USA > Ohio > Darke County > History of Darke County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 49
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
555
DARKE COUNTY
settlement together, providing several hundred acres of land and helping to establish a better school system. Tampico, the principal village in this settlement, was laid out in 1850. The people are generally religious, industrious, patriotic and temperate and have advanced moral ideals, commanding the respect of the gnral populace.
Palestine is the only village of importance in German town- ship. It was laid out in 1833 by Samuel Loring. It now has two churches, a high school, a town hall and is known as a good trading center, but having no railway or traction facili- ties has made but slow growth, its population in 1910 being 216. Although there are but a few miles of railway in the southern part of this township, the real property was as- sessed in 1913 at $2,030,750 and the personal property at $513,550, indicating that it is one of the best rural communi- ties in the county. The entire population in 1910 was 1,628, an increase of only 42 in ten years, and a decrease of 166 from the census of 1890, probably due to the unusual drain caused by the growth of the cities during this period. German town- ship has been a good fruit-growing section, and, like some of the other townships, contained some fine orchards previous to the great freeze in the late spring of the early eighties, which ruined many of the best orchards in the county. One of the most successful orchards of recent planting is that now owned by the Shields brothers and located about half a mile west of Palestine. It was started some fifteen years ago by Mr. Harvey Hill and was maintained by him until this year, being enlarged from time to time until probably fifteen acres had been planted-mostly in peaches of excellent variety and marketable quality.
We append herewith an interesting sketch relative to the early planting of fruit trees in this township, which was pre- pared by E. M. Buechly and published by him March 23, 1888:
"The earliest attempt at raising fruit trees in this county- of which we can learn-was made by Henry Ross, deceased, of German township, in 1817. He was one of the earliest set- tlers, and brought with him some apples, of which he care- fully saved the seeds, and together with some pears and peaches he had, planted them. Sometime after this he top- grafted some of the trees. Of these trees he planted his own orchard and sold some to supply his neighbors. Mr. I. M. Ross, a grandson of his, now living in the northern part of the county, related the circumstances to us, and said he recently
556
DARKE COUNTY
cut one of the old trees down and found that by counting the rings of annual growth that it corresponded exactly with that date. Most of the trees planted up to that time and from that time until about 1830 were either brought in from other parts of the state or were raised by the pioneers themselves; in either case they were nearly or quite all seedlings, grafted fruits being not yet disseminated much at that time. In 1831 was the earliest account of grafted orchards being set .. They were on the farms of Zadok Ragan, southeast of Greenville, and Solo- mon Whitson. The trees were brought from the Hicks nur- sery, near Dayton. In 1835 there were several orchards set with grafted trees from the Richmond, Ind., nurseries. A few of these trees planted by the early settlers are yet standing, as it were, living monuments to the memories of the pioneers who planted them, but who have long ago crossed the Dark River.
*
"There was also a small nursery planted in Harrison town- ship by a Mr. Lantry, who propagated some fine varieties of apples, pears, peaches and cherries. The writer is not in- formed as to whether they were root-grafted and budded, or top-grafted. If the former, he was the first to practice that method : if the latter, then the credit of first budding and root- grafting in nursery belongs to Aaron and Jacob Crumrine, who had a farm in German township, on which they planted a nursery of several thousand trees, about 1840. Many of the varieties sent out by them afterwards proved to be worthless. Their planting was also discontinued."
Harrison Township.
This township occupies the extreme southwestern part of the county and includes the territory known as township 10 north, range 1 east. It was erected in May, 1818, from the west end of Twin township and contained all of that town- ship west of a line running due north from the southeast cor- ner of section 31, township 10 north, range 2 east. On Sep- tember 7, 1820, it was reduced to its present size by detaching one tier of sections from the east side.
Harrison is a township of springs, streams and rolling hills. and contains some of the highest elevations in the county. The headwaters of Mud creek and the West Branch of Green- ville creek drain the northeastern part of the township, the
557
DARKE COUNTY
east fork of the Whitewater drains the central and southeast- ern portion, and the Middle fork of the Whitewater and some minor branches drain the western section. The primitive con- dition of this township is thus portrayed by the historian : "Save in the northwest, the valleys of these streams and much of their basins were swampy and well-nigh impassable. In some places there were tall rank grasses and swampy weeds; in others, timber and thickets of vinous brush-briery and woven as a network of nature's weaving, while on higher ground bordering these were walnut, hackberry, sugar maple and oaks; in the southeastern part, beech predominated. The native scenery presents an appearance of a western forest re- pelling the settler from interference with its domain. Such were the general features of this region before the pioneer had chosen his home, or any surveyor had ventured to trace the boundaries of town or range. All was wood and swamp. Na- ture reigned in unbroken solitude save the song of birds, the graceful flight of deer, the nightly howl of wolves and the oc- casional unearthly screech of the American panther. Abund- ance of game, the rolling lands, the springs and streams were marked by explorers."
Probably the glowing reports of the surveyors and of some roaming frontiersmen and hunters early awakened eager an- ticipations among the border settlers to the south and some of these had the temerity to make entries of land in this primi- tive paradise, several years before the remoter and less at- tractive sections were taken up.
As early as 1810, a few families, including the Brawleys, Purviances and McClures. made entries in the southern sec- tion along the valley of the East fork. They were soon driven away, however, by the hostile attitude of the Indians and did not return until after the close of the war of 1812. During this conflict, in the fall of 1813, a fort was established by Lieutenant Black of a company commanded by Captain Nes- bitt, and named Fort Black. This post was built in section 13 on the present site of New Madison. Its exact location is said to have been about twenty feet north of Main street between lots 104 and 105 in that village. Another post called Fort Nesbitt was also built in 1813 on the northeast quarter of sec- tion 32, just east of the present fork in the roads on land now belonging to William E .Roberts. William Boswell, James Shannon and others served in this block house.
At the close of hostilities the first families returned and
558
DARKE COUNTY
eagerly took up the arduous labor of clearing up the lands for prospective farms. They were soon followed by William and Jolin Wade, who located near Fort Black; Zudock and John Smithi, who included the site of the fort in their entry ; James Emerson, Joseph Gist, the Tillsons and Harlands, who settled along the Middle Branch of Whitewater. From this time settlement progressed rapidly. Dennis Hart, Judson Jaqua and the Lawrences settled in the neighborhood of Yankee- town; Solomon and Jonathan Thomas southwest of New Madison ; John and Aaron Rush further north; Thomas Micham in section 16; John Downing in section 10; Frances Spencer in section 3; Samuel at Fort Nesbitt, and his brother in section 29. John and Jacob Miller, Daniel Owens, David, James P. and Daniel Edwards and John Watson in the central part and north of Fort Nesbitt. Other early settlers were Ernestus Putnam, Solomon Broderick, James Wooden, M. Buckingham, Nazareth Bunch, John Carrier, William Jones, Daniel Forkner, Jonathan Thomas, the Motes brothers, John Foster, E. Lovall and Thomas Gray. A large number of these were scions of the old families of Kentucky and the south, others were from the Miami valley settlement and a few from the east. Some came by way of the Whitewater and still others by the new roads of the older settlements to the south. In some cases two or three families came together with their meager household furniture and farming utensils all in one wagon. Some came afoot or on horseback, bringing possibly a cow, a few swine and a few tools and farming implements. The newcomers were often sheltered in the cabins of the earlier settlers and all were mutually dependent, thus devel- oping that open heartedness everywhere characteristic of the pioneers. That they were of a substantial class is indicated by the fact that nearly all remained and improved the lands which they had entered.
The moral and religious tone of the community were en- hanced by the presence of such men as John Purviance, John Forster, Isaac Mains and William Polly, all of whom were early preachers in the Christian denomination ; as well as by the Tillsons. Harlands, Pollys, Solomon Broderick, Ernestus Putnam and others. The first church was a log structure and was built on the site later occupied by Friendship church, on northwest corner of section 28. Here John Purviance also taught school until the first regular school building was erected in 1819. William Hill and Moses Woods are men-
559
DARKE COUNTY
tioned as early teachers. Educational matters have received considerable attention in this township since pioneer days and its relative standing in educational matters is high to- day. Besides the regular school districts there are three spe- cial rural districts and the New Madison and Hollansburg schools.
The Pennsylvania railway enters the township near the northeast corner of section 13 and crosses the Preble county line in section 33 and the Peoria and Eastern pursues a sinu- ous course, crossing and recrossing the northern township line, and having probably three miles of track within the township. The real estate of Harrison township was assessed at $2,130,490, and the personal property at $1,141,700 in 1913. The entire population of the township in 1910 was 2,064.
New Madison.
The rapid settlement of Harrison township encouraged Zadock Smith to lay off a town plat on the site of Fort Black in section 13 as early as 1817. This he did partly as a matter of speculation. On Christmas, 1817, Smith held a pioneer jollification and public sale of lots, at which only two lots were sold upon which buildings were afterwards erected. Becom- ing disheartened at this first attempt, Smith sold his entire claim to Ernestus Putnam in 1819. Putnam then bought all the lots formerly sold, vacated the original plat, and in 1831, made a new plat comprising thirty-four lots ranged on oppo- site sides of what is now Main street for a distance of three blocks. At that time he lived in Old Fort Black, where his son David (later colonel of the One Hundred and Fifty-second regiment) was born. In this connection we append herewith an interesting sketch written by Col. David Putnam (de- ceased) and published in the Greenville Democrat, May 17. 1902.
"Returning to Washington he closed up his business, packed up their valuables that made the least bulk, loaded them with mother, Jane and John, who were born there, in a one-horse wagon, and started for Fort Black, Darke county (which had just been organized), Ohio, where he had pre- viously, through Uncle John Gray, entered a quarter section of land, just west of the quarter that the fort was located on. "I will digress a little here.
"Grandfather Gray, Uncle Thomas Carson and Uncle John
560
DARKE COUNTY
Kinnear had preceded them, Uncle Thomas having entered the quarter section west of father (half for grandfather), and Uncle John Kinnear the quarter section next west. The quar- ter second on which the fort was located had been entered by Zeddock Smith, who had made some little improvements and had laid out some lots and named his town Madison. He had sold three or four lots of which two had small hewn log houses on. At that time land had to be entered in quarter sections at $2.00 per acre, one-half paid at date of entry and balance in deferred payments.
"I will resume my narration.
"After a long and tedious journey over mountains, rivers, plains and swamps they arrived at Fort Black. (Grandfather with grandmother and Aunt Mary, Uncle Thomas Carsons with Aunt Nancy and Uncle John Kinnear with Aunt Sarah and two children had preceded them.) They procured a guide who piloted them down the south side of the great pigeon swamp two miles to the McClure cabin, crossing the head of Whitewater, then north passing the John Rush cabin to grandfather's, going nearly five miles and were less than three-quarters of a mile from the fort. After meeting and talking things over, father having saved some money from the financial wreck, went around to the fort and found Smith un- able to make his deferred payment on his entry ; purchased his interest in the land and purchased the lots that had been sold and some time after vacated the town, got a few things to- gether, went back to the fort and went to housekeeping, using the houses that had been built. About this time General Har- rison being in congress, secured the enactment of a law re- ducing the price of land to $1.25 per acre and authorizing those who had made entries and were unable to pay the de- ferred payment to relinquish one-half of the land and take title for the other half. Father, having assumed the payment of the Smith entry, relinquished his entry, thereby getting title in fee for the town quarter. He again entered the swamp quarter. Upon getting his title completed he built a comfort- able two-story log house of three rooms below and three above, with an addition of a kitchen and porch; in which house I was born, with six younger children, and where we all spent our childhool's happy days.
"In 1831 father laid out and started the town of New Madi- son, and in 1832 built the first merchant mill in Darke county, Ohio. Soon after getting settled in their new home father
561
DARKE COUNTY
opened quite an extensive shop, making and repairing guns, and for considerable time employed Abraham Hollenshead, who had worked for him in Washington nearly all the time they lived there. Soon after opening his shop they opened a small store, mother taking charge of it while father ran the shop. When I was about thirteen or fourteen years old, father sold his fine set of tools to Lewis Ginger, of New Paris, quit the business and gave his entire time to the mercantile business, in which he was successful. In 1835 he built in the new town a good store room and moved his business from the Fort Black stand and in 1837 and '38 built the large and commodious dwelling, yet standing in good condition and oc- cupied as the principal hotel in the flourishing town. Father continued in the mercantile business until February 11, 1839, when brother John entered the store and business was then conducted under the firm name of E. Putnam & Son. This was continued until August 4, 1842, when father retired en- tirely from business and I, with John, continued the business as J. G. & D. Putnam, which firm continued until June 4, 1845, when I sold my interest to John and moved to Palestine."
Putnam opened up the first store in the new town ; he also built a log school house on a triangular piece of ground at the southeast corner of the plat, and donated the same for public school purposes. In addition he gave ground for cem- etery purposes, a military parade ground and the site of the old brick Presbyterian church on Washington street, which building he was largely instrumental in erecting. In 1857, Rev. Vogt organized a Reformed society which soon dis- placed the Presbyterian organization and came into posses- sion of the property. After forty years of existence this so- ciety in turn merged with the newly organized United Breth- ren society in 1897. In 1899 the latter denomination built a beautiful brick church on lot No. 1 of the original plat on upper Main street, at a cost of some $10,000 or $12,000. This church has grown and prospered and now has a membership of about two hundred.
The Universalists organized in June, 1859, with thirty-one members and purchased a large lot near the southeastern cor- ner of the village where they soon erected a substantial frame building and dedicated it in January, 1860. This denomina- tion has maintained an organization ever since, placing espe- cial emphasis on Sunday school work. In 1903, this society built a nicely appointed, modern brick building on the old (36)
562
DARKE COUNTY
site at a cost of some $8,000. The present membership is over one hundred.
The Methodists built a frame church opposite the Re- formed church in 1878, and maintained worship until recent years. They are now inactive.
The educational enterprise of the citizens is shown by the fact, that as early as 1870 they erected a two-story, briek school house, at a cost of $6,500, not including equipment. This building was replaced in 1897 by a modern, six room, brick structure costing about $7,000. The new building is nicely furnished throughout, is heated by steam, has a good laboratory. a library and a piano. A recent report shows six teachers employed, fifty-six pupils in the high school, ten members in the last graduating class, and 108 graduates, in- cluding the class of 1913. The first class graduated in 1895. The high school ranks as first grade, has two courses of study and offers advanced work for those preparing to teach. There is a good school sentiment in the district, and the patrons want the best schools possible. The standard of the school has been raised from the third grade to the first grade and each year new equipment is added to the laboratory and new books to the library. The following persons have served as superintendent since the organization of this school : Thomas Eubanks. Edwin Lockett, Mr. Christler, Mr. Reed, Mr. Christ- ner, M. A. Brown, L. W. Warson, F. J. Miek, Floyd Deacon, M. F. Smith and C. W. Williams.
New Madison is one of the substantial conservative towns of the county, and although it has never experienced a boom, it goes steadily forward in improvements. Besides the church and school buildings already mentioned, it has a town hall, a fire department, a bank, two hotels, a newspaper, a K. of P. hall, a Red Men's hall, lumber yard, a grain elevator, tobacco warehouses and factories, ice plant and garage, also several fine residences. At present there are Masonic, K. of P., Pyth- ian Sisters and I. O. R. M. lodges in this village, and several thriving business enterprises. The census of 1910 gave New Madison a population of 628.
Hollansburg.
On March 28, 1838, James Stewart laid out the village of Union in the northeastern quarter of section 7, Harrison town- ship, where the residence of Elihu Polly now stands, and of-
563
DARKE COUNTY
fered lots for sale. It is said that William Hollaman, who ยท was at that time one of the prominent men of the county, negotiated for the purchase of two or more lots, but when he came to settle with the proprietor, had a wrangle about the price, whereupon said Hollaman threatened to lay off a com- petitive plat on his own land in section 5 about a mile to the northeast of Union. This he did in October, 1838. Valentine Harland made two additions to the original plat and the new village was named by combining the first part of Hollaman's name with the last part of Harland's and adding the usual burgh, making the name Hollandsburgh, since reduced to Hol- lansburg. At first the village was designated "Republican P. O." as the postoffice of that name was transferred from section 29, German township, to the new village in 1839, and William Hollaman made postmaster. In time Hollansburg outgrew Union and finally displaced it. On account of the number of adherents to the "New Lights" in this section a society of this denomination was soon organized, and, in 1840, built a church on the present site of the cemetery. This was replaced by another structure in 1852, and much better one in 1896. The last named building was struck by lightning in 1912 and burned. A modern brick structure costing about $8,000 was soon erected and was dedicated April 26, 1914.
The Methodists built a church in the northern part of the village about 1875. The first school house was built on the present site of the cemetery in 1848. As in New Madison and Harrison township generally a fine educational spirit prevails. Besides the school and church buildings there is now a city hall, bank, postoffice, hotel, K. of P. building, newspaper office, saw mill and greenhouse in the village. Flourishing K. of P., Pythian Sisters and a Jr. O. U. A. M. organization also exist here. This village supported a noted physician in the person of W. W. French, who came in 1842, and built up an immense practice extending into Indiana. Hon. O. E. Harrison, form- erly state senator and an assistant prosecutor in the Depart- ment of Justice, was for some time principal in the school at this place. H. W. Emerson, who is said to have been the shrewdest financier ever living in Darke county, came to Har- rison township about 1816, and was a banker in Hollansburg for several years. Later he moved to Greenville and served as president of the Farmers Bank.
The only other villages in the township are Braffettsville, on the line between sections 33 and 34. Wily's station on
564
DARKE COUNTY
the Pennsylvania railway in section 28 and Yankeetown on the high ground at the cornering of sections 25, 26, 35 and 36. . The latter village has a new U. B. church erected in 1912, and is the oldest village in the township.
Allen Township.
This township is one of the northern tier and lies just east of Mississinawa. It was taken from Brown township in March, 1839, and containd all of townships 14 and 15 north, range 2 east, except one tier of sections from the eastern part of each. It was reduced to its present size in 1848, when township 15 was thrown into Mercer county, and now con- tains thirty sections of land. It is drained mainly by the up- per Wabash and the head of the north branch of the Still- water. The former enters the township near the extreme northwest corner and runs southeastward to the southeast quarter of section 15, thence northeastward to the southeast quarter of section 11, where it crosses the Wabash township line. The Stillwater rises in the southwest corner of section 17, near school No. 4, flows southeastward to southeast quar- ter of section 26, thence southward and crosses the Brown township line near the center of the south line of section 35. The water shed between the Wabash and Miami basins trav- erses this township, and the surface is generally rolling with occasional hills along the streams. The uplands contain much clay, while the bottoms are of a rich dark soil. There was much fine hard timber in this section which was cut off to a large extent later than that in the sections further south.
Ephriam and Aaron Ireland were the first settlers and lo- cated in the northeast quarter of section 34. Other pioneers were George Reigel and sons, John, David, Jacob and Jona- than; Samuel Zerby, Samuel Aspaugh, Landis Light, John Hagerman, Matthias Barnhart, Francis Jenkinson, Henry Brown and James Cochran.
The first school house was built in 1840 in section 30. There are now nine school districts, besides village schools.
The Methodists erected the first church in 1854, two miles west of Rossburg at the northeast corner of section 32, and the Lutherans erected the next about half a mile farther west on the south side of the Lightsville pike in 1855, where the Holiness church now stands. Bishop John Seibert is credited with being the first preacher in the township, and the Evan-
565
DARKE COUNTY
gelicals the first to hold services in private houses. Rev. T. Hiestand was the pioneer Methodist preacher.
There was no railroad in this township until the C. J. & M. (now C. N.) was constructed through the second tier of town- ships about 1883. This road has been largely instrumental in developing the township and since its construction three vil- lages have been developed, viz .. Rossburg, New Weston and Burkettsville.
Rossburg (formerly Rossville.)
This village was laid out by John G. Ross in 1868, at the cornering of sections 26, 27, 34 and 35. A blacksmith shop, a store and a postoffice soon formed the nucleus of the new vil- lage and it made but little progress until the building of the "Mackinaw" railway about 1883; since that time it has made substantial progress and now contains a town hall, a council chamber, a bank, a hotel, a postoffice, a railway station and U. B. and M. E. churches, besides a lodge, elevator, mill and several stores. The population in 1910 was 261.
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.