672 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

CHAPTER XIX.

WARWICK TOWNSHIP.

FORMATION-TOPOGRAPHY-FIRST ENTRIES OF MILITARY LANDS-PIONEERS A NUMBER OF FIRST THINGS - MILLS - CHURCHES - JUSTICES - TRENTON.

WARWICK TOWNSHIP was organized at a session of the Board of Commissioners held April 1, 1819. As then constituted, it included all of Township 7, Ranges 1, 2 and 3, except the Gnadenhutten tract, or all of present Warwick and Jefferson Townships, with portions of Auburn, York, Clay, Mill and Union This territory was from time to time lessened by the organization of subsequent townships, until Warwick was reduced to its present limits. It now comprises the west half of Township 7, Range 1, which is two 4,000-acre military quarters, and a portion off the east side of Township 7, Range 2, consisting of twenty-five 100-acre military tracts. and five and three-fourths sections of Congress land. The name Warwick is said to have been adopted at the suggestion of the Blickensderfers in honor of a little vil lage of the same name in Lancaster County, Penn., whence they cattle.

Almost the entire eastern half of Warwick lies in the broad valley of the Tuscarawas, and its land in fertility will compare with the famed bottoms of the Miami. The plains in this portion of the valley were densely timbered when the pioneers arrived. In clearing this land for cultivation, it was customary to fell and burn all timber a foot or under in diameter, and to deaden the larger trees by cutting the bark. The western part of the township is broken and the soil argillaceous. These hills are underlaid with a fine quality of coal in four-foot veins, and large quantities have been mined and shipped via the Ohio Canal, which crosses the eastern part of the township. Two railroads cross the township; the Cleveland. Lorain & Wheeling passes through the northeast corner, and the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St, Louis fol lows the course of the river in the southeast.

The northeast part of the township consists of the second quarter of Township 7, Range 1, which was patented February 17, 1801. by William Allman. of Washington County, Penn. Allman the same year granted 1,110 acres to Jonas Stansberry, who soon after transferred it to John G. Cunow, of Bethlehem, Penn. Cunow also purchased from Allman 1,060 acres of the same quar ter for $2,650, August 25, 1802. He sold the latter April 9, 1822, to Lewis D. Schwemitz, of Bethlehem, Penn., for $3,000. The former was disposed of in tracts by his executors. Allman also sold Christian Blickensderfer 1,500 acres June 14, 1804, for $4,590. Christian Blickensderfer, of Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Penn., sold three several tracts of 375 acres each for $1,125 each, August 8, 1806, to Mathias Blickensderfer, to Martin Keller and to Mathias Tschudy.

The southeast portion of Warwick comprises the third quarter of Township 7, Range 1, patented by John Heckewelder March 28,. 1800. His earliest sales from this 4,000-acre tract were as follows: December 10, 1800, to Charles Colver, of Hanover Township. Northampton Co., Penn.. 177 acres, consideration, $777; December 19, 1800, to Nathaniel Colver, yeoman, of Newton Township, Washington Co.. Northwest Territory (the land of Tuscarawas

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County was then embraced in Newton Township), 262 acres, consideration, $262; December 20, 1800, to Lewis Knaus, of the same township, 1,167 acres, for $2,335; December 20. 1800, to John Romig, yeoman, of Nazareth Township, Northampton Co., Penn., 292 acres, for $292; January 12, 1801, to Isaac Burroway, of Mount Joy Township, Lancaster Co., Penn., 243 acres, consideration, $586; January 12, 1801, to Abraham Levering, grocer, of Bethlehem, Penn., 175 acres, for $175; January 19, 1801, to Eberhard Freytig, physician of Bethlehem, Penn., 271 acres, for $271; to John Ehrich,of Lebanon Township, Dauphin Co., Penn.. 244 acres, for $489.

This eastern half of Warwick Township, a beautiful and fertile region, was one of the first settled portions of the valley. To Clay Township belongs the honor of the first settlement. The second was made either in Warwick or Salem, both in the year 1800. The primitive pioneers were Moravians. While the Indian tracts of Clay and Salem Townships drew Moravian emigrants, whose means were insufficient to purchase land, the rich plains of Warwick became the possession of wealthy Moravians, who sold parcels to their well-to-do brethren. The records show that Lewis Knaus and Nathaniel Colver were both here in 1800. Both were Moravians from Northampton County, and both were extensive land holders. The former was an energetic citizen and a life-long resident of the township. His children were Thomas, Samuel, Mrs. Jacob Kneister and Mrs. Reichman. Isaac Burroway was here in 1801.

Elijah Seward is said to have been the first settler in the township, coming in 1800 or 1801 from Northampton County, Penn. He was a Moravian, and dwelt on his farm, near the south end of Trenton, till his death, about 1820. His family soon after scattered. Thomas was the only child who remained long in the vicinity. He afterward removed to near Newport, where he died at an advanced age.

John F. Demuth, in 1800 or 1801, accompanied Lewis Knaus. Godfrey Haga and Michael Uhrich on a horseback journey from the East Haga soon returned, and a little later settled in Clay Township. Uhrich afterward settled in Mill Township. Mr. Demuth bought a small farm of seventy acres in Warwick Township, and bringing his wife, Elizabeth Roth, from Pennsylvania, settled there. A year or two later, Christian Demuth, the father of John, emigrated with his eight daughters and settled on thirty-five acres just east of the river and opposite his son John. Of the daughters, Mary married Jacob Uhrich; Susan, John Fenner; Rosa, Joseph Shamel; Sarah, George Sbamel; Rachel, Richard Ferguson. Margaret, Mr. Flickinger, and afterward James Tracy. The other two girls became Mrs. Neichtman and Mrs. Benjamin Casey. Christian Demuth engaged in farming, and died in 1822. He was a Moravian.

Other Moravians from Pennsylvania, who were among the earliest to possess the virgin soil of Warwick, were John Romig, who was here in 1802, and died on his farm near Trenton; Abraham Romig, his brother, who came in 1803 or earlier, and remained through life; John Uhrich, son of Michael Uhrich, Sr.; he possessed considerable property at one time, but died in poverty. William Cassler was here in 1801.

Godfrey Westhafer was a resident of the township in 1804. He owned fifty-eight acres about a mile south of Trenton, and was in service during the war of 1812. He was an early Mason, and on that account was dreaded by some of his neighbors, who attributed unearthly powers to the members of the order. Mr. Westhafer was the first tavern-keeper of Trenton, and died in the township.

Peter Ginther, a Moravian from Bedford County, Penn., was here in 1802. He owned fifty acres on Mud Run, the east half of Military Lot 6, and re-

674 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

mained in the township through life. Henry and Martin Keller, brothers, originally from Switzerland and directly- from Lititz, Penn., came about 1804. Henry purchased 130 acres about a mile northeast from Trenton, and Martin entered the northeast quarter of Section 10. They participated in the war of 1812, were Moravians, and remained residents of the township through life. Henry was a renowned bass singer.

Other pioneers, who reached the wilderness in 1808, or earlier. were George and Joseph Shamel, brothers and Moravians from North Carolina. Both were farmers, land holders, and life-long residents of the township. James Tracy, a Virginian and a Methodist, for a long time the only one in the vicinity, in 180! or 1808 leased land near Trenton, and afterward removed to Indiana. His son James, aged eighty-three years. note lives at Newport, Mill Township.

John Knaus, a relative of Lewis Knaus, was a resident of the township's soil in 1801. He first settled on the west. hank of the river, southwest from Trenton. Several times the high waters rose above his cabin door and compelled him to seek temporary shelter with his family on higher land. Tiring of this, he abandoned the bottoms and sought the hills. He became the owner of Lot 7 and the west half of Lot 6, where lie remained till his death. His son John still dwells on this faun. Other early settlers on the military lots in the southwest part of the township were Nathaniel and John Syron, brothers, from New Jersey; the former owned Lots 11 and 1-1, the latter Lot '• , which soon after was occupied by John Clewell. a Pennsylvanian.

The Blickensderfers were prominent pioneers. John Blickensderfer came about 1812. He hailed from Pennsylvania, was a Moravian, and, according to the early custom of that church, it is said, obtained his wife by lot. He was a life-long citizen of the township. Christian Blickensderfer, his brother, like hire possessed considerable means. more than usually fell to the lot of the backwoods settler. He, operated a distillery for a few years after his arrival: then devoted his attention to farming. His settlement in the township was almost simultaneous with that of his brother. and he remained its resident the remainder of his days. Benjamin Blickensderfer a relative of the above, and a brother of Judge Jacob Blickensderfer. of New Philadelphia, settled on a farm about one and a half miles north of Trenton.

Among the first settlers in the northwest portion of the township were Henry Benfer, who entered the northwest charter of Section 11: John Corp. man, a Moravian, from Lititz, Penn.. who settled on the northeast quarter of Section 13; Henry Van Lahn. who entered and settled on the northwest quarter of Section 10: and George Metzgar, a Pennsylvania Moravian, and owner of eighty acres in the northeast quarter of Section 12. John Whitman came early, and settled some distance north of Trenton. He died in Pennsylvania while there on business.

The first birth in the township was that of Elijah Seward's son in 1802. The second and third white natives of the township were Lydia Demuth and Thomas Knaus. One of the first marriages was that of John Colver to Sarah Everett, of Clay Township. Their wedding day was April 7, 1807, and Rev. George G. Miller the officiating minister. Mr. Colver was born near Bethlehem, Penn., February 11, 1775. and died February 14, 1814.

John Blickensderfer, soon after his arrival in this township, built a little "thundergust " saw and grist mill on Mud Run, about a mile north of Trenton. The stream had then much greater volume than now. and could run abort nine months in the year. At present the water- power would be insufficient to operate it a month at a time. Abort 1 20, lie constructed a dam across the river about two miles northwest from Trenton, excavated the race, which now enters the feeder ..f the canal. and erected a large grist mill,

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which for many years was a custom mill of extensive patronage. About 1844, it was entirely rebuilt by Minnich & Walton, and is now owned and operated by Greenbury Hilton. It has frequently changed ownership, and has often been repaired. For a time a carding mill and an oil mill were operated in conjunction with it.

Cornelius O'Donnell was one of the earliest teachers. He swayed his pupils in a rude log schoolhouse which stood near the site of the present Sharon Moravian Church.

As has already been stated, the early- pioneers were almost without exception members of the Moravian Church. For a time they doubtless attended service at Gnadenhutten, but it was only for a few years until the Sharon congregation was organized. The early records of this society are lost, and it is impossible to fix the date of its formation. It was not later than 1812 or 1815, and may have been years earlier. About the time the Blickensderfers arrived, a. substantial hewed-log church was built, which served the congregation until 1854, when the present spacious edifice was built on the same site about a mile north of Trenton, during the pastorate of Rev. F. R. Holland. It is a large two-story brick edifice, doubtless the largest country sanctuary in Tuscarawas County. It is surrounded by tall, spreading trees, and in the rear is a graveyard, where the remains of many pioneers and their posterity repose. For a long time after its organization, Sharon was supplied with ministers from Gnadenhutten. Since the erection of the present house of worship, the pastors of Sharon have been Revs-, F. R. Holland until 1858; E. M. Leibert for a short time, then 1-L T. Bachman, D. Z, Smith, E. A. Oerter and J. J. Ricksecker successively. The last named has had charge of the congregation since 1875. The total membership of the church is now 315; of these, 100 are communicant members.

In the northwest part of the township a Lutheran congregation formerly flourished in a meeting house called Mud Run Church. Its leading members were the Metzgars and the Tuckers. Under the ministration of Rev. E. Greenwold, a frame meeting house was erected about 1840, but in a few years the society ceased to exist.

A Methodist Episcopal class was formed in the southern part of the township not earlier than 1850 by the withdrawal of James McCreary, Robert Ricketts an and wife, James B. Cresap and wife, and others from a society in Clay Township. A building known as the Cross Roads Church was erected. The society worshiped here until about 1867, then affiliated with the Gnadenhutten Methodist Church.

At Trenton is a Lutheran congregation, the organization of which dates back more than half a century. Early services were held in the schoolhouse by Rev. E. Greenwold, of New Philadelphia, and about 1836, chiefly through the efforts of John Minnich, who advanced the means with which to build, the present large frame church was erected. It was the first religious edifice in the village. Mathias Dunning was another early, leading member. The church was formerly very strong, and still possesses a considerable membership. The last minister was Rev. Herbster, who preached both in the English and German languages. At this writing there is a temporary vacancy in the pulpit.

Several attempts have been made to organize a Methodist Episcopal society at Trenton, and the last one was wholly successful. Included in its membership were Joseph Fries, Joseph Barr and Mathias T. Fenner. The church building was erected about 1874, not long after the class was formed, the previous meetings having been held in the schoolhouse. Services are now regularly held. The membership is not large.

676 - HISTORY OF TUSCARAWAS COUNTY.

A Universalist congregation was organized at Trenton with about twenty-five members. For about a year, Rev. N. S. Sage ministered to this flock in the schoolhouse, but since then there have been no regular services, and the society soon perished.

The Justices of the Peace for the township whose oaths of office have been recorded, are as follows: Jacob Uhrich, 1819; Abraham Ricksecker, 1819; Benjamin Blickensderfer, 1822; Jacob Uhrich, 1822; Benjamin Blickensderfer, 1825; Jacob Uhrich, 1826; Benjamin Blickensderfer. 1828, resigned 1829: John D. Fenner, 1828, resigned 1830; Boaz Walton, 1829; Mathias Dunning, 1830; Boaz Walton, 1832; Boaz Walton, 1835; Benjamin Blickensderfer, 1836; Joseph Demuth, 1836; Mathias Dunning, 1836; Joseph Demuth. 1839; Samuel Romig, 1839; Hiram Eckman, 1842; Samuel Romig, 1842; Benjamin Van Lehn, 1845: Samuel Romig, 1845; Benjamin Van Lehn, 1848; Samuel Romig. 1848; Benjamin Van Lehn, 1851; Benjamin Walton, 1851, resigned 1852; Samuel Knaus, 1852; Jacob Blickensderfer, 1851; Benjamin Blickensderfer, 1855: Samuel Knaus. 1856; Benjamin Blickensderfer, 1858; Samuel Romig. 1859; Samuel Knaus, 1861; Joseph Demuth, 1862; Hiram Eckman, 1863; Samuel Knaus, 1864; H. J. Knisely, 1866: Samuel Knaus, 1867; H. J. Knisely, 1869; Henry Van Lehn, 1870; H. J. Knisely, 1872; Henry Van Lehn, 1873; H. J. Knisely, 1855; Hiram Eckman, 1876; Benjamin Van Lehn, 1876; Benjamin Van Lehn, 1879; Hiram Eckman, 1879; Hiram Eckman, 1882; Benjamin Van Lehn, 1882; Henry Van Lehn, 1883.

Trenton, the only village in the township, and one of the oldest in the county, was laid out in 1816 by Abraham Ricksecker and Abraham Romig, attorneys in fact for Eberhard Freytig. It consisted of sixty lots, three and a half by ten and a half perches in size. John Uhrich, in the same year, made an addition of twenty-four lots to the south of the original plat. Two additions have since been laid out, one consisting of forty lots, in 1830, by Clewell & Fenner, south of Cherry street, and the other, comprising ten lots lying between the addition of Uhrich and that of Clewell & Fenner, by John Minnich, in 1835. The name of the village for a number of years was Tuscarawas, or "Tuscarawastown." The name of the place was then changed, on petition, to Trenton, but inasmuch as a post office named Trenton already existed, in Butler County, the original name, Tuscarawas has since been retained for the office here. Abraham Ricksecker, one of the proprietors, was a Moravian, and when he first came to the county, in 1811 or 1812, settled about a mile north of the village which he assisted in founding. By occupation he was a drover, and died while in the East on business. Eberhard Freytig, on whose land the village was located, was a resident of Bethlehem, Penn. Godfrey Westhafer moved to Trenton in 1817 or 1818, and opened in a log house the first hotel of the village, "The Westhafer House, Sign of the Cross Keys." The proprietor of this tavern was a jolly, good-natured host, and it became a popular place of entertainment for early travelers through this part of the county.

The village grew slowly. In 1826, it contained the following resident, lot owners: Henry Everett, who afterward went West ; Joseph Fries, the first blacksmith and an early settler, who secured the services of some Goshen In dians to assist him in the erection of his shop; Benjamin Harbaugb, a cabinetmaker, who afterward moved to Iowa and died there; Lewis Knaus, farmer and land speculator; James Myers, who operated the first tannery at Trenton, and later in life removed to Uhrichsville, where he died; Joseph Sturges, a Pennsylvania German, who remained through life; John Uhrich, Godfrey Westhafer and John Whitman.

The first merchant and Postmaster was John Minnich. He was born in

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Bedford, Penn., August 10, 1798; came to New Philadelphia with his parents in July, 1805; taught school in his youth, and about 1827 came to Trenton. He opened hig store in a log structure, which was moved from the deserted Goshen Mission, and with slight repairs served him as both store and dwelling house until 1835. Some of his first goods were purchased at Pittsburgh and teamed to Trenton, while others were wagoned over the mountains from Philadelphia. Isaac Everett, late of New Philadelphia, clerked for him from 1833 to 1836, the first two years at a salary of $5 per month and board. Mr. Minnich remained a life-long business man of the place, and died June 5, 1870. Other early tavern keepers were Col. Elisha Janes and Samuel Romig.

Not until the canal was built through the village did it begin to attract settlers. In 1831, the population reached about 120; in 1870, it was 292, and in 1880, 314. Dr. Richard Hewitt located here in the fall of 1833. He was afterward appointed Indian agent, and died in the West. Dr. Hiram Eckman came in 1834, and except for one year, when he resided at Newcomerstown, remained in continuous practice until his recent retirement from business. Dr. A. P. Buchanan, now of Fort Wayne, Ind., Dr. Moore, and several others, practiced the healing art here in years agone. The only present practitioner is Dr. E. S. Russell. The village now contains four general stores, a drug store, a millinery store, two furniture establishments, two blacksmith shops, three shoe shops, two wagon shops, and a cooper shop. A large brick grist mill was built in 1873, by John Blotter; but, his subsequent failure occurring before its completion, it has come to the hands of a creditor, and as yet not put in operation. The present schoolhouse, is a two-story frame, containing three rooms, and built in 1858. Its first teacher was John D. Cunning. It supplanted a one-story brick schoolhouse, of two rooms, before which the village had a hewed-log house of learning. Arrangements have been made for the erection of a new schoolhouse. The two churches of the village have already been noticed. Although Trenton retains its primitive appearance with regard to many of the buildings, a number of neat and handsome structures have been reared within the last few years. Its inhabitants include the descendants of many of the early settlers, and the thrifty habits of the forefathers are still discernible in the children of the third and fourth generations.