USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Groveport > History of Madison Township, including Groveport and Canal Winchester, Franklin County, Ohio > Part 3
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The fact that they had to worship in log cabins and barns, and were denied all of those peculiar comforts and conveniences, as books, pictures, etc., which cul- tivate and culture the asthetic side of man's nature, gave them a characteristic frankness and bluntness, which might, in older communities appear as abrupt and unceremonious, perhaps even inelegant. In prin- cipal they were positive and firm as a rock, yet gentle and considerate to man and beast.
The great majority were Christians, members of the different denominations now represented in the township. Their Christian characters were unim- peachable, and their lives, although partaking of their surroundings and circumstances, exemplified the high- est virtues of true manhood and womanhood.
Among the very first settlers was George Tongue, who located on George's creek (perhaps this stream is named after him) on the southeast quarter of section No. 7, as early as 1802 or 1803.
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HISTORY OF MADNON TOWNSHIP.
By 1805 quite a number of others settled in the township, among them John Kalb, Geo. Kalb and wife, John Stevenson and family, William Stevenson and family of five boys and two girls, all from Maryland; Stauffel Kramer, Charles Rarey and sons, Adam, Ben- jamin, William, Charles and George, and James, Samuel and Robert Ramsey from Pennsylvania ; Elias Decker and family, William D. Hendren and wife, Esau Decker and Ezekiel Groom from New Jersey ; Mathew and Samuel Taylor and families from Nova Scotia; John Guffy from Kentucky and others. From 1805 to 1810 many from the eastern states as well as the adjoining counties of Ross and Fairfield located in the township. Among them were Lewis (Ludwig), Phillip, George, John, Michael, Adam and Jacob Kramer, all brothers, and their families from Pennsylvania ; John Schoonover and family, Ralph and Elijah Austin, John Decker, John Craun, Jonathan Lee and wife, Thos. Gray, Geo. Smith, Jacob Weaver, John Tallman, John Sharp and wife, Samuel Brown, Samuel Bishop, John Swisher, Fredrick Peterson, Phillip Pontius, Alex. Mooberry and family, Abed- nego Davis, Matthias Wolf, John and Jacob Gander, Emmer Cox, Wm. Elder, Billingsly Bull, Daniel Kra- mer, Abraham Harris, Geo. Rohr and sons, Cubbage Needels and wife, Henry Whetzel and family, David Wright, John Wright, Joseph Wright, James Mc- Clish, John Kile and family, and a few years later, but early enough to help bear the burdens and hardships incident to a pioneer's life in those days were Henry, Harmon, Andrew, Daniel and John Dildine, Jacob Rhoads, Henry and Fredrick Bunn, Michael Rohr, Adam Havely, Christian and Adam Sarber, the Day- longs, John Rager, Zebulon and Elias Leigh, George
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HISTORY OF MADISON TOWNSHIP.
Seymore, Samuel Murphy, Peter Long, Wm. Patter- son, Wesley Toy, Phillip King, Thomas Needels, John, Philomen and Andrew Needels, - Farley, Edward Hathaway, Greazy Harrison, - Hoshor, Wm. Fleming, Jacob Powell, - Francisco, Wm. Perrin, Dr. Wm. Riley, and others whose names can- not be recalled.
Few colored persons have ever lived in the town- ship, in fact so few that they have always attracted the attention especially of the children. Among the first and best known was Black Charlie. (Chas. Hat- ten) who when a boy was brought here by Wm. Stev- enson. After Mr. Stevenson's death he lived with Anna B. Stevenson, a daughter, until he died. He was good-natured, polite, a friend of the children, and always had a bright new penny for them. He could speak "Pennsylvania Dutch." Thomas Gray brought a colored man with him from Maryland in about 1810, who was known as Black Sam. Others, known to persons about Winchester, were Yellow Nick (Nicholas Gossage), Reuben and Samuel Gloyd.
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CHAPTER V.
EARLY ENTERPRISES.
"The eternal master found his single talent well em- ployed."-SAMUEL JOHNSON.
The first grist and saw-mill is said to have been erected by Mathew Taylor near the mouth of Alum creek, in 1807 or 1808, and was later destroyed by fire. About the same time Lewis (Ludwig) Kramer built a grist and saw-mill on Little Walnut creek about one mile southwest of Winchester. In 1852 it was oper- ated by Henry Fictone, then by Geo. Fisher, in 1858 by Fisher & (Geo.) Markley, in 1859 by Fisher & (Er- vin) Moore, in 1861 by Moore & (Geo.) Bareis. Soon after this the dam gave way and the mill was aban- doned. This building stood until about 1893 when it fell down, and part of the timbers were used in the con- struction of a stable which stands near its site. George Sparr, father of the late Emanuel Sparr, was a miller at the Kramer mill at an early day, and lived in a log cabin located in what is now Chas. Brun's orchard.
In 1810 or 1811 George Sharp erected a mill on Big Walnut a short distance up the stream from where the Columbus and Groveport pike now crosses; the only trace left of it is one of the broken burrs lying along the south side of the pike, some two or three hundred yards east of the bridge. These enterprises added much to the convenience of the early settler; as be-
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Built by Lewis Kramer about 1808. Photo taken in 1888, KRAMER (FISHER) MILLS.
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fore the mills were built, and sometimes after, when the water would get too low to grind, persons were compelled to go to Springfield, Zanesville or Chilli- cothe.
For many years after these improvements were made there was no other road than a bridle path, mark- ed by blazed trees, leading to them; persons would come from great distances, and had to wait their turn, consequently many would try to reach the mill in the evening so as to be among the first on the following morning. The writer remembers quite well that this. custom continued in practice by many, even until in the. fifties while his father was the miller at the Empire- mills.
Soon after the canal was constructed, Wm. H. Rich- ardson built a mill about two hundred yards east of the. Groveport Lock on the north side of the canal; it was built for a grist and saw-mill, and was about the size. of Chaney's mill. For some reason the machinery for grinding was never put in, so it was used only as a saw-mill. It soon went to decay, and every trace of it is long since gone.
In 1851-52 John Chaney and son (Oliver P) erect .. ed a mill one mile west of Winchester, and named it the Empire Mills. It was 35 by 70 feet in size. This was one of the best mills in Central Ohio, and did a thriving business for many years. Sprague, George Bareis, 1854-1861, John F. Bauers, Wm. Evans, Joseph; Ashe and John C. Speaks were the successive millers .. In 1863 Joseph Rodenfels became proprietor, then Ro- denfels, Seymour (Moses) & Co. (Peter Brown) op- erated it a few years, when Samuel Bartlit purchased it at assignee's sale. In 1884 C. B. and D. H. Cowan put in a "Gradual Reduction Roller system" consisting of 3 HMT
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an entirely new outfit of machinery, engine, etc. Ebe- nezer, Jones & Co. (Wm. T. Lewis) purchased it in August, 1894, and built a spur track from the Hocking Valley R. R. to the mill. On August 23, 1895, at about midnight it was discovered on fire, and with the cov- ered lattice bridge and a frame residence was totally destroyed. A. B. Gillett put up the mill building and Hoosac did the mill-wright work. Chas. W. Speaks built the mill-race.
While the tail-race was being built, two of the Irish workmen, who had been to Winchester in the evening, on returning were drowned just below the lock.
While Wm. Wilson and Leo Carson were fishing the following day, Mr. Carson's hook got fast to some object, when he got down near the edge of the bank and took the line in his hands, pulling it steadily, when suddenly the stiff corpse with extended arms of one of the drowned men came to the surface very near him.
O. P. Chaney purchased the first wheat run through the mill of Jonathan Boyer, grandfather of "Jim" Jef- fries, in November, 1852. Mr. Chaney was first to adopt the use of other than barrels as packages, in which to sell flour. On his trip to the California gold fields in 1849 he observed the canvass sacks in which the flour from Chili was put up for transportation up the mountains. Soon after starting the Empire Mills he noticed the disadvantage of the small buyer who had to pay three cents per pound for his flour while those who could afford to buy it by the barrel paid only two cents. Remembering the canvass sacks, he purchased muslin and employed women to sew them. At first only half-barrel sacks were used, which required one square yard of muslin. Later the quarter-barrel size was also used. For the first two or three years the
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sacks were not branded, and later by a hand stencil plate.
The Winchester Mills now operated by The Win- chester Milling Company - Chas. P. Bauman, Man- ager - was built by Jacob Carty, M. C. Whitehurst, John Gehm and Abraham Lehman in 1868. The foun- dation was first started along the north side of the ca- nal, opposite the Yellow-Warehouse basin, but before much progress was made it was decided to build on the present site near the railroad which was then building. John Miller laid the brick and Wm. P. Miller did the carpenter work of the building. The Roller Process was put in in 1884.
The consecutive millers have been George Bareis, John F. Bauers, Jacob Enderly, Joseph Stemler in 1884, since which John Davis has been the miller. Other well known employes are: Wm. D. Beeks, book-keeper ; Wm. L. Watters, assistant miller ; Walter Mundell, M. Lecrone and Joshua A. Mathias, engin- eers.
Among the early saw-mills, besides those mentioned in connection with the grist-mills, was one on the John Rager farm, one on the David Martin farm, one on the C. R. McGuffey farm, another on the southeast one- quarter of the school section built by John Swisher in 1832. John Rhoads built one on the Hempy farm at an early day and later Samuel Hempy operated it for many years.
John Thompson and George and Isaac Cowden built a woolen mill at Lock No. 19, about one mile west of Winchester in 1832 or 1833. It had two carding and one fulling machines. While Benjamin Kanode, a fuller, worked here one of his children fell into the lock and drowned. In 1843 Judge John Chaney pur-
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chased the interest of the Cowdens, and John M. Schoch bought out Thompson; they operated it until 1850, when Mr. Schoch sold his interest to Mr. Chaney, who then erected a new building at Lock No. 21, to which place he removed most of the old machinery, adding new machines and improvements from time to time until 1865 or 1870, when it was abandoned. The old frame is now a part of the barn at O. P. Chaney's track. One of the machines, used to raise the knap on woolen cloth, had a large cylinder covered with the seed pod of the Teasel. The use of the Teasel for this purpose perhaps explains why there are yet so many of these weeds along the canal banks in the neighborhood of the woolen mill. Next in importance, after the flour and saw-mill, to the settler, was the tannery. Quite a number of these were operated in this township, among which was one located in what is now the southwest corner of the garden on the Amos Bush farm; another was operated by Samuel Hooper about two or three hundred yards northwest of Daniel Wright's residence ; Wm. Riley operated one in Winchester located at the northwest corner of Waterloo and Trine streets. Mr. Riley sold to John Thompson, and the latter sold to Reuben Trine, who operated it extensively for many years and finally removed it due south to the north side of the canal. While operated by J. W. Young in 1884 it was destroyed by fire.
The only market for the surplus live stock raised was in the eastern cities, and to buy up a drove of cat- tle and hogs and drive them to Philadelphia, Baltimore or other eastern markets often realized those, venture- some enough to undertake the risk of a broken mar- ket, large profits. It seems, however, but a question of time until disaster overtook those who engaged in this
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early enterprise; few succeeded, while many who had accumulated handsome estates lost all in these specu- lations. A large amount of money was required to buy up a drove, which usually consisted of from IIO to 125 head of cattle and from 150 to 160 head of hogs. Three men were required to drive; one to lead an ox, the "boss," six to ten cattle from the front, and the other in the rear. The cattle went single file about eight to ten feet apart. It required from sixty to seventy-five days to make a trip, and the cost for feed and other expenses was from twelve to fifteen hundred dollars. Farmers along the route prepared feed lots and other conveniences, and often met the drovers sev- eral miles out soliciting their patronage. The drovers usually sold their horses at the end of the trip and re- turned on the stage coaches. The above items, relat- ing to an industry that passed with the introduction of the railway, were received from the late William Black, of Circleville, who was an early resident of Madison Township, being related to the Rareys and a pupil of Thomas Hughes at the Rarey Academy. Mr. Black was engaged in buying and driving stock for the past sixty years. He relates that in the early days all the hogs were weighed one at a time on steel-yards. The first cattle he ever shipped by rail he drove as far as Har- risburg, Pa., where he loaded them on cars; five car loads (75 head) went to Philadelphia, and 17 car loads (256 head) to New York. It was then thought neces- sary that each of the fifteen cattle in a car should be tied with from 8 to 10 feet of rope. He also observed that "the offals that the early slaughter house proprie- tors threw into the streams now make millionaires.
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In the winter of 1834-1835 Jacob B. Wert engaged in pork-packing near where Wm. Mason's tile yard is now located. Beginning November 13, he slaughtered about five hundred head of hogs per day - a total of 35,000 during the season. Hogs were brought from the adjoining counties - Pickaway, Fairfield and Lick- ing - many of them a distance of from twenty-five to thirty-five miles. The offals were sold by the wagon loads to persons who peddled them over the country. This enterprise furnished employment to quite a num- ber of persons, as, besides the large number required in slaughtering and packing, many others found em- ployment in making the pork barrels, etc. The store- room and warehouse built by Mr. Wert, opposite the Town Hall in 1832, was later occupied by Wm. H. Ra- rey and James Cooken, and after a few years John Courtright became a member of the firm, which then went under the name of Rarey, Courtright & Co. In the fall of 1846 Joseph Sharp was a member of this firm in place of Mr. Cooken, and some of the entries in an account book show that they received the following hogs from George Rarey, viz: "200 choice hogs at $2,000, 17 hogs same lot $101.43, 55 hogs last lot $323.17," a total of 272 hogs at $2,424.60. Their books show that they slaughtered 833 hogs amounting to $18,351. It required 1,866 pork barrels, and they employed a total of 87 persons. It seems that they simply slaughtered and packed the pork ready for mar- ket at so much per head, only buying now and then a small lot of hogs.
In 1836 John Thompson, Wm. Seymour, Jacob Swisher, Wm. Curtis, Abe Harrison, Adam Kramer, John Solomon, George Rarey, Joseph Wright and others built the slaughter house in Winchester now
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used by Mrs. C. Gayman as a barn, and operated it ex- tensively for a short time, when the venture proved a failure and was discontinued; not, however, until sev- eral of those interested had lost all their means.
Wm. Black says: "During one season in the early forties some nine thousand head of sheep were slaught- ered at Groveport by Jennings & Son; the pelts were tanned and sold to the Land Office for parchments and the carcasses were 'tanked' (steamed) for the tallow." Comparatively few sheep have been raised in the town- ship, at an early day on account of wolves and other wild animals, and later because of the ravages of dogs. Stock raising and shipping has always been one of the leading industries of the township.
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The Tavern exerted its full share of influence among the early institutions. It not only furnished solid but liquid refreshments as well, and afforded under one roof all that was required in the way of store and gath- ering place for the neighborhood. One of the first tav- erns in the township was kept by Adam Rarey in a log house on section No. 28; later (in 1836) he built a brick one on the same site, some of the walls of which were used in the construction of the Rarey mansion. Isaac Decker kept one in a log house that stood on the present site of George Williams' residence in Mid- dletown. Another known as Cedar Grove was kept by Wm. D. Needels, just west of where the Columbus and Winchester pike crosses Big Walnut creek. A Mr. Blair kept one in a hewed log house, which then stood on the Columbus and Groveport pike opposite C. F. Needels' residence. Another called "Cross Keys" was kept at the cross-roads west of Swartz's tile yard on the Columbus and Winchester pike. Still another known as the "Obetz" was kept near where the Norfolk
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& Western R. R. crosses the Groveport and Columbus pike; these two latter buildings are still standing, al- though for many years abandoned as taverns.
Persons wishing to open a tavern in the earliest times were required to file an application with the county officials and when granted were assessed a li- cense fee of one dollar.
Soon after the pioneers came, orchards were set out ; this is especially true of peach trees, which grew quickly ; large crops were produced, the surplus being converted into peach brandy. As far as the writer could learn few distilleries were operated in this town- ship. Among those within convenient distance were the following: One along the run on Section No. 31, just south of Winchester; one operated by Samuel Loucks in connection with his mill; others were lo- cated along the Winchester and Carroll road, at Kin- ney's run, Fisher's run, Dowdall's run, Hoshor's run (Jefferson), Alspach's run and Chaney's run. It is said that some persons made as much as six barrels of peach brandy in one season. A powder factory was op- erated at Waterloo by Judge John Chaney and Esq. John Donaldson at an early day.
Perhaps the first brick house in the township was built by - Smith in 1819 on the farm now owned by Jerry Alspach. One of the bricks in the wall bears the following inscription : "Jonathan French, his hand write, June 18th, 1819."
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EMPIRE MILLS.
Built by John Chaney & Son, 1852. Burned August 31, 1805.
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CHAPTER VI.
1815-1825.
Not many persons settled in this township between 1815 and 1825. Several causes might be mentioned why so few came. The principal one was the lack of a profitable market for the surplus produce ; . the streams furnished the only available means of transpor- tation. Only one attempt was made to reach New Or- leans from this township, when "in 1824 or 1825 George H. Stevenson built a flatboat and loaded it at Sharp's Mill, on Big Walnut creek, with flour, meal and pork. Daniel Ross took the cargo down, arriving safely, but took the yellow fever and died there." Judge John Chaney assisted in loading this boat. During the War of 1812 prices had run up and times were good, but after peace had been declared and the government's purchases ceased, prices soon declined and no market could be found even at the extremely low prices which prevailed. Corn was 10 to 12 cents per bushel, wheat 20 to 25 cents, pork $1.50 per hun- dred. Many who had gone in debt could not meet back payments, so forced sales were the order of the day. Often not enough cash could be obtained to pay the taxes. Then a great deal of sickness prevailed, es- pecially in 1823 and 1824, when a terrible epidemic of fevers and ague and chills raged. Nearly everybody was sick; often not enough well persons could be found in a neighborhood to care for the sick and bury
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the dead. The pioneers of those days referred espe- cially to the summer and fall of 1823 as a most discour- aging one. Among those who died in the township during these two seasons were: Billingsly Bull (a prominent citizen), Wm. Wright, Nicholas Hopkins, Edward Hathaway, John Todd, Henry Longwell, Eliz- abeth Bowman, Mrs. Adam Kramer, Greazy Harrison, Mrs. Thomas Featheringgill, Aaron Michael, Mrs. Wm. Seymour, Mrs. Elias Decker, Thomas Blakely, Mrs. Morgan Belford, Mrs. John Moore, Mrs. Daniel Rainier, Mrs. Isaac Lanning, Mrs. Isaac Decker, George A. Kelly, Mrs. John M. Thompson, Rebecca Rainier, and many others.
Capt. A. E. Lee, in his History of Columbus, quotes from Mrs. D. W. Deshler's letters to friends in Penn- sylvania as follows: "October 4, 1823 .- The sickness of this county does not abate. The distress that the citizens of this State and of this western country, and particularly this section of the State, labor under is unparalleled by anything I ever witnessed. This town (Columbus), and towns generally, have been awfully visited, and with such distress as I never wish to be- hold again, but at the same time nothing to compare with what has been endured in the thinly settled parts of the country. I could relate cases that would appear incredible and impossible, some of which are these: In one instance a mother was compelled to dig a grave and bury her own child in a box that was nailed up by herself, without one soul to assist her. Only think of it! Another case was that of a man, his wife and four children, who had settled three miles from any other house. The father, mother and all took sick, and not one was able to hand another a drink of water or make their situation known. At length a man in search
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of his horse happened at the house to inquire, and found a dead babe four days gone, in the cradle, the other children dying, the father insensible, and the mother unable to raise her head from the pillow.
In another family, ten in number, only a few miles from town, all were sick except two small chil- dren, who actually starved to death, being too small to go to a neighbor's, or prepare anything for themselves.
In numbers of families all have died, not one mem- ber remaining.
A person a few days ago passed a house, a short distance from town, out of which they were just taking a corpse. One of the men told him there were three more to be buried the next morning, and a number sick in the same house. Such is the distress of our coun- try that the farmers can do no plowing, nor gather their corn, potatoes, or anything else. You would be aston- ished to behold the faces of our citizens. There is not one, young or old, but that is of a dead yellow color. No kind of business is going on except making cof- fins and digging graves."
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CHAPTER VII.
TAX-PAYERS-1825-1855-1872.
" Who thinks that fortune cannot change her mind Prepares a dreadful jest for all mankind."
- POPE ..
The following lists of the property owners in Madi- son Township reveals the names of many former resi- dents that would not otherwise appear in this book. Besides a comparison of these lists with the present map of the township will furnish a fertile field for the sociological student on the fickleness of fortune.
Even the casual reader must notice how that one generation by a "strenuous life" accumulates a compe- tence, only too often to be dissipated by the next.
While it is a lamentable fact that "poverty often treads on the heels of riches," there is also a brighter side to the picture - in the fact that an opportunity is thus afforded to the less fortunate, so that every young man or young woman who chooses may secure an es- tate.
List of Chattel Tax-Payers in 1825.
Isaac Baker, John Baughman, Mary Bennett, Na- than Bennett, Jesse Blair, Samuel Blakely, Henry Bunn, James Barkey, John Beard, Joshua Burton, Sam- uel Bishop, Katherine Bull, R. Blakely, Geo. Bishop, John Blair, John Baker.
Thos. Caventer, Wm. Crossley, Anthony Crum, Wm. Clevenger, Abraham Craun, Peter Cupp, Isaac
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Craun, Oliver Codner, Emmer Cox, Chas. Chainey, Samuel Codner, John Craun, Chas. Cannon, Jacob Coble, Daniel Carns, Benj. Clevenger, Leven Culom, Jacob Chandler, Jacob Cazey, Joseph Cazey, Jasper Campbell, James Carson, John Chiles, Stewart Cor- ner.
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