Wayne Township

Wayne Township

Wayne iownship derives its name from the county, which was named for Gen. Anthony Wayne - "Mad Anthony." This township is centrally located in the county and touches the incorporate line of the city of Wooster, the seat of justice. It is a full congressional township, six miles square. It dates its organization from October 12, 1816, and in 1870 had reached a population numbering one thousand seven hundred and fourteen. Its population according to the federal census of 1900 was one thousand seven hundred and eleven.

The first white man to settle within the limits of this township was among the following, but it is not certain who did actually effect the first clearing. The first pioneer band was as follows : James Glass, the Roses, the Feazles, the Clarks, Meeks, Turners, Thomas Armstrong, Moses Thompson, Thomas Pomeroy, Henry Perrine, George Gibson, Ralph Cherry, John and Peter Vanostran, Fred Garver, Armstrong Davison, John Richey, John and Peter Bacher, Thomas Beall, Peter Anspaugh, Peter Eiker, George Bair, Henry Snyder, Peter and Jacob Ihrig, William Elgin, Mordecai Boon, Peter Everly, Jacob Seiford, Benjamin Miller, Abraham Vanmeter, William Burgan, Alexander Hanna,

Ered Garver erected the first saw-mill in the township, in 1814. A year later he built the first grist-mill, deriving his water power from the Little Apple creek.

Being so near the city of W'ooster, there have never grown np any towns of much importance in Wayne township. The only one now in existence is Madisonburg, in the center of the township.

The churches and schools of this township are treated in the two chapters on these respective subjects, and to which the reader is referred.

While it is not the object of this volume to treat much on the personal histories of many of the pioneers, as many are fully treated in the biographical volume of this work, yet it may be of historic interest to menfion, in this township history, something concerning the life and deeds of the Wasson family.

Joseph Wasson, Sr., was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, March 29, 1773. His grandson, Joseph Wasson, was born June 30, 1839, two miles east of Congress village, Wayne county, Ohio, and until the age of eighteen years, remained upon the farm, when he first began his ventures upon the untried seas of life's journeys. He spent much of his life on the Pacific coast, where he achieved a reputation as a writer. He was for many years a newspaper man, acting as editor, proprietor and correspondent. He attended the Vienna Exposition as a special correspondent for Forney's Press, writing a series of brilliant letters, signed "Josef." On his return, he was despatched to New Orleans by the Press and New York Times as a correspondent. He was one of the early contrilxitors to the Overland Monthly. He was in the campaign and within twelve miles of General Custer when he was destroyed by the Indians, a correspondent of Eastern papers and furnishing the news of that region to the Associated Press. He finally settled down in such work and profession in San Francisco, California.

Greene townshiji is second from the north as well as from the east line of Wayne county - in it the thriving city of Orrville is situated - and it was organized February 5, 1817, taking its name from Major-Gen. Nathaniel Greene, a Revolutionary soldier and a native of Warwick, Rhode Island. The population has grown from two thousand seven hundred and fifteen in 1870 to three thousand three hundred and eighteen in 1900. as shown by the federal census. The first township officers were: Trustees, Peter Flickinger.

in this connection that the inhabitants of this part of Wayne county observed one peculiarity in the first occupancy of it. It was a wilderness, overgrown with timber, with the exception of about twelve acres on the southwest C|uarter of section 3. which was clear of trees, stumps, and even roots, and was called by the first comers "the Indian field."

Tradition is not always reliable to pin history to, but in the absence of the recorded facts we always must place some credence to traditionary features of early settlements. In this case a tradition runs thus : As early as

1802. a party of four young men, who had passed from Pennsylvania to Cleveland, and leaving the latter place for Tuscarawa, now Coshocton, were attacked by the Indians and one of their number killed, when the remaining three retrated by tbe line of trees they had blazed. The bullet that killed the young man entered a small oak tree, which the Indians notched high above the ground. A few years later two of the three young men, accompanied by others, returned to the spot of the murder, discovered the notched tree, but saw no remains of their dead comrade. This was evidently the first Avhite person to meet death within what is pow Greene township.

The first settlement was made in 1811 by Michael Thomas with his wife and seven children. He emigrated from Washington county, Pennsylvania, and located on the southwest quarter of section 33. Following him came in Thomas Boydston and wife, who settled on the same section. For three years these were the only settlers in the township. In 1814 Lorenzo Winkler and family came in from Virginia, settling on section 22. Until 1815 emigration to this part of the county was very limited. Among those who soon found their way to this township, and became permanent settlers may be mentioned George Boydston. Thomas Hayes, David McConahay, David Boydston, David Antles, Thomas Dawson, John Wade, George Smith, Thomas Smith, Jacob Breakfield, John Harris, Douglas Wilford, Barter Harris, James Sparks, John Hobbs, Francis Shackler, Isaac Robins, Phineas Burrwell, Thomas Johnston, John Bigham, Robert Calvins, Jacob Cook, Charles Kelley, Will Ruffcorn, George Carson, Jacob Breakbail and Thomas Alison.

By 1817 the township had a population of one hundred and forty-seven souls, of w'hich twenty-six were legal voters. In April, 1817, the first election was held at the residence of William Barnett, on section 21.

The first birth in the township was a daughter of Michael Thomas, born September 25, 1812; the second was that of Richard Antles, February 3, 1813.

In the autumn of 1815 John Wade built a hand-mill to crush corn for family use ; this was situated upon the farm later owned by D. L. Kieffer.

The first warrant was issued for the arrest of John Treasurer, for assault and battery, upon complaint of Cephas Clark. Treasurer was a "fortune teller," and Clark had his fortune told "on tick" ; the teller proved to be a liar, and Clark "bucked" and wouldn't pay, whereupon Treasurer got him "in chancery" and drafted "sirloins on his frontispiece." Both were citizens of East Union township.

The first school was taught by Peter Kane, a student of Oxford, England. The pioneer school house was a log cabin eighteen by twenty-two feet, on the northwest quarter of section 23.

The first death in the township after its settlement by the white race was on December 27, 1817, and occurred at a raising on the old Ruble farm, the victim being Christian Partshie, who was killed by the falling of a stick of timber.

wholesale and retail; hotel, W. G. Coulter; bank, Farmers and Merchants, The professional men were, at the same date, Drs, W. G. Zimmerman, H. M. Yoder, H. A. Schollenberger ; attorney, Joseph Gallagher.

The banking business is carried on at this point by the Farmers and Merchants Bank, with W. H. Zaugg as its president and E. U. Burkholder as its cashier.