USA > Ohio > Highland County > A history of the early settlement of Highland County, Ohio > Part 21
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Grand Jurymen at this time received Coroner had been, under the Territorial seventy-five cents per day.
At this time, (September 30th, 1505,) the bonds of Nathaniel Pope and Elijah Kirkpatrick, collectors of taxes for the however, now, under the State organiza. county, were received. How or by tion, made elective by the people and at whom these collectors were appointed the record does not show.
Under the Territorial law the Court of General Quarter of the Peace, Were em- powered to appoint Listers one of cul
Hardin's Creek, for Fairfield ; and Fred- erick Braucher's tavern, in Brushcreek. This election was held on the day fixed by the State Constitution aml all the county officers made elective by the or - ganic laws of the State appear then to have been elected. The Sheriff and arrangement, dependent upon the Gov- ernor for their appointment, also the Justices of the Peace. These were
the election of this fall, Anthony Frank- In was chosen Sheriff and Uriah Paul- lin, Cotoner.
An order on the Commissioners is- cord of Highland county of the date of
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A HISTORY OF HIGHLAND COUNTY, OHIO.
November 4th, 1805, is found in these leather. In this style of costume-all words : "In pursuance of an act passed new of course, and clean-our worthy by the General Assembly of the State of first Representative to the Legislature Ohio, to elect three Commissioners for made his appearance at the seat of gov- the county of Highland, has duly elect- ernment. G. W. Barrere accompanied ed Nathaniel Pope, Jonathan Boyd and him. How he was dressed, tradition Frederick Braucher. Met this day (Ith does not disclose, but the presumption November) and proceeded. Ordered, is fair that the style did not materially that Jonathan Boyd be Secretary to the differ from that of his colleague. They Board of Commissioners."
arrived at the capital, Chillicothe, and put up at the best hotel. Being fatigued with their long ride through the woods, they retired shortly after supper, having given their shoes to the polite negro boy in attendance and received in lieu the customary old-fashioned slippers. In the morning they rose carly and went down to the bar room. Barrere picked
By an act passed April 16th, 1803, it was made the duty of the Court of Com- non Pleas of the several counties to es- tablislı townships, each of which was to be an election district. The Court, or Associate Judges, were further required at their first term to name a certain lionse in each township, as nearly cen- tral as they thought proper, at which the out his shoes from the long row of nice- electors should ineet and cast their bal- ly blacked shoes and boots arranged lots and the Sheriff of each county was along one side of the room. Gossett required to procure at the expense of his also attempted to do the same, but could county, boxes equal to the number of not see his shoes, so he waited till the townships in his county wel cause the landlord came in. He then asked for his shoes. The landlord was busy wait- same to be deposited at ihre places of liolding elections, there to remain for the ing on thirsty guests at the bar and in use of the electors. The Legislature reply pointed to the row against the wall. Gossett again examined with more care, but could not see his shoes. Ile was a quiet, modest man, and did not like to cause disturbance, so he con- cluded to wait till the black boy came in who had taken them the night before. After a while the boy came and Gossett took him to one side and made known his trouble, but the boy could give him further provided that the above named boxes thus provided should be of suffi- cient size to contain the ballots of the township in which it was deposited, and that it should have a lid secured with brass or iron hinges and a lock and key ; through the lid thereof, they required an aperture of a size calculated to admit a single ticket at a time and beneath it was to be placed an iron spring bolt, so no comfort. All the boots and shoes as to close the aperture and exclude the admission of anything into the box after the close of the poll.
At this election George W. Barrere was chosen Senator and John Gossett Representative to the State Legislature. after breakfast and all the boots and
were there that had come to his hands he was sure, and farther he did not seem disposed to give information. Gossett began to grow uneasy. He half suspect- ed his were stolen, but he kept quiet till
By an act passed February 11th, 1804, shoes had been picked out and placed apportioning the State for legislative upon their owner's feet, except one pair of heavy brogans. These he eyed close- ly, but they bore no resemblance to his. Finally, he determined to speak to the landlord again, for by this time he be- came fully convinced that he was the purposes, it was provided that all newly erected counties should be classed with the original for the purpose of electing Senators. At the October election, 1805, Highland voted with Ross for Senator, and independent for Representative. victim of some foul play. On his second The returns of this election were requir- ed by the law to be forwarded to Cliilli- cothe.
and more emphatic announcement to the landlord that liis shoes were missing and he suspected that they were stolen, the landlord became interested in tlie trou- bles of his guest. He told him all should be made right -- that it should not be said that any man lost his property in his house-that he would get him another pair made as soon as possible, and in the
An anecodate is told of the first mem- ber from Highland, which might bear repeating by way of illustrating to some extent these early times. Gossett was a very worthy, unassuming farmer, differ- ing in no essential particular from his pioneer neighbors. The era of the mean time to try on that pair standing leather hunting shirt, breeches, inocca- against the wall and 'if he could wear them to keep them on, as they seemed sin and coon skin cap, had but recently given place to the home spun rig of bark- to have no owner, till he could have his colored linsey, wool hat and cow skin measure taken and get another pair shoes, inost frequently made of fair made. Gossett accordingly put them on
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and found they fitted him exactly. He certain the boundaries of the county of was surprised and examined them more Highland according to law and orders." closely, when to his astonishinent they This was made on the 2d of November, turned out to be own shoes, much dis- 1505. "Ordered that Mareshah Llen- guised, however, by a heavy coat of ellyn receive an order on the Treasurer blacking, the first that had ever been for eighteen dollars for serving in sur- applied to their leather since it left the veying the county of Highland." De- back of the cow from which it wastaken. cember 26th, 1505. From this it is pre- His shoes, as he parted with them the sumable that the survey was completed night before, were fair leather shoes, prior to this date. "Ordered that Enoch hence his failure to recognize them in Smith receive an order on the Treasurer the morning.
for seven dollars and fifty cents for sery- Under an act, approved in January, 1802, and afterwards adopted by the State Legislature, the inhabitants of cach township were required to convene on ing in surveying the county of Iligh- land." "Ordered that James Jolly re- ceive an order for eighteen dollars for serving in surveying the county of High- the first Monday of April, yearly, at such land. Ordered that Andrew Edgar re- place in their respective townships as ceive an order for six dollars for serving might be ordered at the preceding meet- for surveying the county of Highland. ing, and when so convened they were re- Ordered that James Fenwick receive an
quired to elect a chairman to preside. order for two dollars for attending on the It was further declared to be their duty surveyors of Highland county, and an to elect a township clerk, three or more order for six dollars for six days carrying trustees, two or more overseers of the chain in surveying county." "Ordered, poor, three fence viewers, two appraisers of houses, and one lister of taxable prop- erty, a sufficient number of supervisors of roads, and one or more constables. The duties of these officers were about the same as at present and they held for
December 26th, 1805, that Ezekiel Kelly receive ten dollars and fifty cents for carrrying chain round the county of Highland. Ordered that Robert Bran- son receive an order on the Treasurer for twenty-four dollars for serving in one year. This aet was the basis of the surveying the county of Highland." township organizations of this county.
The "Anderson State Road," which
In April, 1803, an act was passed em- passes from Chillicothe to Cincinnati, powering the Associate Judges to estab- fish townships and assign on the 10th day of May to each township a suitable
through Highland county, was surveyed and opened under the superintendente of Col. Richard C. Anderson, by author- number of Justices of the Peace, who ity of the State, in 1804-5. It was cut were to be elected on the 21st day of out about forty feet wide and cost at an June following, at such place in each average of eighteen dollars per mile, the township as the said Judges should di- little bridging which was done excepted. rect. In accordance with this act it is This road is still open, though not much presumble, in the absence of all record- used. It is nearly on a straight line ed information, Justices for Highland from the old Indian ford on Paint Crock were first chosen. We have been una- to Cincinnati, and was at one time the ble, after much effort, to find any record great thoroughfare from east to west, which gives information in regard to the connecting Zanesville and Cincinnati. first Justices and we only speak from There was a road laid out at an early traditionary information. There is no day from doubt but that Bigger Head was the first Justice for Brushcreek township, George W. Barrere for New Market, Samuel Evans for Liberty, and James Johnson for Fairfield. Whether there were any more we are unable to ascertain. They held their offices as at present for the term of three years. The remainder of the first township offices are unknown either to record or tradition.
During this year the County Commis- sioners of Highland county appear, by their record, to have given minch atten ar tion to laying out and opening up roads his air
Chillicothe to Maysville, through the Suntish Hills. Israel Don- aldson was the Surveyor. This road was never much used and wasalwaysre- garded rather a failure. The "Old Col- lege Township Road" was laid out about 1790. Cien. McArthur, Surveyor : James Manary, William Rogers and Joseph Clark, Reviewers. It was afters andses. tablished as a State road, date not known, and cut wider by contractors. The Surveyor was a Mr. Erwin. The roads opened this year, 1505, were chiet- ly through New Market township and Fairfield. The town of New Market within the county. The surveys of the being the county sont, all county road county boundaries were also made, as of course had a direction either to that appears by the following orders: "Or- place or to connect with marks passing dered that Walter Craig survey and as- to or through it.
id
er be
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A HISTORY OF HIGHLAND COUNTY, OHIO.
Some other "orders" are found on the were exonerated from their bond as record of the proceedings of the Com- wherein Amos Evans was Coroner of missioners this year which contribute to the county of Highland." This we throw some light on the times. "Order- think conclusive that he was Coroner ed that Elijalı Kirkpatrick receive an before Paulin, who was elected at the order on the Treasurer for two dollars October election, 1805, and consequent- for killing an old wolf." This was an- ly the first Coroner of the county.
thorized by the statute for the purpose of protecting sheep.
In the fall of 1805 Robert McDaniel, Nathaniel Walter, John Richardson, Amos Ratcliff, Thomas Cashatt, John Hammer and George Rains emigrated from North Carolina and settled within the present township of Union, in High-
The first Representative of the people of Highland in Congress, after the adop- tion of the State Constitution, was Jere- mialı Morrow. He was elected first in 1803 to represent a large district, of land county. Near the same time, John which the present county of Highland Shockley came from Maryland, Evan was then a part. Afterwards, in 1805, Chaney from Pennsylvania, and James he was re-elected and continued regular- ly to be chosen until 1813, when he was Marsh from Kentucky. Hammer set- tled on and improved the farm on which elected to the Senate of the United Robert Herron resided at his decease. States. Mr. Morrow was a native of Marsh improved the farm where Alex- Pennsylvania, and emigrating to the ander Smithi now lives, near Dunn's present State of Ohio at a very early Chapel, and donated one acre of land to the Baptist Church for the purpose of building a meeting house on. This is day, took an active part in the pioneer life of the times. He was very poor,
and, without the aid and influence of the same ground on which the Dunn's others, he found the world before him, Chapel now stands. The Baptists erect- while in the first vigor and hope of ed a hewed log meeting house on it as early manhood, and he gradually, by his carly as 1800.
native good sense, honesty and industry
The first school taught in Union achieved both fortune and fame. He township was in a log cabin that stood settled in Warren county, where he con- on the farm occupied by Daniel Fox up tinued to reside up to the time of his to his death. This was about 1807 or deatlı. No public man in Ohio was hon- '08. The teacher was Aaron Walton.
ored with a larger share of public confi- dence. In 1850, when he was in Hills- borough in company with Gen. Harrison, he said the first time he went to Con- to Clear Creek near Stephen Fenner's. gress he camped out the first night be- This encampment was a short distance tween his residence and Chillicothe. above where the Jamestown road cross. Ilis camp was in Highland, but he did not recollect the precise point.
The Wyandotte Indians had an en- campment as late as 1804 on the branch bearing their name, and which flows in-
es the branch and on the land owned and occupied by Richard Fenner at the
The first Coroner of Highland was time of his deatlı.
Amos Evans. This fact we are only John Strain came from Ross county to able to learn from an order of the Court James B. Finley's, on Whiteoak, as carly of Common Pleas, made on the 26th day as 1803 for the purpose of going to of February, 1806, by which it appears school. He remained in that region and that "Amos Evans and his securities married.
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CHAPTER XXIII.
DETAILING THE MASSACRE OF THE JOLLY FAMILY, THE CAPTURE OF WM. JOLLY, AND HIS THRILLING ADVENTURES AMONG THE INDIANS, WITH THE EFFORTS OF HIS RELATIVES TO RESCUE HIM.
Early in June, 1805, David Jolly and as far as they were able to judge of its James Jolly, with their families, moved numbers. Mr. Jolly had gone that day up from the vicinity of Chillicothe and on a journey to the Monongahela to col- settled on the Rocky Fork, east of the lect a payment for some property he had present town of Hillsborough, on the sold before he moved to his present res- farm recently owned by Mr. John idence. His daughter Mary was absent HI. Jolly. With them came their broth- on a visit to her uncle, Joseph MeCine, some five miles distant. David, jr., had er, William, and brother-in-law and sis- ter, William and Mary Ann Warnick. gone out into the range to hunt the cows William Warnick died the following and expected certainly to be home by dinner time, and would have been, with- out doubt, but for a very unusual, and of course, unexpected occurrence. When only a short distance from home on his return he, being in perfect health, was suddenly seized with a fainting sensa- fall. The Jollys were among the first settlers of Chillicothe, having emigrated to that neighborhood in the fall of 1796, from Virginia. David was the eldest living son of the family, and like many of the pioneers of Ohio had seen much of hardship and privation in carly life. tion which forced him to sit down at the He was born and raised on the frontier root of a tree, where he remained near and early became a hunter, a scout and an hour before he was able to proceed an Indian fightor. The companion of homewards. While there he distinctly the Whetzels, the Bradys, Zanes and heard the reports of the Indians' guns, others, who became celebrated in border but did not reach home till their work warfare, he shared their perils and mer- was done and they had gone. James ited their confidence and respect. He Jolly had gone to the spring, some dia- was also the companion of McArthur tance from the House, for a bucket of and Davis-MeDonald, Mawie, and water. John, the eldest son, had just others of the emily surveyors and spies returned from the field to dinner and in Southern Ohio. His father, David was in the act of wiping the perspiration Jolly, sr., was among the earliest settlers from his brow with the sleeve of his in the neighborhood of Wheeling, Vir- shirt, and Mrs. Jolly was standing in ginia. His dwelling was on the hill the door waiting for James to come with about three miles from the mouth of the water, and when the Indians, not Wheeling Creek, and the site of his doubting but all the family had arrived cabin is still pointed out by old residents, to dinner, fired from their well chosen not far from the turnpike road which ambush into the house. Mrs. Jolly fell crosses the hill from the old toll gate to dead instantly. John was shot in the the river. His family consisted, in 1790, when he lived at that place, of himself, wife and six children, with one grand- child.
mouth and fell very badly wounded. A daughter and grand-son were also wounded at the first fire. Immediately after the fire the Indians rushed in and
From the time he made his settlement tomahawked all the wounded, scalping there, up to Wayne's treaty in '95, the them whilst they were in the death border line of civilization was in con- 'struggle. James had heard the alarm stant danger and consequent dread of and hurriedly made his escape, and the Indians and not a year passed that did not witness conflicts and massacres more or less sanguinary. The fort at Wheel- ing afforded protection only to those within its gates.
remaining members of the family at home, who had not been injured, were William, the youngest son, and his cousin, Joseph MeCune, who was at the house on a visit. The Indians took On the Sth day of June, 1790, a small party of Indians, who had secreted themselves behind some gooseberry bushes in the garden, fired upon the house in open daylight. They had so- these boys prisoners, then pillaged and fired the house and made a rapid retreat. David Jolly, jr., arrived at his desolate and burning home only in time to ding the remains of his murdered friends lected their hiding place so as to observe from the flames, which soon consumed all that was going on in the house, and the building. He ran to the nearest laid in wait for all the family to return, neighbors and gave the alarm. In a (11:3)
A
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A HISTORY OF HIGHLAND COUNTY, OHIO.
few hours Lewis Whetzel, with his com- with flour and bacon for that market, pany of veteran scouts, was on the trail, which on his arrival he found good. but the Indians, aware of the bold, dar- He was so much pleased with the Scioto ing and energetic character of the men in and about Wheeling, made a cautious as well as a rapid retreat, and effectually eluded the tact and vigilance of their pursuers. To facilitate their retreat they killed young MeCune soon after they set out. He was weakly and could not travel very fast, partly from phthisic and partly from fear. Ile also made a
country that he determined to move out and settle there as soon as possible. Accordingly, early in the autumn follow- ing, he set out, having induced his father, brothers and brothers-in-law to accompany him. They arrived in safety and settled down on a rich tract of land near the mouth of Paint, where they continued to reside till shortly after the noise crying, which they feared might at- death of the old man, David Jolly, when they removed to Highland to escape from the incessant fever and ague which had been and still continued the terror of the beautiful and rich valley of the Scioto.
tract attention and they took the shortest method to get rid of him. His body was found some hours after, just where he had sunk under a single but 'well aimed stroke of the savage tomahawk. The people of Wheeling assisted in During the winter of '96-'97 David Jolly, sr., received a letter from Col. Zane, telling him that his son William was alive, and living with the Cherokee burying the dead, and when Mr. Jolly returned from his journey, he found himself homeless and almost without a family. He and the remainder of his Indians on the Coosa River in Alabama, children then took up their temporary residence in Wheeling.
and directing him to Col. Whitley, of Lexington, Kentucky, for further infor- mation. He wrote to Whitley and re- ceived for answer a description of the boy, which he had obtained in person whilst acting, during the past summer
The Indians who committed this dep- redation were a war party of Shawnees, who carried their prisoner to Sandusky. Win. Jolly was, at this time, a lad of about ten years of age, of good constitu- and fall, as a Government agent among tion and sprightly turn of mind. IIe the Southern Indians for the purpose of soon adapted himself to the Indian reclaiming certain prisoners under the mode of life and became a favorite with treaty then recently made. He was the younger portion of the tribe. His able to draw from the boy the fact that family made great efforts to find and re- he had been captured some years previ- lease him, but owing to the continued ous near Wheeling and being personally and fierce hostility which prevailed for acquainted with the incident he wrote "the following five years, all their efforts to Col. Zane a statement of the facts, were unavailing, as they could not even which satisfied him that he was the lost hear of him, and of course did not know son of his old friend, David Jolly, sr., whether he was dead or alive, or to what who had recently removed to Chilli- extremity of torture and suffering he cothe. had been subjected by his infuriated captors. After Wayne's treaty his broth- Jolly, jr., set out on horseback to hunt er David went to Greenville in hopes to
Near the middle of March, 1797, David his brother Willian and bring him find him among the prisoners surrender- home. He went immediately to Lex- ed up by the various northwestern tribes ington, Kentucky, and had an interview under its stipulations, but after long waiting and much inquiry, he utterly failed, and returned fully impressed with the belief that his brother was dead. From that time he was given up and all efforts to rescue him abandoned.
About this time David Jolly, jr., mar- ried Miss Mary Cavin and only awaited a reasonable prospect of peace with the his letter to the Governor, and was kind- Indians to remove to some of the richi lands of the Northwestern Territory to once to forward the object of Mr. Jolly begin life in earnest. He occasionally followed boating of the Ohio and had been engaged in furnishing supplies for Wayne's Army at Cincinnati.
During the carly part of the summer of 1796, hearing of the settlement which had been made that spring at Chillicothe and its rapid growth, he loaded a boat
with Colonel Whitley, who satisfied him that his brother was to be found among the Cherokees. He gave him all the necessary instructions as to how he was to proceed to recover him, and also a letter of introduction to the Governor of Tennessee. He set forward again and arrived at Knoxville in April, delivered ly received by him, who took steps at by the exercise of his official power to the extent which appeared necessary. He applied to Major Henley, agent of the War Department of the United States, who promptly made out the necessary papers and furnished an ex- perienced and trusty interpreter and guide. One of these papers has been re-
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A HISTORY OF HIGHLAND COUNTY, OHIO.
tained in the family and reads as fol- endeavored to draw him into convers ?- lows :
tion in English, but the boy had either
"Permit David Jolly, a citizen of the forgotten it or was not disposed to
United States, to pass undisturbed talk.
When he communicated through through the Cherokee Nation in pursuit the interpreter his intention of taking of his brother, and treat him with re- spect. DAVID HENLEY, Agt. War.
him back, he positively refused, and the Indians appeared inclined to inter- "To the Chiefs and head men of the pose to prevent him. When, however, Cherokee Nation, and to all whom it the authority of the agent of the War may concern.
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