USA > Ohio > Noble County > History of Noble County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of some of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 67
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John Starr settled in the town- ship in 1811, and remained until his : who came to the county about 1827 death. He was an upright and honorable man and a leading Meth- odist. His sons, John and James, 1 also lived here.
Nathan Mills lived on the Wys- carver farm early. John Croy and James Edgar lived on a farm to- gether. They came soon after 1812.
John Joy and his sons, Absalom and Amos, were among the pioneers of the township. They came from the vicinity of Wheeling, and before coming to Beaver lived a short time in Seneca Township. After a num- ber of years they removed to Federal Creek, in Morgan County, where the village of Joy was named for them.
John Cline, an early settler on the creek below Batesville, was the first blacksmith in the settlement. His son Peter afterward worked at the same trade in Batesville.
In 1824 Isaac Cooper came from Virginia, bringing his family and his household goods in a two- wheeled cart drawn by two horses hitched tandem. Ilis son, W. K. Cooper, is now a carpenter in Bates- ville.
In 1818 William W. Finley came from Belmont County with his family and bought a farm, on which his son- in-law, James Reed, laid out the village of Batesville, which for many years was known as Williamsburg.
Ile had a family of eleven children, seven of whom are now living. He died in the township in 1836, his wife in 1874, at the age of eighty-five. The second daughter, Margaret, was born in Belmont County, Ohio, in 1811. She married James Reed.
, or 1828. He followed teaching for : a livelihood. He was the first store- keeper of Batesville ; his stock ($160) was hauled from Wheeling, Va., in a one-horse wagon. He did business for about five years, when he bought a farm in Buffalo Township, where he lived until 1832, when he removed to Senecaville. In 1852 he purchased the farm now owned by his son, Syl- vester, in Center Township. Here he lived until his decease, in May of 1872. He had a family of six children : Lovina (Rich), Ellen A. (Vorhies), Isabella (Williams), Caro- line (Arndt), Rebecca A. and Sylves- ter. Mr. Reed was a good citizen and an exemplary man in all respects. In politics he was a Republican; he belonged to the Methodist church.
Jacob Brown, a native of Virginia, came from Belmont County to this township in 1819. His son, Squire Brown, born in 1807, is among the old residents of Batesville.
William Williams, Robert Smith, George Whetsel, Thomas and Moses Ball, Nathan Beals, John House, Phillip and Daniel Wendall, John Joy, William Finley, John Cline, John Starr, George Morgan, Francis Miller, William Murray, John De- long, Edmund Gallagher, John Jef- fries, settled in the township as early as 1820.
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Timothy Cleveland, an enterpris- ing, intelligent, honest Yankee, came from Maine, and settled north of Batesville prior to 1820. He raised apple trees from the seeds. Some of the trees he distributed among his neighbors, who set them out. Many of them are still producing fruit. Mr. Cleveland removed to the vicinity of Summerfield.
It is related of John House, the early magistrate of the township, that he kept no docket, but recorded his transactions on slips of paper, which he stuck into the cracks in the walls of his dwelling. He was a very honest and worthy man - and the same may be said of his son, Nathan, who is still living.
John S. Jeffries was born in 1792. In 1815 he emigrated from Chester County, Pa., and settled on the farm on Beaver Creek, where he died in 1872. He was a man greatly esteemed in the community, where he spent the greater part of his long life. IIe left a large number of descendants.
Beaver Township was established June 3, 1816, from part of Seneca and Oxford Townships, Guernsey County. The township was reorganized on the formation of Noble County in 1851.
On the petition of twenty-two in- habitants of township 8 in range 7, on the 2d of June, 1817, the commis- sioners of Guernsey County ordered an election to be held at the house of Philip Wendell for the purpose of choosing trustees for the school sec- tion. This record probably shows nearly the whole number of male citizens then residents of the town- ship.
July 20, 1818, David Gray applied to the commissioners of Guernsey County for a lease of the school sec- tion in township 8 of range 7. Mi- chael King, William Thompson and Samuel Rogers were . appointed ap- praisers.
On the tax duplicate of Guernsey County for the year 1830 (the oldest now on record), are the names of the following owners of real estate in Beaver Township, with the number of acres owned by each and the val- uation of the same. The list may therefore be regarded as an authentic record of the early settlers of the township: Thomas Arnold, section 6, 40 acres, value $55; Isaac Atkinson, section 15, 79 acres, $100; same, 79 acres, $100; Jesse Bailey, section 6, 64 acres, $87; Timothy Bates, section 31, 145 acres, $198; same, 145 acres, $198; Moses Ball, section 32, 127 acres, $203; Thomas Ball, section 20, 158 acres, $180; William Benton, section 10, 156 acres, $213 ; Charles Bucy and N. Dawson, section 15, 79 acres, $90; Joseph Burson, section 32, 198 acres, $145; same, section 33, 79 acres, $144; Loftus Beal, section 29, 79 acres, $100; Isaac Cooper, sec- tion 15, 79 acres, $100; Michael Creighton, section 15, 79 acres, $100; Joseph Carpenter, Jr., section 8, 40 acres, $64; Joseph Carpenter, Sr., section 8, 119 acres, $187; Matthias Croy, section 10, 159 acres, $217; same, 23 acres, $31, and 23 acres, $31; Richard Croy, section 4, 80 acres, $120; William Campbell, sec- tion 5, 159 acres, $253; John Car- penter, section 9, 160 acres, $291; John Cline, section 21, 159 acres,
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
$281; Allen Cook, section 24, 104} acres, $143; Thomas Carpenter, sec- tion 26, 81 acres, $85; Michael Dun- ham, section 32, 58 acres, $67; Peter Danford, section 25, 160 acres, $182; Isaac Depew, section 24, 33 acres, $46; same, section 18, 71 acres, $98; Amos Day, section 34, 130 acres, $177; William Edgar, section 11, 160 acres, $218; Jesse Edgar, section 27, 158 acres, $251; Bernard Edgar, sec- tion 27, 160 acres, $218; same, 160 acres, $218, and 156 acres, $284; James Finley, section 14, 79 acres, $89; Samuel Fordice, section 4, 50 acres, $80; Libbeus Fordice, section 2, 40 acres, $46; Ann Flood, section 4, 159 acres, $238; John Flood, sec- tion 4, 80 acres, $120; Edmund Gal- lagher, section 10, 142 acres, $194; same, section 17, 158 acres, $216; James Gourley, section 4, 110 acres, $167; John House, section 21, 159 acres, $289; James House, section 23, 80 acres, $91; Samuel Hastings, section 15, 79 acres, $100; John S. Jeffries, section 3, 161 acres, $257; William Jeffries, section 32, 64 acres, $80; Absalom Joy, section 34, 70 acres, 887; John Mounts, section 2, 80 acres, $91; Nathan Mills, section 32, 862 acres, $118; same, 92} acres, $106, on section 33; John Martin, section 22, 79 acres, $100; William Purdy, Jr., section 6, 80 acres, $85; John Perry, section 28, 79 acres, $85; Nathaniel Piles, section 11, 160 acres, $225; Joseph Patton, section 2, 40 acres, $46; John Reed, section 12, 104 acres, $142; James Reed, section 5, 159 acres, 8217; same, section 6, 53 acres, 873; John Reed, section 6, 52 acres, 860; John Rhine, section
28, 79 acres, $100; William Smith, section 5, 794 acres, $100; Robert Smith, section 14, 794 acres, $91; John Stewart, section 33, 45 acres, $62; same, 69 acres, $126; John Starr, section 33, 128 acres, $233; same, section 26, 81 acres, $111; Gideon Vore, section 24, 52 acres, $71; Jonathan Warne, section 24, 19 acres, $25; Daniel Wendall, Sr., sec- tion 15, 792 acres, $108; Thomas Winteringer, section 9, 160 acres, $291; Rebecca Williams, section 20. 79g acres, $90; Daniel Wendall, Jr .. section 26, 81 acres, $110; Isaac Wood, section 25, 160 acres, $182; William Waterhouse, section 18, 30 acres, $40; Isaac Waggoner, section 10, 100 acres, $137; John Walsh, sec- tion 22, 79 acres, $100; same, 79 acres, $100, and 79 acres, $100. To- tal number of acres, 13,809; value, $20,396; total tax, $208.52.
The following persons were taxed as merchants in Beaver Township. Guernsey County, in 1830:
John Hall, capital $500; William Smith, $900; Richard Elliott and James Reed, $300; Abraham Brown, $200; John Berry, $50; Blackstone & Price, $1,000.
The following were the owners of lots in Williamsburg, in 1830, accord- ing to the tax duplicate for that year :
Abraham Brown, George Cline. Abraham Cline, Robert Carpenter, John Elliott, Richard Elliott, Libbeus Fordice, William Finley, William Grant, William Gray, Andrew John- son, Zephaniah Johnson, William Jones, John Merrew, Joseph Mor- rison, John Piles, George Peters,
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Simeon Rhinehart, Samuel Rogers, Jr., Joseph Reed, Isaac Waggoner, Adam Wiemer and Thomas Winter- inger.
The boundaries of Beaver Town- ship, as established by the commis- sioners of Noble County, May 1, 1851, were thus described :
"Beaver Township, altered so as to include and be composed of the following territory, to wit: Com- mencing for the same at the south- east corner of section 1, in township number 8 of range 7; thence north along the range line to the northeast corner of section 6 in said township and range; thence west along said township line to the northwest corner of the east half of section 30 in said township and range; thence south through the center of said sections 30, 29, 28, 27, 26 and 25, to the south west corner of the east half of said section 25 in said township ; thence east along the township line to the place of beginning: containing 27 sections."
Samuel Gebhart was the first jus- tice of the peace in the township after the organization of Noble County. He entered upon the duties of his office November 11, 1851.
On petition of William H. Eagon and twenty-four others, on the 3d of March, 1852, the county commis- sioners ordered that the following territory be taken from Wayne Township and attached to Beaver: The west half of sections 25, 26 and 27 ; and the east half of sections 31, 32 and 33.
John Hall, who is mentioned on the tax list of 1830 as a merchant,
kept store on his farm near the pres- ent line of Guernsey County. He came from one of the Southern States and was in comfortable cir- cumstances. After Quaker City was founded, the store was removed thither by his son Isaac, who be- came wealthy and prominent. Isaac Hall died in 1886.
John and James Reed were prob- ably the first permanent settlers of the township. They were from New Jersey, and settled in 1804.
James B. Reed lives on the farm entered by his grandfather. His father was born on the same farm in 1808 and died in 1869. He was thrice married and was the father of seventeen children.
James B. Reed was born April 6, 1837, and has followed farming and stock-dealing. He was married in 1858 to Harriet C. Fowler of Bel- mont County. Their children are Mary Arilla and Clara Alice. Mr. Reed and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is a Democrat and has held several township offices.
Joseph Carpenter, the pioneer, was a native of Virginia, and for two years served in the Revolution- ary War. He lived near Mounds- ville, and he and his family encoun- tered many dangers from hostile Indians. He came to Belmont County, Ohio, about 1806, and a few years later removed to this township, where he died in 1849. His son Robert was born in Virginia in 1796, and came to Ohio with the family. IIe was a pioneer settler on the farm now owned by his son,
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
J. Wesley Carpenter. He died in 1881. He was a member of the Methodist church for thirty - five years. Ile was prominent as a farmer and stock-raiser, and excelled in raising tobacco.
J. W. Carpenter was born in Beaver Township, August 31, 1848, and is among the leading farmers and breeders of fine stock. Since 1883 he has been engaged in breed- ing fine Merino sheep and graded Poland-China hogs. Mr. Carpenter is a leading member and officer of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Mary M. Garvey, of this county, in 1873, and has three sons and three daughters.
Daniel Wendall was a Virginian, of German descent. He moved from Shenandoah County, Va., to Ohio in 1819, settling with his family on the farm now occupied by his son Har- rison. Philip Wendall, an older brother of Daniel, had settled in the township some years previously. IIarrison Wendall was born in Vir- ginia and came to this county with his parents. IIe aided his father in clearing up the farm on which he now lives. Ile married Melissa E. Hopkins, of Batesville, in 1841. Chil- dren : Lucy, Daniel, William and Mary (deceased), Joseph, John K., Charles, Franklin and Hattie. Mr. and Mrs. Wendall belong to the Lu- theran church.
Samuel Wyscarver, from Greene County, Pa., settled in this township in 1828, and his son Jacob in 1830. The latter is one of the leading farm- ers of the county. He made his first purchase of land (seventy-three acres)
in 1843. To this he has made addi- tions, so that he now owns about one thousand acres of the best land in the county. He has upon his land five dwelling houses and the best of im- provements. In 1839 Mr. Wyscar- ver married Rhoda, daughter of Dan- iel Wendall, an early settler. They have had twelve children, eleven of whom are living.
Samuel Hastings, from Frederick County, Va., was of Irish descent. IIe came to Belmont County in 1822, and two years later entered the land on which his son Hiram now lives, and removed to it in the fall of 1824 cutting his way through the wilder- ness. Having built a cabin, the fam- ily moved in before there was any floor or chimney ; afterward he made a floor of puncheons and built a chimney of sticks and mud. When Mr. Hastings entered his land at Marietta he had only $1.50 left, and with this he purchased three bushels of wheat. Until a crop could be se- cured the family lived chiefly on corn bread. In spite of hardships and difficulties he succeeded in secur- ing by his labor a comfortable home. Mr. Hastings died in 1863 in his six- ty-sixth year. He was one of the organizers of the Lutheran church at Batesville and was a friend of public improvements. He was the father of two sons and two daughters.
Hiram Hastings, a well-known and prominent citizen, was born on the farm where he now lives, April 23, 1829. He has held several township and church offices, and is an active, energetic and respected citizen.
William Deal came from Calvert
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County, Md., about 1835, and settled on the farm now owned by John II. Deal. IIe was the father of two sons and eight daughters. Nine of his children are still living. Mr. Deal died in 1880 in his eighty-fourth year. He was a leading Methodist and an anti-slavery man. John H. and William are his sons. The for- mer was a captain of militia during the Morgan raid.
James Lowrey was born near Win- chester, Va., in 1811, and came in 1845 to the farm on which he now resides. He is a blacksmith by trade and for many years had the only shop in his neighborhood. In 1831 he married Sarah Hall of Belmont County. They have had nine chil- dren, seven of whom are living. He is a Republican and has held several township offices.
Lewis Hunt, a prominent farmer, is the son of Henry Hunt, and was born in Belmont County in 1844. Hle came to the farm he now occupies in 1845. He has followed farming and stock-raising and dealing in stock and wool. In 1865 he married Julia A., daughter of James M. Griffin, of this township. They have had three children. Mr. Hunt is a member and officer of the Methodist Episcopal church.
William Douglas was born in Ire- land in 1792, and died in Noble County in 1871. He settled in Penn- sylvania and there served in the War of 1812. He came to this township in 1833. IIe held several township offices and was justice of the peace. He was elected to the legislature in 1842. He was an earnest friend of
churches and schools, and a leading Methodist. He was the father of twenty-one children by two wives. Seven are still living. Vachael Doug- las, a prominent farmer, was born in Beaver Township in 1833. He mar- ried Sarah A., daughter of James P. Reed, in 1856, and has three children living. Mr. Douglas is a Methodist. He has served in several township offices.
William Douglas, son of William, Sr., was born in this township in 1840. In 1863 he married Sidney A. Finch of Belmont County. They have four sons and eight daughters, all living. Mr. Douglas has held several town- ship offices and is a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Richard Coultas came to this town- ship in 1828, from Pennsylvania. He died in 1872 at the age of eighty-two. His son Robert is one of the success- ful farmers of the township. He married, in 1847, a daughter of Will- iam Dement, one of the pioneers of Monroe County, who carried the mail from Wheeling to Cincinnati in 1810-15.
John Hague, from Fayette County, Pa., settled in Wayne Township about 1812, and died about 1842. His son, Joseph, came to this county when about eight years old, and has since resided here. He is now eighty-one years old. Taylor Hague, of Beaver Township, was born in Wayne Town- ship in 1831. He married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Marlow, and they have four children living.
Thornton D. Petty is of Virginian parentage. His father and mother came from Jefferson County in that
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
State, settling in Beaver Township in 1821. T. D. Petty is one of a family of eight children, two of whom are dead. He was born Feb- ruary 14, 1832, and is still living on the farm entered by his father. In 1858 he married Eleanor D. Harris, of this township, who died in 1876. They had one child : Mary Emma, who is living. Mr. Petty is a Re- publican. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Rev. Ludwell Petty, well known in this county as a minister of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, was his brother. Ilis mother was a cousin of General Robert E. Lee.
Isaac Cooper, a native of Virginia, settled in this township in 1824. He was born in the Shenandoah Valley in 1799. He died in Vinton County, Ohio, in 1882. He was a substan- tial farmer and a worthy citizen. IIe was the father of Sarah (Hast- ings), William K., Isaac N., Azariah C. and Francis R., two of whom, Azariah C. and William K., reside in this county.
Azariah C. Cooper was born in Beaver Township in 1841. He was reared on a farm and learned the carpenter's trade. In 1861 he en- listed in Company D, Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served four years. In 1883 he was elected county treasurer, and was re- elected in 1885. Ile married Miss Lucy Gebhart, and is the father of eight children.
Hon. Abraham Simmons was for many years a prominent citizen of this township and county. He was born on the eastern shore of Mary-
land in January, 1816. In 1833, when a lad of seventeen, he came to Barnesville on foot, and after remaining there a short time, he be- came a resident of Batesville and fol- lowed the tobacco business. He was afterward quite extensively engaged in the mercantile business.
Mr. Simmons was a thoroughly self-made man. At the age of sev- enteen he had never attended school; but by his own efforts he became well informed and a good man of business. He was a Republican and took an active part in politics. In 1856-7 he represented Guernsey County in the legislature and was regarded as an able and efficient member. In 1868-9 he was State senator from the Fourteenth District, composed of Washington, Morgan and part of Noble Counties. From 1861 to 1865 he was treasurer of Noble County. Every worthy pub- lic interest found in him a zealous friend. He was one of the most prominent and active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and took a deep interest in religious mat- ters. He married Nancy, daughter of William Anderson, of Beaver Township, in 1839, and reared seven children. Two of his sons gave their lives in defense of their country: William C., the elder, died at Bolivar, Tenn., in 1862; Thomas V. was cap- tured near Cumberland Gap, and died at Belle Isle prison in 1864. Soon after the death of Thomas, a daugh- ter, Rachel, was thrown from a horse and killed. The loss of these children was a severe blow, from the effects of which he did not recover.
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Mr. Simmons died April 27, 1875. Three of his children are living : Mrs. C. Foster, Clarence C. and Anna (Glidden).
George Robert Atkinson, mer- chant, is the second of a family of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. George B. Atkinson, who were natives of eastern Virginia. George R. came to Ohio with the family in 1836, settling near Morristown, Bel- mont County. He taught school in early life, but since arriving at man- hood has been engaged in the mer- cantile business. In 1879 he was elected to the legislature from Bel- mont County. In 1881 he removed to Batesville, his present location. He is a Democrat, and has recently been appointed postmaster. In 1874 he married Mary Wendall, of Bates- ville, who died in 1877. In 1882 he married Viola M. Reed, of this township. They have two children: Mary C. and Carrie L.
Frank M. Atkinson was the third son of George B. Atkinson, who came from eastern Virginia. He was born in Boston, Belmont County, Ohio, in 1837. In 1882 he married Josephine Sharkey, of Batesville, who died in the same year. Mr. Atkinson was a man of rare ability as a speaker, and of the most agree- able social qualities.
Hon. F. M. Atkinson, for many years one of the most prominent and enterprising business men of the county, was a native of Belmont County. He came to Batesville in 1869, and built up a flourishing business as a merchant. He was one of the principal organizers of the
Batesville bank, and was its first president. For several years he was greatly interested in railroad mat- ters. He served as president of the Cincinnati, Wheeling & New York Railroad, and secured the extension of that road to Campbell's Station. He was a Democrat in politics, and in 1880-1, served as State senator from the Nineteenth District.
D. C. Goodhart, merchant, is of Virginia parentage. IIis father and mother were born and married in Loudoun County, Va. His father settled in Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1835. D. C. Goodhart came to Batesville in 1846. He has followed tailoring and the mercantile business, and is at present engaged in the latter. He married, first, Mary A. Van Horn, of Monroe County, who died in 1853. By this union he had two children, both of whom are deceased. For his second wife he married Mrs. Mary A. Sullivan, of Batesville. Children : Willeann, wife of Jerome Shively ; Emma L., and Jerome Henry Clay.
R. A. Powelson, merchant, of Batesville, was born at Sarahsville in 1854. His father, a native of Penn- sylvania, settled here in 1850, com- ing from Guernsey County. R. A. Powelson taught school previous to entering the mercantile business. In addition to his business he is also studying law. He married Maria E. Douglas in 1873, and they have three sons and one daughter.
William Wells was born in Penn- sylvania, February 24, 1825, and came to Guernsey County, settling near Quaker City. IIe married Eliz-
-
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HISTORY OF NOBLE COUNTY, OHIO.
abeth Higby, in 1878; three children of this union are living. In 1880 he married Sarah McCune; they have three children. Mr. Wells is a Dem- ocrat and a member of the United Presbyterian church.
An early log school-house stood near what is now the south end of the village of Batesville. A man named Reinhart and Cookson Mur- ray were early teachers there. Ma- tilda Wendall was among the early female teachers.
Beaver is the best and richest agri- cultural township in Noble County. The surface is drained by Beaver Fork and its tributaries. The bottom lands are wide, rich, and productive. Away from the streams the surface is hilly, but everywhere the soil is good and under a high state of culti- vation. It bears every appearance of being a thrifty agricultural region; yet a dark cloud has been thrown over the prosperity of the township. Many of the wealthy citizens are financially embarrassed, and some have become bankrupt. In 1869-71 the wealthy farmers living within two miles (on either side) of the Summerfield and Batesville turnpike were taxed heavily for the building of that road. This drain was met, though not always uncomplainingly. But there came before the people a greater project-the building of a railroad; the extension via Bates- ville of the old Eastern Ohio, or "Cal- ico," road; the heaviest property holders invested largely; the rail- road enterprise was a failure, and the affairs of the company are still in confusion. Many rich and promi-
nent farmers were also interested in a grange co-operative store, which failed, causing serious losses. These have been serious blows to the prog- ress and prosperity of the town and township. But with such a soil and such an intelligent, enterprising popu- lation as Beaver has, it requires only time to adjust the difficulties and re- store a healthy financial condition.
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