USA > Ohio > Richland County > History of Richland County, Ohio : (including the original boundaries) ; its past and present, containing a condensed comprehensive history of Ohio, including an outline history of the Northwest, a complete history of Richland county miscellaneous matter, map of the county, biographies and histories of the most prominent families, &c., &c. > Part 36
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The next range of townships-17-now lies partly in Ashland and partly in Richland County, as it now exists. The first township in this range, No. 21-Worthington-was sur- veyed by Gen. Hedges, after his return from Owl Creek, where he had gone, as has been stated, in search of hands and food. What time in the autumn he surveyed the township is not given on the records in the county, but it is probable he completed all the townships in this range, save the north one, No. 25, before the close of the year, or before the following spring. It is certain he began Township 23- Mifflin-October 28, as two of his note-books are yet preserved, and are in the hands of the present County Surveyor, Mr John Newman. This note-book states, that, after an absence of six days, Gen. Hedges returned from Owl Creek, having procured hands and provisions. This would imply that he surveyed Mifflin be- fore Worthington and Monroe. As no records exist, the exact date of the survey of these two townships cannot now be ascertained. Gen. Hedges continued the survey of Mifflin until December 2, when he completed the township. His field-notes of this township state that the southern boundary passes over steep hills, and crosses the Black Fork, near the center of the line. He also notes the same of part of the eastern boundary. He notes the varieties of
beech, hickory, ash, oak, etc. He was troubled again with the variations of his compass, which he was at a loss to account for, but which was probably disturbed by metallic ores in the earth. In Section 21, he noted the existence of a small lake-Petersburg Lake-into and out of which he found a stream of clear water flowing.
The next township north, No. 24, compris- ing part of Weller and all of Milton Townships, was surveyed by Gen. Hedges, late in the fall of 1806. The southern boundary was found uneven and hilly ; the land, second rate ; the timber, mostly beech, oak and hickory. The eastern boundary was generally level; soil good, and the timber the same as in the south. save maple, dogwood and wild cherry are also found. The land of the township is described as " of gentle ascents and descents, some places level, soil good for farming, and, generally. more or less clayey. It has abundance of clear water flowing from never-failing springs." In the neighborhood of the " Short farm " is found one of the strongest springs in the county.
The last township in this range, No. 25, now Clear Creek, in Ashland County, and part of Butler, in Richland County, was not surveyed and subdivided until the next autumn -1807. The work was performed by Maxfield Ludlow. The land of the township is described in the surveyor's notes as level and second rate in places, and in others as rich and well adapted to farming. On Sections 13 and 24 he found an excellent lake of pure water, which Mr. Ludlow found to be twenty chains wide from east to west. Several Indian trails are men- tioned, generally leading to Greentown, or to the main Sandusky trail below.
This township was found to contain more archæological remains than any in the county. An excellent field is here open for the student of the extinct tribes that once inhabited this region of Ohio. The remains are noted else- where in the chapter on that subject, and need not be repeated here.
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
The next range, 18, was surveyed entirely by Maxfield and William Ludlow, in 1806 and 1807. The records in the County Surveyor's office show but very little regarding this range. Many of the townships have no record of any returns. They were evidently made directly to the State Capitol or to the Surveyor General. After much inquiry by mail, the year of the survey of each of the remaining ranges was ascertained, but the field-books could not be found. In this range, William Ludlow sur- veyed Townships 21 and 22, and Maxfield Lud- low. Township 23, while together they surveyed Townships 19 and 20.
Range 19 was surveyed entirely in 1807. Maxfield Ludlow surveyed Townships 19, 20 and 21 ; 22 and 23 were surveyed by himself and William. Range 20, the last one in the county, was all surveyed by Maxfield Ludlow, in 1807. It is evident that the survey proceeded from the east to the west, and that this range
was the last one in Richland County (not then created), to be reached by the surveyors.
As was their custom, they carefully noted all peculiarities of timber, land, the springs, the topographical features, etc. Afterward, when travelers or persons came in search of land, these surveyors knew just where to take them. Gen. Hedges kept a man who had been on the survey, ready, in after years, to show settlers where desirable lands could be found. Other early settlers soon explored the country, and became, in their time, guides to those who came after them.
No better and more truthful accounts of the new lands in the West could have been pub- lished than the notes of the surveyors who trav- ersed the county in advance of civilization. The same is true of the West of to-day, and, did people rely more on scientific observations, many a disappointment might be averted.
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXIII.
DIVISIONS INTO TOWNSHIPS.
WAYNE COUNTY-FAIRFIELD COUNTY-KNOX COUNTY-RICHLAND COUNTY, ATTACHED TO KNOX-MADISON TOWNSHIP .- GREEN TOWNSHIP -RICHLAND COUNTY -ACT FOR ORGANIZATION-COUNTY SEAT- FIRST DIVISION OF THE COUNTY-MADISON, GREEN, JEFFERSON AND VERMILLION TOWNSHIPS-TROY AND MIFFLIN-WORTHINGTON AND MONTGOMERY - BLOOMING GROVE, SPRINGFIELD AND WASHINGTON-ORANGE-MILTON-FRANKLIN- LEEPSIC (NAME CHANGED TO PERRY)- MONROE-PLYMOUTH AND SANDUSKY-HANOVER-CLEAR CREEK- SHARON - AUBURN - NORTHI BLOOMFIELD - VERNON - CONGRESS - FORMATION OF CRAWFORD COUNTY - ASHLAND COUNTY-MORROW COUNTY-JACKSON TOWNSHIP-BUTLER-WELLER-CASS.
TT will be necessary, to give a clear explana- tion of the various divisions of Richland County, to go back to the original county form- ations into which this part of Ohio was divided, and trace their alterations, made from time to time as the settlement of the country required.
The present county of Richiland was origi- nally a part of Wayne County-the third erected in the Northwest Territory. Wayne was created by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, August 15, 1796, and embraced all of Northwestern Ohio, Northwestern Indiana, Michigan, Northern Illi- nois and Wisconsin. This immense tract of coun- try was then practically uninhabited by Ameri- cans, save a few settlements in the central part of Ohio. The Indian war had closed, however, and people were rapidly occupying all parts of the West, hence a division of the county soon occurred. December 9, 1800, Fairfield County, embracing a large tract of country now included in Licking, Knox, Richland and other counties, ' was created, and Lancaster made the county seat. Again, the increase of settlements ren- dered the formation of new counties out of Fairfield necessary, and, in compliance with the urgent petitions of the people residing in the interested localities, on the 16th of January, 1808. a bill passed the General Assembly of
Ohio, creating the counties of Knox, Licking and Richland. By the provisions of this act, as expressed in its seventh article, Richland was placed under the jurisdiction of Knox County. "until the Legislature may think proper to organize the same." June 9, 1809, the Commissioners of Knox County declared "the entire county of Richland a separate town- ship, which shall be called and known by the name of Madison."
This township of Madison, the original Rich- land County, was thirty miles in extent each way, save on the east line, which lacked a few miles of this length. This was occasioned by the southern boundary being made on the old northern boundary line of the Greenville treaty, which diverges slightly northward about the middle of Range 17. At the date of its creation there were very few settlers in the county, so few that at the election of 1809, but seventeen votes were polled in the entire township ; the year following, this number was increased only two. The same year, several families moved into what is now Mifflin Town- ship : a few came to the vicinity of Perrysville. near where the Indian town of Greentown ex- isted. so that it was deemed expedient to divide Madison Township. January 7, 1812, Green Township was made by dividing Madison as
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
follows: "The division line of the township shall be one mile east of the center of the sey- enteenth range, in the lower township, and shall be known and designated by the name of Green." This gave the new township a terri- tory eight miles wide and almost thirty miles long. The order for this division is on the records of Knox County. and seems to be the last official one regarding the division of Rich- land County while attached to Knox.
The original act for the creation of Richland County, passed in January. 1808, reads as fol- lows : " And be it further enacted that all that tract of country lying north of the aforesaid county of Knox, and south of the Connecticut Western Reserve, and so far east as the line between the fifteenth and sixteenth ranges of Congress lands, and so far west as the west line of Range 20. shall be and is hereby erected into a separate county by the name of Rich- land, and shall be under the jurisdiction of Knox, until the Legislature may think proper to organize the same.
" This act to take effect and be in force from and after the first day of March next."
As soon as the return of peace was assured, following the war of 1812, even before the war had actually closed, enough inhabitants resided within the limits of Richland County to justify its erection into a separate county with entire control of its own affairs. In 1809, the Legis- lature provided for the location of the county seats of Wayne and Richland Counties. The Commissioners located the seat of justice for Richland County at the town of Mansfield. and returned the same to the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County, who gave it to the court in Knox County, who recorded the decision of the Commissioners. By this act the county had a seat of justice ready whenever the Leg- islature should " think proper to organize the same." Only a few years elapsed from the fix- ing of the seat of justice until the increase of population rendered the organization of the
county necessary ; hence, January 7, 1813, the following act was passed :
AN ACT FOR THE RECOGNITION OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That the county of Richland be, and the same is hereby, organized into a separate county.
SEC. 2. Be it enacted, That all suits and actions, whether of a civil or a criminal nature, which shall be instituted, and all crimes which shall here be commit- ted within said county of Richland prior to the taking effect of this act, shall be prosecuted to final judgment in the county of Knox, as though the county of Rich- land had not been organized ; and the Sheriff, Coroners and Constables of the county of Knox shall execute within the county of Richland all such process as shall be necessary to carry into effect such suits, prosecutions and judgments, and the collectors of taxes for the county of Knox shall collect within the county of Rich- land all such taxes as shall be levied and unpaid previ- ous to the taking effect of this act.
SEC. 3. Be it further enacted, That, on the first day of April next, the legal voters residing in the county of Richland, shall, without further notice than this act, assemble in their respective townships, and elect their several county officers, who shall hold their offices until the next annual election. This act to take effect and be in force from and after the first Monday of March next.
Richland County, as then organized, was one of the largest counties in Ohio. It should have always contained its original boundaries, but in later years a mania arose for county seats, resulting in the creation of other adjacent counties, which took from Richland County much of its territory. This will be noticed. however, in the chronological order in which it occurred.
The election of April 1, 1813. resulted in the choice of Samnel McCluer, Samuel Watson and Melzar Tannahill, Commissioners ; Hugh Cun- ningham, Coroner, and John Wallace. Sheriff. The Commissioners met in Mansfield Monday, June 7, 1813, and appointed Winn Winship Clerk; Andrew Coffinberry, Recorder. and William Biddie, Surveyor. This was the first act of that body, and the county stood ready to enter upon its course.
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
1
The Commissioners granted petitions for roads, provided for the use of the block-houses as court house and jail, and such other business as came before them, from time to time, until August 9. 1814, when a division of the county was made in accordance with a request of a majority of the inhabitants therein. This was the first division of the county after its organ- ization, and, as shown by the okl Commission- ers' records. was as follows :
"Ordered that said county be divided into four townships, and that said townships be bounded as follows, to wit: The range line between Range 17 and 18 to be the division line north and south, and that the second town- ship line from the south boundary of the county be the division line east and west be- tween said townships. Ordered further, that the northwest township in said county retain its original name, to wit, Madison Township ; and that the name of the southwest township in said county be Jefferson Township ; and that the southeast township retain its original name. to wit, Green Township ; and that the northeast township in said county be named Vermillion Township. and that they are hereby named as above."
This division gave Green Township a bound- ary of twelve miles each way; Vermillion and Jefferson, twelve by eighteen. and Madison. eighteen, the southeast corner of the present Madison Township being the point from which the division lines between each of the townships radiated.
The line defining the western boundary of Green and Vermillion Townships was made by this last division four miles west of the line established by the Commissioners of Knox County in 1812. Whether these officers failed to understand the proper township lines, or made the division as indicated by the settle- ments, is not stated ; probably, however. the latter cause was the reason of its establishment. This division seems to have sufficed but a very
short time, for, on September 5, Jefferson Township was divided on "the first township line from the southern boundary of the county." the southern township retaining the original name. Jefferson, while the northern one was called Troy. Each of these new townships was six miles wide from north to south, and eighteen miles long from east to west. December 5, Vermillion Township was divided in like man- ner, on a north and south line, making a new township of its western half, called Mifflin. the eastern part retaining the original name, Ver- million. This left Richland County, at the close of the year 1814, with six townships. one of which, Madison, was eighteen miles square ; another, Green, twelve, and four others, Ver- million, Jefferson, Troy and Mifflin. six by eighteen in extent.
The opening of the season of 1815 brought a fresh arrival of settlers to the county, neces- sitating a new division of the townships. June 6, the Board divided Green Township "on the range line running through the center of the said township." enacting that the part - lying east of the said line. retain the original name. to wit, Green, and that the part lying west of the line be named Worthington."
They further " ordered that the township of Vermillion be divided in the following manner. to wit : That Township No. 21 of Range No. 16 be and hereby is set apart a separate and distinet township, which shall retain the orig- inal name, to wit, Vermillion, and that all the residue of said township constitute one other township, and that the same be and is hereby named Montgomery."
This last division left Vermillion Township six miles square, or the same as a government town- ship, it being the first to be reduced to its final limits ; the division left Montgomery six miles wide, from east to west, and twelve miles long. These were the only changes made that year. / The spring of 1816 brought large numbers of settlers, and hence more changes were
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
necessary. March 4, the County Commissioners, Michael Beam, Samuel Watson and Melzar Tannahill, "Moved to the division of Madison Township, out of which the township of Blooming Grove is erected, containing the original sur- veved townships, No. 22 and 23 of Range No. 18 and Townships No. 22 and 23 of Range No. 19 : and Townships 21 and 22 of Range No. 20. Also, Springfield Township is erected of Township No. 20 of Range No. 20 ; and Town- ship No. 21 of Range No. 19; reducing the township of Madison to the original surveyed lines of Township No. 20 of Range No. 18." This division made Blooming Grove twelve by eighteen miles in extent, or two townships wide by three long. Springfield Township was made six miles wide and twelve long.
On the same day, the Board divided Troy Township, by "erecting the township of Wash- ington. consisting of Township No. 29, of Range No. 18. only."
This division lasted only till June, when " on application of the inhabitants of Township No. 23 in Range No. 16, it is ordered that the said township be set off as a new township by the name of Orange." This township was six miles square, and was taken from Montgomery, leaving that one the same size.
The next day, June 4, Mifflin Township, heretofore six miles wide and eighteen long, was divided, and Milton created out of its north two-thirds, reducing Mifflin to a Congressional township's limits, and making Milton six miles wide and twelve long.
It is very evident from succeeding records that Franklin Township was erected the same day with Milton. Almost the last entry. in the first book of the Commissioner's records-a little, square, unruled book of ninety pages- - is that of the creation of Orange Township. When the next book was purchased, a much larger volume was procured, which in the lapse of time became very much worn. Auditor Ward, recognizing the necessity of preserving
these old records, a few years ago had them securely rebound. In this second book, com- mencing June 4, 1816, two leaves-pages one two, three and four-are lost ; and, as succeed- ing pages do not record the erection of Frank- lin Township, but do mention it among the others as taxed in 1817, it is very safe to assume it was created on the date given. and the record lost with the leaves mentioned. At least, such will be assumed in these pages, leaving others to ferret out the mystery. As- suming such to be the case, Blooming Grove was left with five Congressional townships, an inference succeeding facts will develop to be true.
At the next term of the Commissioner's Court, held September 3, it was "ordered that the original surveyed townships, numbered 19. in Range 19, and 18, in Range 20, be set off and created a new township, to be known and distinguished by the name of Leepsic." This name, for some unexplained reason, does not seem to have been very satisfactory to the people, for, October 11, it was "ordered that the township heretofore set off and established by the name of Leepsic, be hereafter known and distinguished by the name of Perry." This township was then twelve miles long and six miles wide, and, by its construction, Jefferson was left its present size. Perry was the last town- ship erected in 1816, the year closing with Richland County divided into fifteen town- ships.
February 11, 1817, at a meeting of the Board, it was "ordered that the original surveyed township, No. 22, in Range 17, be set off and created a new township, to be known and dis- tinguished by the name of Monroe." By its creation Worthington was left its present size -each one six miles square. Monroe Town- ship was the only one erected that year.
On the 12th of February, 1818, the court "ordered that the two townships by original survey. No. 23, in Range 19, and No. 22, in
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
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Range 20, be set off and established a new township, to be known and distinguished by the name of Plymouth." Also, "that the two original surveyed townships, Nos. 21 and 20, in Range 20, be set off and established a new township in said county, to be known and dis- tinguished by the name of Sandusky." It will be observed that each of these two townships included a territory six miles wide by twelve in length. or two Congressional townships.
October 4, 1818. the minutes record that " on application of the inhabitants of Township 19, in Range 16, which formerly comprised part of Green Township, be set off and established a new township, to be known by the name of Hanover." This new township was made six miles square, and left Green. one of the first made, the same dimensions.
The next day an order was passed " that the original surveyed township. No. 25, in Range 17, formerly making part of Milton Town- ship, be set off and established a new township to be known by the name of Clear Creek." This division brought both to same size, six miles square. At the close of 1818, there were twenty-one townships.
February 9, 1819, " on application of the in- habitants of Township 22, in Range 19, accord- ing to the original survey, it was set off from Blooming Grove Township, and established a new township, to be known by the name of Sharon." This division left Blooming Grove six miles square.
April 3, 1820, the limits of Auburn Town- ship were defined, as the " original surveyed township numbered 22 of Range 20, which has hitherto stood attached to Plymouth Township." and that township created. leaving Plymouth six miles square.
For two years no other changes were made. An increase of settlers in Sharon by that time necessitated its division, and, March 4. 1823, it was "ordered that Township 19 in Range 20 be set off a separate township, to be known
by the name of Bloomfield." This left Troy six miles square.
Another interval of two years oceurred. when it was deemed best to complete the division of the county into Congressional townships. March 9, 1825, Township " No. 21. in Range 20. was set off and deelared a separate township by the name of Vernon." This reduced Sharon to the required limits, leaving only one division to be made. This was done June 6, when " Town- ship No. 18, in Range 20." was organized into an independent township. " to be known by the name of Congress."
This last division completed the work of the County Commissioners in this direction until new counties were formed, which took some of the territory from Richland, and made neces- sary new divisions. As it was, there were twenty-five townships, each six miles square. save Hanover, whose southeast corner lacked a little of being complete ; in all nearly nine hundred square miles of territory. Richland County should have remained in this shape. Practically square, with the county seat as near the center as it could be located, it made one of the best counties in Ohio, and, had no changes been made, would. to-day, be still in the advance lines.
The county remained intact until early in 1845. At the session of the Assembly that year, February 3. Wyandot County was created largely from the western part of Crawford County. In order to compensate the inhabit- ants of Crawford for the territory taken from them, a portion of Richland, four miles wide and nineteen miles long, two-thirds of the town- ships of Auburn, Vernon, and Sandusky, and one mile in extent of the north part of Bloom- field, were attached to Crawford. Soon after this was done, the Commissioners of Riehland County ordered the remainder of Auburn and Vernon Townships, left in their county, to be attached to Plymouth and Sharon. Sandusky was left the same width as the others, but the
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
change made it seven miles long, hence the Board thought best to organize it into a sep- arate township, and did so. Its shape remains the same at this day.
A yeur from this date, the Legislature again listened to the appeals for new county seats, for which new counties must be created, and, February 18, 1846, erected Ashland County, thereby making a seat of justice of Ashland. the principal town in Montgomery Township. This act took from Richland the entire tier of the most eastern townships. two-thirds of Clear ('reek and Milton, and a little over one-third of Mifflin; in all about 240 square miles of ter- ritory. March 17, the County Commissioners met. and ordered that the remainder of Clear Creek Township, in Richland County, should constitute a separate township, and retain that name ; also the same with. Mifflin, while what remained of Milton should be attached to Franklin.
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