USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. I > Part 33
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Andrew McCamment, from Pennsylvania, came to Jackson township in 1819. He took land on section 19 and lived and farmed successfully until his death, in December, 1864.
Another pioneer was George Holtz, from Belmont county, where he was born in 1800. About the close of the war of 1812-14 he moved to Coshocton county and to this township about 1830. He took government land at tlie government rate, which was about two dollars per acre.
Samuel Davidson came in the same year from Maryland. He was in the war of 1812-14 and was at the battle of Bladensburg.
William Hall was another early settler in Jackson township. He came from Pickaway, Ohio, but was a native of Pennsylvania. He came here in 1814 and located in the southern part of the township. He had a wife and ten children.
Washington Houck, though not a "first settler" in the true sense, was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, in 1799, visited Ohio in 1821, and, with a dollar and fifty cents in his pocket, walked the whole distance from Pennsylvania, returning home in November. He settled up all bills and
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accounts due his creditors in his old home in the Keystone state and, with eight dollars left, packed his belongings and started back to Ohio, February 22, 1822, landing in Hilliar township the 20th of July, when he removed to Clay township and bought government land at ten shillings an acre. After paying for his land he had eighteen cents left on hand. After many years of residence in Clay, he sold and bought in Jackson township. At an early time tobacco was the principal crop among the farmers of Jackson and all southeastern townships in Knox county, and Mr. Houck was absent from home once for two weeks attending tobacco house raisings. He bought land where now stands the village of Bladensburg. He conducted a hotel there, as well as operated a general store, many years.
John Donahey entered eighty acres on section 26 in 1810. He was from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where he was born in 1799. He was first to locate lands in the south part of Jackson township. His only near neighbors were Indians and the hills around about him were filled with ferocious wild animals and poisonous reptiles. He killed many deer and wild turkeys. He spent much of his time at assisting newcomers in providing cabins for themselves and in log-rollings.
Peter Fry, who lived to be a hundred and more years old, came to Jackson township at a very early day. He was at St. Clair's defeat, being forty years old at that time. He recalled many Revolutionary events and frequently talked with Washington. He settled on section 7, but was not financially successful.
Thomas Nichols arrived from Virginia in 1828 and took up government land in Jackson township. He was in the southern portion and was still residing there in the eighties. His sheep were frequently destroyed by the packs of hungry wolves in the near-by forest when he first made his settlement in the township.
Others who made homes for themselves in the township were: Jacob Striker, Adam Earlywine, Robert Wilson, Joseph Scott, Daniel Massholder, Daniel Blue, Peter Miller, Christian Baughman, James Harris, John Wheeler, Elijah Harris, William Braddock and Daniel Striker.
"Johnny Appleseed" was frequently seen here. One of the largest nurseries in Coshocton county being near this locality, he found market for his apple trees in Jackson township. Many of the first and best orchards in the township were started from trees procured through his nursery.
A terrible tornado visited Jackson in early times. The date cannot now be fixed. but it is known that what few settlers there were here had much property destroyed by it. Orchards were uprooted and stock killed in large numbers.
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The first grist mill was erected in 1816 by Samuel Wheeler, and the first saw mill in 1818, by S. Brown. These mills were run constantly in supplying the newcomers with flour, meal and native lumber. In 1818 a carding mill was put in motion by Samuel D. Ross.
Until the establishing of Bladensburg in 1833, there were no stores in Jackson township and Coshocton or Mt. Vernon had to be resorted to for trading purposes. In 1817, however, I. D. Jackson started a little store at Martinsburg, then a place of a half dozen houses. He bought all the tobacco raised in that section, and this was no small amount, for be it remembered that the south part of Knox county was a great tobacco raising district in the early history of the county. In this way the farmers were enabled to pay for lands and keep up taxes each year. This, with the distilling of rye and corn into whisky, gave a good ready money revenue and all hands worked, and most all drank, too. The last still-house, however, had disappeared by Civil war times.
See general chapters for an account of schools and churches in Jackson township.
VILLAGES IN JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
The only village within Jackson township is Bladensburg. The first village started was named Front Royal, located on the farm owned by Will- iam Darling, in the north part of the township, about 1832. It had a small store and a blacksmith shop, with several residences. For a number of years it flourished as a country village, but when it became known that the title to the land on which the lots had been platted was not good, the place was soon abandoned, so that not a sign of a village is to be discovered on the spot today.
Bladensburg was laid out in 1833 by John and Samuel Wheeler and Washington Houck. This place lies in both Clay and Jackson townships, but the greater portion in Jackson township. The first house was erected by Washington Houck, who also started a blacksmith shop and conducted the hotel. Later he engaged in merchandising.
The original store of the village was opened by John Wheeler in 1833. He was a prominent citizen, a Whig in politics and a great factor as a work- ing member in the Disciples church. He later removed to Iowa. He was Bladensburg's first postmaster and Washington Houck was the letter carrier. Mail came once each week from Martinsburg, the carrier going on foot, a distance of four miles, for which he was paid the sum of eight dollars or eighteen months' service. Other postmasters have been John Hanna, Eliza-
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beth Hanna. James P. Ross, 1880, Emma W. Gardner, from 1885 to 1893; A. Blue, 1893 to 1897; N. K. Ramsey, from July 1, 1897, to the present date.
A rural delivery route was established here October 1, 1903. The office has one mail each way daily ; the amount of business for this postoffice for the year ending June 30, 191I, was $527.31.
A flourishing mill was built long before the town existed at this point. It was on the banks of the Wakatomica, whose waters propelled it.
An early physician was Dr. A. C. Scott, who came in 1841 with pills and quinine and saddle-bags to heal the afflicted of pioneer disorders. He de- veloped into a first class practitioner and practiced many years.
The reader will be informed as to lodges, churches and schools by re- ferring to the general chapters.
In 1881 the business of Bladensburg consisted largely of the three dry goods stores, a grocery, a jewelry store, two hotels, a barber shop, a millinery store. a harness shop, several blacksmiths, a good grist mill, a saw mill. It had two hundred population. James Ross was postmaster at the date last given. Mails were had from Utica and it was then a daily service.
BLADENSBURG IN I9II.
The following have control of the social and business enterprises of the village in 1911 : General stores, C. V. Horn, Mizer & Hull; hardware and grocery, E. L. Wolfe; restaurant. A. D. Hess; shoes, John Martin; under- taking, L. McCamment ; meats and groceries, Carpenter & Rine ; blacksmiths, Collins McQueen. D. M. Wiggins, Jesse Baird; mill, Nathaniel Tay- lor ; physicians, W. W. Stonehocker, Norman Hull ; lodges, Masons, Knights of Pythias and Maccabees : churches, Disciples and Presbyterian.
CHAPTER XXXII.
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP.
Liberty township was organized by the county commissioners June 4, 1822, when its boundary lines embraced very much more territory than at present. In March, 1825, it was cut down to the limits described herewith : "Ordered that Liberty township shall be composed of the sixth township in the fourteenth range."
It is the second township from the south line and third from the north line in the county and on the western line, with Holmes for its western boundary. The Baltimore & Ohio railroad (as now called) runs through its southern part, with Mt. Liberty as a station point in the southwestern corner, It had a population of 808 in 1910, several hundred less than in the two previous federal census periods, it having 908 in 1900 and 1,044 in 1890.
The surface in this part of Knox county is rolling, but not particularly rough and hilly. Its streams are Dry creek, Granny's creek and Armstrong's run. The soil is composed of a rich loam. One-third or half of the land within this township is under cultivation, the balance in grass and wood- lands. Originally, timber covered the entire township and included the varie- ties common to this part of Ohio. The Mound Builders' works and fortifi- cations in this township were but few and are not very noticeable at this writing. The only one deserving mention is that one mile to the east of Mt. Liberty village, where there was a mound thirty feet in diameter, originally ten feet hgh, but time and plowing have materially lowered it. Mr. Hig- gins, who owned the land, made excavations, but found nothing of interest -- merely some ashes and charcoal. In an adjoining field, on much lower ground, is found a circular embankment, one hundred feet in diameter. This originally had the appearance of a military work or fortification. Mystery, of course, surrounds all of these Knox county "mounds."
THE FIRST PIONEERS.
The following constituted the early settlers in Liberty township : Francis Atherton, Francis Blakeney, Thomas Fletcher, George Ginn, Francis Hard- esty, Alexander Dallas. These all came in from Washington county, Penn-
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sylvania, in the spring of 1805, hence were among the first to locate in Knox county. They located on Dry creek.
Mr. Atherton was a mechanical genius and built the first frame house in the township, the same being raised in 1808. He also built a mill-intended to be a grist mill-on Dry creek, but he died before its completion, and the mill was never made a complete success. Francis Atherton and wife buried the first child in the township.
Alexander Dallas was a rough character, a distiller by trade; he was finally landed in the penitentiary for burning a neighbor's barn.
In the spring of 1810 Joseph Higgins pitched his tent a mile to the east of the present site of Mt. Liberty.
John Wilson was the earliest blacksmith. He had a shop in 1811 on land later owned by George Carey.
Lewis Bricker, Sr., of Greene county, Pennsylvania, having faith in the West, desired to provide his large family of children with cheap lands. He purchased sixteen hundred acres in the northeastern portion of what is now Liberty township, in the spring of 1810. He sent Peter Bricker and George Lewis, his brother-in-law, and they, being homesick from the first, remained a time, but, hearing the hoot owls and wolves at night, they con- cluded to let the land go back. They reported that it was worthless and that no one could ever live here on account of the wild state of the country. They saw many Indians and hence did not want to bring their dear ones here to die. They went back.
The father, however, being more used to hardships and frontier life, determined to make a second effort at utilizing his large landed interests here in Knox county. He sent another delegation, and kept on until he succeeded in getting Peter, George, John, Jacob, David, Solomon, Lewis, Catherine, Rachel and Mrs. George Lewis all to effect a settlement, and all succeeded in making good, comfortable homes and were finally glad they were ever in- duced to leave Pennsylvania and its mountains. These families all reared other children until the township was really a Pennsylvania colony. One of the Brickers being unable to erect his cabin in the late fall after he arrived, turned his big freight wagon box bottomside up and, with some changes, managed to live therein during the first winter in Liberty township.
Later settlers, though considered early, were the Coyles, Humphries, Severes, Careys, Hollisters, Magoons, Gearharts and Wolfs. The first families had to undergo many a hardship, but finally made it win. Their descendants are in possession of much of the Liberty township of today, and are happy and prosperous.
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Gilman Bryant built the first successful mill in this township; it was on Dry creek, near the present site of the county infirmary. He finished a saw mill in 1824 and a grist mill in 1825. A "corn-cracker" was put in motion by John Wilson in 1829 on the Proper place. Then mills of various kinds sprung up everywhere, including the plants built by Samuel Thatcher, Sr., on the north fork of Dry creek, in 1827, to which he added a carding mill in 1839; this was a half mile east of Mt. Liberty. He abandoned this mill after two years. He was known as the "mill-builder," but he was not a successful financier.
Early hotels were the ones kept by Francis Wilkins, perhaps the earliest one; the one by Jerome Rowley; one by Samuel Thatcher, Sr., -in 1833, and several others, where the weary traveler and land seeker might refresh himself with both food and drink.
The first election was held in 1822, but no record of its results can be found today.
Liberty township has come to be a good agricultural district. From the day when the first threshing machine was started by Leonard Weaver, and the first mower by Amos Leech, vast have been the changes in farm life. It is now one of the best sections for farming in Knox county.
The churches, schools and lodges are spoken of in the general chapters under their several topic headings, hence will not need to be named here.
VILLAGE OF MOUNT LIBERTY.
Mt. Liberty and Bangs are the only towns in this township. Of Mt. Liberty, it may be said that it was situated on the old state road leading from Mt. Vernon to Columbus, in the best part of the country on Dry creek. Samuel Thatcher, Sr., owned the land and platted the village in company with George Beardsheare, October 8, 1835. The place grew very slow until for- tunately the line of the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon & Columbus railroad was sur- veyed through the county, since which time new life has shown its effect there in a good business point, for one so near the county seat city, Mt. Ver- non. The railroad was built in 1872-3.
Henry A. Childs, M. D., was the first doctor of the village, having come in 1837.
In 1829 Henry Lavering kept a small store, in which powder, lead, to- bacco, whisky and a small assortment of groceries were kept for sale.
Newton B. Rice started the first good store in the village, in 1832.
Pioneer Lavering was also the first postmaster at Mt. Liberty, being appointed in 1832, and was succeeded by the following persons: James
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Sever, John W. Cotton, Luther Hill, John McAllister, Dr. H. A. Childs, Will- iam Conway, Prentice S. Wilson, Williams McGaughey, E. D. Bryant, D. K. Waldruff, Judson Hildreth, C. R. Lineweaver, Daniel Veatch, G. R. Bowlby, J. P. Wintermute, who was in office in 1881. Since then there have been the following: Ramsey, Hawkins, Jackson, Whitefield. Rob- ertson. The office only paid the sum of two hundred eleven dollars and forty cents in the year ending July, 1911. This office was robbed a few years since and the loss in stamps and money was eighty-eight dollars and fifty cents. There was another robbery of this postoffice, but no facts are at hand.
In the autumn of 1911 the business of Mt. Liberty was as follows: R. B. Mclaughlin, physician; W. R. Rowland, drugs and medicines ; D. L. Teagarden, groceries; D. E. Wintermute, hardware and roofing; Coe & Buckmaster, hay, grain, poultry and cement ; J. M. Shafer & Son, hay dealers ; O. M. Thatcher, poultry. The blacksmiths are L. M. Tucker and W. O. Coe. The churches of the village are the Methodist Episcopal. Advent and Christian denominations.
The only lodge of the village is the Knights of Maccabees.
VILLAGE OF BANGS.
Bangs-or Bangs Station, as sometimes called-is a little station point on the line between Liberty and Milford townships, on the Pennsylvania line of railroad, as called today. It derived its name after George H. Bangs, a United States mail superintendent when the office was established there. When the railroad was under construction in 1872-3, William H. Smith bought the adjoining land of Shannon Rowley, built a house and opened a store just opposite the county infirmary. He was made post- master in 1873 and held the office many years. Others who have held this position at Bangs are: W. H. Smith, L. W. Spillman, from 1888 to 1907, when the office was turned over to the present postmaster, Ellis Oliver, who conducts the only store of the place now. Besides the above there is a good blacksmith shop and a Methodist Protestant church, built in 1860, with this inscription over the doorway: "My Father's House-Beulah Church."
At Bangs is located the largest natural gas pumping station in this sec- tion of Ohio. It is the property of the Logan Natural Gas and Fuel Company.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
MILFORD TOWNSHIP.
Milford township in 1808, with what now comprises Hilliar, Miller, Morgan and the west half of Clay, the south half of Pleasant, and the south- west quarter of Harrison townships, constituted Morgan township. On Sep- tember 4, 1815, Morgan was divided by the county commissioners, forming a new township known as "Sycamore" township, which comprised what is now Hilliar. Milford, Miller, and a strip of land one mile wide from the west side of Morgan, and one section from the south corner of Pleasant. October IO, 1815, the name of the township was changed from Sycamore to Miller.
In 1818 a petition was presented the commissioners of Knox county, ask- ing that a new township be formed from the west end of Miller, to be called Hilliar and in August of that year this was granted. Then in 1833 a petition was presented asking for another new township to be taken from the west side of Miller, to be known as Milford and on March 3d of the same year this was granted. It embraces a territory five miles square and historian Norton remarks that its name was chosen after this wise: "The settlers met together and various names were proposed; among the number, Judson Lamson pro- posed that it should be called Milford, taking the idea from his native town, New Milford, Connecticut. Some objection was offered to every other name but this, and in consideration of the fact that Mr. Lamson was one of the oldest settlers, and also it being a New England name-those present being all from 'down East'-it was finally adopted."
Of its topography it may be briefly stated that this township is generally quite even and level, with some portions slightly rolling. Licking creek flows near the southern border, where the soil is exceptionally fertile. Sycamore creek rises in the western portion, crossing the territory to the east. Between these two streams the surface is level and very productive of excellent crops. Dry creek flows across the extreme northwest corner of the township. This is, as is most of Knox county, well fitted for grazing purposes. It was originally covered with forests, including the beech, rock maple, soft maple, elm, white and black hickory, white and swamp oak, black walnut, butternut, wild cherry, bass wood, cucumber, buckeye and some fine sycamore trees.
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Among the principal wild animals found here by pioneers were the deer, opossum, porcupine, black and grey squirrels, raccoon and common rabbits. Then there were immense flocks of wild turkeys, pheasants, owls, hawks, etc.
The north half of this township consisted of unappropriated military lands.
PIONEER SETTLERS.
Milford's first permanent settler was Thomas Merchant, who, with James Pell, from Massachusetts, purchased the northwest quarter of section 5, being the northwest section of the township. They there erected their cabins and located with their families the same season. Late in the autumn of that year came John Davis with his family and they located on the southwest quarter of section 6. He was an elder in the Baptist church, and wore buckskin panta- loons. His wife was the first person to die in the township. The date was some time in 1818.
In 1816 Major Buxton bought the southwest quarter of section 9, and his brother, Sylvester, the southeast quarter of the same section. Each built a cabin and remained about one year. They were Vermonters and the families have long years since passed from the county.
John Beardslee, in 1817, purchased the southwest quarter of section 9 of Sylvester Buxton. His brother, William Beardslee, in 1818, bought the west part of this quarter section and remained permanently.
In 1817 came two brothers, Harris and Stephen Hawkins, from Rhode Island, and purchased the Major Buxton place on section 9. In that year came Jacob Simons, from Vermont, who located in the northwest quarter of section 10. He had one son, Horton J., later of Mt. Vernon, and one daugh- ter
It was also in 1817 when Aaron Hill, from Massachusetts, who had emi- grated to Knox county in 1811. came in and purchased the northwest quarter of section 3.
Erastus Riley and James Robinson bought the northeast quarter of sec- tion 1. James Fry bought the northwest quarter and John Lash the southwest quarter.
It was also in 1817 when Judson Lamson, from Connecticut, came to claim land in section 8. He came from New Milford, Connecticut, and hence it was that finally the township was named for him. He came to this town- ship in the month of February, and after making maple sugar during the month of March, returned to his native country on foot, performing the long journey at the rate of about fifty miles per day. The same year he returned with his family and located permanently. He died on his old homestead in May, 1867,
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aged eighty-eight years. By trade he was a brick-mason and was known as the hardiest of all pioneers in the township.
By about 1820 most all of the north part of the township had been taken up by actual settlers. Among the first up there was John Jeffers, in 1818, who settled on section 3. Jesse Smith located on section 2; Uziel Stevens, on the northeast quarter of the same section ; Leonard Simons, on the southwest quarter of section 10; John Simons, on section 9; Curtis Terril, on section 9. In 1826, Frederick J. Dinsey, of Maryland, purchased the west part of the northeast quarter of section 13, Cornelius Sharp locating on another part of the same section. In 1829 came Preserve Smith, a Connecticut Yankee, and bought the southeast quarter of section 8.
The men who first set foot on the soil of Milford township were men of brains and muscle and made the best possible use of the country they came in to possess. The price of land was one dollar and a quarter per acre for con- gress lands and as high as four dollars for choice military lands, the first selected. The hard times seen in those days have forever disappeared. The hoot owl, the bear, the sickle and spinning wheel are all gone and a changed order of things obtains.
When first these lands were bought, the wolves were very numerous and attacked the calves and devoured the lambs and sheep to such an extent that the county commissioners consented to offer a reward or bounty for the killing off of these forest pests of the animal kingdom. Three dollars a scalp was given for all sworn to have been killed within Knox county. On one occasion a great wolf hunt was planned. The entire surrounding country was invited and most all came prepared to do their best to exterminate the sheep-killing wolves. This was planned for a day in February, 1824, and was very excit- ing, but when the captains, generals and all interested in the "circular drive hunt" had counted up the day's results, it was learned that fifty-six innocent deer had been slaughtered, whereas not a single wolf had been captured. Mr. Wolf was altogether too cunning to be driven into any circle like that planned to trap him in.
The first public road, known as the Columbus road, was laid in the town- ship in 1808.
About 1851 the Pittsburg, Mt. Vernon & Springfield Railroad Company was organized to build to Springfield, Ohio. Its proposed route was along the Milford township line on the north ( where another company did finally con- struct one). For obtaining large subscriptions along the line, many induce- ments were held out. No stockholder was expected to pay more than the interest on his stock for twenty years, but the men who purchased stock had to guarantee by mortgaging their farms, which, strange to relate, many scores
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