USA > Ohio > Noble County > History of Noble County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 52
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Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the early settlers was the size of the families which they reared. One example will suffice. In seven families near Carlisle were over ninety children. The names of the heads of the families and the num- ber of their children, as nearly as can now be recollected, were as fol- lows: Elisha Enochs, 16 children ;
John McBride, 10 or more; Isaac Morris, 11; James Farley, 11; Mar- tin Crow, 10; Eli Curtis, 14; Daniel Mallett, 17.
About 1818, Nicholas Gasaway erected a small mill. It was at first arranged only to grind corn. It was of a primitive style. The mill- stones were obtained near Summer- field. John Biven put in a bolt, and the mill was arranged so that wheat could be ground. Eli Curtis and Asa Barton had horse mills early. Many of the early settlers had hand-mills.
Many of the early settlers wore garments of deerskin, and some are yet living who recall the days when " buckskin breeches " and moccasins were in fashion. Barnesville was the nearest trading point until Olive, and afterward, Summerfield, came into being. Powder was a much needed article, squirrels being so numerous that raising corn was impossible, unless the farmer or his boys spent a good deal of time in shooting them. James Archer made powder for the use of himself and neighbors.
Eli Curtis built the first brick house in the township, in the year 1828. John Biven did the carpenter work for him. In those days a brick building was looked upon as an un- precedented piece of extravagance .. Martin Crow, Enoch Grandon, William Smith and John McBride erected brick houses from 1836 to 1840. James Archer (of Joseph) erected the first brick house near East Union about 1841.
The following was related to the writer by an old resident :
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
Among the earliest settlers and pioneer hunters of the East Fork were Martin Crow and Enoch Enochs, who lived in the vicinity of Carlisle, and hunted through all the surrounding country. Crow was a veritable backwoodsman, skilled as a hunter and trapper. He was hired by the month by the elder Enochs to hunt and kill fur-bearing animals and beasts of prey, and so great was the revenue derived from the sale of the skins and the bounties paid for the scalps of certain animals, that his employer found the business quite profitable. In one of their hunting expeditions Martin and Enoch got a bear in a sink-hole, in which there was three or four feet of water. A log lay across the pool of water, and Martin, in attempting to cross upon it, by some means lost his footing and fell, coming down astride of the bear's back. Here was an unpleasant situ- ation, but the old hunter was equal to the emergency. Taking a firm hold of the bear's neck on each side, he kept the animal's head upright to prevent being bitten. The water was not so deep that Martin could not stand on the bottom, but the bear was swimming, and Martin held on and rode him around the pool several times. Enoch, standing and watching the performance, dared not fire at the bear for fear of wounding his companion. Martin at length succeeded in getting the bear's head in a favorable position, and ordered Enoch to fire. The latter blazed away, his shot took effect, and the hunter was speedily released from his unpleasant predicament.
The first of the Yankee settlers was Eli Curtis, a wide-awake, pro -. gressive man. Ile came from Massa- chusetts in 1816, and was one of the first in the township to occupy a hill farm. About the same time came Sylvanus Baldwin. Other Yankee settlers who came in 1820, or earlier, were Asa, Eli and Jonas Barton, John Biven, Ezra Curtis and Jona- than Curtis, the father of Eli. Dan- iel Blake, from Maine, was a shoe- maker, who settled early near Carlisle. He committed suicide by taking laudanum.
Eli Curtis had an early horse-mill, also a distillery.
In 1820 John Biven, from Massa- chusetts, settled on the farm where his son Jesse S. Biven now lives. He was a man of intelligence, and served many years as justice of the peace. He was also a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Among the methods adopted by the early settlers for obtaining mon- ey with which to pay for their lands, were the making and selling of maple sugar; digging and marketing ginseng and snake-root; killing wild turkeys and deer and disposing of their carcasses in Marietta. Some also derived considerable revenue from bounties paid for wolf scalps. and from the sale of the skins of animals.
The early settlers had no orchards. and to obtain apples they went to the Yankee settlement in the vicinity of Lower Salem, Washington Coun- ty, getting a supply in the fall and paying for them with maple sugar in the following spring. Martin
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Crow and Joseph Archer, probably, had the first orchards in the town- ship which were planted prior to 1820. John Biven set out trees in 1820 which he brought from Barnes- ville. Some of them are still living and producing apples. One of the trees once bore a hundred bushels of apples in one year. At least, there were over eighty bushels by actual measurement, and it was estimated that not less than twenty bushels had been fed to the hogs before the harvesting began.
Asa Nisswonger was born' in Greene County, Pa., in 1811. . He came to Ohio with his father, John Nisswonger, and family in 1813, arriving and settling where Carlisle now is, September 13. Mr. Niss- wonger has probably lived longer in Stock Township than any other man now living. His father died in 1830. He was the father of eight children, four of whom are still living, all in this county - Mary (Miller), Susan- nah (Barnes), Asa and John.
About 1816 the road district ex- tended from Carlisle to Woodsfield. A road had then been " bushed out" between those two points, and there was a trail leading to where East Union now is, and thence to Bates' mill.
The year 1816 was unusually se- vere upon the early settlers. There was some frost every month in the year. The scanty crops were ren- dered still less than usual, and many families were compelled to depend largely upon game for food. In 1818, on the 2d of February, came the heaviest fall of snow ever known
in Ohio. From sunrise to sunset twenty-six inches fell. Then came a heavy thunder storm and rain, clearing off . cold. A crust formed upon the snow thick enough to bear a horse. The snow remained until May.
Wolves were very numerous and troublesome for many years. Silas Farley, whose father came to the township in 1815, recalls hearing a disturbance among the cattle of his uncle, Martin Crow. His father went out to investigate, and the cat- tle fled, greatly frightened, into Mr. Crow's yard. There it was discov- ered that a heifer had been attacked and badly torn by wolves. It was very rarely that they touched cattle, but sheep had to be guarded constantly.
March 4, 1822, the commissioners of Monroe County erected the town- ship of Franklin, composed of the sixth township in the seventh range. Twelve sections of the present town- ship of Stock were therefore includ- ed, and two of the present township of Elk.
The genesis of Stock Township is as follows: Sections 25 to 36 inclu- sive, of township 6, range 7, for- merly belonged to Franklin' Town- ship, Monroe County; sections 1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 13 and 14, of town- ship 6, range 8, to Enoch Township, Monroe County, and sections 25, 26, 27, 34, 35 and 36, of township 7, range 8, to Union Township, Monroe County.
In the Franklin portion of the township were the following owners of real estate in 1833, as is shown by
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
the Monroe County tax duplicate for that year - the earliest now on record :
John Biven, Asa Barton, Daniel Blake, Eli Curtis, Ezra Curtis, Jona- than Curtis, Benjamin Forshey, John Gilleanor, Nicholas Gasaway, Enoch Grandon, Joshua Richardson, James Rownd, James M. Rownd, William Smith, Thomas Stockwell, Rufus Merry.
In the six sections which came from Union Township were the fol- lowing property owners in the same year : Nathan Archer, James Archer, Sr., Joseph Archer, Michael Archer, Jacob Archer, Simon Archer, James Archer, Jr., George Brown, Martin Crow, William Campbell, David Cunningham, Henry Enoch's heirs, James Farley, Thomas Lanam, Isaac Morris, John Nisswonger's heirs, Ruth Osborn, Patrick Reppard, Will- iam G. Sbankland, James Tuttle, William Young.
In the sections which formerly be- longed to the old township of Enoch, the taxpayers were as follows : Elisha Enoch, Jesse Enoch, Nathan Arch- er, Bernard Grandon, William Smith and John McBride.
The foregoing names embrace those of all the landholders of the township in 1833 and are an authen- tic list of its early settlers, with an occasional non-resident among them.
Jesse Davis, who lived near Har- riettsville, was a brother-in-law of Isaac Morris. Davis was no hunter, but Morris was very successful with the gun. One day David solicited the aid of his brother-in-law in ob- taining a supply of wild meat for the
family. As they were going down a hill on James Farley's farm, Davis saw an object some distance ahead, and pausing asked, "Who in this neighborhood has a black cow ?" "Nobody," returned Morris. "But there is one ahead." "Where ?" "Right down there," said Davis, pointing with his finger. Morris' eyes rested for a moment on the "black cow," then his gun was quickly brought to his shoulder, and an instant later a huge black bear was struggling in the throes of death.
In a small log building below Carlisle, James Rownd taught school in the winter of 1814. Mulholland, Mitchell, Atkinson, Robert Craw- ford and David Rowe were other early teachers.
Other early schools were taught in the old log meeting-house near Car- lisle. Later a log school-house was built on Nicholas Gasaway's farm, where Church Tuttle was the first teacher. Carlisle has long main- tained excellent schools. The pres- ent school-house is a large two-story building.
On the hill west of Carlisle, in 1816, Nathan Lincicome killed the last elk ever seen along the creek.
Soon after the Enochs and the Grandons, Thomas and Solomon For- shey and David Sutton settled above Carlisle. They left the country in early years.
Among the present inhabitants of the township are about forty-five German voters. They are thrifty and industrious citizens and have made commendable progress since
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS M
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S. M. Archer
Mrs. Stephen M. Archer
THE X .... YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR LENOX AND TILDEA FOUNDATIONS B
4
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their coming. The German immi- gration began about 1840.
The township contains some of the most valuable and best improved farms in Noble County.
The history of the Archer family has been so fully detailed elsewhere in this chapter that farther mention of any other member of the family is unnecessary. Martin V. Archer was born on a farm adjoining the one where he now resides in 1840. His father, Elijah, reared a family of ten children, nine of whom are living: Martin V., Nancy G. (War- field), Sebastian, Robert, Rhoda (de- ceased), Matilda, Martha (Bates), William, Charles, Mary O. (Crumb). Martin V. has been twice married ; his first wife, Tabitha J. Shipley, died in 1868; one child- Nancy E. (Coleman). His second wife was Miss Sarah J. Riddle, whom he married in 1869. They have an adopted son, Cassius M. Carpenter, an intelligent and worthy young man. Mr. Archer is a stock-grower, and resides on the farm first settled by his Uncle Will- iam. He is a worthy member of the Catholic church.
Absalom Archer was born in Noble County in 1820. He married Miss Rhoda, daughter of George Swaney, a soldier of the War of 1812. They had a family of seven children: Isaac, Adaline, George W., John, Nancy A., Andrew J. and Aaron. Isaac was a member of Company G, One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died in the service. Adaline was twice married, first to Harvey Smith, who died in the army, a member of Company 29
G, One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Her sec- ond husband was Thomas McGovern. George W. married Mary Wakley. John is dead; Nancy, deceased. Aaron was born in Stock in 1844, married Miss Dorcas C. Riddle. They have four children: Isaac, Columbia A., Arthur and Sarah N. Mr. Archer belonged to Company G, One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Regi- ment. He was at Chattanooga, Tenn., and was injured by the explosion of an arsenal, in which six were killed.
John Enoch, grandson of Elisha Enoch, the pioneer, was born in Stock Township, November 28, 1835. Ilis father, Abraham, was born in 1810 and now resides in Riley County, Kan. John Enoch married Miss Martha Morris, in 1856. They have four children : James L., Nancy A. (McCalley), Elizabeth C. and Charles M. Mr. Enoch was a mem- ber of the One Hundred and Nine- ty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered out in June, 1865, on account of disability. He is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and a re- spected citizen.
Daniel Bates was born in 1803 and married in 1827 Miss Jane Hed- dleson. They reared a family of six children. About 1837 he entered 340 acres of land in Stock Township, upon which he still resides. He has officiated as township trustee. He and his wife were among the original members of the Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal church. Isaac Bates was born near Sarahs- ville, Noble County, in 1829, and was
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
married in 1849 to Miss Hannah compelled to leave everything they had. They came to Ashland, Ohio. where he entered 160 acres of land. In 1820 the family removed to the vicinity of Sarahsville. Noble County. Ohio; thence to Middleburg, where the elder Riddle was elected justice of the peace. The location not being a satisfactory one. the family returned to Ashland, Ohio, in 1833, where he bought 160 acres of land. In 1-39 Lowe. She died December 5, 1884. April 4, 1886, Mr. Bates was again married, to Mrs. Harriet Riddle. Mr. Bates was a soldier in the War of the Rebellion as a private in the One Hundreth and Ninety-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Mr. Bates owns a portion of the old homestead and is one of the prosper- ous farmers of the township; is a | prominent member of the Methodist . he moved to Holmes County. Ohio. Episcopal church, in which he has been a steward for twenty years.
John King was born in West Vir : ginia, in 1800. He came in 1815 and settled on what is known as the | until he died, in 1847. His wife Smith farm, in Stock Township; he became the owner of five hundred acres of land near East Union. He died in 1877, aged seventy-seren years. His wife died in 1879. Their children were Samuel. Nancy, John, Elijah, Nelson, Hannah, William and Martha. Samuel was born in 1825, and married in 1847 Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Snyder. They have twelve children: Martha, John W .. Rachael J., James S, Melissa, Albert. Charles H., Robert S., Abra- ham, Josephine, Ruth A. and Lucy B.
Samuel enlisted in the One Hun- dred and Eighty-sixth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, Company G, and was discharged September, 1865; is a prosperous farmer and a good and valuable citizen.
Michael Riddle was born in Fayette County, Pa., September 9, 1813. In 1816 his parents, Moses A. and Mary, moved to Mississippi, raised a crop and gathered it. The Indians became very hostile, and they were
- entered eighty acres of land, and in 1841 returned to Noble County. Ohio; and after several changes. settled near Fulda, where he lived died in 1857. Both were exemplary members of the Christian church.
Michael Riddle, son of Moses A. Riddle, was married May 7. 1840. to Miss Susannah Lindcicome. Eight children have been born to them -- Mary A. (Grandon), Phebe E. ( Mor- rison), Sarah J. (Archer), Cordelia (Archer), Michael, Jr. (died February 19, 1887), Almond, Leonard, Martha A. (died March 12, 1861). Mr. Rid- dle commenced life in a pioneer cabin, and on a farm of forty acres. To this he made additions, until he now owns 203 acres of valuable land which is unincumbered. IIe has al- ways taken a marked interest in educational matters. Both he and his wife are worthy members of the Christian church. Nathan Lindci- come, the father of Mrs. Riddle. came from Eastern Virginia, and settled in Noble County, Ohio. Ile bought forty acres of land near East Union, and lived there until his de- cease, which was February 28, 1845.
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He was in the War of 1812, and was a noted hunter. IIe killed the last bear that was ever seen in Noble County, near the residence of Mr. Riddle.
James Calland came from Scotland to this county about 1819 with his parents, Joseph and Elizabeth. They settled near Summerfield, where the elder Calland died in 1832. His wife lived until 1879, when she died at the remarkable age of ninety-four years. They were prominent Methodists. James Cal- land married Miss Ara A. Ogg. By this union there were three children - Robert, Mary E. (Wilson) and Sarah E. (Bell). Mrs. Calland died in: 1848, and in 1853 he was again married to Miss Lucy Stanley. They had four children-Diantha A.(King), Clement (dead), Mary C. (dead), . Urana (dead). Soon after his first marriage Mr. Calland sold his farm near Summerfield, and bought the place he now owns in Stock. He is a member of the United Brethren church, in which organization he is a local preacher. Joseph Calland, Jr., was married in 1868 to Miss Hester A. Osborn. They have three children - Wilbur, Lillie and Eliza A. November 6, 1863, Mr. Calland enlisted in the Ninety-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry ; was with Sher- man in his " march to the sea," and all the engagements in which his regiment participated but one. He . has served his fellow townsmen as trustee ; is a member of the Method- ist Episcopal church and the Grand Army of the Republic.
Henry W. Heidelsheimer, mer-
chant at Carlisle, was born in Ger- many in 1830, and came to Noble i County in 1850, where he has since resided. He enlisted in August, 1861, in Company G, Seventh West Virginia Infantry. He was pro- moted to second lieutenant in Sep- tember, 1862; resigned in February, 1864 : re-enlisted in March, 1865, in the One Ilundred and Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry ; and was discharged in October, 1865. Mr. ITeidelsheimer is among the most prominent merchants of the county.
Philip Snyder, still living at the age of eighty years, came from Ger- many in 1833, and after living some years in Wheeling, removed to this county in 1840. He began right in the woods, but succeeded in securing a good farm, good buildings, a fine orchard, etc., as the reward of his industry. IIe has been married twice. JIis first wife was the mother of Mary, Catharine, John, Henry, Matilda and Elizabeth. In 1843 he married Eva, daughter of John Schoeppner.
. Henry Snyder was born in 1846 on the farm where he now resides. In 1873 he married Mary, daugh- ter of John Stenernagel ; children : Alexander and Antonia. Mrs. Sny- der died in 1880, and in 1883 he married Eva, daughter of Valentine Vogel, of this county ; children : Leonard, Rosa.
John Bramhall, son of Robert Bramhall, was born in Belmont County, Ohio, in 1833. His father was a native of Columbiana County, thence removed to Belmont, where he died in 1842, leaving his widow
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
and five children: William, Edward, Cornelia A., Robert (who died in the army) and John. John came to this county in 1842, and was married in 1853 to Miss Sarah A. King. They have a family of eight children: William R., Robert L., Mary A., Martha (Thompson), Ida (IIare), Minnie, John W. and Charles F. Mr. Bramhall was a member of Company G, One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Regiment, holding the position of first lieutenant, and he was mustered out of the service in June of 1865. He has served his fellow townsmen as trustee for two terms, besides filling several minor offices. At this time he is one of the magistrates of the township. For thirty years he has been a worthy member of the Masonic fra- ternity.
John G. J. Smith came from Monongahela County, Va., about 1849 and settled at Carlisle, where he resided until 1875, when he removed to Monroe County, Ind., where he owns a fine farm of 420 acres. His children were Louisa (Rhodes), Caroline (Williams), Irwin, Mary E. (Stevens), Harriet (Curtis), Columbia (who was twice married, first to Church Ilesson; she then became Mrs. William McConnell) : Nancy and Adelaide (both died in infancy), Helen (McConnell), Charles, Ida (Tage) and Iret.
The elder Smith was a thorough- going farmer and held many town- ship positions, which he filled credit- ably. He was a pronounced temper- ance man and a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Irwin was a private in the One Hundred and Sixteenth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry. Iret was born in 1851. and in 1872 married Miss Mary J. Price; two children: Alice L. and Mary L. The parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
John Hesson, son of William Hes- son, was born in 1826 and came to Noble County in 1847, settling near Carlisle. His father came in 1846 and settled near Middleburg, where he remained about fifteen years, when he returned to Belmont, where he engaged in the milling business. After about five years he returned to Noble and purchased a farm near Carlisle, where he resided until his decease in 1882, leaving his widow and seven children. John Hesson was married November 4, 1847, to Miss Louisa Tuttle, of Monroe County. She died in 1868, and in 1872 he was again married to Miss Maria Mallett. He was a member of Company E, Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and for disabil- ity was discharged in the fall of 1862.
G. C. Van Fosen was born in Bel- . mont County, Ohio, in 1838, and came to Noble County in 1843. In 1858 he married Miss Sarah, daughter of Joseph Foreshey. They have eight children: Martha (Slack), George B., Joseph, Amanda (Crum), Willard, Charles, Samuel and Silas. Mr. Van Fosen is a worthy member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows' organiza- tions, and a successful farmer.
Richard Warfield came from Mon- roe County to Noble in 1832. He married Miss Nancy, daughter of
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William Smith, in 1832, and reared a family of eight children: William S., James, John, Nelson, Mary A. (Dailey), Sarah E., Lydia J. and Mathias. The elder Warfield was a teacher and physician. He also fol- lowed his trade, that of silversmith and stone-mason. IIe was beside a practical surveyor and farmer. He died in 1856, aged fifty-two years. James Warfield married, in 1855, Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Nathan Archer. They had a family of ten children: Mary, Emoretta, Francis A., Cordelia J. (Crum), Charles E., Sarah E., Richard O., Nancy M., Ida Estella, Cary E. Mr. Warfield is a progressive farmer and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a very reputable and valued citizen.
John Mason was born December 2, 1822, in Greene County, Pa. In 1826 the family removed to Belmont County, Ohio. In his father's family there were twelve children: William, Henry, Elisha, Mary, Eliza, George, James, Sarah Jane, Samuel, Rachel, Francis M. and John. The elder Mason was a farmer, and served in the War of 1812. He was a member of the Christian church, and died in 1865, aged seventy years. Rachel, his wife, was born in 1793, and died in 1884. John Mason, Jr., came to Noble County in 1847, and settled on land entered by his father. IIe mar- ried Miss Sarah, daughter of James White, of Monroe County. They had four children, three of whom are living: William C., James M., Emily A., Albert L. (deceased). Mr. and
Mrs. Mason are members of the Christian church, in which he has been an elder. He aided in the organization of the Mt. Pleasant Christian church, and has contrib- uted largely to its support. He takes an interest in educational matters, and contributes to their welfare and support. Mr. Mason is a large landholder and a prosperous farmer, and one of the substantial citizens of the county.
Miles Mallett was born in what is now Stock Township in 1819. He began life poor, but by industry and good management he has accumu- lated a fine competency, and owns nearly one thousand acres of land. He married, in 1844, Miss Margaret Heiddleston, and reared a family of ten children. Joseph was born in 1854, and at the age of twenty-one was married to Miss Mary McVeigh. He is a prosperous farmer.
Joseph Michel came to this town- ship from Wheeling in 1842. He first bought forty acres, but after- ward added to it 105 acres. He died in 1881 at the age of seventy-nine. His children were John, Catharine (IIeil), Elizabeth (Miller), Mary (Hill), Barbara (de- ceased), and Joseph (deceased).
John Michel was born in Wheel- ing, W. Va., in 1839, and came to this county with his parents. In 1866 he married Eva, daughter of John D. Hill. Their children are: Catharine (Miller), Ilenry, Leonard, Alexander, Ottilda, Joseph, Mary A. and Edward. Mr. Michel resides on the old homestead, which he bought in 1866. He has since added 167 acres.
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