Bangorville, Ohio

Section 22 ; Geo. Aimgst, from Virginia, southeast quarter of Section 1 5 ; John Fowler, southwest quarter of Section 14 ; John Boham, northeast quarter of Section 20 ; Robert Bell, Sr., and Robert Bell Jr., from New Jersey, northeast quarter of Section 0 ; Zephaniah Bell, northwest quarter of Section 4 ; John Study, from Pennsylvania, southwest quarter of Section 25 ; John "Watson, southeast quarter of Section 7 ; Joseph Hix, from Pennsylvania, northeast quarter of Section 25 ; Henry Swank, from Pennsylvania, northwest quarter of Section 34 ; James Selb}', southeast quarter of Section 19 ; Jacob Stout, from Pennsylvania, northwest quarter of Section 7 ; Jonathan Oldfleld, came to township in 1808, from New York, northeast quarter of Section 22 ; William Oldfield, came in 1810, from New York, southeast quarter of Section 16 ; Samuel Oldfield, came in 1810, from New York, northeast quarter of Section 16 ; John Weirick, came in 1809, from Maryland, northwest quarter of Section 17 ; Peter Weirick, came in 1809, from Mar^dand, southwest quarter of Section 8 ; John Zent, Sr., came in 1810, from Pennsylvania, northwest quarter of Section 9 ; John Zent, Jr., came in 1810, from Pennsylvania, southwest quarter of Section 7 ; Duncan Spear, came in 1810, from Vermont, southwest quarter of Section 15 ; William Spear, came in 1810, shoemaker in Bellville ; Abraham Smith, in 1810, from Vermont, northwest quarter of Section 22 ; John Leedy, came in 1811, from Pennsylvania, northwest quarter of Section 35.

Passage source: History of Richland County, Ohio : (including the Original Boundaries) ; Its Past and Present, Containing a Condensed Comprehensive History of Ohio, Including an Outline History of the Northwest, a Complete History of Richland County ... Miscellaneous Matter, Map of the County, Biographies and Histories of ... the Most Prominent Families, &c., &c., published 1880.

Bellville is the only town in Jefterson Township, and is located on the northeast quai'ter of Section 9 and adjoining sections. The first building within the present incorporated limits was the first in the toAvnship, erected in 1808. About 1814, Robert Bell, Sr., came from Belmont County, Ohio, and purchased the quartersection of James McCluer, and, in 1855, he laid out the first plat of the town, which consisted of forty-eight lots, embracing the land between Main and Huron streets, bounded on the north by Ogle street, and on the south by the first alley north of Durbin street. Enoch Ogle purchased Lot No. 1, east of the Clifton House, and thereon erected a building and opened a tavern - the first in the township. These two - the block-house and a dwelling-house at the foot of Snake Hill (Bellville Cemeteiy) - were the 011I3' buildings in the village for several years. Richard Crawford set up a blacksmith-shop on Lot No. 5, in an early day. Joseph Carter brought the first dry goods to the place from Uniontown, now Ashland, and occupied a small room in Ogles tavern. Joseph Hildreth succeeded him. and he by Wm. Thrift, who built a house on the lot where the Globe House now stands, to accommodate his business. January 22, 1824, a post office was established, and Isaac Hoy was appointed Postmaster : and the mail matter was carried from and to Blount A^ernon and Mansfield. l)y John Bell and Samuel Miller, until 1826. when a line of stages was put on the road that continued to the day of railroads. Previous to the 3ear 1824. the citizens of Jefferson Township received their mail at Mansfield, and each letter cost the receiver 25 cents, paid on lifting it. Dr. A. I. Beach succeeded Mr. Hoy, and under him the spelling of Bellville was changed to Belleville, using the word hdlc instead of the proper name of its founder - BeU. The latter form was in use till 1872, when, after some discussion in the local paper, the Department, by an order, fixed it as Bellville - the original name. About the time that the post office was received, John Moody, one of the best men that Bellville ever contained, opened a store, and the usual trades and a^'ocations common to a village were well represented. In 1835. thei'e were three stores in the place, each of which served the purpose of a drygoods, grocery, provision, hardware and hat store, saying nothing of clothing, notions, drugs and medicines. From this time, Bellville was one of the most enterprising towns in Central Ohio, until Mansfield received a railroad and the patronage of a large constituency - drawn thither to paj' taxes. Even this exercised no material check to the Clear Fork village, and, up to the time the railroad was built to it and for years after, it ranked as one of the foremost trading-points in the county. An act incorporating the village was passed by the Legislature. March 25, 1841. and April 1, following, the first municipal election was held, which resulted in choosing the following persons to office : Mayor. James C. Lee ; Clerk, John M. Smith ; Trustees or Council, Benjamin Jackson, James Walsh, Samuel Cutting. T. \. Park, Otis Howard ; A. I. Beach acted as Treasurer. The first schoolhouse was erected on ground which Dr. B. llidenours residence now occupies, at the southwest corner of the public square. The pi'esent school Ijuilding was erected in 1867, on ground purchased of Elias Smith in Ma}-, 1856, at a cost of $325. The lot contains four acres. The Ijuilding is 70x40, has four schoolrooms on the first floor and two in the second ; 200 perch of stone, and 150.000 brick, were used in its construction. Levi H. Strong was the contractor, and received $4,300 for the work. The first school commenced in it November 30, 1857. It was taught by A. Gerhart. The town hall was built in 1877-78, and cost about $6,000. In the winter of 1877, the Town Council agitated the question of building a jail. A plan of combining a town hall, jail and township house was finally conceived, and a petition was sent to the Legislature for this authority, subject to the vote of the township. A bill passed the General Assemlil}-, and at an election, at which the rural and town population contended fiercely, the affirmative carried. The band stand was erected in July and August, and dedicated September 11, 1879. The population of the village, in 1870, was over seven hundred, and in 1879, over eleven hundred.

Passage source: History of Richland County, Ohio : (including the Original Boundaries) ; Its Past and Present, Containing a Condensed Comprehensive History of Ohio, Including an Outline History of the Northwest, a Complete History of Richland County ... Miscellaneous Matter, Map of the County, Biographies and Histories of ... the Most Prominent Families, &c., &c., published 1880.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Jefferson Township.