Hamilton Township

Hamilton Township

The lands in this township were originally surveyed for the government in 1799, by one John Matthews, and hence the words " Matthews's Survey/' which are very common, though not necessary, in deeds and conveyances of lands in this township. In 1800, these lands came into market, and in that year, or the year following, settlements commenced. Amongst the first settlers w^ere John Dill and Michael Fisher, and soon after, Percival Adams, Thomas Morris, the Weatheringtons, the Stewarts, the Johnstons, James Culbertson, the Stombaughs, Geo. W. Williams and Robert Shannon and his sons, Samuel, Hugh, James, John, Joseph and William.

In 1807, the township was organized by its present name, though it then contained within its boundaries the territory also from which the Township of Madison was afterward created. Hamilton is now just eight miles in length, north and south, and about four miles in width, varying with the meanders of the river. In the original division of the county into townships in 1803, this territory was part in Liberty, and part in Harrison townships. This township has generally been regarded as containing a greater proportion of first rate land than any other in the county ; and the location of the canal through it, gave it additional advantages in the way of water power. Ilartwell's mill, at the four-mile locks, was erected soon after the completion of the canal, and subsequently, Cottage Mills were erected by Messrs. Hibbs and Dalzell in the year 1841.

In the fall of 1831, the town of Lockbourne was laid out by Col. Kilbourne, as the agent of Joel Buttles, Demas Adams and others. It now contains about sixty or seventy families, two churches, one denominated the United Brethren in Christ, who have a comfortable wooden church building, erected about the year 1843, the other Methodist Episcopal, w^ith a neat brick church edifice, erected in 1850, two dry goods stores, three groceries, two taverns, three practicing physicians, a grist mill, a saw mill and a post office, established in 1837.

Successive Postmasters

In the spring of 1853, the village of Shadesville was laid out by A. G. Hibbs. It now contains about twenty families, one tavern, two stores, a Methodist church, a good school house, and a post office, established in the fall of 1853.

Besides the churches in Lockbourne and Shadesville, there are two others in this township - the Hamilton Township Presbyterian Church, organized by Doctor Hoge, many years since - and the German Lutheran Church. The latter have a good brick church edifice, erected about the year 1844 or '45, on the Lancaster road some eight miles south of Columbus. The former have a good-sized, frame church building, erected about the year 1831. The successive j^astors of this church have been : Ilev. N. S. Ransom, Rev. Elisha Yandeman, Rev. John M. Fulton, Rev. J. D. Smith, Rev. Thomas Woodrow, Rev. James Smith, Rev. ^Y. Maynard, since the first of January 1857.

In 1840, the population of the township, including the villages, was 1258. In 1850, it w^as 1485. In 1853, the tow^nship constituted thirteen school'districts, wdtli an aggregate of 560 youth between the ages of five and twenty-one years. In 1857, the aggregate of such youth w^as 557.