USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > Lancaster > Centennial history of Lancaster, Ohio, and Lancaster people : 1898, the one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the spot where Lancaster stands > Part 2
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SEC. 5. For the convenience of the town, one-fourth part of an acre, lying west of lot No. 2 in the square No. 3, in- cluding two springs, will be, and are hereby given for the use of its inhabitants, as the trustees of the town may think proper.
SEC. 6. In consideration of the advantages that arise from the early settlements of mechanics in the town, and the en- couragement of those who may first settle, lot No. 3 in 20th square; lot No. 6 in 15th square; lot No. 6 in 12th square, will be given to the first blacksmith, the first carpenter and the first tanner, all of whom are to settle and continue in the town pursuing their respective trades for the term of four years, at which time the aforesaid Zane binds himself to make them a deed.
In testimony of all and singular, the premises, the said Ebenezer Zane by his attorneys, Noah and John Zane, hath hereunto set his hand and affixed his seal, this 14th of No- vember, A. D. 1800.
EBENEZER ZANE.
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Centennial History of Lancaster
In April, 1799, Samuel Coates, Sr., and his son Samuel, Jr., came to the Valley from England and built a cabin on the east bank of the Hockhocking River, about three hundred yards south of the present bridge on the Chillicothe road.
Both families lived within the present corporate limits of Lancaster, and may be properly classed as the first residents of the town. Samuel Coates was postmaster before Lancaster was known to the world.
It is pretty well established that Zane's trace fol- lowed our present Wheeling street as far west as Co- lumbus street, where it diverged to the south and crossed the Hockhocking at the Coates cabin.
Descendants of Samuel Coates still reside in Lan- caster.
Here follows a full list of the first settlers of Lan- caster who purchased lots at the sale in November, 1800, or 1801 and 1802: Emanuel Carpenter, Noah Mccullough, Jacob Taylor, Ralph Duddleson, Eben- ezer Martin, Peter Reber, Jno. Barr, John Reed, J. Denny, Benj. Allen, N. Willis, T. Worthington, T. Terre, Noah Zane, John Zane, J. Conway, Jacob Teller, Peter Teller, B. Teller, A. Reger, N. Johnson, Wm. Trimble, W. Stoops, T. Barr, J. Beard, N. Wilson, J. Denny, Kerb, Grubb and Hampson, M. S. Hoag, J. McMullen, Jno. McMullen, Thos. Sturgeon, Jno. Overdear, R. Pitcher, R. Morris, Joseph Hunter, Jacob Wolford, H. Mieson, Jas. Converse, George Coffin- berry, J. Hanson, Jno. Williamson, Samuel Coates, W. Harper, Mary Pastor, John VanMeter, S. Reese, J. Hardy, W. Babb, Jno. Lynch, Jno. Jups, J. J. Carson, Amasa Delano and Henry Wetwine.
Nathaniel Willis and Thos. Worthington who pur- chased lots at the sale, were residents of Chillicothe;
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Centennial History of Lancaster
Worthington became Governor of Ohio; Willis pub- lished a paper in Chillicothe and was father of N. P. Willis, the famous author of New York.
December 9, 1800, Governor St. Clair and the Coun- cil of the Northwest Territory organized the County of Fairfield and named New Lancaster as the county seat.
In the year 1805 the name was changed by the Legis- lature to Lancaster.
The first Court House was erected in 1806, and con- tinued to be occupied as such until torn down by order of Commissioners in 1863. General Williamson was the contractor and the brick were manufactured by Sosthenes McCabe, a pioneer citizen, whose descend- ants still reside in Lancaster.
The Rev. John Wright, long the worthy pastor of the Presbyterian Church, settled in Lancaster in 1801, and was the first to preach the Gospel in the new court- house. He was followed by Bishop Asbury of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who preached there in 1809. The early Lutherans also held services in the court-house for many years.
Wm. Creighton, Alex. White, Philemon Beecher, Wm. W. Irvin and Robert F. Slaughter, were the first lawyers. All were men of distinguished ability. Beecher and Irvin served with distinction as Members of Congress. Irvin became Judge of the Ohio Su- preme Court, and Slaughter Judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
Hugh Boyle, brother-in-law of General Beecher, and father-in-law of Thomas Ewing, was appointed Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in 1803 and served as such until 1833. He was succeeded by Dr. M. Z. Kreider, who served until the year 1842, when
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Centennial History of Lancaster
his deputy, Joel Radebaugh, was appointed by the Court and served until the year 1850, when the office became elective under the new Constitution.
Judge Silliman was the first Common Pleas Judge who sat upon the Bench in Lancaster. Judge R. F. Slaughter was the second, appointed in 1805. Thomas Worthington, afterward Governor of Ohio, and Henry Abrams surveyed the Government lands of the Valley south of Lancaster, Ohio.
ROBERT F. SLAUGHTER
Robert F. Slaughter was born in Culpepper County, Virginia. At the age of seventeen he was a volunteer to defend the settlers of Kentucky against the Indians. From Kentucky, in 1796, he went to Chillicothe, Ohio, and from there in the year 1800 came to Lancaster. He was both a merchant and a lawyer for a short time. He was one of the first, if not the very first lawyer, to open an office in Lancaster. He was followed by Alex- ander White and William Creighton, who were sworn in as attorneys January 12, 1801. He married a Miss Bond, of Lancaster, who proved to be a good wife and a Christian woman. In the year 1805 he was elected Common Pleas Judge for the Lancaster Dis- trict; the District included Circleville, Chillicothe and Athens; he served but one term. Later he was ap- pointed Prosecuting Attorney of this County and served four years. In the year 1817 he was elected to the Ohio Legislature. He was also a member for the years 1819, 1821, 1823 and 1824. While in the Legislature he supported and voted for our Common School System and for the bills establishing our Canal System. In the years 1810 and 1811 he was a member of the Ohio Senate. He was also a senator during the
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Centennial History of Lancaster
years 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830 and 1831. His record as a public servant is without stain or blemish. He is said to have been an effective speaker, a good orator. He was a man of ability, but plain and unassuming in his manner and appearance, yet was often absent- minded, and some good stories are told of him in that regard. At the June term of the Court of Quarter- Sessions, 1802, Emanuel Carpenter, Presiding Judge, the Sheriff was ordered to take Alexander White to prison one hour for striking Robert F. Slaughter, a brother attorney, while court was in session. Judge Slaughter was third in the race for member of the Con- stitutional Convention in 1802, Carpenter and Abrams being elected. He died October, 1846, at the age of seventy-six years. His son Thomas S. Slaughter, of Kansas, and Mrs. Dennison, of Los An- geles, California, are his surviving children.
The Judge and his wife lie side by side in the Carpenter graveyard, south of town.
GENERAL PHILEMON BEECHER
General Beecher came to Lancaster from Litchfield, Conn., in 1801, and opened a law office on what is now the Rising Corner. In 1803 he was elected a member of the Ohio Legislature. In the year 1818 he was elected a member of Congress, in which capacity he served ten years. General Beecher was an able man and a good lawyer and one whose integrity was never questioned. He was the leading lawyer of the Lan- caster Bar for twenty-five years. It was in his office that Thomas Ewing studied law. He was a Major- General of the Ohio Militia. His wife was a daughter of Neil Gillespie, of Brownsville, Pa. She came to Lancaster on a visit to her sister Mrs. Hugh Boyle;
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Centennial History of Lancaster
while here Philemon Beecher made her acquaintance and they were soon married. One of his daughters married Henry Stanbery, the other Philadelphus Van Trump, both of whom became distinguished citizens of Lancaster. General Beecher was highly esteemed, and the pioneers who have come down to us all speak well of him. He died in the year 1839, at the age of sixty-four years.
DOCTOR JOHN M. SHAUG
Doctor Shaug was one of the pioneers of Lancaster. He came to Lancaster in 1801 and purchased a lot on Main Street. He did not remain long, but returned to his family in Kentucky. In the year 1806 he brought his family to Lancaster, and made it his permanent home. Here for forty years he practiced medicine, and was a popular physician.
The new Columbian Block stands upon the lot where he lived and died. His death occurred in 1846. His wife lived to a great age, dying at the age of ninety- nine years.
WILLIAM W. IRVIN
Judge Irvin came to Lancaster from Virginia, in 1801. He opened a law office and began the practice of his profession. In a year or two he was elected a member of the Ohio Legislature. In the year 1810 he was elected a judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio. In 1828 he defeated his brother-in-law, General Beecher, and was elected a member of Congress. He was a Virginia gentleman of the old school, courteous and polite to all; a man of ability, a good lawyer and a good judge. He had an interesting family, refined and cul- tured, and his home was the resort of the beauty and fashion of Lancaster. In his old age he left his fine
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Centennial History of Lancaster
mansion on the Public Square and moved to his farm south of town. His son, William Irvin, was Lieuten- ant-Colonel of the Second Ohio Regiment in the Mex- ican War; at the close of the war he settled in Texas, where he soon after died. His son John lived many years in Texas, enlisted in the rebel army and was killed in battle. One of his daughters married Dr. Wolfley of the United States Navy; he met with an acci- dental death on the coast of Africa. The late Dr. Wolf- ley, of Circleville, was a son; Lewis Wolfley, late Gov- ernor of Arizona Territory, was also a son of Dr. Wolf- ley. Judge Irvin's daughter, Louisa, married Judge J. F. Mathews, of Columbus, Ohio. The wife of Judge Irvin was a daughter of Neil Gillespie, of Brownsville, Pa. He met her while visiting her sister, Mrs. Boyle, in Lancaster. The Judge was several times a member of the General Assembly. His death occurred March 27, 1842.
MICHAEL GARAGHTY
Mr. Garaghty was a native of Ireland and came to Lancaster in 1804. His first business was that of a dry goods merchant. He was an accomplished account- ant, and his services were soon in demand. He was clerk for several years of the Board of County Com- missioners. He was one of the commissioners of Fairfield County for the years 1815, 1817 and 1818. During the war of 1812 he was a paymaster and as- signed to Colonel Williamson's regiment. In 1816 he was chosen cashier of the Lancaster, Ohio, Bank, and remained until its doors were closed in 1842. As cashier of the Lancaster Bank he made a reputation for his integrity and capacity. He built one of the first fine houses of Lancaster, not the finest, but at the time a very well finished house, now owned by Mrs. Mu-
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Centennial History of Lancaster
maugh. He reared a large family of children and they became more or less prominent in Lancaster. One of his daughters married the Hon. Wm. E. Fink, of Somerset, Ohio. His wife was the daughter of Charles Babb, an early pioneer. He was a lifelong member of the Catholic Church. His career closed the same year with the bank he had served so well, at the age of sixty-three years.
HUGH BOYLE
Hugh Boyle was a native of Donegal, Ireland; his father was a country gentleman, well-to-do. Young Boyle got into some trouble with the British govern- ment, and in the then troublesome state of the country concluded that, rather than lie in hiding, he would go to the United States. At this time he was eighteen years of age. He arrived in Virginia in 1791, where he found an uncle in mercantile business, at Mar- tinsburg. The young man was well educated and a good accountant, and his uncle employed him and soon made him a partner, sending him to Brownsville, Pa., to open a branch store. Here he soon made the ac- quaintance of Eleanor, the daughter of Neil Gillespie, and in due time they were married. The parents of the young lady were opposed to the match and the young couple left Brownsville for the newly laid out town of Chillicothe, Ohio, where Boyle opened another branch store in partnership with his uncle. Here his daughter Maria Boyle, the future Mrs. Ewing, was born January 1, 1800. He visited Zane's new town of Lancaster in 1801, and purchased several lots and pre- pared to move his family thither. A sister of his wife, Susan Gillespie, was visiting them in Chillicothe, and accompanied them to Lancaster; here she met Phile-
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Centennial History of Lancaster
mon Beecher and in due time became his wife. A third sister, Elizabeth Gillespie, came out to Lancaster on a visit to her two sisters, and on this visit met W. W. Irvin; he wooed and won her and they were mar- ried. Neil Gillespie, Jr., brother of the three sisters, happily married in Brownsville, had two children, John and Maria L. The son John came out to Lan- caster to visit his aunts and while there met and won Miss Mary M. Miers; they were married and went to Brownsville to live. The daughter of this union mar- ried P. B. Ewing, oldest son of Thomas Ewing. John Gillespie died early in life, and his widow returned with her children to Lancaster, where she subsequently mar- ried William Phelan, a prosperous merchant. Maria L. Gillespie married Ephraim Blaine, of Pennsylvania. They were the parents of the Hon. James G. Blaine. A daughter of Hugh Boyle, Maria, married Thomas Ewing. It will be seen that Mrs. Ewing was a cousin of Mrs. Ephraim Blaine and a second cousin of James G. Blaine. James G. Blaine was a cousin of Mrs. P. B. Ewing. This explains the relationship of the large Gillespie connection in Lancaster with Mr. Blaine. He being closely related to the families of Boyle, Irvin and Beecher. Soon after Mr. Boyle's arrival in Lan- caster he was appointed a Justice of the Peace by Governor St. Clair, and was occasionally engaged in surveying. In the year 1803 he was appointed Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. This office he held for thirty years. He was Clerk of the Supreme or District Court thirty-three years. Hugh Boyle built the brick house owned in recent years by Daniel Kutz, on Columbus Street, where Mrs. Kutz now resides; he also owned the four lots east of his residence, on Mul- berry Street, where Howe's Academy once stood.
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Centennial History of Lancaster
Mrs. Boyle died October 16, 1805, and Hugh Boyle in 1848. Mrs. John Krepps, daughter of Neil Gillespie, was the grandmother of T. Ewing Miller, of Columbus, and John K. Miller, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio. John Gillespie, son of Neil Gillespie, Sr., was the grandfather of Henry, William, Jonathan and John Miller, late of Columbus, Ohio. Luke Walpole, late of Indianapolis, Indiana, married Margaret Gillespie; his daughter married Hon. David Colerick, of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and her daughter married John Larwell, of Wooster, Ohio. It will be seen from this sketch that the blood of Neil Gillespie circulated in the veins of many dis- tinguished families, and Lancaster has sheltered the largest number of them.
ELNATHAN SCOFIELD
Mr. Scofield received a good education in his native state, Connecticut, and came to Lancaster in the year 1802. He was by profession a surveyor, and while here was occasionally engaged in that occupation. Soon after his arrival here he opened a dry goods store, and for three years John Mathews was his partner. Mathews then retired and Scofield continued the busi- ness on his own account until the year 1818. John Creed, then a young man, was clerk for Mathews and Scofield. In the year 1805 Scofield was elected County Surveyor and Justice of the Peace; he served with distinction several terms in both branches of the Ohio Legislature. During the' administration of John Quincy Adams he was postmaster of Lancaster. He was the personal friend of Henry Clay; often met him in Lancaster and assisted in entertaining him at a pub- lic dinner in 1825. For at least two terms he was an associate Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Fair-
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Centennial History of Lancaster
field County. He was the father-in-law of John T. Brasee and James R. Stanbery. He and John Graham and E. B. Merwin married sisters, young ladies by the name of Reed, who had came out from Baltimore, Md. He built one of the first good brick dwellings in Lan- caster, corner of Columbus and Main Streets. The builder was Henry Miers, Sr. Mr. Scofield was one of. the noble band of great and good men, pioneers of Lancaster. He died suddenly in 1841. He was found in the public road a corpse, having fallen from his horse on his way from his farm to town; his age was sixty-nine years. The late Gilbert Outcalt, of Cin- cinnati, and the late David Colerick, of Ft. Wayne, In- diana, were clerks in the postoffice during Scofield's term.
PETER REBER
Peter Reber was a native of Berks County, Pa., and came to Lancaster as early as 1801 or 1802; he pur- chased a lot owned at the time by Rudolph Pitcher, corner of Broad Street and the Public Square, where Mrs. Effinger now lives. He married a daughter of Frederick Arnold, the founder of the Arnold family in this county. He is recognized as one of the founders of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lancaster, and his dust reposes in the graveyard of that Church. He was a man of good common sense, a good business man and a much respected citizen. He was one of the directors of the old Lancaster Bank and was so highly esteemed by his associate directors, that he was tendered the presidency of the bank, but declined it. At an early day he owned and operated a horse-power mill. The mill stood on the ground where the new Presbyterian church now stands. It was destroyed by fire in 1821. He owned the lot and built the house,
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Centennial History of Lancaster
fronting on Broadway, which was long the residence of Dr. Effinger. Here for many years he kept a tavern, the sign of the "Spread Eagle". He died in the prime of life, October 6, 1823, leaving a large family of young children. They were cared for by the family friends and well brought up. The daughters were all handsome young women and married business men; the sons, George and John, were among the foremost men of Lancaster in their day. His daughter, Maria, Mrs. John H. Tennant, is the only one now living; she resides in San Francisco, at an advanced age. Old Lancaster people say that she was a beautiful young woman.
WILLIAM AND CHRISTIAN KING
The Kings were the first merchants to compete with Converse in the new town; they came to Lancaster in 1802, from Middletown, Pa., opened a dry goods store, and conducted it until 1822, when Samuel Rodgers became a partner and continued with them until the spring of 1826, when he removed to Circleville. Wil- liam King died in 1832, and the stock of goods was sold to Kauffman and Foster. This venture was disastrous to Kauffman; he lost all that he had hitherto earned in Lancaster and was compelled to begin life anew. In 1835 Kauffman and Foster sold what was left of their stock to Carpenter and Tennant, John H. Ten- nant, the same who afterwards married Maria Reber and subsequently moved to California. In 1839 Car- penter and Tennant sold their stock to James Sherman, brother of Senator John Sherman. In July, 1840, James Sherman sold his stock to M. B. Browning and subsequently moved either to Des Moines, Iowa, or to Cincinnati. Samuel Stambaugh and John D. Martin
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Centennial History of Lancaster
were Browning's clerks, and the business was carried on in the name of M. B. Browning and Company; Brown- ing made a disastrous failure and the loss fell upon Stambaugh and Martin, although they had no interest beyond their salaries. Christian King, after disposing of his store, in 1832, engaged in the tanning business upon a large scale; he had been a successful business man and he was counted wealthy, but he endorsed for friends, as many have done before him, and this proved his ruin. The case which was to determine his fate was tried in court and decided against him; this had a very depressing effect upon him and he died sud- denly the same day, in the year 1838. The Kings were good men and public-spirited citizens. In early times they built a bridge across the swamp west of town and kept it in order for many years by collecting tolls. Christian King was one of the founders and leaders in the Lutheran Church. In 1813 he married a hand- some young school teacher, named Butler, who came from New York. His son, William, was a prominent young man of Lancaster in 1840; he was an early emigrant to California and died there. Captain A. D. King, of Lancaster, and Thomas King, of Washington City, are his sons. Charles Deshler, son of the Co- lumbus banker, married Christian King's daughter, Flora.
JOHN CREED
John Creed was a native of Rhode Island. He came west and landed in Marietta in 1802 and from thence went to Lancaster. Here he was first employed as a clerk in the store of Mathews and Scofield. In the year 1805 he began business for himself, opening a general store. This he continued until the year 1815, when F. A. Foster became a partner and the business was
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Centennial History of Lancaster
conducted under the name and style of F. A. Foster & Company. This continued for two years, when Foster withdrew and Thomas H. Cushing, a clerk, became his partner. This partnership continued until 1827, when Cushing died and the stock was sold to James Smith and Tunis Cox. Upon the death of James Smith, Cassel and Eckert became interested in the firm. This was about the year 1835. Eckert was a son-in-law of Cox. In 1837 Galloway and Myers pur- chased the stock and in 1838 Henry Galloway retired, and Alfred Fahnestock became a member of the firm under the style of Henry T. Myers and Company. In October, 1839, Elias Nye purchased the interest of Myers and with Fahnestock continued the business until April, 1841. In that year Elias Nye retired to study law, and removed to Ironton, Ohio. A few months later Fahnestock sold out to Myers, Fall & Collins, and engaged in business for himself. Fah- nestock was a tanner before he became a merchant at the old Stutzen tannery west of canal. Mr. Fahne- stock was a lover of horticulture and during his residence in Lancaster planted fine fruit on at least two homesteads. The fine apple known as the Kin- kead originated upon his grounds. In his old age he cultivated a fine fruit farm near Toledo, where he died a few years since. John Creed served as quartermas- ter, Colonel Williamson's regiment, during the War of 1812. He was elected president of the Lancaster, Ohio, Bank in 1817 and served during its existence,- twenty-five years. He was a member of the Ohio Senate and served one term as associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Fairfield County. He was a first-class business man and was at one time wealthy, but losses caused by endorsements brought financial
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Centennial History of Lancaster
ruin. He died in the year 1843, aged sixty-six years. His sons were John M. Creed, William P. Creed and George Creed, long well known Lancaster men. His sons-in-law were Andrew Parks, John C. Fall, William A. Ritchie and Darius Tallmadge. His first wife was a sister of James and Robert Smith, and the mother of his children. His second wife was the sister of Dr. James White. She was a good woman and took the mother's place and reared his family of children.
JACOB GREEN 1182949
Jacob Green came to Lancaster about the year 1805 and opened a general store. In July, 1822, his brother Joseph became a partner and so continued to October 19, 1830. For some years Jacob Green was the proprietor of a tavern on his well known corner. Later in life he became the owner of the Pitcher or Good Hope paper mill in Hocking County and oper- ated it until his death in the year 1850. During the construction of the Hockhocking Canal he was a member of the firm of Green, Work & Thorne, con- tractors. Mr. Green was a director of the Lancaster Bank and one of the receivers to close it up in 1842. The bank was closed by paying Green $4,000 to re- deem its straggling outstanding circulation. He was elected in 1848 the first president of the "Savings In- stitute," which was located in the old Green Block, northwest corner Public Square. Jacob Green was a good business man and accumulated a handsome estate.
TIMOTHY STURGEON
Timothy Sturgeon came to Lancaster in 1802 and opened what we now call a jewelry store, then he was called a silver-smith. He continued this business up
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Centennial History of Lancaster
to the time of his death in 1826 at the age of forty-six years. He served several years as justice of the peace and for two or three terms as treasurer of Fairfield County. He was a prominent pioneer, an honorable man, and highly esteemed. His son Thomas Stur- geon, now the oldest native born citizen of Lancaster, was born October the 17th, 1808. He took up his father's business and conducted it until about the year 1850. He was successful and made an honorable record as a business man. For two years thereafter he was associated with Samuel Crim in the purchase and sale of horses on a large scale. In 1852 Crim and Sturgeon, with one hundred head of fine horses crossed the plains to California and made a successful venture. In 1860 they again crossed the plains with horses and made some investments in San Francisco property. There he remained two years, running an omnibus line, as a partner of Crim, to the suburbs, and con- tracting and making improvements for the City of San Francisco. On their trip to California they took with them some fine horses. Among them "Captain Fisher" and "Chieftain." For the latter they paid $1,800. He was a fine son of old "Togue." Tiring of California and anxious to return to his family, Stur- geon sold out to Crim for a handsome sum of money. Mr. Sturgeon owns several good pieces of Lancaster real estate and a farm near town. Now in his eighty- ninth year he spends his time quietly with his family. He lacks but eight years of being as old as his native town.
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