Delaware County, Ohio - Chapter 25, 1880

"Long winters have flown over the scenes of the past, And many have turned gray in the winter' s cold blast, While others only dream of the time that is gone ; They are bent by the years that are fast rolling on."

THE history attaching to this subdivision of Delaware County really begins about 1804 or 1805, with the discovery of salt in the vicinity, although the first permanent settlement within the present boundaries of the township extends back no farther than 1817. The lapse of sixty-three years (1817 to 1880), imperceptible in the estimate of an eternity, is a long hiatus in human life. It removes two generations into darkness and dust, and places another in their seats who have nearly run their course.

We ask the reader to accompany us in imagination back over the years that are gone, and behold the country clothed in primeval forests, and peopled with the " noble red man." He knew the labyrinthian avenues of these dark and gloomy forests, as we know the roadways of the present day. Wild game abounded in endless profusion for the sustenance of this portion of the human race. Looking still further, we see the pioneers hewing out a home for their loved ones. Slowly the wilderness changes into productive farms, and the hunting-grounds of the wild sons of the forest are transferred to the distant West. Where erst stood his wigwam, now rise, as if by enchantment, the palatial homes of his pale-face successor, and those concomitants of civilization - the church and the schoolhouse. Where the ground was cleared off for the war-dance, are now smiling fields and orchards of the finest fruits. Coming down to a later period, we find ignorance and superstition displaced by education, truth, refinement and religion ; the long rides on horseback or in wagons, over rough and almost impassable roadsj are superseded by the iron track and the railway car. A thousand and one conveniences that the pioneer never dreamed of appear to us actual necessities.

Brown Township is a division of the county that is replete with historical interest. Originally, it occupied the central portion of the county, and, later, the north central portion, lying in Range 18, and, by the United States survey, is Township 5. It is bounded on the north by Oxford, on the east by Kingston, on the south by Berlin, on the west by Delaware and Troy, and is in area a full township. Just when Brown was erected into a separate and distinct township is among the lost arts, or rather, the record boot of the County Commissioners' Court, containing this valuable information, has been spirited away or destroyed, probably the latter, leawng a gap in the proceedings of the honorable court from 1822 to 1831. When Delaware County was formed, it was divided into three townships, viz., Berkshire, Radnor and Liberty. In this division, one-half of the territory now included in Brown was in Radnor, and onehalf in Berkshire. At the first meeting of the County Commissioners' Court (June 16, 1808), Delaware Township was created. This took from Radnor that portion of Brown contained in it, and gave it to Delaware, while the balance of Brown remUhed in Berkshire, as before. The formation of Peru Township (now in Morrow County), April 22, 1817, took one-quarter of the present territory of Brown. It has thus changed hands frequently since the formation of the county, and somewhere between 1822 and 1831, probably about 1826, Brown Township was created.

The township has but one large stream of water - Alum Creek. It passes through the eastern part, entering near the northeast corner and flowing south passes out near the southeast corner into BerUn Township. There are several small streams that flow into Alum Creek, some of which have their source in the township. Some of these little streams are noted for having been the ancient sites of Indian encampments, at a time when the Scioto Valley formed a part of the hunting-grounds of the Delawares and Mingoes. Leatherwood Kun takes its name from a shrub found growing upon its bank. This peculiar shrub was much sought after by the early settlers, who used both its bark and wood for a variety of purposes. Leatherwood Run has its source in the south part of Oxford, and flows south through Brown, emptying into Alum Creek near Eden Village. Along "this run in early times were three Indian encampments, more particularly mentioned elsewhere. BiJE; Run rises in the central portion of the township, and flows southward into Berlin, where it mingles its waters with those of Alum Creek. Sugar Creek, a small stream, rises in the western part and flows into the Olentangy at Delaware, Here it has been utiUzed by Mr. Vergon, who has constructed an artificial lake which is supplied with Water by this little stream. Three small streams in the southeastern part are called respectively, Longwell's Run. Button's Run and Matthews' Run.

The land east of Alum Creek is particularly adapted to grazing. In close proximity to the creek, itis broken and of arather thin soil, while at a greater distance it is gently undulating, and not only good grazing land, but well adapted for. farming, the soil having less clay and more rich black loam, than the rolling land near the creek. Along the west bank of the Alum, the land is also undulating, and was the first to be brought under the infiuence, of the settler in the present towhship of Brown. The grand old elms with their long sheltering arms were rapidly reduced to ashes ; the giant oaks that had withstood the storms and tempests of centuries, soon found their way into fences surrounding the newly opened fields of the pioneer. The land further west was low and wet, defying horseback or wagon travel through its swamps, and even barring roadways for years. Owing to the tile and open drainage systems, however, this section, this wet, swampy land, once considered worthless under the sway of the prudent husbandman, has become the most productive in the township; The roads and highways that were located on the highlands and took circuitous routes to the county seat, have long since passed away,

Among the attractions which brought the early settlers to the territory included in Brown Township, was the "Salt Lick," as it was called. When the United States Government sent its agents to survey the country, a salt lick was discovered in the northeast quarter of what is now Brown, from which the Indians procured this much-needed article. A reservation was made by the United States of 4,000 acres, and deeded to the State for educational purposes. This was called the " salt reservation." Some years later, perhaps about 1804 or 1805, Dr. John Loofbourrow, moved into what is now Berkshire Township. He was from Virginia, and located on what afterward became the Eckelberry farm, but after a short time sold out and moved to the Durham farm, as it is called, lying just east of Ailum Creek, on the Delaware and Sunbury Turnpike. Here he lived and practiced his profession for many years. He had with him his old faithful man, " Friday," Oko Richey (colored). This ' old darkey, it is said, was ever mindful of and faithful to his master's interest. When Dr. Loofbourrow learned from some friendly Indians where they obtained their salt, with his servant and a few of these Indians, he made a visit to the locality, which he found only about five miles to the north, and just up the creek from his own settlement. He and Oko procured large iron kettles, built a furnace and commenced the manufacture of salt. Although a very slow process, they produced the article in sufficient quantities to partially supply the inhabitants, and thus very soon became noted salt merchants. After some twelve years, this salt business was investigated by other parties, who thought they saw in it an enterprise of untold wealth. In 1817, these parties went to Columbus, and succeeded in securing from the State a contract, leasing to them 1,000 acres of land adjacent to, and 300 around, the salt lick and on the salt reservation, for a term of twelve years. The provisions of this contract with the State were, that the contractors should bore to the depth of at least 200 feet, unless salt water in paying quantities was sooner reached. They were to leave the well tubed with good copper tubing at the expiration of their lease. Loofbourrow now withdrew from the business, and soon after removed to Wisconsin.

The contractors at once commenced boring for salt, and went to a depth of 480 feet, and even then failed to find salt water in paying quantities.

To their great disappointment, they found their visions of wealth rapidly dissolving into thin air. They notified the State authorities, who in turn reported to Congress, and that august body ordered the salt reservation to be surveyed and sold. Accordingly, a Mr. Carpenter, of Lancaster, Ohio, was authorized to survey it, which he did into 100-acre lots. In November, 1826, these lots were sold to the highest bidder ; the early settlers and contractors being allowed the refusal of the lands which they had been for some time improving, a business they had found more profitable than boring for salt.

As we study the history of our country, and ponder over its early settlements, we naturally ask, " whence came the pioneers ;" for necessarily they must bring with them their industry, morality. Christian influence, and the well-established customs of their, native places. Their ideas, to a large extent, form and mold the future importance of their neighborhood and vicinity. Decades, even centuries, scarcely sufiBce to obliterate the influences left upon a country by its pioneers. Thus it was with Brown Township. Its early settlers were mostly from New York and Virginia, the oldest, most refined and aristocratic sections of the American Union ; sections where law and order, education and religion, hold a high place in the minds and hearts of the people. The first permanent white settler in Brown Township was Daniel G. Thurston, in the spring of 1817. But as far back as 1809, a settlement was made in the extreme southwest corner, by a man named Erastus Bowe, from Vermont. He built a cabin and called the place Bowetown, though it was never, we believe, laid out. as a town, or populated, except by Bowe and his family, consisting, at the time, of his wife and two children. He remained here but a short time, when he went to Delaware. He resided in Delaware until 1817, and then removed to Tiffin, where he died in December, 1863. But few now remember anythiiig of him, and Mr. Thurston is generally recognized as the first permanent settler. He moved into'the tpwnship from the eastern part of Berlin, which, at that time, was the central part of Berkshire Township. He had settled in that region upon his arrival in the county in 1810, but, in ihe spring of this year (1817), moved into Brown. He was originally from Clinton County, N. Y. With his family, a few goods packed into a large w;agon, which was drawn by four good horses, he left his home in the East, carrying with him the good

" Cities and towns, dim and mysterious, Like something pictured in the dreams of sleep ; A hundred streams, with all their wealth of isles, Some bright and clear, and some with gauze-like these were some of the scenes that relieved the long and tedious journey of its monotony. Traveling over mountains and through the dense wilderness, subjected to numberless exposures, he reached, finally, his place of destination on Alum Creek. He located on the summit of the first little hill west of the creek, on what is now known as the Delaware & Sunbury Turnpike Road. This road, or but a trace then, wound along under the hill, following the river toward the Eaton settlement, as it was termed. Here his long journey ended ; a cabin was at once built, into which he moved with his family and his brother Isaac, who had accompanied him to the West. The latter went to work in a distillery that had been raised at no great distance, while Daniel himself worked in a saw and grist mill near his rude home. In 1817, seven years after he had settled in the county, he sold out to Ebenezer Loofbourrow, who had just arrived in the neighborhood from Virginia.

After Mr. ThUjrston sold out to Loofbourrow, he moved into the present township of Brown, where he had to begin his pioneer life over again, as it were. With the blue canopy of heaven for shelter, Mother Earth for a bed and the forest as walls of protection, he proceeded to carve out a new home. He soon had logs cut and on the ground for a cabin ; a few days more and the cabin was reared, the clapboards placed on for a covering and a floor of puncheons added to the building. His family now occupied this " pa.lace of logs," and his companion, with that instinct and refinement natural to woman, soon rendered it attractive and homelike. When his cabin was completed and his family located, Mr. Thurston entered into a copartnership with James Eaton, who lived a short distance south of him, and a man named Steven Gorham. These gentlemen formed the company, and were the contractors in the famous salt speculation, of which we have already spoken, and the lessees of the " salt reservation." His new home was on this reservation, or 'on the " salt section," as it was usually designated. Shortly after his location, Mr. Gorham moved in, but, after the failure of the salt business, left in disgust, and was lost sight of. Isaac Eaton erected a cabin a little north of Mr. Thurston's, in a short time after the latter's settlement. These, with Isaac Thurston, were, for several years, the only settlers in the present limits of Brown Township.

With becoming reverence, we may add in this connection, that Daniel Thurston worked in the " fear of the Lord," and " eschewed evil." " The Lord blessed him," and he " waxed rich and multiplied." He died in 1843, at the age of seventytwo years. His wife outlived him twenty-one years, and died in 1864 at the age of eighty-two years. She saw the country twice convulsed in war, but died without being permitted to witness the peace which finally crowned the great rebellion. She and her husband had born to them thirteen children, all of whom reached the years of maturity. They followed in the footsteps of the father - multiplying abundantly. As a matter of some interest to our readers, we devote a little space to the genealogy of this prolific family. The children of Daniel Thurston were Harriet, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Samuel, Sarah, Phoebe, Norton, Vinal, Eunice, Fannie and Barbara. Harriet first married Dr. Monroe, and, after his death, married Dr. John Loof|bourrow. She had two children when she moved to Wisconsin, and died. ' Mary married Israel Wood, a Quaker (who lived in Peru Township, then in this, but now in Morrow County). She died fifteen years after her marriage, leaving twelve children. Joseph married in 1826, a daughter of B. P. Loofbourrow, who at the time was living on the Thurston farm. There were born to him ten children, all of whom, with one exception, we believe, are now living. Elizabeth married Kalph Longwell, a soldier of 181'2, and who died in 1874. In 1879, his widow drew a pension due to the soldiers of 1812, by an enactment of Congress. She was the mother of thirteen children. Sarah first married Lyman Thrall, and, after his death, Andrew Thrall, a brother, who is now living in Southern Ohio. Phoebe married William K. Thrall, and has but one child, Mrs. T. S. Scott, of Eden. Norton married a Miss Jones, and died in 1817. He was the father of six children. Vinal married a Miss Plant ; eight children was the result. BJuniee married Norton Harden ; she died, leaving eight children. Fannie married H. Walker, and had born to her six children. Samuel married, and had born to him eight children. Barbara married

William Livingston and was the mother of ten children. These were the families and the children of Daniel Thurston, numbering in all one hundred, twenty and two ; and the number of all the generations of this old patriarch down to the present time are " two hundred, eighty and seven souls." To his son, Joseph Thurston, now an active old gentleman of seventy-eight years, we are indebted for most of these facts, as well as much of the history of the township. He is possessed of a strong mind and is in excellent health. The companion of all these years is equally as vigorous as her husband, and together they recount the reminiscences of the early times, with the liveliest interest. The spring after his marriage, he erected a cabin on the one hundred acres of land he purchased at the sale of the '- salt section," a purchase that joined his father's place. He paid 80 cents per acre for it in the following payments : One-twentieth of the entire amount down, and of the remainder, one-fourth in sixty days ; one-fourth in two years ; one-fourth in three years, and the last remaining fourth in four years ; all without interest and without taxes. The first year he cleared ten acres of ground. This he planted in corn, the result of which was a beautiful crop. He fed the corn to hogs, which he sold at $7.25 per hundred pounds, and some cattle, " pastured in the woods," were sold at from $6.00 to $8.00 per head. The money thus obtained was applied in payment for his land, and for the necessaries of life. Some years later, Mr. Thurston bought 200 acres of land for- which he. paid $3.00 acre. He moved on to this last purchase where he lived until 1868, when he sold out and moved to Wisconsin. He there embarked in the drug business and continued it for eleven years, then disposed of his interest and returned to Delaware County.

The early settlers of this section were not without their Indian experiences. Although the Indians were supposed to be friendly, yet they were looked on with some suspicion by their white neighbors.' The Thurstons, being one of the first families lo locate in this region, and that sometime prior to the removal of the Indians to reservations further west, enjoyed a more extensive acquaintance with them than settlers who came at a later date. They (the Indians) used to bring their game and furs to trade for corn, and as a general thing behaved well. The elder Thurston, who had a little mill, would grind their corn for them, and was on the most intimate terms with them.

and known far and wide among the neighboring tribes. When Joseph was a small boy, but nine years old, he was one day sent out for the horses, which, when not in use, were allowed to run at large in the forest. He wandered through the woods for hours, but after a long and fruitless search, he gave up finding them, and started to return home. After traveling for some time, he became lost in the forest, but finally struck an old Indian trail, which he followed some distance, when, much to his surprise and consternation, he came upon an Indian encampment, where he was warmly welcomed (?) by an army of dogs, and forced to take refuge in the nearest tree. The commotion produced by these ferocious beasts brought an old Indian from his wigwam, to investigate the cause of so much disturbance. To the astonishment of the lad, he discovered in him an old friend of his father, while the Indian, quite as much astonished as the boy, found the game " treed " by his dogs to be none other than the son of his old friend Thurston. The dogs were called off, and the boy invited to come down from his exalted perch. After he had related his adventure, a young Indian was ordered to catch a couple of well-trained ponies. Upon one of them he was placed, while the Indian boy mounted the other, and, acting as guide, led him through the forest, and after several hours' ride, he was restored to his already over-anxious parents.

It was shortly after the Thurstons settled in Brown Township that feaac Eaton came, and located just a little north of them. He was a son of Joseph Eaton, who was among the early settlers of Berkshire. He worked at the salt wells with Thurston and Grorham, and, after the failure of the project, he turned his attention to farming and improving the land where he had squatted. Here he lived and kept " bachelor's hall " for ten years, when he accepted the sensible advice, that " it is not well for man to be alone," and took unto himself a "helpmeet." He was married to a Miss Boot, of Peru Township. At the sale of the " salt reservation," he bought the land he had improved, upon which he lived until 1838, when he sold to William Williams. This place lies adjacent to the old church and school grounds, and is still occupied by Mr. Williams. ' One of the traces left by the Mound-Builders, and the only one noticeable in this immediate section, is on this farm. This relic of a prehistoric race is but a few rods from Squire Williams' house. It is cone-shaped, the summit standing some eight feet above the level of the surrounding ground, and is about forty feet in diameter at the base. A ditch, two feet deep, surrounds it, outside of which is a wall, or embankment of earth, about one foot and a half high and about two feet wide. In the east side of this wall or embankment is a bridge-like opening, resembling a gateway. This mound was opened, and in it were found portions of a well-preserved skeleton, charred remains of wood, and a few other unimportant relies, pertaining to this lost race of people.

William Williams, who bought out Isaac Eaton, came from Fairfield County to this township. Three years after he located here he was chosen Justice of the Peace, an oflBce he has been elected to from year to year until the present time. He has also served the county as Treasurer two terms, from 1846 to 1852; and as an Infirmary Director three years. He has likewise served the township in the capacity of Clerk and Treasurer, and been often chosen administrator of estates and guardian of minor heirs. In all of these positions, his duties have been discharged with a faithfulness and fidelity that is rare in these degenerate days. With the exception of the first three years, he has held ofiicial position ever since he has been a resident of the county.

Emigrants came in rapidly, and soon the entire salt reservation was settled up. One of the first families to move in after those already mentioned, was that of Benjamin McMasters, who came in about 1826. This pioneer of county and State was born in New York September 24, 1795, and was the third in a family of four children. His father died when he was quite young, and his mother moved with her family to Ohio in 1813, and located on the Scioto Eiver, in Franklin County. He worked here for some time in a sawmill, the first one built on the Scioto. It was in this mill that the lumber was sawed used in the construction of the old State House at Columbus. In 1814, the McMasters family moved to the village of Worthington, and lived for a time in part of the house in which Col. Kilbourn kept a tavern. In the latter part of the same year, Benjamin came to Delaware County. His first work was the clearing-up of twenty acres of land for a Dr. Warren. In 1817, he went to Champaign County, and the next year married a daughter of Lemuel G. Humphrey, of Liberty Township, Delaware County. His wife lived but a few years. After her death, he came back to this county.

where, in a year or two, he married again. At the sale of the salt section, in Brown Township in 1826, to which reference has been frequently made, he purchased 100 acres of land, upon which he at once built a cabin of the regular pioneer pattern. He moved into it one night between 9 and 10 o'clock, late in December, and snow on the ground at the time some fifteen inches deep. His worldly wealth consisted of one yoke of steers, one heifer, ten head of young hogs, a dog (all early settlers had a dog), a small supply of household goods, a few provisions and $50 in money. Here he lived until 1851, when he started a warehouse and formed a business partnership in Ashley, where he still resides. In the spring of 1852, he sold his place to his son Horace, who still occupies it. For many years, the latter has devoted much attention to fruit culture, and stands deservedly high in that branch of business. His large and well-assorted orchards produce from one to two thousand bushels of apples annually, with other fruits in considerable quantity. He has just completed a cider mill and press, which is most perfect in every particular, and has a capacity of 150 barrels a day.

The same years that brought to Brown Township the pioneers we' have already mentioned, witnessed the arrival of others, who, at the same land sales, purchased themselves homes. Among them we may mention Andrew Finley, J. Fleming, Zenas Leonard, James, George, Ralph and E. Longwell, S. Harlow, Charles Cowgill, John Kensill and others. With such an influx of immigration, the township rapidly settled up. Among those who came at a later date were John Walker and William Finley. Walker came from Virginia in 1832, but was a native of Ireland. He was born in 1784, and died upon the place of his original settlement (in this township) at the great age of ninety-eight years. Finley was a son-in-law of Walker, and settled first in Kingston Township, but after a few years moved into Brown. He bought 100 acres of land, upon which he still lives with his son, and is now ninety-two years old, but growing somewhat feeble. His wife is living, and remembers quite vividly the stirring scenes of those early times, when the country round about them " was all woods " and stocked with game of all kinds. The same year of Walker's settlement in Brown, a young man named Charles Neil, now better known as " Uncle Charley Neil," came in. He was also from Virginia, and also married a daughter of Mr. Walker. Mr. Neil carried on an ashery, and taught school for some ten years, when he was elected County Surveyor. This office was given to him by the people of Delaware County from 1842 to 1864, without any solicitation on his part. In the latter year, unknown to him, he was nominated, and, afterward, elected to the office of County Auditor, which office he held for two terms. During his second term as Auditor, he was elected Mayor of the city of Delaware by an overwhelming majority. A short time after the settlement of the "Thurstons, Batons and others already mentioned, Hugh Cunningham came from Pennsylvania and located on what is now called the Haun farm. He was the father of fifteen children, all of whom reached the years of maturity, and of the number there were three pairs of twins. He died in 1824, and his children have all followed him, except one - Mrs. Torrence, who lives at Mount Vernon, Iowa, and, at an advanced age, is enjoying good health. In 1827, Hugh Lee located in Brown Township, on what was then called the Peter Baker farm, but is now owned by Mr. Snedeker. He was a branch of the illustrious Lee family - a family that has produced as many great men as any in our country. As a proof that the family did not deteriorate in him, a son, John Calvin Lee, who was born while his father lived on this place, and who spent his childhood here, rose to the rank of Brigadier Greneral during the late war, and, after its close, was twice elevated to the position of Lieutenant Governor of the State. In 1867, and again in 1869, he was elected Lieutenant Governor on the ticket ffith Hon. R. B. Hayes, now President of the United States. A more extended notice is given of both of these gentlemen in another chapter of this work. Dr. Lyman Potter, who lives near the north line of the township, is a native of New York, and settled in Peru Township in 1821, and, in 1844, moved into Brown. When somewhat advanced in life, he began the study of medicine with old Dr. Carney, of Berkshire, one of the early practitioners of the county. After his term of reading, and after practicing some years. Dr. Potter attended lectures at the Starling Medical College at Columbus, from which he graduated in 1850. He then returned to his old location (the village of Eden) and continued practice until his removal to the farm where he now resides. After locating upon his farm, he attended those in the immediate neighborhood who required his professional services, but did not make it his business exclusively. He assisted in organizing the first medical society in the county.

and has always been an active member of it. He has produced some able papers before the society on diflFerent subjects, and is considered a deep thinker and forcible writer. He says that the only public position he has ever held, of which he feels proud, was that of Treasurer of the Bounty Fund during the late war. This position he held from his first election until the close of the war relieved the county of the necessity for such a fund. Israel Potter, a brother of the doctor, settled in the same neighborhood and at the same time. He is still living, a prosperous farmer, and devotes considerable attention to wool-growing, and owns quite a number of very fine sheep. ' In this age of plenty, it is somewhat difficult to realize what straits the pioneers were sometimes subjected tg. They often had to pay 60 cents a pound for coflFee, and when cash was short, parched corn or burnt potatoes served as a substitute for Rio and Java. Calico was 40 and 50 cents a yard, and if the wife and daughters were able to obtain one calico dress a year they deemed themselves peculiarly fortunate, and robed (except on state occasions), in linsey-woolsey, produced by their fair though strong hands. Sugar was manufactured from their own " camps," and, when sold, brought from 4 to 6 cents per pound. Josepb Thurston, his father, the Longwells, Loofbourrows. Thralls, and a few others, raised a little wheat. All that was not required for home consumption found a ready market at Zanesville, seventy-five miles to the southeast, where it was sold at from 37 to 50 cents a bushel. This was mostly taken in trade, barely enough money being received to pay taxes. When this Qiarket broke up, they found a better one at Sandusky, on Lake Erie, a distance of about 100 miles. This market, though farther off, was better, as here they received, $1 per bushel for wheat, and other surplus produce found as ready a sale. But this has all passed away. The building of railroads has brought markets to our homes; the age of progress has done away with the pioneer cabin, and left, in its stead, the commodious farmhouse of the thrifty granger, and the ladies, bless 'em ! can have as many new dresses as their hearts desire and their means will allow.

Politically, Brown Township has been one of the stalwart Republican strongholds, ever since the organization of that party, and, prior to its organization, was quite as Whiggish as it is now Republican. These principles were introduced by the early settlers, who were from sections of the

Union where such ideas predominated among the masses of the people. They came here thoroughly imbued with their political sentiments - sentiments which they did not fail to instill into the minds of their children. Their fathers and grandfathers were soldiers of the Revolution, and had fought for liberty, and thus came honestly by their Republican sentiments and principles. Upon the dismemberment of tjie old Whig party, the transition to a party claiming much the same political ideas, was quite natural. Thus the large majority of the people in thia township drifted into the newly formed Republican party, and so it has remained to the present day. The patriotism of Brown is as lofty as any portion of Delaware County. Most of the early settlers were descended from Revolutionary stock, and in the war of 1812 and the Indian wars of the times, many of its citizens bore an honorable part. In the Mexican war, too. Brown Township was well represented. The names of these Mexican warriors, however, could not be obtained. But, when the alarm sounded in 1861, and war became inevitable, then it was that the old Revolutionary fire blazed out and the patriotic principles of the people shone bright as the. summer sky. Regardless of party bias or political prejudices, her sons were found at the recruiting office to " enlist for three years, or during the war." In soldier graves some of them are sleeping to-day. Our space will not permit the mention of all who went from this township, and hence we will not undertake it. A few of those who fell in the fight are noticed as their names occur to us : Perry Wigton, lost his life in Arkansas ; ' Robert Bell came home and died ; John and Alexander McCay and J. K. White were killed on the Red River expedition ; Elmer Thurston, John Ashburn and James Porter were killed at Chattanooga, Tenn., also William Hume and F. Wigton.

Going back to the early history of the township, we find that the first marriage in this pioneer settlement was a daughter of Daniel Thurston, who married Israel Wood in 1818. He had emigrated from the old home of the Thurstons in New York, and was married to Mies Thurston by a minister of the Gospel, in the log cabin of her father. We may appropriately mention in this place, that Mr. Thurston's large family of girls were noted far and wide for their great beauty, as well as their industry and economy. From this, or some other cause equally cogent, the venerable parents were soon left daughterless, but their loss was invariably the gain of somebody else.

Some ten years after settlements commenced in the township, the messenger of death entered its precincts, to warn its denizens of their mortality, and that sooner or later they " must render up an - account of the deeds done in the body." The first death was an^infant child of James Longwell. It died in 1828, and was the first burial in the old graveyard, just north of Eden Village. This cemetery was laid out by Isaac Eaton the same year that this interment was made. It has been pretty well populated since that time. The law had its first representative in Daniel Thurston, who was elected Justice of the Peace in 1821, an office he held three terms. Old Dr. Carney, of Berkshire, was the first practicing physician who administered to the physical wants of the people of Brown. From 1817 to 1842, he and Dr. Loofbourrow, who lived near Alum Creek, were the doctors for this section. About 1842-43, Dr. Howell settled in the township and practiced about a year. Then Dr. Lyman Potter came in. The Drs. Carothers practiced here also, and Benton and Gosler, and later, Thurston, Willis and Ross. And, lastly. Dr. J. H. Smith, who is now an active pbysician in the township.

The early training of the pioneers of Brown Township soon made itself felt after their settlement in the wilderness. Though their trials and cares were heavy, they found time to read a chapter from the old Bible, and return thanks to God for preservation and protection. The first society formed in the neighborhood was in 1828, and of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. It was organized at Mr. Thurston's, and consisted of himself and wife, Joseph Thurston and wife, Zenas Leonard and wife, and Phoebe Thrall. Once a week they would meet together, and, as they were without a shepherd, prayer-meetings only were held. Soon after the Methodists got well into the harness, the Presbyterians commenced work. They organized a society at Mr. Thurston's, as his cabin seems to have been a kind of religious headquarters. For a number of years, these two societies continued their meetings under these limited circumstances. At length, a society of the New School Presbyterians was formed, with the following members : John Hestwood and wife, Hugh Lee and wife, Robert Kinkaid and wife, James

Kinkaid and wife. They built a church of hewed logs, in which they worshiped for several years ; the Methodists also occupied it on special occasions. In 1841, a frame church building was erected by the congregation near the same spot. But they allowed their imagination to run away with them, and laid their foundation on such an extensive scale, that they were unable to complete the building. Finally they tore it down, and of the material erected a smaller one upon the same site. This building was superseded by a more pretentious one in 1855, and the old church converted into a residence, which is now occupied by Norton T. Longwell. The first Pastor of this congregation was Rev. Mr. Jenks, who had charge of a church in Kingston Township at the same time. -

There were others who took an active part in the formation of a Free- Will Baptist Church, and, in 1836, built a log church near the site of the Presbyterian Church. The original members were John Moore, Thomas Cowgill and wife, Isaac Eaton and wife, Orlando Root and wife, Zenas Root and wife, Thomas Agard and wife, Spofibrd Root and wife, Nathaniel Arnold and wife, and Isaac Thurston and wife. Rev. Isaac Eaton was the Pastor, assisted occasionally by Rev. S. Wyatt. In 1848, some twelve years after its organization - years of more or less usefulness - it was discontinued as a sodety. The next year, after the disbanding of this society, the Baptists and Methodists, together with Charles Neil, 0. D. Hough, Vinal and Norton Thurston, and Thomas Hargraves, with their families, built the church in the village of Eden. Rev. William Godman, a son of Lawyer Godman, of Marion, was the preacher in charge of the circuit at the time the church was built. He was a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan University, and a minister of considerable merit.

About the time that church influences began to be felt and recognized in the community, steps were also taken looking to the education of the rising generation. Several years had elapsed since the first settlement had been made in the township, and, as yet, the youth had only been instructed at home in the simplest rudiments. So, in 1830, Mr. Thurston, and his son Joseph, Isaac Eaton, Longwell, Loofbourrow and a few others met together, and, after a short discussion of the subject, sought out a favorable spot on the banks of Alum Creek, near an ever-flowing spring of pure water, and proceeded to erect a log schoolhouse. This temple of learning, the first in the township,"wa8 in the vicinity of the churches, and just north of Eden. In this primitive structure, the children met for the first time to feast from the storehouse of knowledge. Mr. Griffith was the first teacher. He had moved to the settlement a few years before from New England. His wife soon succeeded him as teacher, and filled the postion untU they decided to return to their Eastern home. Isaac Eaton was the next teacher. As the population increased, more extensive school facilities were demanded, until, at the present time, there are in the township ten school districts, in each of which is a comfortable school building. The average attendance at school is as follows : Males, 90 ; females, 63 ; State tax, $1,105.79; county tax, $425.39. In the early time, if each neighborhood could get a threemonths school during the winter season, it was as much as they dared expect. Now the school term is from six to nine months annually.

The county infirmary, or poor house, is located in Brown Township. An institution of this kind did not become necessary until quite a late date. When such a necessity did arise, about 1852, a purchase of 113 J acres of land was made of Joseph Blain. This land lies half a mile east of Eden, five and a half miles east of Delaware, and is very near the center of the township. In 1854, a large and substantial brick building was erected, 40x140 in dimensions. The yard is large, and a little rivulet winding through it renders it quite picturesque. As yet there are very few shrubs or trees to adorn it, aside from a thrifty young orchard planted in the rear of the buildings. In 1856, an addition was built to the infirmary as an asylum for the insane. This building was small and uncomfortable, and, in 1874-75, another was built, much larger and more commodious, and comprising all the modern improvements usually found in such buildings. In 1870, it became evident that the farm was too small, and 105 acres additional were purchased from John L. Thurston, which, with the original tract, makes a large and splendid farm. The institution is in an excellent condition, and, under the present administration, everything moves on like clockwork. The first Superintendent was Eli Jackson ; the present is Mr. Glass ; the attending physician is Dr. J. H. Smith, of Eden, who does all the professional business for $200 per annum - the medicines furnished by the county. The last report of the institution showed the number of inmates to be 84 ; adult males, 31 ; adult females, 25 ; children, males, 22 ; ' children, females, 6. The products of the farm last year were 3,000 bushels of corn ; 500 bushels of wheat; 1,000 bushels of oats, and 800 bushels of potatoes. A more extended history of the infirmary is given in another chapter, and hence little can be said here without repetition.

The township has the benefit of one railroad, the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis, or Bee Line, which passes through the western part, and is the first railroad built through Delaware County. It has been of -considerable benefit to the township in bringing the best markets to the very doors of its citizens. Leonardsburg, or Eden Station, is the principal shipping-point, and is located near the north line, six miles from Delaware. It; was laid out by S. G. Caulkins m 1852, and was called Leonardsburg for, A. Leonard, the first merchant. He opened a store in the place the first year it was laid out as a village, and, soon after, built a grain warehouse. Mr. Leonard was also the first Postmaster. He was succeeded a few years later in th^ Post Office Department by A. R. Livingston, the present incumbent. The business of the store and warehouse is carried on by Livingston Brothers, who, for a number of years, have done a large shipping business in grain, wool and other farm products. The Grangers also have a store in the village which has a large trade, with that fraternity at least. A further improvement in the little town was the erection of a church in 1861, by the Methodists. It is a frame edifice, and cost about $1,200, and was built under the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Gowdry. The church has a membership at present of twenty-four, under the pastoral charge of Rev S. L. Yourtree, of Delaware. A flourishing Sabbath school, under the superintendence of William Jewell, is connected with the church, and maintained the year round, with an average attendance of about twenty-five pupils.

The village of Eden was surveyed and laid out by Isaac Eaton, for the proprietors, Daniel G. Thurston and Isaac Leonard, who owned the land. The location was chosen at the crossing of the road running east and west, and the one running north and south along the creek, as an eligible site for a prosperous village. The first house in the village was a log cabin built by John Pinley ; the first frame dwelling was put up by William Williams, soon after his removal to the neigborhood. This extravagance of architecture created quite a stir among the people, and stimulated others to make similar improvements, and soon the little town could boast of several imposing frame buildings. Joseph Leonard was the first merchant in Eden. Hitherto the people had been going to Delaware to buy the few goods required to satisfy their limited wants ; but Leonard now accommodated them nearer home. He had the trade all to himself until 1838, when Williams & Loofbourrow opened a store, and thus created competition. A large and handsome schoolhouse was erected in 1840, to accommodate the growing population, and is still in use, though having been in the meantime thoroughly renovated and remodeled.

In 1830, Ezekiel Longwell built a saw-mill on Alum Creek, within the limits of the village. Lumber had been rather scarce, before the building of this mill, and rather difficult to obtain. The demand for lumber thus created was supplied by Longwell's mill. Several years previous, a small saw-mill had been erected some three miles up the creek, but had never amounted to much as a lumber manufactory. It has been abandoned for some time, but the remains of it are still standing - a landmark of early times. As Longwell's mill began to show signs of age and rough usage, it was repaired by William K. Thrall, who also built a grist-mill in connection with it, which is yet in active operation. About 1829-30, a blacksmith-shop was opened by C. Thrall. It was twenty-one years after the first settlement before there was a post office in the township. The citizens received their mail at Berkshire and Delaware. In 1838, the GoTernment commissioned C. M. Thrall, Postmaster at the village of Eden, and called the office Kilbourn. A little later, a tavern was opened by Seymour Scott, the first in the place, and for a number of years he furnished " accommodation to man and beast." Alum Creek, in this section, being too deep to cross in safety, on horseback or with teams, for a large portion of the year, led to the construction of a bridge at a very early day. ' -The first efibrt was a rough wooden structure, and was built by John Elliott. It was used until condemned as unsafe, when it was replaced by a more durable one. This last one was built by James Landon, and is still in USQ4_^ B. P. Loofbourrow (now of Dela^ ware) at one time operated a carding machine in the village. He sold it to S. Scott, who added a spinning jack, and for several years carried on a spinning and carding factory. The present town hall of Eden was built by subscription, and is used for all public meetings.