Goshen Township

Goshen Township

This township was organized in 1836 from Wayne township, and is in the southeast part of the county. In this township heads two of the important rivers of the State, the Miami and Scioto. About one-fourth of the township is prairie or black muck, a1 ' it is only a few years since it was covered with water, and only good for duck shooting. The Muchanippe Creek, the head of the Miami, was deepened, and drains much of this land which was considered worthless; it is now as good as any in the county, and the balance of the township is a gravel clay loam, excellent for wheat and corn. There is one gravel road passing through this township from Roundhead to Wapakoneta. The following names are some of the early settlers of this township: Bazil Day, John C. Hurley, Joseph Cline, William Black, Daniel Black, R. L. G. Means, John McLean, Alanson Earl.

The village of New Hampshire, situated in this township, was laid out by John Kindle in 1836, and was given its name by Mrs. Kindle. The town plat covers sixteen acres of ground. The first store was started by Hiram North; Orin North built the first steam mill; this was followed by J. J. Hutchinson with a store. The village now has two hotels, two stores, two blacksmith shops, one grocery store, and grist and saw-mill, and one physician (IS. J. Pollock), one M. E. Church, and one Baptist Church.

R. L. G. Means was born in Coshocton, Ohio, in 1811; was taken to Virginia when less than two years of age. His father and mother both died while he was very young. He has no recollection of them. He returned to Coshocton with his uncle, Ephraim Means, with whom he lived until he was twenty-one years of age. He then went to Newark, Licking County, Ohio, remained there about two years, when he came to Champaign Count}-, where he remained up to the time of his removal to this county. He married Sally North, May, 1834. After paying the minister two dollars, his worldly possessions only amounted to seventv-five cents, besides owing for his wedding clothes. Mr. Means now commenced the battie of life in earnest. With liabilities of about twelve or fifteen dollars, and assets seventy five cents, he took a contract of splitting rails at thirty-three cents per hundred, and renting land until his debts were paid, and he had a balance of sixtyfive dollars left. He then borrowed forty dollars and came to Allen now Auglaize Count}', and entered eighty acres of land in the fall of 1835. He moved on his land in the spring of 1836, without a dollar, and an indebtedness of forty dollars on his land.

Alanson Earl was born in- Canada in 1813, was brought by his parents to the United States the same year; he came to Logan County, Ohio, in 1815, from thence to Clark County, where he remained until 1832, at which time he came to Allen, now Auglaize County, and settled in what is now Goshen township. He married Rachel Day 1833; they raised a lam- ily of eight children, seven still living. We can give but little of Mr. Earl's early history, only as we can gather it from others. He died in 1867, Mrs. Earl having died in 1853. There were but few settlers in the eastern part of the county when Mr. Earl went to Wapakoneta to enter his land. He started from where Mi\ Elsworth lived, on the section line where the Waynesfield and Wapakoneta pike is now located. Then followed the section line by a blaze on the trees to where he struck the Lima and Wapakoneta road, there not being a road in the neighborhood. J. S. Earl, son of the above, is perhaps the oldest male resident of Goshen township.

Judge John McLean was born in Bedford County, Pa., in 1809. He went to Richland County, Ohio, in 1833, and married Mary Cobean in 1837, moving immediately afterward to Goshen township, Auglaize County. They raised a family of four children, two boys and two girls, of whom are still living John G., in New Hampshire, and Mellissa Earl, who occupies the old homestead, with whom Mrs. McLean now lives. Robert A. died in the army in 1863. Sarah E. died in 1862. Mr. McLean was one of the earliest settlers of this township. He was elected associate judge for the county after its first organization, which office he filled until the new constitution abolished the office. He died May 5th, 1875.

James Burdin was born in Clinton County, Ohio. He came to Auglaize County about 1832, and settled in Duchouquet township, raised a family of two children, one still living, viz., W. H. H. Burdin, Esq., of Goshen township. Mr. Burdin died March, 1850. W. H. H. Burdin was a prisoner of war about fifteen months, and was one of the men placed under the fire of the Union guns at Charleston for the protection of the city.

John Conley was born in Ireland in 1808, and came to America while young. He learned the stonemason trade, superintended the building of some of the arches on the Miami Canal in Shelby County. Married Eliza Marshal in 1838. He came to Auglaize County in 1839, and died in 1860, leaving his wife and six children. His widow died in 1876. Both are buried in the Goshen township cemetery. Henry and Alphonso are now residents of the old homestead in Goshen township.