A standard history of Fulton County, Ohio, an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and county, Vol. I, Part 38

Author: Reighard, Frank H., 1867-
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 546


USA > Ohio > Fulton County > A standard history of Fulton County, Ohio, an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and county, Vol. I > Part 38


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58


330


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


TOWNSHIP RECORDS


Unfortunately there are no official township records of Royalton Township of earlier date than 1862. It is understood that the ante- rior records were destroyed by fire. However, Lucas county records show that Royalton was one of the three townships organized at a ses- sion of the Board of Commissioners of Lucas county, held in Toledo, on June 4, 1837, the other two being the adjoining townships east and west, Amboy and Chesterfield respectively. Royalton Township was organized by taking all of town nine south, range three east, south of the Harris Line, and all of town ten south. range three east, extending to the Fulton Line, south. The first election under this organization was held at Phillips Corners. An alteration of township lines oeeurred on March 1, 1841, when Royalton ceded to Pike the southern tier of sections of town nine south, range three east, and all of town ten south, range three east. Although the records for the important early years are not available, a complete record of township trustees can be tabu- lated, from 1862, when the township trustees were E. C. Daniels, Clark Standish and H. J. Jordan. The sueeession is as follows :


CHEESE WAS ONCE THE MAIN PRODUCT OF ROYALTON.


1863, E. Hinkle, H. C. Jordan, John Lewis; 1864, E. Hinkle, Sam- nel Gardner, C. Standish; 1865, E. Hinkle, Aaron Deyo and B. L. Barden; 1866, the same; 1867, E. Hinkle, H. C. Jordon, R. H. Scott; 1868, H. C. Jordan, Clark Standish and George Welsh; 1869, 1870, and 1871, Clark Standish, Riehard Hinkle and James C. Carpenter; 1872, Aaron Deyo, B. Rieliardson and B. L. Barden; 1873, James C. Car- penter, B. L. Barden and A. B. Clark; 1874, Richard Scott, Richard Hinkle, and Chas. Sprague; 1875, E. C. Daniels, Riehard Hinkle, and George Knight; 1876, C. Devo, G. W. Moulton, and J. O. Meeker; 1877, R. H. Seott, B. R. Welsh, and Harrison Patterson; 1878, Aaron Deyo, John Holland, Aug. Noble; 1879, the same; 1880, Aaron Deyo, R. Hinkle, Benson L. Barden; 1881, A. Deyo, R. Hinkle, and F. D. Barden; 1882, Richard Hinkle, Davis Brown, Aug. Noble; 1883, Har- rison Welsh, J. Cottrell, Aug. Noble; 1884, H. Welsh, Harrison Pat-


331


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


terson, B. L. Barden; 1885, H. Welsh, B. L. Barden, Sylvester Green ; 1886 and 1887, R. Scott, John P. Holland, and H. Patterson ; 1888 and 1889, R. Scott, A. W. Hurd, and H. Patterson; 1890, Fred H. Knapp, A. W. Hurd, R. H. Scott; 1891, F. H. Knapp, Davis Brown, and R. H. Scott; 1892 and 1893, Aug. Noble, D. Brown, and F. H. Knapp; 1894, J. P. Holland, D. Brown, F. H. Knapp; 1895, A. Noble, D. Brown, F. H. Knapp; 1896, John P. Holland, James Richardson, A. Noble; 1897, N. J. Rynd, A. Noble, James Richardson ; 1898, John H. Barden, James Richardson, N. J. Rynd; 1899, J. H. Barden, William Standish, N. J. Rynd; 1900, and 1901, J. H. Barden, Wm. H. Standish, and C. L. Seward; 1902, Chas. Holt, A. Noble, C. L. Seward; 1903-04, Chas. Holt, A. Noble, E. Holmes; 1905-07, Chas. Holt, E. Edgar, and E. Holmes; 1908-09, Chas. Holt, E. Edgar, and A. F. Patterson ; 1910-11, Willard Gunn, E. Edgar, and A. F. Patterson ; 1912-13, W. Gunn, W. P. Carter, A. F. Patterson; 1914-15, W. Gunn, W. P. Carter, R. C. Standish ; 1916, A. D. Barden, W. P. Carter, A. F. Patterson ; 1917, A. D. Barden, W. P. Carter, Bert Hinkle; 1918, A. D. Barden, C. J. Al- bright, W. H. Hinkle; 1919, the same; 1920, H. H. Hinkle (chair- man), C. J Albright, and John S. Bayes.


The Standish family, which name appears so often in township records, did not settle in Royalton Township until the fifties, but since that time it has been prominent in the township. Its genealogy connects with Miles Standish, of well-known Colonial record. Fred A. Slater, saddler, of Lyons, Civil War soldier, charter member of the Baxter Post, No. 238, of the Grand Army of the Republic, has been township clerk for any years.


NOTABLE INCIDENTS


in the history of Royalton Township are:


The first female white child born in Royalton was Emeline Welsh, who was born on November 1, 1834; William Smalley was the first male child born in the township.


The first marriage ceremony was that performed by Ebenezer Car- penter, justice of the peace, uniting Whitfield Tappan, of the present Pike Township, and Amanda Woodford, of Royalton. Royalton then included territory later ceded to Pike, so that this marriage may be considered the first of . Royalton people; but the first marriage of resi- dents of what is now Royalton was that of Olive Green to Jonas Dodge.


The first person buried in the Jordan Cemetery was Mrs. Brown, mother of the wife of Henry Jordan; the first buried in Lyons Ceme- tery was Cynthia Cadwell. a sister of Alanson Briggs, of Chesterfield.


The first physician was Joshua Youngs.


The first preacher was Elder Hodge, a Baptist.


The first school teacher was Olive Green, who taught in a log school- house, on section 15, in 1837.


The first store at Phillins Corners, and the first merchants, Allen Wilcox and Sanford L. Collins.


The first hotel was conducted by Jenks Morey, the second by Eli Phillips.


The first saw-mill was built in 1850, by the Plank Road Company, and stood just west of Lyons Cemetery. James Baker, of Gorham, was the mill manager. The mill was eventually moved to Gorham Town- ship.


.


332


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


The first cheese factory of any consequence was known as the Eagle Factory.


The first church was that built for the Universalists, in Lyons, in 1862.


The first high school was a private enterprise of Warren J. Hen- dryx, who built the school at Lyons in 1859, and was its principal for some years.


The first post-office was at Morey's Corners, and was named Lyons ;. hence probably the name of the only incorporated place in Royalton Township.


CEMETERIES


There are two cemeteries in Royalton Township, the Jordan Ceme- tery, and the Lyons Cemetery. Both are now under the jurisdiction of the town and township officers, and Fred A. Slater has been clerk for a long while. The Baxter Post of G. A. R. decorate seventy-five graves in Lyons Cemetery, and thirty-one graves in the Jordan Cemetery, as well as twenty in the Roos Cemetery of Chesterfield Township. The Jor- dan Cemetery was early established, and early trustees of the cemetery association were Ira Hinkle, Lewis Buler, and A. H. Jordan, with Sam- uel Edgar, clerk. The trustees of Royalton Township met on Janu- ary 14, 1882, for the purpose of "taking into consideration the pro- priety of taking charge, fencing, and controlling the cemetery, known as the Jordan Cemetery, located in section 22, town 9, range 3 east, containing one and one-half acres of land, which had formerly been deeded to the trustees of the Amboy and Royalton Cemetery Associa- tion." Since that time the cemetery has been controlled by the town- ship. And in the borough records of Lyons, there is an entry to the effect that a meeting of the trustees of Royalton Township, and the council of the village of Lyons was held on April 1, 1907, "for the purpose of buying additional land for cemetery purposes." It was decided to purchase "three acres of land from Mary S. Haughton, at $200 an acre, the township to pay seven-twelfths, and the corporation five-twelfths."


SCHOOLS


A log schoolhouse was built in Royalton Township, on section fif- teen, in 1837, and for the session of that year Olive Green was the teacher. Amos Rathbun built the second school, a log house, on his own farm, about one mile south of Lyons, or Morey's Corners. It is described as having "a floor of split puncheon, hewed upon the face; the seats and desks were of the same material." Either on the site of that school, or near to it was, sometime later, built the frame school- house known as the "Little Red Schoolhouse," to which until about 1850 all the children of Lyons and district went. After the abandon- ment of the Red Schoolhouse in, about, 1850, a schoolhouse was lo- cated east of Seward. In 1858 Warren J. Hendryx built and taught a high school in Lyons.


Some of the early teachers in the schools of Royalton Township were Julia Root. Lewis Pierce, William Carrel. One of the ablest teach- ers of Royalton, and indeed of Fulton county, was James F. Burroughs. He began to teach in the fifties, and taught for fifty-nine winter terms


333


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


in Fulton and Lucas county. However, the teaching did not interfere with what might be termed his hobby. Rural schools in those days were only conducted, or rather were chiefly conducted, in the winter, for three months. The remainder of the year both scholar and teacher spent generally in farming. James F. Burroughs became one of the largest landowners in Royalton, although undoubtedly his main occu- pation was teaching. Not many of the early school records of Royal- ton Township are now available, but during the period 1853-1867, the following were indentified with the board of education : G. W. Welsh, John Sturdevant, A. H. Jordan, G. B. Brown, Jason H. Morris, Amos Hilton, Samuel Gardner, Butler Richardson, Aaron Deyo, S. Carpen- ter, Clark Standish, E. C. Daniels, S. P. Judson, Patrick Forester, George P. Moreys, W. B. Hendryx, J. Willy, F. Holt, L. L. Knapp, Charles Thornton, Thomas Richardson, L. J. Carrel, Ira Chandler, John Gibbs and Hiram Pierce.


In 1883, the joint school district, Amboy-Royalton, was organized, for that part of the township, and the school system and facilities of the township have since been about equal to those of other similar townships. The Royalton Township schools of the present (1920) are: four one-room elementary schools, the four valued at $4,350. In 1919 about 120 scholars were enrolled, for a school year of thirty-two weeks. In addition, there is a good elementary and high school at, Lyons, that school building being valued at $22,509, and having three rooms for elementary grades and three for high. There were about 110 elementary pupils and 60 high school students in 1919. The present Board of Education for Royalton Township is constituted as follows: Elmer Edgar, president; F. A. Salter, clerk; Eugene Hinkle, R. N. Barnes, W. A. Patterson, and W. A. Gunn, directors. The Lyons board is: S. A. Fleming, president; Harry Tredway, clerk; W. J. Keller, Chas. Disbrow, Sim Evers, and Omer Fenner, directors. W. F. Egnew is the superintendent. Important changes are however now in process; the voters of Royalton have decided to dissolve the district schools, and join with Lyons, thus giving the township scholars the benefit of the better facilities possible in the larger village school. It is expected that this improvement will soon go into effect.


CHURCHES


The first church to be built in Royalton Township appears to have been the Universalist Church, at Morey's Corners, or Lyons, although both the Free Methodist and Methodist Episcopal societies were early formed. E. C. Daniels built the first brick church, which was for the Society of the Church of Christ, Lyons. The church was built, it has been stated, soon after the termination of the Civil War; prior to that, the members of the Christian Church used the old academy building for their services. Rev. L. L. Carpenter, of Chesterfield and Wauseon was one of the influential pioneer ministers. and had active part in the organization of the Lyons society of the Christian Church, but it is believed that the minister chiefly instrumental in building the local organization and satisfactorily establishing the Lyons Christian Church was the Rev. Mr. Blackman, who will be remembered by many of the older residents of Lyons and Royalton. The Hinkle family, of Lyons, has been prominently identified with the Universalist Church since its


334


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


establishment; and one of the most active and useful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, on the eastern border of Royalton, was David L. Buler (or Bueler).


THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF LYONS


The clean and well-maintained village of Lyons is one of the oldest villages of Fulton county. It came into existence in 1850, at the time of the building of the plank road from Toledo to Morenci. Jenks Morey owned the greater part of the land upon which Lyons has grown, and he was one of its most interested original projectors; but probably the man most instrumental in bringing it into being was Elias Rich- ardson, a director of the Plank Road Company, and the builder of eleven miles of that roadway. Jenks Morey for many years maintained a hostelry on his land, and the place came to be known as Morey's Cor- ners. W. S. Egnew, the present clerk of the Lyons Council, remembers the time when he, and other farmers of the township, were in the habit of going "down town," to get a supply of what in those days was deemed the necessary, whisky. Whisky was cheap in those days, and Mr. Egnew was accustomed to go down on horseback, and return with two jugs of whiskey slung across his saddle in the manner of pistol holsters. And the hotel proprietor was invariably one of the leading citizens.


For a while, it seemed that Phillip's Corners would outvie Lyons in civic importance, but the establishment of the postoffice at the latter place soon determined the relative places of the two communities. In 1887, Lyons consisted of the following business places :


"One dry goods store, kept by Hinkle and Downer; one drug store, Nelson F. Carmon's; one undertaker shop and art gallery, owned by Richardson and Ladd; one hotel, the landlord of which was Mr. Baker; three blacksmith shops; one cheese factory ; one brick and tile factory, owned by James Briggs; one grist and saw mill, with attachments for making shingles, also a planing machine, the enterprise of A. C. Dan- iels and Walter Meeker; one millinery shop; one hardware and tin shop, R. W. Ladd's; one harness and carriage trimming shop, F. A. Slater's; two churches, the Universalist, built in 1862, and the Disciples, built in 1877."


There were two fraternal lodges, and two physicians, Ezra B. Mann, and H. H. Brown. The village did not develop very rapidly, but eventually it had attained sufficient strength as a community to war- rant the claiming of corporate powers. The township records show that a "Petition was presented to the township trustees, by R. P. Car- penter, on November 11, 1897, praying for an incorporated village in the territory now known as Lyons." The petition was signed by :


R. P. Carpenter, E. P. Cole, Wm. Thornton, S. Seward, Thomas Blair, O. E. Crout, F. A. Slater, Wm. Hines, A. H. Jordan, M. B. Pren- tiss, A. Andres, A. M. Hall, Geo. Johnston, A. A. Green, Wm. Smalley, E. C. Daniels. Francis Lauderdale, B. A. Hill, Jacob Cottrell, J. M. Foster, T. J. Ferguson, W. J. Morey, Wm. Sands, Job Hawkins, M. A. Deline. Ed. Smith, Ben Lehr, Wash. Forbes, Gordon Stong, R. F. Meehle, A. H. Clark, M. Bardwell, P. E. Marlett, T. G. Richardson, B. Bundy, A. J. Smith, David Jones, J. G. Hoefer, B. R. Richardson, Geo. Smith, Fin Ferguson, E. E. Hart. Peter Myers, George Gray, Alpheus Fenner, W. S .. Egnew, C. O. Noble, A. A. Pike, J. C. Hawkins, C. A. Gee.


335


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


At the resulting election, which was held on December 21, 1897, much opposition was evidenced; so much indeed as to defeat the move- ment, forty-four votes being cast against the suggested incorporation, and thirty-three votes in favor of it. However, the vote was not taken as decisive, or final, and a further "notice of election for incorporation" was published on June 14, 1900. At the election, which was held on the 26th day of that month, the voting was again close, but a sufficient majority resulted to pass the measure, eighty-four voting in favor, and seventy-nine against. The village thus was entitled to corporate pow- ers, and the first council meeting was held in Carmon Building, on September 18, 1900. The first village officers were: E. E. Milliken, mayor; B. S. Lehr, marshal; B. R. Richardson, clerk; A. T. McComb, treasurer ; J. H. Barden, F. A. Slater, R. P. Carpenter, Augustus Noble, G. Stong, and J. G. Hoefer, councilmen. About a year later a council room was built.


Probably the most important matter the village council had to con- sider in the early years of the incorporated village was that which re- sulted in giving the place railroad facilities. In January, 1901, notice was published by the council of "an application made to the incor- porated village, for the granting of a franchise for a railroad" to the Toledo and Western Railway Company, whichi sought to "construct, maintain and operate a railroad ...... by electricity, upon and along the old Indiana plank road, passing nearly east and west, through the village." Then followed an ordinance, granting the franchise, one of the main provisions of said ordinance being "that the said Toledo and Western Railway Company, its successors and assigns, shall carry pas- sengers over that part of said line (the village boundaries) for a con- tinuous passage, for five cents for each person so carried."


The following named residents of Lyons have held mayoral office in its administration :


E. E. Milliken, 1900-02; G. W. Moulton, 1903; J. H. Barden, 1904- 07; Davis Drown, 1908-09; Fred H. Carpenter, 1910; G. G. Vinsick, 1911 ; J. H. Barden, 1912-13; Davis Brown, 1914-15; E. R. Fox, 1916; Charles Holt, 1917-20.


The present (1920) council is: C. Slater, Howard Camburn, Jay Knapp, O. Dunbar, John Clendenin, and Fred Noble. W. S. Egnew lias been town clerk for many years.


Biographical mention of some of the leading citizens of present-day Lyons will be embodied in volume II, of this work. The Lyons Bank is referred to in an earlier chapter of this volume. There are two strong and long-established lodges in Lyons, those of the Masonic and Oddfellows orders.


MASONIC BODIES


Royalton Union Lodge, No. 434, F. & A. M .; organized October 15, 1869. (Original charter destroyed by fire). Present strength, about 130 members. Present officers: Roy N. Slater, w. m .; H. R. Tredway, s. w. ; John Fillinger. j. w .; J. H. Barden, treasurer; F. A. Slater, sec- retary ; Fred Hoefer, s. d. ; H. B. Hinkle, j. d .; L. L. Viers, tyler.


Lyons Chapter, No. 175, Royal Arch Masons; organized October 15, 1903. Charter members : Davis Brown, Amos H. Jordan, C. S. Buck, G. D. Brown, James Edwards, C. L. Seward, F. A. Slater, W. H. Sew- ard, J. H. Barden, G. D. Johnston, A. T. Cunningham, Ira Smeales,


.


336


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


Peter Beihl, Hy Tripp, Col. Carn, J. C. Carpenter, Wm. Thornton. Bradford Bundy, T. F. Southworth, D. S. Knight, F. E. Brown, Charles Fetterman, F. A. Sealy, C. H. Heffron, Wm. Burgess, M. P. Sander- son, Horace Tredway, E. H. Ritchie, Jacob Gandy, Frank A. Wheeler. First officers, Davis Brown, h. p .; Amos H. Jordan, k. ; Charles S. Buck, scribe. The present officers are: F. A. Barden, h. p .; L. S. Sanford, king; C. B. Slater, scribe ; J. R. Clendenin, treasurer; F. A. Slater, sec- retary ; Fred Noble, c. of h .; J. H. Barden, p. s .; C. L. Seward, r. a. c .; L. J. Knapp, g. m. of 3rd; R. S. Slater, g. m. of 2d; H. J. Camburn, g. m. of 1st ; Gordon Stong, guard. Present strength, about one hundred members.


Magnolia Chapter, No. 87, Order of Eastern Star; organized October 14, 1897. Charter members: A. S. Slater, M. Antoinette Edwards, Harriet Brown, Sylvia Brown, Ethel Hinkle, Mary A. Bur- gess, Alice J. Seward, Allie B. Brown, Hattie M. Hinkle, Sarah A. Fos- ter, Sarah Thornton, Margaret H. Moulton, Emily A. Potes, Edith M. Carmon, R. Alice Carmon, Edith M. Slater, Charles L. Seward, Davis Brown, William Burgess, James Edwards, Fred A. Slater, John M. Foster, Wm. Thornton, Selah W. Moulton, George D. Brown. First officers: Cynthia Slater, w. m .; George D. Brown, w. p .; Emily A Potes, a. m.


ODDFELLOWS


Lyons Lodge, No. 622, Independent Order of Oddfellows, was organized on May 4, 1876, with the following charter members: Frank Hatton, H. C. Retan, H. J. Whiton, L. C. Potes, P. A. Baker, John W. Foster, S. W. Moulton, and Daniel Richardson. The first officers were: Frank Hatten, noble grand; H. C. Retan, vice grand. The present strength is about 190 members, the 1920 officers being: Ragan Elliott, n. g .; James Richardson, v. g .; Roy Cunningham, r. s .; Sidney Flem- ing, f. s .; Clark Hibbard, treasurer.


The history of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic is reviewed in the chapter devoted to the war record of Fulton county.


POPULATION . .


Unfortunately, the complete statistics, from the beginning of the settlement of Royalton Township, cannot be given, but to preserve what statistics are now available the understated figures are given. In 1840, Royalton Township population numbered 401, this figure however in- cluding the inhabitants of that part ceded to Pike Township, upon the organization of the latter, in 1841. In 1870 the population of Royal- ton was 871; in 1890, 1,142; in 1900, 1,198; in 1910, 1,272; and in 1920, 1,135. These figures are inclusive of the Lyons population, in each case. The Lyons statistics were not separately shown until the 1910 census, when the village population was 408. In. 1920, its popu- lation has been reduced to 329. The 1920 figures are those of the "Preliminary Announcement of Population," issued by the Bureau of the Census, in June, 1920; they are therefore subject to revision.


CHAPTER XVI HISTORY OF DOVER TOWNSHIP


The township of Dover was organized in .1843, but its settlement .


began in 1836. Its early history therefore has place in the annals of older townships, namely, Chesterfield, York, and Clinton. At one time, part of the territory of the present township of Dover was claimed to be in Michigan. That state claimed all of the territory of Fulton county north of what is known as the Fulton line, which by the way has no connection with the boundary line of Fulton county, as now established. The boundary dispute between the Territory of Michigan and the State of Ohio is treated in a special chapter of this work, and a brief study of that chapter will give the reader a clearer understanding of the dispute, also of state and county, and part-county boundary lines. The dispute was settled in 1836, and the northern line of the State of Ohio then clearly defined as extending northward to what is known as the Harris line. By the decision of the Federal Government, the strip of land which lies between the Fulton and the Harris lines, and which was formerly considered by Michigan to have been within the boundar- ies of Lenawee county, of that territory, came under the undisputed jurisdiction of Lucas county, Ohio. However, the fact that Lenawee county, Michigan, claimed title to part of the present land of Dover Township is immaterial, for settlement in that part of the land north of the Fulton line had not begun in 1836. In 1837, Chesterfield Town- ship was organized, with its boundaries defined as: "all of town nine south, ranges one and two east, south of the Harris line, and the frac- tional township, town ten south, ranges one and two east, extending to the Fulton line, on the south."


South of the Fulton line, that part of the present bounds of Dover Township was in York Township until 1838, when the township of Clinton was organized, "by taking all of town seven north, range six east, and fractional town eight north, range six east of the Ohio survey, up to the said Fulton line." Dover Township was the last of the twelve of Fulton county to be erected, was organized at Mau- mee on June 5, 1843, at a regular session of the county com- missioners (of Lucas county). The new township was erected by taking from Chesterfield "all of the fractional township ten south, range two east, of the Michigan survey," i. e., north of the Fulton line, and from Clinton Township, "all of the fractional township eight north, range six east, and one tier of sections off of the north side of town seven north, range six east, of the Ohio survey," i. e., south of the Ful- ton line. Thus the area of Dover Township upon erection consisted of twenty-one sections, or 13,119 acres. It is the smallest of the twelve townships of Fulton county, and was thought likely to prove to be the most barren. Its land in many places is sandy, and part became known, in early settlement days as "Oak Openings" because of its


337


338


HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY


searcity of timber. The land was thought to be sterile; indeed, a quip of pioneer days was to the effect that at the "Oak Openings," it required "three acres to grow an onion." It did not however need many decades of industrious development and tillage to demonstrate that at the "Oak Openings" was soil capable of giving a good return for labor expended. One writer, in the seventies, stated :


"On 'the openings,' where it used to be said that it would require three acres to grow a single onion we now see splendid crops growing. Those used to black soil, and accustomed to associate that color with fertility, and vice versa, are surprised to see the yellow sand of these openings producing abundantly every kind of grain ........ Every- where, on the 'openings,' neat residences are being erected, fences built, grounds cultivated, orchards planted, etc., and the whole changed from what once seemed barren desolation to an appearance of thrift and prosperity."




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.