Union County, Ohio - Chapter 22: Mill Creek Township, 1915

Chapter 22: Mill Creek Township

This was one of the three original townships in Union county. On the second division of the county into civil townships, in 1821, the boundaries of ^lill Creek were lixed as follows: "It is agreed to divide the county of Union into five townships, and the fifth township is to embrace all east of Paris township to the west boundary line of said county, and to be known by the name of Mill Creek."'

This township is situated in the southeast part of Union county and takes its name from Mill Creek which flows through its northern part. It is bounded on the north by Dover township and the county of Delaware, on the east by Delaware county, on the south Ijy Jerome township, and on the west bv Darby, Paris and Do\'er townships. The original surveys of this township occupied about eleven years" time. However, some of its surveys were made in a remarkaljly sliort time, for it is shown that in one day seven thousand acres were sur\e_\ed into eight different tracts.

Mill creek is the chief stream in the township. It enters from Dover township, passing through survey 3,956, and for more than one mile forms the boundary line between said townships, crossing in an easterly direction till it reaches sur\e_\- .\o. 1.307. when it takes a ^'er_\- crooked course in a general northeast direction, passing diagonally through said survey and so un out of the county into Delaware county. At an early day the waters of this stream furnished the pi(ineers with an abundant water power. Many of the first mills of Union c(junty were built along this stream. Spring run is another fair-sized stream, in the central portion of the township. Few, if any, townships in the county present a better surface for farming purposes than Mill Creek. The soil is deep, rich and very productive. Along the creek bottoms and fiat portions it is a black loam, while the remainder is a strong clay soil, most of it underlaid with a disintegrated limestone and gravel, the latter forming a gciod material for road making. The timber here was similar to that found elsewhere in l^nion county. The great num- ber of maple trees affurdeil an aljundant siipph' of maple sugar aiul syrup, both for the home and tor shipment. Grain, corn and stock raising have always been the main features of agriculture in this township, and from these much wealth has been accumulateil with the passing of the }'ears.

Early Skttlement

To Ephraim I'.urroughs, a native of Xew Jersey, must be accorded the distinction of having been the first white settler to invade the wilds of what is now Mill Creek township. In the autumn of 1795 he left his native state with his fannly for Kentucky. In 1804 he moved to Clark county, Ohio, and at the close of the War of uSu he settled in Union county. His location was a little east of the village of W'atkins. He bought one hundred acres, remained about four }'ears and then moved to Indiana.

There were three or four families, all of whom came in at about the same dates, and soon after the hrst settler. Burroughs, made his settlement. Among this number was William Conklin, a native of Delaware, who located oh land next to that entered by Ijurmughs and there remained until just before the breaking out of the Ci\il War. The date of his coming was 1816. Here he reared a good-sized family. One of his daughters married a Mr. Anderson, oi whom it was related that he paid for his farm bv selling hickory nuts gathered by his own hands. These nuts all grew on his own land and he hauled them o\er the mud roads to Da>'ton and Springfield.

Daniel Bell, born in Xew Jersey, but an early settler in Ohio, came to this township in 1816, settling near Mr. Conklin's place. He was a blacksmith by trade and followed it in connection with his farming operations. Later he mo\'ed to the White Ri\er country, Indiana, 1)ut afterwards returned to Union county and died near ^^"atkins.

John T. Thompson, with his aged father. James Thompson, emigrated from Virginia to Ohio, settling in Union county about 1816 on Mill Creek survey No. 5,477. The father died there in 1843, aged almost ninety years. He was a veteran of the Revolutionary war. This was perhajis one of the first five families to settle in the township. The son became a \'er\- prominent factor in the early history of the township and county.

Alvin Randall, a native of New Hampshire, emigrated to York state in 1809; to Worthington, Ohio, in 1812; to Madison, Indiana, in 1813, cast his first vote at the first election after that state was admitted to tiie Union, in 1816. In 1817 he became a resident of Darby townshi]) and in 1819 came

Asa Robinson, a native of ]\lassachusetts, moved with his family from his nati\e state to York state, and in 1809 is said to have moved to Ohio. At a \ery earl\" date he settled in Delaware county. He was engaged in the milling" business at Hinton's mills. Later he sold out and bought land in sur\"ey No. 2,992, where he remained until his death.

Between 1818 and 1822 the following came into Mill Creek township and effected a permanent settlement : Joseph Harrison and sons, Aaron, ]Moses and Benjamin, all locating on survey Xo. 2,998; Valentine T. Shover, Joim Sherman, Thomas Daniel, Silas Oslxjrn, Xathaniel Toothacre and John Gray settled in survey Xo. ^A77 ) John. William, Asa and Randolph Death, four brothers, colored men, settled near Harrisons, but most of them soon mo\"ed from the county.

George Graham, a nati\'e of England, emigrated to America, first settling in York state, but later mu\ed to Ohio. He had a large family, most of whom settled in this township about 1823.

Aniither immigrant of 1823 was Aaron Tossey, a nati\-e of X'ew England. Alany of his cliiklren li\ed in the township and were active in its earlier development.

Elder Daniel Long, a native of Maryland, born in 1789, was a soldier in the War of 181 2 and became a settler in !\Iill Creek township in 1820. He had tra\'eled i)\er a large portion of southern and central Ohio, organizing Christian churches. The Watkins Christian church of this township was one of the first to be formed in this section and he w-as pastor of this church for many years. He died in 1873, at the age of eighty-five years and had preached up to within a short time of his death. He died while in the midst of a revival season. He was one of Ohio's great pioneer ministers. He married and had one child, Thomas \\'. Long.

Other settlers coming in about 1823-24 were George Lukenbill and John McCawley, the latter a native of Scotland. He moved to Marysville, where he subsei|uently died.

Bennett Beard, who settled on Mill creek about 1824, erected one of the first saw mills in this .\b(iUt the same time the following people came to tlie settlement: Jac(il> Hawk, Alexander Garringer, John Herilif, Samuel Saunders, Z. Smith, Jeremiah Roe, John Keens and Jacob Taylor. Also that year cjr not later than the following year came Joseph Watkins, Asahel Rose and James Fowler. In 1826 came William Rogers, a school teacher. William Newhouse and Edmnnd Holycross settled on survey No. 5,477. In 1828 and 1829 we find that Christian Myers. Charles Hamlin, Abraham Stiner and na\id Smith appear as settlers, all located on survey No. 1,573.

This l)rings the settlement down to about 1830 and after that it commenced t(i increase too rapidly to undertake to trace out the coming and going of the multitude, many of whoiu ha\e li\ed and labored and finalh' passed on to the great beyond, lea\'ing descendants to take up the activities of , life.

Watkins is the only \illage in Mill Creek township. It now has a population of about eighty people. It is within surx'ey No. 1,307 and was platted July 12, 1838. The proprietors were Thomas P. Watkins and William Conklin. James Thompson erected th : first house on the village platting just east of where Ra\' Thompson's .-lore in later years was built. He opened the first store of the place in 1840 in one room of his residence. The postoffice was established in 1840 and the government furnishes the author with the following as the correct list of postmasters: James Thompson, Jr., appointed March 18, 18-10; \\''illiam Thompson, November 11, 1842; James Thompson, April 29, 1859: S. R. Heath, .April 21, 1862; \\^arrett Owen, April 9, 1863: W. T. Thompson, October C>. 1885: Warrett Owen, July 18, 1889; R. B. Thompson, August 31, 1893: Lemuel Tossey, December 24, 1896: F. J. Hinterschend, April 10, looi ; L. L. Williams, August 5, 1904; Leonard Kalteis, November 30, 1907. Office was discontinued July 31, 1908.

The \arious physicians who have practiced here include these, in about the order given : Mains Wasson, Doctor Reed, Doctor Rose, William Andrews, T. P. Shields, John Pounds and several of a later date, whose names appear in the Medical chapter of this work.