Madison Township

H. Newton Location And Boundary

Madison is located in the southeastern part of Allen County, and is bounded as follows: North by Jeffyson Township, east by Monroe Township, south by Wells; County, west by Marion Township, and includes Congressional Township 29 north, of Range 14 east. It, was organized by the Commissioners of Allen County at their March session, 1$4U.

Natural Features

The surface is flat and heavily timbered, oak, ash and poplar being promi¬ nent in the latter feature. There are no streams of any importance in the town¬ ship. The west branch of Flat Rock Creek, which flows through the central part, is but a diminutive rivulet, and at certain seasons of the year runs almost dry. '1 he soil is rich and fertile, and produces an abundance of all the fruits and cerials common in this latitude.

Ii.Y Settlement

About the year 1830, a Mr. Browning erected he resided for a brief period, during which time he ing. He made but little improve he first located upon it.

In the fall of 1836, John Edwards and Andrew Meek came to the town¬ ship and catered forty acres each, returning shortly after to their home in Carroll County. Ohio. Edwards located his claim on the southeast quarter of Section 20, and Meek chose the northeast portion of Section 30 for his home. After entering his land, Mr. Meek employed George Eagy to clear it for him. Eagy had then recently settled in Indiana, having located. in Adams County in the fall of 1S3G. In the spring of 1X37, h$ began the labor of clearing, and in the fall of that year Mr. Meek came with his family to live on the land. John Edwards came at the sam time with his family to oeoupy th - premises which he had pre.vi msly entered. Mr. Eagy then returned to Monmouth, Adam. Co., Ind., where he had a small field in cultivation, and where his wife and little ones remained while he was clearing the land for Mr. Meek. He remained at Mon¬ mouth a year. then, in 1838, removed to » forty-acre tract in Madison Township, which he had entered in the fall of 1830, and began the work of clearing. He cleared and cultivated the entire tract, with the exception of four acres, and sub¬ sequently sold n at a /air advance, and purchased another tract containing eighty acres. 1 bis Ik* also cleared, and it is now bis home.

(: util 1X39, the throe families above mentioned were the only white resi¬ dents withiu the boundaries of Madison Township. In the fall of that year, they were joined by Charles Pcckham and family, who came from Carroll County, Ohm. and settled on the northeast quarter of Section 20 -r John Myers, from the same county, who settled on the southwest quarter of Section 33. and Jesse Todd, li'-m Knox ( "unty, Ohio, who settled on the west half of the southeast quarter C*1 Section 24. Later in 1839, Adam Robinson came and cleared a farm, on which be resided anti! his decease, and in the same year David Patrick, William Hilf M. Holm.s. William Run Holds and Messrs. Dawson, Tate & Clear, settled . ru part of- the township. In 1841, Jabez Schaffer*, from Carroll County, Ohio, settled, with his family, on the southwest quarter of Section 23. About the same time. Jacob Marcuardt. Philip Neff. Charles Jones and Messrs, bry A Hobbs, located at various points in the township. Samuel Davis, John 1 Stopher, were also prominent among the early settlers of the ued hands with their neighbors in ail efforts tending toward its

George Eagy erected the first hewed log house in 1X39, on the tract which He began * clear the preceding year. The first shelter erected on this ground - rail-pen, hastily constructed from the trees, as they were feflod in clearand the new log house^with its crevices well daubed with mud, was a very a. compared with the old abode. 1

", 1840, the fitst social event in the settlement took place - the occasion >h, union of Jesse Myers with Miss Polly Meek. The ceremony was per- . by Adam Robinson, Justice or the Pence, at the residence of the s parents.

Vithio a year thereafter, the-same house was the scene of a similar -cere- Un this occasion Martin W. Kemp bestowed his hand and fortune upon Martha, second daughter of Andrew Meek.

The first election was held at the house of David Patrick on the fat Mon- ,m Apr". 8411. The officers chosen wore as follows: Trustees, Andrew MiK,n Holmes, Jesse Myers; Clerk, Martin W. Kemp; Treasurer, John . ' , Justice of the Peace, Adam Robinson; Constable, Elias Hobbs.

.ssmiiers ,n 1841. Up to that date, there was no road though the town- " *?r pnrjiose of jroing to mill or market, the settlers were compelled I circuitous route through the woods to Monti, mult, Adams Co. Ind , Port Wayne, and sometimes as far as Pitjna, Ohio. When the road was laid out, every one along the line acted as his own surveyor, and, as a natural consequence, it deviated considerably from the section line. In 1846, A. B. Todd was elected Road Supervisor, and made application to have the road surveyed and properly located. This was done by Mr. Black, then County Surveyor. It is known as the Van Wert road. Other roads were located in later years, as the township became more thickly settled, and it is now supplied with all the neces¬ sary highways for access to market.

The first school was .taught in 1840, in a hewed-log house erected for the purpose, and was maintained by private subscription. The school term covered a period in the winter, when the farmer lads could be spared from their labors at home. The course of study varied according 10 the ability of the teacher. Some¬ times a finely educated man took charge of the school, and, perhaps, the next term it fell into the hands of one who knew no more than the older scholars under his care. Thus, for thirteen or fourteen years, the system of education in this town¬ ship was at the mercy of any one who might offer his services as teacher, with no other recommendation than his own declaration of ability. About 1854 or 1855, the first district school was established, under the terms of the present school law of this State, and, since that time the schools of this township have experienced a radical change for the better in their management and educational standard. The present number of free schools is ten, with a total enrollment of 514 scholars

The first mill in the township was erected in 1849, by Samuel Davis, pro¬ prietor of the town of Massillon. It was a steam saw-mill, hut, shortly after its completion, its proprietor added a run of buhrs for grinding corn and wheat. This proved^ a great convenience to the residents of the township, by whom it was well patronized.

The first post office was established in 1849, at the house of John Shaffer, who was appointed Postmaster. Mr. Shaffer kept the office two or three years, when he resigned, and was succeeded by Joseph Snider. In 1854, A. B. Todd succeeded Mr. Snider, and kept the office two years. After his resignation, it was removed to East Liberty, in Monroe Township. The me1} va.neu weekly from Van Wert, Ohio, to Middletown (Root Post Office), from which place it was forwarded to its destination by the same conveyance. It was known as Massillon Post Office until it ceased to exist.

The first store in the township was opened in 1851, by Wilson k Brown, at the village of Massillon. They remained but a short time, finally selling their stock to a Mr. Patterson, by whom it was removed to Monroe Township.

In a conversation with one of the early settlers of the township, a few incidents were mentioned, which, in years to come, may be of interest, as givin" an insight into the pioneer mode of life. He said:

" ^-n Hie erection of our dwellings, we used neither lumber, shingles nor nails. The shell was made of round logs, covered with clapboards and weighted with poles. The floors were made of puncheons, and the doors of the same material, fastened together with pins, and hung on wooden hinges, with a wooden latch ou the inside, to which was attached a buckskin thong, to open it from without. For window-glass, we used paper, well oiled with tallow or lard; and, in lieu of stbves, we cut out a part of one end of the house, aud built a 1 crib,' withiu which we erected back walls and jambs of clay, w&ll packed by pounding. Om chimneys were built of mud and sticks, and our houses generally contained but one room, which served the purpose of parlor, bedroom and kitchen.

Contrary to the usual custom, we used no liquors at our log-rollings or house-raisings. When there was a building to raise or logs to roll, all the neigh¬ bors within a radius of five or six miles iissembled to assist in its construction. I he force was divided by two of their number, who acted as captains, and each side worked with friendly rivalry and hearty good will ; and it was a rare thing to hear an angry word uttered on such an occasion.

I have attended wedding-feasts where, instead of pound-cake, we ate corn bread, and, instead of turkey, we regaled our appetites with yenjpftRc v the vows then uttered were just as earnest, and the unions then i!. JC** tao near and as permanent as those performed amid the poiup which characterizes such ceremonies to-day.

We hut little money, and but little need of it. Our rifles supplied us with meat in abundance, and we raised our corn, potatoes aud wheat.. Deer¬ skins mink and coon skins were the only articles that would, at all times, com¬ mand money. They almost constituted our currency.

" In the thirteen years during wlrch I served as Justice of the Peace, but two offenders were ever brought before me for assault and battery, and otic of that number was a resident of another township.

NVe were obliged to work hard, but we enjoyed good health, and were as sociable as brothers and sisters. There were no doctors, and no attorneys; and, in fact, we had hut litilc employment for the talent of either profession. Our first physician was Dr. A. Engle, who located in the township about 1850."

Source changes here: from Valley of the Upper Maumee River, with Historical Account of Allen County and the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana, published 1889; 316 words in this source stream.

Madison Township

The rich, heavily timbered region now known b\^ this name was not attacked by the pioneers until 1836. In that year one Browning erected a cabin on section 30, and spent his time in hunting, but soon departed. In the fall John Edwards entered a (quarter of section 26, and Andrew Meek a quarter of section 36. Both were from Carroll county, Ohio, where they returned and did -not live upon their land here until 1S37. Joh# Eagy, who had a family at Monmouth, Ind., began the work of clearing for Mr. Meek, and in 1S38 brought his family and settled on a forty-acre tract he entered' in 1S36. Until 1S39 ^^^^ iiimihes of these three men were the only inhabitants of the township. In the fall of the latter year they were joined by Charles Peckham and family, also from Carroll county, who contributed many of the first settlers here, John Mj^ers and Jesse Todd, Adam Robinson, and in the northern parts, David Patrick, William Hill, M. Holmes, William Runnolds, and Dawson, Tate and Clear. In this j-ear George Eagy put up the first hewn-log house. In the spring of the following year the settlers held their first election and Andrew Meek, Milton Holmes and Jesse Myers w"ere elected trustees; Martin W. Kemp, clerk; John Myers, treasurer; Adam Robinson, justice; Elias Hobbs, constable. Justice Robinson officiated at the marriage in the same j'ear of Jesse Myers to Polly Meek. In 1840, there came Jacob Marquardt, a worthy man, a native of Prussia, where he married Ann E. Carpenberger. They immigrated about 1S26, and Hved successively in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, until 1840, when they came from Springfield, Ohio, to section II, Madison township. He died in 1852, and his wife, in 1887. They left seven children : Louisa, Lena, Adam, Maria, Philip, Jacob and Margaret. Jabez Shaffer and family settled in 1841. This pioneer was