Clinton County, Ohio - Chapter 14: The Military History of Clinton County, 1882 (part 10 of 14)

Christopher Ellis and Elizabeth, his wife, emigrated from Frederick County, Va., to Ohio in 1809. He bought 600 acres of land in what are now Greene and Clinton Counties. This tract of land included the farm now owned by William Donaldson. It was upon this part of the tract that Ellis settled. Christopher Ellis was a brother to Abram Ellis, who had emigrated here four years before, and was then living on the creek in a cabin. Even at this date, settlers were so scarce that Christopher Ellis had to go many miles to get enough hands to raise the log house.

In 1810, David Fairfield, an Irishman by birth, emigrated from Kentucky with his family and settled on the farm now owned by Robert Oglesbee. Mr. and Mrs. Fairfield raised a large family of children. They were hard-working, peaceable citizens, and performed well their part as early settlers, and are both sleeping side by side upon the farm they reclaimed from the wilderness, with not even a headstone to mark the spot.

About the same time (1810), Isaac Haines and wife, from New Jersey, settled where Joseph Whineiy now lives. David Adkinson and family, from York County, Penn., settled where Nicholas Harlan lived and died. Henry Hester married a daughter of David Fairfield, and settled on the farm now owned by John Hempstead. Owing to defective titles, Isaac Haines, Joseph Adkinson, Henry Hester, David Fairfield and others, owning to the amount of 1,000 acres in W. Nelson's Survey, after they had paid for the same and were just beginning to be so situated as to enjoy life, lost all.

Josiah Borton, in 1812, moved from New Jersey with his family and settled on Anderson's Fork, near where William Allen Haines now lives. He bought a tract of 400 acres, which includes the ground on which Lumberton now stands. Mr. Borton was a model farmer of his day. His cleared land was fenced into fields of ten acres each. The fences were kept in good condition, and not a weed was allowed to grow. He was twice married, and raised a family of twelve children. He died in 1842, and was buried, as were both his wives, on the farm where he settled.

In the same year as above, John Strickle and Susanna, his wife, emigrated from near Winchester, Va., and settled near Chillicothe. Remaining there one year, in 1813 they moved into what is now Liberty Township, to the farm on which Jacob Strickle (brother of the above, and son-in-law of Abram Ellis) had settled in 1805.

John Strickle was a blacksmith - the first one, perhaps, that did work in this township. Mr. Strickle died in 1842. His wife died in 1854. They are both buried in the Miller Burying-Ground.

William Hoblet emigrated from Kentucky in 1806. In 1812, he moved with his family into what is now Liberty Township, upon the farm now owned by his son Jesse. Mr. Hoblet was a prominent man of his day; was one of the first Trustees of this township, and was universally respected. He was a tanner, and carried on the business of tanning on his farm for a number of years.

Benjamin Bangham was born in England in 1774; was married to Lucy Moorman December 29, 1797. They raised a family of thirteen children. He emigrated from Virginia (where he had previously gone with his father while young) to Highland County, Ohio, in 1810; raised one crop on rented ground. The next summer, bought nearly two hundred acres of land where his son, ElwoodB., now lives. He built a cabin and cleared a small patch of ground, and, on the 13th of March, 1812, he moved with his family upon the same. At that time, there were but few families besides his in that neighborhood. Game of all kinds was plentiful. The first summer, a wild turkey built her nest and raised her brood in a tree-top close by the house. At that time, there was but one established road in the township. Centre was the nearest meeting-house. Friends' Quarterly Meeting was held at Waynesville. Mr. and Mrs. Bangham, who were Friends, would take a child each before and behind them on horseback, and ride all the way through the woods to Waynesville, a distance of twenty miles. Mr. Bangham was a stooe mason. He was drafted in the war of 1812, but procured a substitute. His son Elwood has the honor of killing the last deer that was killed in the township, which was in 1853. He also killed the last wild turkey, in 1861.

In the east end of the township, in the same year (1812), Isaac Jones and Phoebe, his wife, moved with their family, in a one-horse wagon, from Greene County, Tenn., and settled on 100 acres of land, which is now owned by Allen Whinery.

Phoebe, his wife, was a daughter of John Oren, who had settled two years before near Dover, in Union Township. They had but one child when they moved here. They raised a family of eight children that lived to be grown. Three only of these are now living - Ruth and John, who live in Indiana, and Hulda Thomas, who lives in Union Township.

The country here, like most of the township, is very level, and, before it was drained, it was for more than half the year covered with water. Wheat did but little good, and what little could be raised was "sick wheat." It took constant vigilance on the part of the farmer and his family to save what little corn could be raised in these swamps from the ravages of the squirrels. They swarmed around every clearing. Dead-falls were set, and the children were hustled out of bed at peep of day to guard the growing corn.

Solomon Stanbaugh* emigrated from Tennessee at an early day and settled in what is now Union Township, Clinton Co., Ohio. His three sons, James, Nehemiah and Evan, settled in what is now Liberty Township - James, where James Brann now lives; Nehemiah, where Eli A. McKee lives, in the year 1814; and Evan, on the farm now owned by Jesse N. Oren, in the year 1813. Evan built the second brick house in the township, in 1823. Charles Johnson was the principal mason. A part of this house is still standing, in good condition, and is occupied by Mr. Oren as a residence.

What is known as the Thornburg place, owned now by Jesse H. Kirk, was first settled by Jonathan Hoskins, from Guilford County, N. C., in 1814. Where the widow of Mahlon Kirk now lives, Hezekiah Betts, half-brother of Aaron Betts, first settled in 1814.

John Woolman and Polly, his wife, emigrated from New Jersey about 1810, and first settled on the farm now owned by Isaac Hyatt. Ho owned several hundred acres of land; was a surveyor, and dealt largely in real estate.

Samuel Wilson and Sarah, his wife (parents of Alexander Wilson, of Union Township), moved from Pennsylvania into Liberty Township about 1817. He bought a iract of 300 acres, all in the woods, of John Woolman. The land was afterward owned by Samuel Haines, and now belongs to his son William, and some of his grandchildren. Owing to a defective title, on failing to meet payments, Mr. Wilson lost all he had paid, and moved out of the township in 1821.

John Oglesbee and Sarah, his wife, emigrated from Frederick County, Ya., in 1817, in the fall; settled on a farm of fifty acres near where Woodson Oglesbee now lives; remained there two years, and then moved onto Anderson's Fork, on the farm where his son William now lives. About the same time that Oglesbee settled here, Isaac Constant came, with his family, from Kentucky, and squatted on the creek below, on the land that now belongs to Franklin Oglesbee. He afterward took a lease of Joseph Watkins, the original owner, and remained there until 1828. They then bought land farther up the creek, that which is now owned by Franklin McKay and Samuel Haines, Isaac's three sons, Isaac, John and William, settling on the same, all in the woods. William Constant served in the war of 1812. Isaac Constant died in 1838, aged eighty-three. He was buried in Mt. Pleasant Burying-Ground.

Isaiah Oglesbee, father of John Oglesbee, emigrated from Frederick County, Ya., with his family, in the fall of 1817, and settled on the farm where his grandson, Woodson Oglesbee, now lives.

On the creek, above Port William, Jacob Beal and wife, from Pennsylvania, settled where their son John now lives at an early day. About the same time, Isaac Beal, brother of John, settled on the farm now owned by Peter H. Stephens. Among the early settlers of the township were John Copeland and Judith, his wife, who settled where J. M. Stephens now lives. They both died in 1826, within a few hours of each other, and were buried in one coffin, in Port William Cemetery.

Daniel and Solomon Early, brothers, moved into Liberty Township in 1824. Solomon settled where he now resides. Daniel settled on the farm now owned by his son-in-law, John Carlisle. Among those who settled in the woods, though at a later day, are David Hoblet, who settled where William Barlow now lives, in 1827; Ashley Johnson, on the farm now owned by his son Henry, in 1825. Mr. Johnson came from North Carolina. Elizabeth, his wife, was born in Greene County, Tenn., in 1790. She is still living on the old homestead with her son Henry, and is now ninety-two years of age. She is the oldest person living in the township, is entirely blind, and somewhat afflicted, but her mind is still clear, and she remembers events of the long ago well.

Samuel Mitchel and Charles B. Williams were among those who settled at a later date. Mr. Mitchel, from Tennessee, settled where A. M. Sanderson now lives, in 1825; Mr. Williams, in the northeastern part of the township, in 1823, on a farm that now belongs to Col. Carothers, of Wilmington, the largest landholder in this township.

John King, from Washington County, Tenn., settled on the farm that now belongs to hiB son, Judge King, in 1819. He was one of the early Justices of the Peace of this township. He served in the war of 1812, and his family, after his death, received two land warrants, of eighty acres each, from the Government, on account of his services. He volunteered at Jonesboro, East Tennessee, October 12, 1813.

Tennessee to Clinton County in 1808. He at first settled with his family in Union Township. At a later date, he moved into Liberty Township, settling near Port William. Mr. Shields was a Revolutionary soldier, and served his country faithfully during her struggle for independence. He was honorably discharged, and drew a pension from the Government during his lifetime. Besides those who have already been mentioned, there is Henry Woolery, from Virginia, who settled in the township at an early day, on the farm now owned by his son Henry. Henry Welch settled on Anderson's Fork, below Miller's Mill. Zachariah Moorman, from Virginia, settled on the land now owned by JoBhua Brown. Obed Wain, also from Virginia, came into the township in 1817. He was for four years a Justice of the Peace. James Burden, from New Jersey, was also one of the early settlers.

We have endeavored, as far as possible, to give the names of those who were pioneers of the township - those who settled in the woods and commenced life in the wilderness. It may be we have been somewhat tedious, but we regard this as the most important part of our history. The men who cleared away the heavy forests and let in the sunlight of heaven - the strong arms and brave hearts who prepared this country for the abode of civilized man, certainly ought to be remembered.

The name of each pioneer, if possible, should be preserved so that succeeding generations may know to whom they are most indebted for what they enjoy.

They are ancestors of whom we may well feel proud. They fought to some purpose the battle of life, and "have left behind them footprints on the sands of time." They aided in founding a new State. They came to the wilderness for the purpose of securing homes for themselves and children, realizing that it was " men, high-minded men, that constitute a State." The log church and the log schoolhouse were erected soon after the Jog dwelling.

For a number of years, religious services were held at the homes of the settlers. The first house built for a meeting-house was m 1818. It was an Episcopal Methodist, and was denominated " Salem." The first building was of logs, and was replaced by a frame structure some years afterward. This building is still standing, on the farm now owned by William Donaldson, and is used by him for a stable, the meeting having gone down many years ago. The Rev. Mr. Dobbins, Jacob Dolby and Rev. Mr. Smith were among the first ministers. Camp meeting was held here at an early day, and was the first meeting of the kind held in the township.

The Baptist Church was the first religious organization in tho township, but they did not build a meeting-house until 1825. In that year, they built a log house on the farm of William Hoblet, who donated a lot for that purpose. This meeting was well attended, members of that denomination and others coming for many miles. Among the first ministers was Isaac Nichols, a colored man known as " Black Isaac." He had been a slave; was bought by the Baptist Church and given his freedom. He was an earnest and eloquent preacher, and, whenever it was announced that " Black Isaac" would be present, tho house was sure to be crowded. Tho Rev. Freeman Smalley and the Rev. William Sutton were also among the first ministers. Meetings wero hold here until 1846, when the present frame structure in Port William was built. William Hoblet was the leading spirit of this church during his lifetime, and did more, perhaps, than any other one man to promote its interests and extend its influence for good.

The Methodist Episcopal Church at Lumberton was first organized in 1840. Joshua C. James, Harvey Conklin, John Borton, Japheth L. Pricket and Jeremiah Rakestraw were the first Trustees. For two years, meetings were held in John Woolman's and Thomas Conklin's wagon shops. The Revs. J. J. Hill, Jeremiah B. Elsworth, W. B. JacltBon and John W. Keels were among the first pastors. In 1842, a frame structure was built. This was used for religious purposes until 1878, when, during the pastorate of the Rev. Henry Stokes, the present church was built. Joshua C. James and Harvey Conkling were mainly instrumental in organizing the first church and building the first house.

Mr. James was an active, zealous churchman, and, during his residenoe of twenty- four years in this township, he waB one of the main pillars of the church, and his house was the "Preachers' Home."

Mt. Pleasant Meeting-House was first built in 1832. It was Protestant Methodist in denomination. Samuel Haynes and William Ireland were the moving spirits. Mr. Haynes gave the ground upon which the church was built. He was one of the first Trustees; was a Deacon for many years, and, during his entire life, was a zealous, earnest worker for the cause of Christianity. For many years there was a great religious interest felt. The meetings were well attended. We remember very well attending this meeting thirty years ago, when Samuel Haynes, Obed Wain, Andrew Strickle and James Antram were the leading members. The first house was of logs. The present, frame house was built in 1844. After Mr. Haynes' death, which occurred February 17, 1864, the interest in this meeting seemed to die out. Meetings were held rather irregularly, until, within the last few years, they were discontinued altogether.

About one year ago (1881), the Rev. Henry Smith, a German Reformed minister, from Xenia, Ohio, commenced holding meetings at this point once every two weeks. The religious interest, which had lain dormant for years, was revived. During the past winter, protracted meetings were held for a number of weeks, and upward of thirty confessed conversion and joined the church. On the 2d of April, 1882, the Rev. Mr. Smith instituted a German Reformed Church at this point, and regular services are now held every two weeks. Besides the churches above named, there were a great many who belonged to other denominations, who attended church outside the township. Among the early settlors there were many Friends who attended meeting at Centre. There were also a number of Presbyterians, who attended church at Xenia, Ohio

Cemeteries And Graveyards

The history of the burying-grounds of this township as to time of dedication, with few exceptions, corresponds exactly with the time of the organization of the churches to which they belong. The meeting-house and the graveyard are found side by side. In close proximity to the log church, a small lot of ground was set apart as a resting-place for the dead.

Miller's Burying -Ground. - About one-half acre was deeded by Squire Miller for a graveyard. It is situated on the banks of the creek, a short distance below A. C. Hiatt's mill. It is a high, rolling piece of ground, and well adapted to the purpose for which it is used. This is one of the oldest buryinggrounds in the township. Mary Scott, widow of William Scott, and Squire Miller's mother-in-law, who died in October, 1818, was the first ones buried in these grounds. The original lot is now well filled up, and the grounds have been enlarged. The graves are all marked with suitable inscriptions and inclosed with a good fence. Many of the early settlers of the township sleephere, and the manner in which the grounds are kept reflects credit on those having them in charge.

Salem Burying- Ground. - This was also one of the early resting-places for the dead. It is now very much neglected, and, so far as we know, no new interments are made here. We have not been able to find out much about its early history, but, from the best information we can get, it was established about the same time (1818) as the one already referred to. The ground was given by Aaron Jenkins, and it is near where Salem Meeting-House used to Btand. The first person buried here was a child by the name of Chipman.

The Baptist Burying- Ground. - What is known as the Baptist Graveyard is situated on Anderson's Fork, a short distance above Port William. The ground was given by William Hoblet in 1825, and it has been used since that time for a burying -ground. It is only kept in tolerable repair.

Port William Cemetery is situated about one-half mile east of Port William, near where Concord Meeting-House formerly stood. This was established as a burying- ground in 1830. The first person buried here was Peter Ogen, who was buried in the year above named. This is the largest cemetery in the township.

ML Pleasant Burying- Ground was first used for that purpose in 1832. Samuel Haynes gave the ground, and a daughter of his was the first one to be buried in the same. These grounds are very much neglected - fences down and graves exposed to all kinds of stock, that run at large and pasture over the same. The bones of Samuel Haynes and his son Allen, with others who were first buried here, were taken up recently and removed to Wilmington Cemetery, where their friends can feel their graves will have the proper care.

In addition to the cemeteries named, there Avere several private graveyards on the farms of early settlers. The largest one of this character was on the farm of Josiah Borton. His first wife expressed a desire to be buried in a certain place on the farm. At her death, Mr. Borton complied with her request. This was the commencement of what proved to become something more than a private burying-ground. There are nearly one hundred graves here, not one of them marked with an inscription. No fence separates them from the rest of the farm. In a short time, the plow-share will level the little raised mounds of earth, and no traces will be left to tell of those whose bodies quietly sleep beneath.

Schools And School Teachers

The first schoolhouse built in the township was in 1812. It was built of round logs, fifteen by sixteen feet, clapboard roof and puncheon floor, with greased paper for windows. The first school was taught the same year. Henry Hester was the first teacher. John, William, Polly and Abram Miller, James, Nelly, Margaret and Samuel Ireland, Isaac and Eli Ellis, David, Lydia and Betsy Fairfield, John, Jabez and Massah Lucas, were among the first scholars. This house was used for schools until 1830, when a hewed-log house was put upon the site of the old one, but of largor dimensions. The house is still standing, on land that lately belonged to Samuel Garman, and is now occupied as a residence by his son-in-law, Ed Hendershot. The Rev. Griffield, a Presbyterian minister, of Wilmington, taught the first school in this house. This was used for school purposes until 1858, when the present district at Mt. Pleasant was established. This district was in existence for forty-six years, and during all that time it was known as the Ireland District.

The second school in the township was taught in what was known as Salem Schoolhouse, in 1816, Aaron Jenkins giving a piece of ground for that purpose, and a log house was erected on the same in tho year above named. Samuel Hyde was the first teacher. George Welch, Alfred Jenkins, Eli, John and Lucinda Oglesbee, John, David and Allen Falknor, Alfred and Clifford

The first schoolhouse in the east end of the township was built in 1827, on the land that now belongs to Judge King. Aquila Dorsey, who is still lining, was the first teacher. He is now in his ninety-third year, and is in possession of all his faculties. This was the first school Judge King attended. A few years later, Hoblet's Schoolhouse was built. William Hoblet gave the ground. This was situated about one mile south of where Judge King now lives. Mahlon Haworth commenced the first school, was taken sick, and Elihu Oren was employed to complete the term. He afterward taught several terms in this district. Roger B. Morey was also one of the early teachers.

The first schoolhouse in Port William was built in 1837. It was of brick. Daniel Bailey, father of Barkley Bailey, was the mason. The present house was built by John Stephens and Riz McDorman, in 1854.

There was a schoolhouse at an early day on the farm now owned by Elwood Bangham. Judge King was one of the early teachers in this district. Thompson Douglass, of Richland Township, taught school in this house more than forty years ago. In 1833, there was a log schoolhouse built on the hill not far from Anderson's Fork, on the Constant land. The land now belongs to W. F. McKay. This was known as the Constant District. Jesse Wain was the first teacher. Criswell Haws, John Constant, William Johnson and A. S. Buck taught at a later day. About 1845, the old log house was replaced by a frame one. This continued to be need for schools until 1856, when the district was re-organized and the house was moved about one mile south, to a lot given by Mahlon Kirk for school purposes. This new district was known as Liberty School, and acquired quite a reputation, not only on account of the character of the schools taught, but also for the literary society that was kept up during the entire year for many years. The debates were marked features of the "Liberty League," and drew crowded houses. Joseph Doan, now of Richmond, Ind., and J. M. Kirk, of Wilmington, were among the first teachers. Elihu Oren taught the last school he ever taught, in 1862, in this district. This house is still standing, and has been used by Jesse H. Kirk for a tenant house since 1863. In that year, a new district was organized at Gurneyville, and the present schoolhouse there was built. There was a schoolhouse built near where Gurneyville now stands in 1822. Rebecca Stout was the first teacher. Edward Wickersham, Joseph Dillon and Ruth Oren were among the early teachers. Elihu Oren also taught here at an early day. Amos Hockett, of Wilmington, taught in this district more than thirty years ago.

Lumberton District was first organized in 1845. In that year, a brick house was built. Abram S. Deacon and William Constant were among the early teachers. There were two or three schools taught in Lumberton before this house was built. Mrs. Dr. Moss taught in the room over where Mr. Malian now has his store. Andrew Haughey taught in the bar-room of the hotel, the house in which Dr. Crawford now lives. This schoolhouse was burned down in January, 1856. Alfred McKay was the teacher at the time. In the fall of the same year, the present frame house was built.

We have at this time six township districts and one special district, There are of school age 217 males and 204 females, making a total of 421. Of this number, thirteen males and nine females are colored. There was expended, during the year ending March 6, 1882, for tuition, $1,884.74; for contingent expenses, $544.85. The following are the names of the members of the Board of Education for this township: No. 1, Port William, special district; No. 2, John Early; No. 3, David Hunnicubt; No. 4, B. F. Wall; No. 5, James Mullen; No. 6, John Hempstead; Clerk, Joseph Noon.

Port William, the principal town, was first started on the west side of Todd's Fork, in 1816, by John Unthank. It was first called West Liberty. Only a few houses were built, however, and it was not until 1829 that the town proper was laid out. A log house, that is still standing, not far from the old factory, was built by Jesse Dillon, son-in-law of Unthank, many years before. Garland Johnson built a log house, the one now occupied by Abram Beal, among the first, in 1829. In the same year, he started the first store in the town, in the house now occupied by Benjamin Cooper. A few years later, he built an addition to his dwelling and moved the store into a room of the same. The first blacksmith shop was where John Page now lives. It was built in 1828. Among the early business men of the town were Addison Mills, grocer; Anson Massie, saddler; Marshall Jenkens, merchant; Samuel Johnson, tanner; James M. Hoblet was for a number of years a leading merchant.

In 1825, Steel Taylor built a fulling-mill below and on the opposite side of the creek from where the old woolen factory stands. This factory was built in the spring and summer of 1846, by Lewis Clark, who owned the same. It was owned more recently by Noon & Cropper, who did an extensive business in their line for a number of years. Jonathan Perkins started the first saloon in 1888. The building in which it was kept was where Hugh Johnson's beef shop now stands, and was burned down a few years since.

Port William is situated on the C., C. & H. Y. R. R., and, since the opening of this road, in 1878, it has been a good market for all farm products. Since the opening of the railroad, in January, 1878, there have been shipped from this point 75,000 bushels of wheat and the same amount of corn; affio, a great many hogs. The following is the

Business Directory Of Port William

Vanpelt & Ellis, millers; James Hart & Son, dry goods and groceries; O. F. Peddicord, dry goods and groceries; A. N. Gurley, grocer; James Hart, undertaker; A. B. Johnson, grocer; J. T. Arnold, boot and shoe maker; James Cropper, dealer in country produce; A. Beal, blacksmith, livery and feed stable; Jane Hartsook, hotel; H. A. Johnson, livery and feed stable; Benjamin Cooper, saddle and hai'ness maker; E. Y. Ewbank, M. D. ; James F. Bowers,

M. D. ; A. Dowden, blacksmith; James Holland, painter; Z. M. Ellis, wagon and cabinet-maker; James Beers, house carpenter; Joseph Noon, dealer in grain, agricultural implements, hardware, paints and live stock; L. C. Dakin, druggist and grocer. Present population, 204.

This village was called Lumberton for a town of that name in New Jersey. The first house built is the one in which William M. Wain now lives. It was built for a wagon shop, by Samuel Woolman, about 1820. About the same time, he built a log dwelling on the lot where Dr. Crawford now lives. Later, John Borton built a small frame house on the opposito corner, where I.

N. Linkhart now lives. The first store was started by Joshua C. James, in 1839, in the house now occupied by William Walu. '"Tunis Conkling was the first blacksmith. The following is the Lumberton business directory:

Dr. Crawford, M. D. ; James Mullain, groceries; William Wain, cooper; Oliver Hansel, blacksmith; Chase Wain, blacksmith; Thomas Conkling, wagonmaker; Thomas Martindalo, stone mason.

This small hamlet was named by David McMillan in honor of Joseph John Gurney, a noted member of the Society of Friends. Mr. McMillan sold the lots upon which the few houses now stand. The house in which B. F. James now lives, in one room of which he keeps his store and the post office, was built by Andrew Haughey in 1847. The first store was started in this building in 1848, by John Grant. The following is the business directory of Gurney ville:

B. F. James, Postmaster, and dealer in dry goods and groceries; Asbury Wooley, blacksmith; E. A. McKee, wagon-maker; William Conley, broommaker.

A thriving little place by this name has sprung up since the building of the C., C. & H. Y. R. R. There is a grocery store and a blacksmith shop. J. H. Kirk ships large quantities of grain and large numbers of live stock each year. It is an excellent market for farmers. Since commencing business, in 1878, Mr. Kirk has shipped, from this point, of wheat, 200,000 bushels; corn, 75,000 bushels. It is named in honor of Alfred McKay, who gave most of the lots to those who would put up good houses on the same.

Mount Pleasant

Mt. Pleasant is a station on the C., C. & H. Y. R. R. It consists of a country store, post office and steam saw-mill. The distinguishing feature of this point is that it is the voting precinct of the west end of the township. By a special act of the Legislature, in 1875, the Trustees of the township were authorized to divide the township into two voting precincts. Previous to this time, the township voted at Port William. The Trustees, under this authority, established a voting precinct at Mt. Pleasant.

Public Roads

The first laid-out road in what is now Liberty Township was the old State road. It was established by the first Legislature that convened in Ohio, in 1802, and was opened out soon after from Chillicothe to Old Town. Its track can plainly be traced in many places, especially in the woods. In the timber on A. S. Ballard's farm, it is marked by an open space sixty feet wide. This road enters the township about the center of its southern line, and, taking a northwesterly course, passes into Greene County near Lumberton.

The Xenia & Wilmington road was commenced December 18, 1812. The Viewers made their report to the County Commissioners September 23, 1812. John Woolman was the surveyor. The road commenced at Wilmington and entered the old State road at the Greene County line, near Lumberton.

The road from Wilmington to Unthank's Mill was surveyed by John Woolman. He made his report to the Commissioners in 1815. Thomas Bp,bb aud Stephen Mendenhall were the Viewers. They made a favorable report to the Commissioners June 6, 1815. The road was established June 24, 1815, and opened soon after.

The road from' Unthank's Mill to Jenkins' Mill (New Burlington) was opened about 1816. The first free pike built in the township was Road Improvement No. 2 (Wilmington & Xenia road). It was commenced in 1867, A. C. Hiatt and R. W. Babb, contractors. The Port William & Wilmington

Free Pike was built in 1870-71, I. Hurley, contractor, The Chester & Lumberton Free Pike was built in 1874. Alfred McKay, W. F. Oglesbee and G. E. Stingley were the Commissioners. The Gurneyville & Mt. Pleasant Free Pike was built in 1875-76. Jesse H. Kirk, John Oglesbee and Samuel Haines were the Commissioners.

We have at this time in this township forty-seven miles of roads - twentyseven miles of dirt roads and twenty miles of free pike. Many of the dirt roads are partly graveled, and they are rapidly being put in better condition.

There was expended in the township, during the year 1881, for the improvement of roads, besides the two-days' work, $820. The road from Port William to the Prairie road, up the creek, is being made into a free pike, and will soon be completed.

The Cincinnati, Columbus & Hocking Valley Railroad

This important improvement, which passes through the entire length of the township, was first conceived in December, 1875, when a meeting convened in Port William and the plan of building a narrow-gauge railroad from Waynesville, connecting there with the Miami Valley Railway, to Jeffersonville, and ultimately to Columbus, was presented by J. F. Ely, of Washington Court House.

A charter was immediately procured for the Waynesville, Port William & Jeffersonville Railroad. J. F. Ely, Ethan Allen, J. M. Hussey, James Ellis and Dr. Marshall were the incorporators.

A sufficient amount of stock having been raised, an organization was effected in March, 1876. J. F. Ely, Alfred McKay, John Merchant, Dr. HusBey, J. C. Ellis, Israel Wright and Daniel Early were chosen Directors, with J. F. Ely, President; Alfred McKay, Vice President; and J. C. Ell is, Secretary. Meetings were held along the line of the road, and stock raised to the amount of $65,000.

The contract for building the road was sold out at Washington Court House, in April, 1877. George Potts & Co. were the contractors. Work was commenced June 1, 1877, at Allentown, in Greene County. Cars were run to Bowersville in September, 1877; arrived at Port William a month later. About this time (October, 1877), the name of the road was changed to Columbus, Washington & Cincinnati Railway, and the terminus to Washington Court House. This proved to be almost a fatal mistake. The interest in the road abated. Those who had been anticipating a through road Erom Cincinnati to Columbus saw in this move the blighting of all their hopes.

Viewing this whole matter in the light of the past, we are of the opinion that, if the policy of building one road from Cincinnati via Waynesville, Port William and Jeffersonville to Columbus, had been pursued, we would to-day have the cars running to the points named.

In July, 1878, the cars ran through to the Miami road. In January, 1878, a new Board of Directors was elected at Washington Court House, as follows: J. F. Ely, President; Alfred McKay, Vice President; Jesse H. Kirk,

W. F. McKay, Dr. Hussey and J. M. Merchant. In September, 1879, the road passed into the hands of a receiver, Mr. Gimperling, of Dayton. July 5, .1879, the road was sold, in Xenia, Ohio, to the highest bidder, and bought by the Board of Directors. Thoy continued in possession of the road until March, 1881, when it was sold to E. L. Harper & Co. During the fall and winter of 1881, the road was changed into a standard gauge. The bridges were rebuilt and strengthened, now ties put in, the grade widened, and the road very much improved in every respect. It is now known as the Cincinnati, Columbus & Hooking Valley Railway. Cars are now running from Jofforsonville, where they

The purpose is to extend east to Columbus and west to Cincinnati. Passing as this road does through a rich part of the country, and one destitute of railroad facilities, it cannot help but become one of the most important thoroughfares in the State. The men who have been mainly instrumental in carrying forward this great enterprise have conferred a lasting benefit upon the community.

Other Matters

In 1827, Shadrach Thornburgh and William Stanley built a pottery-kiln on the land that now belongs to W. F. McKay. It was not far from the creek, and about one- fourth of a mile north of the railroad.

They burned sugar pots for the settlers. At that time, there was a sugarcamp on almost every farm west of Port William. The settlers would gather here at night from miles around and engage in debate. " Pursuit or Possession ? " was a favorite question. About this time, there were a number of copper stills on Anderson's Fork. John Oglesbee, Robert Stanley, James Babb, Josiah Borton, Samuel Miller, William Ireland and Jacob Peterson each owned one. Whisky was 18 cents per gallon, and in general use. About 1828, Samuel Smith, of Wilmington, started a store in a log house on Anderson's Fork, near where W. F. McKay now lives. Jackson Walker had charge of the store. This was the first store of any importance there was in the township.

Aaron Weller manufactured the first drain tile in the township. They were made on the wheel, by hand, in 1856. Allen Hiatt put in the first tile ditch in the same year. In 1858, Mr. Weller put up his tile factory, and has been making tile ever since. There have been hundreds of miles put in for drains in the township, and yet the demand is as great as ever.

The Underground Railroad

The history of this township would not be complete without a brief reference to this important road, that once had a track across this township, and which, during the time ifc was in operation, did a thriving business.

Elihu Oren's house was the principal station in the township, and this was often filled with dusky passengers, fresh from the blue grass regions of Kentucky, anxious to try the experiment of a climate nearer the North Star, and under a different form of Government. They usually took passage in Abram Allen's " Liberator " (a large curtained carriage made for the purpose), and were driven by the light of the stars toward the " land of promise." At Paintersville, there were two or three ready to take them in charge. Joseph Coat, Abel Beven and Dr. Watson knew just what disposition to make of them. There was one peculiarity of this road: Its trains Beldom ran by daylight, and

Samuel Haines was one of the pioneers in the anti -slavery cause. He cast the only vote that was given in this township for James G. Birney in 1840; but this was the last time he voted alone. The anti-slavery sentiment grew stronger each year. D. S. King, Andrew Strickle, W. M. Wain and others fell into line, until it became a power in the township.

Temperance

Since the days of the copper stills, there has been a marked change in the sentiment of our people on this question. Even William Ireland lived to advocate total abstinence by public speeches.

With one single exception, there has been no place in the township where intoxicating liquors were sold since 1860. A few years ago, there was a saloon started in Lumberton, but it was short-lived. It was impossible for the saloon-keeper to live in the moral atmosphere that surrounded him. As a result, our people are industrious, peaceable, prosperous and happy.

The anti-slavery sentiment that had been created by the early agitation of that question had much to do in preparing this township for the part she took in the war for the Union. Liberty Township was loyal in the strictest sense of that term. She furnished her full quota of men in answer to every call of the Government. Party lines were in a manner swept away, and Democrats and Republicans, with very few exceptions, vied with each other in helping to sustain the honor of our flag. She furnished no officers of high rank, but she furnished men who helped to bear the brunt of battle, and many of them gave their lives for their country's cause; and some of them are sleeping in unknown graves beneath the soil they helped redeem with their blood. She sent to the front her best men, and she is proud to-day of the record they made and the part they bore in that grand struggle for liberty. She realizes fully that what we now enjoy is due, under God, to what they did and because they died. She can never be so ungrateful as to forget them and theirs, and her highest ambition will ever be to preserve untarnished their flag and our flag, and to see to it that our best efforts will ever be to perpetuate that principle of our . Government which recognizes all as equal before the law.

We give the following as a small part of the unwritten history of the war: At the battle of Lookout Mountain, the Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry captured two brass pieces of artillery. There was a dispute at the time between Gen. Whitaker, who commanded the brigade to which the Fortieth belonged, and another officer, as to whom should belong the honor of capturing the same. Gen. Whitaker pointed to a soldier lying prone upon the ground, stiff and stark, at the very mouth of the cannon, his arms extended. Upon his knapsack was written, "Company G, Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry," saying, " There is my evidence." Then, turning to the commander of the Fortieth Regiment, he said, " Col. Taylor, detail a squad of men to take charge of these pieces." The Colonel ordered the writer to select a squad of men and take charge of the cannon. JBy the light of the moon, we hauled them down the mountain and turned them over to an ordnance officer in the valley below.

Received of J. N. Qren, Sergeant Company B, Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, two pieces of artillery captured by the Fortieth Regiment, at the battle of Lookout Mountain.

In concluding our work, we desire to extend our thanks to the followingnamed persons, who have kindly assisted us by furnishing valuable information, without which we could not have furnished this history: D. S. King,

William Wain, Allen Hiatt, Joseph Whinery, Sarah Whinery, Isaac. Hiatt, Daniel Oglesbee, William Stanly, of Watseka, 111.; Absalom Mendenhall, of Richmond, Ind. ; Andrew Strickle, Hulda Thomas, Dr. Jones, Nellie Wilson, Elwood Bangham, John Stephens, Isaac Ellis, Joseph Ellis, Alfred McKay, Jesse Hoblet, Joseph Noon, Alice Green and Lottie Lundy, and Mr. and Mrs. Jacob S. Peterson.

By J. W. Rice

THIS township was formed by an act of the County Commissioners, August 5, 1830. It occupies the southwestern corner of the county, and is bounded as follows: On the north by Vernou Township, on the east by Washington and Jefferson Townships, on the south by Brown County and on the west by Warren County.

The surface of the township is in most parts what is called undulating, while in some places it is comparatively level. The soil is variable, comprising in its variety the deep, black vegetable mold, the yellow clay land and the sandy soil, all of which are very productive. In some parts of the township, a stratum of fine gravel underlies the upper soil at a depth of from six to eighteen inches.

The principal streams are Second Creek, running from the northeastern part of the township to the west side near the center; Lick Creek, running west through the southern part of the township and out at the west side, near the southern corner, and Whitacre's Run, which flows from east to west, south of the center. These streams, with their tributaries, form a perfect natural drainage of the land, and also furnish channels by which the water from artificial drainage is carried away. A vast quantity of the land was formerly swampy and too wet for cultivation, but, by the use of the modern system of draining and ditching, these lands have been made the most productive of any in the township.

The first election in the township was held in the woods near the cabin of Tobias Barnett (sometimes called Bernard), on the 4th day of September, 1830, when the following officers were elected: John Mitchell, John Stephens and John Salisbury, Trustees; Hiram Anderson, Clerk, and Edward Crosson, Jr., Treasurer. The farm on which this election was held is on the Twin pike, leading from Blanchester to Wilmington, about one and a half miles northeast of the former place, and is now owned by Charles Penquite.

At the first election for Justice of the Peace, the following were the electors: Jonathan Baldwin, G. Morrison, Hiram Anderson, Recompense Stansbury, John Salisbury, Nicholas Burns, Thomas Elsey, Jonathan Kirk, William Brown, Invine Garrison, Benjamin Garrison, James Bryant, William Clark. William Hudson, Salby Hudson, Jeremiah Rowan, John Caddie, Lewis Nebber, Reuben Gillis, John Smith, Azel Lyon, Elisha Whitacre, Edward Crosson, Israel Lidles, Isaac Coons, William Sharrow, John Trump, Benjamin Murphy, James Cochran, David Fisher, Isaac Martin. These old pioneers have, without exception, passed away, and we are enjoying the fruits of their labor. Whether we are as grateful to them as we should be is a question for each heart to answer.

Early Settlement

The settlement of this township began long before its organization and soon after the organization of the county. Squatters may have occupied the land, or some parts of it, previous to the date of the first settlement, but, if such was the case, no record or tradition of them can be found and no traces of them were found by the first-comers to the territory. No signs of the foot of man ever having been in the township were found by the first settler, except blazed paths or tracks through the forest; of these there were several, probably made by the Government surveyors or by exploring parties.

It is well settled that Jonathan Baldwin was the first to settle within the present limits of the township. He was born at or near Morgantown, Monongalia Co., Ya. , November 30, 1786, and remained with his father until 1804, when they emigrated to Ohio and settled in Guernsey County. In two years after settlement, he removed to Warren County, near where the village of Morrow now stands, and engaged in working by the month, building fiat-boats for William Whitacre, with whom he remained until 1811. In that year, he married Harriet Blancett, of Warren County, and in the same year, he removed to the "Old Sawyer farm," near Springboro, in the same county. In 1812, he enlisted in the army and served during the campaign of that year under Gen. Harrison. He then returned to his home, near Springboro, where he remained until 1814, when he came to Marion Township and settled on a tract of 130 acres on Second Creek, this land being the residue of 400 acres previously purchased of Gen. Lytle by him. This land is now a part of that owned by Jacob Shank. Immediately after his arrival in the township, Mr. Baldwin, with the assistance of his two brothers, Samuel and Benjamin, cut the logs, dressed them and erected the first dwelling in the township. Being men of great physical strength, they accomplished this work in a very short time, and with no other assistance. At the time of his settlement, Mr. Baldwin's nearest neighbor was four miles from him, with a dense forest all the way between them. After the building of this cabin, the brothers returned to their home, in Warren County, and left Jonathan to prepare it for occupancy, which he did during the same year. This was in February, 1814, and, by the spring of 1815, he had six acres of land cleared and ready to be planted with corn for that year's use. He died August 28, 1868, in the eighty-second year of his age, having been twice married. His first wife, Margaret, died October 27, 1834, and his second wife, Mary, July 25, 1856. They all, together with his son, Judge William H. Baldwin, now lie in an old family graveyard on the home place.

Judge William H. Baldwin died November 19, 1862, in the fifty-second year of his age. He was a man of some distinction, and filled many offices of honor and trust. He was Township Clerk, Justice of the Peace, Postmaster, General of the county militia, State Senator from his Senatorial District and Judge of the Second Judicial District of Ohio. At the time of his death, he occupied the position of Chairman of the Univorsalist State Convention of Ohio. All of these offices he filled with marked ability and with honor to himself and credit to his constituents. A short time before hiB death, he told the writer of this sketch that if ho was financially able ho would discontinue the practice of law and enter the ministry. In the last few years of hiB life, he waB obliged to keep hiB seat in the court-room, not being able to rise, oven to address the jury. By his death, the poople realized what a blow they had received, and his worth was then appreciated if never before. His loss is deplored and lamented by a large circle of friends and acquaintances.

Another early settler was Reuben Gillis, who was born on Elkhorn, eleven miles north of Lexington, now Scott County, near the residence of J acob Eulass, Sr., August 8, 1789. His father brought him to Ohio in May, 1799. Their first residence was a small log cabin on the farm of Calvin Ball, Esq., of Warren County. After living there a short time, they moved into a schoolhouse on the lands of Furgus McLean, father of Judge John McLean. They next lived on the farm of Widow Bunnel, on Clear Creek, adjoining and above the father of Judge George Kesling. From this point, he removed to Clinton County, near where Blanchester now is, and continued to reside there until his death, which occurred in 1877. When he came to the Blanchester neighborhood, Jonathan Baldwin, Galvin Morrison, William Liston, Sr., George Crossen, Edward Crossen, grandfather of Edward Crossen, the Widow Katy Cros

William Caudle were already living in Second Creek. Caudle was the fatherin-law of the alleged murderer of Peter Peyton, the old colored man.

The first white child born in the township was Benjamin Baldwin, who was born October 15, 1815. He is still living in reasonably good health, and is able yet to do a good day's work at any kind of manual labor. He owns a well- improved farm of good land near the village of Blanchester. He has six brothers, three sisters and three half sisters living, all in good health. They are all children of Jonathan Baldwin, who was twice married, having twelve children by his first wife and three by his last. His eldest two children were born near the village of Springboro, in Warren County, and the others in this township, Avhere twelve of them yet survive. They are all freeholders and all live in sight of the place of their birth - indeed, so near are they together that the ringing of a common dinner bell could be heard by them all. Several of them live on the land ptirchased by their father from Gen. Lytle, who entered it from the Government. It is now within the corporation and a part of the village of Blanchester. At the time of their father's settlement here, their nearest neighbor was Joseph Sever, who lived in Wairen County, four miles away. The next neighbor was near Collins' tavern, now called Yillars' Chapel, a distance of seven miles, and the next was a family named Leonard, wher the village of Fayetteville now is.

Galvin Morrison emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1815, and located in this township on land now owned by William Zimmer. His wife, Catharine Morrison, was the first person interred in the old graveyard, where the first schoolhouse stood.

Elisha Whitacre, of whose nativity we are not apprised, emigrated to Ohio soon after Zimmer, and settled on land now included in the town of Blanchester. He was a sturdy, energetic pioneer, and cleared a large amount of land in his lifetime. He brought his wife and family with him. Recompense Stansbury, from New Jersey, Hiram Anderson, William Liston and Edward Crossen were among the early settlers of the township.

Jeremiah Rowan was an old resident of the township. He was born in York County, Penn., on the 19th of June, 1784. In 1802, at the age of eighteen, he came with his father to Ohio and landed above Cincinnati at the present site of Columbia. He lived for nearly twenty years near the town of Montgomery, Hamilton County, from which place he moved to Marion Township, and for a number of years was Justice of the Peace in that township. John B. Gustin, from Pennsylvania, settled in this township in 1836.

John Cooper, another old pioneer, was born in Bucks County, Penn., in the year 1786, and, early in 1802, he emigrated to Highland County, Ohio.

In 1803, he was married to Rachel More, and, in 1827, he moved to Marion Township, one and a half miles east of Blanchester, where he remained until his death, in 1832. His wife, Rachel Cooper, survived him, and died in 1876, in the ninety-first year of her age, being at the time of her death the oldest person living in the township. John Cooper was a Justice of the Peace in this township for a number of years, and was familiarly known as Squire Cooper.

William Crossen, who was born June 9, 1800, emigrated from Westmoreland County, Penn., to Ohio in the year 1806, and landed at Columbia, Hamilton Co., Ohio; he remained in Hamilton and Warren Counties a few years, and then finally settled in Marion Township nearly sixty years ago. He is still living and a resident of this township.

Mrs. Henry Shank, widow of Henry Shank, deceased, emigrated to this township from Fauquier County, Va., over fifty years ago. She is now in the eighty-ninth year of her age, and is the oldest woman living in the township.

Dr. Wilfred Cusick was the pioneer physician of the township; he settled here early in the spring of 1840, and secured an extensive practice, to which he devoted his energies until the fall of 1862, when he died.

Hartwell Gilliam, though not a pioneer of the township, merits mention as being one of the oldest men therein; he was born in Sussex County, Va., on Independence Day (July 4), 1788. In 1813, he enlisted in the war, and served until peace was declared. He came to Ohio on Christmas Day, 1831, and a few years later entered Marion Township. He is still hale and hearty and occupies himself with the work of the farm.

Another old citizen is Reuben Murphy, who was born at Bedell's Station, Warren Co., Ohio, March 1, 1802; he came to Clinton County in 1838, and to Marion Township in 1860; he is strong and very robust for his years and accomplishes tasks that would be difficult for a much younger person.

Gertrude Newell was born in New Jersey November 12, 1800, and moved to Warren County when forty -one or forty -two years of age. She came to Marion Township a few years previous to 1860.

The early settlers were very much annoyed with wolves, and it required constant vigilance to protect their young stock, especially sheep, from the ravages of these beasts, great numbers of which infested the forest at an early day. Notwithstanding their vigilance, these troublesome peBts would often play sad havoc with the flocks and herds of settlers, especially of those isolated from the more thickly settled region. Bears were also to be seen in the forests, and these, too, made frequent raids on the farmyard, but they were much less to be feared than other smaller and more numerous animals that then abounded. Game, such as deer, wild turkeys, raccoons and squirrels, was very plentiful and furnished the settlers with fresh meat at all seasons, and with sport for their few leisure hours. The squirrols and " coons " were very destructive to the corn crops, often destroying several rows next to the woods in a single night. To save the crops from these animals, parties were formed to scour the woods around the settlements and a premium was awarded to the hunter bringing in the most scalps at the end of a given time. The number sometimes killed by one of these parties seems fabulous to us now.

The first schoolhouse built in the township was a log house erected on a half-acre of land donated for that purpose by Hiram Anderson. This land was part of the original 400 acres previously purchased by Baldwin. The first school taught in the houso was by James Cochran, an ex-soldier of the Revolutionary war. The lot on which this house stood was afterward used as a bury- ing-ground, and is now about full of graves. The remains of many of the old settlers have here found a last resting-place, after long lives of hardship and toil. The cemetery is adjoining the Odd Fellows' Cemetery on the north. This last has been a popular place of burial for the past ten years.

The next school taught in the township was by Benjamin Baldwin, another Revolutionary soldier, and the father of Jonathan Baldwin. The school was kept in a log house on the south bank of Second Creek, about twenty or thirty rods east of where the iron bridge now crosses the creek. The ground is part of an outlot now owned by Samuel Baldwin and a part of Baldwin's original purchase, but now within the corporation limits of Blanchester Village.

The next schoolhouse in the township was built on the farm of William Crossen, now owned by Rebecca Saxton- and Mary Baldwin, sisters, and daughters of Jonathan Baldwin.

The schoolhouses of that day were all well supplied with fire-places requiring wood from four to six feet long, stoves being then but little known or used. The seats consisted of slabs from the saw-mill, if they could be procured, but if not to be had there, they were cut out of timber of sufficient size. They were from three to four inches thick, six to eight inches wide and from eight to twelve feet long, and hewed on the upper side. The seats were placed fifteen or twenty inches from the floor, thus preventing the smaller children's feet from touching the floor. The school was usually in session all day, neither the teachers nor parents thinking how they were punishing their children by giving them such long hours of study. The children never complained, being buoyed by the thought that they would soon grow so their feet could touch the floor, but this era in their lives was soon followed by being taken from school and put to work on the farm.

The writing-desks in the schoolhouses were made by fastening wide planks, with strips along their lower edges, to the wall, with supports braced under them, against the wall. The strips served to keep the copy-book and inkstand from slipping off. On these desks the scholars would strive to imitate the copies set for them by the teacher, who would take each copy- book in the morning and write the lesson to be practiced along the top.

These schools were all operated and maintained by subscription, each settler subscribing so many scholars at from $1.25 to $1.50 per scholar for a quarter of sixty-five days. Twenty scholars at the above rate were considered a good school, and with these the teacher would open his school and begin teaching the few branches then thought necessary. In beginning the school, the would-be teacher drew up articles of agreement, which he presented to each settler for his subscription. Some would pay in money and some in produce, but many paid in wood, as this could be cut near the schoolhouse with no other expense than the labor of cutting, which was in many cases performed by the scholar. The teacher boarded around among the families of his supporters, dividing his time among them; but often one, two or three families would take it upon themselves to board him all the time, and in this event he changed his boarding-house but a few times during the quarter. When a scholar had advanced to the single rule of throe, with a slight knowledge of Peter Parley's Geography, he was considered aB having a sufficient education, and would be taken from school and put to work in the clearing, unless he desired to qualify himself for a teacher. The girls were usually not as far adr vanced as the boys, as it was deemed more necessary to educate them in the kitchen and household duties, and as it was thought, too, that they did not possess the faculty for learning that the boys did.

frame. The town of Blanchester constitutes a special school district, in which five teachers are employed, one in each department. The enumeration of children of a school age in Manchester District is 333; in the five subdistricts, 290; total number of children of school age in the township, 623. In the township there are ten teachers regularly employed. It is a heavy tax on the property holders to hire so many teachers, yet they consider the money as being well spent when properly used by those in authority. The success of our country lies in the fact that no money is begrudged by our liberal -hearted tax-payers, when it is used for the cultivation of the minds of the growing youth. The schools in this township are in a flourishing conditon, well attended and usually well taught. No youth in the township can in future years lay his want of education to the lack of educational advantages.

The first church built in the township was a brick building erected by the members of the Methodist Episcopal society on Lick Run. The ground on which the church was built was purchased by the society of John Salisbury in 1842. This denomination as an organization has become extinct in the township, outside of Manchester, and the old brick church has been torn down, but the ground where it stood ia still owned by the Methodist society. Several bodies were interred in the lot around the church, but as it is now in an open field, the graves are left uncared for, the friends and relatives of those buried there having died or removed to other States.

The next church was a frame building, built in 1845, by the Free-Will Baptists. It was on a lot in Blanchester, purchased of Christopher Lazenby. The first Trustees of the church were Levi Sever, Bonham Fox and Edward Crossen. The society now numbers about one hundred members. It is out of debt and in a flourishing condition.

The United Brethren Church was built in 1849. It is a one-story frame building, two miles northeast of Blanchester on the Wilmington Turnpike. The first Trustees were John Stevens, John Shields and James Cleland. The society is out of debt and now numbers ninety members.

The Universalist Church of Blanchester was built in 1852. It is a brick building, two stories high. The basement contains four rooms, formerly used for school, but now three are used by the Village Council for Council Chamber, engine-house and Mayor's office and one for an agricultural implement wareroom. The second story comprises the church auditorium. The first Trustees were William H. Baldwin, William McFerren, John T. Carnahan, Hudson Sever and Absalom C. Newkirk. The society is in a flourishing and prosperous condition, now numbering 134 members. They are out of debt and have a constant income from the rent of their rooms, which goes toward the support of the church.

The Roman Catholic Church of Blanchester was built in 1870. It is a neatly constructed brick edifice, one story high, and of sufficient size to accommodate the membership, which is not large.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Blanchester was built in 1880. It is a neat brick building, well finished inside and out. The first Trustees were D. H. Moon, John Johnson, P. A. Snyder, Owen West and E. M. Mulford. The society is in a good financial condition and now numbers about one hundred members.

Lodges And Societies

Blanchester Lodge, No. 191, F. & A. M., was chartered by the State Grand Lodge, in session at Cincinnati, October 15, 1850. The lodge first met in Samuel Baldwin's old frame hull, which they occupied until the fall of 1801, when they leased the hall, now known as the Ross Hall, of R. Goodwin. Here they remained until 1871, when they moved to their own hall, in Trickey's Block, on Broadway street, near the railroad. The lodge is in a prosperous condition, with a good hall nicely furnished and about forty members.

Fitliian Lodge, No. 373, I. O. O. F. , was organized under a charter from the Grand Lodge of Ohio in June, 1866. There are now nearly sixty members in good standing in the lodge. This lodge has acted the part of the Good Samaritan since its organization by financially and otherwise aiding brothers, or the families of brothers, when in distress.

A building and loan association was organized in Blanchester in July, 1871, with a capital of $100,000. The association settled with and paid all the stockholders in May, 1880. The association proves a real benefit to the stockholders and the village by keeping a large amount of money in profitable circulation, and by placing within the reach of builders capital with which to carry on their designs. So well were the stockholders pleased with the result of their venture that a similar enterprise with the same amount of capital was organized in 1881. The stock of this association now sells readily at $5 premium.

Conclusion

The township of Marion has made rapid progress in improvements within the last few years. Over fifty miles of free turnpike have been built, at a cost of over $50,000. Large amounts of drainage tile have been laid, whereby lands heretofore almost useless have been converted into productive and valuable fields. Two railroads have been built through the township, and a perfect network of mud or summer roads have been made, by which any part of the township is easily accessible. Much of the finest timber of the township is being felled and manufactured into lumber, building materials and other useful articles. This township was originally well stocked with trees of great variety, among them being the oak, elm, sugar, beech, hickory, sycamore, walnut, butternut, ash, haw, and, in the lowlands, maple, while along the streams a lower growth of sycamore, willow and prickly ash abounded. These trees grew at times to great height, such being the case with the sycamore, oak and elm in particular. The land once covered by these giants of the forest and enriched by their decayed branches and leaves, has since been, by the hand of man, converted into waving fields, productive orchards and verdant meadows.

There is now in the township, outside of the village of Blanchester, realty to the value of $824,514, and chattels to the value of $129,888; realty in Blanchester, $109,412; chattels in Blanchester, $94,824; special school districts, outside of corporation, in realty, $59,443; special school districts in chattels, $1,738; total valuation of property in the township, including special school districts, $734,962. Population of township in 1880, 1,957; number of acres of land in Ihe township, 15,819. The largest vote ever polled in the township was on October 12, 1880, when the poll amounted to 500 votes.

This village was laid out by Joseph and John Blancett, and the plat recorded March 23, 1832. There were originally twenty-four lots, four poles by eight poles square, and one lot (No. 15) not quite so large. The lots were numbered consecutively from 1 to 24, lying on each side of two streets - Broadway running northwest and southeast, and Main street, running northeast and southwest. The courses of the lots were north 45J degrees east by south, 44 1 degrees east.

The following additions have since been made: John Baldwin's Addition, December 15, 1832; same, another addition, July 9, 1834. July 13, 1835, a resurvey of the original plat was made at the instance of the original proprietors, John and Joseph Blancefct. Christopher Lazenby made an addition September 3, 1851, containing the present railroad depot ground, Railroad street, Depot street, Lazenby street, Walnut street, Mill street, Church street, Fancy street, Pearl street, Bourbon street and several alleys. C. Lazenby made an addition of outlets September 19, 1851. Wilfred Cusick's Addition, containing Center street, was platted October 8, 1851. William H. Baldwin's Addition, containing Grove and Wright streets, was made November 16, 1855. March 6, 1865, the necessary proceedings were had and the town duly incorporated by the County Commissioners under the laws of the State. August 9, 1873, the corporation was extended to include contiguous territory, on a petition signed by property owners within the territory to be annexed, and recommended by the authorities of the town. Anshutz & Patterson's Addition, including the school lot and Clark, High and Columbus streets, was platted February 2, 1874. J. K. Trickey's Addition, with Central avenue and South Broadway street, was platted November 10, 1876. The County Commissioners, in behalf of the heirs of Jonathan Baldwin, deceased, made an addition to the town, containing Baldwin and Blaneett streets, October 16, 1877.

The town is situated in the southwestern corner of Marion Township, at the junction of the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad with the Hillsboro Branch of the same road. Wilson's Run and Second Creek surround the town on three sides and connect at the eastern edge of the corporation.

The first merchant of the town was Joseph Blaneett, who occupied a hewed-log house on the present site of John Simonton & Son's harness shop. He kept a general line of groceries, notions and such other articles as would be found in a country store of that day. He was followed by Isaac Frazier and William H. Baldwin. The former occupied a room built of logs that stood, on the site of Moon & Strawn's drug store; the latter had a stand at a point new outside of the corporation, north of town, on land now owned by George Snyder. William Bundy was the first blacksmith; he had a log shop on the lot now owned by James Gustin. Bryant Trickey, the first wagonmaker, had a log shop on the lot now occupied by John Simonton's livery stable. On the 24th of March, 1870, S. R. Nickerson began the publication of the Blanchester Herald, and continued eighteen months, when he sold to James S. Turk, who, in a short time, changed the name of the paper to the Marion Independent, the publication of which ceased about the 1st of October, 1872.

The following is a partial list of the various kinds of business now carried on in the town: Four agricultural warerooms, three blacksmith shops, two wagon and carriage maker's shops, six house and sign paintei's' shops, two chair factories, four boot and shoe shops, seven dry goods and grocery stores, three livery stables, two grist-mills, two saw-mills, three hotels, several millwright and mill furniture shops, three carpenter shops, two lumber yards, one furniture store, three butcher shops, three real estate agents, three Notaries Public, three drug stores, three grain warehouses, two bakeries, three confectionery stores, one bank, three millinery stores, a hame factory, where hames are made by the thousand ready for the collar, three hardware stores, one tin shop, three brick yards, five physicians, two dentists, one publishing house, one silversmith, two undertakers, two carpet weavers and a score of carpenters, brick masons and stone workers.

By Thompson Douglass

SITUATED in the extreme northeastern corner of the county and bounded on the north by Wilson Township and Fayette County, on the east by Fayette County, on the south by Wayne Township, and on the west by Wilson and Union Townships, we find the above named township. Whence the name was derived is not now definitely known, but the supposition is well warranted that it was so named on account of the rich soil of the territory originally comprised within its borders. It was one of the three original townships into which the county was divided by the Commissioners on the 6th of April, 18i0, and was erected in words as follows, viz.: "Ordered, that all that part of Clinton County east of the old boundary line of Warren County shall be one township known by the name of Richland." The township was not surveyed nor its boundaries described until the 10th of August, 1813, at which time the original boundaries were fixed as follows: "Beginning at a large hickory at the corner of Greene Township in the line of Union Township, thence running with the line of Greene Township to the southerly corner of the county and at the corner of Fayette County, thence north with the county line to the northeast corner, thence west with the county line to the original line of Warren County, thence south with Baid original line to the line of Union Township, thence with the line of Union Township to the place of beginning." It will be seen from this description that the township originally comprised all of what is now Wilson, Wayne and Greene Townships, and parts of Liberty, Union and Clark. A part of the township was taken from the west side to form Union and Greene Townships, August 21, 1813, and on July 15, 1817, a part was taken from the same side to form Liberty; Wayne was formed from a part 6f Richland March 4, 1837, and Wilson in August, 1850. The township, as it now exists, is of an irregular shape, being in its longest part, east and west, about eight miles long, by about four miles wide in the widest part, and containing 21,210.72 acres of fine agricultural landB as can be found. It is plentifully drained by the waters of Lee'B Creek in the south, Rattlesnake Creek in the northeast corner, Palmer's Branch, Wilson's Branch and Grassy Branch, tributaries of Rattlesnake, in the eastern part, and Anderson's Fork, and a branch of Todd's Fork in the western part. Extending through the township from north to south, and nearly on the line of the old Urbana road, is a water shed which has an elevation of about one hundred feet, and which divides the Scioto from the Miami waters, the streams on the east running into the Scioto River through the Rattlesnake Creek and its branches, while those on the west flow into the Miami. Anderson's Fork, running north- northwest, empties into Csesar's Creek in the extreme northwestern corner of the county, at New Burlington, and a branch of Todd's Fork drains the western limit of the township.

The surface of the country is, generally speaking, level, there being no hills or breaks of any kind. The grade in the eastern part of the township is about six feet to the mile, ascending to the table-lands or water shed. The slope on the western side is very considerably less, and the land is a little more rolling between Anderson's Fork and the water Bhed, but resumes the level appearance from Anderson's Fork to the western side of the township. There is very little if any waste land in the township; no bogs, swamps or hills, no broken country, no stone lands, and, in fact, no untillable lands, even the beds of the streams being so narrow that they occupy but a very small space as compared with those in adjoining counties.

The soil is of a rich alluvial character based on a clayey subsoil which, in some places, has a stratum of stone underlying it at the depth of from four to six feet. The bed of Anderson's Fork is composed entirely of thiB stone, a stratum of which underlies the creek, extending about a mile from the stream on the west side, and about one hundred yards from it on the east side. The stone belongs to the class of limestone called the Clinton limestone, which is found throughout the county. From it a very good quality of lime can be produced, which, though not so white, iB equally as good for building purposes as any other.

The land of the township is particularly well adapted to the raising of corn and grass, but it has not been as profitable for the cereals as it might have been; the improved system of drainage now in vogue is rapidly making it adapted for the raising of almost any crop.

The timber of the township was originally in great variety, and sometimes grew to a large size. In the low, swampy land the elm and maple trees grew in great abundance, clearly indicating the richness of the soil on which they stood. On the higher ground the burr oak grew in profusion, while vast quantities of sugar tree grew in all parts of the township. In addition to the above, treeB of all other kinds peculiar to this locality could be found. Rails were split by the settlers from walnut, blue ash and other trees that are today of great value. Besides the heavy timber, the ground was covered with a thick growth of underbrush and vines through which a passage could only be cut with much difficulty.

| . The whole of the township is in what is known as the Virginia Military District, and is composed of surveys entered by holders of military warrants, which are fully explained in the general histoi'yof the county. The following is a list of the entries and surveys made in this township.

Entry No. 550, August 4, 1787. Richard C. Anderson and Mayo Carrington enter 4,000 acres of land on Military Warrant No. 856 beginning throe miles southeast of Col. Logan's encampment in October, 1786, when a man deserted from him, running southwest 400 poles, and from the beginning northeast 400 poles, thence at right angles southeast from each end of thiB line for quantity. Surveyed March 3, 1794, by John Obannon, District Surveyor.

Entry No. 698, August 8, 1787. Jonathan Clark enterB 1,000 acres of land part of Military Warrant No. 172, beginning at the northeast corner of Anderson and Carrington's entry, No. 550, running south 45° east with Anderson and Carrington's line 400 poles, thence north 45° east at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 4, 1794.

Entry No. 727, August 8, 1787. Clement Biddle, assignee, enters 1,000 acres on several Military Warrants, Nos. 1,756, 1,906, 187, 1,891, 1,789, beginning at the northern corner of Jonathan Clark's entry, No. 698, running 400' poles southeast with Clark's line, thence 400 poles northeast at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 7, 1794.

Entry No. 729, August 8, 1787. John Tench, assignee, enters 1,200 acres of land, a part of Military Warrant No. 2,377, beginning at the north corner of Biddle's entry, No. 727, running southeast with Biddle's line 400 poles, thence northeast at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 7, 1794.

Entry No. 730, August 8, 1787. Lieut. Nathaniel Anderson enters 1,000 acres of land, part of Military Warrant No. 2,235, beginning at the north corner of Jonathan Clark's entry, No. 698, running 400 poles southwest with Clark's line, thence north 45° west at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 4, 1794.

acres of land, part of Military Warrant No. 1,199, beginning at the north corner of Nathaniel Anderson's entry. No. 730, running southeast 400 poles with Anderson's line, thence northeast with Biddle's line at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 8, 1794.

Entry No. 758, August 8, 1787. Capt. Nathaniel Burwell enters 1,000 acres of land, part of Military Warrant No. 2,133, beginning at the north corner of John Tench's entry, No. 729, running south 45° east with Tench's line 400 poles, thence north 45° east 400 poles, thence at right angleB for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 8, 1794.

Entry No. 763, August 8, 1787. Lieut. Col. Presley Neville enters 1,400 acres of land, a part of Military Warrant No. 18, beginning at the north corner of John Roberts' entry No. 699, running south 45° east 500 poles, passing Roberts' east corner at 400 poles, thence north 45° east at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 8, 1794.

Entry No. 766, August 8, 1787. Lieut. Col. Presley Neville enters 1,400 acres of land, part of Military Warrant No. 18, beginning at the north corner of entry 767, running south 45° east with his former line 500 poles, thence north 45° east at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 10, 1794.

Entry No. 837, August 9, 1787. Lieut. Col. Presley Neville entered 1, - 400 acres of land east of his entry, No. 766, but withdrew the entry, and on May 7, 1794, he entered 1,400 acres, part of Military Warrant No. 18, on the waters of Paint Creek, beginning at the east corner of his former survey, No. 766, running with his former line north 45° west 500 poles, thence north 45 ° east, and at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon June 15, 1794.

Entry No. 854, August 10, 1787. Lieut. Col. Thomas Posey enters 1,000 acres of land, part of Military Warrant No. 240, beginning at the north corner of Nathaniel Burwell's entry, No. 758, running north 45° east, with Patrick Carne's line 400 poles, thence at right angles south 45° east for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 22, 1794.

Entry No. 855, August 10, 1787. Capt. Thomas Pemberton enters 1,000 acres of land, part of Military Warrant No. 398, beginnng at the south corner of Thomas Posey's entry, No. 854, running north 45° east 400 poles with Posey's line, thence south 45° east at right angles for quantity. Four hundred acres of this was withdrawn and entered in Survey 274. Surveyed by John Obannon March 21, 1794.

Entry No. 895, August 10, 1787. Lieut. William Whitaker enters 1,000 acreB of land, part of Military Warrant No. 2,121, beginning at the north corner of Thomas Pemberton's entry, No, 855, and the south corner of Joseph Scott's entry, No. 891, running north 45° east 400 poles with Scott's line, thence south 45° east, at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 19, 1794.

Entry No. 891, August 10, 1787. Capt. Joseph Scott, Jr., enters 1,000 acres, part of Military Survey No. 1,887, beginning at the north corner of Edward Doubo's entry, No. 880, running north 45° east 400 poles with Douse's line, thence south 45° east at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 17, 1794.

Entry No. 900, August 10, 1787. Leut. Col. Edward Carrington enterB 1,500 acres of land, part of Military W arrant No. 1,792, beginning at the north corner of P. Neville's entry, No. 837, running north 45° east with Thomas Pemberton's line to his east corner, thence south 45° east at right angles for quantity. Seven hundred and eighty acres of this was withdrawn. Surveyed by John Obannon April 5, 1794.

Entry No. 932, August 11, 1787. James Galt, heir, enters 1,000 acres of land on Military Warrant No. 194, beginning at the north corner of J. Scott's entry, No. 891, the south corner of Alexander Balmain's entry, No. 917, running north 45° east 400 poles with Balmain's line, thence south 45° east 400 poles at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 18, 1794.

Entry No. 1,061, August 13, 1787. Gen. Daniel Morgan enters 2,500 acres of land on Military Warrant No. 19, beginning at the east corner of P. Neville's entry, No. 837, running south 45° west 800 poles, thence south 45° east at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon April 1, 1794.

Entry No. 1,449, August 18, 1787. Col. Edward Carrington entered 1,- 500 acres, which was withdrawn, and on March 13, 1794, he entered 1,200 acres on Military Warrant No. 1,792, beginning at the east corner of Anderson and Carrington's entry, No. 550, on the waters of Csesar's Creek, running with their line, north 45° west 400 poles, thence north 45° east and at right angles for quantity. Surveyed by John Obannon March 29, 1794.

Entry No. 6,298, July 17, 1809. Thomas Bagwell and Agnes Lingo, representatives of Thomas Lingo, deceased, enter 309 acres of land on two military warrants, Bagwell 200 acres on No. 5,579, and Mrs. Lingo 109 acres on part of 5,589, on the waters of Paint Creek, beginning at the east corner of Edward Dawes' entry, No. 811, running north 45° west 378 poles, thence north 45° east 88 poles, thence south 45° east 500 poles, thence south 45° west 136 poles, thence north 45° west 130 poles, thence north 45° east 48 poles to the place of beginning. Surveyed by John Galloway, Jr., July 20, 1809.

In addition to these surveys, there are, jutting into the township, small corners of T. Bland'B entry, No. 885, Lieut. John Jameson's entry, No. 907, and Capt. William Lindsay's entry, No. 963.

Justices Ox The Peace

The early settlement of this township was greatly retarded by the imperfect titles to the lands derived by settlers. Many of them purchased tracts of varying extent, and after clearing and improving the land, would find that the seller had no title, and they were obliged to pay for the land a second time, or engage in a useless law suit which usxially resulted in little less than bankruptcy to the settler and a judgment in favor of the new claimant. On this account, people were afraid to buy, and preferred taking land1 direct from the Government in regularly surveyed townships. In addition to this, the nature of the ground was against early settlement, as our fathers preferred locating on more elevated lands, free from the water that covered the ground in the lowlands. Richland Township, in the beginning of the nineteenth century, was little better than a huge swamp or bog. The ground was covered with a heavy growth of timber, tbe leaves of which lay in half decayed matter of several inches in depth, the earth was wet and almost covered with pools of standing water, and a rank growth of grass and underbrush prevented the rays of the sun from ever reaching the sodden earth. But the clearing and draining of the land has made this one of the banner agricultural townships of the State. Its farms are rich, fertile and productive, its water supply good, and its drainage perfect. Farms that were originally purchased for $1.80 per acre are now valued at $100 per acre. As a single instance of this, the farm of William Knox, in what is known as the Holly purchase, is cited.

Who the first settler of the township was has long been a matter of doubt, the honor being due to one of two settlements that were made at about the same time. Careful investigation of all testimony likely to throw light on the subject now leads to the belief that the first settlement was made in what is now called the Reed settlement. The settlement of the county was made in three stages, the Reed settlement on the Wilmington & Washington pike being the first, the Upper Prairie settlement along Anderson's Fork being the second, and the Palmer settlement in the Tench Survey being the third.

The first settlers were Absalom and Samuel Reed, two brothers, who came from Bourbon County, Ky., in the year 1803, and settled on land in the Lindsay Survey, Both brought their families with them. Absalom's family consisted of his wife, Edith (Paris) Reed, and one son, Jehu, who was the only child they had. Samuel brought his wife, Sarah (Paris) and three children, viz., Elizabeth, Absalom and Abner. After his settlement here, he had born to him Josephus, Cyrus, John, William, Mary and Samuel P. The brothers bought all the Lindsay Survey, but afterward sold 100 acres to their brother, Cyrus, then a young man, who passed through the war of 1812, and in 1819, came to Ohio and settled on this land. Logan, the celebrated Indian chief, with his band, is said to have been on the land at the time of their settlement here. -

The next settlements that were made were by Thomas Stett, David Reed and Samuel Reed, in 1804. Stett was of Irish descent, and brought his wife, Martha, a sister of the Reeds. He had six children, one boy and three girls being the present survivors of the family. He settled on 150 acres on Ander son's Fork, on the line of the Centerville road. In 1851, he moved to Iowa, where he died, his wife having died in Richland Township. His farm is now owned by William Reed, and is second to none for fertility in the township.

The Reeds, David and Samuel, were of Irish descent, and sons of James Reed. They came fi'om Kentucky, and were both unmarried. David located on 100 acres of land, now in Wayne Township, and married Hannah Daugherty, by whom he had four children, three sons and one daughter, one son, William, being the only survivor. Samuel raised a family of eight or ten children.

Thomas Hardwick came from Tennessee to Kentucky, and thence, in 1805 -06, to Richland Township, where he located on 150 acres of land in the Tench Survey. He brought two sons, Charles and William, and three married daugh- ters, viz., Mrs. James Palmer, Mrs. John Palmer and Mrs. John Nelson. His family were all grown and married when he came, and all are now dead. Mr. Hardwick built the first horse-mill in the township. He was a respectable, honest, hard working frontier man. He sold his farm to Ezekiel Spurgeon in 1808, and returned to Kentucky. His son, William, settled another farm in the same survey, where he remained a short time with his brother-in-law, John Palmer, but afterward moved to Wayne Township. Mrs. John Palmer, with her husband and family, removed to Indiana prior to 1837. Mrs. JameB Palmer, husband and family moved to Missouri about 1837. None of the Palmers have left any descendants in the county. Mrs. John Nelson and family moved to the neighborhood of Antioch, in Greene Township.

Ezekiel Spurgeon emigrated from Kentucky to Adams County, Ohio, and in 1808, came to Richland Township, where he bought the Thomas Hardwick farm. He had the following children: William, Rebecca, Nancy, James, John, Samuel and Jesse, all now dead but Rebecca and possibly William. They all married and had children, and all of the family have now left the county except James, the son of John, Thomas, the son of James, and Cyrus, the son of Jesse.

Levi Arnold came into the township shortly after the year 1807, from Kentucky. He was a smart man, much respected, and was subjected to a severe accident by being run over and almost split asunder by a wagon. He located on a farm in the Posey Survey, part of his land lying on either side of the creek in that survey. He was married and became the father of a large family. He moved from Clinton County to Illinois, where he died.

William Cue came to Richland Township from Warren County, Ohio, in 1810, and settled in the Tench Survey, buying 100 acres of land from James Gallaher, in payment for which he was to clear land for Gallaher. His farm included what is now known as the " Ulysses Morgan ' ' property, and the recent site of the " burnt tavern." The latter part he afterward sold to James Gillispie, who built the "burnt tavern," and the fall and winter of 1813-14, sunk a tan yard. Gillispie died on the place, and about the year 1832 his family left the county. The Morgan property was sold by Cue to Joseph Hathaway, who left the county in 1817 or 1818. Cue, after selling out, bought another farm in the same survey, part of what is now known as the " old Bosworth" farm. He remained here until 1830, when he left the county.

William Burris emigrated from North Carolina to Kentucky, and in 1809 located in Fayette County, Ohio. Previous to 1812, ho came to Richland Township with his wife, Celia (Bellar),and nine children. He was born January 3, 1764, and his wife April 12, 1771. Both died in Richland Township. Of the children, the only three survivors are living in Clinton County, but noue are in this township.

James Gallaher, who owned land in Richland Township, came to the township in 1810, and sold some of his land to William Cue. In February, 1814, he moved his family onto the premises where he died in 1825, aged sixty-one years. He was born in Now Jersey, in 1764, and in 1796 emigrated to Warren County, Ohio. While there, he assisted in building the first brick house in Lebanon. In 1796, he married Leah Porter, who died in 1831. They had eight children, two boys and six girls, of whom Charles P. , now living near Sabina, is the only survivor. The land on which they located is still known as the " old Gallaher place."

David Osborn, Richard Thornburg, Richard Mills, Michael Myers and Henry Myers, all settled on Rattlesnake Branch and Wilson Branch, north of Sabina, prior to 1813. Osborn came from North Carolina when quite old, bringing with him his wife, one son and several daughters, some of his family being left at home. He aftorward moved to Indiana. Thornburg moved from Carolina to Tennessee, and thence to Ihis township. He had two sons and four daughters. Mills was also a Carolinian; he settled on the land now owned by Smith & McClintock, but, after remaining but a short time, he moved to Indiana. Myers was a recent emigrant from Germany, and Henry was his married son. Very little can now be learned of them.

Joshua White was one < f the soldiers from New Jersey who went into Pennsylvania to suppress the insurrection. After his discharge he remained in Pennsylvania, and there married Betsey Canno, of near Pittsburgh. He emigrated to Adams County, Ohio, and some time previous to 1814, located in Richland Township, in what is now Wayne Township. In 1829, he came into Richland Township as it now exists, where some of his descendants still reside.