Guernsey County, Ohio - Chapter 35: Washington Township, 1911

Chapter 35: Washington Township

Washington township, one of the northeastern townships of this county, is a five-mile-square, twenty-five-section sub-division of Guernsey county, and is bounded on the north by Tuscarawas county, on the east by Harrison county and a part of Londonderry township in this county, on the south by Madison township and on the west by Monroe township. It is well watered and drained by numerous streams and flowing springs of the purest water. It is devoted largely to agriculture and has many fine and thrifty looking farms within its borders. This civil township was organized in 1823, its early settlement preceding this a number of years. It is one of the townships without town or hamlet.

Its Early Settlers

Just who was the first white man to unfold the virgin soil and clear away the first tract of farm land, as well as erect the first cabin .in this township, may never be recorded correctly in history, the matter having been so long neglected. But fortunately there was, during the Centennial Exposition year, a list made of the persons then residing in this township, and who at that date - a third of a century ago - were seventy-six years, or more, of age. This constituted many of the original band of settlers in this part of the county. This list is as follows: Robert Vance, Sol Shers, John Allison, Louis Myers, Jonah George, John Williams, Finley McGrew, Robert Maxwell, Benjamin Temple, Edward Logan, James Hastings, Miss Ediburne, Mary Burris, Mrs. A. McKinney, Mrs. S. McKinney, Mrs. R. Vance, Mrs. Louis Myers, Mrs. J. Williams, Mrs. F. McGrew, Mrs. P. Smith, Mrs. William Hastings, Mrs. Nancy Frazer, Mrs. R. Maxwell, Mrs. O. Brashar, Mrs. W. Smith, Mrs. B. Temple, Mrs. E. Logan, and Mrs. J. Logan. These women, for the most part were wives of some one of the early pioneers.

located in 1844. He married Cynthia E. Galligher. Mr. Owens in the early eighties owned almost three hundred acres of land, was an excellent farmer and held many local offices.

Robert Vance, born in Maryland in 1791, spent his youth in Washington county. Pennsylvania, and came to this township in 1825. He married and was the father of twelve children. Robert, Jr., was born on the old homestead in 1823 and ever after lived in the township. In 1845 l">e married Eliza J. Campbell, by whom eight children were born. Mr. Vance was a successful farmer and stock raiser.

George Frazer, born in 1786 in Maryland, moved to Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1795 and in 1837 settled on section 13 of Washington township, this county, and remained until his death on the farm of which he was owner. He married and was the father of thirteen children, one of whom was George. Jr., born in 1830 in Trumbull county, Ohio, and who came to this township in 1837. He married in 1867 and they had four children. Mr. Frazer served three years and two months in the Union army during the Civil war. After his return home, he resumed farming and stock raising, in which he was highly successful.

Levi Williams, a native of Virginia, born near Winchester in 1777, settled in Belmont county in 1796, and moved to where the town of Washington, this county, stands in 1800. There he did the first clearing up the native forests. He married in Virginia and was the father of eight children. He was one of the men who assisted in cutting the National road through the heavy timber from Wheeling to Zanesville.

It is claimed by some that Levi Williams was the first settler in this township. Then came the pioneers, Robert Carnes and James Anderson. In 1 81 5 and 181 6 came several families and then the township was organized by eighteen voters. Thomas Hannah received seventeen votes at the first election for representative to the Ohio Legislature. In 1882 there were two saw mills and two grist mills ; a United Brethren and Protestant Methodist church. The first church, however, was the Methodist Episcopal, formed in 1816.

Of the first settler, Levi Williams, let it be recorded that he located in 1796 where Washington now stands, and did the first clearing in Wills township. He was a great hunter and was a first lieutenant under "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Indian war, also under Harrison in i'8i2. The general

John \Y. McBride's father. Frederick McBride, was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, horn in 1806, and at the aye of ten years accompanied his parents to this county and here he grew to manhood and became a prosperous fanner and the head of a large family.

Another of the sturdy men of his day and generation was William Logan, horn in the Emerald isle in t 77 r : he married and in 1817 came to America, first locating in Canada, where he lived one year and then moved to a point about ten miles from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but in 1826 came to Guernsey county, Ohio, and chopped a handsome farm from out the big woods of this count)-. He had ten children, bringing seven to this country.

Robert Campbell, born in Ireland in 1797, lived with his father in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, while learning the carding trade. He there married and the}- had eight children. John M. was born in Londonderry township, but when two years of age the family removed to Madison township. He married, in 1847. Mary McBride and they had six children. His father, Robert, became a large farmer and stock raiser, was commissioner and representative for two terms each, and died suddenly in Iowa. He had been married thrice, but had no children except by his last wife.

George B. Carlisle, born on the Juniata river in Pennsylvania in 1813, came here in 1819 and ever afterwards made this township bis home. In 1834 he married Elizabeth Hanna, a native of Guernsey county, and they reared eleven children. John H, one of the children of this union, was born here in 1835 ; in 1880 he married Mary E. Bridgman. He farmed until 1876, when he engaged in mercantile pursuits. He served as a lieutenant in Company A, Ninety-seventh Ohio Infantry, three months during the Civil war, and later became a captain in Company B of the same regiment.

James Stqckdale. St., married, in 1825, a Miss Phebe Lening, eighteen years of age. and she became the mother of eleven children. Mr. Stockdale owned a good farm in this township, consisting of two hundred and sixtyfive acres. He farmed all bis life, except ten years when he was engaged as a merchant. In an early day he taught school and sat on one end of the backlog and the scholars on the other end.

James English, born in this county in 1793, married Rachel Rolston in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1816. They had nine children; James, the eldest, was a native of Guernsey county, born in 1S17.

Jacob Baker, a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, born in 1774, moved to the old Gottengen farm, where he died some years later. He married and had nine children born to him by his wife, whose maiden name was Rebecca McCutchin. He served his country in the war of 1812. His children all became important factors in the township of their birth.

Isaac Bonnel, a native of Maryland, was born in 1800 and when twelve years of age he and his father cleared up a farm and laid out Winchester. In 1824 he married Sarah, daughter of Samuel Lindsey, and had eleven children born to him. John M. was born near the old homestead in 1832 and married Elizabeth Orr, by whom eight children were born.

John Hanna was born on the banks of the blue Juniata river in Pennsylvania, in 1777, and came to this county in 1806. He built the first mill run by horse power in Washington township, and later built a water mill on the Salt fork of Wills creek. He married Rebecca Harris in 1805, near Warrentown, Virginia. Henry Hanna, a son, was born on the Madison township homestead in 1813 and in 1838 married Phebe Carlisle. Mr. Hanna owned a two-hundred-acre farm in 1882 and was accounted an influential man of his township.

Towns And Villages

The two town site plattings within Madison township are Antrim and Winchester. Antrim was laid out 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. It is in the northeastern portion of the township and has never materialized to be a place of much importance, being inland and some distance from the National road and also from railroad communication. It has long been a convenient postoffice for that section of the county and has at various times had some small stores and shops, with a collection of a few houses.

Winchester, the other platted village of this township, was surveyed for village purposes on section 14, township 3, range 1, August 18, 1836. by its proprietor. Isaac Bonnell.