USA > Ohio > Union County > History of Union County, Ohio; its people, industries and institutions > Part 48
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In 1836 this part of Union county was made a separate civil township. The county commissioners' journal bearing date of June 6, 1836, contains the following entry : "The board considered a petition handed in by John Dysert, praying for a new township to be taken from the north part of York. Whereupon it was agreed that a township be formed, to be called Washington, to be bounded as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of the township of Claibourne, thence running west, parallel with the north- ern line of the county to the western boundary line of the county, thence north with said line to the northwest corner of Union county, thence east with the north line of the county to the northwest corner of Jackson town- ship, thence with the line of said township south to the place of beginning."
The lines bounding this township have met with fewer changes in the passing of decades than almost any other in Union county.
NATURAL FEATURES.
This township embraces a level stretch of country, slightly broken only in the western part by the streamns and gullies. Rush creek is the largest stream and flows into the township from Hardin county near the northwest corner. One of its tributaries is Rocky Fork. The north branch of Boke's creek cuts the southwestern corner of the township. Rush creek has several small tributaries running from this township, while several streamlets for- merly found their way into the waters of Fulton creek from this township.
Ponds were no uncommon sight at an early day here. It was really a wet. swampy portion of the county and was not of great value until a sys- tematic system of drainage, extending over a long period of time, was put
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into operation. Farmers can now produce crops sufficient in quantity to cope with their fellow farmers in other parts of the county.
At an early day large trees were deadened by the annual forest fires that swept over them. The land along the streams, strange as it may seem, was slightly higher than the general lay of the country and the land being dry attracted the first settlers thither. The first land surveys were made here about 1820-21.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Washington township's first settlers were largely a class of men who came in for the purpose of hunting the game which was then found on every hand in great abundance. The real proprietors of the lands here were mostly non-residents of the state. The squatters would pitch their tents anywhere without asking permission if they did know the owner's name or address. And the owner seldom objected to the building of a cabin or the clearing up a few acres of land for the reason that when he came to offer his land it would usually bring a little more per tract. if it had a cabin in which to settle right away. The darkest day for this township was when the game had all been killed or frightened away, and before the swampy lands had been drained out making it possible to cultivate the rich soil found to- day. It was a number of years after these first few squatters came into the township before the Indians left, and the red-skin and pale-faced hunters were wont to roam over the territory together in a friendly manner though never in company. These were largely the Wyandot Indians who hunted, trapped and also to some extent engaged in sugarmaking.
It is supposed that Ned Southworth was the first to settle in the town- ship. The date is uncertain but generally thought to have been about 1830. He came from Logan county and owned a piece of land on Rocky run.
Two years later Stephen Davis, a prominent man, purchased land on Rocky run, in survey No. 9.917. in what was a veritable wilderness. He came as a young man from Bourbon county, Kentucky, coming to Ohio in 1808. first settling in Brown county.
John Dysert settled on Rush creek when no other white man had driven a stake on that stream. He came to Marysville in 1836 and went down on Mill creek several miles and there located. He was a member of the Free- will Baptist church. He owned no lands but followed the tastes of a natural hunter and trapper. He soon had three neighbors.
The Titsworths were early in the township, coming about 1834. They had been residents of Logan county. Ohio, for many years. They claimed
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land here in this township in survey No. 9,917, a mile northeast of Byhalia on the Essex road. Hiram was the first justice of the peace of Washington township. Later, he sold and emigrated to Missouri.
John Foster was a fine specimen of a genuine backwoodsman. He claimed ninety-one acres in survey No. 9,917, but only remained a few years.
Jonathan Haynes was a settler on Rush creek. Later he operated a good hotel at Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
John Johnson settled about 1837 just north of Byhalia postoffice.
Jeremiah Lingrel erected the first cabin north of Byhalia. When the Marysville & Kenton road was put through it was found to stand in the center of that highway and had to be removed.
Another settler of 1837 was Marquis Osborn, an Eastern man, who first located at Urbana. His place here was later known as the Burnside farm. The same year came Moses Bedford. a shoemaker, who followed cobbling a few years and then moved on to the west.
Jesse Thornton located in Washington township in 1835 and purchased one hundred and fifty acres in survey No. 13.320, northwest of Byhalia. He originally came from South Carolina, but had resided in several other Southern states. He was both a cooper and shoemaker by trade, but here devoted all his energies to farming.
Southward Mather, an Eastern man, came in about 1835. He was an early Methodist preacher. He squatted on land which later he purchased.
John W. Basard located here in about 1837-8 in the extreme eastern portion of the . township on Rush creek. He opened a small grocery on Rush creek.
David Cunningham came from West Liberty, Logan county, settling in the dense forests of this township two miles north of Byhalia prior to 1840. Later he went west.
Other earlier settlers were Jacob Collins, James P. Scott and John Will- iams. James Bird, one of the very earliest in the west part of the township. effected a settlement there in 1838. Others included William Green, David Irwin ( 1836) and Joshua Hatcher.
As late as 1840 this part of Union county was thinly settled. Land was worth from three to eight dollars an acre. During the two decades follow- ing it was rapidly settled and much of the original forest was cut down and the lands cultivated. In 1855 Mathew Lingrell paid seven dollars for his land and in 1882 it sold at eighty dollars. Today one hundred and twenty- five dollars an acre would not buy it.
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In 1836 when the organization of Washington township was perfected, it is believed that there were only sixteen voters in that territory. At the fall election, the same year, there were only eleven votes cast for governor. Politically, the township was first Whig and later Republican. The first election was held at the house of Stephen Davis and after his death it was held at his son Ebenezer's house.
Of the schools and churches of Washington township, the general chap- ters on such topics will treat in detail. The population of the township in 1910 was 1,032.
THE VILLAGES.
This township has not succeeded in establishing villages of any con- siderable importance, but has tried in several cases, as will be observed.
The largest and most enterprising village is Byhalia, which in 1910 had a population of two hundred. It is situated in the southern part of the town- ship. It was never really platted as a village, but lots were sold by metes and bounds. Reese Miller opened a small store at this point about 1852 on the Jehu Gray farm. On application, a postoffice was established named Byhalia, but for what reason is not known. Mr. Miller was the first postmaster and he had ample time to attend to such duties, besides running his country store. The store run for twenty or more years under various owners. When the town was started there were three farm houses belonging to and occu- pied by Matthew Lingrell, Orson Allen and Horace Pinney. William Mof- fatt purchased a corner lot off of the Pinney farm, built a store room and there offered for sale goods from a stock he carried. Other dealers were Logan & Coleman, who were here three years, and in 1881 sold to G. T. & N. M. Baldwin. J. W. Mehaffy started a drug store in March, 1882, and a hardware stock was put in by Alfred Davis, who also handled groceries and notions. The first practicing physician here was Dr. Hiram Myers, who practiced at Byhalia from 1852 until the Civil War. He was succeeded by Dr. William Breese and Dr. G. Skidmore : later came Drs. B. A. Martin and George Martin.
In 1882 it was written of Byhalia that the village had at that date fif- teen families, two blacksmith shops, several stores, churches and a school.
It now has come to be a fair trading point with all the common branches of business represented. The list of postmasters who have served at this point since the establishment of the postoffice in 1852 is as follows: Reese Miller, appointed, February 16, 1852: Nathan Moffitt, April 25, 1857; Wal-
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ter Allyn. April 17, 1858: Jehu Gray, February 11, 1862; William Moffitt, September 9. 1870: Aaron Coleman, October 29, 1877: G. J. Baldwin, No- vember 16, 1881 ; B. A. Martin, December 30, 1885; H. S. Stamets, August 8, 1888; H. C. Ferguson, May 25, 1889; J. B. Johnston, August 11, 1890; S. W. Shirk, July 16. 1894; C. F. Haines, April 28, 1897; George Temple, March 6, 1901 : Sherman Fout, November 24, 1903; C. C. Wynn, Novem- ber 29, 1904: C. E. Bonham, September 7, 1905: discontinued February 14, 1906.
CHAPTER XXXI.
TAYLOR TOWNSHIP.
Taylor is the central township in Union county and was the last civil township to be organized in the county. The townships of Liberty and Lees- burg formerly embraced this territory. It was settled much later than other sections of the county, hence its early pioneers had the advantages of nearer mills and market towns and, profiting thereby, rapidly advanced in improve- ment and substantial prosperity. Government surveys were made here as early as 1799. York and Claibourne townships are on the north, Leesburg on the east, Paris on the south and Liberty and York on the west.
The full board of county commissioners met December 5, 1849, and resumed the consideration of R. L. Judy's petition for a new township, and finally all agreed to form a new township to be known as Taylor. Thus was set in motion the machinery for what has now come to be a well-known civil township.
SURFACE, SOIL AND STREAMS.
The township is for the most part quite level and there is but a small per cent of waste land to be found and little that is very hilly. The course of the streams is toward the south and southeast. Of the streams Boke's creek is the largest. It enters from York township and winds its way out into Leesburg township. Blue's creek rises in the western part of Taylor township and flows to the eastward. Mill creek flows through the south- eastern corner, entering into Paris township. Along this stream in the southeast portion of the township were clustered the first band of settlers. Here the soil is deep, rich and exceptionally productive ; along the creek bottoms and the flat lands the soil is a black loam, while the remainder of the township has a clayey soil, yet productive to a fairly good degree. Early in the history of the township, there were what was styled the "Cotton Slash," so named on account of the large number of cottonwood trees there found growing. "Beaver Pond." near the center of the township, was in- habited by a great number of those busy little animals, which had built a most perfect dam across a flat strip of land, so that in winter time they
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could have a good pond of water to burrow in. As late as 1882 there were portions of this dam still in evidence.
After the flat lands were ditched, it became the most fertile land to be found in the country.
PIONEER SETTLERS.
The first settler here is not easily traced out, but from all that can be learned about several who came in early and sought out homes, it is thought safe to place Adam Shirk as among the very earliest. He came from Vir- ginia, where he was born October, 1791 ; he was a soldier in the War of 1812; married Anna Dox, and emigrated to Fairfield county, Ohio; moved to Union county in 1822, settling first in Liberty township. In 1829 he cer- tainly made settlement in Taylor township. He resided here until his death in 1876.
Robert Maskill came in about 1831-32. On the same date came Rich- ard Judy, who was one of the judges at the first election in this township; he was also the first assessor, serving two terms.
James Irwin came in from Ross county about 1832. He was the first treasurer of the township, serving three terms. He died May. 1858, aged seventy-six years.
In about 1832 John McNeal came in from Ross county, Ohio, and a little later came John McAllister, Hugh McAdow, James Siebold ( 1835), Samuel Wheeler, of Knox county ( 1836-37). Wheeler settled in "Cotton Slashi" and became the second assessor in Taylor township. About 1838 the settlement was increased by the advent of Samuel P. G. Brown, Jacob Wigle, and others. In 1841-42 came the Benjamin Welch family. George Laugh- rey and Oliver Simpson. Another important settler was Robert G. Greene, a Vermont Yankee, who located here in the spring of 1838 on Mill creek, near James Hamilton's place. He reared a large family who settled all around him when grown to manhood and womanhood.
Another Vermonter was Gideon Draper, who arrived in 1838. Janics and Ira Draper came a little later and made permanent settlers. James Hamilton, born in Ross county, married Maria Blue, and settled on Mill creek in this township in 1835. He continued a resident until called by death in 1872 when he was eighty-one years of age. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. Joseph and Cornelius Sprague became settlers in the township about 1848-9. and James D. Sprague a year later.
Others who may be set down as among the pioneer band included Isaiah
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Sanaft, Philip Miller, Truxton and Leroy Ford, Z. C. Pooler, Benjamin Pierce, Joseph C. Hull and Henry Crist.
MILLS IN TAYLOR TOWNSHIP.
The first attempt at milling here was in 1854-55, when Thomas and James Yearsley erected a steam saw mill just west of the village of Broad- way. It was operated by the builders until it went out of business in 1869. It cut most all the lumber for the first settlers and some of the later ones, including finishing lumber for hundreds of houses. A part of the time they had attached to the saw mill a "corn cracker," which ground coarse meal and was widely used by the families in the vicinity.
In 1867 a steam saw-mill was started east of Broadway on the Marys- ville pike. This became one of the permanent mills of the township. In 1881 Morris & Albangh erected a grist mill and saw mill combined on the east bank of Blue's creek near the east boundary of Taylor township. As the timber was cut off and city roller flouring mills came into use all over the country the milling business here was reduced to a few saw mills. mostly of the portable steam type.
The first election was held at the old log schoolhouse, known as "Scott's schoolhouse," April 1, 1850. At this election delegates were elected to the constitutional convention for Ohio and resulted in the choice of Otway Curry and Cornelius S. Hamilton, representing the district of Marion, Union, Logan and Hardin counties.
Schools and churches are treated in separate chapters in the general history of this volume.
The population of Taylor township, according to the last ( 1910) census, was one thousand and eighty-eight.
BROADWAY.
The only village within the bounds of Taylor township is Broadway, which in 1910 had a population of three hundred and ninety. The county records show that on the fifteenth and sixteenth of August, 1865, L. C. Pooler and Leonard Richey caused to be surveyed and platted the village of Broadway. A. S. Mowry was deputy county surveyor and executed the platting. Cranston's addition to Broadway was made the same year. There were several subsequent additions made to the original platting. This gives the starting of the village, but before tracing out its history further it will
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be well to refer to a platting which was made just a mile to the east of Broadway by H. P. Goff, Hiram Danforth, Ira A. Robins and Charles J. Sayre, in' the autumn of 1863 in survey No. 829. There was never much building done at this point and no business houses were erected. The name given to this village was Union Center, and probably they had county seat visions in their minds. But Broadway went ahead and is a sprightly busi- ness town today.
It may be stated that before the laying out of the village, Peleg Crans- ton erected a frame house south of the railroad and in December. 1864. opened a store of general merchandise. The next summer the town was laid out. so he became the first dealer on the new village plat. The pioneer black- smith was John Bault. It was in 1867 that Mr. Cranston, aided by others interested, secured the establishment of a postoffice with Peleg Cranston as postmaster. The first postoffice in Taylor township was at Taylor Center. located on the Kenton & Marysville pike, and Z. C. Pooler was made post- master. holding the position until 1863. when he resigned and H. P. Goff was appointed in his stead. Upon the construction of the railroad and the building up of Broadway this office was discontinued.
The list of postmasters at Broadway is as follows: Peleg Cranston. appointed December 27, 1865: Wellington Armstrong, March 15, 1871; Alfred Dickison, July 31, 1876: S. A. Dennis, September 19, 1876; Z. C. Pooler, October 3, 1877; Wellington Armstrong. March 5, 1880; C. E. Yonkin. September 27, 1881; William H. Willis, October 29. 1885: C. F. Moore, May 25. 1889; W. H. Willis, June 26, 1893: Ida E. Witbeck. May 22, 1897; Otis A. Wilgus, November 15, 1905.
Broadway is now a fourth class postoffice. It was robbed in October. 1914. but the loss was not great. A few thousand dollars worth of papers of no negotiable value to the parties who stole them were taken. Blood- hounds were used in an attempt to capture the thieves but they were un- successful.
The first physician to settle at Broadway was Dr. Henry Vigor.
A spoke and hub factory was established here by S. A. Dennis & Bro. which run successfully until 1880 when it was moved to Upper Sandusky. The first train of cars was run through Broadway March 31, 1864.
In 1914 the churches of this village were the Methodist Episcopal and Baptist denominations. (See church chapter. )
The only secret organization in the village is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
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COMMERCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS IN 1914.
General merchandise stores-O. A. Wilgus, W. S. Fogle.
Hardware-W. S. Fogle.
Grocer-A. C. Voght. Restaurant-A. C. Voght.
Drain Tile factory-E. L. Redding.
Physician-Dr. J. Jenkins.
Shoe repairs-S. K. Baker.
Harness-John Crawford.
Blacksmith shop-S. K. Baker.
Elevator-Sanift & Sanderson.
Coal dealers-Shaw & Housman.
Lumber-W. H. Goff; also operates a steam saw mill and cuts much hard wood lumber.
Hay and straw --- Shaw & Housman.
Hotel-Charles Sanderson.
Stock dealer-J. J. Watts.
Cement workers-W. S. Fogle and L. H. Collins.
Contractor and Builder-J. E. Shelton, J. W. Yarrington.
Poultry yard and warehouse-The Broadway Produce Company, Bas- sel Stout, manager.
Justice of the Peace-Howard Shaw.
Notary Public-J. W. Yarrington.
Station Agent-J. P. Wilson.
Taylor township has a good two-story township house here built of red brick. The second story is used for the Odd Fellows hall.
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CHAPTER XXXII.
CITY OF MARYSVILLE AND PARIS TOWNSHIP.
Marysville, the seat of justice for Union county, is located within the civil township of Paris, and before taking up the history of the city the attention is called to the general history of the township.
Paris township was organized by an act of the Union county com- missioners, March 12, 1821, when its bounds were described as follows : "Beginning at the northeast corner of Darby, running west three and one- half miles; thence north to the north boundary of said county; all west to the line of Union township to be known as Paris township." As thus created Paris comprised a large portion of Union county, but by the for- mation of new townships later its limits have been gradually contracted, until it now possesses little more territory than the average of the other thir- teen townships in the county.
The only stream of note is Mill creek, which enters from the north, flows almost directly south to the center of the township, and, by an ever tortuous course, proceeds eastwardly to Dover township. The surface of land in Paris township is for the most part level, and the soil is of an excellent clay formation. The entire township was originally covered with a heavy forest, made up of many varieties, including sugar maple, hickory, oak, ash, beech, elm and walnut. A dozen or more excellent gravel roads gridiron the township, all leading to Marysville. Perhaps no better roads and more miles of the same can be seen in any single township within Ohio.
PIONEER SETTLEMENT.
The Armine settlement, made in 1817 by Abraham Armine and his sons, was the first real settlement effected within Paris township. A few roving settlers or squatters may have been in before the Armines. Of the head of this Armine family, Abraham Armine, it may be said that he was born in Pennsylvania in 1761. His ancestors had emigrated from Switzer- land about the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1785, Mr. Armine married Mary Wolford and in 1801 removed to Belmont county, Ohio. In 1817 he purchased one thousand acres in Union county. He paid two dollars
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per acre for this large tract of land. The same year he removed with his sons, John, Andrew, Moses, Frederick, Jeremiah and Abraham, Jr., four of whom were married at that time and brought their families with them.
Mr. Armine erected his log cabin on the hill west of the Newton pike, where the bend is made in the road. To each of his boys he gave one hundred acres, and the work of clearing up farms immediately commenced. They had few neighbors, but being a large family. they made quite a goodly colony by themselves. They were religious, frugal, and rugged in con- stitution, hence could cope with the wilderness and all that went to make up true pioneer life. Abraham Armine, Sr., died November 14, 1849, aged eighty-seven years. His wife died many years before his death. The fam- ily all grew with the country, and became important factors in their section of Union county. Perhaps no one family lived and labored more zealously than did this one. They were nearly all strong in the Methodist church faith, while in politics they were radical Whigs, the later members of the family being Republicans.
Hezekiah Bates, another settler of 1817, was a blacksmith from New Jersey, who settled just north of Marysville. After clearing up consider- able land and following his trade, he finally sold and located in Madison county, Indiana, where he died.
It was about this date that John Donly of Belmont county, Ohio, came to Paris township. He settled on a part of the Armine tract, east of the creek : he lived many years and left several descendants in the township.
Another settlement was made on the site of Marysville and near by. in 1817-18, by Jonathan Summers and Nathan and Eli Lundy. They came here from Fayette county; none of them bought land, but Summers built a log cabin and cleared away a small patch of timber and in the opening planted some corn on what is now a part of the city platting. He taught a term of school about three-fourths of a mile to the west of the center of the present city. After a few years he returned to Fayette county, where he died.
Nathan Lundy selected the spot for his cabin just north of Marysville, lived there six years and then returned to Fayette county.
In 1819 came Abraham Steiner, a Pennsylvanian. He was by trade a cloth weaver. He lost his father when a mere boy and moved to Chilli- cothe, Ohio, with Col. Ambrose Meeker. and lived with him until 1812. Col. Meeker then enlisted for service in the War of 1812 and Steiner moved to Madison county. Later Steiner heard that, by clearing a hundred acres
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in Paris township in Union county, the land would be given to him. He came here in March, 1819, remained a week in a sugar camp and assisted in boiling sap. He then went on eastward a few miles to Dover township, and there took up his abode in the cabin of Stephen Dysard until the fol- lowing June, when, aided by neighbors, he erected a cabin of his own on what was later the Hawley farm, two miles east of Marysville on the Dover pike. He remained there twelve years, clearing land and weaving cloth. Later, he moved to Clayton county, Iowa, where he died, aged eighty-four years.
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