History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 88

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

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* Contributed by H. L. S. Vaile.

ship, as his name would legalize the petition. Like a truc patriot, he allowed his name to be enrolled among the petitioners. After some delay, it was granted, and the ambition of the good citizens of Marlborough fully satisfied. The township touched the Greenville treaty line on the north, and was therefore on the frontier. On the east, it was bounded by Marion County and the townships of Lincoln and Peru, now a part of Morrow County ; on the south by what are now the townships of Brown and Delaware, in Delaware County, and on the west by what is now Radnor Township. It originally embraced within its limits a part of Waldo Township, in Marion County, Westfield Township, in Morrow County, and the town- ship of Oxford and the northern half of Troy, in Delaware County. On March 6, 1815, on petition of John Shaw and others, the township of Oxford was organized from Marlborough. On the 23d of December, in the following year, the north half of what is now Troy Township was taken off, but, notwithstanding this, it remained a large township until 1848. On the 24th of February of that year, an act, erecting Morrow County, took from the northeastern portion of Marlborough a part of what is now Westfield of that county, and to com- pensate Marion County for the large amount of territory it had lost, the northern part of Marl- borough, now known as Waldo Township, in that county, was given to it. To-day Marlborough is but half a township, a mere shadow of its former magnitude. It is situated in the extreme northern part of Delaware County, Range 19, Township 6, and is bounded on the north by Marion County ; on the east by Morrow County and Oxford Town- ship, in Delaware County ; on the south, by Troy, and on the west by Radnor Township. The Olen- tangy, called in some localities the Blue Whetstone, rises in the southern part of Crawford County, and flowing in a southerly direction through Marion County cnters Marlborough Township just east of Norton, and flows through from north to south, receiving near the southern limits of the township the waters of the eastern and largest tributary called

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

also the Whetstone, which branch has its source in the extreme northern part of Morrow County and flows in a southwesterly direction. The Delaware Indians were very much attached to this river and were greatly affected when compelled to leave it. Along the banks they had many camps, and from there the hunting parties would go forth in every direction, sometimes for many "moons," but always returning to their much-loved river. Upon a small stream, called Sharp's Run, which flows into the Olentangy, near the line of Troy and Marlborough, they had a sugar camp, and for a number of years after the body of the Indians had been removed to other localities, small bands would come to this run and make sugar. The geologieal formations of this township, which are objeets of interest, are the great beds of shale and the concretions, a deserip- tion of which appears in another part of this work. Near the river, the country is badly broken by the many small streams that flow into the Olentangy, and the banks of the river slope back some distance from the river bed, which is wide and the water shallow. These are the results of the peculiar geological formations, the action of the water to- gether with the frost and iee gradually wearing away the shale and slate cliffs ; and, as this wear and tear has been steadily going on for een- turies, the banks have receded until they are much farther apart than those of the Scioto, although the volume of water of the Olentangy is not as great as that of the former. Back from the river, hoth east and west, the land becomes more level, while here and there it is rolling. The rising ground is, in many localities, well wooded, as are also the valleys. The tillable land is well under cultivation, rich and bears abundant harvests. The soil is what is commonly designated as limestone land, while in some localities are met clay knobs, with here and there stratified beds of sand and gravel. As far as crops are concerned, there seem to be no specialties, the land being well adapted to the raising of a variety of grains, such as corn, wheat, oats, etc. Stock-growing receives promin- ent attention, and, in the cultivation of the farms fine orchards have become conspicuous, giving in return for their care an abundance of excellent fruit.

Nathaniel Wyatt and Nathaniel Brundige, to whom belong the honor of being the first settlers in Marlborough Township, came origin- ally from Marlborough Township, Ulster Co., N. Y. Wyatt, being possessed of a roving disposition, emigrated to Virginia at an early date, and, settling down near William Brundige (father of Nathan-

iel), who had entered Virginia as early as 1796, married his daughter. When Wyatt first settled in Virginia, Nathaniel Brundige had not, as yet, left his home in New York, and it was not until 1798-99 that, through the influence of his father, who had returned to his old home on a visit, he determined to go to Virginia. It being impossible for him to accompany his father, the latter, with pen and ink, wrote out full instructions as to the route to be followed by his son, and started on his journey home. This paper, which served its purpose, was preserved by Nathaniel, and is now the property of his son John. Upon reaching the Old Dominion, Nathaniel settled down near Wyatt, where he remained until 1803. In that year, the tide of emigration had set in toward Ohio, bearing upon its bosom the families of Nathaniel Wyatt and Nathaniel Brundige, who, having reached the site of the old Indian town of Piqua, Clark County, where the great Indian chieftain, Tecumseh, was born, settled there. They remained in this locality for about two years, when Wyatt, having traded his cabin home and land, near Piqua, for a tract of wild land a short dis- tance south of the old Greenville Indian treaty line, leaving their families within cabins near Piqua, they set out for the purpose of locating it. At that time, a dense forest lined both banks of the Olentangy, and covered the bills and valleys for miles in every direction, and it was only after the greatest labor that they sueceeded in cutting their way through the tangled underbrush, which seemed to rise up to meet and obstruct their prog- ress. At last, tired and footsore, they reached the bank of the Olentangy, at what is now . David Dix's Ford, and camped over night. The next morning they forded the river, and soon succeeded in reaching the spot where Wyatt's land was sup- posed to be located, which was about one mile north of what is now the town of Norton. This was in the spring of 1806. Immediately upon their arrival, and as soon as the land was located, they put up a small log cabin, and, finding great numbers of sugar maples, began in a rude way the manufacture of sugar, using a small, iron camp . kettle which they had brought with them. They remained here for a short time, when they both returned to Piqua, for the purpose of bringing their families up to the new home. Again there was the hurry and bustle, the necessary prepara- tions for a sudden emigration, of which there had been, for both families, no less than three hereto- fore. After some delay, both families started, with

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

many fears and forebodings, toward their new home. There was ample cause for anxiety, for it had been but a very few years since " Mad " Anthony Wayne had gained his great victory over the Indians at the battle of the Maumee, result- ing in the treaty of Greenville with the blood- thirsty Shawanees, and warlike Wyandots, Senecas and Delawares. The thought that they were to settle right on the border, within two miles of the treaty line, and in easy striking distance of the Indians still smarting under their defeat, caused a feeling of anything but security. A new road had to be cut for the teams, and again the ax resounded in the primitive forests of the Olen- tangy. After great trouble, they reached the log cabin at the sugar camp, where both families resided until Brundige could buy some land and build a cabin for himself. He had been here but a very short time when he met Col. Kilbourn, who had begun to survey and lay out the town of Norton. Kilbourn told Brundige that he had a fine piece of land that he would sell for $400. Brundige paid the money, and Kilbourn imme- diately returned to Chillicothe, had the land en- tered in the name of Nathaniel Brundige, and cleared $200 on a piece of land that he had not located. This land is a part of the farm now owned and occupied by John Brundige, and upon which Nathaniel immediately put up a log cabin, and moved his family into it. The remains of the log cabin can still be seen just northwest of the residence of his son.

Wyatt, assisted by his wife and sons, succeeded by hard work in clearing quite a number of acres of land. The first clearing they planted in corn, but the crop was nearly destroyed by raccoons, which at that time were so numerous as to seriously interfere with the raising of grain. In 1811, Wyatt built the first brick house in Marlborough Township, the brick for which was made from clay on his farm. The structure was a massive. affair, and, with its high walls and gabled roof, was an object of much curiosity to the Indians. It was built for a tavern, and was the first hostelry in the township, and, in its prime, had a State reputation. It was situated on the old State road, and formed part of the celebrated Fort Morrow, the site of which, since the year 1848, has been in Marion County. Nathaniel Wyatt's son-in-law, John Millikin, was First Lieu- tenant under Capt. Drake, and his son William was Ensign under the same famous commander. He himself lent aid to the expedition which re-

sulted at first so ridiculously, and, in fact, nearly all the soldiers of the war of 1812 that had to pass his home on their way to and from the seat of war, received aid and comfort from him. Gen. Harrison tarried for a short time under his roof, while many a wounded soldier found sweet repose around the hearthstone of the old red brick tavern. He died in 1829, and lies buried in the Wyatt Cemetery, which is situated on the farm first set- tled by him, just east of the house of his grand- son.

Jacob Foust, with a large family, came to what is now Ohio from Pennsylvania as early as 1799. Upon his arrival at the Ohio River, he found it so swollen by rains that he was forced to camp until it subsided. Crossing near Wheeling and plunging into the forest, he started in the direction of Zanesville, at which place he arrived after count- less trials, and quartered his family in a black- smith-shop. In a short time, he moved to Ross County, where he remained until the spring of 1807, when he came up to the forks of the Whet- stone, and squatted on land belonging to the Campbell heirs. He immediately put up a cabin, and then set to work clearing his land, gaining material assistance from his four stalwart sons. The first season, they cleared some five or six acres and planted it with corn. Everything grew finely, and there promised to be a large yield, but the squirrels and raccoons which had gotten such a high appreciation of corn from the destruction of the crop of Nathaniel Wyatt, came down in great numbers and destroyed the entire growth. All his family are now dead. The following story, illustrative of pioneer life, was told by Foust to Judge Powell many years ago. Soon after he had settled and raised his cabin, his wife was taken with a severe attack of chills and fever, and from that cause, she became dyspeptic. They had an abundance of corn-bread in the house, but this, she said, did not agree with her. She told her husband that what she needed was some wheat bread. Foust knew there was no flour within fifty or sixty miles, but from devotion to his wife, he determined to overcome all obstacles, and get the desired article. He took a bag of wheat on his back, went to Zanesville to get it ground, and then brought it back to his wife. William Brundige, the father of Nathaniel Brundige, did not come to this locality until 1808, when, accompanied by his family, he came up the Whetstone to the set- tlement. He is best known as Elder Brundige, and was the first Baptist preacher in Marlborough

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

Township. In 1810, when the few pioneers met for the purpose of organizing a church society, the first proposition, after the action of organization had been taken, was a motion asking the Baptist Church in Liberty Township to release by letter Elder William Brundige, whom they desired should preach for them. Immediately upon the receipt of the letter, Brundige handed it in, and was appointed Pastor in charge. He remained in this capacity for many years, and preached at the cabins of the early settlers. Upon his decease, his place was filled by Benjamin Martin. John Brundige came to the settlement with his father, Elder Brundige, and a few years after his arrival, William Drake and his family having entered the settlement, the daughter, Phoebe Drake, took captive the heart of John, and in a short time they were married, which was the first ceremony of the kind that took place in the township, and occurred about 1811. After Judge Drake had served his time on the bench, John Brundige was elected as his successor. He married twice. His second wife was a Miss Elizabeth Taylor, who did not survive him. Mrs. Dudley, the eldest daughter of Nathaniel Brundige, is at present alive, and is one of the oldest pioneer women in this township; she came here with her father in 1806. Her first husband was Elder Samuel Wyatt, who died in 1842. Her second husband was the Rev. David Dudley, who died in 1867. At present, Mrs. Dudley spends part of her time with relatives in Richmond, and part with relatives in Waldo Township, Marion County.

Capt. William Drake was from New York, and came to Ohio in 1810, but unlike his friends from that section of the country, he came direct to Ohio, and did not take the roundabout way, settling first in Virginia. On his way to Ohio, and when near the mountains, as he had taken the southern route and had to pass the Alleghanies, he happened to meet Col. James Kilbourn, who, at that time, was on his way from Chillicothe to New York City. The Colonel, immediately upon an introduction, asked Capt. Drake to what point in Ohio he in- tended to direct his steps. The Captain replied that he was going to settle in or near a town called Norton, situated in close proximity to the Olen- tangy River, in the Scioto Valley. " Oh !" said Kil- bourn-who had but just laid out the town some two or three years previous, in which at that time, there, was but one log cabin-" I congratulate you, sir, you are going to a perfect Eden. I am pleased that you have made such an exeellent

choice," and with a hearty grasp of the hand and a kind farewell, they parted. Drake, very much elated at the words of recommendation of Col. Kilbourn, pressed forward eagerly, and soon reached the Olentangy River, which he crossed, and pass- ing through where the town of Delaware now stands, but which at that time contained but a few cabins, he hastened toward Norton. After going about seven or eight miles over hills and swamps, he suddenly came to an elevation somewhat greater than . those he had crossed, beyond which he knew the " beautiful " little town of Norton was situated. After crossing the swamp which sur- rounded the base of the hill, and in the mire of which his team came very near being " stuck," he reached the summit and was rewarded by the sight of a little log cabin, on the side of which were stretched some half a dozen partially dried raccoon skins, and at the door appeared a man, brought out by Drake's frequent and forcible exclamations to his tired horses. " Where is the town of Nor- ton ?" inquired Drake. "This is all the town of Norton I know anything about," said Reed, the owner and inhabitant of the cabin, as he pointed with pride at his home. " Well," said Drake, who loved and appreciated a joke too well to get angry, " I must say that if this satisfies Kilbourn's ideas of Eden, I never want to hear his conception of h-1," and passed on to where the cabins of Wyatt and Brundige were situated, where he remained for a short time, and then bought land across the river opposite Brundige's, where he lived several years. It was while residing in his cabin on this farm that he organized the militia company whose " defeat " has given him such notoriety through- out the country. After the war of 1812, Capt. Drake in the succeeding years held several public positions of trust and honor. He was for a num- ber of years one of the Associate Judges of Dela- ware County. His eldest son, Reuben Drake, married Mary Brundige, who was born in New York on the 9th of August, 1794. He died thirty years ago, one mile south of the town of Wyan- dot. His wife is also dead. Uriah, another son of the captain's, was murdered by the Indians on his way home from Lower Sandusky (now Fre- mont), soon after the war of 1812. It is sup- posed he was murdered for a new fur cap which he had on. The body was found in the river be- tween two logs which were used as a foot-bridge across the stream. William Reed came to this lo- cality as early as 1807, and is said to have been the first settler in what is now the town of Norton, and

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

was the man who greeted Capt. Drake in such a cordial manner. He was born in Ireland, and was in the war of 1812. Capt. John Wilcox was a very old settler, and came to Marlborough before the war of 1812. He gained his title in the Rev- olutionary war, being present at the battles of Sar- atoga Springs and Stillwater. He was at the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne, and in the severe fighting that preceded that brilliant achievement of the continental arms. It was Capt. Wilcox, who, coming into Norton, soon after the news of Drake's defeat, and, seeing a pumpkin that some mischievous wag had placed on a pole, mistook the same for the head of the infant son of Nathaniel Brundige, and spreading that report gave addi- tional wings to the flight of the women and chil- dren who were hurrying South.

Faron Case, another pioneer, came to the settle- ment from the State of Connecticut, and after a wearisome and tedious journey, with the usual ac- cident of wagon breaking down, etc., arrived in 1810, and began putting up a cabin and clearing the property now known as the Grady farm, situat- ed on the pike road which runs from Delaware to Marion, through Norton. Thomas Brown came to Norton, and built a cabin near Reed's, in 1808. It was also a sort of tavern, but, being of such meager dimensions, it can hardly be dignified by that name. Brown was a blacksmith, the first in the township. James Trindle came to Marlborough Township in 1811, from the State of Virginia, He was engaged by Capt. Drake to haul provisions for his command, and was in the " defeat." It is said that he was the only man that stood his ground, and that if it had not been for the plunging of his horse, he would have killed Drake, by shooting him with his rifle, having fired at him under the supposition that he was the Indian chief. He married Anna Brundige, and by her had two daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah. The former married Joseph C. Cole, and the latter married Hugh Cole. John Brundige, son of Nathaniel Brundige, was born September 10, 1813, on the very day that Commodore Perry gained his great victory on Lake Erie. When he was a babe, his mother having gone a short distance into the woods to do some clearing, he was left in a trough, and while the mother's back was turned an Indian squaw seized the child and started toward the river. The mother, seeing her with the child in her arms, gave chase, but she was unable to over- take the fleet child of the forest until she reached the bank of the river, when an old Indian took the

child from the squaw and returned it to the mother with a gift of a quarter of venison, asking, in re- turn, for some bread. The mother returned to the cabin and gave the bread, which they thanked her for, and then departed, having taken this strange course for the purpose of obtaining their object. John Brundige lives on the farm his father first settled upon, and the cabin in which he was born stands just northwest of his residence. Joseph and James Gillett came to this township in 1818 and 1819 respectively. They were brothers and emigrated together from Hartford County, Conn., but James remained one year in the State of Penn- sylvania, while Joseph came direct to Marlborough Township and settled on a piece of land one mile south of Norton-the farm lately occupied by his son Herold. He was an old Revolutionary soldier, and died in 1836. When James came, he settled just west of Norton, on the farm now owned and oc- cupied by his son Harvey. As soon as their cabins had been built, they began to clear their lands, using oxen to pull out stumps and drag logs. Wolves were very numerous, and the few hogs and sheep had to be shut up every night to be kept from them. Herold was once attacked by them while returning from a fishing excursion, and had to take refuge in an old deserted log cabin, where he remained until morning. They generally suc- ceeded in clearing seven acres a year, after they got one year's deadening. Harvey Gillett cleared, for William Hinton, twenty acres at $3 per acre. He alone cut all the timber under eighteen inches, piled the brush and cut the logs for rolling in the short space of thirty-three days.

William Sharp was born, it is said, in Virginia, and from that State came to Ohio with his father, who settled at Marietta, in the beginning of the present century. A few years after, when Sharp had become of age, his father was very anxious that he should study medicine, and for that pur- pose he bought his son a large number of the medical works which were then authority, and, bringing them home, hoped to please his son, but . William, to show his disgust for the science and his love for the woods, immediately shouldered his rifle and started for the Indian country. In the course of several months, in the mean time sub- sisting on the game he shot in the forest, he found himself near Norton; this was about the year 1809. He remained here for two or three years, and there joining the army went north to San- dusky. After the war, about 1814, he married Sarah Boyd, an adopted daughter of John Duncan.

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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.

He now built a cabin for his wife, but, although attached to her, could not resist the temptation of going into the woods on a hunt, and often would, after stocking his cabin with provisions, go on a hunt and be gone for one, two and sometimes three weeks. He was reput- ed to be the greatest "bee-hunter" that was ever in Marlborough Township, and it was said that he knew the Indian language well. He allowed his roving disposition to control him for several years, but at last he bought sixty acres of land from Joseph Cole, and settled down to a life of domestic happiness. About this time, several rel- atives of his came to this part of the country and brought to him all the old medical books which his father had bought; he suddenly acquired a taste for the same, and began to read medicine. On entering the practice, it is said that he never would take pay for any service he might render. He has been dead for a number. of years.

Allen Reed came to this township from Ireland and settled on a piece of land near Norton. He was in the war of 1812 and is now dead. Ariel Strong came and settled on the Olentangy River soon after Foust had built his cabin, as early as 1808. James Livington and wife moved up and settled on the river soon after Strong, and was fol- lowed in 1810 by William Hanneman, who came from the State of Kentucky. Both were in the war of 1812. Isaac Bush, Silas Davis, Joseph Curran, all came into what was then Marlborough Township, prior to the war of 1812. They were practical, hard-working farmers, and contributed largely to the growth and improvement of the township. Joseph Cole, Levi and William Hin- ton, James Norris, Sr., and family, James Wilson, David Dick, James Duncan, Duval, Benjamin Mar- tin came to Marlborough and located in what is now Troy Township, and are noticed in the early settlement of that township. The Duncklebarger brothers were also old settlers. They came from Philadelphia, Penn., and settled just east of Nor- ton in the year 1815. Their names were Peter and Fred, and they were the first communists in a small way in Delaware County, as they owned ev- erything in common. They each had half of the cabin, half of the land, half of the stock, and shared half the products. When they first came to the township, they were both unmarried, but soon after Peter married, and this seemed to cause the first estrangement in the brothers' friendship. Fred still continued to board with his brother's family and everything at least appeared to run as

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History of Delaware County and Ohio, Part 88

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author: O. L. Baskin & Co; Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago, O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 818