Pleasant Township (part 18 of 18)

The first settlers were James and William Hewey and David Martin, who built their cabins on the northeast bank of Deer creek in 1797. This afterwards became known as the Gabriel Alkire farm. They emigrated here from Kentucky, but are believed to have come originally from Virginia. To the southeast a short distance from where they built their cabin was an Indian camping ground and also a burial ground. James Hewey was married, but William remained single and lived with his brother. They erected a cabin, made some improvements and here they remained until their deeths. Nothing further is known of them. . David Martin built his cabin on the same farm, a little northwest of the Heweys. He also came from Kentucky. Nothing further, is known of either of these families of pioneers. No children were left to preserve their name or fame.

The next to venture into the wilds of the present Pleasant township was William Alkire. He had, emigrated to America with his brothers, Monus, Michael and John, from Scotland before the outbreak of the American war for independence, and all four of the brothers served in that struggle on the side of freedom. They later all moved to Maryland, but finally Michael and, William removed to Kentucky, one of the others to Tennessee and the fourth remained in Maryland. William Alkire, son of the previously mentioned William, came with three of his sons to the Northwest territory in the fall of 1799 and purchased fourteen hundred acres of the Baylor survey, No. 464, on Deer creek, in what is now Pleasant township, Madison county. The sons erected a cabin and began clearing the land that fall, while the father returned to Kentucky and in the spring of 1800 brought the remainder of the family to their new. home. Mr. Alkire was the father of fourteen children, eight sons and six daughters, all of whom grew to maturity. The sons were Robert, Isaac, Abraham, Jacob, Monus, William, Joseph and John. Of the daughters, three married and moved to the West, one died, and Margaret and Lydia married and settled here. Mr. Alkire died in 1825.

Peter Long, of German descent, who settled in the northeast part of the township soon after 1800, was one of the earliest settlers of the township. Two of his sons, Jacob and John, never married and spent their days on the old home farm. One daughter married John Oglesbee and lived on a portion of the place. William Woods, a native of Maryland, born near Washington, D. C.,.married Elizabeth Dickinson and soon afterward removed to Greenbrier county, Virginia; thence, about 1801, he came to Ohio and settled on Duff's fork in this township, and there resided until quite aged, when he removed to the home of his son, William D., who then owned a mill east of Mt. Sterling, and resided with him until his death. When he came to this county he purchased six hundred acres of land on Duffs fork, and during the War of 1812 the army opened a military road through his farm, known as the "Langham trace,'"' over which the soldiers passed to join General Harrison's army in the Northwest. Mr. Wood was the father of the following children: William D., Anna, Jonathan, Phebe, Rhoda, John and Mary.

Jobn R. Robinson, a native of South Carolina, settled on land in the southeastern part of the township about 1806, and became quite an extensive farmer and stock raiser. He wis a prominent and reliable citizen, and served. the township for several years as a. justice of the peace. He was the father of seven or eight children.

John, J. Smith married Rachel Alkire and, with his father-in-law, came to Ohio about 1805-6, settling in Pleasant township. Smith was. a native of Kentucky. Mr. Alkire, his father-in-law, settled on the east bank of Deer creek, just in the edge of Pickaway county, and a few years afterwards, probably about 1810-12, built a grist-mill on the west bank of Deer.creek in this township, just opposite his tract of land. This mill was built of logs, with "raccoon. buhrs," and was run by water power, with a belting attachment that was operated by hand. This mill was operated by him-for several years, when it came into the ownership. of his son-in-law. Later Mr. Alkire moved to Sangamon county, Ilincis. Mr. Smith rebuilt the grist-mill and attached a saw-mill; finally, he sold it to

'Otho Williams and William Leach, who were succeeded by William D. Wood, and he by Hlijah Atkins. This was one of the first, if not the first, grist-mill erected in the township.

Forgus Graham, a native of Virginia, married Elizabeth Trimble and emigrated to Kentucky ; thence, in 1806, moved to Pickaway county, Ohio, ahd in February, 1807, came to Madison county and settled. Here he lived between fiftv and sixty years and then removed to Indiana, where he died at an advanced age. His wife died while living in Madison county. They had twelve children, one dying in infancy: James, Washington, Joseph, Walker, Jane, Margaret, Malinda and Eliza, ali of whom married and moved to the West; the others, John, Polly and Robert, married and remained in this county. Mr. Graham was an earnest worker in the Christian church and a minister in that church for a number of years. He and George Alkire organized a Christian church in Pleasant township that was known as the Antioch church. Mr. Graham's house was a preaching place for several years prior to the building of the church edifice, and his "latch-string" was ever out for the admission of the ministers, brethren and friends of the Christian work. He began life poor, gave largely and liberally, and labored earnestly all his life for the Christian cause. He owned about five hundred acres of land.

William Creath, a native of Virginia, emigrated to Kentucky; thence about 1808, to Ohio and settled in this township, one mile north of Mt. Sterling, where he and his wife, Margaret, ilved and died. They were the parents of seven children: James, John, George, William, Samuel, Margaret and Jane M. James, the eldest, served in the War of 1812, while William, Margaret and James married and settled in this township. Thomas Anderson, also a native of Virginia, emigrated to Kentucky in an early day, thence, about 1805-6, removed to Ohio and settled on Oppossum run, in Franklin county, and, about 1811, removed to Pleasant township and settled near Mt. Sterling, on the Loveberry farm, where he devoted his attention to farming for the remainder of his life. He served as a lieutenant during the War of 1812. He married Rebecca Cochran, of Virginia, by whom he had eight children.

John Riddle, a native of Pennsylvania, born near Mifflintown, emigrated to Ohio and settled at Staunton, near Troy, Miami county. He was one of the pioneers of that county, and served during the War of 1812 as a teamster, being surrendered to the British by General Hull at Detroit; but he was afterward recaptured and his team returned to him. About 1815, he removed to Madison county and settled in Pleasant township, on land afterwards known as the Puckett farm, and a few years after moved to what is now the north part of. Mt. Sterling, on the London road. He remained a resident of this township the remainder of his life, and died at Mt. Sterling, on January 9, 1858. He was twice married; by his first wife he. had seven children, and by his second wife, three.

Others that should be mentioned as Baiiy settlers and residents of this township are William Ware, BE. Fitzgerald, George Kious, David Heath, John Puckett, Robert Abernathy and Isaac Moore, the Davidson family, Elijah Bragg, G. W. Ingrim, the Tim- | mons family, Drs. Samuel and William McClintock, Dr. D. E. McMillin. These were hardly pioneers of the township, but were among its most prominent early residents and were founders and promoters of the progress and prosperity of the township.

Pleasant township was one of the original and first erected townships of the county. The boundaries of the township at that time were very much different than at present, as part of the territory which was at first embraced in this has been taken off to help form Fairfield and Range townships. The original boundaries are given in the following transcript from the commissioners' records under date of April 30, 1810:

"Ordered, that all that tract of country comprehended in the following boundaries compose a township to be known and designated by the name of Pleasant, and is bounded as follows:

"Beginning at the southeast corner of Union township, on the Franklin county line; thence to the corner of Pickaway county line; thence with the Pickaway county line to the corner of Fayette county; thence with the Fayette county line to the corner of Stokes township; thence with Stokes township line to the place of beginning." The erection of the townships of Union, Jefferson, Deer Creek, Stokes, Darby and Pleasant, although occurring on April 30, 1810, were not recorded for nearly five months, the day being September 4.

The first change in the township boundaries was made on June 1, 1818, when it was "Ordered, that hereafter the boundaries between Range and Pleasant townships be as follow, viz:

"Beginning on the North fork of Paint creek, at the Fayette county line, thence eastward. along the said 'line to Duff's fork; thence up said fork to the crossing of the Federal road; thence northward to the line between Union and Pleasant townships, so as to make'the upper line of Range township one mile and one-half, extending along Pleasant township."

On March 2, 1824, a change was made in Pleasant and Range townships when it was "ordered by the commissioners of Madison county now in session, on petition being presented, that part of Range township be, and is hereby, attached to Pleasant township: Beginning at the county line between Fayette and Madison counties, where the same crosses Duff's fork, running west one mile with said line; thence in a north direction to where the Federal road crosses Duff's fork in the line of Pleasant township, all that part hereby stricken off of Range to be attached to Pleasant township. Again, on December 1, 1851, the line between Fairfield and Pleasant townships was, on petition, changed as follows: Commencing at that point in the county line near James Adams; thence south with the county line to the lower corner of R. Means' survey, No. 5,766; thence west with said survey line and the line of Edward Fitzgerald's land to the northwest corner of Henry Fleshour's survey, No. 5,190; thence: to the northeast corner of the Hardin & Grady's survey, No. 5,799, and with the north line of said survey, No. 5,799, to the county road. near. Levin Jones' house; thence with said road to Deer creek; thence up the creek to the present corner of Fairfield township."

The first mill in the township was undoubtedly that of John Alkire, which we have described above. Farther up Deer creek, just above where the cemetery is now located, at a later. period William D. Wood erected a grist-, saw- and carding-mill. At just what date this was built is not known, nor just how long it was run. But it has long since passed out of existence and out of the memories of all but the very oldest residents of the county.

William Wilson, a native of Pennsylvania, located in about 1820 in the northern part of the township and erected a grist- and saw-mill where the Wood mill stood. Wilson ran the mill for several years, when he sold out to John Kious. After running the mill several years, he tore it down and rebuilt and improved it with a much larger capacity. He was succeeded by Michael Sullivan, who was afterward succeeded by William Wood, and he by his son, Courtney Wood.

A tannery was built in or near Mt. Sterling in about 1830 by George Puckett and carried on quite an extensive business for nearly twenty years. At that time leather tanning was an important and reasonably profitable business. There were then no railroads or other shipping facilities by which they could get either leather or shoes from the East, or, if they could get them by the slow process of being hauled through by wagon, it made their cost prohibitive to the pioneers. In those days, the quick process of tanning leather by chemical means was unknown and the operation required weeks and months. Neither had they machinery for making shoes, by which men could make several pairs a day, but everything must be done by slow hand processes. Therefore, 2 tannery in this country at that time was a great convenience to the people of the community and a source of great profit to its owner.

Early Schools

As this township was among the first to be settled, it is: not surprising to also find that one of the earliest school buildings in the county was erected within its limits. As the first settlements were made on Deer creek, in the eastern part of the township, so here we find, in the Alkire neighborhood, a primitive log school house erected in about 1812. These early log school houses have been described elsewhere and this one was no exception to the rule. The first teacher in this building was Adam Alkire. The building has long since disappeared.