Sandy Township (part 3 of 4)

New Franklin is situated in the northeast corner of Section 12, and has never been regularly laid out as a t(jwn. It consists of a small collection of houses, and has a Methodist Church, and a Lutheran Church and cemetery, a schoolhouse and a store, with the usual complement of shops of different kinds, generally found in a hamlet of its proportions, A post office was established in February, 1882, with Jesse Shoard as Postmaster.

History Of Stark Couxty

ON the tifth day of March, 1810, the Commissioners of Stark made the following entry on their jonrnal : " On the petition of sundrj- inhabitants of that part of Canton and Plain Townships lying west of the Tnscarawas River, was organized into a township called Tuscarawas, and it was ordered, that the first election be held on the first Monday of April, 1810." The limits of the township, as do those of all the other townships south of the Western

Following in the wake of the New Purchase," as the territory west of the Tuscarawas Branch of the Muskingum was called, immij gration commenced into that territory in 1807. The surveys were commenced in that year, and

I concluded l)y William Henry. Joseph H. Larwill, John Larwill and John Harris. Among the first lands entered in the township, was Section 10 ; this was entered by John Barr, and by him sold to Jacol) Bowman, Esq.. afterward President of the Monongahela Bank of Brownsville, Penn., and by his heirs, or the immediate grantees of his heirs, to James Bajliss, Esq., and is as fine a body of land as is in the county. Having been kept in an unbroken body for years, it is known all over the township as the " Section.''

During the time of the making of the surveys on the west side of the Tuscarawas River, settlements were made there more rapidly than in the west. That portion of the county was known as a part of Canton and Plain, as late j as the organization of the township, and such was the weight of population that the count}' j had been entered but one year, when the peo- ' pie petitioned for a separate township, and obtained their organization, so as to be included in the third census of the United States, under the name of Tuscarawas Township, the true name being Tusearora, as will be seen by consulting the treaties by which the territory was obtained, and the works of Francis Parkman, Jr. The first permanent settlement in the township, then, however, oul}' known as a part of the '- New Purchase," was made by two brothers, Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, John and Robert Warden. 'I'hey left their home in Washington County, Penn., with a cart and horse, and rifles, a change of clothing, a filled straw tick and blankets and rations, to be replenished as time and chance might enable them to do so, they had forded the river where is now tlie northern terminus of Clay street, Massillon, and reached, in their western journey the .surveyor's camp, at the spring on the " Section." There the}' made a permanent halt, and when the land came into market, entered the quartersection now owned and occupied by David Gib. Subsequently', John purchased the interest of his brother, and lived many years on that farm, holding offices of trust and responsibility in the township, and aiding in laying the foundations of good order, for which the township has since l)een celebrated.

The third census of the United States showed, of old and j'oung in the township, 145 inhabitants, nearly ever}' man in the township being the head of a family. Their names are here given ; William Henry, Seth Hunt, Daniel Hoy, Charles Hoy, Stephen Harris, John Patton, Isaac Poe, William Byal, Caspar Noll, James Eldredge, Stephen Eldredge, Thomas Eldredge, Edward ( )tis, Thomas Chapman, Henry Clapper, Daniel Clapper, John Clapper, Adam Lower, Peter Johnson, William Crites, Adam tlrounds, George Baystone, Massum Metcalf, Jacob ]Metcalf, Jeremiah Atkinson, Robert Warden, John Geringer, Peter Slusser, Andrew Augustine and Robert Barr. At this date, 1811), the entire population of Stark and what is now Wayne

Conntj', was 2.734 ; Wayne had of th.at number 332. and Stark 2,402. These facts arc taken from the original manuscript census, furnished to the writer bv the hue Hon. Joscpli II. Larwill. It is proper, just here, to correct an error into whicii tlie author of Howe's Historical collections was inadvertentlj' led in i)reparing that valuable work.

On page .517. Mr. Howe says : - Wayne was established by do v. St. Clair. August 13, 1790,'' and adds: Its original limits were very extensive." and proceeds to give them, 'Tis true that Uov, St, Clair, by proclamation, did enact a county called Wayne, of widel}' extended limits, but those limits were reduced b}- the erecting of other counties by Gov. St. Clair, and the General .Vssembly of the State of Ohio, after 1802, until Gov. St. Clair's county of Wayne was in the Territory of Michigan, where it j-et remains, Detroit being the county seat. On the organization of Stark County, Ohio, in 1809, the act of the General Assembly creating the county, described certain territor}^ lying west of Stark County, but subject to its jurisdiction until otherwise ordered, to be called the county of Wayne, In 1812, the (Jeneral Assembly of Ohio provided that that territory should thenceforth be known as a separate and distinct county, and should be called Wajne County, The correctness of this statement will at once be acknowledged when it is remembered that it was not until the year 1805, by the treaty of Fort Industry that the Indian title to the territory west of the Tuscarawas Branch of the Muskingum was extinguished, and the United States authorized to assert their authority over any territorv west of the Tuscarawas, Under the order of the Commissioners, the township was organized as a political community, and it is much to he regretted that the reconls of the earl}- organization cannot be found. The township was settled rapidly with industrious and useful inhabitants. They realized that schools and the means of instruction were essential to good ^vernment. " and accordingly churches and schoolhouses were erected in every neighborhood, or religious exercises were held in private houses.

From the best information that can be had, the first election in the township was held on Monday, April 1, 1810. at the house of William Henry, at which William Henry and Daniel Hov were elected Justices of the I'cacc : Stephen Harris, Daniel Hoy and Peter Slusser, Trustees ; Thomas (Jhapman and Henry Clapper, Supervisors of Highways; Adam Lower and William Crites, Fence \'iewers ; Andrew Augustine, House Appraiser ; William Henr\-, Treasurer ; Stephen Harris, Constable ; Peter Johnson, Township Clerk,

At this time the township embraced a large amount of territory in fractional sections adjoining the ri\er which became parts of Perry, Lawrence, Jackson and F'ranklin, the latter township being now the southwestern township of Summit County, as it was the northwestern township of Stark previous to 1840, when, bjact of the General .\ssembly of Ohio, it was taken from Stark to help Summit to the constitutional amount of territorj- to make a count}'. Hence it will appear in man}' instances that the same persons were original settlers in two or more townships. For example, Stephen Harris, William Crites, Henry Clapper, Daniel Clapper and John Clapper, lirsl settled in what is now Lawrence Township, and, except Mr. Harris, never moved away from their first entry of land west of the river, until after Lawrence was organized, in 1816. When Tuscarawas Township was reduced to its legal number of sections b\' the organization of other townships, Mr. Harris, as appears hereafter, sold his land in Lawrence, purchased property in Tuscarawas, on the hill south of Lawrence Station, on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Kailway, removed into that township, and remained there until his death. He lived to an old age. and was prominently iilentitied with the growth and prosperity of the county, as will be seen by a personal sketch of that gentleman, of peculiar interest, derived from a source that entitles it to the highest credit.

Among the very early settlers west of the Tuscarawas Kiver and before the organization of the township was Michael Oswalt ; the Indians disturbed him and he went back to Columbiana County, but soon returned and represented .'^tark Count}' in the House of Representatives many years. He was an upright man, and discharged his duty according to the best of his ability. During his term of .service in the House of llepresentatives, the great question of State internal improvement, by canal navigable, came up, and during its preliminary stages, Mr, Oswalt voted for it. On its final passage. the hue and cry that had become general throughout the county against it so alarmed him that he voted against it. He lived, however, to see the Ohio Canal opened, and navigable to the now city of Massillon, when he joined in the popular feeling in its favor, and insisted that the Ohio Canal was his haby. In 1836, he sold his land in what had then liecome Perry Township, and moved to Fairfield County, where he ended his days, a respected citizen of that excellent count}'.

Among the survivors of the early days of the township is Alvah Wood, born at Brookfield, (.'linton (.'ount}', New Yoi'k, May 5, 1795. This venerable gentleman is now a member of the farail}' of William Walter, in the southern portion of the township. Henevcr was married. By his labor and economy, he acquired a farm which now supports him comfortably. With his father, Jonathan Wood, a Revolutionary soldier, he came into the township in 1819, and, with the interegnum presently noticed, has been a resident ever since, for the full period of sixtyeight years, and is believed to be the oldest person in the township. The writer of these sketches is indebted to him for many facts touching the earh- settlement of this township.

In 18(19, James Eldredge entered the southwest quarter of Section 25. at the land oflice at Canton, and paid all in silver. Between that period and 1813. Robert Barr entered the fractional Section, now in Perrj* Township, in which is located the celebrated Warmington Coal Mines, and, in order to facilitate the transit across the Tuscarawas River, established the fording known as " Barr's Fording." near where is now the iron bridge. Robert Barr is yet remembered as a genial Irishman, whose house was never clo.sed to the new-comer seeking a home in the then wilderness. He was one of those who had left the land of the harp and shamrock during the rebellion of 1798. and found a home at last in the then dense forest on the west side of the great county of Stark, now numbering its GO. 000 inhabitants. He removed west, after selling his possessions in this township, and aided in building up another portion of the great empire, the success of which is renowned alike in song and in story.

the march of civilization. He located in what is now Lawrence Township, but did not remain, for the reason that the ' count}' was too thickly settled ; he could hear his neighbor's dog bark, and it was so cleared up that he could not fell a tree at his door for firewood." " AVild game was plenty," say.-i Mr. Wood, -' wolves, deer, bears, wild cats and turkeys were plenty, and among the Nimrods were Charles Dougal and Solomon Wilson, who never traveled anywhere without a rifle, powder horn, shot pouch, and a sheath-knife suspended to a belt. When game was killed too large to be can'ied home, it was thoroughly bled, the entrails removed, and the carcass hung to a limb, and, under the common law of hunters, it was safe for the owner to call for it. with tlie means of tansporting it home. He who would disturl) it, did so at the peril of his life, if ever found out. As the county was settled, Dougal and Wilson went where civilization had made fewer inroads. Mr. Wood has resided in Tuscarawas Township, since 1813. excepting three or four years, when he returned east, and remained in Vermont. He is now at the age of eighty-six, enjoying excellent health and a clear memory of many events of the early settlement of the township. In those days there were few mills in what now constitutes the township of Franklin, Summit County, Lawrence, Jackson, I'erry and Tuscarawas, Stark County. On Newman's Creek, in Lawrence were two, Roger's and Grundy's being the first, and the}' of limited capacity. (Joudy's mill was erected in 181 2, of wouden gearing, which was constructed by two young millwrights, one of whom. John Crail, died within ten years last past, and was the father of Mrs. Fletcher, of Massillon. When the young men reached the Tuscarawas River, on their waj- to their job, the ferryman proposed to charge them 50 cents each for carrying them across. Unwilling to pay such a price, they waded the river and carried their tools and saved their money. After finishing their job for Col. Goudy, they went m Kendal, and, in 1814. built the dam across Sippo Creek, which supplied the water ff>r the mill of Capt. Mayhur I'^olgcr. referred to in the History of Perry Township. Mr. (!rail was well known to the writer, as an upright and useful citizen, who life-long contributed his share to the common weal. The mill he built for Col. Goudy passed through many owners, was repaired and iron

The first licensed minister of the Gospel in the township was the Rev. Edward Ii. Otis, a Baptist, who settled in the sonthern portion of the township prior to 181(1, as his name appears in the census for that deceimial period, and who had the stated preaching of the Gospel at the houses of the five neighbors in that portion of the township. The second minister who came into the township was the Rev. James Dixon, who was appointed to Tuscarawas circuit, Nov 1, 1810, the district being known as Muskingum District of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the conference being known as the Western Conference ; and since the coming of the Rev. James Dixon, the township has never been without preaching by some minister of that church.

p]lder Otis was born in Massachusetts in 176(5, was a son of Stephen Otis, who was a Major on the staflTof (Jen. Joseph Warren, when Gen. Warren fell at the battle of Bunker Hill, Maj. Otis being also severely wounded (Jn recovering from his wounds he was attacked by small pox, which carried him off', (ien. Elder Otis' wife, Mary, was born April IS, 1770. Their famih- was Lois Otis, married to Thomas Eldridge ; Ezekiel Otis, married to Widow Stansbury ; Jesse Otis, married to Charlotte Davy ; Phebe Otis, married tf) George Allman ; .Mary Otis, ma:ried to William I larding, well remembered as a wagon-maker in Kendal, in Perry Township, in 182G; Merrill Otis, married to Hannah Piersoll ; Edward Otis, married to Sarah 8hul.b ; MarillaOtis, who was married to James Kilgore, a son of William Kilgore. On the death of Marilla, Mr. Kilgore married Miss Olive Dean, of the Pigeon Run settlement. Elder Otis organized the first Baptist Church in Stark Count}-, and which, as nearlyas can be ascertained, was known as Pigeon Run Baptist Church. Among the members were Curtis Downs, Jacob Cox, his family and sister, Jonathan Wood and his familj- of six or seven, Thomas, Charles and John Rigdon, and their families, cousins of Elder Sidney Rig<lon, wiio afterward became prominent as a Mormon Elder. They also had a cousin George, a plain, blunt man, whose integrity of character compelled him to speak out just what he thought, no matter who might be hit and hin't. Oil one occasion, at a meeting of Elder Otis' church and congregation, for praj-er and conference, the Elder called on the brethren and sisters present to tell their religious experience. George had taken a seat in a remote corner of the room and listened attentively to the tribulations, trials and wrestlings with the adversary, of those who spoke, and finally the Elder said to him, Brother Rigdon, haven't you something to tell us concerning what the Lord has done for you since our last meeting '?" George sprang to his feet and in his peculiar manner said, " Brother Otis, I'll be dang'd if 1 came here to lie, " and immediately sat down. The Elder made a closing prayer and dismissed the congregation.

Death and removals have long since scattered the Pigeon Itun Baptist Church. The history of thi? township immediatelj- following its organization is strongly marked by the incoming of the Presbyterian element, among whom were Ebenezer Shaw, John Warden, his brother Robert Warden (who now became permanent settlers), William Johnson, Nathaniel McDowell, John Forsythe, Archibald Steele, James Irvin, Robert Noble, Daniel Hoy, Charles Hoy, Robert McDowell, James McDowell, William Donahey, the Tiltons, McFaddens, Evanses, Fultonsand Lytles. Col. John McDowell, who afterward moved into Sugar Creek Township, Wayne Count}', as did William Erwin. There were a number of families by name of Porter, from Western Pennsylvania, who settled west of the river, who, when Lawrence Township was organized in 1816, found themselves in that township, where they remained.

Ebenezer Shaw will be remembered with all the other Presbyterians named, as one of the true men of Tuscarawas Township. He came into the new territory of Stark County with Robert Latimer and Daniel Carter, in 1806, and entered land about four miles east of the now city of Canton. On that farm Mr. Shaw had two .sons born - James and Abraham F. James studied for the ministry, and was called to the church at Windham, Portage County. Shorthafter, he was ordained, and if the memory of the writer be not at fault, he remained the Pastor over that church until his death, a few years since. He was an early graduate of Western Reserve College, and spent a long and faithful life in his Master's .service. He was born in 1807. and at his death had nearlj- or quite filled out the tlnxH^score and ten years allotted to man. His brother, Abraham F. Shaw, resides at Savannah, Ashland County-, at the age of seventy, and is one of the worthy citizens of that eoiintj', deservedly enjoying tlie esteem and confidence of a large circle of friends. Many of the early Scotch-Irish Presbyterians settled in the northern part of the township, by means of which the neighborhood took the name of Dublin, a name the school-district bears today, and Dublin Schoolliouse is a historic landmark. The elder stock of the McDowells has of course passed awa}-, but with all the rest of that class, including the Erwins, they left a name the excellence of which is transmitted to their posterity. Most of them moved into the township about the same time, 1815 and 181(j. On getting into the township and providing a hou5e of the rudest kind for their families, their nest care was to see to it that a house for religious worship should be erected, previous to which the preaching was at Mr. Shaw's in the winter, and in the summer at Mr. Daniel Hoy's barn. The first Presbyterian preacher was Kev. James Ad;ims, from Dalton. Wayne County. The rrcsbytcrian Church of Pigeon Run was organized in 1S20, although it is somewhat certain that a church edifice was built much earlier on Mr. Shaw's land, as Robert Noble assisted in hewing the logs, of which it was built, in 1816. On the organization of the church in 1820, which was done in the barn of El)enezer Shaw, William Johnson, Nathaniel i^IcDowell and Ebenezer Shaw were chosen Elders. At this time. Rev. Archibald Hanna was Pastor of Mount Eaton. Fredericksburg and Pigeon Run Churches, one-third of the time being devoted to each, at a salary of $400, one-half to be paid in wheat, at 50 cents per bushel. That portion allotted to the Pigeon Run congregation, to be paid in wheat, was to be delivered at Mr. Shaw's ; from there Mr. Hanna had it hauled to market, and sold it at 40 cents, taking pay in such articles as merchants would give in exchange, for in those days wheat would not command money at any price, nor did it command money until 1820. after the opening of navigation on the canal, the market lieing at the new city of Massillon.

Mr. Shaw donated three acres of his land for a church and burial place, or, in the language of those days, a "burying ground," on which the hewed log edifice was erected, and u.sed summer and winter, without a stove.

"There we sat,' sa^-s Abraham F. Shaw, Esq., in a late letter to the writer of these reminiscences, 'in the winter time, during a long service of about two hours, trembling with cold, and the preacher trembled too. The word of the Lord was precious in those days." After Rev. Mr. Hanna, came Rev. James Snodgrass, who is supposed to be the last settled minister over that congregation. He came from Jefferson Count}', and died while discharging the duties of the pastorate at that church. Death and removals have sent that church out of existence. In a further account of the manner in which the preaching of the Gospel was delivered to the Presbj'terians then, Mr. Shaw says : "After some time, the people were able to buy a stove and as much pipe as would reach through the gallery floor. The smoke all remained in the house. It was hard to tell which was the more endurable, the smoke or the cold."

The first school taught in that neighborhood was taught by Adam Johnson. He taught in a small house with a large fire-place and greased paper windows, on Section 10. The teacher's knowledge was limited, and the branches he taught were few. The shorter catechism was learned, and had to be recited every Saturilay afternoon, by the whole school.

First, and prominent among the settlers of this township, was Andrew Poe, and was elected a Justice of the Peace at the second Justice's election. Mr. Foe's remote paternal ancestor immigrated to this country in 1745, from the Palatinate, and settled on Antietam Creek, Md., whore his wife died. He was afterward murdered by one of his teamsters on the road between his home and Baltimore. He left four children ;

II. Andrew Poe, born in the Palatinate, in 1739; came to this country with his parents, and, .some time after his father's death, went further west, to what is now Washington County, Penn. He was in the Arin3'of the Revolution, married and had a family. Some of his descendants aie now living in Ravenna. Portage Co. He was engaged in the fight with Big Foot and his band of Wyandots, in 1782, at the mouth of Tomlinson's Run, on the Ohio River, in Hancock County. W. \a. He was the person who had the individual fight with Big Foot and one other Indian, and not Adam, as usually stated.

III. Catharine Poe was born in tlie Palatinate, and came to this conntrv with iier parents. She subseqnently Joinetl her brother in Wasiiintctoii County, Penn. Rut little is known of her history.

IV. Adam I'oe, burn 171.'), at sea, while the family was on its way to this country. Some time after his Father's death, he also joined his brother Andrew, in Washington County, Penn. He married Elizabeth Cochran, who was tiorn in February, 175U. on the northwest coast of Ireland, whose first husband - Cochran - was killed by Indians, on the Ohio River, opposite East Liverpool. Ohio. Adam was also in the fight with Big Foot, and was the penson who actually shot that Indian. He died September 23, 1838, at the age of 93. at the house of his SOD Andrew Poe, In this township, and is buried at Sixteen Church. His widow died in tin; same house. December 27. 1844. aged eightyeight years and ten months, and is buried by his side. They had several children, among whom was Andrew Poe, born November 12, 1780. in \Va.shington County. Penn., who married, September 8, 1808. Nancy Hoy, born June fi. 1779, in Vork County, Penn., the daughter of ("harles Hoy. They settled in Columbiana County, Ohio, and, in 1812, the familj- moved to Tuscarawas Township, Stark Co., where he died, August 12, 1851. aged seventy years and nine months, in the same house where his father and mother died, and was buried at "Sixteen Church," His wife died in the same house, March 29, 1865. aged eighty-five years, nine months and twenty-three davs. They had children :

I.-II. Sarah and Adam Poe. twins, born July 12, 1804, in Columliiana County, Ohio. Sarah married John .Montgomery, of the same county ; had several children, and is dead. Adam married and had three children. He was a well-known Methodist preacher and D. D., and died some years since, at Cincinnati.'beingat the head of the Jlethodist Book Concern" in that city, at that time,*

III. " Elizabeth, born March 20. 180U, in Columbiana County, married John Gaver, of the same county, and had children. They went to the Southwest, and she is now dead.

IV. Charles, born September 20, 1807, in Columbiana County, Ohio ; married in Stark (!ounty, Ohio, May 31, 1831, to Susanna Warner, liorn November 5, 1817, at Loudon. Franklin Co., Penn. H(! died in Coshocton County, December 14, 1852, and his widow died March 21, 1881, in Stark County. Ohio, They had five children :

I, Orlando Metcalf born March 7, 1832, on the farm now owned l)y Hon. Thomas W . Chapman, in Bethlehem Township, in this county ; entered the United States Military Academy, at West Point, September, 1852, from the distiict then composed of Knox, Coshocton and Holmes Counties; graduated June. 1856. and was aijpoiuted a Lieutenant in the corps of topographical engineers, where he remained until March, 1863, when, by the consolidation of that corps with the corps of engineers, he became a Captain in the resulting organization, and a Major March 7, 1867. He was brevetted Major July C, 1864, for gallant services at the siege of Knoxville, Tenn.; Lieutenant-Colonel, September 1, 1864, for gallant services in the capture of .\t,lan(a, (i a.; Colonel, Dec, 21, 1864, for gallant services in the capture of Savannah ; Brigadier General, March 13, 18G5, for gallant and meritorious services, terminating with the surrender of the insurgent army, under Gen. Joseph I'l Johnston. He also hold the following appointments in the volnuleer service during the war: Colonel Second 51 ichigau Infantry, from September 16, 1861, to November 29. 1862, and Brigadier (ieneral of volunteers from November 29. "l 862. to .March 4, 1863. Also, the following staff appointments; Chief Topographical Engineer Department of the; Ohio during the campaign of Gen. McClelland, its Commander, inW. \irginia. May 13. to July 25. 1861. Rich Mountain cami)aign, (.'hieC Engineer Department of the Ohio, commanded by G(>n. Bnrnside September 27, to December 15, 1863, during which he conducted the defensive oi)erations at the siege of Knoxville, Tenn.; Chief Engineer on the staff of (ien. Sherman. Comnuiuding .Military Division of the .Mississippi, from April 3, 1864, to June 29, 1865. covering the Atlanta campaign, the march to the sea. and the campaign of the Carolinas. and was in the following actions; battle of Hich Mounlain. W. Va.. July 11, 1861; fight at Lewinsville, ^'a,. September, 1861 ; siege at Yorktown. Va., April 5 to May 4, 1 862 ; battle of Williamsburg, ^'a.. Mav 5, 1862; battle of

Fair Oaks, Va., May 31, 1862 ; second battle of Bull Run, A^a., August 29-30, 1862 ; battle of Fredericksburg. Md., December 13,1862; battle of Blue Springs, E. Teun., October 10, 1862 ; siege of Knoxville. E. Tenu., November 18, to December 4, 1862; siege of Dalton, Ga., May 7, to May 14. 1864 ; battle of Resaca. Ga., May 15, 1864; Adairsville, Ga.. May 17, 1864; Kingston, Ga., Mav 19, 1864; battle of New Hope Church, Ga", May 20, 1864 ; battles of Dallas, Ga., May 25-28, 1864 ; battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Ga., June 20, to July 2, 1864; battle of Ruff"s Station, Ga., July 4, 1864; battle of Atlanta, Ga., July 22, 1864 ; siege of Atlanta Ga., July 22, to August 25. 1864 ; battle of Jonesboro, Ga., August 31. 1864 ; Sandersville, 6a., November 26, 1864 ; siege of Savannah, Ga., December 9-21, 1864 ; battle of Averysboro, N. C, March 16. 1865 ; battle of Bentonsville, N, C, March 20-21, 1865 ; capture of Raleigh, N. C, April 13, 1865; and was present at the surrender of Gen. J. E. Johnston, commanding the rebels, to Gen. Sherman, at Durham, N. C, April 26, 1865. For the five years preceding the war, he was engaged upon the survey of the Northern and Northwestern lakes. After the war, he was Engineer Secretary of the Lighthouse Board ; from July 3, 1865, to May 1, 1870 ; then Engineer Eleventh Lighthouse District, Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior, aud in ciiarge of River and Harbor Improvements from Detroit to Lake Superior, from Maj* 1, 1870, to May 1, 1873, during which time he designed and began the enlargement of the Sault Ste. Marie Ship Canal, and built Spectacle Reef, L. H., two of the principal engineering works of the day. From January 1, 1873, he has been aid de camp to the General of the army of the United States, with the rank of Colonel of Cavalry, and since January 19, 1874, has been, in addition, a member of the Lighthouse Board of the United States.

Gen. Poe was married at Detroit, Mich., June 17, 1861, to Eleanor Carroll Brent, born August 26, 1843, second daughter oC/, the late Thomas Lee Brent, of toiHei*H*a, Captain United States Army, and they have children.

4. Rebecca Anne, born Decemjjer 14, 1843, at Rochester, Stark County, Ohio; married to Reuben Z. Wise, and now living at Middle Branch, Stark County.

V-VI. Daniel and George J. Poe, twins, born in Columbiana County October 12, 1809. Daniel married, became a Methodist preacher, and, previous to the Mexican war, whilst a missionarj- in Texas, died with his wife on the same day, leaving three children, one boy and two girls ; they all grew to adult age. Andrew was killed during the war, nearKenesaw Jlountain, in Georgia. George married Miss Bowman, of this township, aud has several children, and now resides at Bowling Green, Wood County, Ohio; all the boys served during the war.

VIL Andrew, born in Columbiana County, Ohio ; married Mary Sweeny, of Canton. They had children who died in infancy. He died manyyears since.

VIII. Eleanor, born September 10, 1813, in this township ; married Nathan Lash, of Sugar Creek Township, and is now a widow, living at Bowling Green.

IX. John, born in this township June 14, 1815 ; twice married, and killed on the railroad track at Massillon, being run over by a passing train. His family resided in this township until within two years past, when thej' removed to Kansas. He left a widow and three sons.

XII. Joseph Robb, born April 11, 1824, also in this township ; married, but had no children, and is now dead. And this closes the record of one of the most remarkable families that has ever lived in the township, Andrew

Poe was a man of strongly niarkotl character, a good neighbor and kind friend, with many eccentricities that will not be forgotten. His excellent wife, Nancy, will be remembered as a woman of nolile physique and a face of remarkable beauty, that is recognized in her grandchildren.

Tlie 3-ear 1814 was marked by immigration into the township from Northern New York, away on the borders of A'ermont, among wliom were Stephen Thacker and family, William Eldredge and family ; his sons' names were William and Nathan, the latter cf whom is well remembered as a man of character. His widow, Catharine, a daughter of Stephen Thaeker, yet lives in the township, a member of the family of her nephew. William MotHt. Esq. Henry Doxsee and family, Jehiel Fox, a brother inlaw of Henry Doxsee, and family, Aliel Stafford, Thomas Eldridge, Jr., Thomas Eldridge, Sr., appeared to have been in the township at its organization, as were James and Stephen Eldre<lge. All of these families were a noble class of people ; a son and daughter, two sons-in-law, and a daughter-in-law, wife of Isaac Doxsee, now reside in Massillou. Eleanor, wife of Henry Doxsee, shortly after the family had got settled in their cabin, in the Pigeon Run neighborhood, went to see some neighbors at the little hamlet called sometimes Wintersville, but which has settled down into Brookfield, and, as usual, rode through the woods on a '- bridle path," as the avenues were called, on horseback ; wide roads, except the main road from Pittsburgh to the Great West, being unknown, and, staying later than she intended, started about dark for home. She had just gotten into the densest portion of the forest when the howl of wolves fell upon her ear. Her horse understanding that " The De'il had business on his hand," started at once ; the howl increased. The horse knowing the path, was left to his own guidance ; Mrs. Doxsee's only care was to keep her seat in the saddle. The wolves came almost alongside, as the '- clearing" about Mr. Doxsee's residence was reached. When the wolves seemed to know that they were toiled, they stopped, gave one long doleful howl of disappointment, and abandoned the chase. The horse, however, never stopped until he reached the cabin door, and landed his rider in safety. Jehiel Fox settled in Brookfield ; was a carpenter 1)3' trade, and one of the first in the township ; was also elected Justice of the Peace, and it is supposed, taught the first school in that neighborhood. His daughter, Eliza, wife of James Bayliss, Esq., resides on '- the section " in the township. This couple celebrated their golden wedding Jan. 1, 1881.-

The fust tavern in the township was kept by William Byal, who was also a shoemaker by trade, an expert with the rifle, never failing to bring down a deer or other game that came in his wa\-. Next to hiin, closely in point of time, was Peter Voris, as a tavern keeper, father of the late Hon. I'eter Voris, an Associate Judge, many years ago, in Summit County, who was father of Gen. A. C. Voris. of Akron. Judge \'oris died within a few years past, at Maltoon, Illinois. William and Thomas Dean, two brothers, were also of the pioneer settlers and pioneer Methodists on the banks of Pigeon Hun, east of Section 16, which was near the («nter of the township. Each neighborhood had its distinctive features. The people from the settlement, " where Doxsee, Eldriilge and the Essex County, New York, people lived, could be identified in a moment, as could those from the northern portion of the township, who were from Washington County, Pennsylvania. The Baptists, south of I'igeon Run, were another class, but all had the .same object in view, 'the encouragement of schools and the means of instruction." In Doxsee's neighborhood. William Lawson taught the first school. The first blacksmith in the township was Francis Smith ; his brother, Ethan Smith, was the first tanner; he died in 1825, and was a worthy member of the Society of Friends (Quakers.) The first tavern in Brookfiekl was kept by Philip Slusser, which gave the place the name of Slusst'r's Tavern, as Brookfield never was laid out, and never did as a village. The Pennsylvania Dutch element was not behind in aiding to develop the township. In 1812, Frederick, Peter and John Oiierlin came in from the Cumberland Valley, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. They were good and true men, and left a posterity numerous and worthy, who have not failed to vindicate the good name of their ancestry. Their immediate lelatives, by marriage, were Frederick Rodocker, Jacob Fry and George Gilbei't, who, with the Oberlins, were heads of families, Jacob Fry was the proprietor of Greenville, Of this class were the Hitters, Daniel, Jonas and David, and were among the early settlers.

When the township was reduced to its constitutional limits, Daniel Ritter was found to be in Periy Township, where he resided until his death.

One of the remarkable families of this township was that of Conrad Neustetter, who was one of the 17,000 Hessians that came over in the war of the Revolution, and was surrendered to (Jen. Washington and the French forces at Yorktown, Ya., in 1781. After the surrender he remained, under his parole, in Virginia, but not relishing human chattelship, he concluded to go wliere there was neither slavery nor involuntary .servitude, except for crime." and find a new home. Where could he have gone to carrj- out his ideas of human rights so well as to Ohio, the first-born of the Ordinance of July 13, 1787? He had three sons - Henry, C^onrad and Joseph - and four daughters, all of whom had families, and have left a numerous posterity. While there were few of what were known as the Pennsylvania Dutch in the township at its organization, within two years the tide of immigration to Tuscarawas Township, from Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, York, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lehigh, and the central counties of Penns3'lvania, rolled onward until that element equalled in numbers an} other in the township; and as agriculturists thej- had no superior, as the broad acres under cultivation show. That tide of immigration continued for many years. The first quarter of a century after the organization of the town was especiall}' and favorably marked by that class, from the counties of Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and Cumberland. The prophecy of Berkley, Bishop of Cloyne. was fulfilled so far as this township was concerned :

" Westward the .star of empire takes its way. The tirst four acts already past. The fifth shall close the drama and the day, Time's noblest offspring, is the last."

After navigation was open on the Ohio Canal to Massillon, and business, generally on the west side of the county and including Wayne County, as well as on the north and south of Massillon, began to center at that point. Judge Henry, who had for maiiy years prior to 1826, been the merchant of Perry Township, finding his occupation gone, concluded he could put Brookfield into competition with Massillon. and about 1830 moved to Brookfield. opened a store determined to intercept western trade. Finding that that plan would not succeed, he determined to erect a steam flouring-mill, saw-mill and woolen manufactory, and which was the first and only establishment of the kind in the township. Meanwhile, Massillon had got a start as the great shipping point for all kinds of produce and woolen manufactures, which rendered the Brookfield Steam Flouring-mill and Woolen Manufactory, dead capital. In order to place the business in the hands of a younger and an energetic person, Judge Henry put what capital he had invested in the Brookfield enterprise into the hands of his .son-in-law, C. B. Cummins, but he could not command success so near to Massillon. and the result was the enterprise was abandoned, and Mr. Cummins took his stock in trade to that city, where he continued until 1854, when he went out of business. Judge Henry, being out of business at the abandonment of the Brookfield investment, moved to Wooster, Wayne Co., and ended his days at the age of eighty years, and thus ended the competition between Brookfield and Massillon, There is not one stone left upon another to indicate that business of the character above described was ever carried on there. The machinery was taken out and sold, the buildings torn down, and at this writing there are few living who worked on the premises.

The first post-office in the township was at the village of Greenville, and William Byal was the first Postmaster. As it paid but a small salary, although the Postmaster was entitled to thirty per centum of the receipts for letter postage and fifty per centum on newspapers and periodicals, Mr. Byal resigned in 1828, and there being no one to take the office, it was discontinued, and the etieets belonging to it were taken to Massillon. It has, however, been re-established by the name of East Greenville.

Prominent among the early settlers who laid the foundations of the gi'eat moral structure of the township were William and Thomas Dean, brothers ; Peter Johnson, Wesley Hatton. William Henry, Seth Hunt, Thomas Eldredge, Stephen Thacker, and family. Rev. Josiah Foster, Peter Johnson, and all the other Methodists in the township. In 1810, a society was formed at once on the arrival of the preacher. Rev, James Dixon, and amid all the changes it has remained. The few Methodists on the East side of the river at Kendal, came into this township for worship, until in 1824. when the Pittsburgh Conference was erected, and Canton circuit was organized in 1824. In 1816, the Huckett brothers, their mother and sister, came into the township, but one of whom, Andrew, remains. He now, at the age of seventj"-six, lives in tiie city of Massillon, having lived in this and Perrj- Township sixty-six years. The brothers were John, William. Reese?. Andrew, Christian, David and Simon. Their father. Andrew, came into the township in 1811, from Fayette County. Penn.. and brought a wagonload of the household goods of his father-inlaw. Christian Bates, who moved into the township. He then returned to I'ennsylvania and came to Ohio again in 1812, and died in 1814. Christian Bates died in the township, leaving two sons, Adam and Andrew, who maj- be classed among the first of the township's settlers.

The sturdy Dutch settlers from Pennsylvania were generally, in their religious connections, German Reformed and Lutheran ; and in neighborhoods where neither were able to erect a church edifice, the two would join hands and erect a building, and worship in it on alternate Sabbaths, until each congregation was able to build for itself In 1819, George Krider came into the township, bringing with him a family. He, too, was from Pennsvlvania, and with his family contributed largely to the development of the township as tillers of the soil and mechanics. Samuel Krider. a son, has been twice a member of the House of Representatives, in the General Assemblj- of Ohio, and is now a Justice of the Peace.

Tuscarawas was not behind in the elements of advancing civilization. It had the first distillery west of Canton in which whisky was made. Col. Isaac Taylor being the proprietor. He was Colonel of one of the regiments in the Third Brigade and Sixth Division of Ohio Militia, and as such was distinguished, for in those days a Colonel " on the peace establishment ' was regarded as a man of parts. The militia S3Stem sank into discredit, and the Colonel ran the distillery until it ran him so nearly into the ground that he disjioscd of it.- It ran through successive ownerships until it fell into the hands of Elder Frederick Freeman, who distilled whiskv- during the week and preached Baptism by immersion, for the remission of sin's, on Sunday. There are a few yet living in the township who have drank of his whisky and listened to his preat^hing. The distillery finally ran down before the enlightened progress of better ideas.

Among the earnest men. and who were among the first to open up the forest on the west side of the county, was Stephen Harris. While it is a matter of doubt whether it was Steplien Harris or the brothers John and Rolierl Worden who were the first to make a permanent settlement on the west side of the river, it is certain that on the reducing of the townships of Tuscarawas and Lawrence to their proper limits, Mr. Harris was in Lawrence and the Wordens were in Tuscarawas. It is equally certain that they were all within the territorv known as the New Purcha.sc, in 1807. which was belV.re the organization of the county.

Mr. Harris was born in FJizabethtown, N.J., August 21, 1780. His paternal ancestry was English, and his mother a Scotch woman, a relation of Gavin Hamilton, of Mauchline. the friend and patron of Robert Burns, the Ayrshire plowman, and the same familj- as Alexander Hamilton, who fell in the duel at Wcehawken, N. J., in 1804. with Aaron Burr, and whose father emigrated to the island of Nevis, in the West Indies.

She (his mother) was a woman of line physique and appearance, and rare mental gifts, though in humble life, and engro.ssed in the care of rearing twelve children. Soon after the close of the Rovolutionary war. his father, who served as a soldier in that struggle for the vindication of the rights of man, moved with his young family, Stephen being but six years of age, to Washington County, I'enn., where the subject of this sketch worked on a farm until he was twentv'-one. He then worked for himself in various pursuits, sometimes as a farm hand, sometimes as a boatman on the Ohio River, and for some time was engaged in the ginseng trade, at Maysville, Ky.. in which he saved money enough to enter a considerable bodj' of land in the vicinity of Lawrence station, on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railwaj-, in the now township of Lawrence, being the northwestern township in Stark County, which entrv was made at the land ottice. at Steubenville. When Mr. Harris arrived at the spot, where is now the city of Canton, and coiintj' seat of this county, on his way to his new home, there were but three or four cabins to mark

History Of Stark Coua'Ty

About 1 00 rods northeast of the present vilhige of Lawrence, he commenced a ' clearing.' The first winter he had no feed for his cows and .young cattle, but subsisted them upon browse; he would cut the j'ouug linden, sometimes called basswood, tree, and soft maples, and the cattle would follow him as he went with his as on his shoulder on a cold morning, on his way to the woods, waiting and watching for their provender, rushing for the tree-top as soon as it fell. He was civil to the Indians, of whom there were many, and, of course, received civility in return. In the winter of 1812, this region was visited by an earthquake. Newman's Creek, so named for Jacob Newman, a pioneer government survej'or, was covered with thick ice. Mr. Harris was awakened from his sleep late one night by a crashing noise rapidly approaching from the east ; it was the breaking of the ice, occasioned by a swift, passing wave, which flew by Mr. Harris' cabin, which stood on the bank of the creek, and was lost in tlie distance on its western course in a moment, the rocking of the cabin and crashing of the ice, producing fear, which vanished with the cause of it, and all was quiet. After clearing and improving the farm first entered, Mr. Harris sold it at an advanced price, and purchased a half section of land in the northwestern corner of this township, which he improved and owned until near the close of his life. It is believed that he built the first brick house in the county west of the Tuscarawas River. This farm was, and is, famous for the fertility of its soil, good crops aild excellent fruit, and in this connection it should be said that it was owned and worked by one of the most scientific and practical farmers of his day.

The unwritten law of those days was to keep open house, or, to use a modern expression, the " latch-string hung outside." With Mr. Harris, the " latch-string not only hung outside," but the front door was open, and, as Massillon and Canton grew into notoriety, the residents of those villages always found a warm welcome at Mr. Harris' delightful home. The visitors Were the pioneers of Canton and Perry Townships, as Mr. Harris was of Lawrence and Tuscarawas, and when they met, they delighted to discuss the history of the perils and privations through which each had passed in the acquisition of a new home. Those meetings established a friendsliip that was only severed by death. Those hardy pioneers are all gone, but not forgotten.

Mr. Harris died at the age of eighty-two, while temporarily residing with his daughter, Mrs. William Finley, in Chippewa Township, Wayne Co., Ohio. Mrs. Finley was the mother of Hon. Ebenezer B. Finley, member of Congress from the Bucyriis District, Ohio.

Intellectually, Mr. Harris was far above the average of men who aspire to distinction in the learned professions. He was a man of fine physique and wonderful strength. He wore a number eight hat, and had a head that phrenologists pronounced a model.

As were most of the pioneer settlers of this township, Mr. Harris was of limited education, but by patient study he has stored his mind with choice history, English literature, especially the English poets, and science, and under such mental discipline, notwithstanding his life of toil, achieved the distinction of being considered a most agreeal)le gentleman in the social circle, and one whose colloquial talents were of a high order.

He and his wife, Sibyl Clark, were the parents of twelve children, ten of whom lived to be maiTied. Two of his sons have been members of the Legislature, a third is a successful practicing lawyer at Bucyrus, Ohio, where he was for some years a partner of the late Hon. Josiah Scott, formerly a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio. Of his grandsons, two are practicing law in ths city of Philadelphia ; one in Bucyrus, Ohio ; one in Chicago, and at present a member of the Legislature of Illinois ; and one great-grandson, a member of the bar at Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Harris was uncle and guardian of llev. William L. Harris, D. D., Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who made his home for some time in his uncle's family, and taught school in the McFarland District in 1845, near Lawrence. He (Stephen Harris) was a brother of Hon. John Harris, of whom mention is made in the Sketches of the Bench and Bar of Stark County," and who, from his long and active life, is necessarily mentioned in Canton, Perry, Tuscarawas and Lawrence history.

death he owed no man anything, and had disposed oChis estate among his heirs, so tliat the intervention of an executor or administrator was not necessar}'. Of course such a man commanded the respect and esteem of his neighbors and wliile good and useful men are remembered, iiis name will fill a place on the historic page witii that of tlie I'ioneers, who, amid toil and hardship, made

Tlie pioneer settlers of this township were men of the class of Mr. Harris ; they aimed to do right in all the relations of life, and the truth of historj- would not he vindicated without according to them due prominence. They were downriglit. manl3-. earnest and sincere. The result of their labors is eulogy enougli ; their story is told in tbese sketches exactly as it was.

Of the thirt3--six sections of land of which the township is composed, almost every quarter section is of a most excellent quality ; tiie surface produces cereals of (!very description, wliile building stone, limestone and mineral coal are found in exhaustless quantities, as the Warmingl<>n,(Trove Coal Com])any, Pigeon Run and .Massillon City Coal Companies attest, by the trains of cars daily loaded at and from their mines with tiie far-famed .Massillon coal, tl'c ecpial of which, nor the exhaustless quantities of which, are found elsewhere in the Tuscarawas Valle\'. Seventy-one years have gone by since the people of tiie township were organized into a political community, and it is safe to say, that for steadj- progress since that organization, Tuscarawas Township is the peer of any township in this great count}-. To attempt to enumerate its representative men now would be an effort that could not readily be accomplished. PuUlce it then to say that Tuscarawas Township has kept pace in the march of improvement with an}- township in the great county of which she is a menil)er. Her motto is : -No steps backward.'

''J HE people of to-day cannot realize the ex- 1 treme hardships encountered by the early settli-r. It is no trouble, while enjoying a sumptuous repast, or while occupying at full length the sofa in a pal;\c(! [larlor, to bring the picture of early trials before the gaze; but the mental and physical sutlVrings of the pioneers are lieyond conjecture, and can only be realized by participation. To be wMth but little food, and that of the coarsest and meanest quality ; to suffer continually from exposure to the inclement weather ; to be half-clothed ; to be denied all the ennobling influences of refined society ; to be compelled by tiie relentless force of necessity to work beyond your strength - all these were the common lot of tlie pioneer. It is a peculiar paradox in human conduct, to note that the old settler loves to recall the trials of early years. Should he not rather love to lianish from his mind the recollection of events which occasioned him so much suffering ? No, he loves to dream of the past; loves to li\e over again his early experiences. Ask an old settler, and, strange as it may seem, he will tell you he enjoyed life amid the dangers and privations of the backwoods. This can only bo accounted for hy saying that the mobile characteristic of human nature to adapt itself to any and all surroundings, rendered the life of tiie pioneer contented and happy.

Sugar Creek Township, whicli takes its name from the stream which drains the greater portion, is one of tlie best in the county. This is true not onl}- of the natural features, but of the character of the people within its limits. From its earliest years, the township has been full of push and pluck and precocit}'. During the (!arly stages of the last war. it furnished more volunteers than any other country portion of the county of the same limit. The character of the citizens for intelligence, morality, industry and enterprise, is second to no other part of Stark Countv. When the couiitv was first organized, in 180t», Sugar Creek was attached to Canton Township, and remained thus until March -1. 181(5. when the following action was taken by the County Commissioners : " Otderal, That that part of Range 10 in Stark County wiiich lies south of Township 12 in said range, be and the same is hereby erected into a separate township Ijy the name of Sugar Creek." The election of the first otticcrs was announced to be held at the residence of Adam Grounds, o 1 the first Monday in April, and notices of this election were posted up at Adam Grounds , Joseph Poj'feer's and Fisher's Mill. The following is a list of the land-holders in 1827, the greater number of whom resided in the township :

In addition to these, there were a number of prominent early settlers whose names do not appear in the above list. A few of the earliest settlers who first came in, became dissatisfied with their surroundings, and like a certain class of politicians, wanted a '- change." These men added their mite to the early improvement of Sugar Creek, and were undoubtedl}' the means of attracting settlers to their vicinity, according to the rule that " birds of a feather flock together." It is said upon authority uot to be doubted, that Jacob Grounds, who arrived in the township in 1808, was the first permanent settler. This well known settler had an unusual education for a back-woodsman, and during his long and eventful life was prominently connected with all public improvements. He came to the township immediately after it was surveyed, and, selecting a fine tract of land covered with a magnificent growth of sugarmaple trees (the Trubj' farm) cut and prepared logs for a rude dwellinir. The next thing was to secure assistance to raise the building. Families at Kendal, Canton and New Philadelphia were notified, two men responding from the former place, five from the next and three from the latter, the man from Canton being the Count}- Treasurer and the one from New Philadelphia being a lawyer. Here in this rude log dwelling, surrounded by the untouched forest and a great variety of wild and savage animals, the Grounds family lived in solitude for eighteen long months. They were dreary ones to the family, who were accustomed to better things in the Eastern States ; but they bore the trials and dangers without complaint, though many times they pressed upon them like the sphere of Atlas. At that time bears were quite numerous, occasionally dangerous, and often troublesome. They were not troubled with conscientious scruples, like a certain ecclesiastical sect, as regards the eating of swine's flesh. On the contrary they lost no opportunity of filling themselves to the muzzle with flesh of the genus Sus. Even as early as 1808, quite a number of swine ran wild in the woods, and ten years later they had become verj' numerous. They required no care from the settlers, as they could sustain themselves the year round on the enormous quantities of " mast '' that strewed tbe grouud at all seasons. The}' became very fat (.iuriiig tbe fall of the year, often attaining a weight of 500 pounds. They were ver^' wild and were about as difficult to kill as deer. Dispute.* about the ownership of swine were of frequent occurrence. Litters of pigs were raised in the depths of the woods, and were very likely not seen by the owners until they were half-grown. Extensive systems of earmarking were devised and adopted, though this did not wholly avoid angrj- contentions and occasional primitive law-suits. Stories told about the swine and vouched for by the earlysettlers are hard to believe. It is related by- Mr. Agler, of Beach City, whose father was one of the earliest settlers, tiiat William Smoyer. an eccentric old bachelor, who owned a large number of swine, assisted one day by Henry Wyant, another early settler, went into the woods to shoot several of his (attest swine. Perhaps Mr. Agler's father accompanied them. As they approached, quite a large herd of swine, with bristles erect and mouths open, made for the settlers, who immediately took to their heels. After running around until they were tired out, and findiug that the swine were more determined than ever to tear them in pieces, they finally treed to escape the savage animals. This had to be done quickly and the guns were neeessarilj- dropped. Here the men were compelled to remain, perched in the trees like owls, and no doubt looking owlish and feeling the

I whether the settlers obtained the desired swine on that occasion. Probably not, as soon afterward a large pen was built and a bait of corn

So far as known, the second settler in the township was Joshua ("arr. w-ho located in the northern part in 1810. He built a rough cabin, which was erected by settlers in neighboring townships, and into which his familjimmcdiately moved. Until about the year 1815, the settlers came in very slowly ; but by about 1823 almost or quite all the land in the township had been entered, largely l)y the men whose names appear above. Samuel Hale arrived in the township soon after (,'arr. the same j-ear, and within the next four or five 3'ears, there appeared Andrew Petro. David. Peter and John Weimer, John and (Jabriel Putnam, Joseph Payser. Jedediah and Calvin Brewster, John Mason. Jacob Heed, Michael Hoffacre, Abraham Beals, John B3-all. Benjamin and Aquila Carr, Michael Douds. Patrick Pelson, and several others, whose names are unfortunately forgotten. Calvin Brewster was elected Justice of the Peace at the first township election, and Joseph Paj-ser, Sr., Constable. Soon the township was dotted with log cabins, set in small clearings in the woods. Roads were mere i)aths through the thickets and forests, and during the wet seasons of the year were bottomless, or nearly so ; they wound around from cabin to cabin on the higher ridges, and rude log bridges were built across the smaller streams. At last, county roads were surveyed and fitted up for public travel, and after manj- years the township was crossed with a network of highways that served the purpose of veins and arteries in commercial life. Barbara Poyser, daughter of Jo.seph, died during the summer of 1812, and was buried on the Poj-ser farm. This was the first death in the township. The first marriage was that of John Reed, son of Jacob, to Mary Poyser. on the 18th of April, 18i:5, William' Henry, Ksq., performing the ceremony. The newly wedded couple a short time allerward moved to Cantt>n, where their lives were passed. The husband died in 1871, aged eighty-three years. The first birth was that of Jacob Poyser. in 1813. The first military training was that of a company of militia, of which John Byall was Captain. The parade or muster was at the residence of Jacob Reed, and being the first was greatl3- cnjoyed bv the settlers.

A joke was made bj' the two men, and the oxen were hitched together, and for a number of years this team answered all purposes for both families. A large tree was cut down, and oat of this were sawed four large solid wheels. These were furnished with openings in the center, through which the heavy axles passed, and tires of strong bark were fastened on the outer edge. The front axle was provided with a strong tongue : the hind wheels and fore wheels were coupled together ; and upon this rude structure was placed a rough wagon bed. This was the wagon owned in partnership by the two men. This is only one of manj- instances of a similar kind. Often the families suffered extremely on account of insufficient food or clothing. Sometimes they were compelled to live on a solitary article of food for weeks together. This seems a dreadful hardship, in view of the fiict that the system requires a change of diet comparatively often. Physiologists teach that three kinds of food are necessary to sustain life ; i. <-., albuminoids, fats and sugars. If either of these three be withheld from the diet, suffering, or even death, may follow. There is .seen a gradual wasting awaj' of the system, although the appetite continues good. This truth can be realized by attempting to make one or more meals on one article of food. It is why we don't relish bread without buttei'. or something answering the same purpose in the sj-stem. Potatoes are almost impalatable without grease. The latter alone would be worse. The sj-stem. through the medium of the appetite, demands these primarj- food elements in some form or other. The settlers would often have no bread of any kind for weeks at a time, and. when it did come, so great was the hunger of the family for it, that the whole grist was devoured within a few days, and the semi-starving process was repeated. If jour boy cries and sajs : " Ma, I want some butter on my bread," do not repel him. and at the same time tell him that the bread is all right without the butter. His appetite and system contradict you in language easilj' read, and not easily mistaken. It majbe seen from this that the settlers were constantly violating phj'siologieal laws, that in time would result disastrously to their systems. Mr. Agler saj's he has seen his mother time and again pound the corn that furnished the cake that was baked in the ashes of the fireplace, and that was their onlj- article of food for the meal. This was often rendered necessary, especially at certain seasons of the year, on account of the inabilitj of reaching some mill, where flour or meal could be obtained. The streams were different in early j'ears from what they are at present. The water was twice as slow in running off then, having the effect of doublnig the size of all streams. There were no bridges, as the floods swept away these frail structures of the pioneers. On these occasions the roads through the woods apparently drained all the land within several rods of them on either side. A new track ct)uld not be made without cutting down many trees and clearing awaj- large quantities of underbrush. Thus it was that settlers were obliged to do without flour, meal and other supplies until the roads became passable, which was often after months had elapsed, during which time the families subsisted as best thej- could. But little diflicultj' was experienced in getting an abundance of meat. Venison could be obtained in abundance as late as 1820. and. to some extent, ten or fifteen years later. But the flesh of the deer was too drj' without additional gi-ease. This was obtained from the swine. Every familj' usuallj- had on hand an ample supplj- of bacon and smoked hams. Indeed, it is s.aid that the settlers' diet consisted chiefly of pork, potatoes and corn-liread. No danger of starving on that diet. Judging from the physical appearance of the settlers, the conclusion is inevitable that enormous quantities of the above articles were consumed by the pioneers of Sugar Creek Township. The earliest settlers frequently enjojed the privilege of eating a delicious piece of bear steak. Although this meat is said to have a peculiar flavor, it is also said to be excellent. Adventures with bears and other wild animals are narrated. Among the noted hunters were Henrj- Willard and Daniel Truby. These men are said to have killed large numbers of bears. It is stated that Truby, on one occasion, killed four bears in almost as many minutes. He was a -- dead shot, " and was able to cock his rifle, raise it to his ej'e. take aim, and fire, in one motion. He apparently used his mouth for a bullet-pouch, as whenever he wanted a bullet it was obtained from that locality. It is stated that he was hunting one day on Sugar Creek, and, while walkiuii along with ear and eve on the alert to detect the presence of any desircfl jrame. his attention was arrested bv an unusual noise in a ravine near him. r^omethinsr seemed to be rnstlino: the dead leaves, and. as cautiously as an Indian, the hunter approached the spot to ascertain the cause. He reached the brink of the ravine, and peered over, and saw a large mother bear and two half-<rrown cubs. The mother was pawin«r up the leaves, and apparently covering some object with them, while the cubs rolled idly on the autumn- leaves. The hunter coolly took deliberate aim. and. as the sharp report rang out on the air. the mother fell to the ground, with a bullet through her head, in tlie agonies of death. The cubs ran to their de.id mother for that protection never before denic<l them, but the hunter (piickly dispatched them in turn by rapid shots from his unerring rifle. Mr. Truby was no novice at bear-hunting, and he well knew that Mr. Bear could not be far distant. He. therefore, concealed himself and patiently awaited the ap pearance of the bear whose family had been ruthlessly murdered. After two or more hours, and just before dark, he heard a shuffling in the leaves below him in the ravine, and a few moments later saw a large bear approaching. It came slowly on. and. when within aliout fifteen rods of the spot where its family had been left, it placed its fore-feet on a fallen tree, and. after sniffing the air a few times, uttered a peculiar whine. Not receiving the exppcte<l answer from its mate, it movetl on rapidly toward the scene of the tragedy. It reached the spot, and moved around among its kindred dead. and. aa Mr. Truby thought it might start off suddenly and elude him. he fired, giving it a mortal wound, and. walking up. gave it a second shot that stretched it dead on the leaves beside its family.

It is related of Henry Willard that, on one occasion, he kille<l a mother bear and two cubs under the following circumstances ; He owned a fine heifer, which ran in the woods with other cattle, and was the pride of its owner. While at his mill, on Sugar Creek, one day. he heard his heifer liawling as if in the greatest distress. He snatche<l up his rifle and ammunition in a hurry, and ran out through the wcxhIs toward the spot, rightly surmising the cause of the disturbance. As he approached the spf>t on the run. he saw that a large liear had thrown his heifer to the ground, and was busv tearing it with teeth and claws, despite the continued bawlings of the unfortunate animal. Mr. Willard did not hesitate long what to do. He took quick aim. and sent a bullet through the bear's head. The cubs were also immediately shot. The poor heifer, to the great sorrow of its owner, was so terribh' torn and lacerated that it was found necessary to shoot it. It was a long time before Mr. Willard recovered his wrath.

With the multiplication of settlers, industries began to spring up in various parts of the township, to supply much-needed articles nearer home. As early as 1810. Henry Willard built a grist-mill on Sugar Creek. It was a frame building, about thirty feet square, and two stories in height. A Ijig dam wa.s built across the creek, and the mill was supplied with water by means of a race, in the usual manner. A large breast-wheel coramunicate<l motion to the machiuerv. by means of rude wooden shafting. Two sets of '- nigger-head " stones wei-e placed in the mill, one for wheat and the other for corn. A pas'ing patronage was early obtained, which steadily increased as time advancetl. This mill was of great value to the settlers in the township; it saved troublesome journeys to distant places, and added to the attractiveness of the township as a place in which to reside. After it had continued in operation some fifteen or twenty years, a .^Ir. Bell assumed ownership and control of the mill, which was enlarged and improved, and a saw-m II. to be run by water from the same dam. was erected. Mr. Bell also built an extension to the grist-mill, in which was placed machinery necessary for carding, spinning, weaving and dressing cloth. This occupation was followed quite extensively, in connection with the running of the grist-mill and saw-mill, for some half dozen years, when Mr. Bells mysterious death caused it to slop. It is said that .Mr. Bell was in the habit of di inking to excess : and one day he was found dead on the road leading to a neighboring distillery. His head was found immersed in a small creek, and it was surmise<l that he had become drunk, and. having fallen into the creek, was drowned. Some whisper of foul play, but this view is probably erroneous. The carding mill was not abandoned, but Mr. Bell's two sons. Phillip and (Je<jrge. continued the three mills many years. At last the factory was abandoned, and some ten vears ago the sawflse mill was also permitted to run down. Some twenty-five or tbirty years ago, the entire property' passed to Jonathan Barr, wlio has owned it ever sinee. The grist-mill has been greatly improved in every way during the long years of its continuance. It lias the reputation of having no superior in the county. Custom work was abandoned some years since, and the mill at present has an enormous merchant trade. The quality of Hour produced has uo superior in the market. Henr^- Oroniuger built a distiller}- at an early da^', about half a mile north of the mill. He owned two copper stills, each having a capacit}' of about twent3--five gallons. Whisky was distilled on shares, at the rate of from one to three barrels per day, and, after probably ten or twelve years, the enterprise was permitted to die. This was, probably, the most extensive distillery ever in the township. It was not the on 13- one by several odds.

A Mr. King built a saw-mill near the center of the township, at an early day. It was located on a small stream called King's Run. and, for a number of j'ears, did good work. John Edgar also built and operated one a few years later. Tills was located on Sugar Creek, above the King's Mill. It was an excellent mill in its time, and ran until a few years ago. There were a few other saw-mills in the township in earlj' 3'ears. A man named Kilgore owned and operated a grist-mill in the township many years ago. It is said that at one time in early years, there were no less than seven distilleries in the township, the owners being Henry Croniiiger, Jacob Grounds, Joseph Bechtel, and four others whose names are forgotten. Several of them did quite a lively business in honor of Bacchus.

Four villages have sprung up in the township. Justus Station dates its beginning from the time the Tuscarawas Valley & Wheeling Railroad was completed, some nine or ten years ago. There are four or five dwellings, a large frame United Brethren Church, and one or two stores in the village. George Wilhelm has quite a respectable store there. In time, the village will secure a population of several hundred. Plainsburg was first known as Stambaughtown, named for Henrj' Stambaugh, a Justice of the Peace and pettifogger, who re sided there with several of his grown sons. He owned a farm, and in time a tailor named Conrad opened a shop there and began work in his line, as did also a cabinet-maker named Sprankle. The little village, if such it can be properly' termed, has been known b^' a variety of names, some of which it has refused pointedlj' to recognize. In tlie estimation of the residents there, some villian of the darkest d^-e bestowed upon the unpretentious village the peculiarly suggestive cognomen Slabtovvn," This met with stern and uncompromising opposition on the part of the villagers, who looked upon the man as an impostor, and his conduct as a delusion and a snare. Latterly, to the joy of the villagers, the name Plainsburg has prevailed. Within the last few ^-ears, Plainsburg has attained considerable prominence as a berry producing locality. Large quantities of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and grapes are produceil annually, and shipped from the railroad station at Beach City to distant points. Beach City had its origin with the erection of the Willard grist-mill in 1816. This, together with Mr. Willard's residence, and the residence and distillery of Henry Croninger, constituted what was then known as Willard's Mills, until 1830, approximately, when Mr. Bell, who then assumed ownership of the mill, opened a small store, in which was placed a stock of goods valued at perhaps $300. After this, largely through the influence of the Bell family, several families locatetl at what then became known as a little village by the name of Bells Mills. P. V. Bell became a prominent man largely on account of his pecuniar^' influence. As has been said, he greall}- improved the old Willard grist-mill, and began doing merchant work, hauling the flour in a six-horse wagon to the canal, whence it was con\'eyed to market. He was respected and trusted by the people, who loaned their money to him without a dout)t that it would be forthcomingaecording to agreement. The store was conducted on an extensive scale from a fine general assortment of goods valued at about $8,000. But, notwithstanding Mr. Bell's honest intention, he finally failed in business, and his creditors received little or nothing for their pains to accommodate. But the farmers in the neighborhood did not relish the idea of having no store at the mills ; so they formed a sort of stock coinpiiny. with a paid-up capital of some .><7,<M))I. ;iik1 invested this amount in goods, placing in the store two men, who came well recommended, to dispose of the goods. Things progressed smoothly for a few years.

when suddenly, like a clap of tlmnder in a clear skj-, the sad news flashed abroad that tlu; enterprise had collapsed. Eastern creditors caiue forward, and the two clerks, with vvell- Hlled purses and eyes no doubt undergoing a series of chronic winks, pushed with greater haste and secres\' for the West than accorded with their usual demure movements. Assignees were appointed by the court, the stockholders were called on for an additional sum of money, and in a short space of time the -- stockstore " was a sorrowful remembrance of the past. Getty & Converse, with a portion of the same goods, about ?;],r)(J(( worth, carried on a store for a short lime, and then sold to Col. lliraui Heed, who continued a few years, securing, in the meantime, a post office at the village, lie flnallj' closed his goods out at auction. Welty & Weitmer opened a store eight or ten years ago, but soon afterward failed and made an assignment. About this time Eli Ax built a brick building at a cost of some $2,500. placing in one apartment about $4,(100 worth of goods, consisting of groceries and provisions. Drs. A3-ers, Kobiuett and David Crise opened a drug-store some six years ago. William Hatt' has a $2,000 clothing store. Hiram Brown has a $5,000 drug-store. John Hoss opened a hardware store tv\o years ago. Hay & Felro ha\e a line dry goods store. Henry Rose l)uilt a large tavern about nine years ago. It has changed owners many times since. William Agler is at present keeping hotel in another building. Thus the village has two hotels, (ieorge Crise owns a plaining mill, which was built and started seven years ago bv four men. Mr. Linn is a saddler. Fellows Brothers have a wagon-shop. Kyle Brothers built a large gristmill last summer, placing therein three sets of stone. They have alreaily ({uite a custom trade. The motor is steam. J. .M. Shetler built a warehouse about eight years ago. He buys and ships considerable grain. Mr. Bell, also, in his time, carried on the warehouse business. Beaeh City was not properly laid out and recorded until the presence of the railroad rendered this necessarj'. At this time, J. M. Shetler, who owned the land where the business portion of the village now sUuids, secured the services of Amos Woodling, 8tark County Surveyor, and in March, 1872, laid out thirty-eight lots of the usual size. Two additions have since been made bv Mr.

Shetler. one of forty -one lots and the other of i seventy-three, making a total of 152 lots. The ] lots were sold for prices ranging from $100 to $200. The town was named in honor of an I engineer on the Valley Railroad. The name j Streatorville, for a railroad otlicial, came very j nearly being liestowed upon the village. It is I a livel3- little place, and has a population, I according to the census of 1880, of 282.

Wilmot is a much older town than Beach City. It was laid out by Jacob and Henry Wyant, owners and proprietors, in April, 1830. Fifty-seven lots were laid out by John Whitacre, County Surveyor, to which additions were afterward made. George Pfouts opened the first store there, near the time the village was laid out. He started with a few hundred dollars' worth of goods, but at the expiration of a few years sold out, or at least removed his goods, anil was succeeded by George Frease. John Frease owned the store soon after this, and finally it passed into the control of J. & J, Frease, who conducted it until near 1850, when the old stock was purchased by Weimer & Hurrah, who increased it, and three years later sold to VN'elly & Jarvis. Samuel Jarvis owned the store about 1850, and then sold to Sager & Gilmore. A year later, .Mr. Wyant took Mr. Gilmore's place, and the partnership continued thus until some time during the last war, when Sager abandoned the enterprise and Wyant continues it yet. Shunk & Bash owned a store in Wilmot, beginning about 1805. Last year their stock was closed out at auction. Putnam & Wyant own a store in the village at pri!sent. A post office was located at the village about the time it was first laid out. (ieorge Pfouts being the first Postmaster. Wyant & Putnam began conducting a foundry and repair-shop not far from 1830, manufacturing plows, stoves, hollow-ware, and various other useful articles and implements. Motion for the machinery was secured by means of a large tread-wheel, upon which cattle or horses were obliged to walk - a sorry life for the dumb brutes. These partners continued the business until the death of Mr. Wyant, when the ownership passed to Putnam, Johnson & Co. These men extended the scope of the enterprise, and altered it in man^- essential respects. This was about 184(5, and at this time the^' began manufacturing threshing machines. The machine was not a separator, as it sim|)ly beat the grain from the straw. Five or six years later they began manufacturing the well-known " Pitt Separator," then looked upon as a model of ingenious invention and execution. The companj' did a lively manufacturing business, and about the beginning of the last war, added the '- Excelsior Reaper and Mower " to their catalogue of manufactures. It is said that more than a hundred were constructed annually, and sent for sale to various parts of the country. Departments of the undertaking have been abandoned during the years since 1830. About five years ago, the construction of reapers, mowers and threshers was discontinued, and the enterprise is at present limited to the mnnufac^ture of hay rakes, hay loaders, a few thresliers, ;i few plows, and perhaps a small quantity of hollow ware. Between twenty and thirty workman have been employed by this conipauy at one time. In about the year 1850, James Alleu established a cabinet-shop at Wilmot, and began manufacturing considerable furniture, and also a cloverhuller of his owu patent, which sold in large numbers readily at $05 each. Tims the occupation was continued until about 1852, when under a patented improvement, Mr. Allen began preparing his "huller and separator." He ceased the construction of this machine about the beginning of the last war, and after continuing an exclusive cabinet br.siness a fewyears, sold his machinery to the planing-mill company. Lentz & Co. established a woolen factory in the village about the year 1850. The3- erected a large, two-storied frame building, and began carding, fulling, siiinning, weaving, dressing and dyeing cloth. Charges were made for so much per yard. A small stock of yarns, flannels, satinets. l)lankets, eassimeres, etc.. was kept in store for sale. In about 1853. .Samuel Toomey began a general blacksmithing and carriage-making business in Wilmot. He constructed large numbers of light carriages and buggies for ten or twelve years, and then removed to Dover, since which his business j has assumed gigantic i)roportions. When he first began the industry, he charged parties to whom he sold his buggies, not to permit more than two persons to ride in one at a time. It is said that these identical buggies, yet in running order, are capable of carrying 1,500 pounds, Heminger, Bash & Co. owned and conducted a large plaining-mill a number of years ago. This was disposed of a few years later, and finally, some years ago, D. Rust & Co. erected a mill of the same kind. This was afterward destroyed bj' fire, but immediately rebuilt. Hurrah & Co. built a grist-mill in 1873, beginning a fair custom trade with three sets of stone. Since 1870, merchant work has been done. Putnam Brothers bought the mill a few j'ears ago. and greatly improved it. The motor is steam ; and the flour is shipped by wagon to Beach City, whence it is conveyed to market by rail. Wilmot was laid out and recorded as Milton. A change in name was finally effected, but the exact date when this was accomplished is not given. Much more might be said to the credit of the little village of Wilmot.

The schools of Sugar Creek did not spring into life and activity as early as those in otiier portions of the county, obviously from the fact of the township's later settlement. There is much doubt and speculation concerning the first school taught, and it is not pretended that its location or date of commencement will be given with mathematical accuracj'. A log schoolhouse, with huge fire-place and chimney, rough clapboard seats and desks, and heavy puncheon floor, stood in Wilmot in 1825. It was probably erected as early as 1820. as several large families were living in that immediate vicinity at that date. Some eight or ten years later, the old house was replaced by a neat frame building. This was used, if recollection is correct, until about the year 1838 or 1840. when a small brick schoolhouse usurped the rights of the old one. This brick house cost about *2,000, and was used continuously until some ten or twelve years ago, at which time the present house was constructed at a cost of about .$7,000. The house is a fine brick structure, and three ter.chers are employed to teach the youth who assemble there to learn the way of the wise.

The schoolhouse at Beach City is a large, .square frame building two stories in height, and was constructed at a cost of $2,500. It was erected a few years ago. A maximum price of $2.50 per day is paid teachers, and about 1 10 scholars are enrolled. It is thought by several, and this view is probably correct, that the first school in the township was taught in the Grounds' neighborhood by .Jacob (irounds, Mr, Grounds is known to have taught school, and it is not probable that he would allow his children to grow up about him unlettered. He very likely taught eitiier in his own cabin, or in one that had been abandoned by some pioneer family. The schoolhouse at Paddy Nelson's Corners was built as early as 1830. or. perhaps, it was only partially built. In the process of construction, when the house was about two-thirds completed, the settlers in that neighborhood who were interested, disobeyed the behest of Dr. Watts. They (|uarreled. and the house was neglected. What troubled them was its location. All could not be suited, and disappointed ones were mad as March hares inconsequence. It is said the god Moraus was so addicted to fault-finding that, when the first man, Prometheus, was created, the gotl objected to him because there was not a window in his breast, through which his thoughts might be seen. At last, when Aphrodite was created, .so perfect was she that the god Momus vexed himself to death because there was nothing with which to lind fault. It is said that some of the quarrelsome settlers above mentioned were almost equally as troubled. The house was completed, but when a new one was to be built some six or eight years later, the same opinions and desires clashed as they had before. At last, Mr. Fisher arose in the school-meeting, and, by a happy thought, proposed in extended and appropriate remarks, that a portalile house be built, and made a motion, amidst great laughter to that effect. This had the eflect of clearing the clouded minds of the settlers, removing their selfish prejudices, and quickening int<j life their fund of reason and common sense. The result was that a house was speedily built, but it was not portable. Another house was built a number of years later, but was shortly afterward destroyed by fire. Another was built, and it was also burned to the ground. Then the present house was erected. Take it all in all, the district has had (piile a time with its school, has it not ? From 1815 to 1830, the various school districts were created and pro- 1 vided with schoolhouses. It may be truly said, in conclusion, that the township is well supplied with good schools.

The church historj- of the township is fully as indefinite as the school history. The United Brethren and the Methodist Episcopal denominations each have a fine brick church at Beach City. They were both built in 1875 at a cost, each, of about $4,500. The two buildings look very much alike. Each has a fair congregation, and l)otli are doing well. The Weimer Church (United Brethren) is said to have been built as early as 1S25. It was a log building at first, and was used as a combined church, schoolhouse. town-hall, etc.; but at last, in about 1835. it was burned. The present house has been used since. The Bose Church (Lutheran) was constructed at an early day of logs. It had a strong congregation at first, but after a time the raemljership became so small that the meetings were irregular, or perhaps were totally discontinued for a lime. The present frame liouse was built about thirtjthree years ago. The Welty Church (IJnited Brethren) was built nearly thirty years ago. It began with a membership that was in earnest, and soon the society was in fine financial condition. It has been one of the best churches in the townshij). The Baptist Church, toward the northein part, was built at least forty years ago, but did not continue longer than .about twenty years. On still farther north is the Bunker Hill Church (Methodist Episcopal), which is said to have been built first some fifty years ago. It has not been used for the last thirty years. The Lutheran (^liurch, at the cross-roads, was first built of logs about fifty-five years ago. This was afterward replaced by a frame church. The Evangelical Church was built some forty years ago, and has lieen used until the present. It is yet a good church. The Methodists used to hold services in this house, but now they have one of their own. The United Brethren built a churcii in 1870 whic-h cost about $3.0iHI. The Albrights also built a church some twenty years ago. No country township in the county has a greater opportunity for religions privileges than Sugar Creek, ('hurciies are found numerous as people are found moral. They are never built until the need of them is felt. Before a church was built in the township, various religious societies were instituted, and meetings were conducted in the settlers' cabins. It is said that in early years, a revival was held at the cabin of John Weimer for six cousecutive weeks, the most intense religious enthusiasm prevailing throughout the neighborhood at the time. Similar revivals were held in other residences. Surrounded with such inlluences, and directed by such teachers, it is no wonder that the children grew up with love in their : hearts for God and mankind.

PIKE TOWNSHIP - TOPOGRAPHICAL FEATURES - liOINDARlES AM) OKGAM/ATION - SKTTI.EMKNT BY THE WHITES - HARD TIMES - PIONEER INCIDENTS - SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES - VILLAGE, ETC, ETC.

- Brt/ant. A SECOND and a third generation are now xV. enjoying the fruits that resulted from the toils and perils of their industrious and frugal ancestors. And what a contrast between circumstances and appearances then and now ! The tangled forest is gone ; the beasts of prey that were wont to prowl through its gloomy depths, have disappeared : the war-whoop of the savage is no longer heard - his wigwams ha\(' wasted away by the rot of time, and his council-fires were long since extinguished by the light of civilization. The white man came and waved his wand over the landscape, and all was changed, as if by a touch of Aladdin's wonderful lamp. Fertile fields bloomed in the glory of bountiful harvests, smiling gardens sprang up, commodious dwellings arose, schoolhouses were built, edifices were erected and dedicated to the worship of Almighty God. Indeed, science and culture have wrought a grand transformation. Had these multitudinous changes been foreshadowed to the simple pioneer seventy-five years ago, he would have been dumbfounded, and would not have believed, "though one had risen from the grave" to proclaim them to him. And in no part of Stark County has the march of civilization left plainer or broader traces than in the section to which this chapter is devoted. The pioneer, with his rude haliits and surroundings, have given place to all the modern inventions and improvements that go to make life pleasant and labor a pastime ; and where, three-quarters of a centur3' ago, our ancestors found an unbroken forest, we find to-day the most productive and fertile hills.