Blanchard Township (part 2 of 2)

Two other settlers of 1834 were Seymour Hastings and John Mathews. The former located in Section 14, southof the Blanchard; in June, 1836, he sold his farm to William Smeltzer, and moved to Section 19, where he resided till death. Mathews came from Pike County, Ohio, and settled north of tho river. It is said that he never owned any land here, and died in the 'ownship. se In the fall of 1835 Charles, William and John Moffitt, Joel Pendleton, John Spreaker and Thomas Downing came into the township. The Moffitt brothers, with their mother, Sarah, located south of the Blanchard on a part of their brother Thomas' land, who had preceded them several years. Charles married a sister of Alfred Davis and died in Union Township. William and John also married here, bought out Thomas and became quite wealthy. The former died June 30, 1884, but John is still one of the active farmers of Blanchard. Three of William's sons reside in the township. Joel Pendleton settled in Section 28, but after living here nearly four years sold out and moved into Findlay Township, werehe is yetliving. Mr. Pendleton was surveyor of Hancock County for nearly thirty-five years, and is a very intelligent man. John Spreaker was a Pennsylvanian, who bought the farm of Nimrod Smith in Section 14, south of the river. After living here about. twenty years he went to Illinois. Thomas Downing was a brother of William, who came in 1830. He, too, removed to Illinois.

A large number of settlers came to the township in 1835-386 among whom were Alpheus Edwards, Joseph Horner, David Braucht, David M. Baldwin, William Smeltzer, Phineas Mapes, Stephen Smith and James McClish. Mr. Edwards was born in Connecticut in 1808, immigrated to Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1819, there married Leah Shriner, and in March, 1835, with his wife and four children, settled on the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 32, where he has ever since resided. He reared nine children, eight of whom are living. His wife died in 1879, and per haps before this meets the reader's eye he, too, shall have passed away, as he is now quite old and feeble. Joseph Horner and family came the same time as Mr. Edwards and settled in Section 31, where he lived until his removal to Indiana a few years ago. David Braucht and family were from Stark County, Ohio. He entered a large tract of land south of the Blanchard, May 17, 1834, and, doubtless, settled in Section 13, the following year. Both he and his wife died on the old homestead, and Mrs. L. C. Groves is the only one of their children now living in the county. David M. Baldwin, of Fairfield County, Ohio, purchased the farm of John and William Mires, in Section 35, June 13, 1836, and, with his wife, Sarah, and family, at once on for many years. He died on his farm near Benton, February 20, 1875, and his widow still occupies the old home, while five sons and three daughters reside in the neighborhood. William Smeltzer was a Pennsylvanian, who had lived in the county previous to his purchase, in June, 1836, of Seymour Hastings' farm, in Section 14, where he resided until his death. Phineas Mapes located in Section 19, and here both he and his wife died. Stephen Smith settled in the southeast quarter of section 28, whence he moved into Union Township, and there spent the balance of his life.

James McClish, a native of Maryland, married Patience Bishop, of New Jersey. She bore him eleven children, ten of whom grew to maturity. He settled on the farm now owned by hisson N. B., where he died a few days after reaching his destination. While the headstone over: his grave says he died October 6, 1835, the family now claim that his death occurred in 1836, and that the date on the stone is incorrect. Seven children came with the parents to this township, but N. B. is the only one now living here, the mother having died January 21, 1867, in her eighty-first year.

Of other settlers, Peter Foltz and Jacob Engle are kindly remembered. Mr. Foltz and his wife, Elizabeth, came from Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1836, and settled on Ottawa Creek in Section 25, where both died. Mrs. Foltz died August 9, 1850, and he was again married, and reared a large family by his second wife. On the 11th of March, 1874, he, too, passed away and was laid beside his first wife in a little private cemetery southeast of Benton, on the west bank of Ottawa Creek. Several of his children are residents of the county. Jacob Engle was a German, who came here from Somerset County, Penn., about 1837, and settled near the site of Benton, where he died in 1859, his family afterward removing to Iowa. Others might be mentioned who came into Blanchard Township about this period, among whom were John M. Radebaugh, Charles Frost and Samuel Rudesill; but the names of the real pioneers have been given, the only object in view.

Justices. - Upon the organization of the township in 1831, Thomas Moffitt was elected justice of the peace, and his successors have been John C. Wickham, John L. Carson, John M. Radehaugh, Charles Frost, Henry Cook, Eli Dunning, John Boylan, William H. Conine, Mathew E. Hopkins, Philip Ballard, W. H. Kilpatrick, George Downing, Robert Marshall, John Wortman, Ephraim Mathias, Hiram W. Hughes, Joseph Thompson, W. P. Dukes, Amos Wittemeyer, John Bergman, John C. Wickham, John Wortman, Samuel G. Robinson and Amos Wittemeyer.

Churches. - The Methodist Episcopals organized the first society in the township, at the house of John Dukes, as early as 1831. Rev. Thomag Thompson was the minister present, and Richard Dukes and wife, John Dukes and wife, Thomas Moffitt and wife, and Mrs. William Downing, were about all that took an active interest in the organization. Several other Methodist families came to the township soon afterward, some of whom joined the class. Among these were William Wickham and wife, Mrs. William Powell, Mrs. David Millham, Mrs. John Mathews and Mrs. James MecClish. Services were first held at the houses of John Dukes, Richard Dukes and Thomas Moffitt. About 1836 or 1837 a hewed-log building was erected on the farm of Richard Dukes, which is yet standing. With the growth of the society, this structure became too small and primitive, and a frame building was put up farther west. This served the congregation until the erection of the present brick church in 1880. In 1871 the Methodists built another church at Benton, and it,too,is a brick building. The United Brethren and Evangelical denominations held meetings and organized societies quite early in this part of the county. The former has three churches in Blanchard; one in Section 36, which was the first church built in the vicinity of Benton; one in Section 32, and one in Section 18, north of the river. This denomination has perhaps the most numerous following in the township. The Evangelical Association erected its present church in 1858-59, one-half mile west of Benton, in Section 34, but in 1868 it was moved into the village and is still used by the society.

Education. - In 1832 a school was taught in one end of John Dukes' cabin by Amanda Kilpatrick. The Dukeses, Shaws, Groves and Millhams were the pupils. The next year a small log schoolhouse was built on the farm of Thomas Groves in Section 14, which was opened and taught by John C. Wickham in the winter of 1833-34. It was attended by the Shaws, Dukeses, Groves, Downings, Millhams, Wickhams, Hastings and others who then lived in the township. Frederick Ballard was the next teacher, and then came Joel Pendleton and Mr. Choate. Another early school was taught in a cabin on the farm of Enoch Haddox, and attended by the Haddoxes, Epleys and others of that vicinity. As the country settled up the little log schoolhouse made its appearance in other sections of the township until all were supplied. Blanchard ae now boast of ten schoolhouses, wherein school is held during the full legal year.

Villeee = Beukes was laid Ae tees 5, 1835, on the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 35, by William Mires, and named in honor of Hon. Thomas Benton, the great Democratic statesman of Missouri. It originally contained thirty-six lots, but several additions have since been laid out. Benton lies about nine miles southwest of Findlay, on the same ridge which here crosses the county, and has always been a small country town with a limited local business. In 1840 a postoffice, named Benton Ridge, was established here, with David M. Baldwin as postmaster. His successors have been William Miller, Philip Ballard, Isaac Sperow, Michael Merchant, David M. Baldwin, T. J. Saunders, J. G. Saunders, J. H. Saunders, J. G. Saunders, H. W. Hughes, John C. Wickham, T. J. Saunders and R. N. Cherry. In March, 1875, the village was incorporated for special purposes, and has since had two mayors: R. S. Palmer and Amos Wittemeyer. Its present business interests consist of one dry goods and grocery store, a dry goods, grocery and hardware store, a grocery store, a druggist, a steam gristmill, a steam saw-mill, two general blacksmith shops, one of which manufactures plows, a cabinet-maker and undertaker, a shoe shop, a saloon, a good hotel and one physician. Benton Lodge, No. 418, F. & A. M., was instituted October 21, 1868, with twenty-one charter members. This lodge has recently been removed to Rawson. The Methodist gag ts and Evangelical Association have each a church in the village, and there is also a schoolhouse located here. In 1880 the town had a population of 179, and now claims over 200, which indicates a slight growth.

Lewisville was laid out by William H. Powell, David Millham and Michael Shearer, in April, 1851, on the north part of the northeast quarter of Section 14, and the southeast quarter of Section 11. A general country store was opened, a schoolhouse built, and three or four residences erected, but that is as far as its growth ever reached. The store was carried on by John Boylan for a few years, and then abandoned, and the village site was gradually returned to the uses of agriculture.

Oak Ridge Postoffice was established in 1848 at the house of William Downing, with Mr. Downing as postmaster. The office has always been in the same neighborhood, and Mr. Downing's successors have been as follows: Robert Marshall, Daniel Morris, Mrs. William Downing, Rezin Cook, David Downing, Eli Dukes, L. C. Groves and Thomas McKinnis. Oak Ridge, though of little importance, has nevertheless been a great accommodation to the people in this section of the county, and is therefore regarded with much favor.

Cemeteries. - The Dukes Cemetery north of the Blanchard is the oldest in the township, as two of George Shaw's children were interred there in 1828 and 1829, and also the wife of John Dukes in the latter year. George Shaw, Richard Dukes, Mordecai and Enoch Haddox, Henry Epley, William Downing, William Moffitt and James McClish, with their wives, also Mrs. Lydia Davis and many other pioneers are buried in this graveyard. It is located on a sand hill in Sections 15 and 16, lying partly in both, is decorated with evergreens, and contains quite a number of nice monuments. The Benton Ridge Cemetery is also a neat little ground, and was opened at an early day. It lies immediately west of that village on the Sand Ridge, and is naturally well adapted for a cemetery. Here Thomas Groves, Jacob Powell, Owen Hughes, David M. Baldwin, Jacob Engle and others of the pioneer fathers were laid to rest. The Braucht Cemetery, in Section 13, is quite an early public burial place, not at present much used.

Source changes here: from History of Hancock County, Ohio, by Spaythe, Jacob A, published 1903; 62 words in this source stream.

Part '

John Veal, August 12, 1822, entered the northeast part of the northeast fraction of section thirteen (13). comprising 8.45 acres, and on the same day, Daniel Stinson entered the north part of the northwest quarter of the northeast fraction of section thirteen ( 13), containing 82.69 acres, and the east part of the northeast fraction of section fourteen (14), containing 50.82 acres.