History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, Part 101

Author: N. N. Hill, Jr.
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 826

USA > Ohio > Licking County > History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present > Part 101

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Rev. E. Bowman was Mr. Finley's successor on the circuit. He was a man of considerable ability and power in the pulpit. During his term of ser- vice (1811 and 1812) he adopted the Arian senti- ments and propagated them with some success. A number of the local preachers, and many of the members on his circuit, abjured Methodism and adopted Arianism or Socianism, which culminated in a number of Christian, often called New Light, churches on this old Methodist circuit.

A society of Christians was organized in the Clear Fork valley, who subsequently erected a house of worship at the junction of the Utica and Johnstown roads, now Chatham. This church was occupied many years, but was finally superceded by the erection of one west of it, in Mckean town- ship, and by another in St. Louisville, to which the members of the former transferred their member- ship.

The controversy started by Rev. Mr. Bowman raged a dozen or twenty years. Much acrimony of feeling, through this and other portions of central Ohio, was manifested by both parties to the con- troversy. Armenianism was the party in occupancy and possession, and Socianism contested with zeal, energy, and ability, for the supremacy. Religious disputations were the order of the day, which naturally engendered much partizanship, and, sometimes, harsh and uncharitable feeling. Some law-suits and rending of churches followed, accom- panied by a harsh spirit of proselytism indulged in, probably, to an equal extent by both sides.

"Halcyon" preachers, so called because they propagated a gospel of peace, came along occa- sionally in early times. The earliest of these ministrations was held in 1810, at the house of a Mr. Henthorn, who lived on the North fork above the Robinson mills. Mrs. Donavan was present at this meeting, and has furnished an account of it. She says that a pet pig belonging to the family, which harbored among the bushes or green boughs that adorned the chimney hearth on this occasion (it being summer time) caused some interruption to the flow of halcyon eloquence, during the prog- ress of the sermon, by sometimes coming out of his nest, making raids into the audience, and ex- citing their risibilities by his antic gambols, to the great disgust of the preacher.

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Rev. Abner Goff was an early-time Methodist preacher of Newton township, whose home was on the North fork, near St. Louisville, many years, but he belonged to a more recent period, by a few years, than the foregoing.

Rev. Peter Schmucker, a Lutheran minister, and father of the Hon. Isaac Smucker, yet living in Newark, was among the later pioneer preachers of Newton township. He often held religious ser- vices, preaching generally in English, but some- times in the German language, at the school-house near the residence of General John Spencer, who with Mr. John Keim and their families, with oth- ers in the neighborhood, gave those labors their countenance and encouragement. He also, in co-operation with the aforenamed gentlemen, or- ganized a Sabbath-school in 1826, probably the first established in the township, or in that section of the county. Funds were raised with which a Sabbath-school library was purchased, and a good degree of success attended the school a number of years. These were the incipient steps in the work of the permanent establishment of Luther- anism in Newton township.

At present there are five churches in the town- ship. Two of these are Methodist, two Lutheran, and one Christian or New Light. One of the Methodist churches was organized at the house of Stephen Robinson in 1810, by Rev. James B. Fin- ley. Stephen Robinson and wife, Joseph Lair and wife, Jesse Harris and wife, Samuel Paine and wife, John Paine and Catharine Lair were the original members. This society has a membership of nearly one hundred, and has its church in Chatham. Connected with this society is a Sab- bath-school of one hundred pupils.

A Baptist church was organized in the township in an early day, and Rev. John Fry was one of its early-time preachers. The society was never very large. They erected their first church edifice in St. Louisville in the earliest years of that village, and in 1849 sold it to the Christian or New Light society. Soon after, they erected a small log church on Lost run, about three miles east of St. Louisville, just over the line in Washington town- ship, which is now occupied. Rev. John Pritchard has been nearly thirty years pastor of this church.

The Christian church was the second one organ-

ized in the township. It was first established on the Clear fork, and its original building erected there; but the society was afterward trans- ferred to Sylvania, St. Louisville, and Mt. Hermon in McKean township. Rev. John Lee for many years occupied the pulpit of this church. The society in St. Louisville is not numerous.

The oldest of the two Lutheran organizations has a good church building in St. Louisville, with a membership of over one hundred. It was or- ganized about the year 1839. Revs. Andrew Henkle and Peter Schmucker were the pioneer preachers within the bounds of this congregation. The Messrs. John, William and Simon Haas and John Koontz were among the original members of this efficient organization. Its ministers were Rev. Solomon Ritz, who organized it, followed by Revs. Bishop, Joseph Wolf, Moyer, Barnes, Shaf- fer, William Gilbreath, J. L. Gilbreath, J. J. Mil- ler, P. N. O'Banon, George Sinsebaugh, W. G. Kile, T. S. Smedley and others.

Their church edifice is the best in the township, A flourishing Sabbath-school is connected with this church, which averages about one hundred pupils.

The Second Methodist church, or Newton chapel, was organized in Mary Ann township, at the house of Mr. Seth Carver, in 1834, by Rev. George Han. newalt. Services were subsequently held in Chil- coat's school-house in this township, and then ir. Lock's school-house. The chapel was erected dur- ing the summer of 1856, and dedicated in the spring of 1867, the land on which it stands being donated to the society by James Thrapp, who, with J. E. Thrapp and Jeremiah Stout, constituted the building committee.

The original members of this church were Seth Carver and wife, James Thrapp and wife, Isaac Harris and wife, David Moats and wife, Edward Thomas and wife, Mrs. Trippier, Joseph Evans, and perhaps a few others. The pastors have been Revs. Cunningham, Mark, Harvey, Ryland, Taylor, Lon- nes, Fink, Gardner, Fleming, Ferris, Reed and others. The society is self-supporting, having a membership of fifty or more. The Sunday-school was organized about 1840; the present member- ship being about fifty.

The second Lutheran society has a good church in Vanattaburgh. Though comparatively moder

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it was, in the earlier period of its existence flour- ishing, efficient and influential for good in the com- munity.

The first camp meeting held in Newton township was in 1810, or possibly a year later. It was held on the land of Stephen Robinson, now owned by Rev. John Lee. The place was long called Camp Hollow. The second camp meeting was held in 1815, on the Clear fork, on or near the site of the village of Chatham, and was conducted by Rev. John McMahon.

Newton township was organized in 1809. Judge Elliott, father of the late Benjamin Elliott, laid out its first village in 1805, calling it Fairfield. It was situated on the south bank of Brushy fork, about three miles north of Newark, on the Mt. Vernon road. It ultimately came to be called Cannons- burgh, in honor of Thomas Cannon, the tavern keeper of the village. It never grew, and its lots were, after a time, vacated. Judge Elliott is more fully noticed in the chapter on the "First White Men."

Chatham, called at first Harrisburgh, was laid out by Colonel John Waggoner in 1829. It has been a post town nearly fifty years. Its inhabitants in 1850 numbered two hundred and eight. At the census of 1870 they had declined to one hun- dred and fifty-two, and in 1880 to one hundred and thirty-three. Should this decrease continue it is only a question of time with the existence of the place. It did not long retain the name of Harris- burgh.

St. Louisville was laid out in 1839 by John Bell and Stephen Ritter. Subsequently additions were laid out by John Evans and Wesley Coffman. It early became a post town, superceding the post office at Newton Mills, half a mile below. Some of its postmasters were: Elijah Goff, David Carver, Daniel Albaugh, Jackson Belt and Perry A. Harris. The population of the village in 1850 was one hun- dred and nine; in 1870, one hundred and sixty-six; in 1880, two hundred and fifteen.

Vanattaburgh is a manufacturig point which has been gradually growing into a village of arti- tans, who, with their families, number a hundred or more. It has a foundry and some factories; also I grocery store, post office and church. It has had its principal growth since the completion of the

Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark railroad. The first post office established in the township was at Newton Mills, seven miles north of Newark, at the crossing of the North fork by the Mount Vernon road. Colonel John Waggonor was the first post- master, and was succeeded by Major John Huston. Ultimately the office was removed to St. Louisville, and Nathan Hadley appointed postmaster. The Chatham office was the second one established in the township. This was about 1831. Messrs. Gosnell and Myers were the early postmasters. The Vanattaburgh office was the third and last one established. Messrs. Vanatta (from whom the town received its name), Boggs and S. R. Wilson have been postmasters.

Mr. Samuel Stewart, county commissioner in 1814-15, was Newton township's first county offi- cer. General John Spencer was representative in the legislature of the State from 1814 to 1817, and State senator from 1818 to 1822, inclusive. Colo- nel William Spencer, was elected county assessor in 1827 for two years, and to the office of sheriff in 1830, and again in 1832. John Bell was elected to the legislature in 1852. Captain James Coulter held the office of coroner a number of years. John Stewart was elected county treasurer in 1839 for two years. James Stewart was county commis- sioner several years.

The population of the township in 1840 was one thousand two hundred and forty-seven; in 1850, one thousand three hundred and sixty-four; in 1860, one thousand three hundred and ten, in 1870, one thousand three hundred and three, and in 1880, one thousand three hundred and thirty- two.

A few of the incidents of pioneer times in New- ton are worth preservation.

Rev. James B. Finley remarks, in his "autobiog- raphy:"

"That one evening, on one of his tours down the North fork of Licking, in the winter of 1810-11, he heard not far off the report of a gun, followed by screams, apparently from some person who had been shot. It was about twilight, and he pro- ceeded to the house, near by, of Mr. Stephen Robinson, where soon a messenger arrived, who announced that a man had been shot at the creek.

"Mr. Finley, with others, at once went to the relief of the victim, whose tracks they were able to follow by the blood, which had spurted from the gun-shot wound, at every jump, as from a stricken deer.

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"They soon found him in a cabin with a family, where, prob- ably he had his home, he being a single man. Mr. Finley assisted in binding up the wound, and the party then returned to Mr. Robinson's."

The foregoing paragraph'from'Mr. Finley's note- book refers to an attempt made about seventy years ago, to kill a Mr. William Kinning, who had recently become a settler in this township, and was boarding with a family whose residence was on the west of the North fork, near to or on the farm of Stephen Robinson.

Kinning received the shot while crossing the creek on a log. Tracks in the snow and other circumstances pointed to a man as the assassin who lived on the east side of the North fork.

The suspected culprit fled, but was pursued, captured and put into what was a very poor apology for a jail, in Newark. This attempt at murder intensely excited the entire community. Hon. William Stanbery was engaged as counsel to de- fend him, but before the day of trial came he es- caped from jail, and has not since been heard from.

Kinning finally recovered. He was an eccentric Scotchman who generally kept a good horse, and traveled extensively, absenting himself sometimes for months, his whereabouts being, at such times, unknown here. His wound in the hip left him somewhat lame, and he was charged with itinerat- ing as a mendicant, in the assumed character of a crippled soldier of the War of 1812. Be that as it may he somehow became possessed of a considerable sum of money, principally in bills is- sued by the Granville Alexandrian society. One day, when on one of his mysterious tours, he heard of the failure of this library and banking company, and at once started for the office of the association for the purpose of securing his money. The doors were closed, and after several calls, failing to ob- tain admittance, and becoming, in the meantime, pretty well filled with whiskey, a beverage few Scotchmen reject, he secured a maul, and at- tempted the enforced resumption of specie pay- ments by battering down the door. A crowd soon gathered, compelling him to desist, and fearing ar- rest, he mounted his horse, and rode rapidly to Newark.

He called at Colonel Gault's for another drink, then started on double quick time, and had just passed out the east of the square as the Granville

officer and his posse entered at the northwest corner.

This was Kinning's last visit to this section of the country. It was about 1817, and he was never heard of afterward.

In 1805 Richard Humphrey and his son-in-law, Chisholm Mav, lived on Spencer run, near where the Henthorn mill was erected. General Spencer lived near the head of the run not far from the spring.

One day, during the summer, while the general was at work in his corn-field, and Mrs. Spencer was away from their cabin, a huge bear came along and seized a pig of good size near where a little four- year-old, their son, and a sister older, were playing.

The squealing of the pig arrested their attention, and they had barely time to get inside of the cabin before the bear came along with the pig, passing near the cabin door. The sister, being older and stronger, helped the boy up into the cabin loft. Bruin ran down near the cabin of Mr. May. The latter seeing him, and being a hunter, took his gun and dogs, pursued, overtook and killed him.

It is owing mainly to the fact that this bear selected the pig in the yard, and not the boy, that Newton township was, until 1874, indebted for the continued presence of Col. William Spencer, whose residence there dates further back than that of any man who was living in the township at the date of his death.

General John Spencer, Elias Hughes, and the centenarian hero of Revolutionary fame, Zachariah Albaugh, may appropriately be named as among the most noteworthy and patriotic of the settlers of the township. The latter was born in the Shen- andoah valley, Virginia, and was removed by his father in early life to Maryland, where he resided at the beginning of the Revolutionary war, being then eighteen years of age. At this age he entered the army as a private, but subsequently became an officer, and served during the entire war. He participated in the sanguinary battle of German- town, October 31, 1777.

At the close of the war he removed to West- moreland county, Pennsylvania, where he lived. near the residence of General St. Clair, until 1817. when he emigrated to Licking county. Here he lived (with the exception of a short time spent in

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Knox county) in comparative retirement during the last forty years of his life; finally closing his eventful career on the ninth day of November, 1857, at the advanced age of one hundred years or more. His death occurred at the residence of his son in Newton township, where he was buried with the honors of war.

He was long a pensioner of the Government whose freedom he assisted in establishing. He had outlived his age and generation, and conse- quently, during many of the latter years of his life, his intercourse with mankind was limited; but he retained until within a short period before his death, his mental faculties to a remarkable degree.

Mr. Albaugh was of German descent, and his education had been mainly in the German lan- guage, though not exclusively. During a consid- erable portion of his life he was engaged in teach- ing, both in German and English. His reading had been more extensive than was usual with his cotemporaries, and he was consequently more in- telligent, and possessed of a wider range of infor- mation than was common during the last century among men in the humble walks of life.

In religion he was a Lutheran; and attributed his long life mainly to his almost total abstinence from intoxicating liquors, his general conformity to the laws of health; and it was probably owing, in a great measure also, to his cheerful disposition, hilarious temperament, and his disposition to look on the "sunny side of things." Wise, indeed, is he who can live such a life, but rarely is such a life to be found. .

Captain Hughes was the first settler in the county and an early settler in this township. The leading incidents of his eventful life are presented at length in another chapter of this work.

General John Spencer was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, in 1780, came to Newton township in 1805, and reached the termination of his active, patriotic, and useful life, April 1, 1827, aged forty-seven years. He was a first-class pio- neer, a man of generous impulses, of kindness of heart, ot undoubted courage, of unquestioned patriotism, of great integrity of character, of many excellent qualities which he exhibited in the varied relations of husband, father, citizen, neighbor, friend, soldier, commander, magistrate, and legis-

lator. It may be stated in evidence of the high estimation in which he was held by his fellow citi- zens, that he occupied civil or military positions nearly the entire period of his residence in Licking county.

His soldierly qualities developed in the War of 1812. He entered the service during the first year of the war, was surrendered at Detroit, and thus became a paroled prisoner of war. With some this would have been a sufficient reason to re- main at home until exchanged, but in 1813, when the northern frontier was menaced, he recruited a company and went again to the front as captain.

During General Harrison's visit to Newark, in 1836, he had a conversation with Amos H. Caffee, esq., in relation to the events of the War of 1812. During this interview the services of General Spencer, as a military officer, came under review. General Harrison observed that soon after Spen- cer joined him, he detailed the troops to pursue General Proctor, it being just before the battle of the Thames and omitted Captain Spencer's com- pany. Knowing the captain to be a paroled prisoner, he did not wish to put him in jeopardy, but intended to assign to him duty in the rear, where he would not be exposed to capture. Of this Captain Spencer complained to the general, telling him that he did not know what he had done that he was not of the detail. General Har- rison replied that he knew him (Spencer) to be a brave man, but that as he was a paroled prisoner, if he was captured, nothing that he could do would save his life. "And is that all?" replied Captain Spencer. "General," he continued, "it is for you to say whether I shall go at the head of my company or as a volunteer in the ranks, for I am going with you." Captain Spencer and his company were included in the detail. General . Harrison observed, however, that if the tide of battle had turned against him, he would have made special effort to protect Captain Spencer's company and its brave commander from capture. He had several narrow escapes during the war, his clothes being penetrated by the enemy's balls a number of times. His scabbard was struck by a bullet, in the battle of Brownstown, which broke the blade into a number of pieces, the flattened ball lodging in the bottom of the scabbard.

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When the swollen, turbid waters of the North fork closed over General Spencer, the career of a liberal-minded, independent man was arrested; the impulses of a generous nature were extinguished and a heroic life went out.

Under the inspirations of the teachings of Gen- eral Spencer, Captain Hughes and others, the early settlers were very patriotic. The township furnished the two captains, above mentioned for the War of 1812, and kept up a company of volunteers as long as any other portion of the county, after the war was ended. It was com- manded respectively by John Spencer, David Har- ris, William Spencer, Hite, Hannah, Belt, Farmer, and others.

The "Newton Blues" had a long and honorable career, going out among the last of the indepen- dent volunteer companies that originated during the War of 1812.

Colonel William Spencer, a son of General John Spencer, was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsyl- vania in 1802, and was brought with the family of his father to "Big spring" when three years of age. He entered public life soon after becoming eligible, and held many stations of trust, honor and emolu- ment in military and civil life. His first position was that of magistrate. In 1827 he was elected county assessor, and served as such two years, when he became sheriff of the county, serving

from 1830 to 1834; in the latter year he was elected county auditor, and served, by re-election. until 1841. For a number of years he served as a member of the board of public works of the State, and when, in 1851, the office of clerk of the court became elective under the constitution, he was elected to this office, serving three years, and retiring in 1855. He was subsequently city clerk, president of the city council, and held other offices. Except a few years spent in the west, he was a life-long citizen of this county, and one of the best known of its public men. He was the cotemporary of Colonel Gault, Colonel Stadden, Major John Stewart, Colonel J. B. W Haynes, Hon. William Stanbery, Major Anthony Pitzer, General Augustine Munson, Amos H. Caffee, William P. Morrison, Lucius Case, Rees Darling- ton, Bryant Thornhill, Joshua Mathiot, Judge Searle, Judge Haughey, Colonel James Parker. General Jonathan Taylor, Hon. Daniel Duncan, George H. Flood, Benjamin Briggs, and many other prominent men, and outlived them all. He took an active part in the organization of the Pio- neer society and was one of its officers until he could serve no longer, by reason of his continued stay at Columbus, where he was clerk of the lessees of the Ohio canals. He died April 27. 1874, aged seventy-two years.

CHAPTER LXXI.

PERRY TOWNSHIP.

LOCATION AND NAME-TOPOGRAPHY-FIRST SETTLERS-TOWNSHIP OFFICERS-ELIZABETHTOWN-DENMAN'S CROSS ROADS -RELIGIOUS MATTERS-EARLY METHODISM-METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH-DISCIPLE CHURCH-BAPTIST CHURCH -PROTESTANT METHODIST-EDUCATION-SAMUEL MONTGOMERY-ADVENTURE OF JOHN LIVINGSTON-A BEAR STORY.

DERRY township is situated on the eastern bor- der of the county, and was part of Hanover township until the date of its organization-1818. In that year the number of inhabitants had in- creased sufficiently to justify a separate organization. It was named in honor of Commodore Perry.

To the sagacious and calculating pioneer, this township did not present as great inducements for settlement as most other parts of the counts, and was therefore among the last to which immi- grants turned their attention. The surface is gen- erally rough and hilly, and in some parts very

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broken. The southern portion embraces mainly a barren, rocky range known as Bald Hills, and con- tains very few tracts of land suitable for farming purposes. The middle and northern parts are also hilly, though these are less precipitous and possess a fair share of fertility.

The only bottom land in the township is in the immediate vicinity of Elizabethtown, and a few narrow strips along the Wakatomika and its tribu- tary, Brushy fork. The latter is the main stream in the township, and, with its tributaries, drains every part of it. This stream rises in the north- western corner of the township, flowing generally south or a little east of south, until near the south- ern part, where it makes a bend, and taking a gen- erally northeast course, leaves the township near its northeastern corner, passing into Muskingum county, where it soon joins the Wakatomika. Small tributaries enter the stream from either side during its entire course. These are mostly, or entirely, made up of the numerous springs among the hills.

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History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, Part 101

Author: N. N. Hill, Jr. Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Number of Pages: 826

Author: N. N. Hill, Jr.
Publication date: 1881
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 826