Clinton County, Ohio - Chapter 5: Pioneer Incidents, 1882 (part 1 of 2)

Chapter 5: Pioneer Incidents

First Settler in tiie County - Chain of Settlements i?y Townships - Ear ly Schools and Churches - Mode of Living - Wilderness Customs Eighty Years Ago.

MUCH less Ilian a century has passed since the first white settler built his cabin within the present limits of Clinton County. Less than a century has elapsed since, through the magniticent forests of Southern Ohio, the red dwellers in the wilderness strove against the approach of civilization, and hurled themselves against the invaders of their country, as they deemed the white race. Eighty-seven years only have sped since Gen. Anthony Wayne concluded the treaty at Greenville with the chiefs of the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees (or Shawanese), Miamis, Ottawas, Cliippewas, Pottawatomies, and the various tribes dwelling in Indiana and Illinois. This treaty annulled all former ones, and the general boundary, as defined b)r it, between the United States and the Indian nations, commenced at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, running thence up that stream to the portage to the Tuscarawas Branch of the Muskingum River; thence down that stream to the crossing -place above Fort Laurens: thence westerly to Loramie's store, on the Great Miami; thence westwardly to Fort Recovery, on the head streams of the Wabash River; and thence southwestwardly in a direct line to the mouth of the Kentucky River. The United States Government at the time of the treaty, in consideration of the cessions made by the Indians, delivered to the latter goods valued at $20,000, and agreed to deliver annually thereafter, "at some convenient place north - ward of the Ohio River," goods to the value of $9,500, to be apportioned as agreed among the several tribes represented. The treaty also "provided that, if either of the said tribes shall hereafter, at an annual delivery of their share of the goods aforesaid, desire that a part of their annuity should be furnished in domestic animals, implements of husbandry, and other utensils convenient for them, and in compensation to useful artificers. who may reside with or near them, and be employed for their benefit, the same shall, at the subsequent annual deliveries, be furnished accordingly."*

This treaty was concluded, as elsewhere stated, on the 3d of August, 1795, and immediately after the fact became known in the States, there was inaugurated a movement toward the fertile lands north of the Ohio. Fear of the Indians had retarded emigration to that date, and, although the lands had been surveyed to a great extent, and warrants were held for nearly all the land in the Virginia Military District, no steps had yet been taken toward their settlement. In September, 1795, a month after the treaty of Greenville, a block-house was erected and a settlement begun at Bodlo's Station (this name is variously spelled, being given Bedell perhaps as often as any other way, but Warren County authority settles upon the spelling as first above), in Warren County, Ohio. The block-house was built from distrust that the Indians would not abide by the terms of the treaty. The place was named from its founder, William Bedle, from New Jersey. William Mountsand family, with four other families, are said to have settled in the same month, at a point on the south side of the Little Miami, two and a half miles below the mouth of Todd's Fork, at Mounts' Station, in Warren County, where the several cabins were built in a circle around a spring, as a protection against the Indians. November 4, 1795, Dayton was laid out, in what is now Montgomery County, Ohio, although permanent settlements were not begun there until April 1, 1796. In the spring of the latter year, Waynesville, Franklin and Deerfield, all in Warren County, were settled, and, April 7, 1796, the first cabin in Greene County was raised.

The Virginia Military Tract had been explored, in the early part of 1787, by Maj. John O'Bannon and Arthur Fox, two Kentucky surveyors, who wished to obtain a knowledge of the land for the purpose of making entries when the land office for the district should be opened. The latter event occurred on the 1st of August, 1787, and O'Bannon not only entered considerable land, but he became prominent as a surveyor m the district. O'Bannon Creek is named for him.

Concerning the first settler in what is now Clinton County, a dispute arises among those who have made investigations. It has been stated that William Smalley settled within the present limits of Vernon Township, west of Clarksville, in 1797, and that to him should be awarded the honor of having been the pioneer settler of Clinton County; but the fact has been conclusively developed that Mr. Smalley's cabin was built about fifty rods west of the line which divides this county from Warren, in the township of Washington, in the latter county. It is thought, however, that his purchase extended over the line into Clinton.

It will be difficult to decide who was the first actual settler within the territory now comprising Clinton County, as the, evidence seems to show that three persons came about the same time, and located at widely separated points. These were Morgan Van Meter, of Green Township; Amos Wilson, of the township bearing his name; and David Sewell, of Vernon Township. There is trouble in ascertaining the date at which each of these men came, but the latest investigations seem to fix them all in the year 1799. Morgan Van Meter* has generally been accorded the honor of being the first arrival, and Judge Harlan prepared the following sketch of him:f

"Morgan Van Meter was the first settler within the limits of Clinton County as it now exists, having come here in 1798 or 1799. He was also the first tavern-keeper within the same limits. His tavern was the first opened on any of the roads, traces or paths leading from Chillicothe to Cincinnati. 1 Van Meter's' was made a conspicuous point in the road guides published in the Pittsburgh almanacs of seventy years ago, for the information and direction of travelers by land from that town to Cincinnati. Gen. Cass, in a conversation with one of our citizens a few years ago, made inquiries about this early public house, and stated that, having lain out all night in the woods a few miles southwest from Van Meter's, he was glad to find it in the morning in time for a late breakfast. This was in very early days.

is said of Morgan Van Meter that when the college township road was being located, about 18U3-04, he met the surveyors and viewers a short distance west of Snow Hll, and by generous donations from his whisky jug induced them to change the route of the road so that it should pa«s near his cabin, northwest of Snow Hill.

"Morgan was the first of five sous of Joseph Yan Meter. His brothers were Joseph, Isaac, Abraham and William, all of whom, except William, were at one time residents of the State of Ohio, and, we believe, of the old town of Deerfield, on the Little Miami River, in what is now Warren County. The brothers who came to Deerfield were said to have had families. Morgan lived in the lower part of the little town, not far from the river, in one end of a double cabin, or a cabin divided into two rooms, the other room being occupied by the family of the late Judge Michael H. Johnson, a well-known resident of the Hopkinsville neighborhood, Warren County. He (Van Meter) removed directly from Deerfield to the head of the East Fork of the Little Miami, near where Snow Hill now is, in Clinton County. The point where he settled is a little east of south, and distant about two hundred yards from the present residence of Zephaniah Spears. Here, it is said, he found an unoccupied Indian wigwam. With the exception of this hut, there was not a human habitation within a radius of ten miles. Here he built his cabin and opened it to the public as a tavern. Here Morgantown was afterward laid out. His father, Joseph Van Meter, was a native of the State of Maryland. He was born upon the frontier, and, though frequently changing his residence, died upon the frontier. He seems to have belonged to that class of men, once quite numerous, who keep constantly on the border of civilization, and follow close upon the footsteps of the Indians as they retire further west at the advance of the white man. He had removed from Maryland several years before the Revolu tionary war, and was living on the Soiith Branch of the Potomac River, in Virginia, when his son Morgan, his first child, was born. The family record of Morgan Van Meter's family, furnished by Mrs. James Van Meter, of Wiota, La Fayette Co., Wis., shows the year oh Morgan's birth to be 1705. Between the birth of Morgan and of Joseph, his second son, he crossed the Allegheny Mountains, descended the Monongahela, and settled at the forks oh that river. At this point, Joseph and perhaps others of his family were born.

"In 1770, Joseph Van Meter the elder, in company with three of the Zane brothers, removed with his family to the Ohio River, near where Wheeling now is. The Zanes settled at the mouth of Wheeling Creek, while Mr. Van Meter settled a few miles above, on Short Creek. Other settlements near by were commenced soon after. Block-houses, being works of prime necessity on the frontier at that day, were erected at several places m the settlements, as some protection against the Indians, though seldom adequate when assailed by a strong party. Near to these the settlers built their cabins, as far as convenient, such a plan being considered as some protection against surprise and attacks by small parties of Indians. In 1774, a small military work was erected, under British authority, on the south bank of the Ohi River, not far above the mouth of Wheeling Creek. The plan upon which it was built is said to have been drawn by the celebrated Gen. George Rogers Clark. It was called at first Port Fincastle, the name of the county in which it was located, but, two years later (1770), the name was changed to Fort Henry, from the celebrated Patrick Henry, then Governor of the State of Virginia. This was the only fort between Pittsburgh and the mouth of the Great Kanawha, which was in that day considered tenable against a force of any great number. A stockade was in process of erection near West Liberty, on Short Creek, in September, 1777, but was not yet completed when tho Indians attacked Fort Henry, late in September of that year. It was intended to serve the double purpose of protecting the lives and property of the settlers, and the county buildings, West Liberty being then the seat of justice for Ohio County. This rude structure was named Van Meter's Fort, from Joseph Van Meter, tho elder. Late in September, 1777, notice was given the settlers at and in the neighborhood where

Wheeling now is that a large Indian army was collecting on the Sandusky River to march against Fort Henry and the settlements in the neighborhood. This friendly warning is said to have been sent by the brother of the Zanes, who had taken up his residence with the Indians, had adopted their dress and mode of living, and had married an Indian woman. The messenger had scarcely brought the direful news to the garrison before the Indians were before the walls of the fort, under the leadership of the renegade white man. Simon Girtv. The Indians had come to and crossed the Ohio unperceived, though a considerable force of the most capable and experienced scouts and Indian fighters on the frontier had been sent out into the woods on the north side of the Ohio, through which the enemy was expected to come, to discover, if possible, the force of the latter, and the time at which they would probably arrive, Girty, however, succeeded in bringing his warriors before the very walls of the fort before his approach was discovered. The force of the Indians was computed at from four hundred to five hundred men. The entire force of the garrison and settlers was forty-two, all told, many of whom were o Id men and boys. In the course of the first night after the arrival of the Indians, the settlers and their families either took shelter in the fort, or were brought in. The next morning, the Indians succeeded in killing one of the men belonging to the garrison. Fourteen men were sent out in pursuit of a small party of Indians, were surrounded, twelve of them killed and one badly wounded. Twelve volunteers from the fort were sent to the relief of the first party, were surrounded, and eight of them killed. Two or three more were severely wounded, but were able to conceal themselves from the Indians, aud came in or were brought in after the Indians withdrew. Not a man was killed or wounded in side the fort. On the third day of the siege, forty mounted men from Short Creek and fourteen from Cross Creek arrived at the fort and were admitted. These timely re-enforcements so discouraged the Indians that they raised the siege and engaged in killing the cattle and burning the cabins and fences of the settlers.

"Two accounts are given of the part acted by Joseph Van Meter and his son Morgan. One is that Joseph and his family took refuge in the fort without loss of time. The other is that father and son, on the second day of the siege, composed a part of the company of forty men, who, on hearing of the dangerous condition of the people and garrison in the fort, left the settlement -on Short Creek, went to their relief, and were fortunate enough to be able to enter the fort without the loss of a man. Both accounts agree that both Joseph and his son Morgan were in the fort while it was besieged by the Indians, and participated in its defense. At one time during the siege, it is said, the rifles used by the men in the fort became so heated by the rapid firing as io become to some extent useless, and recourse was then had to a lot of muskets, of which a sufficient number was found in the storehouse of the garrison. If this account be true - and it is credited in the history of the siege - it clearly shows that, if a part of the garrison was composed of old men and mere boys, they were at least acquainted with the use of the rifle.

"Joseph Van Meter, the elder, continued to reside on Short Creek until his death. The manner of his death was never certainly ascertained. He went from home to fish, and never returned, nor was any vestige of him ever found. Some supposed that he had been drowned, while others were of the 'opinion that he had been taken prisoner by the Indians and burned at the stake

"Morgan Yan Meter came to Clinton County as early as 1798 or 1799. It is believed that he was settled at Deerfield, Warren County, with his brothers, Joseph and Isaac, as early as 1790, or at least 1 797, having come here from Harrison County, Kv. Joseph could not have remained long at Deerfield if he came there in 1797, for in that year there is the most satisfactory evidence that he was located at the mouth of Dodson's Creek, on the south side of the East Fork of the Little Miami, a mile or so below Lynchburg, in what is now Highland County. Morgan Yan Meter did not leave Deerfield, as is claimed, fur a year or two after his brother Joseph did. William Van Meter, a very intelligent gentleman, a distant relative of the Yan Meter brothers, who settled, when a boy, on the East Fork, near to Isaac and Joseph, is of the opinion that Morgan settled near where Snow Hill now is in 1798. But Mrs. Leggett, still living (this sketch has been written a number of years), says he made his settlement the year in which she was married. Her family record, being produced, shows that her marriage occurred in 1799. Mrs. Leggett was a Shawhan, a sister of the late John Shawhan, Esq., long a resident near Deerfield, and of Amos Shawhan, of Morrow, and knew the three Yan Meter brothers when she was a young woman and they were residing at Deerfield. Deerfield at that time was simply a cluster of houses. It was not laid off as a town until several years afterward. The houses were of very rude construction, being designed for temporary shelter more than for permanent abode. On the arrival of any new emigrant, if he found an empty house, he took possession of it. If there was no vacant house, one was put up for him. Deerfield was simply a place to stop and stay until a selection for a permanent settlement could be made.

" The farm of Joseph Van Meter was on the southeast side of the East Pork of the Little Miami, and is now generally known in the neighborhood as the Michael Stroup farm. Mr. Van Meter removed to Illinois many years since, where he died. His brother Isaac settled at an early day in the neighborhood of his brother Joseph, on the northwest side of the East Fork, about one and a half miles north of where Lynchburg now is, in Clinton County. The farm opened by him was the old homestead of the late Hiram Connell, now owned by Mr. Connell's son William. Mr. Van Meter sold it in 1814, and removed to Illinois.

" The College Township road, which led from Chillicothe to the College Township, near where Oxford College has since been established, was, as far as where Clarksville now is, the l'oad from Chillicothe to Cincinnati. It is believed that it was surveyed and established in 1799,* and, being blazed through, soon became a road much used by travelers. This road was not cut out or improved, at least in some parts of it, until 1804. Horsemen, guided by blazes made on the trees, followed the line of the road, and were thankful for this help.

"Morgan Van Meter has now lain in his grave more than sixty years. The son of a frontiersman, he had but little, if any, education. So far as we know, he never held an office or aspired to one, civil or military. The house he lived in has disappeared, and his gravo is covered by a stable, or is in the public highway, with no stone to mark it. But his name is perhaps more frequently spoken of by our old people than that of any citizen of Clinton County who has been dead fifteen years, with perhaps a few exceptions.

named, was one of three sous of John Wilson, a momber of the first constitutional convention of Ohio, who was the son of John W'ilson, an Irishman. Amos Wilson and his father before him, and several of his brothers and sisters wmre born in New Jersey. From that State his father removed with his family to the Redstone country in Pennsylvania, and from there to Washington County, Ky. He lived for several years in Washington and Greene Counties. His next removal was to Mill Creek, in Hamilton County, Ohio, noar Cincinnati. John Wilson, named for his grandfather, born December 29, 1780, informed the writer, on March 13, 1876, that his grandfather, after he sold his possessions in Kentucky, supposing that he would get his money in silver, took his grandson, then nine years of age, on a separate horse to Lexington, to bring the money home. He, however, was not paid cash as he expected, but was given a draft on Cincinnati, on which he received his payments when they arrived there. This was in 1795. In 1796, John Wilson, with his family, and his sons and their families, left Kentucky and came to Cincinnati. That year, the party raised a crop on Mill Creek. In the spring of that year, George and Amos went to Middle Run, in what is now Greene County, Ohio, and cleared a few acres of land, on part of which hemp was sown, and on the residue corn was planted. No fence was put up around the little clearing. The corn made a good crop; the deer took a part of it, but the squirrels seemed shy of it, as if doubtful of its fitness for food. These young men returned to Mill Creek and remained until fall, when each mounted on a horse and returned to their newly opened farm to secure their crops. One night, three Indians came and stole their horses. On discovery of their loss, the Wilsons, each armed with a rifle, started in pursuit. They traced the Indians by a devious and circuitous way, taken evidently to avoid pursuit, to the old site of the famous town of Chillicothe, on the Little Miami, north of where the town of Xenia now is. Here the Indians, three in number, and all armed, were found encamped for the night. The pursuing party had, up to this time, supposed that there were only two Indians, with no advantage in number on either side; but here were three to two. The Indians watched their adversaries closely, and were constantly ready for action if a fight should be brought on. The Wilsons were not less vigilant, and were ready, but by no means courting a combat. The Indians, after a time, offered them something to eat. This, however, was the only friendly act performed by either side. Sleep on neither side was taken. It is believed that neither party even nodded. At last the light of morning came, and the white men mounted their horses and rode rapidly away without molestation.

" In the spring of 1797, John Wilson commenced a settlement on Middle Run. His improvement was immediately upon the road now leading from Waynesville to the town of Centerville, in Montgomery County, Ohio. His first dwelling, a rude structure, of course, has disappeared, but near its site the house long1 his residence still stands. It is situate on the south side of the road, and is in Gieene County, though bat a short distance from the line dividing the counties of Greene and Warren.

"The Wilsons came to Cincinnati in 1796, from Kentucky; 1797, they cropped on Mill Creek, near Cincinnati; 1797, George and Amos, sons of John Wilson, raised a small crop of corn and hemp on Middle Run, Greene County; 1797, George and John came up from Mill Creek to look after their crops, and had their horses stolen by the Indians; in 1797, John Wilson, in the fall of the year, moved to Middle Run, in Greene County. In 1799, a Baptist Church was organized at Middle Run. About 1803, Amos Wilson began to preach in the Baptist Church.

"It is claimed by some (atlas history of Clinton County, p. 11) that the first permanent settlement in Clinton County was made by Amos Wilsou and James Mills, in what is now Wilson Township, in 1799. They were brothersin-law, and came to the county together, but it seems to be clearly established that their settlement was not earlier than the fall of 180.1, and possibly not until the spring of 1802. Amos Wilson, up. to 1801, was living upon a preempted right about three miles northwest of where Waynesville now is. This pre-emption right he exchanged with the Rev. Joshua Carman (we find this name also spelled Carmen), well known to many of our citizens, for 100 acres of land in the eastern quarter of the county. Mr. Carman waB, at the time of the exchange, living in the State of Kentucky, near Louisville, and had come out into the Miami country on an exploring expedition. Having secured Mr. Wilson's claim, he returned to Kentucky for his family, and, in the fall of the same year, brought them out to the AVaynesville neighborhood. On his arrival, Mr. Wilson vacated the house on the pre-emption, and Mr. Carman entered into possession. Whether Mr. Wilson at once came up to settle on Tie land he had thus acquired, or not until the following spring, has not been ascertained with certainty.

" That Timothy Bennet made his settlement as early as March, 1801, is clearly established, and we have the best authority for believing that Morgan Van Meter had made his settlement where Snow Hill now is at least two, and perhaps three, years previous. Mr. Wilson was married four times His first wife was Ann Mills, to whom he was married on the 22d day of June, 1791. In March, 1807, Mrs. Wilson died, and September 27, 1807, he married Rachel James, with whom he lived until her death, in May, 1818. On the 12th day of July, 1818, he was married to Mary Coulter, who died in 1839. Mr. Wilson was married the last time in 1843, to Elizabeth Dowden, who survived him twenty years."

From data since obtained, it is evident that Judge Harlan was misled as to the actual time of Mr. Wilson's settlement in his county. The latter's son, Amos Wilson, Jr., furnishes information, which is confirmed by a record in the old family Bible, to the effect that Amos Wilson, Sr., located in Clinton County in 1799. The circumstances were these: He purchased 200 (instead of 100) acres in the northeast corner of W. Taylor's survey, in what is now Wilson Township, and, in order to find it, was directed to go to the locality of the Deserted Camp, and follow the survey line due northeast from there until he should cross Anderson's Fork and Anderson's Prairie, and reach the ridge land, or white oak land, beyond. He followed these directions, and, supposing he had reached his own land, at once began improving it. After two years' labor at this spot, he found that he was upon what is known as the Hirkson farm, in the R. Eggleston survey, No. 886, and, moving south to the adjoiningfarm, began anew to improve. A year was spent here, when he was chagrined to learn that again he was on the wrong land, it being in W. Lindsay's survey, No. 732, on what is now known as the Reed farm. Being now discouraged, and having wasted three years in improving land not his own, he avowed his determination to return to the older settlements; but Joshua Carman, from whom he had purchased the land, came along and showed him his own, and, to partially compensate him for his pains and induce him to stay, donated to him a strip containing fifty acres, lying on the west side of the original 200 acres. At this time, which was in the early spring of .1802, Mr. Carman was accompanied by Mr. Wilson's brother-in-law, James Mills, who had purchased a farm immediately south of Wilson's, in the same survey. These two men proceeded at once to erect log cabins on their farms, and both structures were raised on the same day. The families occupied them, and on these forms lived Amos Wilson and James Mills until their death. In 1827, Mr. Wilson erected on his place the first brick house in the northeastern part of the county. Of the family of Mr. Wilson, not a representative is now left in the county. The Mills farm is still owned by the descendants of the man who made the first improvements upon it in the spring of 1802.

David Sewell, the first settler of Vernon Township, is the third man claimed by some, and with perhaps equal evidence, to have been the first settler in Clinton County. Judge Harlan's account of him states that he bought land in the Archibald Campbell survey, No. 2250, early in 1708, and arranged to move upon it, his sons to go at once. One son, Aaron, was married, in April, 1798, in Frederick County, Va., and, with his wife, brother John and family, and their father and mother, started West, arriving in due time at Bedle's Station, in Warren County, Ohio. The Judge then states that they could not then lind the land which had been purchased, nor a surveyor who could show it to them. The Judge places their arrival in this county in 1801 or later, giving reasons for his conclusions, which appear in another place. Mr. Cyrus L. Sewell, in his history of Vernon Township, makes statements founded on what seems to be conclusive evidence, showing that the Sewell families settled here in 1799, ancl that a division of the land was made in 1801. (See history of Vernon Township, in this volume.)

Clark Township - The first settler was Thomas Johns, who located three miles southeast of Martinsville, on the East Fork of the Little Miami. The date of his arrival is not known, but it must have been as early as 1800, or in the first part of 1801, as Isaac Miller, Joseph McKibben and Gideon McKibben all arrived in the latter year, and Mr. Johns had preceded them.

Union Township - Timothy Bennet is credited with being the first to locate a home within the limits of what is now Union Township, having settled east of the site of Wilmington in the month of March, 1801. No other family arrived for over two years, or until the fall of 1803, when George Haworth became the second settler in the to unship.

Chester Township - The first actual settler in this township was Caleb Lucas, originally from New Jersey, and later a resident of Kentucky, who located here in 1802. Asa Jenkins had arrived in 1799, and George Mann in March, 1801, but, although both men owned land in Chester, their dwellings were across the line in what is now Greene County. They subsequently removed, however, to Chester. The first brick house in Clinton County was built near Oakland, in Chester Township, in 1807, by James Birdsall, and is still standing. The bricks in its walls were manufactured on the place, by Mr. Birdsall, and it can readily be imagined the task in that day was not an easy one.

Liberty Township - Stephen Mendenhall, a native of Tennessee, settled on Dutch Creek in the spring of 1803, and was the first to erect his cabin in what is now Liberty Township.

Wayne, Richland and Washington Townships were all settled in 1803. John Jacjcsou, a native of Pennsylvania, located in Wayne in the spring of that year. Some time during the year, Absalom and Samuel Reed, from Bourbon County, Ky. , took up their abode in Richland, while Isaac Wilson, from Virginia, settled on Col. Carrington's survey, in Washington, before the close of the year. Jonas Seaman and a man named Armstrong arrived soon after, and in 1805, Armstrong opened, upon the present site of Cuba, the first house for public entertainment in the township, and one of the earliest, in the county, probably Morgan Van Meter's, in Greene Township, being the only one to antedate it, if Armtrong's was not opened first.

Adams Township- The first Bettler in this portion of the county was Samuel Lee, who came in 1804, and made his home near the present site of Springfield Meeting-House.

first cabin within its limits was built by Samuel Jackson, about 1812. Mr. Jackson came from Tennessee, and was a noted hunter. It is recorded that, during his life-time, he killed two panthers, 300 deer and eighty bears. Joseph Hockett built the first hewed- log house in this township, at a date not given.

Mri on Township - The territory which latest received the attention of settlers in Clinton County is included in what is now Marion Township. According to the statements of Esquire J. W. Rice, the township historian, the first settlement was made in 1814, by Jonathan Baldwin, a native of Monongalia County, Ya. , who had located in Guernsey County, Ohio, in 1804, and in Warren County in 1S06. He served under Gen. Harrison in the war of 1812.

Aspect Of The Country When First Settled

So often have descriptions been written of the appearance of this region before the white settler had made it his home that those who read must all be familiar with the phraseology commonly employed. Yet there is not enough variety in the terms which can be used to write in a greatly different manuer on the subject from those who have told the story during many years. A vast forest wilderness stretched northward from the Ohio River, into the depths of which pushed the bold pioneers from the States of North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and others, most of them coming from Virginia and the Carolinas.

The face of the country at the beginnino- of the settlements in Clinton County bore a. vastly different look from the present. The soil was extremely fertile, and upon it grew, in the utmost luxuriance, the many varieties of trees and shrubs common to this latitude. Nearly the entire surface of the county was covered by massive forest trees and the tangle of shrubs which grew beneath. Spicewoo! and the wild pea-vine formed a mat through which the feet could push with difficulty. From the leaves of the spicewood was made a decoction which was used in the place of "store tea," when the latter could not be obtained. Sassafras tea (called "sassafrack" in the vernacular of that day) was also used, and the sap of the sugar maple was a boon which the settlors well appreciated as an almost invaluable article in the economy of their households. Flowers in greatest variety grew and blossomed under the trees, and the rose, the wild lily, the dogwood, the red-bud and a hundred other varieties made a beautiful carpet for the magnificent forest aisles in their season.

Splendid as was the appearance of the country in the days when the " first settler" looked upon it, the fact remained that out of the forest depths his home must bo carved. The task promised to be by no means an easy ouo, but the man who was bold enough to venture far from the older settlements and brave all the difficulties he must of necessity encounter was not disheartened with the prospect before him, and began at once the work he had resolved to accomplish. The ringing strokos of his ax echoed in the thick green wood, and the trees lay prostrate where for hundreds of yoars they had stood in their glory. The rays of the sun streamed into the little clearing; smoke curled up ward from burning logs and brush-heaps; the rude cabin soon stood outlined against the dark and somber forest wall, and the new home was begun where never before had the footsteps of civilization penetrated.

Pioneer Peculiarities

Sturdy aDd bold was the pioneer. His characteristics were admirably suited to his situation. He possessed an indomitable will, unlimited energy, and, in many instances in thiB region, more than ordinary intelligence and education. The remarks of Josiah Espy, author of " Memorandums of a Tour in Ohio and Kentucky in 1805," apply well to this region. He wrote:

" The emigration to the State of Ohio at this time is truly astonishing. From my own personal observations, compared with the opinions of some gentlemen I have consulted, I have good reason to conclude that, during the present year, from twenty thousand to thirty thousand souls have entered that State for the purpose of making it their future residence. These are chiefly from Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee, but, on inquiry, you will find some from every State in the Union, including many foreigners. The inhabitants of the State of Ohio, being so lately collected from all the States, have as yet obtained no national character. The state of society, however, for some years to come, cannot be very pleasant - the great body of the people being not only poor, but rather illiterate. Their necessities will, however, give them habits of industry and labor, and have a tendency to increase the morals of the rising generation. This, with that respect for the Christian religion which generally prevails among that class of people now emigrating to the State, will lay the best foundation for their future national character. It is to be regretted, however, that, at present, few of them have a ral.ional and expanded view of the beauty, excellency and order of that Christian system, the essence of which is divine wisdom. The great body of the people will, therefore, it is to be feared, be a party for some years to priestcraft, fanaticism and religious enthusiasm." (History of Warren County, Ohio, p. 253.)

Mr. Espy speaks of the great body of the people as being rather illiterate; but the character of the new settlements was largely molded by the influence of those of the pioneers who possessed education and a large measure of refinement. Among the early settlers of Clinton County, especially, there were numerous men who, because of their attainments, were given the reins of the local government, and who, by their labors for good, earned for their respective localities the credit of being to some extent farther advanced toward the state of cultivation found generally in the older settlements than were some of their less fortunate neighbors. Probably the fact that many of the pioneers were members of the society of Friends had much to do with the case. The great majority of the people came from slaveholding States, yet the spirit grew among them that slavery was wrong, and they rebelled against the institution which cast a dark shadow over the land for so many years. It is true there were some among them who could not be led to believe that slavery would ever be abolished, neither that it was right to advocate abolition or assist fugitive slaves to a country where they would no longer be in thralldom. Some who possessed this belief had a deep-rooted hatred for the colored race, and the possibility of having them for neighbors was extremely repulsive. It is known that one black man was murdered in this county because he had settled on land which happened, unfortunately, to be near to that owned by overscrupulous white men. This antipathy, however, existed only among the few, and the part taken by the citizens of the county in after years established its identity beyond question concerning slavery.

Among the less-cultivated classes, those who had come into the wilderness, in a great majority of cases, almost empty-handed, sources for intellectual advancement increased but slowly. It was difficult for them to gain a livelihood, and the work to be done upon their farms required all their attention for a number of years. Their pleasures, whenever indulged in, were generally of the coarsest kind, and their temperaments were of that nature which does not include patience aa one of the greatest elements in its make-up. In many localities, rude stills were constructed, and their products, although said to have been much purer in quality than those now in use, did not assist men in controlling their passions; consequently, the early court records of the county tell mostly of cases of assault and battery and personal encounters. The wonder is not great that morality gained a foothold slowly among such people, for they were far from being able to pay for newspapers or periodicals, even had they been of easy access. Letters from their former homes arrived rarely, and rates of postage were so high that even they could hardly be afforded. One writer has said that " a postage stamp cost as much as a bushel of wheat," and very few could indulge in such a luxury often.

The labor of opening up a farm in the midst of the wilderness is well described in numbers of the township histories in this volume, and hardly needs repeating here; but Josiah Morrow has so faithfully delineated the work in his histury of Warren County that it is thought best to use his language here without attempting to change it or presuming to improve it. The story applies as well to Clinton as to Warren, and is as follows:

"The labor of opening a farm in a forest of large oaks, maples and hickories was very great, and the difficulty was increased by the thick-growing .spice-bushes. Not only were the trees to be cut down; the branches were to be cut off from the trunk, and, with tne undergrowth of bushes, gathered together for burning. The trunks of the large trees were to be divided and rolled into heaps and reduced to ashes. With hard labor, the unaided settler could clear and burn an acre of land in three weeks. It usually required six or seven years for the pioneer to open a small farm and build a better house than his first cabin cf round logs. The boys had work to do in gathering tiie brush into heaps. A. common mode of clearing was to cut down all the trees of the diameter of eighteen inches or less, clear off the undergrowth, and deaden the large trees by girdling them with the ax and allowing them to stand until they decayed and fell. This method delayed the final clearing of the land for eight or ten years, but when the trunks fell, they were usually large enough to be burned into such lengths as could be rolled together.

1 ' The first dwellings of the settlers were cabins made of round logs notched at the ends, the spaces between the logs filled in with sticks of wood and daubed with clay. The roof was of clapboards, lield to their places by poles reaching across the roof, called weight-poles. The floor was of puncheons, or planks split from logs, two or three inches in thickness, hewed on the upper side. The fire-place was made of logs lined with clay or with undressed stone, and was at least six feet wide. The chimney was often made of split sticks, plastered with clay. The door was of clapboards, hung on wooden hinges and fastened with a wooden latch. The opening for the window was not unfrequently covered with paper made more translucent with oil or lard. Such a house was built by a neighborhood gathering, with no tools but the ax and the frow, and often was finished in a single day. The raising and the logrolling were the labors of the settlers, in which the assistance of neighbors was considered essential and cheerfully given. When a large cabin was to be raised, preparations would be made before the appointed day; the trees would be cut down, the logs dragged in and the foundation laid, and the skids and forks made ready. Early in the morning of the day fixed, the neighbors gathered from miles around; the Captain and corner-men were selected, and the work went on with boisterous hilarity until tlio walls were up and the roof weighted down.

" The cabin of round logs was generally succeeded by a kewed-log bouse, more elegant in appearance and more comfortable. Indeed, houses could be made of logs as comfortable as any other kind of building, and were erected in such manner as to conform to the taste and means of all descriptions of persons. For large families, a double cabin was common; that is, two houses, ten or twelve feet apart, with one roof covering the whole, the space between serving as a hall for various uses. Henry Clay, in an early speech on the public lands, referred to the different kinds of dwellings sometimes to be seen standing together, as a gratifying evidence of the progress of the now States. 'I have,' said he, 'often witnessed this gratifying progress. On the same farm you may sometimes behold, standing together, the first rude cabin of round and unhevn logs and wooden chimneys; the hewed-log house, chinked and shingled, with stone or brick chimneys; and lastly, the comfortable stone or brick dwelling, each denoting the different occupants of the farm or the several stages of the condition of the same occupant. What other nation can boast of such an outlet for its increasing population - such bountiful means of promoting their prosperity and securing their independence?'

" The furniture of the first rude dwellings was made of puncheons. Cupboards, seats and tables were thus made by the settler himself. Over the door was placed the trusty flint-lock rifle, next to the ax in usefulness to the pioneer, and near it the powder-horn and bullet-pouch. Almost every family had its little spinning-wheel for flax and big spinning-wheel for wool. The cooking utensils were few and simple, and the cooking was all done at the fireplace. The long winter evenings were spent in contentment, but not in idleness. There was corn to shell and tow to spin at home, and the corn-huskings to attend at the neighbors'. There were a few books to read, but newspapers were rare. The buckeye log, because of its incombustibility, was valuable as a back-log, and hickory bark cast into the fire threw a pleasing light over a scene of domestic industry and contentment.

" The wearing apparel was chiefly of home manufacture. The flax and wool necessary for clothing were prepared and spun in the family, cotton being comparatively scarce. Carding -wool by hand was common. Weaving, spinning, dyeing, tailoring for the family were not unfrequently all carried on in the household. Not a few of the early settlers made their own shoes. Wool dyed with walnut bark received the name of butternut. Cloth made of mixed linen and wool, called linsey, or linsey-woolsey, of a light indigo -blue color, was common for men's wear. A full suit of buckskin and moccasins was sometimes worn by a hunter, but it was not common. A uniform much worn in the war of 1812 is described as consisting of a light blue linsey hunting-shirt, with a cape, the whole fringed and coming half way down the thigh, a leather belt, shot- pouch, powder-horn, a large knife and tomahawk, or hatchet, in the belt, and rifle on the shoulder. The author of the history of Miami County says he has seen Return J. Meigs, Governor of Ohio, and Jeremiah Morrow, United States Senator, and other high officials wear the hunting-shirt, while on frontier duty during that war.

"With the early settlers, almost the only modes of locomotion were on foot and on horseback. The farmer took his corn and wheat to mill on horseback; the wife went to market or visited her distant friends on horseback. Salt, hardware and merchandise were brought to the new settlement on packhorses. The immigrant came to his new home not unfrequently with provisions, cooking utensils and beds packed on horses, his wife and small children on another horse Lawyers made the circuit of their courts, doctors visited their patients, and preachers attended their preaching stations on horseback. The want of ferries and bridges made the art of swimming a necessary quality in a saddle-horse. Is he a good swimmer? was a common question in buying a horse for the saddle. Francis Dunlavy, as President Judge of a district embracing ten counties, made the circuit of his courts on horseback, never missing a court, and frequently swimming his horse over the Miamis rather than fail of being present. "

In the early days, horse-thieves were numerous - first among the Indians, who were so by nature, and afterward among the whites, the latter being often organized into considerable gangs. It has been found necessary, in various portions of the country, to form bands of " regulators, " or "vigilance committees," who effectually disposed of horse-thieves and rid the settlements of fear from such source. In 1809, the Ohio Legislature passed an act indicting corporal punishment, fines, imprisonment and mutilation upon horse-thieves. One clause of the act was the following: " The person so offending shall, on conviction thereof, for the first offense, be whipped not exceeding one hundred and not less than fifty stripes on his naked back, and on conviction of each succeeding offense of a like nature, shall be whipped not exceeding two hundred nor less than one hundred stripes on his naked back; for the third offense, slit*' i. have both ears cropped, and in either case, shall restore to the owner the property stolen or repay him the value thereof, with damages, in either case, and be imprisoned not exceeding two years, and fined not exceeding $1,000, at the discretion of the court; and be ever after the first offense rendered incapable of holding any office of trust, being a juror, or giving testimony in any court in this State."

Rye and corn whisky, manufactured at the little copper stills which have been mentioned as existing in many localities, were commonly used, and the school-teacher, the preacher, the doctor and the lawyer each took his ration of whisky as if it were a matter of course. The article was taken in exchange for goods by merchants, at a stipulated price, and, like flour, was even taken as payment for real estate. The absence of the beverage at a raising was a remarkable exception to the rule, and the visitor to the pioneer family was more than likely to taste the hospitality of his host from the mouth of a bottle. It is said there was less intemperance then than now, but the quantity of liquor used is admitted to have been great, and its intoxicating qualities are not denied. The court records would seem to indicate that there was much drunkenness, and it is certain that men were broken down and brought to poverty by excessive use of liquor in the early part of the century, as well as in the years which have since elapsed. Stories are told of eccentric characters who were scarcely ever known to be free from the influence of intoxicating drinks, and their bleared eyes and bloated countenances, however pure the liquor may have been, told a tale the import of which could not be mistaken,

Inseparably connected with the incidents of pioneer life are the tales relating to the members of the brute creation which abounded in the forests. "The wolves made night hideous with their bowlings," says the old settler. " and the younger members of the family crept away from the doors and windows, nearer to their parents and the chimney corner." Wolves, bears, deer, panthors, wild cats, raccoons, otter, beaver, porcupines, were all met with; wild turkeys gobbled within hearing of the cabins; poisonous snakes infested the whole country, and were only exterminated by the droves of hogs of which the farmers became the subsequent owners. So troublesome did wolves, especially, become, that the Territorial and State Legislatures passed acts providing premiums for killing thorn. The County Commissioners also appropriated vary ing sums for wolf bounties, and on their old records are found many entries of claims allowed upon presentation of the scalps of these pests. Squirrels also existed in almost countless numbers, and committed exasperating depredations upon the corn-fields. Occasionally the settlers organized parties of men and boys and had grand hunts for the purpose of ridding the vicinity of these lively animals. The Legislature passed "An Act to Encourage the Killing of Squirrels," dated December 24, 1807, providing that "Each and every person within this State who is subject to a county tax shall, in addition thereto, produce to the Clerk of the township in which he may reside, such number of squirrel scalps as the Trustees, at their annual meeting, apportion to the cun rency levies, provided that it does not exceed one hundred nor less than ten." Other provisions were made by this act, by which each taxpayer, at the time his property was listed for taxation, was furnished with a list of the scalps he would be required to produce; also, that for every scalp below the number required which was not furnished, the taxpayer was required to pay into the township treasury the sum of 3 cents each, while the person who brought in more than his stated number was allowed at the rate of 2 cents each for the excess. The Township Clerk gave a certificate to each person bringing scalps, and these certificates passed as so much money in the payment of taxes. They were also received by the merchant for goods and by the mechanic for work, but tho law did not prove a great success, and was, after a short time, repealed.

Bear hunts were occasions of much sport, but occurred only seldom. A. H. Dunlevy, of Lebanou, who is quoted in other places in this volume, and who was as well acquainted with this county, perhaps, as with Warren, thus describes the method of killing a bear, as he had seen it done:

" Of all the sports of hunting in early times, the bear hunt was the most exciting. This usually occurred accidentally. I never knew a bear hunt to be regularly organized. Some one in the neighborhood would accidentally discover a bear, and, if at a time when the animal was fat and worth possessing, he gave the sound of a horn, known in the neighborhood as the signal of the discovery uf a bear, and the call for help to capture the prize. Instantly, almost, men on horseback, with rifles and dogs, were on hand. The sound of the horn indicated the course of the bear, and thither the neighbors hastened. For hours, sometimes from morning till nightfall, the chase would continue. The dogs would keep on the track of the bear, but, unless they could cause him to take to a tree, they could do nothing with him but to keep his trail and enable the hunters to follow. If they ventured to attack him, they were soon repulsed - sometimes killed on the spot. At last, after many hours' chase, sometimes embracing an area of five or six miles in circumference, the exhausted bear would take to a tree, around which 'the dogs quickly gathered, and, by their united noise, gave assurance to the hunters that Bruin was at last treed. The signal-horn was sounded and the hunters were soon on the spot. If it was still light, tho bear was soon brought down by the unerring rifle. If too dark to see, the tree was watched until morning, and then he was dispatched. The event ended with skinuing the bear and cutting up the carcass into as many pieces as would give each hunter his portion, and usually sending a part to each family in the neighborhood. The flesh, though considered by most people a delicacy, I could never eat; but the sport of the bear hunt had no equal with me at that early day, or at any time since."

" Wild turkeys," say those whose recollection extends backward sixty or seventy years, "were always plenty when beech mast was abundant, and you could almost knock them over with clubs." They were shot and trapped in great numbers at such seasons, but, after some years, they were more shy and scarce, and to-day are probably unknown in this region. The same may be said of the red deer, which were exceedingly plentiful when the county was first settled. Great changes have taken place with the flight of years, and a glance over the county in the present year (1882) would hardly reveal the fact that, considerably less than a century ago, the territory comprising it was the home of the wild animal and savage man, and was covered with a forest growth of a luxuriance with which that of this date would scarcely compare.

During the first three or four years after the arrival of the first settler, the population of the county increased but slowly. Immigrants located oftener in Warren and other counties, and not until 1804 did Clinton receive a very perceptible number of people as permanent residents. -In that year, they came in considerable numbers, and the growth of the county was thenceforward steady and healthy. When the war of 1812 burst upon the nation, the settlements here had become respectable in size, yet were not sufficiently large to send many men to the army. The county had then been organized two years only, and Wilmington was a village of but two years' growth, with the characteristics of a pioneer settlement not yet worn off. Numbers of the citizens of the county, however, volunteered or were drafted, and saw service with Harrison in various capacities. The census figures will afford a knowledge of the subsequent increase in population.

In the Wilmington Watchman of July 4, 1861, is a long article from a correspondent who signed himself " J. M.," containing, among other things, the following general items, which will recall to those older pioneers of the county, who are now very few, the appearance of this region at the time the article refers to - 1814:

"My father moved to this county from the Winchester Country, in Virginia, in the fall of 1814. It was extremely wet the latter part of that fall, so that when he came near to Wilmington, by what was then a newly cut road from Snow Hill, the broad expanse of level woodland for the most part near this road was entirely covered with water, and, being densely covered with timber, presented almost the appearance of a widely extended swamp or shallow lake, with trees standing thick throughout. Along this road there were but very few improvements; occasionally an opening would be seen, inclosed with newly made rails, which fenced in a rough log cabin, while logs, stumps and brush were thick over the clearing, Avith forest trees still standing in dangerous proximity to the dAvelling should storm or tempest prostrate them. I think, however, in those days, these trees, of which there seemed to be a goodly number, standing like sentinels in thick array around new premises, actually did protect from the winds and frosts so much that they were not experienced in Buch severe degree as in later times. In many places, this road seemed almost impassable; through swamp and mud it was splash! splash! with the team with which we moved as it progressed along. I think there were, perhaps, at that time, here and there, in the lowest and most muddy spots, bridges of poles laid close together across the road, which might Avith propriety be called new-country bridges - and which have been frequently alluded to by the late Mr. Morris, of this place, as the 'railroads ' of those days. They seemed to possess, for awhile, the strength and compactness adequate to keep teams from sinking entirely into the deep mire, but eventually became dangerous to life and limb - especially the latter - of animals passing upon them, as they would be sufficiently far apart to permit their legs to pass down between them. * * * But these were the best the pioneers could do. Such Avas the condition of our roads at that time; but, by often repairing and trimming around the bridges in the dryest part of the season, they remained our common highways for many years. * * * The lands in this part of tho country, that then appeared so wet, remained for the most part unpurchased, even at the low rates at which they might have been obtained, until the drier lands were generally taken up; but they have become, at length, by improvement and a system of drainage, the most fertile and productive. * * * The heavily timbered lauds of that day that were level, and of which I have been speaking, peared to contain about these clearings or improvements a large share of the or gray ash, but iu Targe quantities there were the tall oaks - red, black and white - the walnuts, the hickories, the blue and swamp ash, maple and elm, and in some woods, the sugars and beeches largely predominated, and, indeed, in many sections were almost the entire timber, sometimes interspersed with the tulip, or poplar. The buckeye was seen, flourishing mostly on bottom lands, and perhaps was most frequently found in the western part of the county. In the undergrowth of the woods, generall} thick and dense on these rich lands, were the spicewood, papaw, dogwood, grape-vine and sarsaparilla; also the pea-vine, which clothed the forest and afforded a great range for cattle and hogs. Wild game abounded, and deer and turkeys roved in large numbers, and were taken -with little trouble. And how many will still remember the rare sport of the bee and coon hunt? Through the forests were also found large numbers of wild plants, many of which, in later times, have been highly appreciated for their medicinal properties. These lands could have been purchased at, say from $2 to $4 per acre; but to people coining from beyond the mountains, and often from hilly districts, they appeared to possess every property except those necessary to their successful settlement and tillage.

"In the spring, our family went over to a residence selected in Chester Township, a few miles from this, where they lived for many years. * * *

The early settlers of our country generally prospered - in cultivating the lands, from their productive quality and from the enterprise and capital that soon found their way into their immediate and respective vicinities; but at first the men, and boys, too, had to work hard, until their farms were improved, and, though their products brought far less prices than at the present day, yet those who had the foresight to keep their farms and continue the work of agriculture became independent and wealthy, while those who grew' tired and went to other trades and professions failed, perhaps, as often as succeeded in acquiring any degree of wealth. The labor of the farmers of these times consisted mainly in building upon and clearing their lands, and this was all heavy work - to cut down the trees and deaden timber in the green, thick woods, to cut away the smaller trees, chop up the old logs and tops, or ' laps,' as they were frequently called, of the rail trees, pile and burn the brush, grub and have all ready for the ' log-rolling,' which was done by all who were nearly situated together, ' help and help again.' The rails had to be made and hauled aud the fences put up, and the log piles and trash burnt off. During this process, in favorable weather, those new field illuminations could be seen at night in greater brilliancy, and had their locations on nearly all the premises where cabins stood or other tenements had been erected. This was early work and indispensable, as the season for planting or sowing was the same to each, and the season pressing hard upon time, for neither could be done until after this necessary amount of labor was expended in preparing the new fields for tillage.

" We have thus glanced at the farmer's early toils. Was there anything to lighten his labors or make cheerful his pathway? Surely, there was. Reader, at this day of light labor, of the powers of machinery and the consequent abridgment of manual labor, you might suppose that this v/as truly a hard state of existence and oppression upon the enjoyment of life. Not so; as always in union there is strength, the heavy work of rolling was done, and sometimes other parts, by the neighbors together, commencing with those first ready and continuing for a week or two until all had their shares completed. It brought the muscular strength of men into play, and made them equal to almost any emergency; whether equal or not in physical power, they were often brought into contact of equipoise at the end of the lever or handspike in heavy lifting, and, if it did not exhaust the strength of the stronger, it gave an ambition, impetus and energy to the weaker, which made him superior to himself for the time and tended much to the development of physical force. All had good appetites and generally on such occasions had plenty that was excellent to eat. There was besides the labor of preparing timber to build houses, and the erection of bairns, cribs and outhouses; but to labor was commendable in those days, and if boys or men were idle they were called lazy and trifling, which amounted to such a reproach on their characters that it excluded them from social privileges, for, if a young man was called 'too lazy to work,' the young ladies and others would shun his company, and hence an ambition generally existed to be above such suspicion. These labors, as stated, hardened the system for endurance, and gave a relish to industry, so that lazy people were very rare. But these labors were often felt to be less exhausting when at the same time the women and girls had a quilting or sewing party; and ambition became naturally inspired among young men in the fields to excel each other in order to get through early with their work and have the evening for fun and frolic - not a boisterous scene of uproar, but of harmless plays. Those who yet live and have enjoyed these amusements will remember them. Have you been one of the hands helping your neighbor through the day, with a ' frolic' in the evening? A husking frolic was generally held late in the fall, about the bracing time of frosts, when pumpkin pies - who does not like them ? - were plenty, and afforded, perhaps, as much amusement and mirth, combined with labor, as any other occasion. Exhilaration and hilarity generally prevailed while husking, for the bottle containing 'old pea.ch,' or pure extract of rye, or something equivalent, would frequently go round, but the contents were seldom partaken of in quantity more than exciting a hearty appetite for supper and good spirits. The meal was prepared in abundance and good style, of the best of eatables, by the lady of the house and the girls who would generally be present on such occasions. Supper being over, the festivities of the evening would be commenced, and frequently be prolonged to a late hour by such plays as ' Sister Phebe,' ' Gome, Philander,' 'Thimble' and others equally popular at the time. * * * There was without doubt more social enjoyment, less affectation and better feeling in the rural sports ot' these times than in all the mock parades of modern etiquette."

Old-Time Agriculture, Improved Stock, Etc

The sketch here given, although carrying the reader back but half way in the history of the settlements of Clinton County, yet depicts customs so greatly different, even then, from those of the present, and, to the younger generation, unknown, that it must be of interest to all who read it. It was written under the title, "Harvesting Forty Years Ago," and printed in 1880:

" The wheat was sown broadcast and covored by dragging over the ground a three-cornered harrow. Huge stumps, troublesome reminders of the giants of the primitive forest, stood at inconvenient intervals in the oldest fields. If, as was frequently the case, the grain was sown among corn, the spaces bo tween the rows served, at harvest-time, as single-handed lands. If sown on fallow, it was customary to take a plow and lay off the field in double lands This done, the farmer waited for the elements to do their part, and in duo time the harvest came. Then were seen the signs of preparation. Harvesters were needed and the prudent husbandman had help engaged betimes. Good reapers were in demand and always found employment at fair pay. Shirks were left to the last and hired then as a dernier ressort.

" In making up the force, it was of importance to find one man who was a good ' leader.' This meant, usually, a stalwart farmer, old enough to be steady and yet young enough to endure toil like an engine. It was currently whispered, and sometimes believed, that this important personage was paid an extra quarter per diem for the manifestation of especial zeal in his employer's behalf. Be this as it may, there was usually not much danger that he would allow his men too much time to ' rest and refresh themselves ' at the end of the 'through.'

"By sun-up, the force was in the field. The water- bucket was on hand and the little brown jug was considered a necessary adjunct. The grandfather and the small boys of the household were on hand to carry water and to gather sheaves. A trusted neighbor, known to be skilled in the art, was deputized to shock the grain.

" All things were now ready. The leader assigned his men their places, threw his sickle into the standing grain with his right hand, and then, by the aid of a peculiar movement of his left leg, gathered an immense grip of the golden straw. A quick, drawing motion of the crooked blade severed it, and thus the first stroke was made. Soon the stiff stubble showed the path of the reapers. A ' through ' was cut. W ater and a dram awaited the men at the end of the field. They drank, wiped the sweat from their bronzed brows, hung their serrated blades across their brawny shoulders and started on the return trip ' binding back.'

" Sometimes a reaper was unable to do a full hand's work. In such case, if he had a stout boy, he was fortunate indeed. Sending him some distance into the land, with directions to ' gouge,' the young reaper soon made a perceptible opening in the grain, so that when the jaded father came up he found a smart gap in his through already cut. Straightening his tired back, he could bind the reaped grain as he passed along, and so have an opportunity to rest on his return.

"Through the long, sultry summer days, our fathers thus toilsomely reaped their harvests forty years ago. Of barns, there were few, and so the grain was stacked. This was in some sense the work of an expert, for, on the manner in which it was done depended the preservation of the crop.

"Threshing came next in regular order. The floor properly prepared, on some bright morning a neighbor or two came with their horses, and the getting-out of the grain began. A circular layer of sheaves, with the bands all cut, was placed upon the ground. This done, the horses ridden by boys were brought into use. Not was their motto, but they well might have quoted the sentiment, substituting the word suffering for the last one in the line, for that fitly represents the condition of the lad doomed to ride a raw-boned horse bare-back, under the broiling sun, with the rays reflected from the glittering straw, while tramping out a ' flooring ' of wheat. During the time, sturdy men stirred the soft straw in order that the horses' hoofs might beat out all the grain. This operation was kept up until the grain was thoroughly separated from its natural receptacles. Then the straw was raked from the floor. This operation was repeated until the crop was threshed or the floor was too full to work on. Then the grain in the chaff was ' caved up ' to await the process of cleaning. This was done with an oldfashioned windmill, of which there was usually about one in each neighbor- hood. This was hauled from farm to farm, the one of which we have vivid recollection being worse worn by transportation on sled and wagon than all the legitimate work it ever did.

" Later came the cradle, the instrument that marked a great step in advance, and then the 'ground-liog' thresher. After the lapse of years, we had the McCormick reaper, then the steam thresher, and now the old tools and the old customs have given place to the new. Hung up in snug places in many Clinton County barns we suspect are still old sickles, flails and other souvenirs of the old days, and the old people know how they were used, but the boys would find them awkward implements - and it is well. They belong to a day that is past. Let them rest."

The varieties of stock first owned by the settlers were of the ordinary breeds common to the country. Not many years elapsed before steps were taken to improve them by numerous men throughout the county. After various improvements had been made by private individuals, mostly through breeds - as regards cattle - from Kentucky importations, the Clinton County Importation Company was formed in 1853, to introduce Short Horn cattle generally into the county. Of this company, Judge B. F. Hinkson was the first President; Col. T. L. Carothers, Secretary, and M. Rombach, Nathan Perrill, William Palmer, Benjamin Wight and David Persinger, Directors. A. R. Seymour, of Fayette County, and John G. Coulter and H. H. Hankins, of Wilson Township, Clinton County, were chosen agents to go to Europe and make purchases. They departed on that mission early in 1854. Seymour soon returned, leaving the others to look after most of the purchasing. Twenty-six Short Horns were selected from ten of the best herds of England, and sent over in charge of Edward Lawrence, an experienced herdsman. These cattle were sold at a great advance over their first cost, yet the operations of the company were not financially successful. The herds of H. H. Hankins and John G. Coulter, of Wilson Township, which sprang principally from these imported cattle, acquired a national reputation.

Among men in and around Wilmington who were early interested in the improvement of stock, and with whom that interest never flagged, were Messrs. Haworth, Harlan, Gaskill, Strickle and others, and, through the influence of some or all of them, matters looking to the furtherance of agricultural and stock interests were given great prominence in the county.

Early Schools And Churches

So far as can now be learned, the first religious meetings held in the county were in Union Township, in the Center neighborhood, probably as early as 1804, by the Friends, but a meeting was not regularly organized until 1807. This society organized the first meetings in a number of the townships, as follows: In Chester, in 1807, when they built a log house on Caesar Creek, over the line, in Warren County; they first erected a building in that township in 1828. In 1809, they organized an indulged meeting in Adams Township, and in 1810, in Clark. In Jefferson, they effected an organization about 1825. Next in order were the Baptists, who held meetings in Wilson Township previous to 1(509; in Liberty, some time previous to 1818, and organized a society in Washington Township about 1818. The Methodists followed, organizing in Wilson in 1809; in Richland, previous to 1824, and in Marion in 1842. The Presbyterians were the first to organize a church in Vernon Township, the date being 1812 and the placo the liouso of David Sewell. For Wayne Township, no date has been loarned, either for churches or schools. All the denominations mentioned effocted various subsequent organizations, the foregoing summary showing tho dates of the first religious mootings in the several townships.

Schools were taught first as shown by the following: Union Township, 1806; Chester and Wayne, no dates given, neither for Washington nor Marion; Adams, 1808: Wilson, 1810 or 1812; Vernon, 1811 or 1812; Liberty, 1812; Clark, about 1812; Bichland, 1814; Jefferson, 1823. The early school - houses were simple structures of logs, and are accurately described elsewhere. The schools were taught by subscription until about 1835, the rates of tuition being from 11.25 to $1.50 per quarter for each pupil. At about the date last named, free schools were established, and that magnificent system has done much for the country. Academies and colleges have been founded, and will be described in their proper places.

Early Mills

" The first mill built within reach was Highway's. John Highway built a log mill on a small stream which empties into the Little Miami from the west, a short distance below Waynesville. It was built in 1803 and sold to Jonathan Newman, a Quaker and a Justice of the Peace, as early as about 1805. [Judge Harlan said this was the first mill he ever went to. From the history of Warren County, it appears that Samuel (not John) Heigh way, as the name appears to have been spelled, built the mill about 1803, and subsequently erected others.] The first mill constructed at Waynesville was erectdd by John Haynes, a cousin of Noah Haynes, an early and well-known settler at Waynesville. [This was about 1806. The name is given Haines in the Warren County History.] It was erected near the spot now occupied by the brick mill of Oscar J. Wright. A mill was built about five miles west of Xenia, by Owen Davis, near the Dayton road, on Big Beaver Creek, in 1798. It was the first mill built in Greene County. It was afterward owned by Jacob Smith, granduncle of the Linton families here. This mill was frequented by people from a great distance, by my father and Fergus McLean, father of Judge Mc- Lean, late , of the Supreme Court of the United States, and grandfather to Mrs. Jane Hale, formerly of Wilmington. At one time when they arrived at it, they found the people of the neighborhood collected in the block-house for protec tion against the Indians, then numerous in the country. The whites and Indians alike had received a scare, and, for a time, were in great commotion. Not long after, Blue Jacket, the principal chief of the Shawnees, cautiously -approached the block-house, making signs of peace and asking a friendly talk. His request was granted and an interview had. It was soon made to appear that there was no real occasion for the fright, and the people were soon on their way to their respective homes.

"Smalley's mill was the first mill in the neighborhood of Clarksville. Sewell's mill was on the Little East Fork, between Clarksville and Cuba. Mordecai Mendenhall's mill, on Todd's Fork, was afterward Jonathan Wright's mill (grandfather of Frank and Benjamin Farquhar).

" Fallis' mill, and later, Stacy Haines', were others. Eachus' mill was on Todd's Fork, a little east of Center Meeting-House. Mahlon Haworth built a mill on Todd's Fork, near his residence, in 1805 or 1806; it was part of the time a water-mill and part of the time a horse-mill. John Unthank built a mill at West Liberty, on Anderson's Fork. Miller's mill was on Anderson's Fork below Unthank's mill; Jennings' mill, on Anderson's Fork, at Port William; Holliday's mill, near Westboro, on West Fork. Among others were Jones' mill, Garrison's water-mill, between Clarksville and Blanchester; Hadley's mill, near Ogden, on Lytle's Creek; Pyle's mill, on Todd's Fork, a short distance above Clarksville.

"John Cox had a grist-mill on Cowan's Creek, below where Burtonville now is. Thomas Thatcher, Esq., had a grist and saw-mill on Silver Creek, a branch of Cowan's Creek, in 1823. Ezekiel Spurgeon erected a horse-mill at his residence, near where Reeseville now is, quite early. Benjamin B. Bentley built a mill near his residence on Anderson's Fork; it was a hand-mill, but was much used by the neighbors. Bentley lived where Carlisle Williams afterward lived in the Early neighborhood. Henry Cock erected a horse-mill near Centerville, on what is now the Terrell farm, about . Israel Nordyke built a horse-mill below Snow Hill. Holley's horse-mill was on Washington road, six miles east of Wilmiugton; Reese's mill, where Reeseville now is. Bowers had a horse-mill at an early day on the farm adjoining the Snow Hill farm. Benjamin Hockett, built a horse-mill on the West Branch of the East Fork. John Jack erected a horse-mill in 1827. John Cock built a horsemill on his farm, since owned by Robert Hunt, and still later, by John Crouse, Jr. The mill stood about northwest of the dwelling. Vestiges of this useful structure are said to have come down to the present time.

" Joseph Wright erected a building on the ground where the Methodist Episcopal Church now stands in Wilmington. He had a wool-carding machine and also a horse-mill; the lot was bought at the sale of lots in 1810. The wife of Joseph Wright was Susannah West, sister of Peyton West, and others, late of Clinton County. Joseph Wright sold the mill to Jacob Strickle & Sons. It was in this mill that our late fellow-citizen, Abraham E. Strickle, had his fingers, two on each hand, torn off by being caught in the machinery. The mill was sold in 1818 to the Methodist society, and they remodeled and changed it into a house for church purposes.

"Isaac Garretson's horse-mill stood a few rods south of where John Dillon's blacksmith shop lately stood, on Main street. The cog-wheels of the mill were of wood, and were run without being oiled or greased in any way, hence the citizens for a mile or so distant were serenaded by music resembling in part the notes of a guinea fowl, only very much louder. Isaac Garretson was a Pennsylvanian and a millwright; he also taught a school here (Wilmington) in 1810. The schoolhouse stood about 250 yards west of the shingle factory now owned by the Gallup Bros. It was afterward burned down.

"The mill on Todd's Fork, west of the Xenia road, was erected at an early day by George Haworth, the pioneer; later, it belonged to Mahlon Haworth, then to Dora Fisher, then to Michael Jenkins and the Fallises. It then passed through the hands of another party not remembered; then Peter Babb became the owner; it is now the property of Isaac Cline, Esq., and is run, as originally, by water-power."

Miscellaneous

"On the road from Wilmington to New Lexington, Highland County, about two miles southeast of New Antioch, is a tract of land frequently called the 'Indian Lot,' and sometimes the ' Downing Lot, ' to distinguish it from other tracts or lots in the same survey. This survey was many years since divided up for the purpose of making sales. The number is 855, and is marked on the county map ' C. Biddle,' but is better known in tho neighborhood as one of the surveys of land which belonged at one time to Hon. John Brown, of Kentucky. The lot particularly referred to is in the northwest corner of tho survey, and contains about 150 acres. It is marked on the map 'O. Brown.' The lot lies on both sides of the Wilmington & Now Lexington road, and joins tho farm of Christopher Custis on the northwest. There is also another road running through this lot, one end of which leads in the direction of Centerville, and the other intersects the road from Wilmington to Snow Hill, near the residence of Isaac Johnson. These roads divide the lot into four unequal parts. Through the southern part of it, divided as above stated, a small branch comes down from the southeast and ruDs off in the direction of Cowan's Creek, of which it is a branch Distant from the intersection of these roads about one hundred yards, and about equally distant from each of them, on the southwest side of this little branch, and within three or four rods of it, there is a piece of elevated land still (1870) covered with timber. This is the spot known, or should be known, as the place where Timothy Downing, the uncle of Mrs. James Wherry, of Reesville, killed one Indian and wounded another, thus effecting his escape from Indian captivity, if not from death by Indian tortures. The principal circumstances of the capture and escape of Downing have been published perhaps many times, but it is not stated in any of the accounts which have come into the hands of the writer of this, where it was that the principal events of the story happened. Mr. and Mrs. Wherry, who claim to have heard Timothy Downing relate the circumstances of the transaction, differ from the published accounts in some particulars and state some additional facts.

"About the 1st of April, 1791, Timothy Downing, residing in the neighborhood of Washington, Mason Co., Ky., went to Lexington to purchase bacon, taking with him two horses for the purpose of conveying it home. On his return, he was waylaid in the neighborhood o E the Blue Licks and taken prisoner by a party of Indians, who started with him for their camp. When they had reached the spot above described, they camped for the night, but soon hearing the report of a gun, the Indians all rose and went out to discover whence the sound came, except an old Indian chief and his son, a lad, who were left to guard Downing. The latter had learned from the conversation of the Indians that it was their intention to burn him at the stake the next night, so, when left alone with this guard, he at once began looking about for the means of escape. The old chief becoming thirsty, ordered Downing to bring him a drink, and, for this purpose, unbound his hands. This afforded Downing the desired opportunity, and he struck the old chief a blow on the head which killed him instantly. He had not intended to injure the young Indian, as he had shown him great kindness, but the instant the boy saw his father slain, he seized a squaw ax and sprang upon Downing with the fury of a wild beast, and, in the struggle for liberty, Downing wounded him severely. Downing now fled and succeeded in getting possession of his horses, one of which he mounted; he tried to induce the other to follow him, but, failing in this, was obliged to leave him. The young Indian ran to give the alarm to the rest of his tribe, and Downing made his way as best he could through the woods. He wandered about until near morning, when he heard the barking of dogs and judged that he was still within the neighborhood of the Indian camp. He soon found the creek and followed it some distance, and at length reached the river just as a boat was passing; he hailed this boat, but the men fearing a decoy, refused to land until he had ridden several miles along the river bank and they were convinced that no treachery was intended. They had but just gained the stream when the Indians appeared on the shore.

" Maj. Simon Kenton and a band of Kentuckians immediately went in pursuit of these Indians, but they had abandoned their camp, suspecting that they would be followed, and Maj. Kenton did not overtake them." (Judge Harlan, 1870.)

" It would seem a little late to write an account of a man in humble life, who has lain in his grave sixty years, and whose name is now probably for the first time found in print, if he had not been an early pioneer in what is now Clinton County, and a man of courage and conduct, and withal, an excellent man. John McKibben was a native of the North of Ireland and came of Scotch - Irish stock. He was married and was living in Western Pennsylvania during our Revolutionary struggle. Living near him at the time was a man by the name of Miller, a widower with a large family of children, mostly young, and with little for their support. While his wife lived and was in health, he had managed to keep his family together; she being gone, he saw no way left but to separate the children among the settlers, many of whom had more children of their own than they could well provide for. But the neighbors were full of patriotism and so was Miller. It was finally settled that McKibben should take a little boy, a year or so old, and other neighbors one of the children each until all were provided with homes. While the war raged between England and the patriots in America, and while a most bloody and cruel war was raging on our Western frontier, McKibben came by boat to Kentucky, bringing his young charge with him. His settlement was near Lexington, Ky., at a place known as Bryant's Station, on Licking River, an exposed frontier defense. Here he went to work to prepare for the raising of a crop of corn and vegetables. The land cultivated by him was of small extent and was about half a mile or so from the station. When the crop was sufficiently matured to yield supplies for the table, McKibben, with young Isaac Miller, and a black boy of some seventeen years, accompanied by two scouts or rangers from the station, went out to McKibben's improvement to get such supplies as it afforded. The general service of rangers or spies was to observe the presence and 'signs ' of Indians, and to guard the settlement against surprise, and, when not employed in general service, they frequently acted as an escort for single individuals and small parties. At the time of which we write, the settlers had been relieved from any incursions of Indians for several weeks. This contributed in great degree to the parties relaxing their usual vigilance and caution against surprise to some extent.

"While the little party was thus engaged in obtaining the supplies for which they had come out, entirely unmindful of danger, the colored boy, happening to turn round, saw an Indian creeping stealthily along toward their gun, intending no doubt to appropriate it to his own use, and most probably in attacking them. The boy sprang forward, seized the gun, and, just as the Indian had mounted the fence to make his escape, shot him, the ball cutting the strap of a camp kettle which he had hung about his neck, so that the Indian fell on one side of the fence and the kettle on the other. This kettle is still in the family of Isaac Miller. These parties were all early residents of Clinton County. Joseph McKibben, the son of John, and Isaac Miller, the adopted son, left their home in Kentucky and came out to the East Fork as early as the spring of 1802. They made their settlement near where Farmer's Station now is, the two young men living alone. About two years later, John McKibben, with his family, came also. The farm settled by John McKibben was that since owned by Benjamin Clark, in Throckmorton's survey, No. 1989, in Clark Township. The colored boy spoken of in this sketch was brought up by John McKibben from infancy in his own family, and was a great favorite with all the sons of McKibben. At the death of Mr. McKibben, he loft to his adopted son, Isaac Miller, the second choico of 285 acres of land in his estate."

" The Lucas family was originally from Now Jersey, but at an early day settled in Greene County, Ponn. From thore they came to Limestone, now Maysville, Ky., and, about 1800, to Ohio. Thomas Lucas, the father of the family, settled at about two, or at most, three miles northwest of Lebanon,

Warren County, where he died a few years later. Mr. Lucas had several sons and daughters. His sons were Thomas, Abram, John, Caleb, Ebenezer and Francis. Thomas waB killed at Harmar's defeat, on the Maumee, near where Fort Wayne has been built up, in 1790. Abram lived on the old Hiney farm, on Anderson's Fork, below Port William. John lived on Caesar's Creek, east of the road from Wilmington to Xenia, in Greene County. Caleb was an early settler on Caesar's Creek, near where New Burlington now is. These brothers were all living in what is now Clinton County prior to 1806. Francis, the youngest son, lived in early life north of Lebanon; he sold out his possessions and moved to the neighborhood of Deerfield, where he died May 11, 1845, aged sixty-four years. Ebenezer Lucas was in many respects a remarkable man. He was born at the foot of Laurel Hill, in Greene County, Penn., before 1772; he was married three times and had several children; he was married to Nancy Irving, by Isaac Collett, Justice of the Peace, March 2, 1828. He was to some extent a great hunter, but to a much greater extent a trapper; he is said to have killed the last wolf known to iiave been killed in the county, in 1828. On December 2 of that year, the Commissioners of Clinton County - Mahlon Haworth, Eli Gaskill and Elijah Lieurance - issued an order in favor of Ebenezer Lucas for $9 for the scalps of nine wolves over the age of six months. These Avolves were caught on the Telfair survey, on Jackson's Run, in what is now Wilson Township. Esquire Hoblett says Mr. Lucas caught the tenth wolf in his trap, but that it escaped with the loss of a hind foot. A large wolf, which had recently lost a hind foot was killed a few days after in Ezekiel Spurgeon's meadow. Thomas Graham, who came to live on Coesar's Creek in 1807, says that at one time as he and Mr. Lucas hunted together on Loramie's Creek, in Shelby County, one evening and the next morning they caught nine young wolves, trapped two old ones and shot a third, but failed to kill it and it escaped. At another time, they went out on the Wabash, about seven miles above Fort Recovery, in Mercer County. They stayed there twenty- six days and caught seventeen wolves and one catamount; the latter was caught in a fox trap. They received for each wolf scalp a bounty from the State, and sold each skin for 351. The catamount skin they sold in Dayton for $1.50. They found fifteen bee-trees one day and two the next day. From these they took a hogshead of honey and honeycomb of the best quality. Graham killed three deer, one a buck, the Indians said the largest they had ever seen on the Wabash; he caught forty-two raccoons and received 87 \ cents per skin for them. Lucas would not hunt raccoons at night. There were no white inhabitants in that part of the country at that time. The old wolf-trap used by Mr. Lucas was shown at one of our pioneer meetings by Harvey FI. Hankins, of Wilson Township. He said his father had bought it of the original owner, Ebenezer Lucas, and that it had been used successfully for the same purpose by his father. A deed from Caleb Lucas to Ebenezer Lucas for fifty acres is dated February 13, 1806, Book 71, pages 77, 78. David Lucas, a son of Ebenezer, Avas born November 3, 1802, at the old residence near New Burlington, on the Sergeant Survey, No. 2280. In health, Ebenezer Lucas weighed about 250 pounds; he died about five miles west of Wapakoneta, Auglaize Co., Ohio."