Truro Township

Truro Township

Truro Township was established and organized in 1810. In the first division of the county into townships, it was embraced in, and formed a small part of Liberty Township. Its first settlement commenced in 1805. In 1806, Robert Taylor and his sons Abiather Vinton, Matthew, James and David, removed from Nova Scotia to Chillicothe, and from thence to this township in 1808, where they settled on Walnut Creek. At this time they found ten families that had settled in this wilderness before them, namely, in 1805, Thomas Palmer from Maine, and John Medford, Charles Medford, George Powell and Charles Chancy from Pennsylvania; in 1806, John Edgar and John Lynch from Pennsylvania, and William Council and Benjamin Connell from Virginia; in 1807, John Long from Chillicothe, (originally from Nova Scotia) ; subsequently, in 1808, Robert Wilson from Pennsylvania, and Daniel

Ross, Avitli a large family of sons, from Nova Scotia; in 1810, Zachariah Paul from Virginia, and William Thompson from Pennsylvania; in 1812, John Cambridge from Pennsylvania, and Captain John Hanson from Virginia ; and in 1814, Elias Chester and Jeremiah Nay from New York.

When the toAvnship was organized in 1810, the Taylor family had the pleasure of naming it " Truro," after a township in Nova Scotia, from whence they had removed. But little more than ordinary form improvements were made until after the location of the national road.

In the fall of 1831, John French, who owned a form and resided where Reynoldsburg now is, laid out the town, and James C. Reynolds, afterward Gen. Reynolds, then a young man from Zanesville, had temporarily located himself there with a small stock of goods suitable for the demand of the laborers on the road. Reynolds was in no way interested in the town, but merely a boarder with Mr. French, who saw fit to compliment him by naming the town after him. Subsequently, Mr. Reynolds married and became identified with the town as one of its principal business men. He continued his store, erected a steam mill in the town, was postmaster, etc. He afterward removed to Carroll, in Fairfield County, where he died some years since.

Within the first twelve or fifteen years the town of Reynoldsburg grew up to near its present size and business. For the last ten or twelve years it has been nearly stationary. In 1850, it contained a population of 564.

At the session of 1839-40, the tow^n was incorporated, and at the first borough election, in the fall of 1840, Abraham Johnston, D. K. Wood, Samuel Gares, John W. Thompson, Mark Evans, James 0. Kane and Archibald Cooper were elected the first Board of Trustees.

Successive Mayors, Recorders And Marshals

Thomas Armstrong disposed of a few building lots on the road side near the crossings of AValnut Creek, which being improved, brought some four or five families in close proximity, and the place assumed the name of " Hibernia." The lots were never platted and recorded, nor was it intended for a regular town. There was, however, a post office, established at this place in 1849, and Wm. F. Armstrong appointed postmaster, who continued to hold the office until 1857, when he resigned and the office was discontinued.

There are in Truro Township seven churches, four of which are in Reynoldsburg, one Baptist, one Presbyterian, one Methodist, and one Universalist. Near the middle of the township is the old Presbyterian " Truro meeting house," and at White Hall and at Mr. Powell's are Methodist meeting houses.

The old " Truro meeting house," was erected about the year 1820, and the church was organized by Doctor Hoge. The successive pastors have been, llev. Matthew Taylor, Rev. Abner Leonard, Jiev. Elias Vandeman, Rev. John M. Fulton, Rev. J. D. Smith, Rev. John Scott, Rev. John Arthur, Rev. Andrew Barr, Rev. W. Maynard, the present pastor.

In 1840, the population of this township, including the town of Reynoldsburg, was 1439. In 1850, it was 2156. In 1853, the township contained twelve school