USA > Ohio > Jackson County > A history of Jackson County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 16
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THE HUGHES CAVE SKELETON-Mr. John J. Cunning- ham discovered a human skeleton in a cave on the lands of Mrs.
179
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
Hughes, in Madison township, some two miles from Centreville, in January, 1875. He was fox hunting, when the fox ran under the rocks, and he going in after it, saw something which he took to be a gourd. Picking it up he found it to be a human skull. He then found in a depression in the rocks the entire skeleton. It was lying face downwards, and the bones were cramped as if the body had been doubled and crowded into the depression in the rocks.
JACKSON'S REPRESENTATIVES-The first period in the history of Jackson County's Representatives extended from 1803 to 1816. During this period nearly all the settled territory of Jaek- son County was included within the limits of Ross, and its Repre- sentatives can thus be claimed by Jackson. The members from Ross in the First Ohio House were Michael Baldwin, Robert Cul- bertson, Thomas Worthington and William Patton. The latter was one of the two men that drafted the first bill to regulate the Scioto Salt Works. The members in the Second House were James Dunlap, John Evans and Elias Langham. The name of Duncan McArthur appears in 1804. David Shelby and Abraham J. Williams were new men in 1805. Nathaniel Massie was elected in 1806, and Thomas Worthington and Jeremiah McLean in 1807. Worthington was one of the men that made the first survey of Jackson County. Jessup N. Couch, Joseph Kerr and Samuel Mon- nett were new men in 1808, and Edward Tiffin, already mentioned, in 1809. Henry Brush, Abraham Claypool, James Manary and William Creighton, Jr., were elected in 1810, William Sterrett and Thomas Reniek in 1811, Samuel Swearingen in 1812, John Mc- Dougall, James Barnes and Isaac Dawson in 1813, and Thomas Scott in 1815. The names are given in the order in which the men were elected. Many of them served several terms. Several of them were Governors of the State, and the list includes a number of Congressmen. Jackson's early settlers were well represented before the organization of the county. That event occurred in 1816, and the first election for representative was held in October of that year.
The second period began in 1816 and lasted four years. The
180
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
two new counties, Pike and Jackson were erected into a Legislative District until the census of 1820 was taken. At the first election there were only two candidates voted for in Jackson County, viz, Jared Strong and George L. Crookham. Strong carried the county by a vote of 171 to 89 for Crookham, and carried Pike County, also, and was elected. Crookham was the grandfather of the MeKit- terick brothers of Jackson and was a man of great ability. Strong's wider acquaintance secured him the election, however. He was re-elected in 1817 with hardly any opposition. In 1818, Wil- liam Givens, of Jackson, was elected. Strong was not a candi- date and his only opponent was William Collins who received a light vote. Judge Givens served only one year, and was succeeded by Strong, who was elected for the third term, and by an over- whelming vote.
The third period began in 1820, and extended to 1828. During this period the counties of Meigs, Gallia and Jackson formed one Legislative District and were entitled to two Representatives. There were six candidates at the election in 1820. Robert G. Hanna received almost the entire vote of his county and was elected. His associate was George House. House and David Boggs, of Gallia, were elected for the district in 1821. Jackson County was left out in the cold, but in 1822, evened up by electing two of its sons, Jared Strong and Joseph W. Ross. This occurred on account of the multiplicity of candidates in the other two counties. Strong was elected for the fifth time in 1823, his asso- ciate being Fuller Elliott. Jared Strong, the first Jackson County man elected to the Ohio House, had a service record which has never been broken, in number of terms or years. He was elected five times and served five years, the term being one year, under the old Constitution from 1803 to 1851. In 1824, Jackson secured the two Representatives a second time, electing J. W. Ross and David Mitchell. Ross was re-elected in 1825, and had Samuel Holcomb for his associate. In 1826, Daniel Hoffman, of Jackson, and Stephen Strong were elected. Some claim that this Strong was the son of Hon. Jared Strong, while others assert that he was a Meigs
181
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
County man. In 1827, George Burris, of Jackson, and Andrew Donnally, of Meigs, were elected.
In 1828, Jackson and Pike were put together again and given one Representative. Alexander Miller, of Jackson, was given the first term. John Barnes, of Pike, was elected in 1829 and 1830, Robert Lucas, of Pike, in 1831, Geoge Burris, of Jackson, in 1832, Barnes again in 1833, John Burnside, of Jackson, in 1834, and David Mitchell, of Jackson, in 1835.
A new district consisting of Ross, Pike and Jackson was formed in 1836, which was entitled to two members, and to one floater the first year. James Hughes, of Jackson, was elected as one of the members in 1836, 1837 and 1838, and Elihu Johnson, in 1839. Daniel Ott was Hughes' associate in 1836 and 1837 and Abraham Hegler in 1838. Samuel Reed was the other member in 1839. The floater in 1836 was John I. Vanmeter, of Pike.
Hocking was added to the district in 1840, and the new district was given three members. Jackson had a Representative during the four years, viz, John Stinson in 1840, John James in 1841, Elihu Johnson in 1842, and Asa R. Cassidy in 1843. The other members were Joseph Kaylor and James T. Worthington in 1840, David Karshner and Le Grand Byington in 1841, William Nelson and Byington in 1842, and Kaylor and Wesley Claypool in 1843. Hon. Le Grand Byington moved to Iowa in later years, and was alive very recently. If he is still living, he is the oldest surviving Representa- tive of this county. He stumped this county during his canvass, and he spoke once at old Oak Hill in front of the residence of James Reed, where Evan I Evans now resides.
During the next period of four years Jackson and Gallia were put together with one representative. Gallia was given Joseph J. Combs in 1844, Jackson, Martin Owens in 1845, and Alexander Poor in 1846, and Gallia A. T. Holcomb in 1847. Owens was the father of ex-Marshal William Owens. Holcomb is dead, but a namesake and relative is now a leading Republican of Scioto County.
In 1848, Athens and Meigs were added to the district, and it
182
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
was given a floater in addition to the regular member. The mem- ber in 1848 was Hon. H. S. Bundy and the floater A. T. Holcomb. Joseph W. Ross was the member in 1849 and Holcomb the floater. Penell Cherrington, of Gallia, was the member in 1850 and Bundy the floater.
During the decade following the census of 1850, Jackson and Vinton counties formed one Legislative District, which was repre- sented by six different men, viz, Daniel D. T. Hard elected in 1851, William J. Evans in 1853, Edward F. Bingham in 1855, Robert B. Stevenson in 1857, and Alexander Pierce in 1859. Stevenson re- signed before the end of his term, and was succeeded by William L. Edminston. All of these except W. J. Evans were from Vinton County. Evans was elected as a Whig. He is still living and resides near Oak Hill. He is the oldest surviving Legislator in the county. The two year terin began with this period.
The county now forms a single Legislative District, and has enjoyed that privilege since 1861, a period of thirty-nine years. During that time the county has had fourteen Representatives, of whom eight are still living, viz, James Tripp, Bernard Kahn, Thomas J. Harrison, R. H. Jones, B. F. Kitchen, Samuel Llewellyn M. T. Vanpelt and Lot Davies. Hon. Isaac Roberts, the first of the fourteen was the father of Mrs. H. C. Miller. He was elected in 1861 and served one term. His successor was Hon. James Tripp, elected in 1863, who served two terms. In 1867, the Republican candidate was defeated by Hon. Levi Dungan, who served one term. Dr. William S. Williams, of Oak Hill, was nominated by the Repub- licans in 1869, and elected, but he died March 6, 1871. while at Columbus. His remains were brought to Oak Hill for interment. The writer was at the funeral. The day was rainy and gloomy and the funeral was one of the largest in the history of that village. An election to choose a successor was held March 23, 1871. Hon T. L. Hughes was elected. In October, 1871, the Republican candi- date was defeated by Hon. Bernard Kahn, who served one term. He is now living in Cincinnati. There was no contest in the Repub- lican convention of 1873, and Hon. T. J. Harrison, of Jefferson township, was nominated by acclamation. This was the first polit-
183
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
ical convention attended by the writer, and it left a most vivid im- pression. After Harrison was nominated, he was called before the convention and delivered a short address. He was elected, but served only one term. In later years, he moved to Missouri, where he now resides. In 1875, Dr. A. B. Monahan was elected, and he was re-elected in 1877, but died before the end of his term. He belonged to a family of legislators. His brother, Hon. I. T. Mona- han, was Senator from this district during his first term. A brother and a doctor represented Vinton for two terms in recent years, and other brothers served in western Legislatures. Mona- han was succeeded by Hon. James B. Paine, who was re-elected in 1879. Hon. R. H. Jones, then of Oak Hill, succeeded him. He served two terms, and as "Jones of Jackson " acquired a State reputation. Hon. B. F. Kitchen was elected in 1885 and served two terms. Hon. Samuel Llewellyn was elected in 1889 and served two terms, and Hon. M. T. Vanpelt was elected in 1893 and served two terms. He was succeeded by Hon. Lot Davis, who is now serving out his second term.
Jackson County has had fifty-nine Representatives since its organization. Of those who were its own citizens H. S. Bundy became the most distinguished. Robert Lucas, of Pike, who rep- resented it in 1831, became Governor of Ohio the next year, and was re-elected in 1834. John I. Vanmeter, who represented it in 1836, was elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress. Byington was a candidate for Congress in Iowa in the early years of the war. Others have held many positions of honor and trust. James Hughes, who served from 1836 to 1839, established the Jackson Stand- ard. Martin Owens established the Jackson Union, but it did not survive long. Jolin James was the grandfather of ex-Warden C. C. James. Personal popularity had much to do with the success of the men elected under the old Constitution. It was only after Jack- son became a single district that political lines were tightly drawn. Roberts was elected in 1861 as a Republican, and that party has controlled the county ever since, Levi Dungan and Bernard Kahn being the only Democrats to break the lines.
184
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
WITCHES-The south part of Jackson County, and the ad- joining parts of Scioto and Lawrence, were settled early in the present century by the poorer classes of persons from Western Vir- ginia. They possessed many good traits of character, and some which were not so good. From the amount of ceremony attending the marriages among them, as I have already described, one would suppose that the marriage relation among them would be highly esteemed; but such was not always the case. On one occasion a man conceived that he had been worsted in his marriage contract, and traded his wife to another man for a penknife, worth 50 cents. The purchaser took possession, and the parties lived together quite happily until they left the county, and for aught I know, they are living together yet.
Occasionally an old bachelor was found among these early settlers. There was Jesse Rees, the tailor, who made my first coat for me. He built a cabin away back across the Black Fork of Symmes' creek, miles from any other settler. It was at the foot of a steep hill, which is known to this day as "Rees' Ridge." This place is about a mile from Jefferson Furnace. There Rees lived all alone. He was an inoffensive man, but terribly addicted to drink- ing whisky. When partially intoxicated, he was in the habit of boasting of a large amount of property in which he had some in- terest at King's Salt Works, near Charleston, Virginia.
Witches were very troublesome in the days of the first settle- ments in this county. The cows would become bewitched, and kick over the milk pail. The butter would not come with any amount of churning. The only remedy was to cut a small piece from the end of the cow's tail, take that and a few drops of her blood, and a little of her milk, and cover them in the hottest part of the fire, and the witch would be rendered very uncomfortable, and would very likely relieve the cow. Hogs were often bewitched. A farmer told me once that he had lost many fine hogs at the hands of the witches. The hogs would commence running around, fall down in a kind of convulsive fit, and scon die. He and his brother were out one day burning brush, when a witch seized one of his hogs, and it fell near the burning brush heap. He told his brother to pick it
185
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
up and throw it into the fire. It was apparently dying, but as his brother stooped to take hold of it, it jumped up as well as ever, and ran off. The witch having so narrow an escape, did not trouble his hogs any further.
But the witches often attacked persons. I know a young woman once who was sorely troubled for years by - -, a witch, living in the neighborhood. I have seen this young woman seized in time of religious meetings, and it was a fearful sight. No one could hold her but -, her beau. Great terror would seize the congregation when these attacks were made. It was the subject of gossip for miles around. The aid of witch doctors was invoked. They made a profile of Mrs. - , the witch, and shot it with a bul- let made of silver. They resorted to other means, too mysterious to be made known, and finally Mrs. - was rendered so uncomfort- able that her husband was compelled to sell his little farm and leave the county. A most horrid case of witchcraft occurred in this county since my recollection. A young girl near the town of - was bewitched. The witch would cause the dishes to move from the cupboard to the table, and back again, without any hu- man agency. Nearly all the clothes about the house were ent to pieces by the witches. Persons went many miles to see these strange sights. The whole county was excited, and scarcely any- thing else was talked about for many months.
Witches often played strange pranks. They would often at- tack persons who happened to be caught out alone at nights, and throw a bridle over their heads, force the bit into their mouths, mount them and ride them over hill and hollow, through brush and briars, until the poor wretches were completely exhausted, and would return early in the morning looking more than half dead.
Witches would often appear of rainy nights, especially in low, swampy places, as "Jack with the lantern." The witch would com- mence as a torch light, and the traveler, too glad to have a light to show him his way, would follow. The light would move, and com- mence dancing, and then the party was in for it, and was compelled to follow it whithersoever it went. It would lead him into the worst mud and mire, and then it would stop and laugh at his calamity,
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
and mock when his fear came. I cannot give the sound of this laugh in print, but is was something like "heuck, heuck, heuck." An- old man from Old Virginia told me that he had often and often been thus led by witches. Once he became completely exhausted and crept into a hollow log as far as he could get, but his hips and legs were exposed. The witches came and battered him over the hips until he was glad to get out of the log and pursue his way. His hips were bruised until they were black and blue for many days. The only way to get this witch spell broken, was to turn some por- tion of your garments wrong side out, when the light would in- stantly disappear and you were free.
Witches would often kill sheep and cattle by shooting them with balls made of hair, very closely and mysteriously wound to- gether. These balls never made any external opening in the skin, but were often cut out of the dead animals, in various parts of the body .- Standard.
SYMMES CREEK-John Cleves Symmes was born on Long Island in 1742, removed to New Jersey, was colonel of militia in the Revolution, served in the Continental congress, and on the supreme bench of New Jersey, received a patent for a tract of more than three hundred thousand acres on the Miami, was married three times, and died at Cincinnati, in 1814. His memory has almost been forgotten but the tortuous creek which drains the upland flats of Jackson county, and flows south forever, fed by strong springs welling forth from lime and coal strata, will preserve his name.
Symmes creek is a post glacial stream. It was formed by the pent up waters of a lost river whose mouth was choked by the gla- cier, seeking an outlet into the deeply eroded bed of the Ohio. The old valley of the lost river can be traced easily through this county from Beaver to Centreville. The closing of its mouth by the ice converted that part of it now included in this county into a long but narrow lake. The floods at the close of the glacial period caus- ed this lake to overflow at three or more points. These overflows cut gorges which in course of time emptied the lake, and, that duty done, continued to be regular water courses. Erosion is still in
187
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
progress, and their valleys are widening year by year. The Salt Creek gorge is nearest to Jackson. The South Fork of this creek occupies the old river bed from Camba to a point about a mile be- low Jackson. It then flows through a narrow gorge of its own mak- ing, which is easily accessible to every Jackson boy or girl who cares to study it. The two forks which join to form Symmes creek down in Gallia county, flow through gorges of the same general character, but they are older, the work of erosion has continued longer, and the hills have been rounded out more, and the exposed strata covered. It should be noted, that while these gorges were. emptying the glacial lake, many small streams were carrying in sand and mud, and gradually filling the deeper parts of the lake bed. With the subsidence of the waters, the force of the current in each gorge was lessened, and there came a time when the cutting practically ceased. But the washing in of material continued un- abated until all the low places were filled. The lake bottom then became a marsh, and such was the condition of the lowlands in this county, when the white man came. Drainage has converted those marshes into meadows, and the flats on the head waters of Symmes are now the best land in the county.
FRANKLIN VALLEY-The flat south of Camba goes by the name of Franklin Valley. It is irregular in shape but broadens to- ward the south and has an area of about one thousand acres. It is hemmed in by low crowned hills, but a low gap connects it with Salt Creek valley on the north, and two valleys drain its waters to the east and south. The first stream flows on by easy stages until it loses itself in Cackley swamp on the Grassy Fork of Symmes. It bears no name. The second stream is the Black Fork of Symmes. Its bed drains the lowest lands of the flat. The waters of the gla- cial lake lingered longest at the point where it enters the gorge through the hills to the south. Nature was thwarted in her effort to drain this marsh, by the skilful engineering of the beaver. The valley of Black Fork was one of their favorite haunts, for its tor- tuous course furnished so many suitable sites for dams. These dams held back the waters in ponds, the largest of which occupied
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
the lowest level of Franklin valley, and bore the name of Beaver pond. This name given by the Indians, was retained by the whites and still designates the spot, although the water has been drained away. The presence of the beaver, and of the buffalo which were attracted by the sweet grasses of the marshes, made this a favorite hunting ground of the Indians. The buffalo lingered on the head- waters of Symmes until the beginning of this century. Two were killed on Grassy Fork in the neighborhood of Emory church in 1800, others of the herd were killed near Winchester in 1801, and the last survivor was shot by an old hunter named Keenes in the Franklin valley neighborhood in 1802. The beaver remained until their dams were broken down by the ruthless salt boilers. This let out the waters, and the clearing of the timber and the straighten ing of the creeks drained all the smaller ponds at an early day. Beaver pond held its own for half a century more, but the deepen- ing of the Black Fork channel within the last seven years, has end- ed its history.
INDEX.
A Postoffice Established.
82
A Band of Hunters
45
A Jackson County Mammoth
7
A Petition for a License to Keep
a Tavern
114
A Forgotten Graveyard
139
Annexed to Virginia .. 32
An Act Regulating the Public
Salt Works
76
A11 Act to Encourage Experi-
ments at the Scioto Salt Works 83
An Act to Erect the County of
Jackson.
96
An Archeological Find
25
Annexed to Quebec
40
Appearance of the Licks. 35
Autumnal Fevers.
135
Battle of Point Pleasant
42
Beaver ..
20
Bloomfield
99
Botetourt County 41
Boone's Visit
45
Briggs' Notes. 88
Camp Rock
94
Camp of 1812
94
Captain Batts' Expedition 32
Captain Strong's Company 94
Ceded to the United States 48
Commissioners and Director
Appointed .
125
Commissioners' Proceedings
107
Congress Acts
64
Counting the Votes 103
Darling's Interview
145
De Celoron's Expedition.
35
Decr
17
Early Criminal Record 117
End of French Dominion 40
Escape of Samuel Davis 54
First White Visitors 33
First English Visitors
34
First Commissioners 98
First Year's Taxes
111
First Term of Court
112
First Criminal Case
114
First Petit Jury
115
Fossil Bones.
5
Franklin.
100
Gallatin's Suggestion. 74
General Lewis at the Licks 44
George L. Crookham
67
Green's Expedition
57
Harrison's Recommendation 74
Hildreth's Notes
84
Human Skeletons.
27
Illinois County Organized
47
Introduction
5
Jackson's First Director.
128
Jackson County Erected
95
Jonathan Alder.
47
July 4. 1817
130
La Salle
33
Leasing the Licks
7.5
Lick Township
91
Lick
101
Lord Dunmore's War
42
Madison
102
Milton
102
Noted Salt Boiler
104
New Town Laid Out
126
Other Pioneers
68
Other Salt Lick Legislation 82
Other Business .
115
Panthers
18
Primeval Man
21
Ross County
91
Rock Shelters
26
Salt ..
26
Sale of Lots
127
Selecting the Site
125
Some Bear Stories 14
Some Recollections 142
Squatter Sovereignty
66
Story of the Ashes.
29
Survey of Jackson County
89
Teachers' Examiners
134
The First Agent
79
The Mammoth.
5
The Mastodon
8
The Megatherium
9
The Buffalo 11
The Elk
14
The Raccoon 20
The Last Otter 20
The Mound Builders. 22
The Old Fort
23
The Salt Pans 30
The Shawanese .. 31
The Historic Period.
31
The First Map. 36
The Halterman Boys 36
The James Foray . 60
The Second Salt Boiler
64
The First Salt Boiler 63
The First Road 80
The Last Road Appropriations
80
Thomas Oliver. .
73
The War of 1812 92
The First Election 99
The First Road Petition 111
The First Fall Election
115
The First Convict.
119
The County Seat. 121
The First Jail. 129
The First Court House.
132
Treaty of Greenville 62
Veterans of the Revolution
70
The First Merchants.
133
The First Bankrupt.
134
The First Deaths
137
The Old Graveyard.
138
Wild Game
9
Wolves
18
MISCELLANY.
A Southern Term
149
An Old-time Will 151
An Old Time Wedding. 174
An Act to Incorporate the Iron Railroad Company 169
Burning of the Court House.
156
Citizens' Bank.
172
Franklin Valley
187
Importing Cards.
1.52
The First Railroad 166
The First Bank. 171
The Mather Cemetery 172
Township Names 149
Washington 149
Wellston's Beginning 176
Lead Legends
153
Mackley's Recollections 157
Mt. Zion Cemetery 173
Patent for Section 29 150
Price's Recollections 163
Symmes Creek. 186
The Hughes Cave Skeleton 178
The Lackey Tavern 155
The Martin Mound 156
Jackson's Representatives.
179
Jamestown Cemetery
1-5
Jefferson
.150
Last Will and Testament of
Hannah Thompson
151
C/itches.
184
3405
Wayne's Campaign.
56
William Hewitt, the Hermit 49
The Bunn Graveyard 140
The End. 147
Tiffin's Message 81
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