USA > Ohio > Jackson County > A history of Jackson County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 13
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abetli Scott, consort of Thomas Scott, who departed this life De, cember 13, 1822, aged 43 years." A large, wide spreading elm tree now grows near her grave. It sprouted after her burial, but it now shades a space sixty feet in diameter. It should be cared for and preserved. Not far away lie the remains of the first wife of Daniel Perry, who was sheriff of this county two terms. The in- scription reads thus: "In memory of Jane, consort of Daniel Perry, who died February 1, 1833, in the 29th year of her age."
The graves of two children of Daniel and Susan Perry, named Cornelia and Isham, are on the same lot, also that of Perry's brother, Simeon, who died February 28, 1825, in the 32nd year of his age. The majority of those buried here before the fifties died before reaching old age, which goes to show that the climate was fatal to whites until Salt Creek valley was cleared and drained.
More than 700 persons have been interred in this cemetery, but the graves of the great majority were left unmarked, and even the names of many of them have been forgotten. For instance, 217 bodies were removed in March, 1900, to Fairmount, of whom only 64 were known. The unknown removed and left included some men and women who were once prominent in this county. Mr. Peter Bunn remembers that he helped to dig the grave of one of them way back about 1835, viz: Joseph Schellenger, uncle of ex-Auditor William Schellenger and brothers. Schellenger had served with Samuel Bunn, the father of Peter Bunn, in the war of 1812.
SOME RECOLLECTIONS-A letter written by Michael Mc- Coy and an interview with James H. Darling throw additional light on life at the salt works. Michael McCoy, who spent the last fifty years of his life in this county, furnished his recollections for The Standard a few years before his death, and they are worth preserving. He was born in Lawrence county, O., January 22, 1800. He removed with his parents to this county in 1816, and lived in Hamilton township until his death, November 8, 1869. Following are the most interesting passages from his letters: We came to this county in the spring of 1816. We landed on the 17th
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of April and settled near where Jacob Brown now (1866) lives. At that time there were but two houses where the town of Jack- son now stands, and they were taverns. One was down below where the Isham House stable now stands, and the other was down towards where Steel's (Ruf's) tanyard now is. These taverns were kept by Abraham Welch and Jared Strong. There were five salt furnaces in operation at that time, run by Ross Nelson, John John- son, John W. Sargent, Asa Lake and William Givens.
I suppose there were some five or six hundred voters in Jack- son county. Abraham Welch was the first sheriff of Jackson county, and Nathaniel W. Andrews was the first clerk of courts.
Welch and a man named Wilson, and another named Squires, and another, whose name I will not give, as he has some relatives yet living in this county, got to making counterfeit money, and they all left the county except Squires, and he was sent to the penitentiary. For some cause Andrews resigned as clerk, or was removed, and a man named Charles O'Neil was the next clerk. He afterward died of consumption. O'Neil's widow married Vincent Southard. Dr. Andrews was again appointed clerk, and held the office until he removed to Portsmouth. Absalom M. Faulkner was clerk and held the office until he died.
Colonel Strong had the contract for building the old Court House for $7,000 ($4,061). This much I know: The brick was made in 1820, not far from where Pearl street and Broadway cross. I do not think the wall of the Court House was built until 1821. What makes me think so is, that the Elias Long house was built in 1820 by a man named Gibbs. I made and carried the mortar for more than two-thirds of that house; Nathan Sheward carried the brick. We worked for 50 cents a day, or at least the promise of it. I never got over half my pay. The same year that little checkered brick by Noel's tanyard was built by a man named Puffenbarger. I made and carried the mortar for that building from foundation to the top; same wages and same pay. Both men broke up, and I had to take just what I could get. There were two wells of salt water near Jackson in 1816, one owned by Asa Lake,
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not far from where the bridge crosses Salt creek on the Chillicothe road. The furnace was out on the road not far from where George L. Crookham built some years afterward. There was another well not far from where Diamond Furnace is now located, belonging to William Givens. The furnace was on Givens' Run, in a south- west direction from town. The courts continued to be held in private houses until 1824 or 1825, maybe as late as 1826, when the old Court House was taken possession of by Ezra Osborne, presi- dent judge of this circuit. I was at the first day's sale of the lots in the town of Jackson. A shed made of plank was put up on the public square. Joseph Armstrong was director of the town of Jackson. Joseph W. Ross was the erier, or auctioneer, and Rich- ard Johnson was the clerk of the sale. The highest priced lot was bought by Daniel Hoffman, where he afterwards lived and died. The next highest lot sold was where Noel's tanyard was located. It was sold to a man named Henry Kiger. Robert Lucas and Elisha Fitch, from Piketon, were prominent bidders for lots at that sale. Now. I will give you a sketch of the wild aspect of things about Jackson when the first lots were sold. True, there was a great deal of timber eut for the salt furnaces, and in some places the young growth had started considerably. There were three or four public roads that led to Jackson, the Gallipolis and Chillicothe road, the Athens road and the Piketon road. The latter was made for the purpose of hauling corn from the Big Scioto to the salt works, Then there was a track that was called the Guyan trace, along which hundreds of bushels of salt were packed to the Ohio river. That trace left town where Nelson's Furnace was located. It ran a south course and crossed the divide near where Irwin's station now is. It then ran southward to the Adkins place, from there to old Joseph Price's, crossed the Black Fork of Symmes creek, then crossed Dirty Face near Philip Lam- bert's mill, then up Sweet Bit, crossed the Dry Ridge road, went down a run and crossed Symmes creek near where old Henry Me- Daniel lived, then up Long creek, and crossing Greasy Ridge ran down Trace Fork to the forks of Indian Guyan, now Scott town; thence sonth or nearly so to Guyandotte. Many a Red Man of the
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Forest has traversed that path." Some of the above statements are maccurate. The description of the old Guyan trace is the only one that I have been able to find. This was the famous Indian highway from Virginia to the Shawanese towns on the Seroto, and it had been in use for centuries when the whites entered the coun- try. Many a white captive has toiled along this frank, every step taking him farther from home and kindred, and, in many instances, taking him nearer to the spot where he was to die at the stake. Many a young child, unable to keep up with its captors, was slain on this trail and left for wild beasts to feed upon, as in the case of the little daughter of Mis. Martin already mentioned.
DARLING'S INTERVIEW-James HI. Darling, then living in the west, visited this county a few years before his death, and while here he called upon me and furnished the following facts about the pioneers: "My father's name was Timothy Darling. Ile came to Ohio in 1815 from Wood county, Virginia, and settled on Pigeon creek, where Coalton now is. Jackson county had not been organized then. My mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Cook, and she was a sister of Nancy Cook, who married John James, after whom Jamestown was named. I had two brothers and three sisters, viz: William, Derrick, Barsheba, Elizabeth C. and Aurora. Barsheba married Isaac Brown, son of Nathan Brown. Aurora married Charles Love. Elizabeth C. died unmarried, and was the first person buried in the Jamestown cemetery. I was born De- cember 30, 1813, and was only two years old when my family moved to Ohio. My father soon purchased the property now known as the Hippel place, and there is where I grew up. Iused to come to Jackson to Sunday school in the old Court House. There were two salt wells here that I remember. A man by the name of Ald- ridge had a salt well near the old Horse creek bridge, and Givens' salt well was on Givens' Run. There were only four houses of any size in Jackson then. There was the old Miller house on Main street, a brick house. The house of Richmond stood where the Orange Furnace property was afterward. Richmond was killed
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by a falling tree in a storm near Runkle's bridge. There was the Hooper Hurst house. It stood on the point on Main street, not far from where the Ruf property is now. The Donnally House was the first hotel here and stood on Water street, opposite the Hatton residence. This hotel was afterward called the Warren House. There were a great many log cabins here and nearly all of them were strung along Salt creek below Water street, and were called Poplar Row. The salt boilers lived in them. I remember that the old Givens' house stood near Fulton Furnace. I used to go to a horse mill near Berlin, owned by Zephaniah Brown. It stood near the Cross Roads. We would take our own horses to work the mill. I also went sometimes to Jared Strong's mill, on Salt creek. It stood near where Bierly lived afterward. I think Jared Strong came to Jackson from the neighborhood where Wilkesville is now. Jared Strong was the first representative of this county. He had three sons that I remember, Jared, Stephen and Jehiel. Jehiel was killed when his father was in Columbus attending the Legis- lature. He was riding horseback, going to the house of McKinniss to a frolic. It was winter time and the creek was out and the water frozen. When near Jacob Sell's house, his horse fell and injured him, and he died. His father did not reach home until after his death. I remember going after salt once to Judge Givens' salt works on Givens' Run. Salt was measured and not weighed then. They stopped making salt on account of the scarcity of wood and the failure of the salt wells. The salt that I got was white. My father, Timothy Darling, died in 1830. I was married in 1833 to Rachel Howe. She died last winter in Kansas. She was a sister of Tacy Howe, the wife of Peter Bunn, the pioneer. He owned the old cemetery south of Jackson. They began bury- ing in it at a very early day. Charles O'Neil is buried there. I remember when he died. Ile was county treasurer then. He had one child that I remember, Mary O'Neil, and my wife used to play with her when they were little girls. O'Neil's widow mar- ried Vincent Sonthard afterward. One of the old citizens buried in the old cemetery was Dr. Mussett. I knew Daniel Perry, the ex-sheriff. He was a carpenter, and died in Jackson township. 1
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knew George W. Hale, Stephen Vaughn and Joseph W. Ross. Rev. David C. Bolles was a preacher, and I remember his death. He has a box vault in the old cemetery. (Rev. David Bolles died April 20, 1840, aged 47 years .- Ed.) I have heard of Jonathan Gilkeson and John Runkle, but never saw them. The stars fell in 1833, the year I was married. The stars fell all night, like drops of rain. The great flood occurred in Jackson December 10, 1847. There was a stranger drowned on the Athens road, near where Tropic Furnace is. I knew James Hughes, the man who started The Standard, well. He married a sister of William Mather and went west. Henry Rout was an old settler, and lived on Salt creek. John James was my uncle. He came here from James Island, in the Ohio river, near Marietta. John D. James was his only son. Daniel Hoffman married my cousin, Julia James. He lived where the Gibson House stands now, and had his store where the Sternberger Building stands. He sold out the Salt Lick Re- serve for the state. Mrs. Elihu Johnson, Mrs. Alexander Miller and Mrs. Andrew Long were three other cousins. Muster Day was an important event in early times. Jared Strong, Captain Kincaid, George W. Hale and others used to be officers. General muster was held usually about the middle of September.
THE END-In 1817 the State, with the consent of the General Government, donated Section 29, of the Scioto Salt Reserve, for the site of the new county seat, the town of Jackson. A joint resolution of the Ohio General Assembly adopted January 3, 1818, declared that experiments at the Scioto salt works, had failed to find water of a sufficient quality to render it an object to the State to retain lands reserved at said works, and asked permission of the General Government to sell the lands. Congress was slow to act, and the Legislature on February 18, 1820, authorized the agent to lease lands for cultivation or pasture. An act of January 25, 1823, fixed the agent's salary at $60 a year. Congress acted at last, and on December 28, 1824, it passed a law permitting the state to sell its salt lands, and directing that the proceeds be applied
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to such literary purposes as said Legislature may hereafter direct. On February 7, 1825, the Legislature passed a law providing for the survey of the salt lands, and for making two maps of the same, a report of all to be made by December 25, 1825. The agent em- ployed Hon. Joseph Fletcher, of Gallipolis, to make the survey, and the whole tract was laid out in eighty acre lots. The Legisla- ture on February 7, 1826, passed a law providing for the sale of the Scioto Salt Reserve in June of that year, the sale to be held for three days, and the lots remaining unsold to be disposed of at private sale. There was no further use for the office of agent of the Scioto salt works, and it was abolished, and all laws relat- ing to leasing salt lands repealed, by an act passed January 26, 1827, the disposal of the lands being placed in the hands of Daniel Hoffman, the agent for selling lands. Thus ends the history of the Scioto salt works as state property.
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MISCELLANY.
A SOUTHERN TERM-The term plantation was common in the early history of the county, and was an importation from the South. Some of the Virginians retained southern words and expressions as long as they lived. The Virginians brought many things with them that revealed their origin. They settled, as a rule, near a spring, and planted calamus in the swale where its waters ran. These calamus patches were the drugstores of the pioneers, and they yet remain in places to mark the site of the pioneer's settlement. One of the largest tracts, that the writer remembers, is on the north end of the William H. Howell farm, in Jefferson township.
TOWNSHIP NAMES-Jackson county was named in honor of General Andrew Jackson, who had made himself famous by winning the battle of New Orleans. The county was at first divided into five townships, viz: Bloomfield, Franklin, Lick, Mad- ison and Milton. The last was named for the great poet, two others for two American statesmen, and Lick on account of the salt springs within its bounds. Other townships organized the same year, 1816, were Scioto, Jackson, Hamilton and Clinton. The first was named after the river of that name, and the others in honor of three distinguished Americans. A few years later two other townships were organized, and named for the first and third Presi- dents. The journal entries relating to them are as follows:
WASHINGTON-On application by petition in writing of sundry citizens, within the following boundaries, to me, auditor of Jackson county, be it therefore hereby known that Washington township shall be bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of the reserve for the Scioto salt works and run- ning on the north line of the reserve to the southeast corner of Section No. 7, in Lick township; thence northwest so as to include
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the coal bank in Section No. 5, Lick township; thence to continue northwesterly so as to intersect with the old coal road at or near the top of a hill known by the name of Bunker's hill, at or near the head of Mooney's run, including all settlers at or on said coal road; thence east to the range line between the seventeenth and eighteenth ranges in said county, so as to include William Ray, in Section No. 7, in Jackson township; thence south with said range line to the place of beginning.
Sept. 10, 1821.
DANIEL HOFFMAN.
JEFFERSON-On application by petition in writing of sun- dry citizens within the following boundaries to me, auditor of Jackson county, be it therefore hereby known that Jefferson town- ship shall be bounded as follows, to-wit, within the eighteenth range, beginning at the northeast corner of said township and running so as to include the original surveyed Township No. 5. Jan. 25, 1822. DAN'L HOFFMAN.
In 1850, Richland and Harrison townships, which had been annexed from Ross county, and Clinton township, were cut off and put in Vinton county. Two new townships have been organ- ized in recent years, Coal and Wellston. The latter was named in honor of Harvey Wells.
PATENT FOR SECTION 29-Following is a copy of the original patent granted to Director Joseph Armstrong, who laid ont the City of Jackson:
To All To Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting:
Know ye, that there has been deposited in the general land office a certificate of His Excellency, Ethan A. Brown, Governor of the State of Ohio, stating that in pursuance of an act of Con- gress, passed on the 16th of April, 1816, entitled, "An Act to authorize the State of Ohio to sell a certain part of a tract of land reserved for the use of that State," the Legislature of the said State did, by an act passed on the 14th of January, 1817, authorize and empower certain Commissioners to select, and a Director to
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sell, a section of land in said reserved tract, and that the said Commissioners had selected, and Joseph Armstrong, the Director appointed by said State, had sold the section so selected, to-wit: Section 29 of Township 7, in Range 18, being part of the six miles square reserved for the benefit of the State of Chio, at the Scioto salt springs.
There is, therefore, granted by the United States the section of land above described unto the said Joseph Armstrong, and his successors in office, in trust, to execute titles to the purchasers of the land aforesaid.
In testimony whereof, I have caused the letters to be made patent and the seal of the general land office to be hereunto affixed.
Given under my hand at the City of Washington, the 16th day of February, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hun- dred and twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the forty-fourth. By the President,
JAMES MONROE.
AN OLD-TIME WILL-The following will, emancipating a slave, is perhaps the only instrument of the kind ever drawn in Jackson county. Hugh Poor, mentioned as executor, was one of the leading men of the county for a generation. He settled in what is now Jackson county, in 1811. In 1816, when the county was organized, he became one of the three Associate Judges, and served in that capacity for several years. He was one of the first mer- chants of Jackson, and in many other ways assisted in its develop- ment. He died in 1827. Edward Poor, living in this city, is one of his grandsons.
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF HANNAH THOMPSON. In the name of God, Amen.
I, Hannah Thompson, of the County of Jackson and State of Ohio, being far advanced in years and aware of the uncertainty of life and certainty of death, and being in my right mind and under-
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standing, blessed be God for the same, do make, constitute and ordain this, my last will and testament, in manner and form fol- lowing:
In the first place, commit my body to the grave and my soul to God, who gave it.
And as to what property I may be in possession of at the time of my decease, it is my will and desire that all my just debts be speedily and punctually paid, and
That my Negro man, Stephen, as a just reward for his faith- ful service to me and his late master, be emancipated, and
All the balance of my property, both real and personal, I will to my said Negro, Stephen, except only so much as will pay my funeral expenses and physicians, if any, and it is my desire and will that my executors dispose of it to the best advantage, and appropriate the proceeds thereof to my Negro man, Stephen.
I do hereby appoint Hugh Poor my sole executor of this, my last will and testament.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set iny hand and seal, revoking all former will and testaments by me made, and declare this to be my last will and testament, this 9th day of July, 1827.
her HANNAH (X) THOMPSON. mark (Seal.)
IMPORTING CARDS-Ohio had her Blue Laws in early days, and one of the most singular trials in the history of this county was that of John McGhee, indicted for violating one of them. The grand jury of the July term, 1817, indicted him because he ."did import and bring into the county of Jackson aforesaid, and township of Lick aforesaid, a pack of playing cards." McGhee pleaded not guilty, but the jury found otherwise, and he was fined five dollars and the costs. The jurors were: Grand, David Mitchell, foreman; John Graham, John Backus, John Bennett, Peter Brown, Moses Hale, Joseph Gray, Jacob Westfall, William Burris,
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James Winks, Allen Rice, James Lackey, Joseph Crouch, George Campbell and Jeremiah Brown; petit, John McBride, Theophilus Blake, Daniel Harris, John Delay, John Frazee, Edward Story, James Stephenson, Levi Howell, Reuben Long, Asa Lake, Patrick Shearer, Drury Bondurant. With such men all agreeing, it must be conceded that it seems very probable that McGhee did import the cards. Perhaps, the losses of some of the jurors at gaming may have had something to do with this conviction. This is the first pack of cards mentioned in the records, but after that, indict- ments for gaming followed in quick succession. It appears that John George was one of the settlers that permitted gaming in his house. At least, the record shows that some very prominent men played at his house, although their own dwellings were only a few hundred yards away. All that has been mentioned goes to show that the pioneers were not any better, and perhaps no worse, than the people of today. The laws seem to have been better enforced, however. Even two women, living in Jefferson town- ship, who had settled a little difference by fighting, were indicted and found guilty, and a young man arrested in a bastardy case pleaded guilty and was mulcted.
LEAD LEGENDS-Caleb Briggs made geological investiga- tions in Jackson county in 1837, and in his report he said: There are rumors in the southern portion of the state, in reference to lead mines, but as yet no veins have been discovered. Small quan- tities of lead have, however, been found in loose masses on the surface. A small piece of this description was recently sent to me from Jefferson township, Jackson county. Lead must exist in small quantities in either the iron ores or limestone of Lawrence and Scioto counties, as several pounds are not infrequently taken from the crevices in a furnace hearth at the close of a blast. This information was communicated by Mr. Smith, of Jackson Furnace.
\ find of lead was made in Liberty township, near Rock Hill church, as late as 1860. The following notes were taken at the place in 1895:
On the south side of the breakthrough stands Lead Rock. It
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is low compared with Rock Hill, but it is nothing but rock. naked on three sides. On the south, a neck connects it with the main hill. It is called Lead Rock because a lump of lead was found in the creek bottom at its base about thirty-five years ago by William, son of Daniel Yerian. The lead was brought to Jackson and examined, and was found to be of good quality. The father, Daniel Yerian, found another lump near by. There is a tradition that the Indians used to dig lead on Rock run, but this may be taken for what it is worth. The presence of the lead found by the Yerians has never been explained. There is a tradition that the Indians had a lead mine near Keystone Furnace. The following letter gives all the known facts:
Rocky Hill,O.,March 13,1897.
Editor Standard-Journal: Dear Sir-Herein is noted the tradi- tion which I have received from my people, who settled here in the year 1806, in regard to the lead mine somewhere in Bloom- field township. The Indians found and utilized a lead mine in what is known as Jimmy Adams' hollow, which at its beginning trends through the old Lackey homestead and terminates at the John Ware bridge, near Keystone Furnace. According to the tradition, it may be in some of the ravines or hollows leading into said valley. A certain person (whose name I can not state, as my informant is dead), was captured by the Indians and taken "blindfolded", to the mine, in order that it could not be located. I am also informed that this captive stated, that at said lead mine there were many beech trees, on which were engraven or cut figures of turkeys, turtles, deer, etc. But let this tradition be as it may, I can state this fact, that my grandfather in the early 1800's, selected this homestead among the many situations in the forests for its fine flowing springs, one of which is called the Silver spring on account of its water.
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