Brown County, Ohio - Chapter 16: Byrd Township, 1883

By John M. Thompson No. 3, By The Name Op Byrd

Beginning at the northwest corner of Huntington Township; thence with the north line thereof to the northeast corner of the said township; thence north with the line of Sprigg, and passing its corner to the north line of Adams County; thence with the said line west to the northwest corner of the county; thence south to the beginning.

The Commissioners proceed to divide Byrd Township by running line due west from the southwest corner of Wayne Township to the county line, and ordered that the new township or north part of the division be called by the name of Eagle, etc.

Upon examination, it is found that in dividing Byrd Township the north line was so far south that Byrd Township would not have the quantity of square miles allowed by law.

Therefore, it is ordered that the line between Byrd and Eagle Townships be altered and established as follows, to wit: Beginningat the southwest corner of Wayne Township; thence north, with the line of Wayne Township, 320 poles; thence west to the west line of the county.

j Thus, it is seen, it was one of the original townships of Brown County at the time of its organization. It was named in honor of Charles W. Byrd, Secretary of the Northwest Territory. It is bounded as follows: North by Jackson Township, west by Jefferson, south by Union and Huntington, and east by Adams County. It is six miles long north and south, and five miles wide east and west. It contains 20,000 acres of land. The surface of the township is neither flat nor hilly, but sufficiently rolling to insure good drainage. The higher points fall by easy descent to ihe lower lands, making nearly all suitable for an easy cultivation. The soil of the township is fertile. The principal productions are corn, wheat, oats, tobacco, potatoes and pork. Tobacco and wheat are the staple productions. This township is third in the county in the amount of tobacco produced. It is well watered by the East and West Forks of Eagle Creek and Rattlesnake Creek, which furnish considerable water-power. In a few places in the township it is hilly, and that is along the creeks, but as a whole the surface is level, covered at an early day with timber. Numerous springs of excellent water abound in the township, and in parts where springs are lacking water is obtained by digging to the depth of from twelve to forty feet.

, Byrd Township contains no very valuable minerals. The most valuable is the blue limestone. It is used for building stone, or for burning into lime. In the upper portion of it are found marine shells, and on the hillsides it is found in detached pieces. Underneath the lowest strata or base of the hills is a compact soapstone, or blue clay, impervious to water. At the time the first white settlers appeared, the land was nearly all covered with timber, which they had to clear away to make their cultivated fields. Abundance of timber is still left, but not such a surplus that owners are anxious to clear off their farms. Walnut, which used to be abundant, has nearly all been cut out. At first it was of little value, and was used for various purposes, as rails, building timber, etc. Oak, hickory, ash, elm, beech and poplar compose the principal timber now, though there are small amounts of other kinds.

The earliest settlers of the township of whom we have any account were John Knox, Thomas Hatfield, John McLaughlin, Andrew Dragoo, Lawrence Ramey, George Fisher, John Wright, Nathaniel Beasley and Benjamin Sutton. Lawrence Ramey had a family of ten children - nine girls and one boy. He settled southwest from Decatur about one mile and a quarter. His only son, George, died while serving in the war of 1812. Lawrence Ramey died April 3, 1835, aged eighty- one years. These settlers came mostly from Virginia, prior to the year 1800, and effected a settlement when the whole country was in wilderness and abounded in all kinds of game.

The first settlement within the present limits of the township of which any definite account can be obtained was made by John Knox, who settled on the East Fovk of Eagle Creek, about two miles from Decatur, on the lands where Hiram Foster now lives, in 1796. Knox was a native of Virginia. He had a family consisting of five sons and three daughters. Knox was a hard worker, and endured many hardships. Himself and family joined the Shaker community, but most of them afterward returned.

Henry Earhart came from Virginia to this township in 1801. Himself and wife traveled part of the long journey in a two-horse wagon. In descending the precipitous hills, it was necessary to check the vehicle. This was done by fastening small saplings to the wagon. They proceeded in this manner until they reached Wheeling, where they chartered a flat-boat and floated to Maysville. Here they stopped, and made their way to their new settlement. He assisted Nathaniel Beasley in the erection of the first house in Decatur, which was torn down in April, 1882. He devoted his time mostly to splitting rails, clearing timber, hunting, and the raising of houses. A few years later, he left, and went back to his native land. He went into the war of 1812, and was never heard of afterward.

Nathaniel Beasley was one of the earliest and most prominent settlers. Before settling here, he had been a member of several surveying parties in Southwestern Ohio, and been inured to the severest extremes of weather when far from the habitation of any white man. The surveying expeditions were attended with great risk of attack from Indians, and on several occasions the parties to which he was attached lost some of their men from savage assaults. The surveys were made right in the midst of deadly foes, and required great dispatch and secresy. After moving to Byrd Township, Mr. Beasley gave some attention to surveying, and laid off a number of roads, farms and villages. He was elected Surveyor of Adams County, and served many years, and was Captain, and afterward General, in the State militia. He ultimately became one of the wealthiest land-owners in the community, and one of the most intelligent and esteemed citizens of the county. He was born in Spottsyl vania County, Va., May 19, 1774, and died March 27, 1885. His wife was Sarah Sutton, the daughter of one of the earliest settlers of Byrd Township.

William West was born in Fairfax County, Va. , February 16, 1781, and, whon eight years of age his father brought him to Mason County, Ky., settling at Kenton's Station, near where Washington now is. When sixteen years old, he came with his father across the river, and remained with him near Aberdeen until 1806, when, with his wife, whom he had married the year previous, and a child, he pushed forward to the farm near Decatur, which he oe- cupied throughout the rest of his long, eventful life. When he arrived, the country about him was one vast wilderness, broken only here and there, at distant intervals, by small clearings. He died at the old homestead J anuary 24, 1870, in his eighty- ninth year. At that time, he had six children living and four dead; forty-two grandchildren living and seventeen dead: thirty-five great-grandchildren living and eight dead - an aggregate posterity of 112. In politics, he has been an unflinching Democrat.

Thomas Hatfield, with his family, moved from Mason County, Ky., to the farm his son David now occupies, on W est Fork, in 3 804. It was then an unbroken wilderness. He was formerly from Pennsylvania. Mr. Hatfield remained on this place the rest of his life. He had a family of fen children - Thomas, Mary, John, Sarah, Martha, Jonas, Deborah, Elizabeth, Isom and David. One of the daughters, Martha, joined the Shakers, but, after a few years, returned to her father's house.

John Wright, his wife, Margaret (McKetrick), and their children, William, Margaret, Robert, John, Thomas, Samuel and Jane, settled one mile north of Decatur in 1801 or 1802. Mr. Wright had two children born unto him after his settlement here - Alexander and James. He came from near Lexington, Ky., and had previously lived in Virginia. He purchased 400 acres of land from Gen. Nathaniel Beasley, and lived and died on the place. His eldest son, William, settled on 200 acres of the farm, married Elizabeth Thomas December 25, 1805, and died on the home place. John Wright, Sr., represented Adams County in the State Legislature soon after his emigration hither, and while it met at Chillicothe. A Mr. Evans and family were living on the creek before 1802.

James Moore was one of the early settlers. He was from Pennsylvania, and was an early Justice of the Peace of Byrd Township. His son James is said to have been the first child born in the township, in 1800. Mr. Moore had two other sons - Robert and J ohn - besides several daughters.

Benjamin Sutton was another early pioneer. He came from Maysville, Ky., and, for more than a score of years, was Justice of the Peace. His daughter Sally married Nathaniel Beasley. Mr. Sutton had but two sons. Of these, Othe never married, and boated on the Ohio and Mississippi extensively. Tingley married and reared a large family.

David Montgomery operated a little farm a short distance north of Decatur, and afterward carried on a little blacksmith shop in the village. He was well advanced in life when he came to this township, but it was at quite an early day.

Other early settlers were the Howlands, on Eagle Creek - John Howland and his family. His sons, Ichabod and John, served in Capt. Shepherd's company of riflemen during the war of 1812. Two other sons were Levi and Iza tus. William Sparrs, who had settled in the northern part of the township, was one of the prisoners in Hull's surrender. Samuel Shaw and Mr. Kilpat rick, two other soldiers in the war of 1812 from this township, were killed by the Indians while on their way home from Fort Meigs. William Shields was an early settler some distance southwest from Decatur. He lived to a good old age. George Edwards, originally from Fairfax County, Va., but directly from the vicinity of Aberdeen, settled in the northwestern part of the township about 1808. His father, James, was an early settler at Aberdeen. David Mc- Bride settled early on Eagle Creek. He was of Irish extraction. Another Irish settler, somewhat later, was John Stitt. Samuel Pickerill, with his family, came to the township in 1810, and remained until his death, in 1850, at the advanced age oE ninety-six years. He had been a drummer boy in the Amercian Revolution. About 1807, Joshua Grimes settled in this township, and spent the balance of his life here.

John West, Sr., is the oldest settler in the township now living, and resides about two miles from Decatur. He was the son of William West, and was born January 1, 1797. He was married to Louisa Steward, who reared a family of seven children. His wife died a few years since. Mr. West was a powerful man in his day, and a hard worker. During his son John's life, the farm was placed under his control, but since his death, the old man has again the supervision. Mr. West is a member of the Christian Church at Liberty Chapel. In politics, he holds strongly to the' Democratic faith.

Joseph Stevenson, deceased (familiarly called "Uncle Joe"), was one of the late pioneers of this community. He was born in Washington County, Penn., in the year 1804, and came to this neighborhood in 1814, when he first engaged in the occupation of farming. He followed this for several years, when he removed to Decatur and took charge of the hotel business. He also engaged in mercantile business quite awhile. He has held many minor offices in the township, among which wa3 Justice of the Peace. He was Postmaster from 1852 to 1877, when he gave up business and settled down to quiet life. He died August 24, 1882, in the seventy-ninth year of his age. He married Nancy Geeslin December 30, 1830, who reared him eleven children - nine sons and two daughters. His wife and six sons are living. Mr. Stevenson was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Decatur, and was much respected by all who knew him.

James Snedaker, deceased, may be classed with the pioneers. He was born in Brown County October 22, 1814; died in Decatur July 25, 1882, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. He first engaged in the occupation of a farmer, and spent his life in and near Decatur. He devoted his time principally to the mercantile business, and did a big business in Decatur at an early day. In 1877, he was appointed Postmaster, vice Joseph Stevenson, resigned, which he continued to keep until the day of his death. He was married to Susan Robb, who reared a family of eight children, seven of whom are living. Mr. Snedaker belonged to the Presbyterian Church, and held various offices of trust in the church. He was an honest man, and was much respected by all who knew him.

Early Times And Customs

In the earlier settlements of this section, ponds, marshes and swamps abounded, where to-day are found fertile and cultivated fields. The low and fiat lands were avoided for the higher lands, not only on account of the wetness, but for sanitary reasons. The proximity of a spring also had much to do with the location of the cabin, but in the selection of places for the erection of other buildings, convenience was the ordinary test. The corn-crib, made of rails or poles, and covered with clapboards or hay, as convenience suggested, was as apt to be in close proximity to the front as at the rear of the building, or near the stable. The habitations of those days were the double log cabin, with an entry between the two rooms, clapboard roof, puncheon floors, with chimneys of split sticks and clay mortar, clapboard doors with wooden hinges and latches. A loom and a spinning-wheel were indispensable, as well as a hominy-block and pestle, and a hand-mil! to manufacture meal and flour. The cabins were furnished in the same style of simplicity. The bedstead was homemade, and often consisted of forked sticks driven in the ground, with crosspoles to support the clapboards or the cord. One pot, kettle, frying-pan were the only articles considered indispensable, though some included the tea-kettle.

The distilleries afforded the best and almost the only market for the surplus grain, and usually paid several cents per bushel for corn more than could be obtained elsewhere.

pie as their humble homes. The clothing taken to this new country was made to render a vast deal of service until a crop of tiax or hemp could be grown out of which to manufacture the household apparel. The prairie wolves made it difficult to take sheep into the settlements, but, after the sheep had been introduced, and flax and hemp raised in sufficient quantities, it still remained an arduous task to spin, weave and make the wearing apparel for the entire family. In summer, nearly all persons, both male and female, went barefoot. Buckskin moccasins were commonly worn. Boys of twelve and fifteen years of age never thought of wearing anything on their feet, except during three or four months during the coldest weather. Boots were unknown until a later generation. After flax was raised in sufficient quantities, and sheep could be protected from the wolves, a better and more comfortable style of clothing prevailed. Flannel and linsey were woven and made into garments for the women and children, and jeans for the men. The wool for the jeans was colored from the bark of the walnut, and from this came the term butternut, still common throughout the West. The black and white wool mixed varied the color, and gave the pepper and salt color. As a matter of course, every family did its own spinning, weaving and sewing, and for years all the wool had to be carded by hand, on cards from four inches broad to eight to ten inches long. The picking of the wool and carding was work in which the little folks could help, and at the proper season, all the little hands were enlisted in the business. Every household had its big and little spinning-wheels, winding-blades and warping-bars and loom. In many of the households of Byrd Township there will still be found some of these relics. It involved a life of toil, hardship, and the lack of many comforts, but it was the life that made men of character.

This township contains no incorporated village. The first peach trees planted in the township were on the farm of S. W. Pickerill. The public square at Decatur was left for a court house when Adams and Brown were yet united, and it was confidently expected that Decatur would be made the county seat of Adams County. The first Freemason lodge was established in the county at Decatur in 1817. Benjamin Sutton is said to have been the first Justice of the Peace in the township, which office he held for the period of twenty-five or thirty years. The first voting-place in the township was in a frame building on the farm that John F. Pickerill now owns. It is now torn down. This was when Jefferson and Byrd Townships were united. It was removed to Decatur, and has remained there ever since. When they were combined, it made one of the largest townships in the county.

The first store in the township of which we have any account was kept near Baird's Mill, about the year 1800, in a log building. It was kept by Stephen Hoboken. He emigrated from near Hagerstown, Md. He carried on a goo.d business, trading with the Indians and whites, and made himself quite a snug fortune. He disappeared rather suddenly one night, and nobody knew whither he went. His property was in ashes in the morning, and the suppo sition is that the Indians plundered the property, stole the goods, and then killed him for his money.

With the beginning of the century, there were no roads in Byrd Township, and for years what were called roads were little better than wagon-tracks through the forest. These were supposed to follow the Indian trails. The highway was wide enough for all necessary purposes, but, down to 1835 or later, the roads were execrable. The undrained country partly explains the cause. When the ground was frozen and worn smooth, or dry and solid, no roads were better. But the proceeds of the road taxes in money or labor were totally inadequate to keep them even in a tolerable condition at the time most wanted, and only within recent years has it been realized that drainage is essential to a good road-bed. Nearly all the roads in the township are now pike roads, except a few by paths. The Ripley & Locust Grove Turnpike, which runs through the township, was once a toll road, but was made a county road in March, 1879.

First Mill

The first mill in the township was built by John Austin, but it is hard to get the date of its erection. It was situated on Eagle Creek, just below the junction of the East and West Branches. Several mills were built in the township in after years, with all the modern improvements. The Decatur Mill, the Baird Mill and the Fitch Mill are the only mills in the township at the present time.

There are five public graveyards in this township - the Decatur Cemetery; the old Eckman Burial-Ground, on the farm of George West, the Evans Burial-Ground, two and a half miles west of Decatur, on the Decatur & Russellville Turnpike; the Woods Graveyard, situated near Eagle Chapel, on Main Eagle Creek; and the Liberty Cemetery, at Liberty Chapel.

Distances from Decatur to various neighboring points in Brown and Adams Counties; Ripley, eleven miles; Aberdeen, thirteen miles; Red Oak, five miles; Russellville, six miles; Georgetown, thirteen miles; Arnheim. eleven miles; Brownstown, fourteen miles; Carlisle, eight miles; Fayetteville, thirty-three miles; Feesburg, eighteen and a half miles; Fincastle, fifteen miles; Levanna, thirteen miles; Greenbush, twenty-five miles; Hamersville, eighteen miles; Higginsport, eighteen miles; Locust Ridge, twenty- four and a half miles; Mt. Oreb, twenty-two miles; New Harmony, twenty-six miles; New Hope, seventeen miles; Sardinia, seventeen miles; St. Martin's, thirtyseven and a half miles; White Oak Valley, seventeen milos; in Adams County, Eckmansville, five miles; North Liberty, seven miles; Winchester, ten miles; Youngsville, twelve miles; Tranquility, seventeen miles; V7est Union, nine miles; Fairview, three miles; Bontonville, seven miles; Manchester, twelve miles; Bradyville, twelve miles; Jaektown, nineteen miles.

In 1820 or 1821, the first log schoolhouse, with its rough puncheon floor and greased-paper windows, was erected one-half mile west of Decatur. Thomas Moore, w7ho combined the duties of a pedagogue and farmer, was the first teacher. Judge Livingston wielded the birch a few terms afterward. Several log schoolhouses were soon after built in different parts of the township. In succeeding years, as people became able to incur the expense, they built better schoolhouses. The .schoolhouses constructed during the last decade are in keeping with the progress of events in educational matters, and compare favorably with school buildings throughout the coirnty. The early schoolhouses were structures of logs, without windows, the light being admitted through cracks between the logs. which wero in the winter closed with oiled paper. Geographies, dictionaries and grammars were unknown, and teachers were usually able to teach only "reading, writing and arithmetic."

There are seven school districts in the township. All of them possess good substantial frame buildings. The schools are well attended, and are in charge of reliable, capable instructors.

grade, which its founder sought to establish and perpetuate at Decatur. Rev. J. A. R. Rodgers and others, about 1862, started it. Catalogues and views of the prospective buildings, including a dormitory for young men, a ladies' boarding hall and a fine academy building, a spacious assembly room, recitation rooms, library, etc., with all the appointments of a first-class institution, were widely circulated. The estimated cost of the building was $80,000. Students appeared from various parts of the State and from Kentucky, but, instead of the fine architectural structures anticipated, they found only a dilapidated building in which to recite.

The instructors for 1868 were: R. A. McCollough, Principal; Miss Sallie J. Embree, Assistant; Miss Lizzie Dugan, Assistant; Rev. J. A. R. Rodgers, Teacher of Languages; Rev. J. M. Waddle, Teacher of Elocution; Miss Mary Evans, Teacher of Instrumental Music. They continued as instructors until 1865, when the corps of teachers was changed. One hundred and twenty -four students attended from 1863 to 1865. The classical department contained nine; scientific department, thirty -five; and the English department, eighty. The instructors for 1865 were: C. A. Kenaston, A. M., Principal; Miss Elizabeth Kinney, Assistant, and Teacher of French; Rev. J. M. Waddle, Teacher of Elocution; William A. Dixon, Lecturer on Physiology; Miss N. Y. Montgomery, Teacher of Instrumental Music. Tlie Examining Committee were Rev. James Porter, Rev. D. Vandyke, T. P. Sniffin, William A. Dixon, M. D., W. N. Pickerill and E. F. Moulton. The academy continued for a few years only. Want of support caused its decline.

Traveling missionaries visited this country in very early times, and brought the glad tidings of peace and good will to the inhabitants. But little is remembered of them. Camp-meetings at an early day supplied a recognized want and were generally attended in large numbers. Churches soon sprang up, the first of log, and then of better material as the people became able. The first religion established in the township was probably that of the Shakers. It was preached here as early as 1804, their first services being held in groves or private houses. Afterward, a structure was erected in which they worshiped. It is described as being a log pen of but five or six feet in height and divided into two departments, in one of which the men, and in the other the women worshiped. This building was afterward converted into a more suitable and convenient church. The continuance of the Shakers as a religious body in this township, covered a period of five or six years, when most of them removed elsewhere.

The Presbyterian Church is situated in Decatur, and was erected in 1838. It was a brick building, cost about $1,000, and stood a little west of the site of the present one. It was organized November 12, 1841, with twenty-two members - John Farris and James Blair were the first Ruling Elders, and were ordained by the Rev. John Rankin, November 13, 1841. The organization of this church and erection of the house were due to the exertions and self-sacrifice of John Farris, formerly of Cabin Creek, Ky., and Dr. Simeon Bearce, a young physician from the New England States. For a time previous to the organization of the church, the community about Decatur had been deeply agitated by the discussion of slavery, and the doors of the only church edifice for holding public meetings were closed against anti-slavery lectures. This fact, doubtless was one of the immediate causes which led to the organization of this church. In the year 1859, the brick building was torn down and the present house erected under the superintendence of Daniel Copple, Alexander KirkpaM'ick and John West, Jr., at an expense of $1,200. When the Ripley Presbytery left the New School General Assembly, this church continued with the Presbytery and separated from the Assembly. The names of the ministers who have served this church since its organization are Rev. Jesse Lockhart, Rev. James R. Gibson, Rev. Victor M. King, Rev. William Lumsden, Rev. J.

The first Methodist Episcopal Church in the township was supposed to have been built about the year 1825. It was a log structure and was located on the Pittenger homestead. It still stands at the present date. The brick church in Decatur was supposed to have been built about that date. The brick structure was torn down in 1860 to make way for a frame building. The contractors were the Montgomery Bros., and it cost about $1,200. The names of the ministers since 1845 are: 1845-46, Revs. William H. Sutherland and M. G\ Perkizer; 1846-47, Revs. Jacob Holmes and Philip Nation; 1847-48, Rev. Barton Lowe; 1848-49, Rev. De Witt Clinton Howard and Charles Fergason; 1849-50, Revs. M. P. Zink and E. H. Field; 1850-51, Revs. William

The United Presbyterian Church is located in Decatur, and was built in the year 1849 by Daniel Bayless and William Kane. It is a frame building, 40x50, and cost about $1,000. At the time of its organization, the membership was small, and members from the Cherry Fork Church moved their membership here. Rev. Alexander McClennhan was the first minister. He departed this life in I860, and was succeeded by Rev. J. M. Waddle. The con gregation was without a pastor until 1876, when the Rev. Thomas Mercer re ceived a call, which he accepted; he continued as their pastor until 1881, when he turned his attention to farming. The church has no pastor at the present day, and the organization is about broken up.

The Christian, or Disciple, congregation that worships at Liberty Chapel dates its origin back to 1810. In that year, Elder Archibald Alexander organized the church. The members at this time, or shortly afterward, included individuals from the Gardner, Devore, Pickerill, Ramey, Rislino, Hughs, Fisher, Reeves, Hatfield and Longley families. In 1812, John Longley began to preach for the church, and continued six years. In 181), a great revival was held in the peach orchard, near the upper end of the present burying grounds, and many conversions made. The following year, old Liberty Stone Meeting-House was built. Many of the neighbors, church members and others, turned out with teams and hauled the stone; others contributed money. The building committee consisted of David Devore, Jeptha Beasley and Samuel Pickerill. The masons who built the walls were Daniel Copple and Joseph Hughes. Matthew Gardner did at least part of the carpenter work. The walls are 44x34 feet, two feet in thickness and perhaps twelve feet to the square. About 1832, this organization united with a Disciple congregation which had formerly been a Baptist organization at Bed Oak, but was won over in the reformatory movement by the followers of Alexander Campbell. The union of the two churches was harmonious and complete. John Barney, Lovel Pickerill and Florence Shoafstall were among the first Elders of the church. After them came William N. Barney, Ackles Geeslin, T. J. Pickerill, G. E. Hatfield, D. B. Hatfield, B. P. Fisher and Joseph Stitt. The ministers have been Jesse Holton, David Hathaway, John Boss, John Bogers, J. B. Lucas, John Young, David Thompson, B. F. Sallee, W. D. Moore and J. S. West. For about seventy years, the average membership has been about seventy-five. Two churches have sprung up under her influence, one at Bussellville about 1843, and one at Bethlehem soon after. The change in the pike -road, which formerly ran in front of the old church, made the location undesirable, and the house needing repairs a new frame church was built at a cost of $1,200, and dedicated December 13, 1874, by Elder J. S. West.

Eagle Chapel Church is situated on main Eagle Creek, about two and a half miles south of Decatur. It is of the New Light denomination, and was erected in 1876 at a cost of $1,200. Bev. B. H. McDaniel was the first preacher; he continued in charge until 1881. Bev. J. F. Burnett succeeded him, and is their pastor at the present day. The church is growing in membership and great interest is being manifested.

The Sons of Temperance, Grand Army of the Bepublic, Patrons of Husbandry and Freemasons each had an organization here, but they are now no more. The first Freemason Lodge in the county was instituted at St, Clairs - ville, now Decatur, about the year 1817. Capt. James Carr, now a member of Union Lodge, No. 71, of Bipley, was one of the charter members.

Politics

This township has been Whig and Bepublican since its organization, and it is of little use for a Democrat to be a candidate for a township office. The Democrats have carried an office or two, but it has been by hard and persistent work. Byrd Township is one of the three Bepublican Townships in the county, and it generally polls a strong vote. The campaigns of 1840, 1863, 1876- and 1880 gave evidence of the very intense heat to which political feeling can be aroused, and many incidents might be recounted showing the extent of party enthusiasm in 1876 and 1880.

The vote of the township from 1875 to 1880: 1875, Governor, B. B; Hayes, Bepublican, 162; William Allen, Democrat, 103 votes; 1876, Secretary of State: Miltou Barnes, Bepublican, 158; William Bell, Jr., Democrat, 102; 1876, President: B. B. Hayes, Bepublican, 174; Samuel J. Tilden, Democrat, 113; 1877, Governor: William H. West, Bepublican, 150; Bichard Bishop, Democrat, 100; 1878, Secretary of State: Milton Barnes, Bepublican, 163; David B. Paige, Democrat, 101; 1879, Governor: Charles Foster, Bepublican, 179; Thomas Ewing, Democrat, 125; 1880, Secretary of State: Charles Townsend, Bepublican, 179; William Long, Democrat, 126; 1880, President: James A. Garfield, Bepublican, 184; W. S. Hancock, Democrat, 132; 1881, Governor: Charles Foster, Bepublican, 168; John W. Bookwalter, Democrat, 119; John Seitz, Prohibitionist, 3.

The present Township Board of Education is composed as follows: District No. 1, J. P. Moore; District No. 2, William Rickey; District No. 3, John Stevenson; District No. 4, James Woods; District No. 5, Col. J. W. Henry; District No. 6, John McPherson; District No. 7, colored, in charge of the Board of Education. Average length of the school year is eight months. Average wages paid to teachers, $30. Population of Byrd Township, in 1860,

James A. Stevenson, of this township, in 1865, was elected to the office of County Auditor by the Republican party; he served two years. William B. West, Democrat, was County Commissioner from 1874 to 1880, and in 1882, Samuel W. Pickerill was also elected County Comm issioner from this township.

The War Record

The citizens of Bvrd Township have reason to be proud of her soldiery during the great contest of 1861-65. In common, the men of . this township gave a prompt response to the call at the outbreak of the. war. The following is a list of the men who bore arms from Byrd Township, so far as the names could be obtained. It is not strange, however, if some have been overlooked. It was designed to be a complete list, but the means of information at command prevent it:

Neal

This is a small village, situated three miles from Decatur, in the southeastern part of the township. It is on main Eagle Creek; also on the Decatur & Aberdeen Free Turnpike. It contains a store and post office, a blacksmith shop and a few dwellings. The population is about twonty-fivo. The post office was established in June. 1882. The present Postmaster is A. E. Neal. It is on the mail route from Decatur to Aberdeen. The mail is carried twice a week, Thursday and Saturday. This is a good trading point, and many goods are sold here; butter and eggs are the staple productions, and find ready sale in this market.

This is a small village of 260 inhabitants, and is situated in the eastern part of Byrd Township. This village was laid out about the year 1802. It was named in the first place St. Clairsville, in honor of Gov. Arthur St. Clair, but there being another St. Clairsville in the State, it was changed For awhile it was known as Hard Scrabble. The name Decatur as then agreed upon, and it so remains up to the present date. The first house in the village was built by Nathaniel Beasley, about the year 1802, or when the town was laid out. It was a double log cabin, with one entry, and covered with clapboards, but afterward weather -boarded and covered with shingles. It was said to have been the finest house in the country in its day. It remained as a dwelling until April, 1882, and was the property of Amelia Thompson, who sold it to George E. Howland to make way for a handsome storeroom. The first hotel in the township was kept in Decatur in a log cabin, where George E. Howland's dwelling stands. This building was built about the year 1804, and the hotel -keeper was Thomas Moore.

About the year 1830, Silas Thomas started a hotel in the village, and did quite a successful business. It was the usual stopping point with farmers in going to Maysville with their produce. Ripley was no market in those days. The public square would be crowded with teams several times during the year, going to market. This was the great thoroughfare to Washington City, and several of our Presidents and Congressmen have stopped here on their way there. The first schoolhouse known in the village was a log one, but in what year it was built and who taught is not known. Decatur contains two stores, two blacksmith shops, one woolen factory, one carpenter and wagon-maker shop, one hotel, one saddlery and harness-making shop, three churches, one schoolhouse, one paint shop, one butcher shop.

The Postmasters of Decatur since 1830 have been Silas Thomas, Wesley Pierce, Benjamin Eckman, Joseph Stevenson,. W. W. Salsbury, Joseph Stevenson, James Snedaker and Eliza Snedaker. In 1841, a large carding and fulling mill was operated in Decatur by John Fearis. It burned down during the winter of 1846-47, and soon after a large woolen manufactory was erected by the citizens in thi3 community and carried on until within several years. Jacob Zerker formerly owned and operated a carding-mill near Decatur. The village was once a station on the Underground Railway, and many negroes were here assisted onward on their way to freedom.

The Decatur business directory for 1882 is: John Sheeler, butcher; J. S. Smith, saddler; Dr. J. W. Frisler, physician; D. B. Hatfield, teacher; W. Scott Stevenson, salesman; H. N. Wallace, St. Cloud Hotel; H. G. West, farmer; G. W. Smith, painter; John M. Thompson, insurance agent; William Pittinger, carpenter; John D. Gordon, boot and shoe maker; John Sowers, cooper; Rebecca Campbell, milliner; J. P. & J. W. Thompson, blacksmiths; John Stevenson, Justice of the Peace; George Pittinger, carpenter; W. E. Moore, teacher; John Yanners, broker; Samuel Montgomery, carpenter; Joseph Kerr, Justice of the Peace; John Kirkpatrick, carpenter and wagon maker; Gen. Williams, blacksmith; R. J. Smith, harness-maker; Joseph Gayley, carpenter; John Wilson, barber; Miss Sallie Henderson, dress-maker; L. O. Depty, minister; Joseph Walters, brick and stone mason; William Emrick, grocer and confectioner; Miss Eliza Snedaker, Postmistress; William R. Snedaker, Assistant Postmaster; S. W. Evans, dealer in general merchandise; George E. Howland, dry goods, boots and shoes, hats, caps and hardware.