Aurelius Township

Aurelius Township

Tu1s township is the extreme northern one of the county. It is technically known as township five, range eight, and at present contains only sections seven, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty and the fractional sections between the southern boundary of these last four sections, and what is called the "Ludlow line," viz., sections thirty-one, thirty-two, thirtythree and thirty-four. On the north, west, and all of the east side, except the eastern boundary of sections twentyseven and thirty-four, is Noble county. These sections are bounded on the east by Salem township, which also bounds Aurelius on the south. Originally the present territory of Aurelius was a part of Monroe county. Shortly before 1819 Dr. John Regnier, then a commissioner of Washington county, succeeded in getting this territory taken from Monroe county and added to Washington county. In 1818 John S. Corp and Judah M. Chamberlain headed a petition to the commissioners of Washington, praying the establishment of this addition as a township.

Establishment

On petition of John S. Corp, Judah M. Chamberlain, and others, praying for the establishment of a new town in the county of Washington, therefore and fractional sections No. 34, 35 and 36 be and the same is hereby declared and established into an incorporated town, to be hereafter known and distinguished by the name and denomination of Aurelius, and the inhabitants residing in said district are hereby declared entitled to all the privileges and immunities of incorporated towns in the State. The electors in said town will meet at the house of Mr. Judah M. Chamberlain on the second Monday of January, r8rg, at 100'clock, A. M., to elect their township officers agreeably to law.

The godfather of this singularly named township was Dr. Regnier. Having been so prominent in all matters pertaining to the public welfare of this district, and being universally beloved and respected by the citizens, by common consent Dr. Regnier was to name the township. He accordingly christened it with the same name he gave one of his sons. Whether he derived the name from the old Roman, Marcus Aurelius, or from a friend or relation, is not now known.

Organization

At the date mentioned in the above extract, the citizens of the infant township met at Mr. Chamberlain's house. The result of the election is not known. The old citizens cannot remember the event, and the township records prior to 1847 have been lost.

The officers of the township from 1847 to 1880 are given in the following list, the regular township elections being held in April of each year:

John Smithson, John Hutchins, John Corp, 1848; John Low, 1849; John Smithson, James Weeks, Joseph Wallace, 1850; John Smithson, A. G. Grubb, Ely Vaughn, 1851; John Smithson, A. G. Grubb, Ely Vaughn, May 30, 1851, James W. Smith, I. T. Lund, William Rayley, 1852; James W. Smith, John Hutchins, Joseph Gatwood, 1853; Hanson Dutton, I. T. Lund, J. Ward, 1854; I. T. Lund, Hanson Dutton, Calvin Burt, 1855; G. W. St. John, Hanson Dutton, Calvin Burt, 1856; G. W. St. John, I. T. Lund, George Wickens, 1857; J. Hutchins, J. Zollers, George Wickens, 1858; Hanson Dutton, J. Zollers, George Wickens, 1859; A. T. Warren, John Ward, I. Atkinson, 1860; George Wickens, I. I. Dutton, T. J. Berkely, 1861; George Wickens, I. I. Dutton, R. Dilly, 1862; Joseph Dixon, I. T. Lund, R. Dilly, 1863; Joseph Dixon, Abram Dilly, R. Dilly, 1864; Joseph Dixon, T. J. Delong, R. Dilly, 1865, J. V. Davis, Owen Barnes, R. Dilly, 1866; Hanson Dutton, J. Hutchins, Joseph Dixon, 1867; Theo. Gevrez, I. T. Lund, (died) Simeon Blake, J. W. Smith, 1868; Theo. Gevrez, Joseph Dixon, James Briggs, 1869; Theo. Gevrez, Joseph Dixon, James W. Smith, 1870; Theo. Gevrez, William R. Dutton, James W. Smith, 1871; Theo. Gevrez, William R. Dutton, James W. Smith, 1872; Theo. Gevrez, Joseph Dixon, H. G. Jackson, 1873; A. Dutton, Joseph Dixon, H. G. Jackson, 1874; A. Dutton, Joseph Dixon, John Smith, 1875; Henry Mickens, Daniel J. Ward, J. S. Snyder, 1876; Charles Schimmel, J. Dixon, H. M. Cox, 1877; John Smith, J. F. Briggs, H. M. Cox, 1878; John Smith, J. F. Briggs, Charles Schimmel, 1879; John Smith, J. F. Briggs, J. F. Ayres, 1880.

It will be noticed that the establishing act did not give Aurelius sections twenty-seven and thirty-four. The date of this accession, as ascertained from the commissioners' journal was that of their June session, 1842. For they

Resolved, that section twenty-seven and fractional section thirty-four, in township five, range eight, heretofore belonging to township Salem, is hereby annexed to Aurelius.

Aurelius was reduced to its present small dimensions by the act of the legislature forming Noble county. It was passed March 11, 1851. 'That part of the boundary line of Noble county which affects Aurelius is described as follows: four, range seven, thence west to the east line of township five, range eight, thence north to the northeast corner of section twenty-five, in township five, thence west to the southwest corner of section twentythree; thence north to the northwest corner of section twenty-three, thence west to the southwest corner of number fifteen, thence north to the southwest corner of section ten, thence west to the southwest corner of section eight, thence north to the northwest corner of section eight, thence west to the west line of township five, thence south to the southeast corner of Morgan county.

The citizens in the despoiled township immediately petitioned that Aurelius be recognized as still a township, and accordingly, the commissioners, on May 19, 1851, constituted the fractional township left them an entire township, under the same old name, Aurelius, and ordered a special election of officers to be held May 30, 1851. Then as per township record,

Agreeable to a notice from the commissioners of Washington county, authorizing the electors in the fractional part of the township of Aurelius, now set off into a separate township, to hold an election for township officers on Friday, the thirtieth day of May, 1851, met and elected viva voce, John Perkins, Russell St. John,:and Eli Vaughn, judges of said election, and John Smithson, jr., and William L. Rayley, clerks. They, after having taken the oath of office, proceeded to the election of township officers.

This resulted, as a reference to the table will show, in a reelection of the whole administration, and so John Smithson, A. G. Grubb, Eli Vaughn, John Smithson, jr., I. T. Lund, and Theodore Gevrez, may be considered the first officers of the present Aurelius township. No further change has been made in the political structure of Aurelius, save that in the winter of 1876-7, two voting precincts were formed; one at Macksburgh and one at Elba.

In the census of 1840, Aurelius had eight hundred and eighty-six inhabitants; in 1860, eight hundred and thirty-two; in 1870, seven hundred and ninety-nine; in 1880, one thousand and four.

The vote in 1880 was as follows: Elba precinct - Long (Democrat), forty-six: Townsend (Republican), seventy-six; Lloyd (Greenback), six; total one hundred and twenty-eight. Macksburgh precinct - Long, fourteen; Townsend, forty-eight; Lloyd, ten; total, seventy-two. Total vote of Aurelius, two hundred.

Physical Features

While it has alwavs been considered an impossibility to have two hills without a valley between them, yet this township comes very near solving the problem. The hills here are rather high knobs with rounded tops, and separated by narrow ravines with almost precipitous sides. The west fork of Duck creek, the principal stream of the township affords comparatively little bottom land, the valley being, perhaps, not more than a half a mile broad in the widest part, which is about half way between Macksburgh and Elba. The east fork of Duck creek is entirely outside the township.

The drainage is altogether by means of Duck creek and the small tributary streams. The principal ridge or water-shed is in the western part, entering at the extreme southwest on the farm of J. Dixon, esq., and with devious course passing north through the farms of Messrs. Ward, Davidson and Wickens. Here it widens, and finally divides, one branch of the ridge ending at Indian run in the middle of the north part of section nineteen, the other turning west, and leaving the township in the southern part of the west boundary of the same section.

The course of these ridges may be graphically and approximately ascertained by reference to the so called "ridge roads" as they appear in the atlas. The other roads in the county are the valley roads. These two kinds are all they have, for the rough nature of the country permits the people of Aurelius to build them not always where they are needed, but only where they can be built.

The drainage of the township is, as implied by this description of the water-sheds, simple and complete. Duck creek is the main stream. It is supposed to derive its name from the numberless flocks of wild ducks that the pioneers of its valley noticed. It enters the township in the extreme northwest corner, flows southeast to Elba, there turns and flows southward, leaving Aurelius in the eastern part of section thirty-three. Though quite a small stream, it often gets high enough to be navigable by small boats as Elder Daniel Hilton and others proved long ago. Its descent is rapid enough for all purposes as a water power.

One of the principal tributaries is Indian run which enters the west boundary at section nineteen, and flows a little east of north to Duck creek at a point southeast of Macksburgh.

By this name, Indian run, "hangs a tale." At the beginning of the century when there was a peace between the Indians and whites, hunting parties of Indians were frequent in Duck Creek valley. A party of three Indians on such an expedition, went down to Marietta, and became slightly intoxicated. It is said one of the three insulted a white boy of the place by relating to him how he had killed the boy's father - that afterwards he asked the boy to ferry him across the Muskingum. The fate of the Indian is only surmised. The other two companions waited about Marietta in vain for their missing one, finally gave up, and returned to their camp on the stream in question. Here they packed their utensils, left those of their comrade, and returned whence they had come, blazing the trees, as they went, for the benefit of the lost Indian, should he ever return. Squire Davis and Levi Dean, then of Salem and Fearing townships, respectively, found the cooking utensils, blanket, and the like of the ill-fated Indian, and preserved them in their families, where they have been seen by many now living. But the stream where they were found, has been called Indian run ever since.

At the villiage of Macksburgh is the mouth of Big run, often called Goose run since the oil discoveries, which flows south from Noble county. Elba is likewise possessed of a stream running through the place called Long run. The largest tributary does not all lie in the township. It is Buell's run and has three sources on the farms of Messrs. Ward and Pierce and the heirs of Mary Ward, in sections nineteen, twenty, and twenty

A streamlet, called Jackson's run, rises near the "Smith church," about a mile and a half west of Elba, and runs southeast to Duck creek at Kingsbury station, It is important in that it affords a route for a road connecting the tvestern ridge road with that up Duck Creek valley.

The soil in Aurelius is, for the most part, of two kinds: that formed by the action of water on sandstone and that resulting from the disintegration of limestone. The former kind of soil is not at all fertile, but in many localities fine farms are afforded by the latter. This is noticable among the hills and on the ridges in the western half of the township. From the nature of the surface and soil, the Aurelian farmers deal largely in stock, especially sheep, and plant extensive orchards. One farmer mentioned that he had twenty-three kinds of apple trees on his farm.

Enough has been told of the winding, narrow course of Duck creek, the steep get finely-rounded hills, which are yet, in many places, covered with their original forests of oak, walnut, poplar, and the like, and the romatic and intricate system of ravines tell the stranger that a ride up the tortuous Marietta & Cincinnatti railroad, commonly called the ""Duck Creek road," is an admission to a moving diorama of picturesque scenery, at the low price of three cents per mile of canvas.

Coal exists in abundance everywhere over this district. It is of fine quality but not extensively mined on account of the cost of getting it to market. It is plenty and cheap enough, however, to render the old time country fireplace and "Christmas back-log" a thing unknown to the farmers of Aurelius. In its place is the more cityreminding grate and the coal-scuttle, for almost every farmer has his own private coal bank, and when he wants his fire replenished he digs rather than chops.

The lower or '"'limestone" seam of coal is not well developed, but the seam above it is thick and exists everywhere. The coal has been mined on Hugh Jackson's land and also in other places. In many places toward the north it is found six feet thick, and is easily obtained from the sides of the hills skirting Duck creek. In the northeast the thickness of the coal increases, in the west diminishes. A branch railroad from Macksburgh runs to the Ohio Coal company's mines in Noble county, where the coal seam is six feet thick.

Salt is found, in solution, of course, at depths of from ninety to three hundred feet in the valley near Macksburgh, but salt-boiling is not a business in Aurelius, as the drills that find the brine are after deeper things, for Aurelius township is one of the best in the county for petroleum.

About 1858-9 John McKee, near Caldwell, Ohio, while drilling for salt, found a vein of oil, It came bubbling up and overflowing in great quantity, and the discoverer celebrated the event by a bonfire of the oil. Afterwards a Mr. Duff came from Pittsburgh and put a pump in the well. But this incident set Mr. James Dutton to thinking. Many a time as he was swimming in the holes in Duck creek when a youth, he had noticed that "jumping up and down" in the water caused oil to rise and float away on the surface. Finally he, with William Dutton, John Smithson, and Alden Warren formed a copartnership and began on the since famous Dutton well, on the right bank of Duck creek about a mile below Macksburgh. At twenty-eight feet they came to a rock with oil in the crevices. They drilled a footsquare hole for the "conductor" and worked by hand through eight feet of rock, striking oil. When four feet further a second vein Was touched, and when twentyeight feet in the rock, or fifty-six feet below the surface, they struck, in October, 1859, the "big vein." Hand pumping furnished a stream "as thick as my arm," says Mr. Dutton, and he pumped an eighty-barrel tank full in half a day. For a whole year the oil was suld at twenty-eight dollars a barrel. The well itself sold for one hundred thousand dollars. This was the first paying well in the county, and the first large well in the State.

After this came a furor of speculation and drilling. Companies bought lands, farmers turned oil men, and derricks arose as quickly as the palaces of a dream. But first the war, and now the low price of oil have conspired to moderate the fever, and the oil business in this, one of the best oil townships in the county, is now conducted on every day practical principles. Yet the visitor in the valley can still count a derrick for every house, and the wells about Macksburgh present a lively appearance. One of the best is Mr. George Rice's "deep well," bored one thousand five hundred and seventy-six feet, which has been flowing a year, and now yields seven or eight barrels per diem of light oil. Another of Mr. Rice's wells has been yielding oil for sixteen years. Within a fortnight of the present writing Mr. Z. O. Patton struck oil at a depth of five hundred feet, and is now obtaining a hundred barrels a day from it. The date of this find is December 28, 1880.

Settlement

The first settler of Aurelius - Levi Dains - was a soldier in thé Revolution, and moved to Ohio in company with Squire Davis, a comrade. His wife was Chloe, and their children's names were: Levi, Eben, Parley, Benjamin, Luther, Simeon, Lucy, Julia, and Lavina. The family moved from Fearing township, and remained in Aurelius from 1806 or 1807 until a colony left on a boat for Illinois. This event will be mentioned hereafter.

A little episode, however, might be mentioned here. When the family made arrangements to leave, Benjamin was not included in their plans, as he was not considered possessed of 'the requisite brightness and activity for an emigrant. They remembered how on one occasion it took him three days to go with an ox team from home to Marietta. So Benjamin was to be left behind to live and die in Aurelius, while the rest of the family went rejoicing to their new home. But Benjamin had quietly made other arrangements, and when the boat with the family approached the Illinois shore, where they expected to land, the first object described was the aforesaid Benjamin, with a broad grin upon his face, apparently at the pleasure it would give them to see him. Slow and dull as he was, he had walked the entire distance, and beat them at that. Shortly after their arrival in Illinois the dread cholera carried away all the children except Benjamin and Lucy. The father had died shortly before this, and the mother had remarried and moved away.

Joseph Dutton was the second pioneer of the township. The stone that marks his resting place in the private burying-ground on the Dutton place gives his death as September 1, 1844, in his sixty-sixth year; hence he was born in 1778 or 1779. His wife, Amy Job, was born on the twentieth of October, 1767, and died March 27, 1860, at the advanced age of over ninety-two years. Their children were: Sallie, Mary, James, Jane, Susan, and Betsey. On Christmas, 1805, the family moved to Fearing township from Virginia, and in 1806 or 1807 they moved to Aurelius and settled on twenty-five acres bought from Levi Dean. He afterwards entered the southwest quarter of section seventeen.

Joseph Dutton's birthplace was in Pennsylvania. He married in Loudoun county, Virginia, about 1795. His wife was an orphan at the time, and came from New Jersey. Of the children, Mary lives at Cat's creek, near Lowell, married to Samuel Davis; Sallie was the first bride of the township; Levi and Mrs. Dains, jr., died with the cholera in Illinois; Jane is the widow of William True, and lives at Salem; Susan is the wife of William Penwill and is in Bradford, Pennsylvania; Betsey married William Garrett, and moved to near the Ozark mountains, Missouri. They are both dead.

James Dutton was born July 23, 1801, in Virginia. After the death of his father he lived in Aurelius until April, 1864, when he moved to Marietta, where he still lives. His first wife was Barbara Ann Rayley, whom he married in 1823. In 1870, he married Esther A. Suthers, a widow whose maiden name was Miss Blower. When a boy, in the wilds of the township he was known as a fearless hunter. When fourteen he killed a full grown bear with a small tomahawk. To prevent the escape of a wolf with one of his traps, he bestrode the animal and held it by the ears until help came. His boyish soubriquet was "Wolf" Dutton, and this christian name changed to "Oil" after his discoveries in that article mentioned elsewhere.

In 1809-10, Jacob Bouser, in company with his son John, their wives, and John's four children, entered land in sections seventeen and eighteen. They were Dunkers and lived there until Dr. Regnier bought them out, which was in six or eight years. They removed to beyond Zanesville.

John Hutchins, sr., the fourth or fifth to make a home in the settlement, was born in 1770. He married Joanna Weeks and came in a company of about thirty-two or three, among whom were, David and another brother. His children were: Hollis, John, Rosanna, and Shubel. Hollis died in August, 1880, Morgan county. Rosanna died fourteen or fifteen years ago. Shubel died about 1840. The father himself died in 1852; in his eighty-second year.

since 1811. His wife was Jane Rowland, born in the Isle of Wight in 1804, who came straight to Aurelius in 1820. 'The marriage was in 1824, and the children are: Julia Ann, born in 1825; George, born in 1827; John, Caroline, born in 1831; and Jane Joanna, born in 1837. All of this family are yet living; the parents in the identical frame house built for them in 1823, by Hollis Hutchins, which is probably the first frame house in the township.

Elder Daniel Hilton came from Maine in 1810-12, and left on the Illinois bound boat about 1817. His wife is spoken of by all who knew her as a remarkably fine woman and very popular.

Dr. Hodge was the first doctor in the settlement. He had been persuaded to go to Aurelius by Dr. Regnier, who owned land there, but had not yet moved upon it and wanted it tenanted. He left upon the arrival of Dr. Regnier soon after. He came from New York.

I. H. Delong, sr., was born in the last century, in 1790. While in Aurelius he was justice of the peace twentyone years, and was a volunteer in the War of 1812, being prevented from serving by the sudden close of the He married a Miss Hill, and she dying, his second wife was Nelsie Lancaster, who also died in 1864. His children were: Matilda, dead; Eliza, in Indiana; Jonathan, in West Virginia; William in Aurelius; and Margaret. These were children of his first wife. By his second wife were: David, dead; Thomas J., in Nebraska: I. H., in Macksburgh; Nancy, in Iowa; Martha in Kansas; Mary Jane, in Illinois; Juliette, and Hannah, also in Illinois; James in Pennsylvania; and David, who died unmarried.

Theodore Gevrez came to Aurelius from Marietta in 1817 - 18 with his widowed mother. He was born in 1812, in Washington county. He has been married three times - to Jane Smithson, Eliza Week, and his present wife, Elizabeth Lupardis. His children by his first wife were Didier, Jane, Theodore, and Lafayette; by his second wife, Lafayette, Frances, Charles, and Evaline; by his present wife, Willie Francis. Mr. Gevrez has held, as a reference to the table of officers will show, various township offices, and has taught school three years.

Eli Vaughn, one of the early settlers, emigrated from New York, where he was born in 1792, to Aurelius as early as 1817. His death occurred in 1864, in the township. He was honored at different times with many township offices, and was justice of the peace for several years. His wife's name was Electa Burch, and the children are, Polly, A. R., Hannah, married to Joseph Hutchins; Lydia, in Adams township; Caroline, wife of Abram Zollars, in Salem; Adeline, married to William Hoyt, of Iowa; George, husband of Patty Simms, and in Wisconsin; Electa, wife of John Dixon, of Aurelius. The dead are, John, who married Rowena Perkins and died in the army; Celestia, who married and died in Iowa; Betsey Davis, and P. B. A. R. Vaughn married Sallie Wharf in 1842, by whom he has had twelve children, ten of whom are now living.

still in New York, he married Martha Duncan. She died soon, and in 1804 he married Sarah Chamberlin, who was born August 7, 1781, being just one day older than her husband. he moved to a point on the Ohio opposite Marietta, and in 1817 he came to Aurelius township and settled in the northwest quarter of section seventeen. He bought this of Dr. Regnier, who had bought it of Jacob Rouser. The children accompanying him to the township were. Barbara Ann, who afterwards became the wife of James Dutton, and who was the only child of his first wife, born in 1802; also William L.; Content Adeline, born in 1807; and Gurdon, born in 18ro. 1808, died in New York. William Rayley came to Aurelius to work for Dr. Regnier who was getting a gristand saw-mill built. It will be seen afterward that he was the prime mover in the establishment of the Methodist society, which is the parent of so many yet existing in the neighborhood. William L. Rayley, at present living in Macksburgh, was born July 4, 1805, and married Sarah Warren in 1828, and has a large family. William Rayley has been township clerk, pcstmaster twenty-three years, United States marshal, and held various other offices. Content Adeline married Dr. Benjamin Brown.

In 1818 another addition was made to the settlement in the person of Mr. James Bill, a Scotchman by birth, which occurred in East London in 1777. The place from which he last came was New York. This farmer married Margaret Sinclair, born in 1778, died in 1855, he himself dying two years before his wife. Of their large family, Margaret became Mrs. Jackson, and is in Salem. Ellen married Thomas Carlin. Marion married Edmund Simmons, of Wisconsin. band was Norman Hall, and is in Illinois. husband of Mary Carlin. Another child was Catharine. John died in youth. Isabella married John Moffett, and Jane, Samuel Patton. James Bill married in 1843, and is the father of five children. _

Another of the old settlers of Aurelius was Justus Hall, who located in 1818 in section thirty. Though born in Canada, he was by 1812 so far Americanized as to fight for Uncle Sam. He came to Ohio from New York. Leaving Aurelius, he finally went to Illinois, where he died. His wife, whose name before her marriage was Diantha Burch, died in the year 1860. The names and places of residence of the surviving members of the family are: Leonard, in Illinois; J. B. Hall, in Aurelius township; Justus, in Missouri; Nelson, in Illinois; Diantha, married Simon Selix; and Samantha, married Lyman Hunt. Other members of the family were Electa Omstead, who died in 1855; Ephraim, who was drowned by the upsetting of a boat; German, who died in Salem township in 1863; Hely, who was killed when only eight years old; and Norman, who died a natural death at the age of fifty years.

Joseph B. Hall was married June 6, 1833, to Mary J. Bartlett. Their children are: John R., W. H., Margaret A., James, George W., R. B., W. A., Levi., and W. W., who are living; Diantha, Charlotte, Justus W., Mary E., Joseph H., and an infant, who are dead. Justus W. died in the amy. B. B. and W. A. are physicians at Chilli- W. W. is assistant surgeon in the army at Fort Reno, Indian Territory. W. H. is in Osceola, Iowa, where he has a store.

Dr. John B. Regnier, the greater portion of whose participation in the settlement of Aurelius will be found recorded 'elsewhere throughout this history, seems to for the public good, and of great enterprise and energy. His birth-time, birth-place, and death will be found elsewhere, in his epitaph. He married Content Chamberlain in New York State, came to Marietta about 1806, from Stanleyville, and went to Aurelius about 1819 or 1820. His arrival at Stanleyville was before 1800. Before moving to Aurelius he bought land there, and built the mill referred to at another place. He had seven children: Alfred, Hannah, Felix, Julius, Francis, John, and Aurelius, the township name. All are dead but Felix.

Dr. Regnier's death occurred at Marietta, of epidemic fever. He may really be regarded as the father of the township. He got it into the county, obtained many improvements for it, for he was county commissioner from 1815 till his death, got the post office, the first road, and many other benefits elsewhere mentioned. His intention was to plat Macksburgh, and open a drugstore in the place, but death intervened. His son Alfred was married to Mary A. Rowland, who settled in Aurelius in 1820, and who is still living. She resides with her daughter, Mrs. Albert Chandler, in Adams township.

Russell St. John was born in 1792, in Connecticut and came to Aurelius in 1821, from New York, and settled upona farm in section twenty-two. He died in 1874. He was a blacksmith and farmer, and was frequently called upon to fill various offices in the township. His wife was Isabella Chamberlin. R. W., his son, is a farmer in Aurelius; George W. is in Kansas; Erastus L. is in Monroe county; Ruth E., Caroline C., Morris S. and Lorine are dead. R. W. St. John has seven children: Emma, C. R., William H., Arthur L., Leora H., Clara L., and Austin H. C. R. St. John studied law in Noble county under Dalzell & McGinnis, and was admitted to the bar in May, 1880. This was after four years spent as a teacher.

George Wickens settled in Aurelius in 1832, in section twenty-nine. He was a native of England, born in the Isle of Wight in 1780. He married Charlotte Rowlands, who was born in the Isle of Wight in 1792. He died in 1870, and his wife in 1868, in Aurelius. Their children are George, Elizabeth, William R., John and Henry. George moved to Illinois, John to Kansas, and the rest live in Aurelius. William R. in 1849 married Sarah L. Cadwell, and Henry married Elizabeth Roff in 1855.

John Dixon, sr., was a native of England, and came to Aurelius township in the year 1834. His son, John Dixon, jr., is living in the township, is married and has three children. He married, in 1853, Electa Vaughan, and has three children - Hannah, wife of W. Mincks, Ahraham Lincoln and Fred.

by all who have spoken about him. He came to the place about the time he married, which was in 1835, and to Content Adeline Rayley, the daughter of William Rayley, the pioneer. He had a very successful practice. The family, which consisted of the parents and three children, was divided by the separation of Dr. Brown and his wife.

William Davidson settled in section thirty, this township, in the spring of 1836. He was born in Northumberland, England, November 11, 1797, and emigrated to this country in 1829. He first settled in Virginia, and moved to Ohio, where he resided until his Ceath, in 1869. His wife, Jane Richardson, died in 1840, aged forty years. Their children, five in number, were: Catharine, born in 1824; Elizabeth, born in 1826; George, born in 1828; Thomas, born in 1831; Margaret A., born in 1828, died in 1846. Two years after the death of his first wife, Mr. Davidson married Harriet Coles, who died in 1876. By this marriage there were seven children, six now living. George Davidson, one of the sons, married, November 30, 1854, M. M. Nesselrode, jr., and has had eight children, as follows: Emily A., born in 1856, married William Wilson in 1876; William C., born in 1858; Charles S., born in 1860, died in 1879; George M., born in 1862; Jennie, born in 1864; Maggie, born in 1866; Harry W., born in 1870; Kate, born in 1873.

About this time settlers began to come into the ridge country in the western part of the township. Among them was William Smith, who, with his wife, Elizabeth, was a native of Pennsylvania, and moved to this State in 1830. The settlement of this couple in Aurelius was seven years later. Their son, Jaines W. Smith, is still living in the place.

The little settlement having got fairly upon its feet by the time two or three families were there, improvement began, and the various events growing out of the social life of man began to take place. Thus it is that man always gives an impetus to history.

Levi Dains had already distinguished himself as the builder of the first house in the township. It. was, of course, a log cabin, and the tenderer portion of the family found it all ready for their entrance, the thoughtful care of the good man having prepared it before the family moved. A sheep pen had been made in the angle formed by the great chimney and the end of the house, and about the first one outside the family to discover this fact was a huge panther which made an incursion on the sheep the first night. The male portion of the family turned out ez masse and drove the invader off.

Soon after Mr. Dutton moved there, while as yet there were but two families in the settlement, the society of the place was set all on the gui vive by a marriage between the two "'first families" of the neighborhood. The woods that had before echoed to the howl of the wolf, and more lately to the blow of the axe and the crack of the rifle, now rang with the music of marriage bells - if they had any. Levi Dains, jr., and Sallie Dutton were the contracting parties. Their wedding tour was limited by the bounds of their fathers' lands, for they settled on a portion of the paternal acres.

In 1809 an addition was made to the settlement, but not by way of immigration. In the first family that settled was born the first child in the township. Ina few short months, however, the little flower of the wilderness faded, and the first funeral saw little Simeon Dains burie at the edge of a field, and no stone marks the place where they laid him. Thus the little baby's short life was marked only by its birth and death. The funeral was preached at the house of Levi Dains by a Mr. Goss, who was the first Methodist preacher ever in the county. Only the Dains and Duttons attended the funeral; there were as yet no other settlers in the township.

It is not known certainly whether John Hutchins, jr., built the first frame house or Mr. John Jewell. Certain it is that the Hutchins house is the first frame house whose date we can obtain. It is about a mile above Macksburgh, and was built by Hollis Hutchins in 1823 for John Hutchins, jr., and his intended wife. They were married the next year and moved into it. It isa substantial building, containing plenty of hewn logs, which can be seen supporting the ceiling in a way that looks very substantial.

The first brick building was built by Dr. Regnier. It is described as a very large, fine house, employing many hands in its construction. On one of the walls the figures 1820 were built in with black brick, thus fixing the date very accurately. When the mansion was about ready to be occupied Dr. Regnier died. It has since been, for the most part, torn down, and the part of the walls remaining is concealed by the boards of the building of George Rice, esq.

As an orchard is considered one of the first requisites of a Washington county farm, it may be readily inferred that the first orchard in the township was on the first farm and planted by the first farmer. Levi Dean planted it in 1810,

The first road through the township was the ridge road, from Marietta to Cambridge. The first road for the benefit of the township was from Cat's creek mouth, at the upper end of Lowell, to Middleburgh, through Macksburgh. This road may be credited to the efforts of Dr. Regnier. It was built about 1815.

The first post office was obtained, the reader is ready to surmise by this time, by the influence of the publicspirited Dr. Regnier. He obtained it about the year 1819, and was himself the first postmaster - the office being in his own house. His son, Felix, succeeded him in the office. Next was another son, Julius; following him was William Rayley, who held it for twenty-three and a half years ; next was I. H. Long.

Dr. Regnier's son-in-law, William W. Mackintosh, kept the first dry goods store about 1827. This was the first store of any kind in the township. The first blacksmith shop was built about the year 1820, and the vulcan was William Way.

Dr. Regnier built the first grist- and also the first sawmill in about the year 1818. The grist-mill is still standing, the saw-mill is now torn down, but was about four or five rods distant from the grist-mill. The building of these mills was, indirectly, the cause of the first Methodist church, as will appear hereafter.

The mill that the traveller on the railroad notices just below Elba was built by Thomas Girby forty or fifty years ago. It was a grist-and saw-mill combined, but is now only a saw-mill.

The Freewill Baptist Church

This was undoubtedly the first church organized in the township. About 1810-12 Elder Daniel Hilton came from Maine. He found several people in the settlement and proceeded to establish a church of the above denomination. 'They met at no set place but held meetings from house to house, most frequently at Dean's and Hilton's. Some of the original members of this church were the families of Hilton, Dean, Bartlett, Judah Chamberlin, Jehu Chamberlin, Benjamin Blake, from what is now Noble county; also Nancy and Mary Dutton, and some of the Davises. when Elder Hilton, the Deans, Bartletts, and others went away in a boat to Illinois, below St. Louis. The colony left in two boats; one was built on the Muskingum, and the other, on which the Duck creek families left, in the woods below Macksburgh. The boat was launched by means of trees felled, trimmed, and used for "skids," over which the boat was pushed by the united efforts of some of their neighbors.

Regular, Or Hard-Shell Baptist Church

which had been formed a short while before. The most of the members of this church were from what is now Noble county, and most of the meetings were held there. For this church, too, like the other one, was not possessed of a set place in which to worship, nor, like the children of Israel, did it have even a tabernacle, but depended on the hospitality of its different members. We may be sure that these pioneers welcomed it to their houses not less cordially than a mortal stranger, and that they were none the losers.

The originator of this church was Elder Joseph Clark. It comprised in its membership John Hutchins, sr., and wife, Simeon Morgareidge, Joseph Davis, Robinson Sandford, Walter Stevens, Joseph Dutton, and their wives. John Hutchins, jr., and his consort joined in 1830 or 1831. Their pulpit was often supplied from Zanesville. The second preacher was Levi Jewell. Another minister was Mr. Sedgewick.

Methodist Church

at that time to board the hands and help build the mills for Dr. Regnier. This worker procured the services of Methodist ministers, notably Bishop Morris. Then came Nathan Walker and organized the church, the accompanying preacher sent by the Pittsburgh conference being Thomas McLeary. The original members included William Rayley and his wife, Sarah; John S. Corp and his wife, Elizabeth; and a young man working at the mills - only these five. Benjamin Corp, John's father, joined next. About 1824 he built, and presented to the church, a frame building twenty-five feet square, situated about half a mile above Macksburgh. Being rallied about its small size, he affirmed that when the congregation got large enough to fill it he would enlarge it. The first meeting the house was jammed, and so Mr. Corp had it cut in the middle, the parts separated fifteen feet and the space built in, making a building twenty-five by forty feet.

In the meantime, however, some of this society had been meeting about at the houses, notably at Dutton's, as the church building was not so convenient. This, again, as it increased divided into two parts, and those living nearest Macksburgh finally, in 1855, built the church now at that place. The land on which this building stands was donated by Mr. John Hilton. The building itself was constructed by Mr. John Eagler. Elder James Henderson was in charge at that time. Since then, because of the characteristic itinerent system of the Methodist church, there have been many pastors. For the past fifteen years they have been as follows: Revs. Thomas Winstanly and White; Revs. Gordon and Doane; Revs. Phillips and Strahl; Revs. L. Timberlick and Ruckman; Revs. A. D. McCormick, N. C. Worthington, George Wilson, and W. F. Smith; the last named being the pastor now. The church now belongs to the Dexter circuit. It was made from the Sharon circuit in 1875. This itself was not an original circuit, but formed from another.

The Corp meeting-house having been found unsuitable in position by this time, ceased to be used, some of the attendants coming to the Macksburgh church and others going to the "Crooked Tree" in Noble county.

The other part of the society before referred to as meeting at Dutton's, and other places, when the division occurred, held meetings in a log school-house near where the present school-house now stands, on James W. Smith's place, about a mile and a half west of Elba. This school-house, by the way, was built in 1846, and the first teacher who used it was Hannah Ellison. In time, a meeting-house was constructed, and in 1854 dedicated by Rev. Thomas Winstanley, of the Pittsburgh conference. The land on which it stands was the gift of James W. Smith. In about 1875 preaching was discontinued, and the congregation, for the most part, attend at Elba.

The Methodist society at Elba is not an offshoot of the foregoing, but was organized independently in about 1842. Inthe summer of 1874, James Morrison, a merchant of Elba, donated land as a church site, and the present church at that place was built. The preachers the date of settlement and the date of the first school differ by a very small figure. The first formal attempt at the instruction of youth was made by Nancy Dutton, who started and successfully completed a three months school in the winter of 1808-9 or of 1809-10. Her pupils were, of course, drawn principally from the Dean and Dutton families. After this, Polly Stanley taught, and when the year 1819 had arrived, a Mrs. Free took charge of a school for the whole winter. Before that, Elder Davis had taught in 1812.

In the neighborhood of 1815, a log school-house was built near Dexter, two miles above Macksburgh. At the close of the War of 1812, Mr. John Jewell taught in the second school-house in the township, situate about a mile below Macksburgh.

The largest building and school in the township is at Macksburgh, and is the best public building in the place. It is a two-story white frame, surmounted by a steeple, and would be easily mistaken for a church. There are two departments taught, the upper room being presided over by Charles W. Atherton, and the lower by Charles St. John. There is a full attendance at both rooms.

Secret Societies

The only one now in existence in the township is the Aurelius lodge of Free Masons, with headquarters at Macksburgh. The date of this charter is October 20, 1859, to take effect December 24, 1850. The society, however, ran a couple or so of years before, under a dispensation. The charter members were: Thomas Morris, F. M. Mason, E. S. Tingley, G. L. Chamberlin, S. L. Berkely, Mark Weeks, R. E. Smithson and Jacob Wharton. The first officers were: Master, S. L. Berkely; senior warden, G. L. Chamberlin; junior warden, J. D. James. The lodge is now in a flourishing condition, if membership be the criterion, as it has about sixty members. The present master is R. C. Smithson.

The only other secret organization known to have existed here is the Good Templars, a lodge of which sprang up in the fall of 1873 and lasted about a year.

Burial Places

The one below Macksburgh a short distance was established by Dr. Regnier, who gave the ground, nearly an acre, little thinking that he was providing a home for his own body in the near future. The first person buried in it was Mrs. Phineas Beardsley, and the second one was Dr. Regnier himself. This was the first purial place in the township. It contains the graves of many old settlers and the tombstone of Dr. Regnier. The stone may be seen leaning against the tree in the southwest corner of the lot. It is fitting that this memorial of the foremost man of the township be preserved, and, as far

The cemetery near the "Smith church" dates from 1856, when Lucinda F. Taylor, an infant, was buried in it. This place of interment contains the graves of many other older inhabitants - the Smiths, the Walfords, the Wards, Elliotts and Gilmores, the Harveys and Blakes, and many others. The ground was given by James W. Smith, and has since been incorporated.

The two towns of the township are Macksburgh and Elba. Macksburgh isa place of about three hundred inhabitants, and is situated a few rods from the left bank of Duck creek, in the southeast quarter of section seven, It is a station on the Marietta & Cleveland railroad, and lies between this road and a coal road, which branches off to the north to a coal mine in Noble county. _ Its site is neither valley nor hill, but on the rise between, and the surface is much diversified, giving the place a rather irregular appearance. 'This is partly owing to the fact that the town was never regularly surveyed into lots until largely built. Dr. Regnier had planned to lay out the town but died before accomplishing his end. Old citizens unite in regarding this untoward death as a great misfortune to the prosperity of the village. It is now essentially an oil place, the numerous wells in its vicinity supplying employment for many of its residents. At present it contains the school-house and Methodist church, elsewhere described, a post office, three general stores, a shoe store, a blacksmith shop, a hotel by the name of the Ohio House, and two saloons. Directly south of the town, across the creek, is a gathering of dwellings along the road, which in many districts would be called a town. It might be considered a suburb of Macksburgh. This collection of houses is really as old as Macksburgh itself. 'The name Macksburgh is owing to the fact that William W. Mackintosh lived there, and probably because he kept the first dry goods store. It was never formally named at all; the name gradually grew to the place.

This town lies on a beautiful situation on the line between sections twenty-one and twenty-two, and on the left bank of Duck creek. Its site is a pretty nook, surrounded on three sides by hills. The railroad on which it isa station and the valley road passes along the west side of the place. A small stream runs through the village to join Duck creek, finding its way to the town by a romantic ravine. This village was laid out by James Morrison, then proprietor of the land. The survey was made in the fall of 1873, by Ralph St. John. It hasa

The Physicians

The physicians who have been in the township are Dr. John B. Regnier, Dr. Hodge, and Dr. Benjamin Brown. More particular mention of them will be found in the "settlement" elsewhere. The present physicians are Dr. Hopkin and Dr. Neiswonger at Macksburgh, and Dr. Brock at Elba.

Source changes here: from History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, by Andrews, Martin Register, published 1902; 397 words in this source stream.

Aurelius Township

Aurelius township was originally a part of ^Monroe County, being admitted into Washington County, December 15, 1818. In that year John S. Corp and Judah M. Chamberlain headed a petition to the commissioners of \\'ashigton County, praying the establishment of this addition as a township.

:ition of John S. Corp. Jiulali M. Chambertliers, praying for the u-talili-linK-nt of a new e county of Washington, therefore rd. li\ tile Hoard of Comniijfioners, That liip, ivjnilirred five in the eighth range, exiMii- X i j^. 26 and 27. and ftactional sec- 4. o? and 3(1 he and the same is hereby declared -bed into an incorporated town, to be heren and distinguished by the name and denomil:i:cliiis, and the inhabitants residing in said liereby declared entitled to all the privileges itie^ of incorporated towns in the State. The said town will meet at the house of Mr. Judah

It will be noticed that the establishing act did not give Aurelius sections 2j and 34. The date of this accession, as ascertained from the commissioners" journal, was that of their June session, 1842. For they

Resolved, that section iwcnty-seven and fractional section thirty-four, in township five, range eight, heretofore belongnig to township Salem, is heieby annexed to Aurelius.

Aurelius was reduced to its preseiit small diiniensio/is 'oy the act ot tlie Legislature forming AcLvle Count V. It was passed }vlarch 11, 1851.

Among the earliest settlers in Aurelius were the Uains, Buttons, Bousers and Hutchins. Dr. John B. Regnier, who came about 1819, has well been considered "the father of the township," being a leader in the formation and development of it. He was appointed first postmaster in 18 19, huilt the first grist mill about the same time, and secured the building of the first road from the mouth of Cat's Creek to Macksburg.

William W. Mackintosh opened the first store about 1827. Free Will Baptist Church was organized between 1810-12; a "regular" or "hard-shelled" Baptist Church was organized soon after. In 1818 the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized.

The two villages of the township are Macksburg and Elba, which have owed their prosperity to the oil development which has been very profitable here, there being now 75 producing leases in the township. This is equaled by only one other township in the county as showii by the tahle of leases in the chapter on "The Oil Industry."