Milton Township

Milton Township

Milton township is the second from the eastern line of Wayne county and in the north tier of towmships. It is six miles square. It dates its organization by the commissioners in session October 5, 1818. One of the early pioneers, Jacob Kiefer, went to Wooster to see about having it named, and suggested to the board of county commissioners that it be styled "Center Swamp township,'' from the fact that there was a large swamp in the center of its territory. Commissioner George Bair objected to this name, saying it would induce odium upon the towmship, wTereupon, at the suggestion of Mr. Bair, it was called Milton township. In 1870 the population of this township had reached one thousand five hundred and tw-enty-four ; in the federal census of 1900 it w-as given as one thousand nine hundred and seventyeight.

The first to settle in the township, wdth a view^ of making a permanent home, was Isaac DeCourcey, perceptibly of Indian blood, w'ho, w-ith his wife and twm children, rvas living on the Knupp farm as early as 1813. After about eight years' residence in the townshp he moved to Allen county. While he was styled a farmer, he devoted most of his time to hunting, fishing and trapping.

Adam Fritz, who died and were buried in the Knupp graveyard in 1817. The third person to die in the township was David Trump. The first school was taught by William Doyle, who taught in a log cabin in 1817; the building stood where later the Knupp church was erected. This school building was tw^entv by tw'enty-four feet, built of round logs scutched inside. It \vas so cold that in the winter time ink would freeze in the bottles while a pupil w^as in the act of wwiting. It w'as a subscription school, this being ahead of the free, common school system.

The first church building in the township was the Lancetown Baptist church, the pioneer ministers being Elder Freeman and James Newton. Freeman was a Revolutionary soldier, and a missionary, conducting services at private houses usually. Newton, however, was the first regular ordained preacher in the township.

The first saw and grist-mills were built by Thomas Huffstetter on the Little Chippewa. The next mill was built by Philip Fritz on the river Styx.

William Doyle, founder of Doylestown, was the first justice of the peace in Milton township, and the second was John Dawson, the commissions of both bearing date of April 27, 1819.

The earliest election was held at William Doyle's. At the first election, old Mr. Trump had to be carried to the polls to make a necessary number to hold the election.

Among the early settlers may be named Martin Fritz, Christian Lance, John, William, James and Henry Lance, Andrew Waggoner, Thomas Dawson, Abner Johnson, Samuel Slemmons and others who came into the township about the same time.

More than a passing mention should be made of Martin Fritz, who was born in Alsace in 1757, and emigrated from France in 1771. Not having the necessary funds to pay his passage, he was sold, according to the old custom, to a Mr. Ray. for whom he worked three years for the payment of the debt. Soon after he had served his time the Revolutionary war broke out and he enlisted under Washington for five years, being engaged in several battles, including Brandywine. After the war he married in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and moved to Venango county, and from there removed to Milton township, this county, in June, 1814, when there was but one other settler within the township, the quarter-breed DeConrcey. He died, aged ninety-four years, in 1851. His son Philip, born in 1804. had lived longer in Milton township, in 1878, than any other man within its borders.

named for Abner Johnson, who made the first improvements in it. John Scoby, of Truxton, New York, was the pioneer doctor, and Goodsill Foster was the first ])ostmaster. .Adney Bessey named the town .\mwell.

Russell was named after the Russells of Massillon, who purchased the property there and gave it the name. A postoffice was established there at an early day, but its name was Amwell.

Milton Station began as a town in 1869 when the first house was erected by David Shook. In July, 1870, C. M. Murdock started the first business, and in the same year the postoffice was removed here from Shinersburg (New Prospect).

Shinersburg was named after this manner : Michael Hatfield bought the first lot there from Philip Fritz, and built a house on it, and started a grocery store, selling drugs, beer, whisky, etc. One day Michael got drunk and in one of his ecstatic moods was heard saying, "When I get to heaven I will shine as bright as anybody" ; hence the name Shinersburg.

The present towns of the township are Sterling and Ritman, in the northern part. Ritman has a savings bank, with S. M. Brenneman president, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars.

Fatal Boiler Explosion

A fatal boiler explosion occurred March ii, 1870, in Milton township. It was a steam boiler in the saw-mill near Shinersburg and it resulted in the death of seven men. On the day of the explosion the mill was being operated by Jacob Knupp, John Fritz. Lewis Hoover and David, his brother. Robert McConnell and son, Frank, and Dardd Shook were at work on a house as carpenters a few rods rvest of the mill and, a rain coming on, they sought shelter in the mill. In ten minutes after they reached the mill the boiler exploded and all were instantly killed, except David Hoover, who lingered a few hours.

A Reminiscence By Philip Fritz

"Adien my father removed to Milton township, in 1814, he had to cut out the road where I now live [written in 1878]. Bears, wolves, wildcats, porcupines, wild hogs, deer and turkey were plenty. We often shot the wild hogs, as they made good meat. Porcupines were numerous ; the dogs would attack them and we would pull out the quills with bullet-moulds. We made sugar by the barrel in our camp, took it to Canton and sold it. The wolves on one occasion chased us all out of the sugar camp. Times looked pretty blue when we came here to Milton township. We had to go fourteen miles to Rex's mill to get grinding done. I helped to grub out the land on which Knupp's cemetery is located. In the early days I hunted a good deal, and often with the Indians. They would come to our house and get corn, and bring venison to exchange for it. They weighed it themselves, the corn in one hand and the venison in the other.

"Samuel and John Fritz, Isaac DeCourcey, John Huffman and myself went up the country to Chippewa lake to hunt, and took our provisions whji us. I was left in charge of the eatables, and the balance went to the'woodSg£ hunt. While I was watching the provisions eigh^ Indians approached and I was terribly frightened. .Th^_, ctcWnce commenced laying off thtg knivec, guns and iomaiicivvkj, and advancing to where I had a large fire buii one of them would speak in English, saying, 'White man foolish; makes bij fire and sits away off ; Indian makes little fire and sits up close.' They thei went to the edge of the lake and began jumping on the muskrat houses, anc just as fast as the inmates popped out they popped him over, and so they kept on until out of one of the largest mud-houses sprang a beaver, which was instantly killed, and then they whooped and danced and drank. Its hide was worth sixteen dollars. When our hunting party came in the Indians wanted to buy their dogs. An Indian squaw went into a marsh to pick cranberries. She had her papoose with her and. tying it to a board, set it down. Wdiile she was in the marsh a dog came along and killed it. She lamented and yelled fearfully. When we came here there were a good many Indians about here - they called themselves the Delawares, Shawnees and A^yandots. They had quite a town on the south side of Chippewa lake, probably thirty families. I used to go the settlement often, saw the little Indian boys roasting gammons of meat and gnaw at them; saw them shoot pieces of silver out of split sticks, with bows and arrows, and never miss. They captured a good deal of wild honey and carried it in deer skins turned inside out. They would cut down a tree, carve out the stump, crush their corn in it, and then put it in pots and boil it, and then i)ut in the meat. An Indian ne\'er uses salt. Within about ten rods of where river Styx - north branch of the Chippewa - empties into Rig Chi]i])ewa, an Indian was found dead in the drift, shot through the waist, and it seems about that time the Indians got scared and very suddenly disa])peared." - From Douglas' history. f>ublishc(i in 1878.