Jackson Township

Jackson Township

In Jackson Township are combined the elements of agricultural and mineral wealth. Extensive valleys iiemmed in by hills full of coal abound.

Jonathan Rye, after whom Byesville was named, was of Quaker parentage and proprietor of Byesville. He built there the flouring-mill, long known as Bye's Mill, and operated a country store. In his milling business he built many flat and keel boais, and boated down Wills Creek his surplus flour to southern markets on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. He also built boats that were used on the Ohio Canal. One of the^e, the "Maria Bye," named after a daughter, did service a long time on the "raging canal." Jonathan Bye left Guernsey County in the '50s, and located in Sterling, Whiteside County, 111., where lie built extensive mills, which proved a financial failure, resulting in a wreck

Source changes here: from History of Guernsey County, Ohio, by Sarchet, Cyrus P. B. (Cyrus Parkinson Beatty), published 1911; 1,830 words in this source stream.

Jackson Township

Second from the west and south line of Guernsey county is Jackson civil township. It was organized in 1824 and was named for the illustrious General Andrew Jackson. It contains about twenty-three sections. Its general size and shape is three miles in width from north to south, by seven east and west. Wills creek meanders its course to the north through this township, being formed by Seneca creek and other lesser streams. The Pennsylvania railroad passes through the township from north to south, with a station point at Byesville.

This part was early in the permanent settlement of the county and many of the hardy pioneers still remained here to enjoy the fruits of their labors, as late as 1882. when the following were registered as being residents and as being seventy-six or more years of age : Henry Woodrow. Lawson Rogers, Isaac Hoopman, John Fox, James Arbuckle, Joseph Davis, Bethnel Abies, Isaac Meek, Elizabeth Wilson, Mrs. De LaRue, Mrs. Reiney. Mary Wright, Thomas Wilson, Solomon Peter, Simon Dickerson, William Rainey, Benjamin Wells, Daniel Masters, Mary Woodrow. Prudence Selby, Elizabeth Wheatly, Jane Clark and Mrs. Whalon.

Of the Newnom family and their settlement, it is related that John Xewnom, a native of Talbot county, Maryland, born in 1787, with his wife, sought the West for a home. They went to Muskingum county, Ohio, by means of horse cart, in which the wife rode, while the husband went over hill and dale and called out the many beautiful and romantic scenes as they traveled along. Soon after their arrival in Jackson township, the good wife sickened and died, in 1833, and the same year he married again. They had six sons, including Eusebius H., who was born in Talbot county, Maryland, in 1819, and married Margaret Arbuckle in 1844. They had a large family of sons and daughters. Mr. Newnom had a farm of two hundred and eighty acres and raised many sheep.

John Weirs, a native of Harrison county, Virginia, in 1816, emigrated to this county with his parents, Benjamin Weirs and wife, and settled in Jackson township. When they located here there were but twelve houses in the township as now defined. The one hundred ami twenty acres which Mr.

Weirs entered and purchased was all heavily timbered. Here the pioneer went to work and succeeded in clearing up sufficient land to raise a living and subsequently had a beautiful farm and reared an intelligent family of sons and daughters, members of which still honor the family name as influential citizens of today.

John Frye was another man who assisted in bringing the township to its present state of improvement. He was born in this county in 1828, and was married in 1854. In i860 Mr. Frye was elected justice of the peace and held the office for twenty-one successive years. He was a long time clerk and treasurer of Jackson township.

David Williams emigrated from Scotland to this county, in company with his brother-in-law, Robert Nicholson, in 1818. He was a weaver by trade and did work for his neighbors. In this way he obtained money sufficient to get his farm, consisting of a hundred and twenty acres, and cleared it up. The son, Robert N. Williams, was born in 1830 and married in 1831. He bought the old homestead and added thereto.

The Nicholsons came originally from Scotland to Maryland and in 1 82 1 came to Guernsey county. He bought three hundred acres of military land and, besides farming, worked as a carpenter. Andrew W. Nicholson was born in 1833, m Jackson township, and became an extensive farmer and coal operator. He had four hundred acres of land, which produced in 1882 from five hundred thousand to a million bushels of coal. These mines are two or three miles south of Cambridge and were worked on the royalty plan by the Ohio Coal Company.

Others whose names should not be omitted in this account of the persons who have developed this township are: Elijah Hoopman, Nathan Burt, Mrs. Nancy Nicholson, John F. Trenner, Martin E. Robbins, Thomas S. Shriver, Solomon Peters and sons, Wesley M. Gorsuch, Jonathan S. Gander, David Gander, Benjamin Trenner, Lawson W. Rogers. George Cale, John A. Bliss. Another settler was William M. Grany, of Byesville, a native of Baltimore, born in 1809, who settled in Jackson township in 1856. From 1857 to 1872 he was treasurer of the township. For twenty years he kept a general store at his residence, being postmaster at the same time.

Elijah Shriver's birth was among the first in Guernsey county, born as he was in 1810, son of Adam Shriver and wife. The Shrivers left Pennsylvania in 1809 and located in Jackson (then Buffalo) township, this county. Elijah Shriver held various positions here, and was credited with being the richest man in the township in 1880.

with Andrew Whittier, his wife's step-father. The couple constructed a rude cabin on lots 28 and 29 of the military lands. Whittier was a German by birth, born in 1716, and emigrated to Maryland before the Revolutionary war. He died at the exceptional old age of one hundred and twenty-four years.

Byesville is the only platted town, or village, in this township. It dates its platting from July 1, 1856, but as an incorporated place, November 26, 1881. It is situated on section 6, township 1, range 2. A number of citizens joined in the platting of Byesville.

Of recent years this has grown to be an excellent business place. The mining and other near-at-hand industries, together with the farming community, makes it a desirable location for lively business interests. The street railway from Cambridge and the Pennsylvania railroad line, afford a speedy mode of transit to and from the outside world.

In the fore part of 1866 a new industry commenced to be developed in Guernsey county - that of coal mining - to any considerable extent, through the efforts of W. H. Williams, state pay agent, on the Central Ohio railroad line, a few miles to the east of Cambridge, and following this the opening of mines near present Byesville. The Marietta & Pittsburg road was constructed through this section in 1873, promoted by "General" A. J. Warner. Here, on the east side of where the village of Byesville was platted, the first captain of industry located without bonus or free site, erecting a saw mill ; also a general store was opened for business and the foundation for commerce and industry was established. The man who accomplished all this and much more was Jonathan Bye, for whom was named Bye's Mills and later the town itself. The first store of the town was conducted by Dr. Francis Walker, the first physician of the village. The old mill was the drawing card here for several years, but it was destroyed by fire a few years ago.

Among the earliest settlers of this community were these : The Mc- Clusky, Meek, Sayre, Forbes, Shriver, Linkhorn. Secrest, Sears, Gorsuch, Conner, Seals, Selby and Smith families. These pioneer families all have numerous descendants here today.

Incorporation History

The incorporation of Byesville dates from February 7, 1882, when the village was duly incorporated and the first municipal election held April 24th.

that year. The first officers were: T. J. Lee. mayor; James Selby, clerk; L. W. Smith, treasurer. The first marshal of the village was George H. Dudley and the first president of the council was Joseph Allman. The first ordinance passed was restraining the use of fire arms. The following have served as mayors of Byesville :

T. J. Lee, E. Sears, Lloyd Selby, John Holbrook, Thomas M. Davies, Dillon Marsh, E. W. Smith, Elmer Green, C. A. Bonom and W. A. Chalsfant, the present incumbent. Elmer Green is the present efficient clerk.

The village offices are in a two-story building, purchased in 1907 and now valued at five thousand dollars. It contains rooms for the council meetings, a jail, etc.

The village has an efficient volunteer fire department, with an equipment of fine apparatus, including a fire engine and plenty of hose. Water is obtained from seven street cisterns, located at various points in the village. The company consists of about sixty-five members. The streets are lighted by natural gas. Recently a contract was let to the Midland Company to supply this natural gas for so much a month.

In 1 88 1 the village possessed but a little more than three hundred souls, but it has grown wonderfully. Board walks were first used, but long since, cement and brick have taken their place and now the mileage of such walks exceeds three miles. The electric line from Cambridge was completed several years ago and the natural gas is used universally for street and domestic use. About twenty coal mines blow their whistles daily to call the hundreds of workmen. The paved streets and general appearance of the place indicates thrift and enterprise.

Factories, Etc

Byesville is fast coming to be a factory town. The people have given several concerns a bonus to locate in their midst and such concerns have brought much wealth to the place. Among these may be named the tile works, for which eight thousand dollars was raised ; the Byesville Glass and Lamp Company was operated seven years successfully and employed over two hundred workmen, paying out six thousand dollars each two weeks for some time. This cost the village twenty thousand dollars and the cost of the plant itself was sixty-five thousand dollars. The coal mining interest is the life of Byesville today.

With the laying out of Byesville it had a postoffice and the following have served as postmasters at one time or another : L. K.. Thompson, George Conner, Lloyd Selby, E. L. Allman, E. F. Meek, John Nicholson, D. S. Burt and the present incumbent, Dr. C. A. Austin. The office is conducted in all departments in a very careful manner and is centrally located.

Of the banks, churches, schools and lodges, the reader is referred to chapters on those subjects in this volume, covering the county in general.

A few points to be remembered are these : That natural gas was piped into the village in 1898; the electric railroad from Cambridge entered the place in November, 1899; coa^ mining started as an industry in this county in 1866, but Byesville was not identified with it until 1877, when old Central mine started up. Pick mining was then employed altogether. It is estimated that enough coal was taken from these mines if the same had been loaded upon thirty-ton cars to reach across the continent in a solid train of cars. The following six men lost their lives in this first Byesville vicinity mine: Eli Wilson, William Mackley, Thomas Allender, Hollis James, William Collins and John W. Hesse.

Business Directory Of I9Io

General Stores - A. C. Outland, F. W. Johnston, Byesville Co-operative Company, Butkhard Brothers, E. L. Gary, Graham & Son, J. A. Prior, Ffutton & Clay.