Perry Township

Perry Township

THIS is one of more than a score of townships in Ohio that commemorate the name and achievements of Commodore Perry on lake Erie. It was organized in 1817, at a time when his naval glory was still fresh in the minds of the people. The township, as then erected, was ten miles long and five wide, including what are now Perry and Bedford townships. This territory had pre\'ious!y been a part of New Castle township, which was organized at the formation of the county. The elections in Perry township were held at the house of Elias James, almost centrally located as the township then existed, until 1825, when Bedford township was formed and Perry was reduced to its present limits, five miles square, being township 5 of range 9, according to the original survey of the military lands. It is- located in the western part of the county and is bounded on the south by Pike and

The surface is undulating and in some places might be called hilly, though it is not so broken as in many townships. Timber of a thrifty growth covered the entire surface at the coming of the pioneers. The soil in the main is a limestone clay, becoming sandy in j)laces. Excellent springs are found in all parts of the township and give rise to quite a number of little streams. The general direction of these is southeast. Mohawk run has its source in the northwestern part and flows eastwardly into Bedford township. Winding Fork also rises in the northwestern corner of the township and pursues a southeasterly course, crossing into Pike township.

The entire township is composed of congress land. It was surveyed in 1803, by John Matthews, and began to be settled seven or eight years later. It is not known who the first settler was. Elias James came to the township from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in 1S12. His daughter, Mrs. Noah Buxton still occupying the old home farm, the northeast quarter of section 20, at the time of her father's emigration was four years old and recollects that there were then but three settlers in the township, Henry Hull, John Neldon and Henry Grim. They had been here at least a year or two before Mr. James came, perhaps a little longer. John Neldon was also from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and Mr. James stopped at his cabin, on the northeast quarter of section 9, until he could provide himself and family with a place of shelter; he first settled in section 11, but very soon Henrj' Grim wanted to leave this part of thq country and sold his claim upon the realty he occupied to Mr. James, who forthwith took possession. Grim had had a little difhculty with the Indians, and had grave apprehensions that they wanted his scalp. The trouble was of this wise: Grim, with a Teutonic earne.stness and application, was endeavoring to raise a crop of corn upon a little patch of ground he had cleared, and as fences were as yet unknown, his success was seriously compromised by incursions of deer at night. This naturally irritated the German, and many a deer paid the jienalty of death foi its rash intrusion upon the premises. The Wyandot Indians lived somewhere in the vicinity and allowed their horses to roam at will during the night. One of these, which they had stolen from the whites somewhere, had not forgotten its provender of old, and possessed a penchant for the succulent green corn of Grim's planting, which was decidedly detrimental to its growth. Grim repeatedly warned the Indians to keep the horse away or he would shoot it; but his words fell unheeded upon the cars of the red men. Forbearance at length ceased to be a virtue in Grim's estimation, and the noble brute fell a victim to his laden messenger of death. He thus incurred the animosity of the savages, and as the clouds of war lowered in the West, he deemed it the part of prudence to remove beyond the reach of the tomahawk, and accoi'dingly went East.

Henry Hull was a Pennsylvanian, and entered the northwest quarter of section 19. He subsequently removed to Knox county, where he spent his declining days. John Neldon and Elias James both lived in Perry township the remainder of their lives, the latter dying at the age of seventy-seven years.

Mr. Hull lived on friendliest terms with the Indians, before they abandoned this country, and was often in their company on hunting expeditions. A camp was located near the center of section 20, in the southern part of the township. Mr. Hull was accustomed to relate that he visited this camp one day, and was invited by the Indians to take supper with them. The prospective meal was to consist of mush, which was then boiling in a large copper kettle. This had been used just before for tanning deer skins, and Mr. Hull observed numerous patches of hair, etc., in the boiling cauldron. Having already accepted the invitation to sUiy, he could not leave, but, the meal not being to his liking, he made his aurevuirs to his dusky acquaintances, as best he could, and much to their disiippointnient ami disgust, took his departure.

Until 1814 there Wi« little progress in the settlement of this township, but about that time settlers began to arrive in quick succession and, in a few more yeans, the entire town.ship was dotted with cabins and cornlielils. This being wholly congress land, there was nothing to cheek emigration, and as it is nearly all susceptible of

George and .Jcjhn Mowry came about 1818. They were from Pennsylvania. John entered the southwest quarter of section 12. George served three months in the army in 1814, and afterward moved west.

In 1814 William Coulter settled upon the northeast quarter of section 12. Early in life he had spent two years under Nathaniel Massie and Sullivan in surveying the western part of the State, and on his way home passed through what was afterward Coshocton. Tlie section he entered in 1812, coming out from Pennsylvania to select it. He was a practical surveyor, and surveyed much of the western part of the county, it is said, with "a grape-vine chain."

In 1815 Akey Lee came out from Turkey Foot, Pennsylvania, located the southeast quarter of section 8, and erected thereon a cabin ; he then returned home, expecting to emigrate with his family the ne.xt spring, but during that winter he died of " cold plague." His widow, Mary, however, determined to brave the hardships of pioneer life alone ; and with a family of small children, the oldest of whom was but fourteen years, sought the western home, and by their assistance successfully weathered the rough storms incident to the frontier. Her descendants are still represented in the township.

The Pigmaus were prominent in early times. Joseph W. Pigman came from Allegheny county to Muskingum county, near Dresden, in 1810, and two years later moved to New Castle township and built a cabin. Some time after, discovering that he was on military land, he came to this township. He became a noted Methodist preacher, and took some part in politics, representing the county in the legislature several times, and being one of the associate judges of the county. He had four sons, Nathaniel, Daniel, John and James. The first entered part of the northwest quarter of section 7. The last was a minister of some note; he was connected with the Methodist Episcopal church as local preacher from 1,837 to 1866, when he became a minister of the Christian Union church, and so continued until his death, which occurred in this township, October 26, 1869.

A settlement of Germans came in early, perhaps in 1815, most of them from Beaver county, Pennsylvania. Among them were Peter Ault, who entered the southwest quarter of section 23; Leonard Divan, the southwest quarter of section 18 and the northwest quarter of section 23; his two sons, John and Henry, the latter owning the northwest quarter of section 22; Henry Billman, the southwest quarter of section 21 ; George Sossaman, the southeast quarter of section 15; Frederick Shrake, the southeast quarter of section 23, and Jacob Shrake, the north half of the southeast quarter of section 19. The last mentioned moved to Wisconsin, and from last accounts was still living.

The Irish nationality was rejiresented by Adam Murray, who, about 1816, entered the west part of the southeast quarter of section 6, and his brother-in-law, John Trimble, who preceded him a year or two and entered the northeast quarter of the same section.

Bedford county, Pennsylvania, furnished a goodly number of the foremost settlers. Besides those mentioned there were, from this county, John Fry, who entered the southeast quarter of section 20 (he emigrated about 1815, with his brother, Enoch Fry, who settled in Bedford township); Isaac Dickens, the northeast quarter of section 21; Robert Elders, the northeast quarter of section 23; Daniel Fitzgerald, who owned a part of the southwest quarter of section 10; Henry Neldon, the northwest quarter of section 20; Nathaniel Rush, the northwest quarter of section 2; and Edward D. Long, part of the southeast quarter of section 19.

Henry McVey and Joseph Jones came as early as 1815, The former owned the southwest quarter of section 19; the latter, part of the northeast quarter of the same section, John Berry, a Marylander, entered the southeast quarter of section 8. Joshua, William, Benjamin, Joseph and Caleb Cochran, five brothers directly from Maryland, but originally from Dublin, Ireland, emigrated about 1814. Joshua settled on the southwest quarter of section 4, William on part of the southwest quarter of section 7; the other three did not acquire property in this township. Alisalom Tipton, a Pennsylvanian, located, about 181G, on the southwest quarter of section 1 ; John Scott,

William Dillon, father of Israel Dillon, the present clerk of the court, came from Green county, Pennsylvania to the township about 1815, entered and cleared a quarter section, which he continued to occupy until his death, in lJ-'62, he being then sixty-eight years of age.

East Union is the one village of the township. It is situated in the southwest part of the northeast quarter of section 7. Two rival villages once flourished in this vicinity. The first of these. New Guilford, was laid out by Dr. Elisha Guilford Lee, March 30, 1825. He was the tirst physician of the township, coming here from Mount Vernon. The village plat was located a short distance west of what is now East Union, and consisted of fifty lots. A quarrel arose between the doctor and John Conaway, who owned the quarter-section just east of New Guilford, and the latter thought that if Dr. Lee could found a town, he could do the same. Accordingly, in April, 1826, he laid out a town plat on the ridge facing New Guilford, a little valley intervening. It consisted of thirty-si.x lot.s, and was dedicated Claysvillc by the proprietor. Then, the antagonism waxed hot, and each village sought to improve itself at the expense of the other. Conaway possessed some advantage. He was a carpenter, and agreed to a.ssist in erecting the cabins of settlers in his town, a consideration which prevailed with a number. After some years the two proprietors clasped hands across the intervening chasm and consolidated. By act of legislature, the name of the town then became East Union. In 1831 an addition of fifty lots, connecting the two villages, was made by Dr. Lee ; a small addition had previously been made to Claysville by Conaway. East Union now includes only what was formerly Claysville, New Guilford having been practically vacated, and now used for farming purposes. The Ohio Gazeteer, published in 1833, says, that in that year Claysville, or Eiist Union, contained fortyone dwelling hou.ses, two physician.-^, live stores, one oil-mill, four cabinet makers, one tailor, two shoemakers, two blacksnjiths, one liatter, and several carpenters. The population was estimated to be nearly ,300; in 18.30 there were seventyeight inhabitants; at present tlicre are less than 100. Dr. Lee secured the postofhce, and tor a while was postmaster ; then by some means Mr. Conaway received the appointment. It still retains its original name, New Guilford. The first store was opened at Claysville, by John Pigman. It was owned by John Jaeobston, of Dresden, and kept up for a few years only. At present there are two dry goods establishments here, owned by J. W. Allen and Elijah Richards ; one miscellaneous store, John Martin ; and two groceries, Adam McCain and INIr. Allen. Dr. David Mc- Elwee is the physician. The school-house is a two-story building, erected about 1870, and belonging to the adjacent districts. William S. Kilpatrick and Miss Nancy Marshall were the first teachers in this building.

The towns^hip is well supplied with churches. There are now in active operation three Methodist Episcopal, two Baptist, one Christian Union and one Lutheran church; besides, there have been several oi-ganizations, now defunct. The Goshen Methodist Episcopal church is the pioneer religioussociety in the township. Thechurch is located on the Coulter farm in the eastern part of section 12. About 1820 there was built here a hewed log structure which served as a house of worship till 1859 when it burned. The earliest meetings were held in the school-house where Rev. Thomas Carr preached. Other early ministerial laborers in this field were- David Limerick,

Pigman, Rev. John Cullison, Mrs. Nancy Wright, Henry McVey, William Lee and William Coulter were strong pillars in the organization in its early life. In 1800 the present comfortable frame edifice was erected on the site of the old church. The luembcr.ship at present scarcely exceeds twenty-five. Rev. A. A. McCullough is pastor. A Sunday-school, superintended liy Joseph Coulter, is a successful branch of the church work.

Wilson's Chapel, or the Methodist church on CuUison's ridge, lies within a half mile of the northern line of the township. The first class was organized at the house of Shadraik Cullison fully sixty years ago. Here and in other cabins in the neighborhood John Almack and wife,

Shadrack Cullison and wife, James Crouther and wife, Jesse Cullison and wife, Thomas Almack and wife, and others were accustomed to worship for a number of years. About 18.32 they built a log church and several years later ceiled and weather-boarded it. The present structure was reared about 1857. It is an unpretending frame, about thirty by forty feet in size and cost 81,100. It was dedicated by Eev. Harvey Wilson. The membership is about fifty; the present pastor. Rev. Philip Kelser. The Sunday-school has been conducted for many years during pleasant weather and numbers about forty members.

The third Methodist church is at East Union. As nearly as can now be determined it was organized in 1832. For a year or two services were liekl in the village school-house; then, about 1834, a meeting-house was built on a lot donated lor the purpose, by Dr. E. G. Lee. Among the pioneer members were J. N. Edwards and wife, Joseph McDonald and wife, John Davis and wife, Cliarles Conoway and wife, and John Conaway and wife. Revs. Carper, Thos. Carr and John Walker were among the first ministers. In 1878, a new church was built, mainly through the efforts of H. W. Lee, J. W. Lee, Enoch Berry, Abrarn Taylor, D. McElwee, T. W. Cullison and N. W. Cullison. It is a neat frame structure, thirty-two bj' forty-five feet, capped with a bell, and costing Sl,52.5. The building was dedicated January, 1879, by Rev. James Kellem, Rev. Philip Kelser being pastor at the time. The membership is fifty-six. N. W. Cullison is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has an average attendance during the entire year of seventy-five.

Mohawk Regular Baptist church, located in the northeast part of the township, was organized about the year 1841 or 1842. Bosley Parrish, John Berry and wife, John Ncldon, Alexander Dunlap and wife, Samuel Pritchard and wife and William Buxton and wife were early, prominent communicants. In 1846, the membership was forty-nine, and a few years later had increased to about 100, but since then it has gradually decreased, and is at present about forty. Soon after the organization, a small frame church was built which still serves as the house

Perry Regular Baptist church, located near the southwest corner of the township, was formerly a branch of the Tomica church of Washington to.vnship, and was organized in 1860, iis an independent body, with twenty-seven members. Hezekiah Howell and wife, Isaac Winkle and wife, Ohio Oxley and wife, and Stephen Underwood and wife, were among its first members. Their neat little church was built soon after they became a separate organization, under the ministry of H. West. The membership has slowly but steadily advanced, and now numbers about forty. The ministers of this church have been H. West, B. R. Whitiiker, E. B. Senter, A. W. Odor, E. Frey, A. W. Arnold and H. Clark.

The Christian Union church, at East Union, was organized in 186G, with sixteen or eighteen members, by Rev. Givens, of Columbus. A series of meetings were held soon after by Rev. Benjamin Green, which resulted in a number of accessions. Among the earliest members were Israel Dillon, James Pigman, William Pigman, James Barkelew, Jackson and Jo.seph Mills, William Perry, Jacob Baughman and Wheeler Cullison. George W. Stevenson was the first minister; he was succeeded by James Pigman. The membership increased steadily for a while, and at one time was perhaps the largest in the township, but owing to many removals and deaths, it has been reduced to about forty. Services were held in the old Presbyterian church until 1870. In that year a substantial frame, thirty-one by forty-one feet, was erected at a cost of $1,000. The church was dedicated December, 1879, by Revs. H. J. Duckworth and James Lamp.

The Winding Fork Evangelical Lutherari church stands in the southern part of the town-' ship, in the eastern part of section 17. The present small frame building was erected in the summer of 1880. The old meeting-house occupied the same site and was built about 1848. Before it was built, preaching had been held for some years in the school-house and in Absoloni Wolf's barn. The early members were George Sossaman, Absolom Wolf, Henry Kiefer, John Sossaman, Jacob Huffman, their families, George Beckley, and some others. Kev. J(jhn Booker is the minister now in charge. The membership is iibout forty.

An Episcopal church, known as St. Matthew's, formerly flourished in the western jiart of the township. As early as 182S, a log church was erected, which gave way some years later to a substantial brick, still standing, in the northwest of the northeast quarter of section 6. John Trimble, Adanv Murray, John Scott, Wilson and William Kodden, and George Melick were members with its early membersliip. The congregation at one time was of considerable size. It was supplied by ministers from Gambler. Regular services were suspended some ten years ago.

A Presbyterian church once existed in New diilford. A house of worship was built in 1837 or 1833, and occupied some twenty years, when the organization dissolved. Connected with it Andrew and Samuel McCammant, Harvey Hoss, Ezekiel Boggs, George Knight, N.athaniel Herron and others. The building was removed only two or three years ago.

An old school Baptist congregation had a meeting-house in the dim past, along the eastern line of the township, in the northeast quarter of sec-r tion 10. Revs. McGuire and Crabtree once preached here to a flourishing society, which included the names of John Pritchard, Solomon Tipton, Joseph Barret, Willian Dillon and others, but it has long since been numbered with the dead.

Of the early schools in this township, as elsewhere, much may be learned from the following agreement between a teacher and liissubscribers, made nearly sixty years ago. It is said that for some unknown reason this school was never held, but be this as it may, the contract is of preservation as exhibiting the means by which schools could then be procured. The original document is in the possession of T. B. Tidball, of New Bedford, and reads as follows : proposes opening school in the Methodist meeting-house, near William Coulter's, in Perry township, Coshocton county, Oliio, on Monday, the first day of October, 1823. for the term of' three months, or thirteen weeks, reserving to himself every-othcr Saturday, and agrees to keep said school under good, wholesome regulations and strict order. To ojien tlie same at 9 o'clock A. m., and continue till 12 at noon; commencing again at 1 P. M., and close at half-past 4 p. m., each day, as near as possible, and agrees to teach and instruct all tho.se placed under tuition, in spelling, reading, writing and arithmetic, to the best of his ability and understanding. In consideration whereof, we whose names are hereto subscribed, do agree to pay him, J. Mereditli, the sum of one dollar and seventy-tive cents for each scholar annexed to our respective names, in the following articles, at these respective rates, viz : Wheat at fifty cents per bushel, rye at forty cents per bushel, corn at twenty-tive cents per bushel, delivered in Wool ford's, Meredith's, Ault's or Given's mills, as he may direct. Flour at two dollars per hundred pounds, pork at two and a quarter cents per pound, beef at two and a half and three cents per pound, butter at eight cents per pound, tallow at ten cents per pound, beeswax at twenty-tive cents jier pound, flax at ten cents per pound, wool at forty cents per pound, flax linen at thirty-seven and a half cents ))er yard, tow at twenty cents, flax and tow at thirty cents per yard, linsey, colored, fifty-six and a quarter cents per yard, eggs at six and a quarter cents per dozen, and towels at six and a quarter cents, to be delivered within said term at said Meredith's dwelling at such times ns he may occasionally direct. It being agreed that should it be proven to the satisfaction of a majority of the subscribers that said Meredith neglects his business as a teacher, they are to jjay for the time he may have been employed and dismiss him. School to consist of not less than twenty-live nor more than thirty regular subscribed scholars; the said Meredith making good all lost time at the end of the term. In testimony whereof we have hereto set our hands this tenth day of September, 1823. John L. Meredith.

The first school-house in the township was built about 1817, on the Hull farm or the northwest quarter of section 19. The first teacher was James Cane, a good scholar but too severe in his discipline to please the people. He taught only one term, and was succeeded by John ^V'interinger, a good natural preacher, who permitted the children under his charge to do just about as they wished. Joseph Pigman was next installed teacher and remained in the school for a number of years, so long that it was generally known as the Pigman school. The building was finally destroyed by fire, and a school-house was then built on the Coulter place, near the Goshen Methodist church. It was not long till a number of others were started in different parts of the township.

Peter Ault in early times had a little hand-mill which, unlike the little water-mills along the streams, did not fail in dry weather, and hence became quite popular among his neighbors when the water was low. It was used so much and ground corn so amazingly slow that he constructed a nuich larger pair of stones, which were set up on end. To one of them he attached a pole ten feet long, which turned like the handle of a grindstone. When the creeks would fail the neighbors would congregate here after their day's work was done, each bringing his sack of corn to grind. Half a dozen or more young people would seize the handle, "long drawn out," and make the buhrs fairly spin around. The merry frolic would continue sometimes half through the night, until each had at least corn-meal enough to last his family the ne.xt day. Mr. Ault also had a little watermill on Winding Fork, with one run of buhrs, which he operated until his dam was swept away in a freshet. It was not rebuilt. Frederick Shrake at the same time, about 1822, started a mill a little further up the stream. It had two run of stone, and between it and Ault's mill there was a lively competition. Robert Elder, as early as 1820, had a little corn-cracker in operation, which lasted, however, only a short time. A little sawing and wool carding was carried on at the same time. John Pritchard, about 1830, put up a saw-mill on Mohawk run, which was run for a number of years. The present Gault mill was built by Samuel Whitmore, in 1836 or earlier.