Union County, Ohio - Chapter 31: Taylor Township, 1915

Chapter 31: Taylor Township

Taylor is the central township in Union comity and was the last ci\il township to be organized in the county. The townships of Libert}' and Leesburg formerly embraced this territory. It was settled much later than other sections of the county, hence its early pioneers hatl the advantages of nearer mills and market towns and, profiting thereby, rapidly advanced in improvement and substantial prosperity. Government surveys were made here as early as 1799. York and Claibourne townships are on the north, Leesburg on the east, Paris on the south and Liberty and York on the west.

The full board of county commissioners met Deceml)er 5, [K49, and resumed the consideration of R. L. Judy's petition for a new township, and finally all agreed to form a new townshi]^ to be known as Taylor. Thus was set in motion the machiner}' for what has now come to be a well-known civil township.

Surface, Soil And Streams

The township is for the most part quite level and there is but a small per cent of waste land to be found and little that is very hilly. The course of the streams is toward the south and southeast. Of the streams Boke's creek is the largest. It enters from York township and winds its way out into Leesljurg township. Blue's creek rises in the western part of Taylor township and flows to the eastward. Mill creek flows through the southeastern corner, entering into Paris township. Along this stream in the southeast ])ortion of the township were clustered the first band of settlers. Here the soil is deep, rich and exceptionally productive; along the creek bottoms and the flat lands the soil is a black loam, while the remainder of the township has a clayey soil, yet productive to a fairly good degree. Early in the historv of the township, there were what was stvled the "Cotton Slash," so named on account of the large number of cotti;>nwood trees there found growing. "Beaver Pond," near the center of the townshij), was inhabited by a great number of those busv little animals, which had built a most perfect dam across a flat strip of land, so that in winter time the\"

Pioneer Settlers

The first settler here is not easily traced out, but from all that can be learned about several who came in early and sought out homes, it is thought safe to place .Vdam Shirk as among the very earliest. He came from Virginia, where he was born October, 1791; he was a soldier in the War of 1812: married Anna Dox, and emigrated to Fairfield county, Ohio; moved to LTnion county in 1822, settling first in Liberty township. In 1829 he certainly made settlement in Taylor township. He resided here until his death in 1876.

Robert Maskill came in about 1831-32. On the same date came Richard Judy, who was one of the judges at the first election in this township: he was also the first assessor, serving two terms.

James Irwin came in from Ross county about 1832. He was the first treasurer of the township, serving three terms. He died May, 1858. aged se\entv-six years.

In al)out 1832 John McNeal came in from Ross count)', Ohio, and a little later came John McAllister, Hugh McAdow, James Siebold (1835), Samuel \\'heeler, of Knox county (1836-37). Wheeler settled in "Cotton Slash" and became the second assessor in Taylor township. About 1838 the settlement was increased bv the advent of Samuel P. G. Brown, Jacob Wigle, and others. In 1841-42 came the Benjamin Welch family, George Laughrev and 01i\er Simpson. Another important settler was Robert G. Greene, a X'erniont 'S'ankee, who located here in the spring of 1838 on Mill creek, near James Hamilton's place. He reared a large family wdio settled all around him when grown to manhood and womanhood.

Another Yermonter was Gideon Draper, who arrived in 1838. James and Ira Drajjcr came a little later and made permanent settlers. James Hamilton, born in Ross countv, married Maria Blue, and settled on Mill creek in this township in 1835. He continued a resident until called by death in i87_' wJK-n he was eighty-one years of age. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. Joseph and Cornelius Sprague became settlers in the township about 1848-r), and James D. Sprague a year later.

The first attempt at milling here was in 1854-55, when Thomas and James '^'earsley erected a steam saw mill just west of the village of Broadway. It was operated by the builders until it went out of business in 1869. It cut most all the lumber for the first settlers and some of the later ones, including finishing lumber for hundreds of houses. A part of the time they had attached to the saw mill a "corn cracker," which ground coarse meal and was widely used by the families in the vicinity.

In 1867 a steam saw-mill was started east of Broadway on the ]\Iarysville pike. This l>ecame one of the permanent mills of the township. In i88'i Morris & Albaugh erected a grist mill and saw mill combined on the east bank of Blue's creek near the east l)oundary of Taylor township. As the timber was cut off and city roller flouring mills came into use all o\er the country the milling business here was reduced to a few saw mills, mostly of the portable steam type.

The first election was held at the old log schoolhouse, known as "Scott's schoolhouse," April i, 1850. At this election delegates were elected to the constitutional convention for Ohio and resulted in the choice of Otway Curry and Cornelius S. Hamilton, representing the district of Marion, Union, I.ogan and Hardin counties.

The only \illage within the bounds of Taylor township is Broadway, wliich in iqio bad a population of three hundred and ninety. The county records show that on the fifteenth and sixteenth of August, 1865. L. C. Pooler and Leonard Richey caused to be siuweyed and platted the \illage of Broadway. A. S. Mowry was deput)' county surveyor and executed the platting. Cranston's addition to Broadway was made the same year. There were several subsequent additions made to the original platting. This gi\es the starting of the village, but before tracing out its history further it will be well to refer to a platting which was made just a mile to the east of Broadway by H. P. Goff. Hiram Danforth, Ira A. Robins and Charles J. Sayre, in" the autumn of 1863 in survey No. 829. There was never much building done at this point and no business houses were erected. The name given to this village was Union Center, and probably they had county seat visions in their minds. But Broadwa}' went ahead and is a sprightly business town today.

It mav be stated that before the laying out of the village, Peleg Cranston erected a frame house south of the railroad and in December, 1864, opened a store of general merchandise. The next summer the town was laid out, so he became the first dealer on the new village plat. The pioneer blacksmith was John Bault. It was in 1867 that Mr. Cranston, aided by others interested, secured the establishment of a postoffice with Peleg Cranston as postmaster. The first postoffice in Taylor township was at Taylor Center, located on the Kenton & Marysville pike, and Z. C. Pooler was made postmaster, holding the position until 1863, when he resigned and H. P. Goff was appointed in his stead. Upon the construction of the railroad and the l)uilding up of Broadway this office was discontinued.

Broadwa\- is now a fourth class postoffice. It was robbed in October, 1 9 14, but the loss was not great. A few thousand dollars worth of papers of no negotiable value to the parties who stole them were taken. Bloodhounds were used in an attempt to capture the thieves but they were unsuccessful.