USA > Ohio > Columbiana County > History of Columbiana County, Ohio, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 49
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The southeast quarter of section 23 was taken up by Jesse Williams, whose son William now owns it. Adjoin- ing Williams was Angus McIntosh, who sold the place to Edward Powers, whose widow still lives there.
The northwest quarter of section 23, now occupied by the heirs of John Crawford, was entered by Jacob Vantos- san, who was one of the original trustees of the Yellow Creek Presbyterian church. Vanfossan's son, Arnold, set- tled upon the southwest quarter of the same section, now occupied by John Patterson. In 1804, Andrew Smith, a Scot, settled upon section 34, near the Yellow Creek line. He was for many years a justice of the peace; one of the earliest school-teachers in those parts; a general attorney for the Scotch settlement ; a ruling elder in the Presbyte-
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY, OHIO.
rian church; and a widely-known citizen. His old farm is now owned by Andrew Kerr. The farm on the west, owned by Duncan Smith, was first entered by Daniel Mc- Intosh.
Alexander F. McIntosh settled upon the northeast quar. ter of section 34, where his widow now lives. The north- west quarter was settled by Hugh McBane, and is now owned by Daniel McBane, who owns also the south west quarter, where Francis McBane was an early settler. The southeast quarter of section 27, occupied by Hugh Rose, was entered by John McDonald, known as the " fox- hunter," from his earlier pursuit in Scotland. Upon the two quarter-sections in sections 22 and 27, owned by the Long's Run Oil Company, the early settlers were John McBane and Jacob Welsh. John McGillivray, upon sec- tion 22, occupies the place settled by John McDonald, and upon the adjoining quarter on the west Daniel Smith was a settler where. his heirs now reside. Daniel Davidson located in 1817 upon the southwest corner of section 22, where his son James now lives. Charles McLean entered in 1805 the northwest quarter of section 27, where John McLean and Philip McLean's widow now reside.
The land now occupied by the village of Glasgow was originally entered by William McBane, who settled in 1805. His farm is now owned by the heirs of Alexander McBane, loug known as Squire McBane.
John Bailie and William Grafton (the latter from Mary- land) were early settlers upon section 33; and upon section 28, George Ogilvie, Sr., Andrew Adams, Charles McLean, and Angus McBane were the first settlers. Angus Mc- Bane entered also the quarter in section 21 now owned by Jonathan Mick. F. McIntosh lives on section 21 where Duncan Davidson settled, and where subsequently Daniel McIntosh, Sr., resided. Mr. McIntosh was an elder in the Yellow Creek church, and lived in Madison until his death. The adjoining quarter on the north was originally set apart as school land, and was sold to Arnold Vanfossan, from whom it descended to his grandson, Joseph Vanfossan, the present owner. John Stewart, who settled upon section 21, was a carpenter, and put the roof upon the first Yellow Creek church.
Robert MoCready, of Washington Co., Pa., entered the east half of section 32, now the property of his grandson Joseph, who acquired the property from his father, Joseph, who had thirteen children, of whom three-Robert, David, and one other-were college graduates. The southwest quarter was entered by Alexander Noble, and on the north Daniel Fraser was a settler. He subsequently removed to Kansas, where he is said to be still living. Upon section 29, Farquhar Shaw, of Scotland, settled where John Mc- Bain lives; Thomas Coburn, where Alexander McIntosh lives; Alexander Cameron, upon the farm now owned by John Mick ; and James Douglass, upon the quarter owned now by James McMillan.
The settlers upon section 20 were Abraham Ketcham, of Maryland, and Robert Wright. James Mckenzie, one of Madison's early settlers, located upon section 31 in 1807, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died at the age of ninety- nine. He was with Harrison at the battle of the Thames, in Canada, and thence assisted in conveying seven hundred
prisoners to Pittsburgh. One of his sons, Hon. N. B. Mo- Kenzie, was a State senator for some years, and is now post- master at Wellsville, Ohio. Samuel Thompson and John Mckenzie were also settlers upon section 31. Upon section 30, the first settlers were James McIntosh, John McGillivray, Henry Felgar, Mr. Iddings, and John Cameron. Upon section 19, James Norris, Samuel McCormick, James Bee- son, and James Cooper located about the same time. Among the early settlers in the neighborhood of the present village of West Point were William McLane and Rev. E. N. Scroggs. Mr. McLane sold a piece of land to William Hillis, who built a hewed log house and prepared to open a blacksmith-shop, but he died before he could set the enter- prise in motion. Henry Bough bought the land and kept tavern there for many years. The William McLane alluded to settled in the township in 1814, and, from 1815 to 1827, was a justice of the peace. His eldest son, John, settled on section 4 in 1816, and two of his other sons,-he had ten in all,-Daniel and Samuel, became preachers in the Asso- ciate Presbyterian church.
Samuel Martin, who settled upon section 9 in 1808, was . captain in the war of 1812. One of the sons of the Rev. E. H. Scroggs, who settled upon section 9, became county auditor. William Morrison, an early settler, kept tavern upon the northwest quarter of section 10, now owned by Joseph Brown. This tavern was on the Georgetown road, and for many years was a notable resort, especially as the scene of military musters. George McCormick, upon sec- tion 7, and Anthony Shafer, upon section 9, were also among the early settlers.
Charles Rose, an early settler in St. Clair township, and soOD afterward a settler in Madison, was born in Scotland, upon the battle-field of Culloden. In 1804, with his wife and nine children, he left Greenock, Scotland, aboard the brig " Brandywine," of which one Mark Collins, an Irishman, was captain ; and a jolly captain he was, too, so report hath it. Mr. Rose was accompanied, among others, by the fami- lies of Francis Grimes and Alex. McGillivray, who settled in Madison. They landed at New York, and crossed the Alleghanies from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in wagons, the trip occupying twenty-one days. Six dollars and a half per hundred was the price they had to pay for trans- porting their baggage across the mountains, and a good round sum it cost them.
Previous to the emigration of Charles Rose and his com- panions, John Rose, Alexander McDonald, and Daniel Mo- Coy came over from Scotland, in 1803, and located in Madison.
Charles Rose settled in 1804 in that portion of St. Clair now within the limits of Liverpool, whence he removed in 1811, temporarily, to Wayne Co., Ohio, but in 1815 he returned to Columbiana, and settled upon the place now occupied by his son William, in section 25, Madison town- ship. William Kose, just mentioned, has reached the ripe age of eighty-seven, and is still an active, energetic man, with a deep-rooted affection for the land of his birth, its traditions, and the religious teachings of the Scotch Pres- byterian Church.
William Falconer and wife, Andrew Smith, a bachelor (who afterwards became a noted man in Madison's early
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TOWNSHIP OF MADISON.
settlement), William McIntosh, wife, and family, Alexander Smith, father of William McIntosh's wife, Daniel Smith and wife, and Duncan Frazer, with wife and three children, shipped from Greenock, Scotland, in 1804, for Baltimore, Maryland, purposing to locate in the Scotch settlement, now in Madison township. Instead of conveying the ship to Baltimore, as he had agreed, the captain landed at Charleston, S. C., and at that time the city was plague- stricken with the yellow fever. The Scotch emigrants speedily embarked in a ship for Baltimore, but had not proceeded far before their vessel was wrecked. Happily, the passengers were cast ashore, and of their number lost but one by the disaster. Their next attempt to reach Ohio was more successful, and, although their journey was a tedious one and hazardous, they arrived at the settlement without further diminution of numbers, and entered promptly upon the active duties of pioneers.
Many interesting stories are extant concerning the un- bappy experiences and trials of the pioneers of Madison upon the eve of their embarkation at Scotland for America, and how they were pursued and persecuted by those who sought to impress them into the English naval service. Many were indeed captured while making ready to sail, and even on shipboard, and forced to serve in the navy until England and France were at peace again. Alexander Chisholm was thus taken from on board the ship upon which he proposed to sail for America, and, despite the ef- forts of himself and his friends, who sought to conceal him from the pursuit of the press-gang, he was compelled to see the ship sail without him, and to defer his promised de- parture two years.
A story is told of an exciting Indian alarm raised by William McIntosh in 1812 or 1813. McIntosh, who was somewhat deaf, thought, while visiting some friends in the northern part of the township, he heard some talk about an expected Indian raid, and, hurrying home as fast as he could, he soon spread in the neighborhood the news that the savages were close at hand, and might be looked for at any moment. The settlers, already worried by the war then in progress, were quick to take the alarm, and, de- vising immediate measures to conceal what valuables they possessed, collected in numbers at certain houses and pre- pared to make a defense against the savage attack. Some went even so far as to leave the township for the river set- tlements; but, as it happened, the scare was a needless one, since the Indians never appeared, but the anxiety and fear for twenty-four hours were somewhat harassing, until it was learned that McIntosh had mistaken a casual reference to Indian misdeeds elsewhere for certain expectation of trouble in that neighborhood. The narration of this circumstance shows, however, how the settlers of those days must have been oppressed by a sense of insecurity, and how they were constantly apprehensive of danger.
The Indians never troubled the settlers much, except as beggarly, idle, and dissolute neighbors, always ready to steal rather than work, and quarrelsome when drunk. The tragedy in which White Eyes was slain by young Carpenter occurred in this township .*
Madison sent several volunteers into the war of 1812, among them being Daniel McCoy, Jesse Williams, James Mckenzie, Samuel Martin, Duncan McDonald, and Angus McDonald. It may be noted that Angus McBane, who settled in that part of St. Clair now called Liverpool, about 1801, was the pioneer who led the way to the Scotch set- tlement, for it was his excellent report to his friends in Scotland that led to the emigration at once of a number of Scotch families, the first three to follow him being those of George Ogilvie, Alexander McIntosh, and William For- syth.
Roads were not common even as late as 1811. Horse- paths were plentiful, and, necessarily, horseback was a pop- ular mode of travel. The early settlers cared more for clearing their farms and cultivating .the ground than they did for roads, and so did not exert themselves on behalf of highways, for the construction of which, indeed, they prob- ably thought they could at best illy afford any financial assistance.
The first physician in Madison was Dr. D. Marquis, who practiced in the neighborhood of West Point, where he lived. The physicians who succeeded him were Drs. McDowel, Hart, J. J. Ikard, Ball, Sage, and Williams.
Previous to 1810 the settlers in Madison had no grist- mill at home, and were compelled to go to Beaver's Mills and other places to mill. In the year named, John Guth- rie built a grist-mill on Brush Run, and in the latter part of the same year Henry Brough put up a grist-mill on the west fork of Beaver Creek, near West Point.
In 1811, William Crawford built a grist- and saw-mill below Williamsport. David Hanna put up a carding-ma- chine on the creek north of the Georgetown road, and not long after that James Cocker put up a similar machine lower down on the same stream. William McLane built a bridge across the creek in 1815, near Bough's mill, at what is now West Point. Aaron Brooks built a grist-mill on the west fork of Beaver at an early date, and in 1837 sold to Mr. Hamilton, after whom the property passed to parties who proposed to bore for oil there, but abandoned the pro- ject and sold the mill to Wellsville people, by whom it was removed to the latter place and made to do duty as a steam- mill.
John Smith kept an early tavern on the old Georgetown road, near the place now occupied by the " township-line" school-house, and about the same time a Mr. Morrison kept a tavern at West Beaver.
The first election for justice of the peace and constable was held at the house of Jacob Vonfossan, on section 23, in 1811, when Richard Gilson was chosen justice of the peace, and Jacob Vonfossan, Jr., constable.
James Mckenzie, already alluded to, came over from Scotland in the ship " Curlew" in 1801, and landed at Balti- more. With him were the families of John McIntosh, Alexander Cameron, Alexander Chisholm, John A. McBane, and Alexander McIntosh. .
It was from the " Curlew" that Alexander Cameron and Alexander Chisholm were taken with nine others (all Scotchmen destined for America) by the English press- gang and forced to serve in the English navy. Chisholm was released at the end of two years by reason of illness,
. See note on page 20 of this work.
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY, OHIO.
and became afterwards a settler in Madison, according to his original purpose. Cameron was, however, kept in the service sixteen years, and then got his freedom therefrom only by escaping.
John McIntosh, who came over from Scotland in the "Curlew" in 1801, settled in 1804 in what is now Madison township, upon section 35, where John McIntosh, his son, now lives. With his family, the elder McIntosh passed over the mountains from Philadelphia to. Pittsburgh in wagons, floated down the river to Wellsville, and thence to the Scotch settlement, packed their goods across the hills upon horses' backs, and themselves went afoot. A portion of the path which they traversed on that occasion is still visible, says John McIntosh, now living upon the old place.
ORGANIZATION.
Madison township was organized June 12, 1809, and is the only one of the southern tier of townships in the county containing an area of six miles square, its original terri- tory. Thomas George was the first collector, and in the first year after the township organization the tax assessed was but $35.70.
The early records of the township have been lost, and the list, therefore, of trustees, treasurers, and clerks who have served the township dates only from 1858, as follows :
1858 .- Trustees, John Fraser, John McCormick, Levi Williams; Treasurer, David McLane; Clerk, J. J. Soroggs.
1859 .- Trustees, H. Bennett, Edward Powers, John Campbell ; Treas- urer, --; Clerk, Isaac Fife, Jr.
1860 .- Trustees, H. Bennett, Edward Powers, John Campbell; Treas- urer, J. C. McDonald; Clerk, Isaac Fife, Jr.
1861 .- Trustees, Angus McBane, Hugh McQueen, John Jonas; Treas- urer, John C. McDonald; Clerk, A. C. Ramsey.
1862 .- Trustees, Angus MeBane, Andrew Kerr, John Looney ; Treas- urer, John McCormick ; Clerk, Joseph Brown. 1863 .- Trustees, J. J. Ikard, Joseph March, Daniel Crawford; Treas- urer, John Reid; Clerk, D. R. Gilson.
1864 .- Trustees, Isaac Arbuckle, John McLean, Joseph . Spence; Treasurer, John Elliott; Clerk, Josoph Brown.
1865 .- Trustees, A. C. Ramsey, D. G. McIntosh, S. P. Bough; Treas- urer, John Elliott ; Clerk, Joseph Brown.
1866 .- Trustees, A. C. Ramsey, D. G. McIntosh, John Cameron; Treasurer, John Elliott; Clerk, Joseph Brown.
1867 .- Trustees, John Cameron, John Mills, William Vaughn ; Treas- urer, J. B. Crofts; Clerk, E. MoIntosh.
1868 .- Trustees, John Cameron, D. G. MoIntosh, Alexander MeBane; Treasurer, J. B. Crofts; Clerk, E. MoIntosh.
1869 .- Trustees, Edward Powers, J. N. MeLean, H. D. Brown; Treas- urer, J. A. Noble; Clerk, William K. George.
1870 .- Trustees, Edward Powers, H. D. Brown, J. N. McLean; Treasurer, J. A. Noble; Clerk, William K. George.
1871 .- Trustees, John MoCormick, Hugh MeQueen, T. B. Blair; Treasurer, John Cameron ; Clerk, James McIntosh. 1872 .- Trustees, Hugh McQueen, H. J. Bough, A. S. MoIntosh; Treasurer, John Cameron ; Clerk, William Rose. 1873 .- Trustees, William O. Fraser, H. J. Bough, A. S. McIntosh ; Treasurer, John Cameron ; Clerk, Wm. M. Smith.
1874 .- Trustees, Daniel MoBane, G. F. Eells, H. D. Brown; Treas- uror, David McLane; Clerk, W. M. Smith.
1875 .- Trustees, Daniel McBane, G. F. Eells, H. D. Brown; Treas- urer, David McLane; Clerk, H. J. Bough. 1876-77 .- Trustees, Isaac Arbuckle, J. B. Crofts, Laughlin Mckenzie; Treasurer, David McLane; Clerk, Joseph Brown.
1878 .- Trustees, Laughlin Mckenzie, J. B. Crofts, J. A. Noble; Treas- urer, D. McLane; Clerk, John Y. Williams.
1879 .- Trustees, J. B. Crofts. L. F. Mckenzie, Hugh McQueen ; Treasurer, D. McLane; Clerk, J. Y. Williams.
VILLAGES.
Madison contains within its limits three villages, called respectively, Glasgow, West Point, and Williamsport, the two first named of which have post-offices.
WILLIAMSPORT,
although the smallest settlement of the three, was laid out first, the date of its plat being Aug. 15, 1835, and its origi- nal proprietor William Crawford, an early settler in the township, and builder of the first mill in that neighborhood. The name he gave the town was doubtless in pursuance of a desire to perpetuate his own name of William.
GLASGOW.
The village of Glasgow was platted some time in March, 1852, by William McBune. This place is but a small rural settlement, but contains a thrifty and measurably prosper- ous community, whose pursuits are chiefly agricultural.
WEST POINT,
in the neighborhood of oil- producing wells, is not recorded upon the county records as ever having been platted. It contains but few houses and one store, which has, however, considerable trade with a good neighboring country.
POST-OFFICES.
West Point was made a postal station in 1836, when Jacob Stewart was appointed postmaster. He held the ofice for about twenty years, and was succeeded by Wilson Stewart, whose successors to 1879 were Hezekiah Bennet, Dr. Marquis, William Patterson, John Miller,. Jonathan Warrick, William Dalzell, John Kerr, and H. J. Bough, the latter being the incumbent July 1, 1879.
A post-office was first established at Glasgow in 1837. The first postmaster was John McBane, who served until his death, when his brother Alexander received the ap- pointment, and held it until his death, in 1875, when John Lewis, the present appointee, entered the office.
CHURCHES.
By reason of the strong religious tendencies of the.Scotch settlers, who were the first to people what is now Madison township, church interests began to develop there at a very early day, and in the Scotch settlement they received ear- nest attention almost directly after the entrance of the pioneers.
The sturdy Scots were strongly imbued with the value of religious observances, and, rigid in their views, esteemed their duty not begun until they had set on foot vigorous measures looking to the renewal in the New World of the public observation of that religious faith to which in the Old World they had all their lives been closely wedded. Presby- terian was their faith, and the Presbyterian church was therefore the first religious organization in the township of Madison. That church has continued to the present to predominate in Madison, and, of the four church organiza- tions within the township, the Presbyterians have three, the fourth being a Methodist, which draws support from neighboring townships.
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TOWNSHIP OF MADISON.
YELLOW CREEK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHI.
The families who came over from the Highlands of Scot- land and settled upon the east end of what is known as the Scotch settlement, in Madison township, in 1802, were members of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, one of them, Alexander McIntosh, having been a ruling elder.
These families brought with them, besides certificates of membership from the churches with which they had been connected, Bibles in the Gaclic and English, as well as the Psalms in metre in both languages, " Confession of Faith," and catechisms, and it will therefore be understood that they were a people who, in whatever country or whatever their condition, would hasten to devise means for public worship.
As soon as Alexander McIntosh completed his log cabin, he gave notice that arrangements would be perfected for holding religious services therein on the Sabbath, and preaching was at once provided, while at the same time application was made for admission to the Presbytery and for a " supply."
The request was promptly granted, and a supply was sent from Western Pennsylvania. Worship was attended by all the settlers at the house of Alexander McIntosh until about 1804. The families living at that time in the west- ern part of the settlement for convenience held religious services in the house of William McIntosh.
These houses were used during the winter seasons, but in the summer the people erected tents in the woods and enjoyed open air worship whenever the weather permitted.
Among the ministers who preached in the " settlement" (the first beginning in 1802) were Revs. Scott, Patterson, Mercer, Cook, Vallandigham, Duncan, Hughes, Imbrie, White, Snodgrass, and Wright.
Very soon after Elder McIntosh got his log cabin up, and likely enough previous to that time, the people of the settlement sent out to Scotland asking Rev. Alexander Denound to come over and take pastoral charge of the community. In response to this petition, Mr. Denound set out for America, intending to locate among those who had sent for him, but, passing through the Genesee country, in the State of New York, en route to Ohio, he was per- suaded to abide there in the ministry, and there he remained as preacher until his death, twenty-seven years afterwards. The inhabitants of the Scotch settlement felt sorely grieved that Mr. Denound failed them, and made subsequent efforts to change his purpose, but all to no avail. Later on he visited Madison, and preached there on two occasions, making, however, only brief visits. Several of the early preachers discoursed in the Gaelic, and of these a promi- nent minister was Rev. Mr. Robertson. The first sacra- ment, says one authority, was administered in a tent on John Campbell's place in 1805, Revs. Hughes, Scott, and McMillan being present on the occasion. Another author- ity has it that Rev. Thomas E. Hughes officiated alone at the first communion in the Scotch settlement, and that it was held in Alexander McIntosh's barn. The first struc- ture erected exclusively for purposes of religious worship stood upon the farm now owned by Alexander McBane, of Yellow Creek township, near the old grave-yard. There was preaching also in the house of George Ogilvie, and
shortly thereafter, consequent upon some protracted discus- sion touching the location of the church-building, and some dissensions as well, a log house known as the " Buck- wheat-straw church" (because it was thatched with buck- wheat-straw) was put up on the place now occupied by Daniel Mckenzie.
About 1815 it was arranged to have a central place of worship where all the people could worship in common, the settlers having meanwhile multiplied and being all from Scotland, and, although preaching could not be had every Sabbath, frequent supplies were received, and regular Sabbath meetings were invariably held. In addition to the Sabbath meetings, prayer-meetings were held each alternate Thursday in every month.
The first stated supply was the Rev. Mr. Cook, who served half of the time in 1811 and 1812. The next stated supply was Rev. Mr. Robertson, who preached every Sabbath from 1818 for three years, and following him the stated supplies were Revs. Messrs. Dilworth and Campbell.
The first settled pastor was Rev. Mr. Cross, and after him the pastors have been Revs. Moore, Martin, Swan, and Blackford, the latter being the present pastor. The church society was incorporated 1825, with Andrew Smith, Daniel Smith, William Smith, Jacob Vanfossan, and Peter Ross as trustees.
The first church was erected in 1827, and this structure, after weathering the storms of fifty winters, was in 1878 replaced by the present handsome and commodious edifice, which occupies the site of the old church, upon a com- manding elevation, and whose graceful spire, rising to the height of 90 feet from the ground, is visible from far away.
After Alexander McIntosh, who was the only ruling elder for several years, the elders were Angus McBane, John McPherson, Daniel Smith, Andrew McGillivray, Dan- iel McCoy, Daniel McIntosh, Duncan Fraser, Alexander Chisholm, Alexander McDonald, William Creighton, An- drew Smith, Peter Ross, Daniel McIntosh, John Fraser, Daniel McQueen, Daniel Smith, John Falconer, Duncan Smith, the three latter being the present elders.
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