History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 21

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923

USA > Ohio > Pickaway County > History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens > Part 21

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George Fryback and family settled here in 1798. He first located on Scippo Creek in sec- tion 7, but the following spring he removed to the mouth of Congo Creek, where he re- mained until the land came into market in 1801, when he entered the south half of sec- tion 6. James Wilson located at Chillicothe in May, 1798, and soon after removed to the banks of the Congo, just above its junction

with Scippo Creek. His death, which occurred June 8, 1799, was the first in the township.

Among the earliest settlers of the township were Capt. John Boggs and his son, Maj. John Boggs. Captain Boggs, who was a native of Pennsylvania, removed with his family to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), in 1771, and settled at the mouth of Boggs' Run, opposite Boggs' Island, near old Fort Henry. In 1796 he and his son John came to this sec- tion of Ohio to make a selection of land for settlement. They came down the Ohio in a keel-boat to the mouth of the Scioto, then with others, on a barge. to what was called "the station," below Chillicothe. They landed here and came on foot along the river to section 7, Pickaway township, where Captain Boggs made a location, which he subsequently en- tered. He brought out his family in 1798, and subsequently moved to Scippo Creek, on the hill above the present bridge, where he built a one-story brick house, one of the first brick houses erected in the township. Maj. John Boggs, his son, settled on the farm later occu- pied by his son, James T. Boggs, on which the Logan Elm is situated, and erected a brick house in 1816. It is said that in 1803 he took the first flatboat, loaded with flour, down the Scioto to New Orleans, although cargoes of pork and whiskey had been shipped down be- fore. The return trips were made on horse- back. He served in the War of 1812 with the rank of major.

John Rager, Jacob Greenough and Sam- uel and David Denny were among the early squatters on the Pickaway Plains. John Ra- ger and Jacob Greenough afterward settled in Washington township. David Denny, who had a blacksmith shop on Congo Creek, in section 32, removed to the Walnut Plains in Harri- son township in 1800 or soon thereafter. George Hitler, Sr., and family, from Somerset County. Pennsylvania, settled in Pickaway township in the spring of 1799; some five or six years later he removed to section 33, Wash- ington township. Samuel Morehead came here from Kentucky about the same time as the Hitlers. John Gay, the father of Mrs. George Hitler, came here with his family in

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VIEW OF THE MAIN STREET IN DARBYVILLE

VIEW OF THE MAIN STREET IN ORIENT

TRUNK OF THE LOGAN ELM

THE LOGAN ELM, PICKAWAY TOWNSHIP Where Logan, the Indian Chief, made his Famous Speech.

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1799. He resided in this township until his death at the age of 102 years and 10 months. Another settler who came here in 1799 was Samuel Seall, Sr., who located in section 9, and six or seven years later moved to Walnut township. His son, Samuel Seall, followed blacksmithing in the village of Jefferson, for a number of years. Afterward he followed farming in Pickaway township, and in the spring of 1845 settled in Washington town- ship where he died.

Henry Nevill came to Pickaway township about 1800 and purchased a large tract of land on the Pickaway Plains. Subsequently, in 1803, he laid out the town of Jefferson, which prospered until Circleville was started, when it declined. The first term of the Court of Common Pleas for Pickaway County was held at Mr. Nevill's house in Jefferson.

Other early settlers in the township who came here in the last years of the 18th century or first years of the 19th were Thomas and John Barr, John Sharp, John Rush, Matthew Ferguson (who attained the advanced age of 99 years) and Jonathan Ellis, an early cabinet- maker and carpenter, who constructed the frame of the Boggs mill. David Shelby was also one of the first settlers in Pickaway town- ship, locating here prior to 1800. He was a member of the State Legislature for 21 con secutive years, with the exception of one term. and was the first justice of the peace elected in the township of Pickaway.

Jacob Stingley came here in 1805; Hugh Foresman, in 1806; Thomas Emerson, James Hedges and Gabriel Steely, about 1807. Philip and Joseph Hedges, father and cousin, respec- tively, of James Hedges, arrived here a short time after he made his settlement. James Tor- bert, a son-in-law of Hugh Foresman, and Ja- cob Wagner settled in Pickaway township in 1808; William Caldwell and family, in 1809; George Kellenberger and wife, soon after the close of the War of 1812: John Entrekin, who had settled in Ross County as early as 1798, became a resident of Pickaway township in 1828.

CHURCHES.

Meade M. E. Church .- The first Methodist class organized in the township was at Salem,

now known as Meade. As early as 1802 or 1803 a log meeting-house was built, in which church services were held. Rev. James Quinn, a circuit preacher, held services in this build- ing. In the fall of 1816 another log church was built, which was subsequently weather- boarded. This church continued to be used until the present frame structure was erected, which is valued at $1,800. The pastor of the church is Rev. Stone, of Kingston. The charge was originally in the Pickaway Circuit, then in the Circleville, and is now in the Kings- ton Circuit. The Sunday-school has a mem- bership of about 50 members; the superintend- ent is John W. Stump.

Emmett's Chapel .- The Methodists organ - ized a society on the plains in an early date and held meetings alternately with the Presbyte- rian Church, which was organized in 1808 by Rev. James Robinson, then of the Mount Pleas- ant Church. The Presbyterian society held its meetings usually at the house of Maj. John Boggs or John Rawl. In 1816 Mr. Robinson commenced preaching one-third of his time in the Rawl schoolhouse, near the present site of Emmett's Chapel. The Methodist and Pres- byterian societies continued to hold their meet- ings alternately in this schoolhouse until about 1835, when they united in erecting a brick church on a hill just south of Congo Creek bridge. It was used by them alternately for about 10 years when, some difficulty between the two arising, the Methodists withdrew and provided another place of worship. Elias Reed, a leading member, bought the farm of John Rawl and turned the dwelling into a meeting-house. This was used by the society until 1852, when the present Emmett's Chapel, named in honor of the pioneer Methodist preacher, Father Emmett, was built. The Presbyterians continued to use the brick church on the hill for a few years after the Metho- dists withdrew. By reason of removals and deaths their number became so reduced that preaching could not be supported and the house was sold and taken down.

Palestine Church, in the northeastern part of the township, was built about the year 1840 by a German Reformed and Lutheran Society. The Methodists afterwards bought an interest

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in the building and held meetings a number of years.

Ebenezer Church of the Evangelical Asso- ciation stands about half a mile east of Hayes- ville, near the center of the township. The class was formed by Rev. John Dreisbach in 1835, the first members being Rev. John Dreis- bach and wife, Thomas Kraft and wife, Adam Boyer and wife and John Kraft and wife. Abraham Dreisbach, who subsequently became minister of the church, and Isaac E., Catherine and Sophia Dreisbach and Mrs. Eliza Steely were also early members, uniting soon after the organization was effected. The first meet- ings were held at the dwellings of the members and afterwards in a log schoolhouse. Subse- quently the society used the frame schoolhouse, which replaced the log one, until the erection of their present church in the summer of 1850. Rev. John Dreisbach, who lived on the farm where the church is located and whose remains lie beside those of his wife in the adjoining cemetery, gave the ground for the church and cemetery, and the sum of $1,000 toward the building of the church. The church is espe- cially historic to the members of the Evangelical Association from the -fact that Mr. Dreisbach was one of the founders of the association, which was first known as the Albright Church, being a co-worker with Bishop Albright. The church building cost $903.61 to erect. It was cledicated December 22, 1850, by Bishop Joseph Long and Presiding Elder J. G. Zinser. The outside of the building has never been structur- ally changed, but the interior has been remod- eled several times. Rev. John Dreisbach preached for the class for a few years, until the regular circuit preachers were appointed. John Heisler was class leader until 1840, when Isaac E. Dreisbach, son of Rev. John Dreisbach and father of the present Sunday-school superinten- dent, B. F. Dreisbach, was appointed. Isaac E. Dreisbach continued as leader until his death in 1897-a period of 57 years. The church has a present membership of 50. Rev. G. W. Miesse, of Stoutsville, is pastor. The church building, although over 50 years old, has re- ceived such good care that it is still in excellent condition, being worth about $2,000 at this

time. The sexton's house adjoining the church is valued at $600. B. F. Dreisbach has served as Sunday-school superintendent for the past 31 years.

There was formerly an organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pickaway township. The church property, located near the Hitler-Ludwig Cemetery, has not been used for some 25 or 30 years. The last services held in the church were those attending the funeral of Jacob Hitler, which took place about 20 years ago.

CEMETERIES.

The first place in the township chosen for burial purposes was the Boggs burying-ground, in which the first person buried, whose grave is still marked, was David Boggs, who died May 10, 1800, in the 10th year of his age. The next was Jacob Sayler, who died September 21, 1800, aged 52 years. The first burials in the old and now dilapidated Jefferson burying- ground were those of Nancy Evans, in August, 1813; and Willard Evans, in September of the same year. In the burying-ground at Meade near the Methodist Episcopal Church, Susan- nah Crow, who died July 8, 1809, was the first person interred. Thomas Crow was buried here in January, 1814. This cemetery is still used and is kept in fairly good condition. The cemetery adjoining Ebenezer Church is kept in very good shape, the sexton being in constant attendance. Some of the earliest interments in the township were made in the Mount Pleasant cemetery in Ross County, a mile southwest of Kingston. The first grave was that of Jane Harrison, wife of George Harrison, deceased September 6, 1800. The next was that of Jane Denny, who died in October, 1800.

SCHOOLS.

The first schools in the township were kept in unoccupied cabins and were supported by private subscriptions. Jesse Bartlett was one of the pioneer teachers. The first schoolhouse was probably the Rawl schoolhouse, in which the first term of school was kept by Hugh

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Hannagan. The first log meeting-house built at Salem ( Meade) in 1802 or 1803 was also used as a schoolhouse. David Jones was one of those who taught school in this house. There are now nine schoolhouses in the township, all built of brick and in good condition. The Board of Education of Pickaway township is constituted as follows: Amos Hoffman, Den- nis C. Rader, Henry R. Calvert, Charles Hall and Willis Ludwig. Edward Wilkins is clerk of the board.

The Meade schoolhouse, the largest and best known in the township, consists of two rooms; M. D. Kreider and Charles Kreider are the teachers. It is a brick structure with slate roof.

PHYSICIANS.

Dr. William B. Gould, who settled at Jef- ferson in 1802 or 1803, was the first physician resident in the township. He practiced with moderate success for about 15 years. Dr. Dan- iel Turney settled at Jefferson in 1806; after a stay of five or six years he removed to Cir- cleville.

EARLY MILLS.

The pioneers of the township obtained their grist, at first, at a floating mill located on the Scioto, below Chillicothe. Subsequently Crouse's mill was erected on the Kinnickin- nick in Ross County and the settlers then went there to mill. The first grist-mill in this town- ship was built on Scippo Creek by Daniel Dreis- bach about 1815; there was another mill on the same stream at an early date, which was owned by Benedict Morris. Chistopher Bartley erected a frame grist-mill on Scippo Creek, which he ran until his death. Benjamin Shelby, son of David Shelby, the pioneer, afterwards bought the mill of Bartley's heirs and moved it down to the road and rebuilt it. He afterwards added a sawmill. The property was destroyed by fire in the fall of 1871. In 1819 Maj. John Boggs erected, near the mouth of Scippo Creek, a frame grist-mill, of three run of stone; he had previously erected a sawmill at the same place. He operated the mill until 1827; on Christmas day of that year his son, Lemuel

Boggs, was caught in the machinery and crushed to death. Major Boggs then retired from active control of the concern, selling a half interest in the mill to George Kellenber- ger. There were a number of sawmills on Scippo Creek at an early day. At Jefferson, Henry Nevil erected in the first settlement of the township, a wind-mill, which was used for "cracking corn" for a time. It was not thought much of by his neighbors or by him- self. It was a high structure, with long, broad fans or wings, and was a terror to the farmers' horses.

MEADE AND OTHER SMALL TOWNS OF THE TOWNSHIP.

Meade is a small settlement of 50 or 60 in- habitants, located in the southeastern part of the township. Reuben Hall has a grocery here.

Thatcher is a town of about 35 population, located on the pike from Circleville to Adelphi, on the north line of the township. Edward Barr has a general store here and Thatcher & Valentine, a blacksmith shop. J. S. Valentine is also in business here as a buyer and shipper of poultry. The postoffice at Thatcher was discontinued three years ago.

Hayesville is a settlement of 10 families in the northwestern section of the township, being located on the Norfolk & Western Rail- way. Fred Dumm conducts a grocery and hardware store; W. H. Grove is the village blacksmith and C. W. Rife operates the Dunlap elevator at this point.

Elmwood is a station on the Norfolk & Western Railway in the southwest section of the township. Here is located the Elmwood elevator, which was erected by Lemuel Boggs in the fall of 1876. The elevator is now being conducted by John Boggs and Chris. Weldon.

At the settlement of Nash, Mr. Lytle has a general store and carriage shop, while William Jones runs a blacksmith shop.

THE OLD VILLAGE OF JEFFERSON

Was laid out by Henry Nevill in 1803, being located in section 6, on the north line of the

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HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY

township. The first store here was opened by Nevill and was carried on by him alone for a few years, when he took Joseph Hedges as a partner. Another early store was that of George Brown. Subsequently quite a number of stores were established here and at one time Jefferson could justly boast of the extent of her mercantile trade. The founder of the village built the first tavern, which was first kept by a party named Bobst, who was succeeded by Henry Tom. The sign of the tavern displayed the portrait of Thomas Jefferson, in whose honor the town was named. Joseph Adamson was the last proprietor of the house, afterwards removing to Circleville, where he kept the Val- ley House. There were two other hotels built at Jefferson, one of which was the Caldwell house, kept by William Caldwell and others. There were also the other establishments nec-

essary to a town with a population of some 300 or 400. There was one brick building in the place, the dwelling of Major Puthuff, who served in the War of 1812. The house was finally purchased by John B. Moore, who took it down and rebuilt it in Circleville. The first courts held in the county, as stated previously, were held at Jefferson and a strong effort was made by the proprietor and the inhabitants to secure the location of the county seat. But this failed and the town began to go down and many dwellings were moved away. In 1840 the place had decreased to 85 inhabitants. No vestige of the town now remains.

Jefferson and the neighboring town of Livingston in Circleville township, which has also disappeared. were the resort of the intem- perate, idle and dissolute and were a great an- noyance to the sober farmers in their vicinity.

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CHAPTER XIV

SALT CREEK TOWNSHIP

When Pickaway County was erected, it was formed out of portions of Fairfield, Ross and Franklin counties. Salt Creek township comprised the territory taken from Fairfield County. It is six miles square and is bounded on the north by Fairfield County, on the east by Hocking County, on the south by Ross County and on the west by Pickaway township, Pick- away County. It is one of the earliest settled townships of the county, as well as one of the most productive.

The principal stream is Salt Creek, which runs through and gives its name to the town- ship. It rises in Fairfield County and flows southeasterly through the township, leaving it in the southeastern corner, at the same time gathering up several tributaries in its course, the largest of which is Laurel Creek, which is mostly in Hocking County. Moccasin Creek flows south through the eastern part of the county, then goes into Hocking County, where it joins Laurel Creek. The most important western branches of Salt Creek are Pike Hale Run and Plum Run, which have a general southeasterly course. Scippo Creek, a branch of the Scioto River, enters the county in the northwest corner of section 6 and leaves it in section 7.

Along Salt Creek and in the prairie portions of the township are excellent corn lands, while the more elevated portions are better adapted to the growth of the small grains and grass. In the southern portion of the township, where there is more or less prairie, the surface is com- paratively level, while in the eastern portion it is somewhat broken and hilly; on the whole

the surface of the township may be described as being quite rolling.

Noble forests covered the greater portion of the township, when the first settlers came here, the principal varieties of timber being the oak (of several kinds), hickory, walnut, mulberry, cherry, buckeye, paw-paw and elm.

. In the early settlement of the township, deer, wild turkeys and small game were very numerous, the killing of a deer being quite an ordinary occurrence. Wolves were plenty and very annoying, killing the sheep of the settler and making a hideous noise with their constant howling. The township was not much in- habited by bears, although they frequently came in and several were killed by the hunters of Salt Creek. The last bear killed in Picka- way County was shot in Salt Creek township in 1840 by Jonathan Dreisbach and John Reich- elderfer, who shot the animal simultane- ously.

In the apportionment of the justices of the peace by the Board of County Commissioners on April 6, 1810, Salt Creek had two, viz .: Jacob Lutz and William Drury. By act of the Legislature, passed March 7, 1843, that part of Adelphi in Salt Creek township was attached to Ross County. The population of the town- ship in 1900 was 1,680. The present township officials are as follows: Trustees-William Allen, A. A. Reichelderfer and George C. Lathouse ; clerk, Perry Aldenderfer; treasurer, Wayne Reichelderfer; assessor, Daniel L. Heffner; justices of the peace-Earnest Gold- fredrick and Isaac W. Rossiter; constables- Henry Imler and Charles Hunt.

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HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY

EARLY SETTLERS.

While the land of the township was not put on sale by the government until 1801, there were quite a few squatters that located here previously, who had been attracted by the rich lands, along Salt Creek. Some of these squat- ters remained and purchased land, while others moved to other sections. Among those who were here before 1801 and who therefore may be termed squatters were: Alexander Berry, John May, Conrad Kline, Matthias Hedges, Andrew Bussard, Christopher (or Christian) Myers, Jacob Sayler, Sr., and George Pontious.

The first man to enter land in Salt Creek township was John Shoemaker, who came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1801. At the sale of government land, in May of that year, he made an entry of land, after which he returned to Pennsylvania. The first patent was issued to him and bears date of April 20, 1802, being signed by Thomas Jef- ferson, president of the United States and James Madison, Secretary of State. He re- turned to Ohio in 1806 with his family.

William Stumpf came here from Berk's County, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1801 and entered section 24. He then returned home and two years later settled on his property. He was largely engaged in the business of buying and selling cattle, driving the cattle across the mountains to Eastern markets.

In 1802 Jacob and John Lutz came here from Pennsylvania, arriving in the township on the 15th day of September. The eldest son of Samuel Lutz, Samuel, was then a youth of 13 years. On October 15, 1811, Samuel Lutz married Elizabeth Fetherof and went to farming on a 185-acre tract given him by his father. He was a pioneer surveyor of the county and it is a matter of record that in 1810 he surveyed the first public road ordered by the 'commissioners of Pickaway County. For a period of over 70 years he continued in service as a surveyor, also following agricultural pur- suits. He served in the militia in the War of 1812, was in the State Legislature for four ses- sions and for 18 years filled the office of justice of the peace. He lived to the age of 102 years.

His 100th anniversary was celebrated by a large company of his friends gathering at his home to do him honor. One of his sons was the well-known John A. Lutz.

. Abraham Monnett, George Dunkel and Jacob Shoemaker came here in 1803. The last named subsequently moved to Circleville and was associate judge of Pickaway County for a number of years. The arrivals in 1805 in- cluded Conrad Brancher, Christopher Holder- man and John Judy. In 1806 John Reichel- derfer and family and his son John and family came to this township from Berks County, Pennsylvania. John Rarmon, Henry Wissler (Whisler, as the name is now spelled), Abra- ham Dreisbach and Henry Drum also settled in Salt Creek in 1806. Abra- ham Heffner and Nicholas Whitesel came here in 1807; George Dreisbach and his brothers in 1811 ; also their brother-in-law, Peter Spyker, in the same year. Jacob Sayler, son of Jacob Sayler, Sr., previously mentioned, came here some time during the War of 1812; Godfrey Creamer, who had been a soldier un- der Napoleon Bonaparte, about 1820; Andrew Delong, in 1831 ; and George Riegel, in 1832. Other' early settlers of the township were: Samuel Lybrand, John Burns, Joseph Schoots, Benjamin Kepner, Henry Mathias, Jacob Spangler, Samuel Noble and David and Jacob Foust.

CHURCHES.

As early as 1805 a Baptist Church was or- ganized in the southwestern part of the town- ship. It was called the Salt Creek Baptist Church until 1812, when the Lemuel Church uniting with it, the name was changed to Union Baptist Church. The first meetings were held at the dwellings of the members until a meet- ing-house was erected in section 28, which was constructed of hickory logs. In 1841 or 1842 a church building was erected at Prairie View (now Whisler) at a cost of about $2,000. Rev. Benjamin Case, who was the first pastor of the society, is supposed to have organized it. This church has been out of existence for 30 years or more.

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Another early church of the township was the German Reformed Church, organized at Tarlton about 1807 by Rev. George Wise, of Lancaster. About the same time a German Lutheran society was formed, and the societies shortly afterwards united in the erection of a log-meeting-house. About 1830 they put up a log-and-frame building, which continued to be used by the two societies for some years. The German Reformed society erected a brick church of their own prior to 1861, in which year the Lutherans built a frame church edifice. The German Reformed society continued to prosper until sundry innovations upon estab- lished usage were introduced into the church by Rev. Samuel Jacobs, who finally joined the Cumberland Presbyterians, taking most of his church with him. The litigation over the ownership of the church property that followed resulted in favor of the new organization, and the remnant of the original society built a frame house in the southeastern part of Tarlton. About 30 years ago the German Reformed soci- ety fell into difficulties, their church was sold at sheriff's sale and the society disbanded.

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History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 21

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Number of Pages: 923

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923