a secluded place in the forest. In the spring of 1798 he returned to Kentucky and brought his family to the new home in the wilderness, where he found his stores as lie had left them. Ile worked at clearing land for General Massie until he earned one hundred acres for himself, this being located on Lower Twin. After his contract with Massie was completed, he continued to work for others in Paxton until he had accumulated sufficient funds to purchase another hundred-acre tract adjoining the first, and this he occupied in 1801 as a permanent home. Mr. Hare was twice married, and had three children by his first union. His eldest daughter, Elizabeth, became the wife of John McKenzie, who represented a well known pioneer family.
Aaron Foster, a native of Pennsylvania, emigrated to the town-ship in the early days of settlement. He served as adjutant in Colonel McDonald's regiment during the war of 1812. He was
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twenty-one years a justice of the peace in Twin township, and was also a member of the board of county commissioners. David Elliott, another very early settler, was captain of a company from Ross county during the war of 1812. Jacob Myers was an officer ranking as major in the same war, and was distinguished for bravery. He was also among the pioneers of Twin.
Col. John McDonald, one of the most popular and worthy citizens who ever lived in Ross county, was among the early pioneers of Twin township, where he established his home in 1800. Though most of his active years were spent in official life, he nevertheless always considered "Poplar Ridge" as his permanent abiding place, and never transferred his home to any other locality, except temporarily. He was identified with almost every phase of human existence on the frontier of Ohio from the advent of the white man north of the Ohio until the close of his eventful career in 1853. He has been characterized as "backwoodsman, scout, surveyor, pioneer and patriarch, soldier, legislator and patriot, adequate in every avocation in which he engaged, and admirable in every relation of life." Gideon Coover came from Pennsylvania in 1800 and located in Twin township where he lived until about 1820, when he took a flat boat laden with flour, pork and other farm products, and, in company with others, went to New Orleans, where he died of yellow fever, or rather was put ashore at Baton Rouge, where he died. He left a wife and nine children who spent their lives in Twin township.
Philip Gossard and his son-in-law, Casper Plyley, with their families, came from Pennsylvania about 1801. They first settled at the mouth of Deer creek in Union township, but soon afterward abandoned the bottom land as unhealthful and relocated on what has since been known as Plyley's ridge in Twin township. Mr. Plyley kept a tavern for a number of years. He was a soldier in the war of the Revolution and participated in a number of engagements under General Greene. Financial reverses, due to the fluctuating values of the Continental scrip, induced him, though a minor, to enter the army, and subsequently to seek his fortune in the west. Mr. Plyley lived to advanced old age. He reared a large family, and numerous descendants still live in Ross county. The posterity of his sons, Philip G. and William, still occupy Plyley's ridge. The former was born at Pittsburg, on the trip to the west. Philip Gossard was a native of Switzerland and received an excellent education in his native country, being also an accomplished musician. He settled on a farm immediately west of the Plyley homestead and there spent his remaining years. His son, John, spent his life on the same farm, and this descended to his posterity, some of whom still occupy it.
William Campbell, a native of Scotland, and a cousin of General McArthur, emigrated to the United States in 1800, and soon afterward found his way to Chillicothe. Here he entered the employ
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of General McArthur, and so continued until his marriage in 1816. He located in Twin township two years later and continued a resident until his death in 1852. Ile was the father of sixteen children, some of whom remained in the township during their lives, and left a numerous posterity to inherit their possessions.
Isaac McCrackin emigrated from Hampshire county, Va., and first located on Haller's bottom, subsequently removing to another farm where he died in 1849. He was a well known and prominent citizen, one of the earliest justices, served two terms in the State legislature (1831-2), and was one of the associate judges of the county for seven years. He located his family in the township in 1808, where his three children were born. The wife of Judge McCrackin was Catherine Parker, also a native of Virginia, where they were married.
James Sommerville and family were also early settlers of Twin. Mr. Sommerville was a native of Scotland and came to this county in 1808, bringing a family consisting of wife and three children, Helen, James and John. James went to Kentucky as a school teacher, having among his students members of the Breckenridge and Clay families. Ile joined the army and was killed at the battle of Tippecanoe. John married Elizabeth Smith, and became the father of twelve children, most of whom he survived. He was quarter-master in Colonel McDonald's command during the campaign of 1814, and died in 1879, at the advanced age of nearly ninety-two.
Job and John Harness, brothers, settled in Twin township prior to 1812, making the journey up the Scioto and Paint creek in a keel boat. They erected one of the early grist mills of the township, but finally sold out and moved to Indiana.
Christian Baum emigrated from Westmoreland county, Pa., about 1815 ; first located in Pickaway county, but soon afterward bought two hundred acres in Twin township. He married Sarah Shook in 1818, and they raised a family of seven children: Joseph, George, John, Mary, Lewis, Laura and Jacob, most of whom married and located in the county. When Mr. Baum came to Ohio, he walked over the mountains and carried his rifle with all of his worldly possessions ; but by industry and economy, he accumulated a fine property. He died in 1862 at the age of seventy.
Peter Platter was a native of Germany, who, at the age of five years, accompanied his parents to Pennsylvania, in 1764. He joined the Patriot army and participated in the battles of Bunker Hill and Brandywine. About 1793 he emigrated to Kentucky, having then a wife and one child. He removed to Ohio about six years later and located in Adams county, where he purchased three hundred acres of land. In 1811 he exchanged this farm for a like number of acres on Haller's bottom in Twin township, where he died January 2, 1832, and his wife died on the 22d of February of the same year.
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They had thirteen children, all of whom survived their parents. Their names were Barbara, Susanna, Joseph, Henry, Christine, Sarah, Elizabeth, George, Peter, Catherine, Christian, John and Andrew. Several of these attained a ripe old age and left a numerous posterity, both in Ross county, where the name is prominently identified with the pioneer history, and in Adams county, where some of the sons located after marriage. Peter Platter, Jr., was an extensive land holder on Paint creek, where his first wife died, leaving seven children. Her maiden name was Mary Ann Clark, also a representative of an early established family. He married Sarah A. Nesbit for his second wife, and she became the mother of four children. Mr. Platter was successful in life, and died possessed of more than a thousand acres of land. The family, including the ancestral line, were members of the Presbyterian church, sustaining relations with this society in Chillicothe.
John W. Pool left for Ohio from Maryland on the day of Perry's great naval victory on Lake Erie. He was a blacksmith by trade, and died in 1823, at the age of fifty. His son Henry perpetuated the family name in Twin township, where he attained old age and social prominence. He married a daughter of George V. Haller.
John Howard emigrated from Rockingham county, Va., about 1817, accompanying his two uncles, Philip and John Howard, who were bachelors. They spent the first year at Frankfort, after which they located on Haller's bottom, but relocated, some years afterward, on the farm where John Howard spent his life, he having inherited the farm on the death of his uncles. He married Ursula L, daughter of Judge McCrackin.
John Hanawalt was the first mail carrier between Steubenville and Gallipolis, making his trips through the woods on horseback. He was a native of Mifflin county, Pa., and came to Steubenville in ISIS. Two years later he moved to Frankfort, where he married Mary J. Hill, and in 1528 he located in Bourneville, where he was busied as a tailor until his death in 1872. His son, James S., was a merchant in Bourneville for a number of years.
Twin township was well represented in the war of 1812, though it is probable that not all on the following list were residents there at the time of enlistment, but became such soon after the war. A large majority, however, were actual residents of the township for several years prior to enlistment. The following is an incomplete list of soldiers who responded to their country's call in 1812: W. A. Shoults, Hugh Cochran, Joseph Browning, Henry and Joseph March, John C. Conner, Joseph Conner (died in service), William Campbell, Thomas McDonald, David Somers, (Shredrich Wroten was a Revolutionary soldier who served nearly six years). John Freshour was also in the Revolutionary war and his son Daniel served in the war of 1812, Simon Johnson in the Revolution, Barney Minney, Job and John Harness, Thomas De Hart, Richard Acton, Archi-
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bald McNeal, Abijah Flora, Revolutionary soldier; Michael Dolohan, Thomas Hanks, in war of the Revolution, and his sons, Joseph and John, were in the war of 1812; John Ward, Peter Shanor (his father, also Peter Shanor, was in the Revolution) ; John Gossard, Philip Gossard, Jacob Gossard, James Nichols, Henry Sharp, Dilard Rowe, Abbott Rowe, David Rowe, Charles Craig, John Craig, Colonel John McDonald, Alexander Given, Aaron Foster, Samuel, George, John and Daniel Teter, brothers ; John, Henry and Chrisley Core, also brothers ; Captain Daniel Hare ; Captain David Elliott; Major Jacob Myers ; John Mahan ; Lieutenant John Sommerville ; James Sommerville; Archy McDonald came as a soldier in the British army, but deserted and joined the American forces; his two sons, John and William, were also arrayed against their mother country; James P. Brown; James Demoss, a native of Ireland, crossed the ocean to fight against England, and died in service : Captain McKenzie.
The record of the first elections in Twin township has been lost or was not properly kept. The earliest record procurable begins five years after the organization of the township, and contains the following names of civil officers at that time: Henry Porter, township clerk; John McDonald, William Reed and Job Harness, trustees ; George V. Haller, and Moses Dimmel, overseers of the poor; Andrew Gursham, lister; Jacob V. Haller, house appraiser; Daniel Hare, treasurer; George Yoakum and Abijah Flora, fence viewers ; Robert McMahan, Peter Clover, and James Irwin, constables; John Harness, Philip Hare, Samuel Teter, and John Walker, supervisors ; John McDonald and Henry Porter were elected justices of the peace in the spring of 1811. Henry Porter performed the double service of clerk and justice of the peace. Colonel McDonald resigned his office, in 1812, to enter the army, and Judge Isaac McCrackin was elected to fill the vacancy. The early elections were held at the house of J. Elliott for a number of years.
The first white child born in the township was Paul, son of Lewis Igo, in February, 1799. The first marriage in the county was a social event of considerable importance, and was attended by Thomas Worthington and Dr. Tiffin with their families. The contracting parties were George and Elizabeth Cochran. and the marriage was solemnized on the 17th of April, 1798. Howe's History of Ohio mentions this as the "first marriage in the Scioto Valley." Mary Igo and Mary Keran, both born in 1800, were among the first female children born in the township. They both married, removed from the county, and died in old age. The first schoolhouse erected in the township was located on the farm of John Teter, and the first teacher was David Reed; and William Reed is said to have been one of the first justices, if not the first. He served fifteen years in that office. Adam Gilfillan was also one of the first. school teachers in the township. The first sermon delivered in the Paint creek valley
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is accredited to Rev. William Reran, a local preacher, though another authority, perhaps equally reliable, gives this honor to Revs. William and Edward Carnes. It is possible that the disagreement of authorities is due to the similarity in sound of the names, since William Reran is shown to have had a brother Edward who was also a preacher, and both settled in Haller's bottom prior to 1800.
The Methodists were the leaders in religious effort in Twin township, the first meetings being held in the settlers' cabins, and were conducted, principally, by Rev. William Keran. The first members of this class were William and Edward Reran and their wives, George Vinson Haller and wife, John Mick and wife, John and George Teter and their wives, John Mahan and wife, Archibald Browning and wife, Abijah Flora, Benjamin Grimes, Mrs. Mary Porter and Mrs. Matson. After continuing the services in the homes of the members for several years, a log meeting house was built in 1809, on the farm of John Teter. This gave way five or six years later, to a double hewed log house on the graveyard lot just north of the present village of Bourneville. This building served the people for over thirty years, and was the parent church of Methodism in the township. It was destroyed by fire at. the close of a "watch meeting," the last night of the year 1841. On the ruins of the old church, a brick meeting-house was erected in 1842, and under the pastorate of Rev. Alexander Maharry a very successful revival followed the opening of the new church, and resulted in one hundred and eighty accessions to the society during the year. In 1875 the the old church was taken down, and a substantial brick was established on the site, at a cost of some seven thousand dollars.
The church now known as Morris Chapel was organized about 1813, and meetings were held for a number of years at the house of John Riley, who was a zealous christian and active worker until his death, in 1838. Mr. Riley was the class leader from the date of organization until failing health compelled his retirement. The services were finally transferred from Riley's house to the log school house on the farm of David Moore. Morris' Chapel, named in honor of Presley Morris, one of the prominent members, and a generous contributor to the building fluid, was commenced in 1847, and completed in 1S50. March 20th, 1848, the church was incorporated under the laws of the State, and a board of trustees elected, consisting of Solomon V. Dorman, Jesse Wiley and Jacob Miller, Henry Snyder being elected secretary. This chapel is located about a mile east of the Slate Mills. It has been one of the land marks pointing the way to a higher christian civilization, and was the second Methodist organization in the township. It. still maintains its existence, with a considerable membership.
A society was formed in 1842 under the ministerial labors of Rev. J. Hill, with a membership of nineteen, and meetings were held at the home of David Core until the completion of "Core's Chapel" in
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1852. This congregation, like most of the others established in the rural districts in the early days, has been absorbed by the town churches; though some of the persisting members still make a futile effort to maintain the organization in memory of the religious fervor and self-sacrifice which brought it into existence. The United Brethren were early occupants of the field, and held religious services at the house of John Core, but never became a strong organization. The Methodists erected a frame church on Owl creek, and had a prosperous class for a number of years, which is now disorganized.
Sulphur Lick Chapel was built by the Methodists about 1845, and was later sold to the Protestant Methodists, whose society flourished for some years; but the membership was principally absorbed by a church of like faith in Bourneville, which, in turn, has passed out of existence, the church being sold to the Swedenborgian society in 1868. This was established as the Paint Valley society of the New Jerusalem Church, by Rev. J. P. Stuart, on the 22d of July, 1860. The society started out with a membership of thirteen, of whom Dr. Robert W. Spangler was president ; Robert Dill, secretary, and William Dill, treasurer. The church has no regular pastor at present, but occasional services are held.
The Presbyterians established a church in Bourneville in an early day, and erected a meeting house there about the year 1849. This organization had a precarious existence, but by that persistence and zeal which is characteristic of the sect, they maintained their organization through the years of trial, and they, with the Methodist Episcopal church, constitute the two persisting churches of the town. The North Fork Presbyterian church was organized in 1845, the prospective members having in the year previous secured sufficient funds to erect a frame building for church purposes. This was completed in 1846. Owing to the apparent indifference of the presbytery of the "Old school" on the questions of slavery and intemperance, this organization, about 1855, separated itself from the Scioto presbytery and joined the free presbytery of Ripley. However, after the abolition of slavery, it resumed its former ecclesiastical relations. The society has a brick church at Slate Mills, where services are regularly held.
The first burying ground in Twin township was located on the Teter farm, and Daniel Teter was one of the first persons buried there. After some years, the low ground was abandoned, and interments were made on higher ground to escape the overflow of the creek. Mrs. David Hare was buried on the hill in 1807. Nearly all of the churches provided a place for the interment of their dead ; but these were generally abandoned when the churches declined, and the cemetery at Bourneville, established about 1815, contains the remains of most of the early pioneers.
Mention has previously been made of Core's mills, which were
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the first in the township. William Reed established a combined mill below Core's, at an early date. Job Harness built a mill on Paint creek south of the present site of Bourneville about 1807. This was entirely a "home product," the stones being made of "hard-heads" found in the vicinity, and the iron work was made by a local black-smith. This property was subsequently owned by Matthew Waddle, who changed it into a primitive factory and wool-carding mill, operating it as such until it was destroyed by fire. George Kilgore erected a grist mill in an early day, on the opposite side of the creek from the Harness property, and this was operated for many years. The Slate Mills are located on the North Fork of Paint creek, on the Cincinnati pike. John Morris and James Reese erected this property in 1827. The name "Slate mills" is derived from the character of the earth through which the race is dug, the workmen having come in contact with a heavy layer of slate which was removed by blasting. This property has been greatly improved under various owners, and is now in successful operation as the property of Jacob Blosser.
The Bourneville steam mills were erected in 1874, by a stock company, in which William A. Jones was a principal stockholder, and he soon after became the sole owner. This property was fitted out with modern machinery and fully equipped for all kinds of general milling. It has had a successful career, and is still the leading industry in the town of Bourneville. This village is situated in the Paint valley between upper and Lower Twin. It was laid out by Isaac McCrackin and John Boswell, in the spring of 1832, and its name commemorates Colonel Bourne, who surveyed and platted the village. The postoffice was established a few years previous to the laying out of the town, the postoffice being known as Twintown, with John Boswell as first postmaster and first merchant in the place. Other early merchants were Elijah Bridwell, Samuel and Frederick Edwards, Douglas Smith, William Rowe and Robert P. McCrackin.
Bourneville was the scene of a noted tragedy in 1844, the murder of Frederick Edwards. He was reputed to have considerable money on his person or concealed about the store of Douglas Smith, in which Edwards slept. Two men, named Thomas and Maxon, conceived a plan to possess this money and, forcing an entrance to the store, aroused Edwards, who was sleeping in a room adjoining. Without thinking of consequences, he seized the nearest burglar, and in the melee which followed, received seventeen knife stabs, any one of which, it was thought, would have proved fatal. Thomas was supposed to have been the real murderer, though Maxon was arrested as an accessory, but made his escape from the county jail, and was never recaptured. Thomas was captured in Pennsylvania and brought to Chillicothe, where he was tried, convicted of murder, and hanged in 1846.
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The first tavern in Bournevile was opened by William Rowe, in 1832, and the same building served the public for more than fifty years. The first resident physicians were Drs. Thompson and Morton, who located in the town about the same time. These were succeeded by many others during the seventy years of the town's existence.
Mrs. Mary Edmiston was an early resident, who devoted herself to a special feature of medical practice, and whose eccentric habits left an impress upon those who knew her, and the name of "Captain Molly" has been transmitted by family tradition, to the present-day inhabitants. She came from Kentucky, a widow, with several small children, and located near the present site of Bourneville. She dressed in a mixed garb of male and female attire, and rode a horse as a man rides. Her hair was always closely cropped, and she wore a straw hat of her own manufacture, at all seasons of the year, and in all conditions of weather. This hat was very unlike any attempt at female adornment. "Captain Molly" was shrewd and quick-witted, always ready at repartee, and seldom came out second best in a war of words. Though possessing a rough unseemly exterior, she had a good true heart within, and was generous, even to her own disadvantage. The fees she collected of the wealthy families were liberally distributed among the poor, and' the latter she cheerfully served without pay. She died of cancer in 1836.
Bourneville was incorporated and assumed the position accorded by that legal proceeding by the election of Elijah Bridwell, mayor, and establishing a municipal government. But the citizens were indifferent to the honors thus conferred and abandoned the charter two years after it was granted. The location is beautiful, and the spot historical. There are many relics of the prehistoric race' in Twin township. These have been generally described in another chapter.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is the only secret society now represented in the town. This is designated as Lodge No. 808. It has been prosperous from its organization to the present and numbers among its members many of the best men in the town and adjacent country.
The town of Bourneville, according to the census of 1900, contains a population of three hundred and fifty-six. This is an increase of one hundred and fifty-one during the last decade, a percentage not equalled by any other town in Ross county. It is a busy trading point, sustained by a large scope of good farming country, and its support is assured in the character and reputation of the business men. Some of the stores would do credit to a much larger place. Some small manufacturing is also done. An excellent graded school in the village affords ample opportunities to the children in the acquirement of a good practical education.