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 77
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548
HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
September 3, 1816, Perry Township was organ- ized and named Leipsic, and embraced the territory of the present Perry and a part of Congress Township, now in Morrow County -two townships six miles square. The first officers of the new township were sworn in September 28, 1816, their names and offices being as follows : Trustees-John Cook, James Huntsman and John Coon: Clerk, Jonathan Huntsman : Supervisors. Benjamin Hart and Philip Stealts ; Overseers of the Poor, George Goss and Lawrence Lamb; Fence Viewers. Caleb Selby and Henry Sams. For some reason, now unknown, the name of the township was changed from Leipsic to Perry, October 11, 1816. and the next day, the Trustees of Jefferson and Perry held a meeting for the ·purpose of making a final settlement ; the Trustees of the latter township to make prep- arations to collect their share of the taxes levied by the Trustees of Jefferson August 24, 1816. Perry assumed one-half of the indebted- ness of Jefferson, which amounted to $27.47. the whole being $54.94 ; . and received one- half of a bond given by William Spears and John Zent for a stray horse, the former pur- chased of Philip Stealts June 29, 1816. The bond called for $17. Philip Stealts was Super- visor of the part of the township now in Rich- land County, and presented a bill of $4.50 for services. Mr. Hart operated in the Morrow County half, and his bill was 75 cents.
Perry retained the boundary given it in 1816 until June 6, 1825, when it was reduced to six miles square, or to the original survey, and the western thirty-six sections received the name of Congress.
February 24, 1848, the General Assembly of the State created Morrow County, and Perry Township was divided, and since then, the east- ern eighteen sections have exercised all the privileges of an independent township, and to the western half, a tier of half-sections were added from Congress Township, which has exer-
cised the same privileges. Four sections of land, of the eastern twenty-four sections, form a school subdistrict, and when the town was di- vided, one-half of the three districts was thrown into Morrow County. The schoolhouses are located at tlie county line, and in them children of two counties are instructed.
The first election, after the division, was held April 3, 1848 ; and, after the new officers were installed, those of each township, whose pres- ence was necessary, met at Goodbury and effected the settlement the division necessitated. The officers of Perry, in Richland, kept the old furniture and books at a cost of $5.67, and the funds in the hands of the old Treasurer were divided according to the amount of taxable property in the respective townships, and the clerks were ordered to examine the tax dupli- cates. Perry, in Morrow, received $56.09. After the division, the half in Richland County spontaneously received the name of East Perry, and the other half, West Perry. The more important officers of the two townships after the creation of Morrow County were as follows : East Perry-Trustees, John G. Amos, John Haniwalt and Josiah Moore ; Clerk, T. J. Da- vis ; Treasurer, Jacob Garver. West Perry- Trustees. Levi Hart, Abraham Hetrick and George Tringer ; Clerk, John Bruce ; Treas- urer, John Walker. The persons elected to office in East Perry in 1879, were, for Trustees, Jacob Shively, John Steel, J. S. Graham ; Clerk. W. C. Black ; Treasurer, John Zimmerla.
The first actual settlement in Perry Town- ship was made by John Frederick Herron. near the site of the ITaniwalt mill, in 1809. In 1811. Peter Weirick located a short distance east on Section 12, and John Cook opened a homestead in the southwest corner of the township, in the Lavering settlement. The next year, John Coon came from Belmont County, and pitched his tent on the southwest quarter of Section 12, and the same year George Ruhl. a native of York County, Penn., came to Bellville, and
WITHE MUSS- ENGCONY
Levi Bricher
551
HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
from there cut his road to Section 13 and es- tablished a home. His familiar neighbors were the Indians. They made frequent visits to his cabin, and borrowed cooking-pots and dishes, which they returned promptly. Soon after the war of 1812, Philip Stealts settled on Section 11, John Painter on Section 36, and, in 1815, 1816 and 1817, a general break-out was made. Along the creek, west of Haniwalt's mill, Abraham Hetrick, Lawrence Lamb, John Shauck and John Edwards settled. Those who settled in the other parts of the township were David Carr, Moses Packer, the Laverings, Caleb Selby, Bracket Dyer, John Cook, the Harts, Peter Poorman, the Singreys, Culps, Benjamin Kirk and a few others. So rapidly was it set- tled, that in 1835-twenty-five years after the first settlement was made-there were almost as many children in the township as there are at present. Since 1845, the enumeration of the subdistricts has decreased. The following is the enumeration in 1838 and 1845, of each of the ten subdistricts :
1838.
1845.
1838.
1845.
No. 1
79.
74
No.
6. 72.
107
No. 2.
.76. 91
No.
102.
105
No. 3
.73.
118
No.
8 ..
67
102
No. 4.
93
117
No. 9 ..
79. 81
No. 5
.. 96.
118
No. 10 ..
39. 51
John Frederick Herron built the first mill in the township, on the present site of Haniwalt's mill, on the northeast quarter of Section 11, in 1811-12. Peter Weirick was employed to do the carpenter work, and while he was erecting the structure, Mr. Herron went to Baltimore with a six-horse team, to procure the mill- stones. The house was put up in log-cabin style. The machinery consisted of a water- wheel, shaft and master-wheel, which articulated with the trundle-head that ran the stone. The gearing was made of wood. This invincible concern didn't reduce grain to incomprehensi- ble fineness, but it answered very well for the days of broad teeth and pioneer jaws. The
miller's ready retort of those days, on com- plaint of customers that the meal would not go through the sieve, was, " It 'Il go through your ladder." In 1814, Francis Baughman purchased it, and ran it till 1833, when it passed into the hands of John Haniwalt. The second enter- prise of the kind was undertaken by John Shauck, and a steam mill is now in operation where he built, near the center of Section 5. Other mills were erected in the township, that did a flourishing business for many years, but the failure of the streams to supply the re- quired power made them unprofitable, and they were abandoned. The first building on the site of Corbett's Woolen Mills, northeast quar- ter of Section 10, was a saw-mill erected by Thomas Philips, in 1830 ; in 1835, a grist-mill was added ; in 1848, Mr. Frairie purchased it. and put in a carding machine, and in 1849, the general woolen machinery. It came into Cor- bett's possession in 1876. The Perry or Eby Mill was built in 1837. and operated thirty- seven years. It was located a short distance west of the Haniwalt mill.
Hagerstown is the only village in East Perry Township. It derived this name from Christo- pher Hager, who first settled on the village site, the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of Section 22, and the quarter-sections that corner with it. The first store was opened in the village as a branch of a Johnsville store, and was under the management of J. Cannon and a Mr. Algire. William James was the first blacksmith. Through the influence of Jolin Sherman, a post office was secured in 1860-61. bearing the name of Hagersville. Much of the mail matter designed for this office went to Haysville, and, on suggestion of the Postmaster at the latter place, it was changed to Darling- ton, by which name the town is also known. E. Ruhl was the first Postmaster. J. Zimmerla is proprietor of a grocery and notion store at this date, and MI. Paxton has a dry-goods store. and is Postmaster.
552
HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
North Woodbury is a small village, located on the southwest corner of Section 18, and the cornering sections. The town was laid out by Joseph Terry, on land that he entered in 1820. An addition was made to it by A. Van Bus- kirk and John Markey, of Bellville. John Ruhl and Morgan Lavering opened the first store, and Mr. Lavering did the clerking. A. Van Buskirk purchased Mr. Markey's interest about five years after the store was opened. In 1874, A. Ruhl became the sole proprietor. About the time Morrow County was created. considerable business was done in the village, and it possessed all the enterprises necessary for a first-class country town. But as the country improved, trade was directed in other channels, and it is now destitute of any con- siderable business. A. Van Buskirk was the first Postmaster. A. Ruhl held the office in 1879.
Johnsville, the largest and most enterprising town in the township, is located on the north- west corner of Section 8 and adjoining sections. It was laid out in 1836, by William Shauck and John Eby. Boyd & Ackley started the first store in 1837. They were succeeded by Creigh & Shanck. The post office was obtained by Mr. Shauck, and received his name with the addition of an s. The office was kept several years at his residence near the mill, before it was removed to the village.
Ministers of the Gospel followed the first settlers to the township, and the propagation of Christianity commenced with the commence- ment of the township. The second church in the southern part of the county was built in Perry Township. The first was called a union church, and was built-in Worthington Town- ship, not far from where the Evangelical Church, known as the Four Corners Church, now stands.
Center Church is located on Section 15. The first church in this locality was organized in 1820, by Silas Ensign, a Swedenborgian. and a house of worship was erected in 1822. This
structure was burned after standing about five years, when Mr. Ensign and his followers ac- cepted the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a new house was built in 1828. This society continued several years, but it gradually declined, and in 1840 the place was abandoned. The Protestant Methodists fol- lowed in order, and Rev. Messrs. Bigelow and Bell organized a church, and the house was built designated by the above name. The membership is small at present and unable to provide regular preaching services.
Pleasant Grove Church is the property of the Evangelical Association, and is located on the southwest corner of Section 12. The first labor in the Gospel field, instrumental in estab- lishing a church at this place, was performed by Michael Shuey. The first house was built jointly by the Lutherans and Reformed, about the year 1825. In 1838, the Salem Lutheran Church was erected in Jefferson Township, and the societies were divided. The two branches remaining fell into bitter contentions, and the house was not well cared for. In 1846, an Evangelical society was organized, and the house sold to them the following year. Evangelical meetings were held in private houses as early as 1830. The present house was erected in 1863, at a cost of $1,500. The leading original members were C. Baker. S. Strome and James Steel. The Sabbath school was organized in 1855, with John Steel as Superintendent. The school numbered about fifty in 1879.
The Perry Church (Christian. or Disciples) is located in the center of Section 23. The organization was probably effected in 1844 or 1845. The principal members were William Dowland, Steven Cook, Peter Weirick, Levi Ruhl, George Coon, George Algire and Ilenry McFerren. The first two were ministers. Rev. S. M. Cook is now Pastor. The present membership is about sixty. The Sabbath school was organized in 1853, with Anthony Hard-
553
HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
man, Superintendent. The school has been kept up through the summer seasons ever since it was organized. It numbers sixty pupils.
The Clear Fork Church-United Brethren- is located on the northwest corner of the south- west quarter of Section 2. The church was commenced in 1852 or 1853, and the meeting- house built about the same time. The leading members were George Hiskey, Jacob Thuma, Peter Thuma, Jacob George, Daniel Cover and Jehu Fry. There are between thirty and forty members ; and Rev. Orr was Pastor in 1879. The Sabbath school was organized soon after the church. It has not been largely attended the past few summers. Mrs. Sarah Thuma was Superintendent in 1879.
In the winter of 1871-72, Rev. C. C. Ball held a protracted meeting at the Center Church. about forty accessions resulting therefrom. A Methodist Episcopal society was formed. The Trustees of Center Church refused them the use of the house longer, and, AApril 20, 1872, a meeting was held and preparations made for the erection of a church. Darlington was se- lected as a location, and the house-34x46- was built at a cash outlay of $1,600. Count- ing the lumber and timber donated, it would swell the cost to over $2.000. C. C. Ball was the first minister. Rev. E. Buxton filled the charge in 1879 and 1880. The membership is nine- teen. The Sabbath school was commenced in 1873, and A. C. Huntsman was Superintendent.
The Lutheran Church is located at the cross- roads, half a mile north of the village of Wood- bury. The commencement of the two societies which built the first church dates back to 1838, and, in 1841, the Lutherans and German Re- formed jointly completed a building. George Leiter, a Lutheran minister, and his brother, Samuel Leiter, a Reformed, supplied the preach- ing for the two societies. The first protracted effort by the Lutherans was conducted by Barney Huffman, a missionary sent from Penn- sylvania. The leading original members were
Henry Sowers, George Ruhl. George Hosler, Peter Baker, Martin Buckner. John Broad- beck, John Snyder, AAdam Bechtel and their wives. The Reformed Society is extinct. The number of members in 1879 was 145. The house now occupied is brick, and was erected in 1861, at a cost of $4,000. Rev. G. M. Heindel is now Pastor. The Sabbath school was commenced about 1850, with George Ruhl acting as Superintendent. William Huntsman filled the position in 1879. The average attend- ance was about fifty-five.
A short time before the first protracted meet- ing by the Lutherans in the new church, a num- ber of the people of the locality attended an Evangelical meeting. Among the number who embraced religion was Adam Bechtel. He was not, however, fully persuaded, and, after the meeting was ended, he prayed for a sign to con- firm him. One night while in bed, soon after, he heard a noise, and, arising to ascertain the cause, he discovered his family Bible was moved from its accustomed place on the shelf by an unseen power, and fallen to the floor. He picked it up, and, on opening it, the first pas- sage of Scripture on which his eyes rested, read like this : "He brought me up also out of a horrible pit." He was convinced. The revela- tion was noised abroad, and, in a short time a meeting was commenced which continued till the following noon. In the afternoon, an effort was made to secure a place to hold a meeting, but without success. The next morning, sub- scription papers were started to get funds to build two new churches. They were completed in 1842. One is the property of the Evangel- ical Association, and the other of the United Brethren. The latter society continued to exist till 1862, when sectional strife regarding the rebellion became so strong as to disband it. and, in 1866, their house of worship was sold to the Evangelical Church.
The United Brethren of Johnsville was or- ganized in 1850. The leading members were
554
HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
D. Cover, G. G. Hiskey, H. Purdy, W. Shauck, D. Riddle and Peter Thuma. The house used for worship was completed in November, 1849, is built of brick, and cost $1,237. The present membership is thirty, and the annual contribu- tions, for all purposes, $300. The Sabbatlı school was organized in 1845 ; membership fifty, in 1879.
The Baptist Church of Johnsville was or- ganized by Elder Wolfin, in Woodbury, in 1858. The leading members were W. H. Shank, A. and J. Kelly, and J. Fringer. A meeting-house was erected in Jolinsville, in 1859. It is a neat frame, and cost $900. The membership, in March, 1880, is forty ; yearly contributions, for all purposes. $275. The Sabbath school was commenced in 1873, and has an attendance of fifty.
The Salem Baptist Church is located near the center of Section 5. Meetings were held in the locality of this church in the fall of 1846, and
in January, 1847, the members met in the Lamb Schoolhouse, and organized under the leadership of Elder Benjamin Green. The principal members were Peter Weirick, Abra- ham Hetrick and John Weirick. The meeting- house was finished in 1848. It was a brick, and stood till 1877, when it was torn down and a frame building was erected on the site, at a cost of $2,100. Elder Green was Pastor of the church until 1856, when superannuation ren- dered him incapable of further labor. Elder Milton Smith was the latest Pastor ; he died in February, 1880. The membership is twenty- eight.
A tributary of the Owl Creek, called "Lost Run," rises in the central part of the township, and flows diagonally to the Knox County line. It received this name from a man taking a prospecting tour through the township, and getting lost. followed the stream to the settle- ments.
CHAPTER LV.
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP.
ORGANIZATION-SURVEY AND PHYSICAL FEATURES-THE WYANDOT TRAIL-FIRST SETTLERS AND SETTLEMENTS-
FIRST MARRIAGES AND DEATHS-YEARIAN AND THE BEAR-THE MARTIAL BAND-CHARLES AND WILLIAM BODLEY-" ENTERTAINMENT"-FIRST POST OFFICE - FIRST FRAME AND BRICK HOUSES - FIRST PREACH- ERS AND CHURCHES - PLYMOUTH VILLAGE- ITS LOCATION AND GROWTH - THE SETTLEMENTS AROUND PLYMOUTHI - A NUMBER OF FIRST THINGS - MILLS AND DISTILLERIES - CHURCHES -CHANGE OF NAME- FIRST MAYORS-SCHOOLS-RAILROAD-WHEAT MARKET-THE CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS-THE CEMETERIES -BANKS-NEWSPAPERS-POPULATION-GENERAL BUSINESS, ETC.
THIS township was originally part of Bloom- ing Grove, and was detached from it and organized into a separate township February 12, 1818. being then twelve miles long from east to west, and six miles wide. This terri- tory was divided April 3, 1820, the east half retaining the name of Plymouth. December 6, 1849. Cass Township was erected out of the east two-thirds of Plymouth, and the latter ex- tended so as to take in two tiers of sections
from Auburn. This reduced Plymouth to four by six miles in extent, in the northwest corner of Richland. This territory was surveyed by Maxfield Ludlow in 1807. several years before any white man settled within its limits. The land is generally fertile, slightly rolling, and across the center of the township, east and west, is a ridge which forms the dividing line between the waters of the Huron River and those of the Black Fork. In the notes of the survey, swamps
555
HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
and prairie lands are occasionally noticed, but the township was generally heavily timbered with all the varieties of hard wood, and is at present, all under a high state of cultivation. The old Wyandot trail from the mouth of the Sandusky River to Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) passes across the northeast corner, through the pres- ent village of Plymouth, and the march of Gen. Beall's army was along this trail in 1812. Gen. Beall widened this trail from a narrow path to a road of sufficient width for the passage of his wagons, and although it has been straightened in some places and abandoned in others, it is yet traceable on the map. Beall was guided through this country by a Seneca chief named Capt. John, who was a great friend of the whites, and evinced great sagacity as a scout, and in guiding scouting parties of Beall's army.
It was along this military road that the first settlers advanced in search of homes in the West, and naturally enough, upon this road that the first settler in Plymouth Township is found, upon the present site of the village of Plymouth. Here, on the headwaters of the Huron River, Abraham Trux crected his cabin, on the northwest quarter of Section 5, in the spring of 1815, and became the first settler. This cabin stood on the bank of an insignificant branch of the river, which passes through the village, and was a double cabin, of round logs. The lot is now owned by Aaron Kappenberg, and his butcher-shop occupies the exact spot upon which this first cabin was erected. Other settlers came in during this year (1815), some of them probably about the same time with Mr. Trux. Among these were John Concklin, who settled on the northeast quarter of Section 6 ; Daniel Kirkpatrick, northeast quarter of Section 8 ; Robert Green, southeast quarter of Section 4; and John Long, northwest quarter of Section 13. William and Daniel Prosser also came in this year or carly in 1816, the former settling on Section 19, and the latter on Section 13. In 1816, came John Morris, who set-
tled on Section 15 ; Thomas McCluer, Sec- tion 14; James Gardner and Michael Gipson, Section 1; James Douglas, Section 35. Set- tlers continued to arrive rapidly until in 1818, when there was a sufficient number to organize a township. The first election was held in the spring of 1818, in which Abraham Trux was made Justice of the Peace, Stephen Webber, Constable ; John Concklin, John Long, and Thomas McClure, Trustees. Thomas Mc- Cluer was made Clerk, and Asa Murphy, Treas- urer.
The daughters of two of these first settlers. Catharine Trux and Susan Concklin, were mar- ried in 1817, being the first marriages cele- brated in the township ; the first to Hugh Long and the last to Oliver Granger. No death oc- curred among them for four years, the first being that of Mrs. Mary, wife of John Conck- lin, in 1819. The prominence of her husband in the affairs of the township and church had given her an extended acquaintance, and she was greatly beloved.
Many of the settlers had served in the war of 1812, and nearly all of them were good hunters. Among the latter were Michael Trux. Charles Bodley. Jacob Wolf, Jedadiah Moor- head, Michael Gipson, Robert Yearian and some others. Yearian made his own powder and guns, was a remarkable shot, as was also his son Frederick, who used a light rifle his father had made for him. It is related of this boy, when he was about twelve years old, he was one day separated from his father while hunting, and came suddenly upon a mother bear and her two cubs, upon whom he at once made war. The ball from his rifle was, how- ever, too small to do much execution, and the bear turned upon him, pressing him so closely that he had neither time to reload or climb a trec, and so ran in the direction of his father. The latter, seeing him coming and the bear at his heels, called to him to run past him, which Fred did ; and as the bear passed, Yearian
556
HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.
planted one of his ounce balls in some vital part of the animal with such certainty and precision as to bring her down. They then carried the cubs home for pets.
The settlers had their full share of patriotism. What they did the Fourth of July, and at their military musters, is well worth recording, and will appear in another chapter. This township was especially blessed with a martial band for such occasions, the members of which were Charles and Jesse Bodley, tenor drummers ; William Dean, bass drummer, and Theason Richardson and Robert Bigler, fifers. They had an excellent reputation, and were often in- vited to considerable distances on Fourth of July and general training occasions, lured by the promise of dinner and drinks free. The Bodleys were quite prominent among the early settlers. Of these "Uncle William " may be specially noted. He was in his younger days a splendid specimen of a Low-Dutch American, standing six feet two inches in his stockings, broad-shouldered, bony and muscular, weigh- ing about two hundred pounds, cool and delib- erate, yet quick and active ; and to the day of his death never lost faith in George Washing- ton, his long-barreled gun, buttermilk pop, boiled dinners, knee breeches with silver buckles, plaited cue, his wife Dinah, or the ultimate glory of the American Republic. Neither did Mr. Bodley enjoy alone these good things; he had many neighbors fully his equals in manly proportions and patriotic zeal and fire. Will- iam Bodley, Sr., was at this time an elderly man, but in his younger days had been an In- dian hunter in the Mohawk Valley, New York, and had brought with him his long gun, which carried an ounce ball, and made a louder report, he thought, than any gun in the West, of its size. He was always fond of talking about his gun and its wonderful capacity. He hunted with it in the forests of New York, and it was his boast that it could bring down an Indian at a greater distance than any rifle, and when he
sighted a deer or an elk, however great the distance, he was sure of meat for his family.
There were probably not more than five hewed-log houses in the township prior to 1820. These were owned by Alexander McBride, Mr. Griffith, John Long, Benjamin Wooley and Jacob Vanhouten. Long and Vanhouten had boards, supported by poles, in front of their cabins, upon which was inscribed "Entertain- ment," which meant, in those days, "hog, hom- iny and whisky," which were enjoyed by the weary traveler at a moderate compensation. Whisky was 15 cents per gallon-the pure stuff-and was therefore used about as freely as water. Until 1822, the mails were carried on horseback and on foot, but about this date stages made their appearance, a route having been established from Columbus to Portland (now Sandusky City). These stages followed "Beall's trail " through this part of the country. What a wealth of fact and romance must have been crowded into the lives of those stage- drivers ! The first post office established in that part of the country was about the year 1817, a few miles east of Plymouth Village, on the military road, on Section 4 of what is now Cass Township. It was kept by a jolly old Hollander by the name of Jacob Vanhouten, and called "Plymouth." The regular six- horse teams began also to make their appear- ance along the trail, loaded with produce for the lakes. Arriving at the lake, they would dis- charge their cargoes and load up with salt, fish, etc., for the return trip.
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