Union County, Ohio - Chapter 20: Darby Township, 1915

Chapter 20: Darby Township

This was one of the three original sub-divisions of Union county. Its territory co\ered a large extent of the domain now found within Union county. It derived its name from Darby creek. It may also be stated that Darbv is the oldest to\Miship in the county. It was at first formed as a part of Franklin county, May lo, 1803, and took in a large scope of territory. After its organization as a part of Union county in 1820, the first election was held October 10. for state and county officials. Frederick Sager. Samuel Robinson and James Boal were the judges; forty-nine votes were cast; James Ewing received forty-seven for sheriff: James Kennedy, forty-two for coroner; Robert X'elson, forty-four for commissioner; Ethan Brown, fortyfour for governor, and Joseph Vance, thirty-one for Congress.

The outlines of this township are very irregular, conforming as they do to the topography of the country contained within its borders. The Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis railroad tra\-erses the township from northwest to southeast. South of the Big Darby creek in this township, most of the land is a part of the famous Darby Plains, which extends far down into county, and were so named from the scanty growth of forest trees. Probably one half of its surface was originally covered with small burr oak and hickory groves. Among the wild fruits here found and enjoyed by the pioneers were the luscious plums. The openings, or prairie lands, were considered almost worthless by early settlers, hence were the last to be entered and improved. Today these lands are of the most value for agricultural purposes. As time passed and other lands became scarce, the settlers ventured out onto the plains where the land was wet. black and impregnated with the dread malaria. They commenced to ditch and drain and within a few years it became known that the possessors of these lands had a veritable gold mine in this rich soil, which, when properly drained, produces all crops common to this latitude. Lands here only sold at from forty cents to two dollars per acre, while north of the river or creek, in the same township, they sold at about three dollars and sometimes five per acre. The northern portion of the township was originally heavily covered with timber, including sugar maple, white ash, elm, walnut, white oak, hickory, and a profuse growth of underbrush, iron and dog wood, with some sassafras, hazel, etc. Here the soil is a limestone clay, and the topography is usually level, except near the streams where it is but slightly broken.

L.Vst Of The Indians

A former writer on the annals of Union county gives the following concerning the last of the Indian and the first of the white race in this part of the county :

"At the time the earliest settlers took possession of their farms in this region Indians were numerous. They lived farther north and only descended the Big Darby to engage in hunting and fishing. They encamped here and often remained for several months at a time. The site of North Liberty was one of their favorite tenting grounds. When the War of 1812 opened apprehensions oi trouble with these Indians were entertained, but they remained friendly and no hostilities arose tti mar their peaceful relations. Some of the rougher class of settlers were on intimate terms with the Indians and would go to their camps and join in the feasts that were held there. The children of the earliest pioneer were fiir a time in mortal dread of them and it required a long time before the}' could be accustomed to their presence.

"James Robinson had one of the earliest orchards in this part of the county, and an interesting incident is related of him in the township history of Jerome, to which the reader is referred.

"When the troubles of 181J had commenced, it was se\eral times rumored that the Indians had taken up arms and were preparing to make a raid on the settlement, ^lany families, panic-stricken, deserted their homes and fled to the south. At ime time a party of the settlers, including ]\Ioses Mitchell, then a lad of sixteen \'ears. fearlessly marched to the Indian villages, far to the north, to ascertain if they had concluded to put on the war paint and make the rumored attack. They found the Indians sitting in council but with no hostile intent. The band of whites remained with them all night, then returned to the settlement and quieted their every fear. Game abounded in the forests for many years after the work of clearing and tilling farms began. A favorite mode of hunting deer was as follows : In the low country along the Big Darljy, mosquitoes \\ere as great a pest to beast as to man, and in warm weather to escape them the deer descended into the water after night fall, and remained there for hours at a time with only their noses abo\e the water. The hunter approached in a canoe, a torch nv candle fastened to his hat. and by the use of bark lighted up the surrounding gloom, but concealed himself and his canoe from sight. He thus approached within a few feet of the deer, dazed by the light and easily killed it.

To have been a pioneer in this township, meant much of heroism and hardship for the fathers and mothers who came in here from the older communities in the Southern and Eastern states. These immigrants came chiefly from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, and settled in the valley of the Big Darb}-. These settlements commenced about 1798 and continued until about 1 81 2. The plains to the south, extending over into Madison county, were settled first by people emigrating from New England, mostly from Vermont. They began to arrive about 1810, continuing until 1820. In the north part of the township the rougher, more rolling lands were occupied largely by a class of squatters and hunters, who depended on their guns for the support of themselves and their families. Shortly before 1840, the German element got a foothold and within a few years held nearly the entire northern half of Darby township.

l^he first settlement in this township was made in 1798 by James and Joshua Ewing on the site of the village of North Liberty. It was of short duration, however. Joshua Ewing purchased a lot in the new village plat, built a log cabin, and with his brother, James, resided there for a short period. As no effort was made by the proprietor of the village to further improve the place, the Ewings soon tired of tlie communit}- and left, settling in Jerome township.

The next settlement in Darby township was made by the Mitchells in 1799. This consisted of an aged farmer and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Mitchell, their two sons and two daughters and David Mitchell, Samuel Mc- Cullough and Samuel Kirkpatrick. This colony bought the Lucas Sullivant tract of one thousand acres, sur\ey No. 2,879, north and bordering on the Big Darby, in the western part of the township. This little colony all came in from Pennsylvania. At first they set out to settle in Kentucky, but after sending men (younger of the party) on in advance, they came back and reported unfavorable, hence they headed for Ohio and finally selected this township as their future home. They fell in company with the paper-town man Sullivant, who gave them favorable accounts of his country and town site operations. They then \isited the spot in the summer of 1799 and put in a small amount of corn, returned home in the autumn time and brought their families on. Their belongings were all stowed away in three large lumber wagons, and from Deer creek to Darby they were obliged to cut a roadway through the thick tangled forest.

Pioneer David Mitchell was not only among the first but among the most influential citizens of the township. He was a life-long Presbyterian, served the township as justice of the peace many terms and was an associate judge under the old Constitution of Ohio, He was well educated and enterprising and was always known as Judge Mitchell.

Among the better known and larger faiuilies which came and remained pemianent settlers was the Robinson family. They made a temporary settlement in 1800, though it was five years before they became really located as a family of sturdy jjioneers in this and adjoining townships. Samuel and James Robinson, sons of James Robinson, were born and reared on their father's farm consisting of several hundred acres, in York countv, Pennsylvania. James was a cooper and Samuel was a carpenter and joiner. They went west to seek their fortune. They were sturdy and daring men, in the prime of their \oung manhood when the\- reached Tennessee where they met Lucas Sullivant. He was a surveyor and induced them to join his surveying party, James as a chain carrier and Samuel as marker, and they wended their way to Ohio. The party consisted of five men, one of whose sole business it was to provide game for the remainder of the compan\'. For six weeks they were busil_\' engaged surxeying and during all that period saw no other men but Indians. The Roliinson boys selected the Samuel Robinson sun-ey of si.x hundred acres, Xo. 2,977, located in the southeastern part of Darby township, and early in the spring of i8oo cleared up a small piece of ground and planted corn thereon, lioth were unmarried, and in the fall they returned to York county, Pennsyhania, but both soon after married and brought their brides to this township. The}' di\ided the land above named between them, James taking the northwestern half. I'pon his arrival, James erected a comfortable log cabin in which he died in 1823, aged forty-nine vears. A familv of eight children sur\-i\ed him: .\nn. wife of James Reed; Sarah, wife of Stephenson Curry; William M,, of Marysville : Eleanor, wife of Robert Snodgrass ; James, of Jerome townsliip; Jane, wife of Thomas Reed; Samuel, of the' old homestead; and Nancy, wife of Perry Buck. The \-arious members of the several generations of this branch of the Robinson familv were foremost in de\-eloi)ing this township and this part of Union county. They were of the Presbyterian faith and most of them strong, radical Abolitionists, voting the Whig and later the Republican ticket.

The Sager settlement was very early, the Sager family coming here about 1805. The family was one of the earliest and also the largest in this township. It consisted of George Sager, Sr., and his children, George, Christian, Frederick, Jacob, Henry, Samuel, Abraham and Barbara. All were grown and several married when the family came to this locality. Within a few \'ears there were cabin homes in Darby, Union and Jerome townships, all containing families from this stock of pioneers. They were Germans from Loudoun county, Virginia. The farm on which they tirst settled was surve\' No. 3.272, on the south bank of the Darby, about a mile and a half below Unionville. While their first cabin was being erected the large familv remained at the home of James Robinson across the creek. In early days these Sagers were all voters of the Jacksonian ticket.

George Sager. Jr., settled in the western part of the township; Christian settled on the present site of Cnion\ille : Samuel Sager settled on a farm east of Unionville, where he died after a long and very useful career; Jacob settled in the south corner of the township, where he farmed and operated a stillhouse; Abraham, Frederick and Henry settled in Jerome township; Barbara, the onlv daughter, was married several times.

The Post road crosses the township, east to west, near its southern line. This was so called from the fact that it was over this highway that were transported the military stores to Ft. Defiance on the Maumee from Franklinton, then a small military post. The plains on the other side of this road were occupied largely by Yankees.

Dudley Bridges, of Vermont, came about 1815, remained until 1830 then removed to Illinois. Another pioneer on the plains was Elihu Knall from Vermont. He purchased land in survey No. 10,793, about one mile south of Unionville. This was some time previous to 1810. Besides farming he carried on the shoe-making business. Another Vermont immigrant was Ahira, who came in 181 4. Later he moved on to Indiana. Qark Provin was a Yankee who shifted from one location to another. He served as justice of the peace in this township and at Plain City conducted a hotel, or inn as then stvled. He taught school a good portion of his time, and was well versed in law. Later, he removed to Illinois.

Charles McCloud, another genuine Yankee, settled in 1814 in the southwest corner of the township. He was born in New Hampshire in 1769. immigrating to Darby township in 1810. He was an exhorter in the Aleth-

Samuel T)ler, a Pennsylvania German, located on a small tract, in survey No. 12,075, a mile southwest from Unionville; he died at an advanced age.

Benjamin Tinkham, from Connecticut, born 1795, came to Ohio in 1817 and lived in Franklin county for a time. He came to this township a year or two later, and took the contract for making the brick with which the house of Samuel Robinson was constructed - this being the first brick house in Union county. He bought a place on the plains in the south part of the township, and there spent the remainder of his days, dying at the age of eighty-fi\e )-ears. He married and was the father of twelve children. He was a man of many good traits and \\as odd in a way. He wrote his own funeral sermon and invented many curious machines, including a so-called perpetual motion machine.

James Russell, from Loudoun county, Virginia, came here among thc first lot of early settlers, locating in the southern part of the township.

North Carolina sent forth some few settlers to this community, including John Joll}-, a Quaker, who left his home state on account (if his hatred of human slavery. He located in survey No. 7,218. He farmed and followed shoe-making to some extent. He became an earnest supporter of the Methodist church, fie died in i860, at Unionville, aged seventy-eight years.

John ^^^ Robinson was among the foremost citizens in the township. He was a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born 1803. In the autumn of 1808, his father, Rev. James Robinson, of the Presbyterian church, removed with his family to Pickaway count}*, and in 1821 to near Mil ford Center, to accept the pastorship of Lower and Upper Liberty churches. He li\-ed on his farm and raised much fancy stock and after a useful career died of tvphoid fever in 1833, his wife surviving him many years.

Other pioneers in this township were Gideon B. Cutler, Garrett Harris, Thomas Parr. W'iUiani Orr, Thomas Andrew, Thomas Ally, John Bartholomew. William Cooperider, John W. Goldberry, John S. Irwin, Stephen Johnston. Jacol) King. William L.eeper, Robert Maze and Samuel Patch.

Great Epidemic Of 1 822-23

The sickly seasons of 1822-23 visited Darby Plains and scarcely a family escaped its ravages. As the greater portion of the plains lay in Madison county, the loss there was greater, but Union county suffered its full share in proportion to its area of prairie land. To Dr. Jeremiah Converse, of Madison county, is due the following account of the dread disease. "There was scarcely a family but what had its sick or dying. The few who were not prostrated with the disease were soon down with constant watching, yet these messengers of mercy visited each day all the sick that were assigned to their division. No tongue can describe nor pen portray the scenes of suffering witnessed and experienced by these early settlers. All business transactions ceased, gloom brooded over the minds of the people, and many a stout heart was made to tremble over the impending doom which seemed to await them. Men and women who were not prostrated with disease were busy night and day, administering to the wants of the needy, mitigating the suffering of the sick and consoling the bereaxed. There were a few instances where the father was compelled to construct a rude coffin, dig the grave and deposit beneath the clods of the valley the loved form of his child. The territory invaded by this epidemic extended from a short distance east of Big Darby to perhaps the same distance west of Little Darby."

The cause of the disease was supposed to arise from the decomposition of vegetable matter and the malaria which would ensue. The tall, luxurious growth of grass on the prairie lands was at first burned every autumn, but after the settlers began to occupy this land, this habit was abandoned through fear of setting fire to the grain and buildings of the pioneers. During the few years that then elapsed before the land was mostly occupied and culti- \ated, this rank native growth of grasses became a wet mass of decay and breeded the germs of disease. The symptoms of the disease were various. Usually, a general lassitude, nausea and thirst would continue several days, when the disease would be announced by a severe rigor or chill. The skin would become livid and purple: the pulse f|uick and feeble; the respiration accelerated. Subsequently .severe heat would ensue, the pulse becoming full anfl frequent, accompanied by thirst, severe headaches, nausea and vomiting.

and sometimes delirium. In children there were convulsi(jns generally. The patient would sink into an intlamniatory type of fever, which ran its course from seven to fifteen days ; most frequently death occurred about the eighth day of the infiammalnry stage.

On the old Mitchell farm, i m the north side nf Big Darby creek, is found the earliest burying" ground \u I'nion county. It is now one hundred and fourteen years old. There had been an Indian burying ground at this [joint many vears before it was used by white men. Samuel McC'ullough was buried there in the spring of iSoo. There were ncj boards to l)e had. and of course no coffins in reasonable reach of the settlement, so this pioneer was buried within a casket made by cutting down a black walnut tree and making from it slabs bv s]>littiug as if one were going to make puncheon for a floor. bTom this the coffin was fashic.med. This is known as .Mitchell's cemetery and in it were buried most of the early settlers of Darby township.

Long before the vear 1880, the Sager cemetery at Unionville was being l)ro])erly cared for l)v tlie township authorities. Brown's cemetery in the northeastern part of the township has many years since been entirely abandoned. Two large Lutheran cemeteries were later established in the nijrthern part of the township.

North Liberty

The first town platted within what is now known as L'nion county, was Xorth Liberty. It may also lie recorded that it ranked among the very earliest plattings in Ohio, for it was laid out by Lucas Sullivant in 1797. Sullivant was a voung Kentuckian surxeyor who was engaged in surveying lands and locating warrants in the X'irginia military district. He lielieved that the locating of a town site in Darby would be well recei\-ed and no doubt saw some good money in corner lots, so he platted his town here. It will be also remembered that he claimed the Big Darby a na\igable stream as far north as his town site. He then changed his mind and laid out Franklinton on the opposite side of the river from Columbus. Xo one has ever claimed that North Liberty bad more than three buildings, all occujiied by the Ewings who bought lots of the "Town-site" .Sullivant.

Unionville Center

Platted as L'nionville, Init since tlie establishment of the postoffice in 1848, known as "Unionville Center," this is the largest village in Darby township. It is nicely sitnated on the south bank of Big Darby, and was laid out Februan- 8, 1847, by William B. Irwin, county surveyor, for John B., Frederick and David Sager. Originally, the plat only had fifteen lots and two streets, Main and Cross. The public scpiare, twelve poles and twelve feet square, was in the northeast corner of the platting. An addition, however, was made to the platting in 1852 by Christian, Frederick, John and David Sager.

In 1879. when the citizens desired to incorporate, the petition asked that the name be changed from Cnionville to Unionville Center and the petition also declared that there were two hundred and twenty-nine persons residing within the proposed territory to be incorporated.

The first building there was erected se\'eral years before the platting of the village. It was built by Benjamin Cutler, a shoemaker who followed his useful trade there. He also kept a small supply of necessities for the households of the community. That he had a very limited stock may be inferred from the fact that in filling an order for a small piece of indigo bluing t(i a man wh(i \vore a "biled shirt" sometimes, he desired the purchaser to go easy with him and not take but half as much as he had asked for, saying that he ilid nut care to "b.reak his stock."

Really, the prime mo\er in the town at an early day was John Sager. who l)uilt a twD-stor}- frame buildin.g and conducted a good country store there for several years and became the first postmaster. A tannery was put in operation and successfully operated several years by John and Jeremiah Jolly. John and Frederick Sager built a saw mill on Big Darby about 1835 and a few \ears later added a corn-cracker. In i88t, a steam flouring mill plant was erected at this |)oint and a saw null and tile factory were then limning full l>last. All factories ha\e suspended operations at this time and one views onlv the windowless and doorless mill buildings and the old flume through which for many years ran the waters of the Darbv in propelling the x'arious machinery of the place.

The business houses in 1882 in Union\ille Center included a dr_\- goods store by William B. Dunfee, and three groceries conducted by L. A. Dockum, Wetzel & Ferguson and Joseph E. Fouke, respectively. There was then in

Postoffice History

The present church organizatinns are the Methodist Episcopal, served bv Reverend Rogers of Plain City, and the I'nited Brethren, who ha\e no regular pastor at this writing.

The tile works of Mr. Horn are \"ery extensive. He secures the clay from his own land near the depot and has immense kilns, doing a ver}' large annual business in the making of a superior drain tile for farm use. His steam saw mill cuts thousands of logs, brought to him by the surrounding farmers.