Pike Township

Pike Township

Pike township was one of the early constituted townships of Madison county, as upon the commissioners' records we find the following account of its erection, bearing date September 5, 1S14 : "At a meeting of the commissioners, present Joshua Ewing and

William Gibson, ordered, that the following bounds comprise a new township, to be known and designated by the name of Pike. Beginning where the state road intersects the north boundary of Madison county and running from thence with the said road, so as to include the same till it intersects the Urbana road; thence southwardly on a line half a mile east of Little Darby, till it intersects the Jefferson township line at Mark's survey; thence to Peter Paugh's southeast corner; thence westwardly with Deer Creek township line to Champaign county line, and with said county line to the northwest corner of Madison county, and thence with the line between Madison county and Delaware to the beginning."

In the erection of Union county in 1820, a portion of the above described territory was embraced in that county, and consequently the north boundary line was changed and Pike township made smaller in territory. Again, on March 4, 1839, another change was made in the township of Pike, as follows: "At a meeting of the commissioners of

Madison county, ordered that the following boundaries compose the township of Pike (as surveyed January 24, 1839, by William B. Irwin), to wit: Beginning at the northwest corner of Madison county, thence running on the line between Madison and Union counties, east by the variation six miles to an elm, corner to Darby township, Madison county; thence with the line of Darby township south three miles and one hundred and six poles to four elms; thence south eighty degrees west (by the needle) six miles and thirty poles, to the original southeast corner of Pike township, in the line of Champaign county; thence with the said line north four miles to the beginning."

After the permanent boundaries had been fixed, it was one of the smallest of th<- fourteen townships comprising Madison county. It is also one of the most regular townships in the said county, its contour and general form being nearly a perfect parallelogram, while nearly all of the other townships of the county are remarkable for their irregularity of shape. This township occupies the extreme northwest corner of Madison county and is bounded on the north by Union county, on the west by Champaign county, on the ?outh by Monroe and Somerford townships and on the east by Darby township.

Surface, Soil, Etc

The surface of Pike township is level, except along the streams and small creeks, much of it being prairie and oak openings. All that portion between Little Darby and Barron run. extending to the north line of the township, is very level and a beautiful country; also, all west of Barron run and between that stream and Spring fork is also level. On the Little Darby and along Barron run and Spring fork, the surface is quite uneven and in a few places there are small hills. The soil of the level and prairie portions of the township consists principally of a black loam, with here and there a stretch of clay and loam. The soil is very deep and rich, naturally producing an exuberant growth of grass and vegetation. Along the creeks and streams the soil is principally clay, but very strong and productive, so that throughout the township the soil may be said, to be very rich and fertile. The subsoil is clay and gravel, with, usually, a third strata of blue clay and disintegrated limestone. This township, from it;s first settlement, has been peculiarly adapted to raising live stock, and that business has always received a large share,. Ojf. the attention of the farmers and most wealthy citizens, who have given considerable attention to the improving and bettering of fine blooded stock. But as the lands become divided up into smaller farms, as the tendency is from year to year, and the soil better ditched, tiled and drained, it becomes better adapted to the cultivation of all the grains. There have been quite a few tile factories in this part of the state, which furnish the farmer with drain tile at a low rate and make it within the reach of every farmer to drain his farm and in this way make it better and more productive. Much of the low, flat prairie lands, which a few years ago were almost useless from the great surplus of water in them; in which stock would almost mire, and in which it was never attempted to run the plow or cultivate for grain, are now, by this process of tiling, becoming the best wheat and corn-growing lands in the county. This township, which, as late as the seventies, scarcely produced enough grain for home , consumption, is now exporting vast quantities of corn and wheat.

The forests and timber of Pike township are similar to those of other townships in the county. It was generally heavy timbered along the streams and creeks. On the creek bottoms were considerable quantities of walnut, and back from the creeks and on the rolling lands were white, black, red and burr oak, with some considerable hickory and a less amount of white oak, elm and a few other varieties. One noticeable and peculiar feature of the timber of this township, which appears to be a common condition of most of the county, cqmposed largely of prairie and timber, where the general course of the stream is south southeast, is, that for a short distance on the east side of the creeks, the timber was a much heavier and denser growth than on the west side of the same. On the east side of the Darby, in particular, was where the beech and a few other varieties were found, and not much in other localities. It is quite probable the principal reason of the timber being less heavy and dense on the west side of the creeks was in consequence of yearly fires which swept over the prairies and which destroyed the undergrowth and more or less checked the growth of the. larger timber; as these fires usually raged from west, to east, these streams and creeks served as a barrier which the fire could not overlap, or if it did, it was so checked in its power that it would burn with much less violence and destructive power until it would get some distance again from the creek, where the ground was drier, when, from being fanned by the breeze and finding no more combustible matter, it would again sw.eep forward uuth great velocity and violence until again checked by another stream, or the lack of combustible nuvtjter to keep up the flame.

Although Pike township was not settled quite as early as some of the other portions of the county, yet, as is the case in all swampy country, we find the settlers taking possession of the lands along the streams, where the more elevated and drier lands were tillable. But many of these w'ere mere "squatters" ; being possessed of no means, they did not purchase the land in this locality, but remained here a short time and enjoyed the pleasure of hunting, where there was an abundance of deer, turkey and other game. .Sometimes they made some small improvements and quietly enjoyed their possessions without any great amount of investment. Finally, as other settlers came in and purchased the lands with a view qf becoming permanent residents of the locality, or as the "squatters" became dissatisfied, they moved away to enjoy other homes and hunting grounds. Some of these "squatters," though not owners of their homes or possessed of wealth, were moral and religious men and women and good citizens, and exerted quite an influence in forming and molding the general character of the community. Many of these haying resided here but a short time, and the older of the pioneers, who at that time knew them well, having passed away, there is but little information whereby the good of these early squatters can be exactly ascertained. The dates of these early settlements cannot be learned, but they were such important factors in the early development of this township that their lives should be sketched, even if it does border on the traditional.

The Pioneers

The first of these "squatters" to be mentioned are Oliver and Harris Jaynes. It is believed that they were among the first, if not the first, who came into the township. They made their settlement on the Little Darby, a short distance from where Henry King afterwards settled. A family named Keyes settled a little farther up the Darby, near the northeast corner of the township. The first settlement on Barron run was made by two brothers, Edsel and Samuel Carr. The latter was quite an active man and a moral and upright citizen. He was a leading and active worker in the Methodist church in its first organization in Pike township. A family by the name of Whitman, the head of which is believed was Solomon, settled later on Barron run. They never purchased land there and, a few years afterward, moved away to parts unknown. Three brothers, Samuel, Isaac and Daniel Allen, settled on Barron run about this time, and later purchased small tracts of land. Samuel was a local preacher in the Methodist church and quite a prominent and influential man in that day. They moved into Union county about the year 1830. Mr. Burrell, a blacksmith by trade and the first of this profession in the township, was also a very early settler on Barron run, but only resided there a short time. A Mr. Dockum, believed to be a native of Canada, settled near the mouth of Barron run, at a very early date, and resided there until his death, his body being interred upon the place. This was probably the first burial in what is now known as the Weaver burying-ground. There were five children of this family: William, who married Nancy Jones, and settled adjoining the home place, but later moved west; James, who married a Miss Clement, settled in this township and later removed to Darby township, Union county ; Boardman, who married Miss Tullis and settled in this township, where he remained until his death ; one daughter married Mason Jones, and finally settled near California, Madison county; and a younger daughter, who married Allen Jones, resided in this county several years, thence moved west. Another early settler on Barron run was John Rathburn, who was a Methodist preacher and also practiced as a steam doc-tor. It is thought that he was the organizer of the Methodist church that existed at an early date on Barron run. but later died out. He was the main pillar and support of this church for a number of years. He had the following children : Charles, who studied medicine and moved west to take up his profession ; Levi, who was for some time a merchant in Mechanicsburg and later moved west; Nelson, who was called to the pulpit and resided in Iowa ; Abigail, who died at an early age ; Harmon, who settled in Iowa, and Sarah, who married Luke Clemens and settled in the south part of the county.

The first authentic dates obtainable of early settlements was in 1812. This was the settlement of John Erwin, who located in the northwest corner of Pike township. He purchased land here and the deed records of the county show his deed was recorded in September, 1814. Erwin came to Madison county from the southern part of the state, and was probably the first settler in the west part of the township. He remained a permanent settler of the township until his death. Mr. Erwin was a farmer and stock raiser and a substantial and worthy citizen. He was a man of excellent character, plain and unassuming in his habits, a devout member of the Presbyterian faith and good neighbor. He had a large family, but that dreaded disease, consumption, claimed a large number of them early in life. One son, Amzi or Amazi, however, settled on the home place and lived to quite an advanced age, dying on May 14, 1879, at the age of eighty. On the building of the railroad from Springfield to Delaware it passed through a corner of this township and a part of Mr. Erwin's land, a station being established there, called Erwin. Joseph Mitchell, a native of Vermont, emigrated to Ohio with his family, and settled in the southwest part of Pike township, on land later known as the Farrington farm. This was in the year 1812-13. He purchased nine hundred acres of land, became an extensive farmer and stock raiser and resided here until advanced in years, when he removed west. Pie was a leading, active man in the Methodist Episcopal church and a minister in the same during a greater part of his life. He devoted much of his time to itinerant work, traveling over many different states, and was a companion of Lorenzo Dow for several years. He was the father of four children, Joseph, Newman, William and Abner. The latter served in the War of the Rebellion.

Claudius Mitchell settled in this township about the years 1815-16. He was a brother of Joseph Mitchell and a son of Ensign, of Champaign county, Ohio. He settled on a tract of land on the Urbana and Liverpool pike, near the west line of the township. As Mr. Mitchell was a typical pioneer and endured the hardships and privations which befell all the early settlers in this state, and as an illustration of the early life in the township, we give a full account of his life. This is a true picture of pioneer life. Claudius Mitchell was born in Vermont in 1794. He was the son of poor, but respectable, parents, who, after a few years, removed to the state of New York : thence to Pennsylvania; later, to Kentucky and thence to southern Ohio. In the year 1815 they emigrated to Madison county. During these years of pioneer itineracy. Claudius reached his majority, but these were years of rough, yet full of pleasant, experiences for him. He enjoyed, with his faithful dog and unerring rifle, the sports of frontier life, the chase for. or in mortal combat with, the wounded bear or stolen cub, and often came hand-tohand contests with the wdld buck deer of the forest, which then abounded with all kinds of wild game and animals. In consequence of the poor facilities and constant moving about, Claudius had no opportunity of obtaining even a common-school education, and did not even learn to read and write. The first pair of pants he ever wore were made by his faithful Vermont mother, who manufactured them out of the hair combed from their own cow in the time of spring shedding, mixed and carded with common flax tow. all done by hand, and spun on an antique wheel and knit into a pair of pants. The first pair of shoes he ever wore was when he was ten years of age, for which he earned the money to pay for them by taking his ax and hand-sled, with which he cut and hauled wood a distance of several miles. He was able to perform a man's task at the age of ten, in clearing the forest or working at the Kanawha salt works. In 1816, the year after emigrating to Madison county, he married Nancy Lambert, of Brown county. On the first day of February, he took leave of his home and parents and commenced life for himself. The first day's work for himself, he took his ax and maul, and cut and split three hundred and fifty rails, for which he received twenty-five cents per hundred, but this was not given in cash and he had to take it out in corn, at twenty-five cents per bushel, which gave him three and one-half bushels of corn. The second day he made two hundred and fifty rails, and took his pay in tallow and fat meat. On February 7. he took a lease of land on Spring fork, and at once commenced to build a cabin, with the snow then six inches deep. He soon had his cabin up and a roof on the same, and the next day he and his young wife moved into it, cleared away the snow and built a fire on the ground: then, to work they went in earnest to fit up the new home. At a late hour that night they laid down some loose clapboards on the snow, on which they spread their scanty bedding, and then, before retiring to rest, they knelt down by two blocks, their only chairs, and there offered their songs and prayers to the God of the Universe. The only utensil they had for cooking was an old iron pot, and their tableware consisted of two broken knives and forks and two old pewter spoons. He had one two-year-old heifer, upon which the tax was eight cents, and he had more difficulty in raising this small sum with which to pay that tax than any tax he subsequently paid. Mr. Mitchell resided in this township for many years, finally removing with his family, into Champaign county, where he remained until his death, which came in his nintieth year. He was twice married. There were seven children horn to the first union, Sarah, Lavina, Nancy, Alvira, Chandler arid Joshua. His second wife was Mary Ann Reed and to this union one child was born. rl'he life of this early pioneer was one of honesty. Integrity and Christianity.

George Van Ness, a native of New Jersey, married Eleanor Van Lear, a native of Holland, and they emigrated to Ohio prior to its becoming a state. They first settled in Butler county, but, in January, 1813 or 1814. they removed to Madison county and settled on the Little Darby, in the northeast corner of the township. He was a true pioneer and experienced the rough side of life. Indians at that time were his only neighbors, and deer, wild hogs and game of all kind were found in abundance. About 1820, Mr. Van Ness erected a grist-mill, which was a three-story frame, run by water-power. The mill only ran about three years, when the dam washed away and was never repaired or used afterwards. Mr. Van Ness served throughout the War of the Revolution, and was with General Washington at historic Valley Forge. He was the father of the following children: John. Susannah, Catharine, George, Judith, Peter, Cornelius, Daniel

George Jones, a native of Virginia, settled in Pike township about the year 1815-18. lie was a leading and active man in the Methodist church ; was quite a politician, and after the Morgan trouble in New York he became an active anti-Mason. He served in the War of the Revolution. His children were the following: Elizabeth, who married

Michael Roseberry; William, who was a miller in Mechanicsburg for a number of years; Mason and Allen, who moved west ; Nancy, who married William Dockum and settled in the West, and Charles.

Henry King was a native of Pennsylvania arid first settled near Chillicothe; thence, about 1818-20, removed to the west bank of the Little Darby, here he resided until his death. He was an intelligent and well-educated man. a wheelwright by trade and a skillful ihechanie, and to this trade and also farming he devoted his life. He was a kind and Worthy neighbor and always ready to assist in time of need. His children were, Joseph, who married Amanda Tarp'ening, and remained on the old home place; Williairi. who married Miss Bigelow, daughter of Doctor Bigelow, of Plain City: Hannah, who married Daniel Brooks and settled in Darby township, where they resided until the spring of 1882, when they removed to Kentucky; Henry .T., Who married a daughter of John Mitchell and settled in Darby township. Union county, but later removed to Marysville; Benjamin, who married Miss Keyes and settled in Darby township, Madison county, where he died at an early age; Sarah K.. who married Newton Hunt, and another daughter, who died young.

George Weaver also was a native of Pennsylvania and settled in this township about the year 1817-18. The deed record for his farm was dated in January, 1818. He was married to Elizabeth Hempleton. To this union were born the following children : Jacob, who married Polly Nagley, and settled on the old home farm, where he resided until his death; Solomon, who married Lydia Niles, and settled near the home place, but later removed to Illinois and settled near Clinton; John, who married Elizabeth Morse and settled in this township; Elizabeth, who married John H. Surfus and settled here first, but later removed west and purchased land in Illinois; George, who married a Miss Morse arid resided in Illinois; Joseph, who married a Miss Cobbler: Mary, who married John Sterritt ; the three latter children all went west ; another daughter married David Morris. Mr. Weaver, the elder, was an industrious, thorough-going Pennsylvania farmer.

who knew how to make money and invest all his surplus capital in good hands, and the result was that he became owner of three thousand acres of land.

Samuel Mann, a native of Vermont, settled in the southwest part of the township about the year 1814-15. He was a very successful farmer and a good citizen. He raised a large family and was able to give them a good education for that day. His children were, Samuel, Reuben, Nancy, Benjamin, John, Alden, Lorenzo D., Leonard and Azro. Reuben and Leonard H. became physicians and Benjamin resided in Monroe township, where he held many offices of trust.

Abraham Johnson, a native of Virginia, settled in this township about the years 1814-15, as the records show the deed for his land to be recorded in June, 1815. He was a good neighbor ,and a reliable citizen. In the early times it was the custom to bleed people in the spring of the year, to take away the bad blood, which had accumulated during the winter, and, although it was probable that he was neither a physician nor surgeon, yet he was skilled in the art of bleeding people, and many were accustomed to apply to him to perform the work. He married Hannah Roseberry, and resided in this township for several years, but he subsequently removed to Union county.

Andrew Alden, a native of New York or New England, settled in this township in the spring of 1817. He married Elizabeth Manville, to which union were born the following children : Chester, Elizabeth, Sarah, Lydia, Stanford, George, Eli and Prince. Mr. Alden was a very active, industrious man and a good citizen.

Levi Patrick, a native of Massachusetts, emigrated to Ohio and settled in Pike township on Christmas day, 1817. He resided here until his death, February 2£, 1855. He married Clarissa Patrick, who also was a native of Massachusetts,, and who died on December 12, 1868. The following were the children born to this union: M. Young, who married Fodelia Cartmill, a native of Kentucky, and settled near the home place, where he resided until 1853, when he purchased a farm of his own ; Eliza, who remained single, and died in the spring of 1881 ; Mary, who married Nathaniel Griffin ; Levi. M., who moved to Missouri, where he married and settled; C. F,, who remained single; John P., who married Emma Converse, and settled near the home place, .but later removed to Union county; Clarissa Ann, who died quite y.oung, and Olive, who married Henry Brown. and settled in Champaign county.

Michael Roseberry, a native of Virginia, settled on Spring Fork about 1822-24. He resided in this place for about ten years, when he purchased three hundred and fifty acres of land, where he resided until his death, about 1S59. He married Elizabeth Jones, a native of Virginia, and the following were their children : Ellen, who married Ira

Stacey; Permelia, Sarah, Elizabeth, Julia, Joseph, Ebenezer, Hannah and Jane. Mr. Roseberry was a prominent, active farmer and stock dealer, had the confidence of the people, and filled many of the offices of his township.

Darius Burnham was born in Hampton, Connecticut, on May 10. 1791. He was married to Lucretia Hunt, September 12, 1819; emigrated to Ohio and settled in Pike township, Madison county, in the fall of 1820, and here remained through life. Here he began life in a log cabin, in true pioneer style, and continued to live and prosper until his death, on August 10, 1846. To his first purchase of land he subsequently added from time to time, until, at his death he owned about seven hundred and ninety acres of good land. He became the pioneer settler of the land upon which Liverpool is now located, and laid out and platted the town, which was given the name of Liverpool and had the same recorded at London. Mr. Burnham's wife was born on February 18, 1798, and died on May 22, 1878. They had eight children : John H., Henry, Anna Emiline S., Darius

D., Achsa M., Lucius A. and Flora E. Mr. Burnham was an active, stirring business man ; he engaged quite largely in raising stock and in the dairy business and was a true, publicspirited man, kind and benevolent, ever ready to aid all enterprises and improvements for the good of the general public. He served in nearly all of the offices of the township and was a justice of the peace for a number of years.

George Fullington, a native of Vermont, was born on August lcS, 1769. He married Rebecca Greeley and, in 1813, they emigrated to Ohio and settled in Union county, where they resided about eight years. They then removed to Madison county and settled in Pike township, where they resided until the death of Mr. Fullington. on July 24, 1835. His wife survived him several years. Their children were. Sarah, who married Alfred Carpenter; Moses, who married Harriett Guy and settled on the old Fullington place, in Union county; Clarriett, who married William Guy, and died in 1827; Jefferson, who settled in Illinois, where he married Eleanor English; Adelaide became the second wife of William Guy; Mary, who married Truman Kimball; Abigail, who married Charles Phellis, Esq., and Selina, who married John Burnham, and resided in Meelianicsburg. Mr. Fullington was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and still followed his trade after settling here, but his main attention was given to farming and stock raising, which he carried on extensively. He was a man of substantial character and undoubted integrity, honorable in all his business transactions, a great friend of the poor and always ready to aid his friends in every way.

First Mills

The first grist-mill erected in this township was in the northwest corner, on the Little Darby. It was built by George Van Ness, about 1820. This was an imposing frame structure, three stories high, and was run by water power. About 1825. Messrs. Lockwood and Nelson erected a grist-mill on the Little Darby, in the northeast part of the township. Subsequently, these men were succeeded in the ownership of the mill by James Snodgrass. It then passed into the hands of Albeit Lombard and later to I,. D. Mann, who was the last to run the mill, after which it stood idle and went to decay. About 1830-31, George Weaver and his son John built a saw-mill on the Little Darby; this mill was run about ten years and was also left to decay.

The main pikes in this township are the London road and the Meehanicsburg and Liverpool pike. The northwest corner of this township is crossed by the Springfield and Delaware branch of the Pennsylvania railroad, which has a length of about one-half mile within Pike township.