Richland County, Ohio - Chapter 23: Divisions Into Townships, 1880

Wayne County - FarrFieLp County - Kwnox Couniy - RicuLanp County, ATTACHED TO Kyox - Maptson TownsH1P - GRrEEN TownsHip - RicwuLanp County - ACcT FoR ORGANIZATION - CounTYy SEAT - First DIVISION OF THE County - Mapison, GREEN, JEFFERSON AND VERMILLION 'TOWNSHIPS - TROY AND MirrLIN - WoRTHINGTON AND Montcomery - Broomine Grove, SPRINGFIELD AND WASHINGTON - OnrANGE - MILTON - FRANKLIN - LEEPSIC (NAME CHANGED TO Perry) - Monroe - Pxiymoutu and SanpusKy - Hanover - CLRAR CREEK -

T will be necessary, to give a clear explanation of the various divisions of Richland County, to go back to the original county formations into which this part of Ohio was divided, and trace their alterations, made from time to time as the settlement of the country required.

The present county of Richlarid was originally a part of Wayne County - the third erected in the Northwest Territory. Wayne was created by proclamation of Goy. St. Clair, August 15, 1796, and embraced all of Northwestern Ohio, Northwestern Indiana, Michigan, Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. [his immense tract of country was then practically uninhabited by Americans, save a few settlements in the central part of Ohio. The Indian war had closed, however, and people were rapidly occupying all parts of the West, hence a division of the county soon occurred. December 9, 1800, Fairfield County, embracing a large tract of country now included in Licking, Knox, Richland and other counties, was created, and Lancaster made the county seat. Again, the increase of settlements rendered the formation of new counties out of Fairfield necessary, and, in compliance with the urgent petitions of the people residing in the interested localities, on the 16th of January,

Ohio, creating the counties of Knox, Licking and Richland. By the provisions of this act, as expressed in its seventh article, Richland was placed under the jurisdiction of Knox County, "until the Legislature may think proper to organize the same." June 9, 1809, the Commissioners of Knox County declared - "the entire county of Richland a separate township, which shall be called and known by the name of Madison."

This township of Madison, the original Richland County, was thirty miles in extent each way, save on the east line, which lacked a few miles of this length. This was occasioned by the southern boundary being made on the old northern boundary line of the Greenville treaty, which diverges slightly northward about the middle of Range 17. At the date of its creation there were very few settlers in the county, so few that at the election of 1809, but seventeén votes were polled in the entire township; the year following, this number was increased only two. The same year, several families moved into what is now Mifflin Township; a few came to the vicinity of Perrysville, near where the Indian town of Greentown existed, so that it was deemed expedient to divide Madison Township. January 7, 1812, Green Township was made by dividing Madison as shall be one mile east of the center of the seventeenth range, in the lower township, and shall be known and designated by the name of Green." This gave the new township a territory eight miles wide and almost thirty miles long. The order for this division is on the records of Knox County, and seems to be the last official one regarding the division of Richland County while attached to Knox.

The original act for the creation of Richland County, passed in January, 1808, reads as follows: "And be it further enacted that all that tract of country lying north of the aforesaid county of Knox, and south of the Connecticut Western Reserve, and so far east as the line between the fifteenth and sixteenth ranges of Congress lands, and so far west as the west line of Range 20, shall be and is hereby erected into a separate county by the name of Richland, and shall be under the jurisdiction of Knox, until the Legislature may think proper to organize the same.

As soon as the return of peace was assured, | following the war of 1812, even before the war had actually closed, enough inhabitants resided within the limits of Richland County to justify its erection into a separate county with entire control of its own affairs. In 1809, the Legislature provided for the location of the county seats of Wayne and Richland Counties. The ' Commissioners located the seat of justice for Richland County at the town of Mansfield, and returned the same to the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County, who gave it to the court

Sec. 2. Be it enacted, That all suits and actions, whether of a civil or a criminal nature, which shall be instituted, and all crimes which shall here be committed within said county of Richland prior to the taking effect of this act, shall be prosecuted to final judgment in the county of Knox, as though the county of Richland had not been organized; and the Sheriff, Coroners and Constables of the county of Knox shall execute within the county of Richland al! such process as shall be necessary to carry into effect such suits, prosecutions and judgments, and the collectors of taxes for the county of Knox shall collect within the county of Richland all such taxes as shall be levied and unpaid previous to the taking effect of this act.

Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That, on the first day of April next, the legal voters residing in the county of Richland, shall, without further notice than this act, assemble in their respective townships, and elect their several county officers, who shall hold their offices until the next annual election. This act to take effect and be in force from and after the first Monday of March next.

Richland County, as then organized, was one of the largest counties in Ohio. It should have always contained its original boundaries, but in later years a mania arose for county seats, resulting in the creation of other adjacent counties, which took from Richland County much of its territory. This will be noticed, however, in the chronological order in which it occurred.

Melzar Tannahill, Commissioners ; Hugh Cunningham, Coroner, and John Wallace, Sheriff. The Commissioners met in Mansfield Monday, June 7, 1813, and appointed Winn Winship Clerk; Andrew Coffinberry, Recorder. and William Biddie, Surveyor. This was the first act of that body, and the county stood ready to enter upon its course.

The Commissioners granted petitions for roads, provided for the use of the block-houses as court house and jul. and such other business as came before them. from time to time, until August. 9, 1814, when a division of the county was made in accordance with a request of a majority of the inhabitants therein. This was the first division of the county after its organization, and, as shown by the old Commissioners' records, was as follows :

"Ordered that said county be divided into four townships, and that said townships he bounded as follows, to wit: The range line between Range 17 and 18 to be the division line north and south, and that the second township line from the south' boundary of the county ybe the division line east and west between said townships. Ordered further, that the northwest township in said county retain its original name, to wit, Madison Township ; and that the name of the southwest township in said county be Jefferson Township ; and that the southeast township retain its original name, to wit, Green Township ; and that the northeast township in said county be named Vermillion Township, and that they are hereby named as above." eighteen, the southeast corner of the present Madison Township being the point from which the division lines between each of the townships radiated.

The line defining the western boundary of Green and Vermillion Townships was made by this last division four miles west of the line established by the Commissioners of Knox County in 1812. Whether these officers failed to understand the proper township lines. or made the division as indicated by the settlements, is not stated; probably, however. the latter cause was the reason of its establishment. This division seems to have sufficed but a very short time, for. on September 5, Jefferson Township was divided on "the first township line from the southern boundary of the county," the southern township retaining the original name, Jefferson, while the northern one was culled Troy. Each of these new townships was six miles wide from north to south, and eighteen miles long from east to west. December 5, Vermillion Township was divided in like manner, on a north and south line, making a new township of its western half, called Mifflin, the eastern part retaining the original name, Vermillion. This left Richland County, at the close of the year 1814, with six townships, one of which, Madison, was eighteen miles square ; another, Green, twelve, and four others, Vermillion, Jefferson, Troy and Miftlin, six by eighteen in extent.

The opening of the season of 1815 brought a fresh arrival of settlers to the county, necessitating a new division of the townships. June 6, the Board divided Green Township "on the range line running through the center of the said township," enacting that the part "lying east of the said line, retain the original name, to wit, Green, and that the part lying west of the line be named Worthington."

They further " ordered that the township of Vermillion be divided in the following manner. to wit: That Township No. 21 of Range No. 16 be and hereby is set apart a separate and inal name, to wit, Vermillion, and that all the residue of said township constitute one other township, and that the same be and is hereby named Montgomery."

This last division left Vermillion Township six miles square, or the same as a government township. it being the first to be reduced to its final limits; the division left Montgomery six miles wide. from east to west, and twelve miles long. These were the only changes made that year.

necessary. March 4, the County Commissioners, Michael Beam, Samuel Watson and Melzar Tannahill, "Moved to the division of Madison Township, out of which the township of Blooming Grove is erected, containing the original surveyed townships, No. 22 and 23 of Range No. 18 and Townships No. 22 and 23 of Range No. 19; and Townships 21 and 22 of Range No. 20. Also, Springfield Township is erected of Township No. 20 of Range No. 20; and Township No. 21 of Range No. 19; reducing the township of Madison to the original surveyed lines of Township No. 20 of Range No. 18." This division made Blooming Grove twelve by eighteen miles in extent, or two townships wide by three long. Springfield Township was made six miles wide and twelve long.

On the same day, the Board divided Troy Township, by "erecting the township of Washington, consisting of Township No. 29, of Range No. 18, only."

This division lasted only till June, when "on application of the inhabitants of Township No. 23 in Range No. 16, it is ordered that the said township be set off as a new township by the name of Orange." This township was six miles square, and was taken from Montgomery, leaving that one the same size.

The next day, June 4, Mifflin Township, heretofore six miles wide and eighteen long, was divided, and Milton created out of its north two-thirds, reducing Mifflin to a Congressional township's limits, and making Milton six miles wide and twelve long.

It is very evident from succeeding records that Franklin Township was erected the same day with Milton. Almost the last entry in the first book of the Commissioner's records - a little, square, unruled book of ninety pages - is that of the creation of Orange Township. When the next book was purchased, a much larger volume was procured, which in the lapse of time became very much worn. Auditor Ward, recognizing the necessity of preserving securely rebound. In this second book, commencing June 4, 1816, two leaves - pages one two, three and four - are lost; and, as succeeding pages do not record the erection of Franklin Township, but do mention it among the others as taxed in 1817, it is very safe to assume it was created on the date given, and the record lost with the leaves mentioned. At least, such will be assumed in these pages, leaving others to ferret out the mystery. Assuming such to be the case, Blooming Grove was left with five Congressional townships, an | inference succeeding facts will develop to be true.

At the next term of the Commissioner's Court, held September 3, it was "ordered that the original surveyed townships, numbered 19,, in Range 19, and 18, in Range 20, be set off and created a new township, to be known and distinguished by the name of Leepsic." This name, for some unexplained reason, does not seem to have been very . satisfactory to the people, for, October 11, it was "ordered that the township heretofore set off and established by the name of Leepsic, be hereafter known and distinguished by the name of Perry." This township was then twelve miles long and six miles wide, and, by its construction, Jefferson was left its present size. Perry was the last township erected in 1816, the year closing with Richland County divided into fifteen townships.

February 11, 1817, at a meeting of the Board, it was "ordered that the original surveyed township, No. 22, in Range 17, be set off and created a new township, to be known and distinguished by the name of Monroe." By its creation Worthington was left its present size - each one six miles square. Monroe Township was the only one erected that year.

Range 20, be set off and established a new township, to be known and distinguished by the name of Plymouth." Also, "that the two original surveyed townships, Nos. 21 and 20, in Range 20, be set off and established a new township in said county, to be known and distinguished by the name of Sandusky." It will be observed that each of these two townships included a territory six miles wide by twelve in length, or two Congressional townships.

October 4, 1818, the minutes record that "on application of the inhabitants of Township 19, in Range 16, which formerly comprised part of Green Township, be set off and established a new township, to be known by the name of Hanover." This new township was made six miles square, and left Green, one of the first made, the same dimensions.

The next day an order was passed "that the original surveyed township, No. 25, Range 17, formerly making part of Milton Township, be set off and established a new township to be known by the name of Clear Creek." This division brought both to same size, six miles square. At the close of 1818, there were twenty-one townships.

February 9, 1819, "on application of the inhabitants of Township 22, in Range 19, according to the original survey, it was set off from Blooming Grove Township, and established a new township, to be known by the name of Sharon." This division left Blooming Groye six miles square.

April 3, 1820, the limits of Auburn Township were defined, as the "original surveyed township numbered 22 of Range 20, which has hitherto stood attached to Plymouth Township," and that township created, leaving Plymouth

For two years no other changes were made. An increase of settlers in Sharon by that time necessitated its division, and, March 4, 1823, it was "ordered that Township 19 in Range 20 be set off a separate township, to be known

Another interval of two years occurred, when it was deemed best to complete the division of the county into Congressional townships. March 9, 1825, Township "No. 21, in Range 20, was set off and declared a separate township by the name of Vernon." This reduced Sharon to the required limits, leaving only one division to be made. This was done June 6, when " Township No. 18, in Range 20," was organized into an independent township, "to be known by the name of Congress."

This last division completed the work of the County Commissioners in this direction until , new counties were formed, which took some of the territory from Richland, and made necessary new divisions. As it was, there were twenty-five townships, each six miles square, 'save Hanover, whose southeast corner lacked a little of being complete; in all nearly nine _ hundred square miles of territory. Richland County should have remained in this shape. Practically square, with the county seat as near the center as it could be located, it made one of the best counties in Ohio, and, had no changes been made, would, to-day, be still in the advance lines.

The county remained intact until early in | 1845. At the session of the Assembly that _ year, February 3, Wyandot County was created largely from the western part of Crawford | County. In order to compensate the inhabitants of Crawford for the territory taken from them, a portion of Richland, four miles wide and nineteen miles long, two-thirds of the townships of Auburn, Vernon, and Sandusky, and one mile in extent of the north part of Bloom-. field, were attached to Crawford. Soon after this was done, the Commissioners of Richland County ordered the remainder of Auburn and Vernon Townships, left in their county, to be attached to Plymouth and Sharon. Sandusky was left the same width as the others, but the change made it seven miles long, hence the Board thought best to organize it into a separate township, and did so. Its shape remains the same at this day.

February 18, 1846, erected Ashland County, thereby making a seat of justice of Ashland, the principal town in Montgomery Township. This act took from Richland the entire tier of the most eastern townships, two-thirds of Clear Creek and Milton, and a little over one-third of Mifflin; in all about 240 square miles of territory. March 17, the County Commissioners met, and ordered that the remainder of Clear Creek Township, in Richland County, should constitute a separate township, and retain that name; also the same with Mifflin, while what remained of Milton should be attached to Franklin.

Two years after this was done, Mount Gilead, an enterprising town near the southwest corner of the county, asserted her claims to a county seat so strenuously that the new county of Morrow was created, of which Mount Gilead was made the seat of justice. This new county took from Richland all of Congress and Bloomfield Townships - the latter known as North Bloomfield, since the creation of Bloomfield in Knox County, now also a part of Morrow

Jounty - the west half of Perry and the west half of Troy, save Sections 28 and 33. This last act reduced Richland to its present size. an area of 485 square miles.

The creation of these new counties, it will be observed, left again irregularly shaped townships, some of which contained only twelve sections.

No act of the Commissioners seemed to have been passed regarding the portions of Troy and Perry in this county. They seem to haye been simply allowed to retain the original names, and as such yet exist. In the northern part of the county, howeyer, the inhabitants soon expressed a desire for new divisions. and, in compliance there with, the next year after Ashland County was created, the citizens of the eastern part of Sharon petitioned the court for the erection of anew township. March 2, 1847, the request was granted, and Jackson Township was created.

In the spring of 1849, the citizens of Clear Creek and the eastern part of Blooming Grove requested a similar organization, and, March 5, 1849, Butler Township, comprising two miles in width of the eastern part of Blooming Grove, and all of Clear Creek, in all four miles wide by six in length, was erected. June 5, in response to a request from the residents of the eastern part of Franklin Township, four miles in width of that township were erected into a new township, and named Weller.

When Butler was organized, it left Blooming Grove an equal extent of territory. Plymouth was now left with its original six by six miles in extent, and that part of Auburn remaining in Richland County, when Crawford County was created. The residents of the eastern half of Plymouth asked for a separate organization in the autumn of 1849, and, December 6, the Board granted the request, creating Cass Township. The erection of Cass completes the list of divisions in the county, leaving it with its present organizations. In all there have been about thirty divisions of the county made since 1807, each division until 1845 marking an increase in population.