USA > Ohio > Perry County > History of Perry County, Ohio > Part 7
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Moxahala, on the South Fork of the Moxahala, was a furnace town, laid out in 1873.
Crooksville, the "clay city" of the county, was or- ganized in 1874. In recent years it has been of rapid growth, and is now one of the most important towns in the county.
Roseville, a much older town, is hardly to be con- sidered a Perry County village. The part lying on the Perry side is of recent growth. The town was origin- ally called Milford.
Buckingham was laid ont. in 1873. Dicksonton was built in 1875 and is now a deserted village.
Baird Furnace also belongs to the class of "has beens."
Corning is our "oil city." It was laid out in 1878 by Joseph Rogers. Rendville was platted the next year by Capt. T. J. Smith and W. P. Rend.
The most recent of our mining towns is Congo. It was built in 1891-92. It is a model mining town.
Organization of the Townships.
Bearfield Township is so named because of the numerous bears found there at an early date. It was settled in 1812 by James Black and was organized in 1818 as an original township of Perry county.
Clayton Township is so called from one of its first
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
settlers. It was settled in 1806 and organized in 1810 under Muskingum county.
Coal Township is the youngest in the county. It was organized in 1872 by striking off thirteen sections from Saltlick. It derives its name from the abundance of the mineral of that name to be found in the hills.
Harrison Township was formerly a part of Clayton. Hence it belonged to Muskingum county. It was organized in 1820. It was named for General Harri- son the Hero of Tippecanoe. The township was set- tled about 1806.
Hopewell Township was organized in 1810. It was settled early in the century by one Ridenour. Origin of its name is unknown. But no doubt it was significant of the feelings of the early settlers who were mostly Germans. It was a venture, this settling in a wilderness, but they "hoped well."
Jackson Township was organized as a part of Fair- field county. The only authority that we have says that it was organized about 1805. There is some doubt about this. There can be no question why it was called Jackson. But at that time ( 1805) Genera! Jackson was unknown to fame. It is true that he was a' favorite in Tennessee, and that he had been in the United States Senate where he neither made a speech nor voted. At this time he was living the quiet life of a farmer and listening to the schemes of Aaron Burr, who tried to draw him into the net, into which the unfortunate Blennerhassett fell. There is one thing certain. If Jackson township was organ- ized in 1805 it was named for another Jackson. If it was named for the Hero of New Orleans it must have been subsequent to 1805. Very few people settled
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
in that township prior to that time. From then, how- ever, to 1820 the growth was rapid.
Madison Township is an original one in this coun- ty. It was settled about 1800 or a little later by Wil- liam Dusenberry. It is named after James Madison and was organized soon after the county.
Mondaycreek Township was settled in 1815 by Timothy Terrell. It was a part of Fairfield county. It was organized in 1823. It is named from the two principal streams flowing through it.
Monroe Township was also organized in 1823. It is named from the then President of the United States. It was previous to this, a part of Bearfield for politi- cal purposes. It was settled in 1814 by John Mc- Donald and James Dew.
Pike Township was organized in 1814 by Fairfield county. It was named for General Pike of the Revolu- tionaly War. The first settler was John Fowler who came from Maryland in 181I.
Pleasant Township was organized in 1850. It contains sixteen sections, taken as follows: Nine from Bearfield, three from Pike, three from Monroe, and one from Saltlick. The origin of its name is manifest.
Reading Township was christened by Peter Over- meyer, who came from Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1801. It was a part of Fairfield county and was or- ganized in 1807. But when Perry county was organ- ized, two rows of sections were taken off of Richland township, Fairfield county, in order to give the new county the requisite area.
Saltlick Township was so called from the "salt- lick" at McCuneville. It was settled by John Hazel- ton and organized in 1823.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Thorn Township was organized in 1804 or a little later by Fairfield county. It was named from the numerous thorns that grew about the Great Swamp. It was settled in 1801 by George Stinchcomb and others.
Section 16.
The Ordinance of 1787 stipulated that "Section 16" of every Congressional township should be reserved for the maintenance of schools in that township. The object of this school grant was not so much for the furtherance of education by Congress as it was an in- centive to settlers. This reservation was not open to sale or settlement, and consequently the territorial Leg- islature could do nothing with it. When Ohio became a state these lands were granted to her to be disposed of by the Legislature. There was thus left to Ohio for school purposes the splendid endowment of 704,000 acres. The income only from this land could be used. In consequence up to 1827 they were leased and rented in various ways. The appraisement of their rental value was often low and much mismanagement caused the revenue to be of little value.
The Legislature finally in 1827 provided for their sale. The money was turned into the State Treasury and the township to which the section belonged should receive six per cent interest. Much of it was sold at once but in some parts of the state there are tracts yet unsold. In our own county the first was sold in 1831 and the last in 1883. We have twelve "school sec- tions." The townships of Pleasant and Coal, being formed from other townships do not happen to have Section 16 within their limits. The amount received from their sale in Perry county was $27,829.33. This gives the schools an annual income of $1,669.76. It
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
is divided among the twelve Congressional townships according to the amount for which their respective sections sold. The following is the sum each township receives.
Bearfield
$30 21
Clayton
143 95
Hopewell
117 14
Harrison
392 80
Jackson
82 91
Madison
88 38
Mondaycreek
120 00
Monroe
39 30
Pike
258 54
Reading
168 60
Saltlick
107 56
Thorn
120 37
The above amounts do not represent the actual sum each township can use for its schools; for the po- litical township is not always co-extensive with the "survey township."
In the case of Bearfield, her $31.21 is divided per capita for all persons of school age, residing in Bear- field and the nine sections given to Pleasant. Pleas- ant township receives the per capita rate of Bear- field for her children of school age in those nine sections. Pleasant township also receives the per capita rate of Monroe township, for the number she has living in the three sections taken from Mon- roe. In like manner she gets from Saltlick for the one section and from Pike for the four sections. Saltlick's $107.56 is divided among the schools of Saltlick, Coal and Pleasant. Mondaycreek must pay almost half of her revenue to Hocking county. Har- rison and Madison must pay to Muskingum, while
7 H. P. C.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Reading, the most fortunate of all gets from Fairfield, on account of those two rows of sections on the west. Every one of school age in the county gets a share of this income. Every school board gets its allotment. A joint district between two townships is entitled to an amount from the township in which the school house is not situated.
It is a curious fact that in Thorn and Hopewell townships, school lands were sold out of Section 15. In the latter almost all of both Sections 15 and 16 were disposed of for the schools. The only reason we can find for this irregularity, is that in many cases, Section 16 had been "entered" before the survey was properly made. The law gave permission to take in lieu thereof other land that had not been sold.
The setting aside of this land for the schools, is one of the achievements for which the United States Congress under the Articles of Confederation, deserves no small honor. While the results have not been as great as its promoters anticipated, yet it was an induce- ment for the early settlers to found schools. One thirty- sixth of all the land for the dissemination of educa- tion in a wilderness, gives us an idea of the character of the men who labored for the struggling young na- tion in the trying ordeal of post-revolutionary days. It is no wonder that Ohio should obtain and maintain a prestige in the production of men, when in her very incipiency, the means of developing the mind were not overlooked in the struggle for life and home in the forest.
Churches.
The church organizations have always been the social centers in our county. The people who settled Perry county were very religiously inclined. Soon
OLD LUTHERAN CEMETERY AT SOMERSET.
AN OLD TIME MEETING HOUSE.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
after the first settlers the missionary came, not to con- vert, but to gather the people into congregations.
To speak of all of the church communities in this county would demand more space than the size of this book will justify.
Only a short time elapsed after the settlement at Overmeyer town, till there came Rev. William Foster a Lutheran missionary from Pennsylvania. The first sermon ever preached in the woods of Perry county was in what is now the orchard owned by the late George Weisman. In 1805, at New Reading, the first congregation in the county, and the first of the Lu- theran Church in the state was organized. This or- ganization is yet in existence. The next year, 1806, Zion's church of Thorn township was begun. This was erected by the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations, and is the second oldest in the county. The Reformed minister was Rev. John King, who settled in the county in 1803. He was the first, there- fore, to permanently locate here for Rev. Foster was a traveling missionary. This Rev. Foster organized the Lutheran church at Somerset in 1812. He died in 1815 and is buried in the Zion cemetery. The Somer- set congregation has a very interesting history. The church was located in what is now known as the Old Lutheran Cemetery. It was built of hewed logs and had a gallery. It had also a pipe organ, built by Henry Humberger. It was in this church, in 1818, that the Joint Synod of Ohio was organized, and the first preacher, Rev. Andrew Hinkle was licensed to preach. . The "Lutheran Standard," the official organ of the Ohio Lutheran Synod was also for a time printed in Somerset. At one time, the Lutheran Seminary, now Capital University, was expected to be located here.
L. of C.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
In fact, during the ministry of Rev. Lehman, a theo- logical class was privately taught.
This congregation and most of the other Lutheran Churches in the county was served by Rev. Chas. Hinkle who is buried in the old cemetery.
The Thornville Lutheran Church was organized in 1810 by Rev. Foster in conjunction with Rev. King. of the Reformed congregation.
Lebanon Lutheran Church at Junction City began its existence in 1815. For many years the Reformed people also worshiped in it. The Lutheran and Re- formed congregations jointly built St. Paul's at Glen- ford in 1818.
The same year, the Shelly, or Good Hope Church was organized. St. John's Lutheran Church in Mon- daycreek was organized by Rev. Frankenburg in 1841, but preaching had been held in private houses and barns for six years previous.
About a mile and a half east of Mt. Perry is the United Presbyterian Church on Jonathan Creek. This denomination was the third to organize a church in the county. They date from 1807. Their services were first held in a school house. or, if weather per- mitted, in a tent. The first pastor was Rev. Abraham Craig.
Unity Presbyterian Church, in Clayton township, began its existence in the year 1809. The services were. at the beginning, transient, both barns and houses being utilized. In 1811. Rev. James Culbertson of Zanesville came once a month. The organization proper was made in 1816, when Rev. Wright of Lan- caster became pastor. The old log school house was used at first. During his pastorate the log church was built in 1826. Unity congregation had a wide influ-
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ence. Her pastors were scholars. One was a gradu- ate of Dartmouth and Yale, and another of Princeton. Rev. Moore rests in the cemetery beneath the shadow of the church, for which he labored so arduously. Rev. Henry Beeman of New Lexington, came to Unity in 1866 and for some years served as its efficient pastor.
The Presbyterian congregation in New Lexington was organized in 1837. Rev. Moore had preached to the people before. This society deserves to be placed in the list of pioneers.
The Dunkers or German Baptists, of whom there were, and are now, quite a number in the northern part of the county, worshiped in private houses in Thorn township as early as 1810. In 1817 a congregation was organized in Madison township near Mt. Perry.
Hopewell Baptist Church, on Zane's Trace, in Hopewell township is the pioneer church of that de- nomination. 1812 is the date of its organization. It was for many years one of the most influential of all the Baptist societies in the country.
The Hazelton graveyard in Saltlick township is an old landmark. The church that stood there not only occupied a prominent position, geographically, but its influence gave it prominence in another direction. The Hazelton Baptist Church was the first in Saltlick town- ship and the second of that denomination in the county. The church has for many years been destroyed and the congregation disbanded. The date of its beginning is 1820. John Hazelton for whom it was named was a soldier of the War of 1812.
To walk from New Lexington to Hazelton's to attend church was a little difficult, and it was not long after the organization of the church in Saltlick town- ship until the Baptists in the vicinity of New Lexing-
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ton concluded that they, too, might support a church. Accordingly, about 1821, the organization was ef- fected. In1 1825, they built their church of hewed logs. It contained a gallery and was quite a commodious building for the time. The present building stands near the site of the first. It was built in 1845.
A Baptist congregation existed for some years at Oakfield. It is worthy of being listed as a pioneer. In 1814 they organized and built a church, but the con- gregation was small and it soon disbanded.
An organized society of this denomination was at Bristol in 1832. In the same year, Ebenezer, in Mon- daycreek was founded.
The pioneer Methodist Circuit Rider early found his way into the Perry county wilds. The Methodists held services in the county as soon as any of the de- nominations. But the first class was not begun till ISHI, when Rev. James B. Finley organized the con- gregation at Somerset. This was followed the next year by the formation of a class at Rehoboth. Church services were held in the latter place in a private house until 1818, when a log church was built.
The same year that the Methodists organized at Rehoboth, the Hopewell class or as it is better known, the Chalfant's Church was formed.
The Fletcher, or Holcomb M. E. Church is in Bear- field township. They built a church in 1825, but for ten years, the congregation had met in private houses.
The first church in Harrison township was the Iliff. The log edifice was built in 1819, but that is not the exact date for the genesis of the society. Bishop Iliff of the M. E. Church is from this place.
Madison has an M. E. Church, known as Bethel,
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
that antedates Iliff by one year. It organized in 1818 and in 1819 ,they erected a hewed log church.
Zion Church in the same township is of later origin. It began about 1834. It is in its cemetery that General Ritchey, ex-Congressman lies buried. New Reading M. E. Church was organized in 1825.
The New Lexington Methodist congregation was organized in 1828. The services at first were held in the old log Baptist Church. Eleven years later they built their church which was destroyed by fire in 1875, when the present brick structure was erected.
The Asbury M. E. Church in Monroe township may also be classed among the pioneers. Its begin- ning was in 1830.
The Bible Christians built a log church in 1820 in Monroe township. A frame building was more re- cently erected and services are still held.
The pioneer church of the Disciples was in the east- ern part of Saltlick township where in 1830 a congre- gation began its existence.
In 1847, with Daniel Rusk, the father of Jeremiah Rusk, at the head, a congregation was organized at Porterville. A log church was built which has since been supplanted by a frame building. Daniel Rusk is buried in the cemetery adjoining the church.
St. Matthew's Disciple Church near Mt. Perry was organized in 1851. The society was disbanded in 1867 and re-organized in 1880.
A Disciple Church existed at Oakfield a few years subsequent to 1848.
Otterbein United Brethren Church is situated on the Pike, four miles west of Somerset. It is the first church of that denomination in the county. It has al-
104
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
ways been a large and influential society and is yet a strong organization. It dates from 1818.
Zion Church, in Jackson township, is only a few miles from the mother church. Before a church home was procured, church services were held in the woods. When the frosts of autumn came, they would burn log heaps. The date of the beginning of this society is 1830.
The Mennonite Church in Mondaycreek is the only representative of that denomination in the county. The exact date of its organization is unknown. Its members were mostly Germans and among them were many of the first settlers of that community. The date of its beginning is certainly before 1830.
The first settlers of Perry county were mostly Prot- estants. In the north where the German element pre- dominated, there were mostly Lutherans, German Re- formed and Dunkers. In the central and southern parts of the county where the people were mostly Vir- ginians the Methodists and Baptists were most numer- ous.
However, among the first pioneers of the county, especially in the neighborhood of Somerset, were some German Catholic families. To Bishop Fenwick be- longs the honor of being not only the missionary priest of Perry county but the very first to be settled in Ohio. It is said that Bishop Fenwick in traveling through Ohio reached the tavern of John Fink at Somerset. and upon discovering that his host was a Catholic celebrated Mass within the rude home of the pioneer. This is as far as known the first mass ever said within the bounds of the State. It was the genesis of the Catholic Church in Ohio. Bishop Fenwick was a priest of the Dominican Order which had established the
Father Fenwick, First Catholic Missionary in Ohio, Discovering a German Catholic Family at Somerset. From a Cartoon in Chalk by Munich
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
Convent of St. Rose in Kentucky. Dr. Fenwick was ably assisted in his missionary work by his nephew, Father Young.
The Ditto and Fink families had entered at the land office, three hundred and twenty-nine acres of land, located two miles south of Somerset. This they donated to Father Fenwick for the express purpose of establishing a Church and Convent of the Dominican Order. Fathers Fenwick and Young were sent to take care of this endowment.
They arrived at their destination about the first of December 1818. On the sixth of the same month, the little log chapel in the forest was dedicated. It was the first Catholic Church in the state of Ohio. The congre- gation consisted of but six families. Before the end of the year an addition of stone was built to the log cliapel.
Holy Trinity Church at Somerset was organized in 1820 by the Dominican Fathers. About this time Catholics began to pour into the county. It was found that Holy Trinity and St. Joseph's could not accomo- date all. Arrangements were made to enlarge the lat- ter and in 1829 a substantial brick edifice took the place of the original.
St. Joseph's was the headquarters of the Dominican Order in America. From its Convent walls, its preach- ers, for preaching is what the Dominican priesthood stands for, went into all parts of the country. With the exception of the Pacific coast, St. Joseph's is yet the American center of the Order. Most of the Cath- olic congregations in the county were organized through the agency of the priests at St. Joseph's. While all of these congregations, with the exception of Holy Trinity, have passed under the ecclesiastical
106
HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
control of the Bishop of the Columbus Diocese, the honor of their organization belongs to the Dominicans.
The Church and Convent were destroyed by fire in 1862. The present buildings were then erected. For a time St. Joseph's was also a college, where a purely secular education could be received. It is now but a Theological school. It has a magnificent library of about ten thousand volumes. Many of these are quite old and valuable.
The Convent is to be taken to Washington City. At present the students begin their study at St. Rose's, Kentucky, and complete it at St. Joseph's. After the removal the initial work will be done at St. Joseph's and its completion in the Capital City. The "Rosary Magazine" at Somerset is published under the auspices of the Order.
Father Fenwick who became Bishop of Cincinnati, purchased land opposite the church in Somerset for the purpose of founding a female academy. This school was opened in 1830 in connection with a Con- vent. Its success was unbounded till it burned to the ground in 1866. Because of a generous offer from Columbus, it was determined to accept the new loca- tion. The well-known school, St. Mary's of the Springs, in Columbus, is the successor of St. Mary's at Somerset.
A few years subsequent to the founding of St. Jo- seph's, a Catholic Church was built in the eastern part of Clayton township. It was made of logs and was used till 1833, when it was abandoned. The congre- gation then met at Rehoboth, in a large building that ha 1 been erected for a grist mill. The motive power of this mill was to be a perpetual motion. The ar- chitect didn't get the motion perpetuated and he was
CHURCH AAT CHAPEL HILL.
.
OLD STONE CHURCH.
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
glad to dispose of the building. This was used as a church till 1851, when a new one near McLuney was built. The Rehoboth congregation then worshiped at the new location. The McLuney church has in turn been united with the new organization at Crooks- ville.
St. Patrick's Church near Junction City is one of the children of St. Joseph's. It was organized in 1830 by Father Young of whom mention has already been made. The first building was of brick and was quite small. The present edifice was erected in 1845. I't is one of the largest church organizations in the county.
Chapel Hill is possibly one of the best known churches in the county. It may hardly be considered a pioneer church, since it was not organized till about 1850. Services are not held here now, and the building is nearing a state of ruin.
The famous old Stone Church in western Saltlick is, too, in a ruinous condition. The congregation dates back to 1825. The building that is now falling to pieces was built in 1839. It was a magnificent struc- ture for its day and is ore of the landmarks of south- ern Perry.
Schools.
There were two factors in the development of edu- cation in our county. The Germans built the school- houses and the Irish furnished the teachers. In the settlement of our county, the church in every com- munity was the first institution to be organized; the school was the second. The result was that the school and the church were usually built 'near each other. Often the church building was used for the school, and more often the school-house served in the double capacity. The primitive school-houses of the woods
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HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY.
were crude affairs. They were all built on the same general plan. A pen was built of unhewed logs; the spaces between the logs were filled with "chinks" and mud; one end of the building was occupied by a huge fire-place, in front of which half of the pupil, alter- nately roasted and froze, that particular half being dependent upon whether he sat with his face or back to the fire. In this huge fire-place, the "dinners" would often be placed to keep them from freezing. The benches had no backs. There were low ones for the little fellows and high ones for the big boys. These benches were split from trees. The upper side of each was "smoothed" with an ax, and splinters were often numerous. The writing desks were along the walls of the building. A log had been left out above this place and when the opening was covered with greased paper an elegant window was the result. Wooden pegs were driven into the logs upon which their caps were hung. The teacher sat upon a high chair, before a high desk, opposite the fire-place. Behind him within easy reach was an abundance of rods. If there was not a sufficient supply to successfully impress the recalcitrant pupil with the glories and benefits of an education, there was no dearth of duplicates in the woods.
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