Logan Township

Logan Township

Logan township is one of the original townships of Dearborn county. It comprises a congressional township and Harrison township was erected out of it in 1844. Its bounds were the boundaries of township 7, range 1 west. As the township is now described, it is bounded on the north by Franklin county, on the east by Harrison township, on the south by Miller township, and on the west by Kelso township.

The township had settlers quite as early as any part of the county. It borders on the Whitewater river for a considerable distance, and on that account settlers were early attracted to the bottom lands adjacent to that stream. The first land taken up from the government was by John Brown on August 13, 1801. Other lands were taken soon after, James McCoy en¬ tering a part of section 14, in 1804. and Thomas Skinner taking up a portion of section 15, in 1806. William Smith and Hugh Brison entered a part of section 5, in 1808, and in 1810 Willoughby Tebbs entered a part of section 27. Thomas Watts moved to the township from Ohio in 1807, settling on the Whitewater river, lived at the mouth of Cranes run for a time, then in 1812 moved to Logans Cross Roads. He was the father of Squire Watts, a well-known citizen of Lawrenceburg, and the grandfather of Thomas and Warren Watts, now living.

Baylis Cloud, a Virginian, with his family, settled in the township near Logans Cross Roads in 1810. He, with his father's family, moved from Vir¬ ginia to Kentucky, settling in Boone county, in 1793, where they had plenty of experience of the frontier life during the Indian wars of that period. Mr. Cloud died on the farm he entered from the government in i860, aged eightyfour years.

Among the families that settled in the township at this early period were Robert Myers, John Hinkston, Matthew Lanman, Solomon Cole, Aquila Cross, L. Moore, Cooper Johnston, James Owen, Joseph McClure, James McClure, John Wason, Michael Ferron, the Hallawells, Bradfords, Thorntons, Fitzgeralds and Wooleys. In 1815 Warren Tebbs located in the township; he, with his father's family, had come into the township in 1807, but lived in what was afterwards Harrison township. Benjamin Southard emigrated

The first mill built on the Whitewater river was erected by John Hinkston at the mouth of Logan creek. It was in operation as early as 1813. The early settlers, always on the lookout for localities where salt could be evap¬ orated from the water, found a lick at the mouth of Cranes run, where for a time salt was manufactured. James Logan dug two wells and carried on the business until the river rose and compelled their abandonment. A distillery was also erected at the mouth of Cranes run, about one-half mile from the river, by Solomon Rude. Jacob Hollowell operated a tannery on Logan creek, at a place called "Stone Jug." Charles Briggs, it is claimed, erected the first steam mill in the township.

There is a postoffice at Logans Cross Roads, as it was called in the early history of the county. There has been a store and blacksmith shop there al¬ most as old as the settlements.