USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. I > Part 29
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The first settlement was effected within what is now Brown township in 1809, by Charles McKee, who emigrated from Ireland, and probably Alex- ander McKee was the second settler, he arriving in 1810. For many years after the first settlement was made here the country was, perhaps, one of the best hunting grounds in all Ohio. Among the hills and along the beau- tiful streams deer, bear, wolves and other wild animals found a quiet re- treat, with plenty of food to live upon. Deer were plentiful as late as 1840. In the south part of Brown township was the famous pigeon roost, where on each returning spring immense numbers of pigeons would roost. This covered about six hundred acres and was visited by hundreds of persons who came in from a radius of more than fifty miles. Pioneer Alexander McKee, while shooting and bagging pigeons here, roused the ill-temper of a bear, of the female sex, who had four lively cubs. He tried to climb a near-by sapling, and in doing so was caught by the she-bear, and as a re- sult, before other hunters could come, was so badly torn and wounded that he went a cripple the remainder of his life.
Alexander McKee located in the east part of this township, near Big Jelloway creek. The Indians were then very numerous there and frequently visited the McKee house. This old pioneer was a jolly Irishman and kept a good supply of the best of whisky, which was free to his family and guests. One day sixty-five Indians came and spent the day with him, drank and had a fine time, but did not harm anything.
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Another early settler was Jacob Phifer, a native of Germany, who had served ten years in the German army before leaving the fatherland. He served here, too, in the war of 1812, belonging to the American army. He located here in 1818. in the northern part of the township. Besides be- ing a very enterprising farmer, he conducted a hotel where Jelloway later stood as a village. This hotel was on the old stage route from Cleveland to Columbus. Mr. Phifer died in 1846, aged eighty-nine years.
Zephaniah Wade came to the township in 1816. He was from Vir- ginia. He had commanded a company of riflemen during the Revolution- ary war and was an ardent patriot.
James Blair, who became one of Brown township's most prominent men. came to Knox county early in the nineteenth century, settled in Union township, but in 1820 removed to Brown township. He served as justice of the peace many years and was a man of more than ordinary knowledge and looked up to by the community in which he lived. He was no mean poet and the early newspapers of this section of Ohio frequently published poems written by his quill pen.
The early settlers here were mostly from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, with some from Ireland and Germany. Some had served in the war for independence and had seen much hardship as pioneers. When the last war with England came on, they took active part in that, too. It was such men, who had seen much of self-sacrifice and hard work, who laid well the foundation stones of Brown township, assuring its future pros- perity. The first actual comers to this township included these: James Serverns, John Corghnau, Richard Dakin, Samuel Parkhurst, A. Whitney, Joseph Hall, Jacob Bauge, Daniel Worley, William Prior, Solomon Work- man, Adam Sapp, Jacob Robinson, Jacob Shimer, Josiah Frost and Joseph Robinson, all men of strong convictions, sturdy and enterprising citizens, from first to last.
The first grist mill in the township was built by Immor Barrett, who came in from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in 1832, and a year later added a good saw mill. These mills were on the Little Jelloway in the south part of the township. The second grist and saw mill was put in operation by James Blair in 1836 and the third flouring mill was by John A. Pheister, in 1840. A school house was erected in 1840.
The only village within Brown township is Jelloway, in the northeast portion. It was first named Brownsville and has a population of a few hundred. It was platted in 1840 by Freeman Phifer. James Pearce built the first building and conducted a store in the same. Silas Brown was the first blacksmith in the village. Jacob Phifer conducted a hotel. The
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hotel just named, which was erected some years prior to the laying out of the village, was on the old stage road. The first postoffice was kept at this hotel, with the landlord probably the first postmaster ever commissioned in the place. It was known as "Phifer's Cross Roads."
While this hamlet has no railroad, it has always managed to be a thoroughly wide-awake place. In 1872 the Farmers' Home Fire Insurance Company was organized with a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. The first president was J. S. Tilton; J. W. Smith, vice-president; James Barron, treasurer; S. Hildebrand, secretary. This was of much benefit to the farming community and the result is still going on.
Five years later, 1877, the Jelloway Mutual Life Insurance Company was established at Jelloway, with Tobias Castor as president; A. J. Hyatt, S. M. Vincent, R. M. Critchfield, M. B. Thoma, T. O. Boyd and J. L. Hilde- brand were among the charter members.
The history of the schools and churches of Brown township will be found in chapters especially on these topics.
The population of the township, according to the 1910 United States census, was 886. This shows a falling off in the number of people, for in 1900 the same authority gave it 1,042, and in 1890 the township was placed at 1,062.
CHAPTER XXII.
BUTLER TOWNSHIP.
Butler township is a civil sub-division which was organized March 9, 1825, and was named for Benjamin Butler, an early settler at Mt. Vernon, who helped found the county seat.
While the soil is fertile in this part of Knox county, the surface is very broken and hilly. The scenery was at an early day unsurpassed for beauty in all central Ohio, and is still charming to behold. The northern part of the territory is crossed by Vernon river or Owl creek. Brush run and smaller streams are also found coursing through the township. The Wakatomika crosses the southwest corner of the township. At the time white men came here to occupy the lands, the entire township was heavily timbered with such kinds of timber as usually grow in Ohio. As late as 1880 there were many hundreds of acres of heavy timber, but year by year the axman has prosecuted his work of destruction. The hills along Owl creek and Brush run were made destitute of trees at a very early date, ow- ing to the Indians and ruthless hunters having set fire to the forests. This was that they might get a clear view of the surrounding country for hunt- ing purposes. This section is now covered more or less by red oak timber, of the second-growth variety. When white men claimed this territory, it was a fine hunting ground and the pioneers subsisted for a number of years on the game found there. Deer, wild turkey and wolves were very numerous. The first two years but little could be raised, hence this wild game really lessened what would otherwise have been almost a famine.
Coal has been discovered in this part of Knox county, but not in pay- ing quantities. Sandstone, for building purposes, is found in great abundance. In the seventies an oil well was sunk on the farm of G. W. Butler; after flowing a short time it ceased and the project was abandoned. Another well was sunk on the farm of George W. Riley, near the Coshocton county line. It, too, after flowing well for a time, gave out, but through these pros- pective undertakings oil was discovered on the Owl creek bottom lands.
PIONEER SETTLEMENTS.
The first settlers found Indian wigwams here and there and evi- dences that these people had inhabited the country for many years. Arrow
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heads, stone hammers, etc., were found everywhere. They had a small village on the lowlands on the south side of Owl creek; William Darling later owned this land. On the G. W. Riley farm many skeletons were plowed up and washed out from hillsides, all of which seemed to have been in a sitting position, after the manner of Indian burials. The early settlers also discovered a fortification, made by some people strange to the Caucasians. It was a stone wall in the form of a perfect semi-circle, one end reaching to Owl creek. Near this very ancient stone wall or fortifica- tion is a cascade and cave. It is supposed that the cave was dug by the occupants of the stone fortification as a place of retreat while engaged with an enemy at war. The settlers found that Indians liked dogs very well and would often part with a fine horse for a common dog. These Indians were friendly and frequently wrestled with the white men of this township. One Nicholas Riley often tested their skill at wrestling matches. One singular Indian character of this section was the old chief Tom Jelloway, who claimed to be a bird charmer. So, one day, the father of William D. Beatty induced him to make a showing of this rare gift. He ascended a tall cherry tree growing near by and then commenced to utter a peculiar cry, and in a few minutes hundreds of birds of every description were all about him in the tree top; also on the Indian's head and back.
Butler township, perhaps more than any one part of Knox county, preserved its original pioneer customs and style of living. The log house and fire place were in evidence as late as in the eighties; certainly many of these abodes were seen here and there over Butler township in 1883. Many miles distant from telegraph and railway communications, and on the largest hills of this part of Ohio, many settlers were slow in growing out of the old pioneer usages, but finally did, and today the farm houses are in keeping with those of other sections of the county.
Among the first to locate within this township should be named George Lepley, who was residing in Harrison township in 1882, aged ninety-four years. He came into Butler township, with his father, in 1805, when the settlers were few and scattering and wild animals held the country in their savage grip, only held in check by the Indians. Mr. Lepley, the elder, set- tled along Brush run, near the center of the township, when all was one vast wilderness between this place and Mt. Vernon's present site. His neighbors were the Staats, Carpenters, Rileys and Shrimplins, none of whom had made much improvement in the township, but lived from hand to mouth. Zanes- ville was their milling point and grists were usually carried on horseback. It is stated, upon the best of evidence, that Mr. Lepley in his sojourn here killed more deer than were ever killed in the county by a single man. More
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than one thousand deer dropped dead at the discharge of his rifle, from first to last. This trait was in nearly all of the Lepleys, down even to later and present generations, all being good shots.
It is claimed by many that the first white man to really locate per- manently within Butler township was John Shrimplin, on Owl creek. He was born in Maryland in 1778 and came to this township in 1805, purchas- ing three thousand acres of land, lying on both sides of Owl creek. Before coming to Knox county, he had made several trips by flat boat to New Orleans, carrying a cargo of whisky, pork and flour, which he readily sold for cash. In this way he was able to get the large tracts of land as he did. He built the first grist mill in Butler township, and some affirm it to be the first in all Knox county-it was very early anyhow in the history of milling in the county. After amassing a goodly fortune, for some unknown reason he committed suicide with his rifle. He passed from earth in 1818 and his son, Samuel, inherited his old homestead.
The second man to locate within the township and on Owl creek was Nicholas Riley, a Marylander, born in 1778, moved to Coschocton in 1803 and to this township in 1806, resided there until December 15, 1866, when death claimed him. Before settling here he had visited the county, when no one was here but Andrew Craig, the first settler, and was so impressed with the beauty of the country that later he came here to purchase seven hundred acres of land, which he did buy from John Shrimplin. With the exception of about four acres, which the Indians had cleared up, after their crude fashion, the entire tract was covered largely with sugar, walnut, buckeye and other valuable timber, which, however, was not then valued highly. Pioneer Riley made several trips to his old home in Virginia, go- ing through the country on horseback. In 1808 he, with John Hibbitts, went to Detroit, to see Colonel Hamtramck, a large landowner of Knox county, for the purpose of buying land of him, which finally they did. This was looked upon at this time as a great event, for two men to take their rifles and pocket compass and start on horseback for Detroit. On the en- tire way they saw no human forms or faces, aside those of Indians, until . a short ways out of Detroit, when a few French families were seen. They lived on what they picked up in the forests, made their trip and returned in good health and spirits.
Jacob Horn came in from Pennsylvania in 1815. settling near the Co- shocton county line. He reared twelve children and became a wealthy man. Isaac Darling. of Virginia, settled near Owl creek in 1806, went back to the Old Dominion state, but returned to Butler township in 1820. In 1843 he died in Union county. This family were always foremost in the country in which they lived.
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Benjamin Butler, a pioneer of pioneers, both in township and county, was indeed a character who left its impress on the community. He was born in Monongalia county, Virginia, in 1779. He moved to Coshocton in 1801, remained till 1805, and went to Clinton township, Knox county. He, with two others, founded Mt. Vernon, and he conducted a hotel there many years. In 1809 he became identified with Butler township, where he lived nearly half a century, engaged in both farming and milling. He died at his daughter's in 1872, but his son, George W. Butler, remained in Butler township and looked well to the landed estate left by the father, of whom much is related in the sketch on county-seat location and Mt. Vernon city.
Another settler was Daniel Campbell, who came to Ohio in 1816, lo- cating in Butler township. At one time he owned several hundred acres of excellent farm lands within the county. He was a native of Ireland, but had settled in Virginia. He was drafted into the war of 1812, but hired a substitute for one hundred dollars in gold. After he paid his first purchase of land he had four dollars and a blind horse left. But such men could not be kept down, hence he slowly mounted the scale and was considered among the wealthiest of his day in Knox county.
Joseph Staats, a Virginian, accompanied by his father, located in Butler township in 1806. He was the first man to put glass windows into a log house in the township, and later built a good brick house. He loved sports and out-of-door games and ran a distillery, but on account of hearing an early-day temperance lecturer, he was so impressed that he went out of that branch of business and became a radical advocate of temperance. He was one of three Whigs in Butler township, but could not be induced to vote another ticket. His father, who died in 1826, was buried by a large wild cherry tree, which appeared to grow from the center of his grave lot.
John R. Gamble came to this township in 1836 and was widely known in central Ohio on account of his connection with the public works. He had much to do with the early canals and roads. He bought a large tract of land on Owl creek and became an extensive farmer. He was also a mer- chant and grain warehouse man after the canal was completed.
The Carpenters were also noted pioneers of Butler township. They engaged in the Indian wars that were going on during the Revolutionary struggle. William Carpenter came to Butler township in 1808. He located in the northern part of the township.
In 1881 William D. Beatty, born in Butler township in 1807, was the oldest man then living in the township.
Many of the settlers here, as elsewhere, made whisky, on account of the low price for grain and because they were far from markets; corn, rye and wheat were all pressed into service for distilling purposes.
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One of "Johnny Appleseed's" largest nurseries was located in Butler township, on the island in the Mohican creek. He spent much time among the settlers. talking religion and fruit growing, his two hobbies. Many of the thrifty orchards of a quarter of a century ago, in Butler township, had the mark of his early horticultural efforts.
What was known as the Griffin mill was operated many years by Robert Griffin. This was the second mill in the township, and it is related that two men went to this mill with a peck of shelled corn each. They put the corn in the hopper and turned on the water by lifting the gate over the wheel, but, while the mill seemed to be running, no meal came into the sack. After an investigation, it was discovered that a large live bull frog had planted himself in the bottom of the hopper. and hence the corn could not run down into the buhrs. The milling interests of this township, in common with those all over Knox county, have materially changed since those early times.
The first postoffice in Butler township was established in 1817. Abra- ham Darling was the first postmaster. The office was then styled "Owl Creek." This office was, after a number of years, discontinued and one established at Green Valley Mills called "Zuck," named for one of the mill owners, Stephen Zuck.
There are no regular villages in this township. People trade at Mt. Vernon. Bladensburg or New Castle.
The present history, as well as past, of churches, lodges and schools will be found in the general chapters on such topics.
In 1910 the United States census gave Butler township a population of five hundred and ninety, less than in the two previous decades.
CHAPTER XXIII.
BERLIN TOWNSHIP.
Named after a town called Berlin, in Connecticut, this township was given its name by Stephen Cole. The township was created June 4, 1822, by the county commissioners and then embraced very much more territory than it does today. The first election was held at the house of Michael Harter, on June 22d. The territory was reduced to its present limits March 9, 1825. The wording of the record concerning this is: "Berlin shall be com- posed of the eighth township of the thirteenth range, except the sixth and seventh sections in said township eighteen."
It first belonged to Wayne, but afterward included the territory of Pike, before receiving an independent existence. Its north line is the southern line of Richland county. The Greenville treaty line, located by General Wayne at the close of the long Indian war in 1795, passes through the northern part of this township. It is a mile to the north of Ankeny- town. The Baltimore & Ohio railroad runs through this township, from northeast to southwest. The East fork of Owl creek also passes through about parallel with the railroad. The west branch of Schneck's creek. a tributary of the Kokosing river, rises in the northwest corner of the town- ship, and many fine springs of pure cooling water may be found in different parts of the township.
At an early day immense forests abounded. Hard woods of almost all descriptions were to be seen growing in all their glory and thriftiness. This tells the story of the present productiveness of the soil in the township, for wherever grows the black walnut, sugar tree, beech and hickory, there the soil can be depended upon for the growth of immense crops. When white men first invaded this solitude there was not an open space sufficiently large on which to erect a house. All was one vast forest and this filled up with a rank growth of underbrush and weeds. It was an ideal place for wild game and known as the hunter's paradise for a number of years.
No Indians lived here, but frequently hunted in the locality. Old Toby was here when white men came and established his wigwam on what came to be known as Toby's run. He remained until about the date of the war of 1812 and left for other parts.
An account of the work of the prehistoric race. the Mound Builders, in Berlin township is given in the chapter on geology and topography.
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FIRST SETTLEMENT BY WHITE MEN.
It belongs to old Bedford county, Pennsylvania, to have the distinction of furnishing this township with its first settlers. The Markleys, of whom Henry came to these parts in 1808, erecting the first cabin in the township, as now defined. James McIntire later owned the land on which he squatted. He was accompanied by John Brown, Sr. Markley purchased a thousand acres of land, on the north side of the Ellicott section, this occupying one- fourth of the entire township. His family consisted of wife, three sons and two daughters. Brown's family consisted of wife, three sons and a daugh- ter. The sons were Jeremiah, Thomas and John Brown.
Others who came in for permanent settlement were Amos H. Royce, the first justice of the peace, who came to Fredericktown in 1809 and to Berlin township in 1810. He was born in Connecticut, removed with his father to New York state and from there to Knox county. He attained an ex- treme old age, being ninety-four years of age in 1881 and lived several years thereafter. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, and for his military services received the land warrants which. the son made such good use of in Berlin township. Amos served in the war of 1812 and was with General Hull a short time before his surrender. He aided in building the blockhouse at Mansfield.
Another important family was the Leedys. There were five brothers, John, Jacob, Abraham, Samuel and Daniel. This family originated in Swit- zerland, then members of the family found their way to Maryland and from thence to Bedford county, Pennsylvania.
The following were pioneers in this goodly township: Stephen Cole. F.d. and Isaac N. Richardson, George Wolford, James Fraer, John C. Brown, John and Peter Kreigher, Frederick Ogg, Jeremiah Brown, Richard and Israel Roberts, John Long. Joseph Lane. Daniel and Joseph Hetrick, the Joslyns, John Moltzbaugh, the Wrights, Farquhars, Pinkleys, William Van Horn, Peter Woolf, David McDaniel, Michael Harter, John Lewis. Casper Fitting and some others whose names are now forgotten.
E. Richardson removed West, but his brother became a judge and a man of great influence in this county. Many of these men located on lands that are still retained in their descendants' names.
These first families naturally intermarried and reared many children. The township then developed from this beginning.
Uncle Richard Roberts, as all knew him, was a very clever man and a great story-teller. Nothing so delighted him as to be seated about his own fireside and talk of the early days and years in Berlin township. The cabin.
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the big log fire and such surroundings as that made him wake up to the things that he had passed through and he spun many a well-told romance of pioneer life to his children and visiting friends.
Another character was a Frenchman named Celestial LeBlond. His name was entered in the poll books as "Celestial Light." He built the Shaler mills, in which he failed and later removed to Bellville.
Michael Harter, brother-in-law of Henry Markley, the first settler, came to the township about 1808-09 and erected a log house on the crossing from Mt. Vernon to Mansfield and from Columbus to Wooster. "Harter's Tav- ern" became a famous stopping place. All the early elections were held there. The militia also trained there and of course made his place a head- quarters. It was known as the best hotel in northern Ohio. It was Harter who planted the first orchard in Knox county. He was buried in the or- chard, just to the east of his hotel.
Markley was a merchant, farmer and early county commissioner.
The second tavern keeper in this township was Jacob Switzer. He con- ducted a hotel until the railroad times, when it went into decay.
Shaler's Mills, a half mile to the east of the present village of Ankeny- town, was among the first in the township. The first postoffice was also located at this point about 1844. J. M. Robinson was the first postmaster. Following him came postmaster H. W. Gregor, who held the office a third of a century. It was conducted at his general store at Ankenytown. Maple Grove postoffice was established in 1849, with Richard Roberts as postmaster. This office was discontinued in 1860.
Amos Royce erected the first paying saw mill in the township. It stood where now stands the village of Ankenytown. Several saw mills were built on the same stream, but as the country settled up the water was not sufficient to propel the mills and they were abandoned.
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