USA > Ohio > Jackson County > A history of Jackson County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 7
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James Dawson declared October 6, 1820, that he served three years and seven months in the Thirteenth Virginia regiment of regulars, and was in battle against the Indians at the town of Coshocton, on the Muskingum river, in the state of Ohio; also in battle against the Indians at the mouth of White Woman's Creek; also in battle on Big Beaver, and many others. He has many descendants in the county.
William Darby declared June 26, 1821, that he served in the Revolutionary War as follows: That he served as drummer in Captain Davis' company until he, Captain Davis, was killed; then in Captain Carbery's company, that Colonel Hoobly commanded; when he was discharged he belonged to General Wagner's divi- sion, and that he served. five years and ten months during the Revolutionary War in the Pennsylvania line on Continental estab. lishment.
Thomas Craig declared October 17, 1820, that he served in the Revolutionary War as follows: In the First regiment, under Col- onel Rollins, Second company, commanded by Captain Richard Davis, of the Maryland line, and that he has received a pension, and that the certificate is No. 10780; that he enlisted in the year 1776, and was taken prisoner at Fort Washington, and was not discharged till 1784.
Seth Larrabee declared June 29, 1821, that he served in the Revolutionary War as follows, to-wit: That he was enlisted for three years at Windham, in the state of Connecticut, on or about the month of January, 1777, under Captain Nino Elderkin, belong-
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ing to a regiment commanded by Colonel Herman Swift, and that lie continued to serve in said company in the service of the United States in the Continental army, against the common enemy, until about January, 1780, when he was honorably discharged at Mor- ristown, New Jersey, about the month of December, in the year 1781. He was again enlisted at the town of Windham, in the state of Connecticut, for three years, under Captain Joseph Thong, belonging to Colonel Thomas Swift's regiment. He continued in said regiment to serve against the common enemy for the term of three years, when he was honorably discharged at West Point. He served in the whole six years on Continental establishment against the common enemy; was in the battles of Germantown and Monmouth.
James Hulse declared June 26, 1821, that he served in the Revolutionary War in the Virginia Continental line, for the term of three years, for which he received a bounty in land from that state; that he enlisted at Shepherdstown, Virginia, in the com- pany commanded by Captain Abraham Shepherd, and served under him in the Twelfth Virginia regiment.
William Clarke declared October 16, 1820, that he served in the Revolutionary War as follows: In the First Virginia state regiment of artillery three years; was in a battle against the British at Hampton, the regiment commanded by Thomas Mar- shall; was in North Carolina when Colonel Bluford was defeated.
John Exline declared May 19, 1825, that he served as a private soldier in the Revolutionary War, in the Virginia Continental line, for the term of eighteen months; that he was enlisted in Hamp- shire county, Virginia, in the year 1781, by Captain Thomas Wai- man, in whose company he served until after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, at which he was engaged as a Desieger in said company. After the surrender to Washington by Corn- wallis, at Yorktown, this deponent and the company, with a de- tachment of about 800, he thinks, moved off and pressed on to Cumberland Court House, where they remained during the winter succeeding said surrender. In the spring they were marched to Savannah, in Georgia, or near the same, at a place called
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Widow Givens. He was marched to Georgia in a company commanded by Captain Beverly Roy, the whole detachment under Colonel Posey; a stop for a time at a place called Eleenegantown, after which he came to Charleston, South Carolina, where he remained until he was marched to Cumberland Court House, again, when at the expiration of his eighteen months he received an hon- orable discharge under Gen. Charles Scott and Colonel l'osey. The discharge was signed by said Scott. He states he does not now remember the number of the company and the regiment, but be- lieves the Colonel's name was Gist.
THOMAS OLIVER-The last survivor of this band of heroes was Thomas Oliver, whose remains lie buried in Mt. Zion cem- etery. The people of Jackson held a celebration July 4th, 1843, and two old veterans were brought to town and placed on the stage during the exercises. They were James Dawson and Thomas Oliver. The latter lived until February 23, 1844, and was 80 years old at the time of his death. His son by his second wife, Hiram Oliver, has furnished us the following data concerning him: "My father, Thomas Oliver, was a native of Maryland. He was born May 10, 1763, on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. His father died when he was 14 years old, and he then went to live with his Unele David Loffland in Loudon county, Virginia. He remained with him about three years, when he enlisted in the Revolutionary army. Ile joined the Sixth Virginia regiment, commanded by Colonel Muhlenberg. This was in 1779. He enlisted for seven years, or for the war, and when the war was ended he was dis- charged, having served three years and seven months. For this service he was pensioned in 1834, getting a pension of $80 a year. He was married three times. His first wife was Sarah Edwards, daughter of Joseph Edwards, a Welshman. This marriage occurred when he was 27 years of age. Eight children were born to them, all of whom grew to maturity. They were William, Thomas, Charles, Wesley, Nancy, Rebecca, Elizabeth and Sarah. His wife died in Mason county, Virginia. In 1816 he came to Ohio and set- tled on Symmes creek, in this county, leasing a part of the school land.
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HARRISON'S RECOMMENDATION -The condition of affairs at the Seioto licks during this period was not what Congress had contemplated when it passed the act of 1796, reserving a town- ship of land for the use of the Government, but four years were allowed to elapse before the next action was taken. On February 19, 1800, W. If. Harrison, the Ohio delegate in Congress, com- munieated the following recommendation to the Lower House:
That, upon inquiring into the situation of the salt springs and licks, the property of the United States, they have been informed from respectable authorities, that those on the east side of the Scioto, on the east of the Muskingum, and one or two near the Great Miami, are now in the occupancy of a number of persons, who are engaged in the making of salt to a very considerable extent, and that these persons, by a destructive waste of the tim- ber in the neighborhood of the springs, are daily diminishing their valne. The committee therefore think it advisable that measures should be immediately taken to secure to the United States the benefits arising from these springs, and therefore submit to the House the following resolution:
Resolved. That all the salt springs and licks, the property of the United States, in the territory northwest of the Ohio, ought to be leased for a term not less than . .. nor more than .. years.
GALLATIN'S SUGGESTION-The Harrison resolution was never carried into effect by Congress, for the people in the eastern part of the Northwest Territory were already thinking of state- hood, and the leasing of the licks was allowed to wait until the state should get possession of them. When the question of pass- ing the Ohio Enabling Act came before Congress, Mr. Giles, Chair- man of the committee having the matter in hand, solicited Hon. Albert Gallatin for some observations on the disposal of the licks. The latter submitted the following on February 13, 1802: The grant of the Seioto salt springs will at present be considered as the most valuable, and alone would most probably induce a com- plianee on the part of the new state with the conditions proposed by Congress; and, if it be considered that at least one-half of the
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future population of that district will draw their salt from that source, the propriety of preventing the monopoly of that article falling into the hands of any private individual can hardly be disputed.
Acting on this suggestion, the committee recommended to the House on March 4, 1802, that the following be one of the propositions made to the Convention of the Eastern State of the Northwest Territory:
2. That the Six Miles Reservation, including the salt springs, commonly called the Scioto salt springs, shall be granted to the State of when formed, for the use of the people thereof; the same to be used under such terms, conditions and regulations as the Legislature of the said state shall direct; provided, the said Legislature shall never sell nor lease the same for a longer term than .... years.
LEASING THE LICKS-The Ohio Enabling Act was passed April 30, 1802, and the limit of the salt leases was fixed at ten years. The first Constitutional Convention met November 1, 1802, at Chillicothe, which had been made the capital by the act of Congress of May 7, 1800. The convention accepted the salt re- serve proposition of Congress, formulated a Constitution, and ad- journed November 29, 1802, all its labors over. On February 19, 1803, Congress passed an act recognizing Ohio's statehood, and the First General Assembly met at Chillicothe March 1, 1803. One of the first matters that came up for consideration was the leasing of the Scioto salt licks. This coming to the knowledge of the squatters at the licks, they secured the services of Major John James to go to Chillicothe to present a petition to the Legis- lature. The Journal record is to this effect: On March 25, 1803, James "presented a petition from sundry inhabitants of the Scioto Salt Liek township, praying for privilege of continuing their busi- ness as formerly for the present season." The petition was read and referred to the committee in charge of the matter. It was presented too late, however, for the following resolutions had been reported by the Committee of the Whole to the House on March 23, 1803, two days before Major James' arrival:
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Resolved, That it is inexpedient at this time for the Legisla- ture to make any provisions for renting the salt springs for any longer period than the 1st day of April, 1804.
Resolved, That an agent, or agents, be appointed, who shall procure and keep a book or books of entries, for the purpose of entering all the kettles or other vessels used in boiling salt water at the different salt works, specifying the size, and that all persons shall make entry with such agent, and shall pay to him the sum of .... cents per annum, on each gallon his kettle or other vessel may contain, which money shall be paid by said agent into the treasury of the state.
Resolved, That it shall be the duty of said agent to ascertain by experiment or otherwise, before the next session of the Legis- lature, what quantity of water will produce one bushel of salt, the expense attending the reduction of said water, to explore the township and sections containing the salt springs, ascertaining the quality of the land, state of the timber, etc .; to enquire whether in the neighborhood of either of the salt springs any quantity of stone coal can be found, also of what quality it may be, and whether it will answer as a substitute for wood in boiling the water; to ascertain the extent and situation of the springs; what number of wells may be dug, or what number of furnaces may be erected, and the value of the present improvements, and to make report thereof to the next Legislature.
Ordered, That Mr. Patton and Mr. Silliman prepare and bring in a bill, pursuant to the said report.
William Patton and Wyllis Silliman, appointed to draft the bill, made all due haste, and it was reported to the House and read the first time April 6. It passed April 9, and went to the Senate. It passed the Senate April 12, and became a law April 13, 1803. Following is a copy of it:
AN ACT REGULATING THE PUBLIC SALT WORKS- Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Ohio, That an agent be appointed by a joint ballot of both Houses for one year, to commence from and after the 1st of May next, who shall, previous to entering on the duties of his office, enter into a
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bond with good freehold security, to the governor and his suc- cessors, for the use of the state, in the penal sum of two thousand dollars, conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties required by this act.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of said agent to provide a book or books, and open an office at the Scioto salt works, on the 1st day of June next, of which he shall give twenty days' notice, by advertisement in the Scioto Ga- zette, and also at some publie place at the said works, and keep said office open to all persons having business to transact therein.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That if any of the occu- piers of the furnaces or wells, which may be erected or sunk before the said 1st day of June, shall choose to continue in the occupancy thereof, they shall, on the day last mentioned, make application to the agent for a license for that purpose, who is hereby required to grant the same for any period not exceeding one year, such applicant first producing to said agent a written list, signed with his name, containing a true account of the furnaces and wells he may then be in possession of, together with the number and capacity of the kettles he intends to use in making salt at said works, which list shall be carefully filed in said office, and a fair entry thereof made by said agent in a book to be provided, as aforesaid, for that purpose; but if any of the occupiers, as afore- said, shall refuse or neglect to make application on the day above mentioned, then it shall be the duty of the said agent to rent such furnaces and wells to any person who may apply therefor, such person first producing a like list as is required of the occupiers aforesaid, whereupon the agent shall grant a license to such appli- cant in the same manner as is required in the case of occupiers; provided, always, that the occupiers shall have a reasonable time to remove their kettles and other movable property from such fur- naces and wells; and, provided also, that no person or company shall, under any pretense whatever, be permitted to use, at any time, a greater number of kettles than one hundred and twenty, nor less number in any one furnace than twenty kettles.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That upon application
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made to the said agent by any person for the privilege to erect furnaces or sink wells at the said salt works, the said agent is hereby required to assign to such applicant a convenient lot or lots for that purpose, taking care that the erection of such fur- naces or sinking such wells shall not injure those already erected or sunk; and such new furnaces and wells shall be under the same regulations and the kettles therein subject to the same rent. as is provided in the case of those already erected or sunk.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That every person obtain- ing a license as aforesaid shall pay, or cause to be paid to the said agent, quarter yearly, the sum of three cents per gallon, according to the capacity of the kettles or other vessels used in making salt as aforesaid; and for the better securing of said rent, the kettles of each person so renting shall be considered to stand pledged to the state until all arrears of rent are satisfied and paid, and any sale thereof made while such rent remains unpaid shall be deemed void and of no effect.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That when any person or company, who may own or ocenpy any furnace or furnaces agree- able to the provisions of this act, shall fail to pay the sum or sums which may be due the state, agreeable to law, the agent shall be and is hereby authorized and required to make distress on and sale of the property of any such person or company so failing to make payment; provided. always, that the said agent shall in all cases give fifteen days previous notice, in writing, at five of the most public places within the township where the works lie, of any such sale.
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall, after the said 1st day of June, make, or cause to be made, any salt at the said salt works, without first obtaining a license there- for, agreeable to the requisitions of this act, such person shall upon conviction thereof before any court having cognizance of the same, forfeit and pay the sum of five dollars for every such offense, with costs of suit, to the said agent for the use of the state, for each kettle he, she or they may use in making salt, contrary to the intent and meaning of this act.
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Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the said agent shall pay to the Treasurer of this state quarter yearly all monies which he may receive by virtue of this act; and the Treasurer is required to give his receipt for the same, which shall be countersigned by the Auditor.
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the agent aforesaid to ascertain as near as may be the quantity of salt water requisite to make fifty pounds of salt, and the neces- sary expenses attending the same, and also to ascertain whether or not there is contiguous to said works any considerable quantity of stone coal, and whether it can be used to advantage in boiling said water. Also to examine how far the salt water may extend in said township; likewise to examine the quality of the different sections of land, and whether they are well timbered or otherwise; also to ascertain the number and quality of the dwelling houses and the other improvements made in said township, and make a fair and accurate report thereof to the next General Assembly, together with the state of the furnaces and number of kettles entered in his office.
Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the agent aforesaid shall receive as a compensation for the duties and services required of him by this act the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars yearly, to be andited by the Auditor of Public Accounts and paid by the Treasurer of the state, out of any public monies not otherwise appropriated. And the said agent shall moreover be allowed such compensation for performing the duties required by the ninth section of this act as the next Legislature may think proper.
THE FIRST AGENT-Immediately after this bill became a law the following resolution was introduced in the House:
Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives, That the two houses will on tomorrow (being Thursday, April 14) meet in the Representatives' chamber, at 10 o'clock, and proceed to elect an agent agreeably to the provisions of "An act to regulate the public salt works."
This resolution was passed at once and sent to the Senate,
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which concurred the next morning. At the appointed hour both houses assembled and proceed to elect the agent by ballot. A count of the ballots showed that James Denny had been elected. The rule of the squatters was now over. Denny came to the salt works and at once proceeded to regulate the business in the inter- est of the state. He also went to work to explore the township, this being the initial geological survey in this state. He made his report to the Legislature December 3, 1803. Unfortunately the report was not preserved, or it was burned at the burning of the State House at Chillicothe. Denny was paid $82 for exploring Salt Lick township.
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THE FIRST ROAD-The Ohio Legislature appropriated the sum of $800 on February 18, 1804, "for the purpose of opening and making a road from Gallipolis, in the county of Gallia, to Chilli- cothe." On the same day, Samnel S. Spencer, Esq., was selected by joint resolution as a commissioner to lay it out. He selected the route now known as the Gallipolis and Chillicothe road, passing through Jackson. This was the first road established in the ter- ritory now including Jackson county.
THE LAST ROAD APPROPRIATIONS-The Ohio Legisla- ture passed a law on February 26, 1820, making appropriations of the three per cent. fund granted by the United States for laying out, opening and improving roads in this state. One section of this law relates to Jackson county and reads as follows:
Section 28. Be it further enacted, That there shall be appro- priated in the county of Jackson the sum of one thousand dollars, to be applied on roads as follows: On the road leading from Jack- son towards Burlington and Little Sandy, the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars; on the road towards Gallipolis, the sum of two hundred dollars; on the road towards Wilkesville, the sum of one hundred dollars; on the road towards Athens, the sum of one hun- dred dollars; on the road towards Adelphi, the sum of one hundred dollars; on the road towards Portsmouth, the sum of fifty dollars; on the road towards Chillicothe, the sum of two hundred dollars, for the purpose of securing and repairing the bridges on the Chil-
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licothe road, to be drawn and appropriated by a special order of the Commissioners of Jackson county.
On the same day Commissioners were selected by joint reso- lution to lay out or improve the roads designated, as follows: For the County of Jackson :- On the road from Jackson towards Bur. lington and Little Sandy, George Bowen, to lay out and open; second, on the road towards Adelphi, Timothy Darling, to lay out and open; third, on the road towards Gallipolis, Hugh Poor; fourth, on the road towards Wilkesville, Jeremiah Brown; fifth, on the road towards Athens, Patrick Shearer; sixth, on the road towards Portsmouth, Alexander Anderson; and on the road to- wards Chillicothe, John Runkle.
TIFFIN'S MESSAGE-The Scioto salt works were now con- sidered of such importance that Governor Edward Tiffin, in his annual message to the General Assembly December 5, 1803, re- ferred to them as follows: The "act regulating the public salt works," expiring of itself, will demand your attention, and as it is required of the agent in that department to make an accurate report to the General Assembly of the productiveness and state of the public salt works, you will be enabled to make such dis- positions, and provide for working those yet unoccupied in such way as may appear most conducive to the public good. As nature has placed this valuable article of salt, so necessary to the sus- tenance of man, in the bosom of our state, and as monopolies of that article have been effected in a neighboring state, would it not be advisable, if it can be effected, to prevent its exportation from the state, that our own citizens may reap all the benefits accruing from its use at home, or in salting their surplus provi- sions for exportation at as moderate a price as possible.
Acting upon the Governor's recommendation, the Legislature passed on January 27, 1804, a second act to regulate the salt works. It provided that the agent's bond should be fixed at $4,000; that the agent should lay off 800 acres in 20-acre lots, for leasing for cultivation; that a space of four poles in width be left along the creek for a road; that a space of at least thirty feet be left fronting
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works; that each salt boiler or mechanic be allowed to rent one or two lots for cultivation; that salt making be licensed at four cents a gallon; and that the agent should inspect each barrel of salt and mark it "inspected."
The provisions of this act indicate that the Legislature was beginning to appreciate the necessities of the case. Attention may be called to the fact that this law was the first in this state to provide for the inspection of a product.
A POSTOFFICE ESTABLISHED-The Government estab- lished a postoffice at the works on October 1, 1804. It was named Salt Lick, and Roger Seldon was appointed the first postmaster. On July 1, 1817, the name of the office was changed to Jackson, and Dr. Nathaniel W. Andrews appointed postmaster. It re- mained the only office in the county, until Oak Hill was established, March 11, 1837, with Levi Massie as postmaster. Berlin X Roads was established June 28, 1850, with Levi W. Salmans as post- master. €
OTHIER SALT LICK LEGISLATION-The second act was amended February 20, 1805, to reduce the rent to two cents a gal- lon, and to place the furnace capacity of each company at from 3,000 to 4,000 gallons. A fourth act was passed January 24, 1807, ordering the agent to have a map of the Scioto salt works made annually, showing wells, timber, etc., and directing him to lay off 100 acres about two and one-half miles from the center of the township into 10-acre lots, for renting for cultivation. "An act to amend the sev- eral acts regulating the public salt works was passed February 13, 1808, which reduced the rent to one cent a gallon, gave permission to use aqueducts or tubes, and gave authority to condemn right of way for the same. This was perhaps the first time in the his- tory of the state that condemnation of right of way was provided for. As a reason for such legislation the General Assembly had adopted a resolution January 20, 1808, showing that salt was very scarce in the state.
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