Union County, Ohio - Chapter 30: Washington Township, 1915

Chapter 30: Washington Township

Washington townsliip is the extreme nortliwestern subdivision of LInion county. Its outlines are quite regular, as it is bounded by four straight lines. Logan county is on the west while on the north is Hardin and Marion counties. Jackson township bounds it on the east and York township on the south. The boundary line between it and York township is the Greenville Treaty Line of 1795.

Li 1836 this part of Union county was made a separate civil township. The county commissioners" journal bearing date of June 6, 1836, contains the following entry : "The board considered a petition handed in by John Dysert, praying for a new township to be taken from the north part of York. Whereupon it was agreed that a township be formed, to be called Washington, to be bounded as follows : Beginning at the northwest corner of the township of Claibourne, thence running west, parallel with the northern line of the county to the western boundary line of the county, thence north with said line to the northwest corner of LInion county, thence east with the north line of the county to tlie northwest corner of Jackson township, thence with the line of said township south to the place of beginning."

Natural Features

This township embraces a level stretch of country, slightly broken only in the western part by the streams and gullies. Rush creek is the largest streaiu and Hows into the township from Hardin county near the northwest corner. One of its tributaries is Rocky Fork. The north branch of Boke's creek cuts the southwestern corner of the township. Rush creek has several small tributaries running from this township, while several streamlets formerly found their way into the waters of Fulton creek from this township.

Ponds were no uncommon sight at an early day here. It was really a wet, swampy portion of the county and was not of great value until a systematic system of drainage, extending over a long period of time, was put

.\t an early day large trees were deadened by the annual forest fires that swept over them. The land along the streams, strange as it may seem, was slightly higher than the general lay of the country and the land beingdry attracted the first settlers thither. The first land sur\-eys were made here about 1820-21.

Washington township's first settlers were largely a class of men who came in for the purpose of hunting the game which was then found (.)n ever\' hand in great almntlance. The real proprietors of the lands here were mostly non-residents of the state. The squatters would pitch their tents anywhere without asking pemiission if they did know the owner's name or address. .Vnd the owner seldom objected to the building of a cabin or the clearing up a few acres of land for the reason that when he came to offer his land it would usually bring a little more per tract, if it had a cabin in which to settle right away. The darkest day for this townshi]) was when the game had all been killed or frightened away, and before the swampy lands had beeii drained out making it possible to cultivate the rich sciil found tnday. It was a number of years after these first few squatters came into the township before the Indians left, and the red-skin and pale-faced hunters were wont to roam over the territory together in a friendly manner though ne\er in comjianv. These were largely the Wyandot Indians who hunted, trap])ed and also to some extent engaged in sugarmaking.

It is sujjposed that Xed .Southworth was the first to settle in the township. The date is uncertain but generally thought to ha\e been about 1830. He came from Logan county and owned a piece of land on Rocky run.

Two \'ears later Stephen Da\is, a prominent man, ])urchased land isn Rocky run, in sur\ey No. 9,91", in what was a veritable wilderness. He came as a yoiuig man from Bourbon county, Kentuckx-, CDming to Ohio in 1808, first settling in Brown county.

John Dysert settled on Rush creek when no other wdiite man had drisen a stake on that stream. He came to MarysviUe in 1836 and went down on Mill creek several miles and there located. He was a member of the Freewill Baptist church. He owned no lands but followed the tastes of a natural hunter and trapper. He soon had three neighbors.

The Titsworths were early in the township, coming about 1834. 'l"he\- had been residents of I-ogan countv, Ohio, for manv years. Thev claimed land here in this township in survey \o. 9,917. a mile northeast of Byhalia on the Essex road. Hiram was the first justice of the peace of \\'ashington township. Later, he sold and emigrated to Missouri.

Jeremiah Lingrel erected the first cabin north of Byhalia. When the Marysville & Kenton road was put tln-ough it was found to stand in the center of that highway and had to be removed.

Another settler of 1837 was Marquis Osborn, an Eastern man, who first located at LVbana. His place here was later known as the Burnside farm. The same vear came Moses Bedford, a slioemaker. who followed cobbling a few years and then moved on to the west.

Jesse Thornton located in Washington township in 1835 and purchased one hundred and fifty acres in survey No. 13,320, northwest of Byhalia. He originally came from South Carolina, but had resided in several other Southern states. He was both a cooper and shoemaker by trade, but here devoted all his energies to farming.

lohn W. Basard located here in about 1837-8 in the extreme eastern portion of the . township on Rush creek. He opened a small grocery on Rush creek.

David Cunningham came from West Liberty, Logan county, settling in the dense forests of this township two miles north of Byhalia prior to 1840. Later he went west.

Other earlier settlers were Jacob Collins. James P. Scott and John Williams. T.inies Bird, one of the very earliest in tlie west part of the township, efi'ected a settlement there in 1838. Others included William Green, David Irwin (1836) and Joshua Hatcher.

.\s late as 1840 this part of Union count}- was thinly settled. Land was worth from three to eight dollars an acre. During the two decades following it was rapidly settled and much of the original forest was cut down and the lands cultivated. In 1855 Mathew Lingrell paid seven dollars for his land and in 1882 it sold at eighty dollars. Toda\' one hundred and twentyfive dollars an acre would not buv it.

111 1836 w-hen the organization of Wasliington township was perfectetl, it is believed that there were only sixteen voters in that territory. At the fall election, the same year, there were only eleven votes cast fur governor. Politically, the township was first Whig and later Republican. The first election was held at the house of Stephen Davis and after his death it was held at his son Ebenezer's house.

Of the schools and churches of Washington township, the general chapters on such topics will treat in detail. The population of the township in 19 10 was 1,032.

The Villages

This township has not succeeded in establishing villages of any considerable importance, but has tried in several cases, as will be observed.

The largest and most enterprising village is Byhalia, which in 19 10 had a population of two hundred. It is situated in the southern part of the township. It was never really platted as a village, but lots were sold by metes and bounds. Reese INliller opened a small store at this point about 1852 on the Jehu Gray farm. On application, a postoffice was established named Byhalia, but for what reason is not known. Mr. Miller was the first postmaster and he had ample time to attend to such duties, besides running his country store. The store run for twenty ov more _\'ears under \arious owners. When the town was started there were three farm houses belonging to and t)ccupied by Matthew Lingrell, Orson Allen and Horace Pinney. William .Moffatt purchased a corner lot off of the Pinney farm, built a store room ami there oft'ered for sale goods from a stock he carried. Other dealers were Logan & Coleman, who were here three }-ears. and in 1881 sold to (i. T. & N. M. Baldwin. J. W. Mehaffy started a drug store in March, 1882. and a hardware stock was put in bv .\lfred Davis, who also handled groceries and notions. The first practicing physician here was Dr. Hiram Myers, who practiced at Byhalia from 1852 until the Civil War. He was succeeded Ijy Dr. William Breese and Dr. G. Skidmore : later came Drs. B. -\. Martin and George Martin.

In 1882 it was written of Byhalia that the village had at that date fifteen families, two blacksmith shops, sexeral stores, churches and a school.

It now has come to be a fair trading point with all the common branches of business represented. The list of postmasters who ha\e served at this point since the establishment of the postoffice in 1852 is as follows; Reese ^Miller, appointed, February iCt. 1852; Nathan Moffitt, April 25. 1837: Wal-