Guernsey County, Ohio - Chapter 3: Organization of the County, 1911

Chapter 3: Organization of the County

From the beginning Guernsey county territory had belonged to Washington county up to 1788, when it was included in what was organized as Muskingum county, in 1804. Prior to the adoption of the state constitution in 1 85 1, there was much agitation about a new county, to be formed out of parts of Guernsey, Tuscarawas and Coshocton, with New Comerstown as the county seat. But when the new constitution was adopted the issue was forever removed from the minds of the projectors of that scheme.

A word concerning the term "Military Land District" may not be out of place in this connection. The origin of this term is from the fact that in 1798 Congress appropriated certain lands to satisfy claims of the officers and soldiers of the Revolutionary war. These lands were surveyed into townships five miles square, and these again into quarter-townships, containing four thousand acres, and some later into forty lots of one hundred acres each, for the accommodation of soldiers and others holding warrants for that number of acres. What land was not required for the satisfaction of military warrants was subsequently sold by act of Congress, and the designation of "Congress Land" given to it. In 1903 Congress granted to the state onesixth of all the lands in the United States Military District for the use of schools in the same. As the population of the townships warranted, they were named, having previously been designated by numbers. In 1812 the legislature provided for a road from Cambridge to Coshocton. The Marietta and Cleveland road was completed at a later date.

The land district of which Guernsey count)- is a part was surveyed west of the seventh range, into townships of five miles square, and a quarter township of two and a half miles square, between 1798 and 1804. Zaccheus Biggs, as deputy surveyor, made a part of the survey, and George Metcalf. then a young man. formed one of the surveying party. He was charmed with the locality and enthused many at his home with the idea of effecting settlement here, and he really prevailed upon Jacob Gomber, his father-in-law, and Zaccheus A. Beatty, brother-in-law of Gomber, to purchase a quarter of a township (four thousand acres), upon which the city of Cambridge is now situated.

The survey of the land district was completed in 1804 and the land subject to entry, from the land office at Zanesville, at two dollars per acre. Settlements were soon made in different parts of the county, as will be seen in the chapter on "Early Settlement," following this chapter.

By order of the Ohio State Legislature in 1809, a new county from portions of Belmont and Muskingum counties was formed and by its provisions it was called Guernsey in honor of the first emigrants from the isle of Guernsey. Prior to that time - March 10, 1810, the actual dating of the bill - all territory which is now included in this county west of the eastern boundary of what is now Wills township, Madison township and Washington township, was a part of Muskingum county. East of the present townships of Londonderry, Oxford and Millwood formed a part of Belmont county. April 23d, following, there was field a meeting at the house of George Beymer, at Cambridge, and there and then the first county commissioners were sworn into office for Guernsey county. They were James Dillon, William Dement and Absalom Martin. Elijah Beall was appointed clerk and John Beatty, treasurer. Elijah Dyson was appointed lister of the residents of the newly made county, as being subject to taxation. Thomas Knowles was the first sheriff, George Metcalf, first surveyor, Peter Wirick, first auctioneer, and Joseph Smith, first coroner.

It was ordered that the new county be divided off into five civil townships to be called Oxford, Seneca, Wills, Cambridge and Westland. Much difficulty was experienced by reason of there being no map of the territory within the county just formed.

At the meeting of June 10, 1S10, a township, to be known as Buffalo, was ordered to be set off, and a meeting held at Jacob Jordon's on June 23d, that year, when township officers were duly elected.

On July 28, 1810, a meeting was called to elect officers for a township to be called Richland and was held at the house of Samuel Leath; also one the same day for election of officers for Madison township at the house of Absalom Martin.

On September 15, 1810, Wheeling township was organized and two justices of the peace and other officers elected at a meeting at the home of William Gibson.

On September 4th of that year, there bad been held a meeting of the board, at which the bounty for every wolf-scalp of wolves over six months

On December 25. 1810, Robert Johnston became clerk. The Steubenville road was completed from Cadiz to Cambridge in 181 1 and in June that year Lloyd Talbott was awarded the contract to build, or rather superintend, the construction of a county court house, while Z. A. Beatty and Jacob Gomber were chosen as contractors to construct the same. The jail was completed September 3, 181 1.

On June 3, 1816, it was ordered that a new township be made and named Jefferson ; this was taken from the west of Madison township. It was also, at that date, ordered that Londonderry township be formed from parts of Madison and Oxford; that Beaver township should be formed from parts of Seneca and Oxford townships ; also that Olive township should be set off from Buffalo township.

Monroe township was incorporated from the north end of Jefferson township, and township officials were elected at the house of Lawrence Tetrick in April, 1818.

In June, 1824, Jackson township was organized, and in 1827 Adams was taken off of Knox and Westland townships and named in honor of John Ouincy Adams, then President of the United States.

In 1 85 1. Buffalo, Beaver, Olive and Seneca townships Avere detached from Guernsey county, and since then have been included in Noble county.

. As soon as the townships were organized the county-seat question was agitated. Both Washington and Cambridge wanted the seat of justice. Messrs. Beatty and Gomber made a proposition to donate the public grounds and furnish a suitable set of public buildings ready to roof if the county seat should be located at Cambridge, and their offer was accepted. Several attempts have been made since the location of the county seat, to remove it to Washington, but of late years this talk has all ceased and with the present

After the above preliminary steps had been taken, it remained for the board of county commissioners to provide highways, bridges, and suitable buildings for the county, as its settlement increased. The chapter on "County, State and National Representation - Political" will inform the reader as to who the men were at the helm during all of the formative period of the county's development, and other chapters will show how well they laid the foundations. The government of this county is treated in the next chapter and there will be seen much of the county's building, its taxes and expenditures to the present time. As the platting of towns and villages comes with the settlement of every new county organized, its surveyors and recorders have to execute these records, this topic naturally comes under the bead of organization and will here follow the list of such town plattings :

During the years of the county's history there have been many village, or town plats, executed in the various townships. Some are still in existence, but many have long since become defunct. The following is a complete list of all that have ever been platted, with date, location and name of the proprietors (township name at date of platting) :

Wheeling was platted by David Dull on the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 14, township 4, range 3, in Wheeling township. It was surveyed April 24, 1874.

New Birmingham was platted in 1826, by William Carson, and was replatted for assessment purposes June 14, i860; it was located on section 11, township 4, range 2.

Guernsey, in Cambridge township, in section 4, township 2, range 3, of the United- States military lands, was laid out by John Fordyce, J. W. Robins and Madison D. Robins, November 7, 1872.

Antrim, by Alexander Alexander, March 1, 1830, on lot 12, in the first quarter of township 3. range 1, of the United States military school lands.

Hartford, September 26, 1836, by David Johnston and John Secrest, on the southeast quarter of section 4, township 8, range 9, in "Buffalo" township.

Craigsborough, on the west bank of Duck creek in the northeast quarter of section 4. township 6, range 9, by William Craig, February 26, 1818.

Union, by Elijah Lowery and John Laughlin, May 4, 1812, on the southeast quarter of section 9, township 1, range 2. A part of this was donated to the county for court house purposes, should the seat of justice be located at that point.

Point Pleasant, at the junction of the Beaver and Seneca forks of Wills creek, on the northeast quarter of section 13. township - . range 8, by Benjamin Wilson. July 24. 1829.

Lexington, platted on the southeast quarter of section 24, and the northeast quarter of section 25, township 7, range 8, by Jacob Young and Jacob Myers, August 12, 1816.

Byesville, by a number of persons. It is located in Jackson township and was platted November 26, 1881 (as an incorporation), but the original platting had been executed on section 6, township 1, range 2, July 1, 1856.

Kennonburg, in township 8, range 8, and in the east half of section number 2. was platted by Daniel Rich and Arthur Vandyke, December 2, 1839.

Putneyville, on the southeast of the northwest quarter of section 10, township 9, range 7, was platted by George W. Henderson, April 30, 1846.

Opperman, in Valley township, on the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 14, township 9, range 10, by Thomas Moore and wife, August 28. 1903.

There have been numerous villages - a small collection of houses and trading places with postoffices. besides the above, but were not regular plats. These include Hopewell, Londonderry, Winchester, Indian Camp, etc.

Incorporated Towns

The incorporated towns of the county are: Cambridge (City), Salesville, Pleasant City, Cumberland, Quaker City, Byesville, Senecaville, Fairview, Kimbolton, Lore City, Washington, Hartford.

A Lost Town

The first town laid out in Guernsey county, rightfully speaking, was on the old Zane trace, five miles to the east of Washington, on the northwest half of section 19, township 2, range 1. The proprietor, Joseph Smith, called the town Frank ford, but the records of Muskingum county, to which the lands of this county then belonged, show the plat of a town named Frankby. and Frankley, recorded September 13, 1805 ; this makes the place twenty-three days older than Washington. Who Joseph Smith was and what became of him, no one seems to know. There being no record of the patent, it cannot be told Whether he entered or squatted on this land, but he evidently had some notion of building a town at the point named in the platting, for lot No. 5 was designated as having been "reserved for court house purposes." Lot No. 13 for gaol and "north spring, on lot No. 29, for the free use of the public square and all the commons on the south side of the same." But his hopes were soon to be blighted; the first cabin erected there was for a tavern, and whisky was so cheap that the advantages of the free spring water were not duly appreciated. All the pioneer townsite man received was the name "Smithtown," by which the site was ever after known. As late as 1870, a traveler named Cummings, who kept a diary, says therein: "August 8 - The stage being only to go fifteen miles, I left Cambridge on foot ; the first five miles were excellent road, over a long, very high range of hills, without a house, to Beymertown - twelve cabins, four being taverns, and one a blacksmith shop. Four and a half miles farther no inhabitants; the road is still good, but is leading over several high, short and steep ridges, which generally run from north to south. Then passing a cabin and farm, in a half mile I came to Frankford or Smithtown, where I breakfasted. This is a small village or hamlet of eight or ten cabins, some of which, as well as several in the neighborhood, are inhabited by families from Peekskill, New York.''

A record shows that in 1807 Smith and wife conveyed lot No. 20 to John D. Seiman for twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents. Other lots sold at forty dollars each.

In 1809. Andrew Moore, of New Castle, Delaware, became a resident of Frankford and owned a tavern that became somewhat noted, and there, in 1819, Gen. Robert B. Moore married the daughter of Jacob Gomber, took his bride to her new home, accompanied by a large company of friends from Cambridge, they going on horseback. William H. Farrar wrote of this many years later and it is "good history" today. In 1814, Smith and wife sold, for a consideration of two thousand dollars, the quarter section of land on which Frankford was platted to Jacob Gomber.

In 1846, at the October term of court, this platting was vacated and its history ended. Its once noted hostelry, that fed and rested many a weantraveler, has long since disappeared ; its streets and alleys have been converted into a cow pasture, and its court house and jail sites appropriated to the growing of corn and potatoes.