AUBURN TOWNSHIP - 503

CHAPTER II.

AUBURN TOWNSHIP.

NAME-ORGANIZATION -PHYSICAL FEATURES-MINERAL RESOURCES-FIRST SETTLEMENT-FIRST MILLS AND SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-RAGERSVILLE-JUSTICES.

THE ambitious disposition of Auburn Township's early settlers was manifested in the selection of its name. It was chosen, Bays trustworthy authority, for the sole reason that its initial letter was the first of the alphabet, and in consequence it leads in alphabetical order the long array of Tuscarawas County's civil subdivisions. The township dates its birth on the 6th day of June, 1838. On that day, the Commissioners erected it from portions of Bucks, Sugar Creek, Jefferson and Dover Townships. Its boundaries, as then established, are exactly the same as at present, as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of Section 13, Township 8, Range 4; thence south four miles to the southwest corner of Section 3, Township 7, Range 4; thence east on the section line three miles to the southeast corner of Section 1, Township 7, Range 4; thence south eighty perches to the southwest corner of Lot 37, Range 3; thence east one-half mile to the southeast corner of said lot; thence north 100 perches to the northeast corner of the same lot; thence east two miles thence north four miles to the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of Section 13, Township 8, Range 3; thence west five and one-half miles to the place of beginning. Though slightly irregular in outline, it may be said to be five and one-half miles in length, east and west, and four in width, north and south. It lies in Townships 7 and 8, of Ranges 3 and 4, on the western edge of the county. All its territory is Congress land, except 16/100 acre military lots in the southeast portion.

Sugar Creek courses northward through the township, but is here a diminutive stream. The western part of Auburn is drained by one of its branches, dubbed Hog's Creek, in consequence, it is said, of the unenviable reputation some of its settlers bore in appropriating their neighbors' pork. The eastern portion of the township is the source of Stone Creek, which flows eastward into York. The soil of the land is of excellent clay quality. The hillsides and ridges are not so abrupt as elsewhere in the county, and are generally susceptible of cultivation. Large crops of the cereals are produced, and fruit is grown in abundance. Horses and cattle of improved stock are found, but less attention is given to sheep and hogs. One of the chief exports is Swiss cheese. There are eight cheese factories in the township, some of which are conducted on the co-operative plan, and it is estimated that fifty tons are annually produced. It is shipped mainly to Pittsburgh, New York and Cincinnati.

504 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

The mineral resources of Auburn are unexcelled in the county. In the ridge about two and a half miles northeast from Ragersville, is found a ten foot vein of blackband iron ore, from which immense quantities have been shipped to Massillon and Dover. The ore is conveyed by a train road a distance of two and a half miles to Blackband Station, on the C. & M. Railroad. Large quantities of mountain ore exist, and four-foot veins of coal are abundant, but are not worked except for home consumption.

About a mile south of Ragersville, on the northeast quarter of Section 2, and on a hillside facing Sugar Creek Valley, is a fortification, doubtless erected by Mound Builders. Trees of two feet in diameter covered the inclosure and embankment sixty years ago. The fort is circular, and encloses probably two acres. When first observed, the embankment was five or six feet in height, with a ditch on the inside. There were two entrances, or passages. Since it has been brought under the devastating effects of the plow, this relic of antiquity has been greatly reduced in height.

The exact date of Auburn's first settlement is not known. John Mizer was the first pioneer, and lie came before 1809, probably as early as 18116. Originally from Pennsylvania, he had settled near Salem, Harrison County, and thence came to Tuscarawas, and entered and removed to the northwest quarter of Section 12, in the northwest portion of the township. He was a famous hunter, and spent most of his time in the forests. Dwelling here for a while, he removed with his family to the northwest quarter of Section 1, a mile south of Ragersville. Many were his exploits with wild animals in the solitudes of the wilderness, where he often remained over night. Once when sleeping amid the branches of a fallen tree, he was awakened by the sniffing of a large animal near him. Lying motionless till the animal had receded some distance and was standing on an adjoining log, he leveled his rifle and shot. A loud cry followed and a tumble. In the morning, a large bear, weighing 700 pounds, was found, shot through the heart. Two other bears were killed by Mr. Mizer that day. On another occasion, he espied two cubs and shot one. He seized, the other, with intent to carry it home alive, but its piteous cry attracted the mother, which rushed to the rescue with such hot haste that the hunter had little time to reload his weapon. Dropping the squalling cub, he poured some powder in the barrel of his gun and two naked bullets on top. Turning the gun just as the bear was about to reach him, he shot and killed her. Mr. Mizer remained in Auburn Township till game was getting scarce, and his favorite occupation became no longer possible. He then removed to the hills of Coshocton County, where game was yet abundant, and where he died in 1860, aged seventy-seven years. His sons, Jacob and George, now reside in Bucks Township.

George, Jacob and Frederick were the brothers of John Mizer. Frederick settled in Holmes County and George and Jacob in Section 1, Auburn Township. They too followed the chase. Jacob was once hunting on White-Eyes Creek, and his dogs pursued some game beneath a shelving rock. The daring hunter crawled in, and saw before him a pair of gleaming eyes. Calling to his brother John for a gun, which was handed him, he aimed and fired. The shot was successful, for a large panther was killed. Jacob Mizer, later in life, removed to Owen County, Ind. He and John Mizer were members of the German Reformed Church. George Mizer was a Dunkard, and a life-long resident of the farm on which he first settled in Auburn Township.

George Domer came with his father from Pennsylvania to what is now Sugar Creek Township before 1809. He entered and settled on the northwest quarter of Section 13, the northwest corner of Auburn, where he lived till his death. In religious belief he was a Dunkard. Lewis Lawbaugh, in 1810,

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came from Harrison County and entered and settled upon the south half of Section 12. He was formerly from Pennsylvania. The Indians often visited his lonely cabin and called for something to eat. Mrs. Lawbaugh usually complied with their requirements, and they would seat themselves around a stump before the cabin door, and with a crock of milk and loaf of bread among them, partake of her hospitality. In return, they often left at her door a saddle of venison. Mr. Lawbaugh was what is denominated a Pennsylvania German and was a member of the German Reformed Church. He died in 1823, aged fifty-three years. His son Lewis, a venerable citizen of seventy-five years, now resides at Shanesville.

Until the close of the war of 1812, the wilderness received its settlers very slowly, but about 1810 a strong tide of emigration set in, which continued until all the land was occupied. Land was not placed upon the tax duplicate until five years after it had been entered. In 1820, the following settlers of Auburn, besides the above, were paying taxes: Jacob Gonter, Daniel Keyser, Christian Lavagood, Andrew Myers, George Hurray, Henry Miller, Christian Pershing, Israel Penrod, Michael Rinehart, Adam Rinehart, Christian Rover, David Seltenright, Christian Seltenright, John M. Stonehocker and Philip Winkelpleck.

Jacob Gonter entered and occupied till his death, the southwest quarter of Section 2, on the south line of the township. He was a Lutheran and hailed from Pennsylvania. Daniel Keyser came, a widower, from Sandy Creek, and married Polly Domer as his second spouse. He was originally a Pennsylvanian. He entered the southwest quarter of Section 13, where he lived till his death. Christian Lavagood, also from the Keystone State, entered and occupied for the remainder of his life the northwest quarter of Section 11. He was a Lutheran. Andrew Myers, a Lutheran from Jefferson County, purchased the northeast quarter of Section 13, entered by John Lowmiller. George Murray, a member of the same faith, entered and settled on the southeast quarter of -Section 13. Henry Miller, whose sister married John Mizer, and who married a sister of the Mizers, entered the southwest quarter of Section 1. He was a Lutheran, came from Pennsylvania and afterward removed with a large family to Williams County. Christian Pershing, a Pennsylvania German like most of his neighbors, and a Lutheran, became the owner of the northeast quarter of Section 11, entered by Daniel Ermal. He remained here through life. Israel Penrod, a "Seventh-Day Baptist," purchased the northeast quarter of Section 21, which was entered by Michael Mower. Mr. Penrod was the first blacksmith in the township and died here. Michael Rinehart came from Pennsylvania in 1809, entered the southeast quarter of Section 11, was in the war of 1812, was a member of the Lutheran Church and died in 1858, aged sixty-nine years. Adam Rinehart, his brother, owned the southeast quarter of Section 20, and afterward sold and moved West. Christian Royer, of Somerset County, Penn., emigrated about 1813, and entered the northwest quarter of Section 2, where he lived through life. He was a Dunkard. David Seltenright came with his family about 1810, from Eastern Pennsylvania. He entered the northwest quarter of Section 18, and remained in the township until death. His wife was a sister to Lewis Lawbaugh, and he was a member of the German Reformed Church. Christian Seltenright entered and occupied for a while the southwest quarter of Section 23. John M. Stonehocker came from Pennsylvania soon after the war of 1812, and purchased the old Mizer farm, the northwest quarter of Section 12. He was then well advanced in life, and died soon after. His descendants are citizens of Coshocton County. Philip Winkelpleck entered the northwest quarter of Section 21. He came from the eastern part of the State, afterward sold the farm he entered and removed to Holmes County, where he died.

506 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

Jacob Peterman came to the township about 1814. He entered the southwest quarter of Section 21, but a few years later disposed of it and settled in Holmes County, near Rowville. A Mr. Dickey was an occupant of the township in 1810, but he owned no land. John Garver came in 1818 from Fayette County, Penn. Like most of the other pioneers, be began life in the wilds of the West with little or no means, and by economy and industry acquired extended possessions. He died in 1874. George Garver, his brother, came about 1820. Christopher Neff emigrated in 1820 from Somerset County, Penn., to a farm near Ragersville, but survived his removal to the West only three years. His son, Jonas Neff. still resides on the old place. Mr. Neff brought with him from Pennsylvania a dog which became a fast friend of a pack of wolves, and often roved the forests with them at nights, remaining from home sometimes for several weeks.

The first. mill in the township was built by Lewis Lawbaugh, in 1816, on Hog Run, in the northwest part of the township. Mr. Lawbaugh operated it until his death, and his sons then kept it in operation until about 1835.

Lewis Lawbaugh of Shanesville says that probably the first schoolhouse in the township was built about 1820, in the woods, on the present Jonas Neff farm, a short distance south of Ragersville. Many of the early teachers were travelers from the East, and often proved worthless for educational purposes. Not uncommonly they were intemperate men, who on their well-asserted claims of attainments would secure a subscription school, which continued only until their incapacity or their fondness for drink exhibited itself. Jonas Neff remembers a German and English school, taught by Mr. Mefendish, of Shanesville, as early as 1822, on the present Andrews farm, about a mile southwest from Ragersville. Among the pupils were the Mizers and Everharts. Mrs. Elizabeth Mizer, the wife of John Mizer, Sr., also attended. She had received no education in the East and had a strong desire to learn to read. Schools, however, were taught here before that of Mr. Mefendish.

The first church in the township was erected before 182O, by the German Reformed and Lutheran congregations, jointly. It was a log church, and stood on the hill west of the present Pleasant Valley Union Church, in the northwest portion of the township. Rev. Abraham Snyder was the first Lutheran minister, and Daniel Keyser and Andrew Myers were leading members. The church was allowed to decay a few years after Ragersville was founded, and the memberships were transferred to congregations of that village.

In the township are now two religious societies without Ragersville. Stone Creek German Lutheran Church is a log weather-boarded building, located on the northeast quarter of Section 24. The congregation is not large. Pleasant Valley Union Church was built about 1875, on the northeast quarter of Section 18, a small society of the United Brethren persuasion worship here.

Not far distant from the center of Auburn, on the edge of Sugar Creek Valley, lies the village of Ragersville. It has attained an age of over half a century, and its population in 1880 was 212, an increase of fifty-two during the previous decade. Its buildings include a great variety of architectural types, and the nationality of its citizens, to use the expression of one of them, is about three-thirds German. An Irishman or a Yankee cannot be found. A majority of the adult denizens of the village are natives of Germany or Switzerland, while most if not all the rest are of that ancestry. In ordinary parlance German is the prevailing tongue. An enumeration of its business world reveal four general stores, three saloons, three shoe shops, two blacksmith shops, one harness shop, two wagon shops, one cooper shop, one tailoring establishment,

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one cabinet-shop, one hotel and one large flour mill. The school building is a two-story frame, containing two apartments. One physician, Dr. H. J. Peter, attends to the physical ailments of the people, while three structures have been reared to provide for their spiritual welfare.

Ragersville was founded by Conrad Rager in 1830. The original plat embraced twenty-two lots, all facing on Main street, which extended North seventy-one degrees west. In 1848, Conoway, Snyder & Allender laid out an addition of twenty lots, located on the east side of the Coshocton road, and on the south side of Main street, east of the Coshocton road. Daniel Zimmerman, in 1849, made an addition of ten lots, on the north side of Main street and east of the school lot. In 1851, Levi Saigent made an addition of thirty-four. lots and several outlots south of Main street and west of the Coshocton road, together with seventeen outlots north of the village; but in 1866, the greater part of this addition was vacated. Peter Haas, in 1872, made an addition of four lots on the south side of Main street, and three outlots. In 1877, Daniel Zimmerman made an addition of four lots, 11-14, directly east of his first addition. In 1880, he made a third addition, including three lots, 15-17, east of his second addition.

Conrad Rager, the proprietor, came to the township from Pennsylvania in 1828. He purchased forty acres and erected a cabin, soon after building an addition to the dwelling and stocking it with goods, thus becoming the first merchant in the township. He afterward removed to Lockport, and died in the northern part of the State while absent on business. Jacob Neff bought from him the first lot in Ragersville, built a cabin and became the first shoe maker. A little later Willis Butler erected the first tavern. The following were the first to engage here in their respective vocations: Henry Conoway, physician; B. Dingledine, tailor; S. Dingledine, saddler; Guy Young, cooper; Adam Haas, wagon-maker and liquor dealer; Snider Brothers, tinners; Christ Schneider, organ maker; Andrew McFarlan, artist; Hugh Hughes, singing teacher; Charles Espich, brick-maker, butcher and gunsmith. Mathias Rager was the first child born in the place, and the first marriage was that of a Miss Butler to John Poll ins. John Miller and John Garver were the proprietors of a tread-wheel carding machine. A water mill was built on the branch of Sugar Creek, a short distance below Ragersville, by Michael Swagler as early as 1826. The mill was afterward destroyed by fire, and the water-right sold to Lewis Lawbaugh, who had previously built the first blacksmith shop in Ragersville. Lawbaugh rebuilt the mill and built a shop close to it. He afterward sold the mill to Christian Zeiser, who added an engine with which to run the mill when the water was low. Swegler also built just below town, in 1826, a distillery in which the first Sabbath school was afterward held. The large steam flouring mill now owned by G. W. Goody &, Son, was built in 1851, by Sargent, Neff, Snyder & Cames, at a cost of over $14,000. Though it failed to remunerate its first owners, the mill has proved a great advantage to the village and the surrounding country. It now contains three buhrs and a roller. Until quite recently, besides doing a general custom business, it has exported considerable flour.

A post office was established about 1840; John Mossholder was the first Postmaster. Among the early teachers were Philip Rinehart, D. Newmeyer and Squire Dally. Ragersville now has its fourth school building.

The first religious edifice in the village was built in 1837, by the Lutheran and German Reformed Societies. The Lutheran congregation was organized in the spring of 1836, by Rev. J. B. Reek, and the same year Jacob Gonter and William Benell were elected Elders, and Jonas Neff and Samuel Allbaugh, Deacons. In 1845, Rev. J. G. Harris succeeded Rev. Reek, and the subse-

508 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

quent pastors have been J. J. Miller, W. C. Hauer, George Leiter, U. J. Knisely, Samuel McReynolds, W. B. Bechtal, A. R. Smith and L. S. Jones. The congregation once numbered almost one hundred, but it is now small. Since 1878, only occasional services have been held.

The German Reformed congregation has now a large membership. It erected on the site of the old church, in 1866, a much larger building, which it now occupies. Rev. Noll is the present pastor.

A Methodist Episcopal class was organized at Ragersville about 1840, and in 1844 a brick church edifice was erected on Lot 19, in the western part of the village. John Walter and Joseph Zimmerman were early members. In a short time a flourishing society of seventy-five or more members existed, but it then began to decline. Deaths and removals lessened the membership, and there was no material from which to recruit the class. The incoming settlers were all of German nationality, whose religious preferences were for their own churches. The Methodist class in consequence became extinct. Mrs. Kunz is now the only surviving member in the village.

The old Methodist Church has been occupied for a few years by a Dunkard Society, which previously had met for many years in private houses and barns. It is an old society, and among its early members were Gabriel Neff, who was minister for a time, John Penrod, George Garver, John Garver, John Mizer, Joseph Cherryholmes. George Harshman and Joseph Ellenbarger. Rev. Jacob Summers was an early minister, and Rev. William Johnson is now in charge. The membership is about sixty.

A Christian, or Disciple Church was, about 1850, built by a small congregation, of which John Shank and Samuel Walker were members. The society did not attain any considerable size, and in a few years dissolved. The Lutherans now hold occasional services in the building.

A complete official list of the township magistrates of Auburn has not been preserved. The following are all that are found on the record of oaths administered: George Davis. 1831; Henry D. Lehmer, 1849, resigned 1851; John W. Gonter, 1849; John Travis. 1851; John W. Gonter, 1852; John Travis, 1854; Sebastian Dingledine, 1854; Frederick Neff, 1855; Sebastian Dingledine, 1857; John Shank, 1858; Peter Kunz, 1860; Sebastian Dingledine, 1861; Otto Boysen, 1863; Levi Travis, 1864; William Wagner, 1866; Levi Travis, 1867; James W. Stout, 1869; Levi Travis, 1870; Sebastian Dingledine, 1871; George W. Goudy, 1872; H. J. Peters, 1875; Levi Travis, 1878; Samuel Zimmerman, 1878; H. J. Peters, 1881; Levi Travis, 1881; John B. Jones, 1882.