USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. I > Part 37
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The only church of the village is the Brethren. The lodges are the Macca- bees, Grand Army of the Republic and the Grange.
The postoffice at Buckeye City was established about 1875. It now has one rural free delivery route of about twenty-two miles in length, established in 1904. Two mails are received each way daily here. The postoffice business in 1910 was about six hundred and eighty-three dollars. The following have served as postmasters at this point: Asa Rowley, William Moring, Jessie Moring (his wife after his death), James L. Wierich, J. C. Winterringer, James L. Wierich, appointed second time in 1897 and still serving.
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The business interests of the village in the autumn of 191I were as fol- lows: Banking, Commercial Savings Bank ; hotels, Thomas Workman, R. J. Biggs ; general dealers, E. B. Rice, U. G. Tressel; grocers, S. L. Nazor ; imple- ments, C. B. Workman; hardware, Thomas Sholes; furniture, U. C. Work- man; lumber, coal, etc., N. H. Hunter; hay and grain, Jacob Lower; lunch room, L. L. Faucett, H. L. Sherman; confectionary and tobacco, J. L. Wierich ; flouring mills, Twin City; Mills, H. C. Conkle, proprietor; blacksmiths, William Wolfe, W. F. Senft ; cement works, C. C. Logsdon ; livery, R. J. Biggs ; cream- ery, L. A. Parrish & Son; photographs, D. L. Swartz; planing mill, Henry Black ; physicians, E. L. Porter ; tailor, N. Hein.
Cavallo village (defunct) was platted in the southeastern part of Union township, on the Mohican river, and for the time between 1840 to 1848 it was a thriving hamlet. There were four large warehouses erected for the receiving of exports and imports, that were conveyed to and from the town, and shipped via the Mohican through the Walhonding canal. When railroads gridironed the state of Ohio this town went into decay and is now only known by hearsay, as there is not a vestige of a hamlet there today.
THE VILLAGE OF BRINKHAVEN.
The incorporation name of this place is Gann, and the original village here was known as Mt. Holly. When the place was incorporated it was in the early railroad days in this part of the county, and was named for one of the settlers named Gann, who later had some legal trouble with the railroad com- pany, who, out of spite, named their station Brinkhaven, but the village name as incorporated was never changed, although the postoffice is known as Brink- haven. The name of Brinkhaven was taken on in 1893, when the railroad was completed.
"Gann" was incorporated November 20, 1893, and its first officers were : D. C. Cunningham, mayor; J. O. Greer, clerk ; R. D. Sapp, treasurer; W. B. Snyder, marshal ; councilmen, L. F. Day, A. E. Eyster, James Thompson, S. J. Smith, Cal Robinson, H. T. Sapp.
The 19II officers are: C. C. Light, mayor : J. S. Englehart, clerk ; J. P. Grassbaugh, treasurer ; G. B. Hoagland, marshal ; R. T. Frederick, E. C. Jones, Martin Hyatt, John Workman, W. M. Hunter, councilmen.
Since the village started as a municipality the mayors and clerks have been as follows aside from the last named, those of 19II :
1893-Mayor, D. C. Cunningham ; clerk, J. H. Stuber.
1895-Mayor, John T. DeWitt. 1896-Mayor, John T. DeWitt ; clerk. John Favinger.
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1897-Mayor, W. A. Barnum; clerk, J. B. Clark. 1900-Mayor. John T. DeWitt : clerk, D. C. Horton. 1903-4-Mayor, John T. DeWitt ; clerk, C. C. Lighter. 1905-07-Mayor, J. N. House : clerk, C. C. Lighter.
1908-09-Mayor. D. Hyatt ; clerk, C. C. Lighter. 1910-Mayor, C. C. Lighter; clerk, P. P. Kohl.
The postoffice at this point is one of the old ones in the county. No records have been preserved back of about thirty years ago. It is a fourth-class office and has running from it one free rural delivery route of about twenty-three miles in length, established in September, 1903. The office business for 1910 was about eight hundred dollars. Three mails each way daily are received at Brinkhaven. Among the postmasters who have served here commencing in the eighties are these : B. S. Cosmer, J. M. Bonny, I. Powelson, J. O. Greer, R. D. Sapp, F. J. Drauhard and the present postmaster, C. E. Hibbitts, who was appointed in 1897.
There are two churches in the village, the Methodist Episcopal and the Disciples, an account of which will be seen in the chapter on churches of the county.
The physicians are, in 1911, Drs. R. Putnam, J. C. Hawn and W. S. Putnam. Other business is carried on as follows: Hotel, L. E. Church ; liv- ery, Church & Means ; hardware, W. M. Bailey & Son ; general dealers, S. S. Day & Co., George Sumtimer ; grocery, J. B. Smith, S. J. Smith ; meats, W. M. Niderhouse; baker and restaurant, John Workman ; undertaker, Ran Winbig- ler ; jeweler, C. E. Horton ; photographs, Fred Hunter ; blacksmiths, R. Wins- bigler. Martin Hyatt ; buggy repair shop, W. B. Snyder ; cement blocks, L. B. Gardner ; barbers, Charles W. Tressel, Foy Barnes ; flouring mills, Thompson Bros. ; natural gas office, Z. L. Hibbitts, manager for the Union Oil and Gas Company ; steam saw mill and cider press, Englehart Brothers.
Gann had in 1880 reached a population of two hundred. It was platted in 1838, by John Hibbitts, who erected the first house there. Robert Long built a mill on the Mohican river about 1840, and Isaac Means opened the pio- neer store. Its population is now about three hundred and fifty.
CHAPTER XLII.
WAYNE TOWNSHIP.
Wayne township originally covered a vast territory, as compared to its present limits. It was "No. I" among the four townships into which Knox county was divided after its real organization into a county form of govern- ment, May 2, 1808. In fact it was one-fourth of the territory now embraced in Richland and Morrow counties, besides Knox.
The commissioners ordered, in April, 1815: "That all that part of Knox county north of Wayne township, be attached to Wayne township, and hence- forth is to be considered a part of it."
Again in June, 1813, it was ordered "That the boundaries of Wayne township shall be altered, etc., etc.," and then goes on a long description of boundary lines that included some less, but very much territory now in other counties and townships.
May 2, 1820, the county commissioners again went to pruning down the size of Wayne township and finally on May 9, 1825, it was ordered "that Wayne township shall be composed of the seventh township in the fourteenth range."
In 1830 it listed 16,257 acres of land for taxation, and then had 1,010 inhabitants. In 1850 it had 1,864 people; in 1860 it had 1,789; in 1880 it had 1,618; in 1890 it had 1,487; in 1900 it numbered 1,512, and in 1910 it is given by census books as having 1,61I.
It was named in honor of old "Mad Anthony Wayne," the illustrious gen- eral who won glory and fame at Fallen Timbers and Stony Point. At one time it embraced within its limits the townships of Franklin and Chester in Morrow county, and Middlebury, Berlin, Wayne and the north half of Morris townships in this county.
Of its natural features it may be said that every foot was utilized for some agricultural or stock grazing purpose by 1876, when the township was one of the finest in the entire county. It is well provided with streams that make glad the heart of man. The surface is gently rolling. Originally it was heavily covered with timber, such as beech, oak, hickory, ash, sugar tree, wal- nut, with beech predominating.
When first discovered there were a few small patches of what seemed to be prairie land, but possibly were only clearings made by Indians.
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Owl creek and Granny's creek are the main streams of the township, as now bounded. At an early day there were many small saw and flouring mills located along these streams and their branches.
Long centuries before the tread of white men was heard in this section of Knox county or Ohio, there evidently had existed a race of quite superior beings to the North American Indians, and for a better name scientists have named them "prehistoric," or Mound Builders, for here and there they left large mounds in which many of their effects have been discovered after all these long centuries since they were placed there, for some purpose, but for what none can conjecture. Some of these monuments to this departed race of people are found in Wayne township and the reader will find a description of the same in the chapter on Geology and Topography in this volume.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The first settler in this township was also the first permanent settler within Knox county, Nathaniel Mitchell Young. Andrew Craig, it is true, located near Mt. Vernon before this, but soon moved on, he being a roamer among the hunters and Indians. Mr. Young was from New Jersey, and wan- dered up into this wilderness in the spring of 1805. He was a blacksmith, after his own fashion, and an adventurous type of frontiersman. He came up from Newark, then a hamlet, and found no settler until he had reached Andrew Craig's, on Owl creek. Just what prompted him to keep on up Owl creek be- fore he settled is not fully known, but it is believed that he had a land warrant in his pocket and was looking for the tract of land it described. This was all within the military lands and hence was the first settled either by Revolutionary soldiers or their heirs. Young was designated by the Indians "the axe-maker." For a more complete account of him see the chapter on early settlement in this volume. The same chapter also describes many other early comers to this township, hence they will not here be repeated.
Before the erection of the mills at Fredericktown, this township, known as Kerr's Mill, the settlers had to go to what was known as Ten Mile, beyond Mt. Vernon, where the first mill in Knox county was erected. But many of the settlers in Wayne township got along with hominy blocks, horse mills and other crude structures, going to real flouring mills perhaps twice a year. Later, there were numerous mills scattered up and down the Owl creek district and some on its branches, all of which in their day and generation did excellent service for the pioneers. The second mill in this township was Young's Mill in the Jersey settlement. At first it was merely a "corn-cracker," but later made into a respectable mill with buhr-stones for grinding grain.
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The Lyons were very early in this settlement, and came from New Jersey and hence the name of the settlement was "Jersey settlement," so designated for many years. These people were enterprising and sought to develop and improve the lands which they had secured from the government on land war- rants. In addition to the flouring mill there were numerous saw mills. all water mills, where were cut tens of thousands of feet of native lumber, which went into the construction of the first buildings in the county. Here they sought to build a town, called Lucerne. Daniel and Jabez Beers were owners of the land on which it was to be built. This was in the years between 1835 and 1840. Just prior to the first start of this pioneer's place, John Beebe had put in operation a saw mill and established a factory for making wind-mills. He sawed his own poplar lumber, from which the mills were made, and for a number of years did a thriving business. The Beers built a frame building, and a carding machine was put in operation, to which was soon added a com- plete woolen mill, which was sought with great delight and curiosity. These mills operated for nearly twenty years. Bryant & Leonard constructed a still about 1830 on the creek near the hamlet of Lucerne. Several dwellings were built there, a blacksmith shop, a church and Conger & Lewis had a small coun- try store at that point a number of years. At Young's Mill a postoffice was established, but later was removed to the store in the village. All had gone into ruin by 1876, except a few tumble-down buildings.
In 1812 when the war with England was on, and trouble was feared from the Indians, these settlers erected a block-house for their protection. John Lewis subsequently owned the land on which this historic building was located. It was built in a circular form, on the bank, and high up from the river bed, and a stockade was made of logs set on end and standing fifteen feet above the ground. While it was never attacked by Indians, the families remained there off and on during the winter until peace was assured.
GREEN VALLEY.
Green Valley is another defunct town within this township. It was also started about 1830, by a New Englander named Cromwell Newcomer, and at first was called Newcomerstown. It was situated in one of the most charming, rich valleys in all this section of Ohio. About 1845 a union church was erected there. It was erected by the Methodists and Protestants, but used freely by all denominations who chose to occupy it. The general chapters will inform the reader concerning the churches and schools of the township.
The population of Wayne township in 1890 was 1,437; in 1900 it was 1,512 and in 1910 was placed by the federal census as being 1,611. This in- cluded a portion of Fredericktown village.
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FREDERICKTOWN.
In 1910 this village had a population of about 950. It is an old village and has much of interesting history connected with it. It is seven miles distant from Mt. Vernon in the extreme northeast corner of Wayne township. It stands on the west bank of historic Owl creek. When first settled it was within a vast unbroken timbered wilderness, the habitation of wild beasts and Indian tribes who here hunted and fished. True it is that long centuries before the date when the surveyor's chain measured off the streets and set the bounds for a village, it had been inhabited by that strange and unknown race of people called "Mound Builders," for the evidence is still there, standing as a perpetual monument to a race now forgotten and unknown even by tradition.
The four-thousand acre tract of land on which Fredericktown stands was bought from the United States government by Lucas Sullivant, a native of Mecklenburg county, Virginia, where he was born in 1765. He was educated especially as a land surveyor, having been in his early years engaged at this profession in Kentucky and still later in Ohio. His knowl- edge concerning Ohio land he made good use of in locating lands and town sites. He laid out Franklinton, opposite the present city of Columbus. He died at the village of Franklinton in 1823, aged fifty-eight years. He ac- quired the "Sullivant Tract" in Wayne township, this county, between the south and east forks of Owl creek. He early discovered a fine water power and mill site on his land on Owl creek, which he was liberal enough to do- nate to John Kerr, who started the first mill there. He gave Kerr the choice of fifty out of his four thousand acres, if he would erect and operate a mill at that point. This was the commencement of a village. But few settlers lived in that immediate section then, the Jersey settlement being the nearest these few around Kerr's mill had for neighbors. But soon the tide of old soldiers from out the ranks of the American army who had fought in the Revolutionary struggle came on with land warrants and script for the purpose of locating lands.
It was upon this fifty-acre tract of donated land that Fredericktown was finally platted November 11, 1807, by Mr. Kerr. Soon thereafter Kerr wisely purchased four hundred and fifty acres surrounding his town site. The village was platted and surveyed by William Y. Farquhar, who erected the first cabin on the platting himself, giving it the name of Frederick in honor of his old home in Maryland.
The first road opened through this place was the one running north and south in 1809, and has been mentioned elsewhere. Frederick was platted
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in the form of a parallelogram, its length being north and south. Later numerous additions were made to the village. Mr. Kerr built his house, a log cabin, on the lot where subsequently stood Simons' store. On the same lot was built the first brick house in the place by Mr. Williams, who bought out Mr. Kerr in 1814.
W. W. Farquhar, brother of surveyor W. Y. Farquhar, and Henry Roberts, a cousin, were early settlers on the plat of Frederick. These men were Quakers and with a few more comprised the prominent Friends who made their settlement in this county, they being sort of leaders in the so- ciety which soon grew to be so influential in this part of the county. Farqu- har was justice of the peace from 1815 to 1818 and moved to Middlebury township.
After Farquhar and Kerr came the family of Mrs. Ayers; her sons were David, Abner and Thomas. John Milligan and Jeduthan Doss, from Ten Mile, Pennsylvania, came in soon after the Ayers family. Also John and Jacob Cook and Jacob Haldeman. In 1809 Rachel Richardson purchased the improvements made by Cook and there settled with her family, consist- ing of William, Isaac N., Polly and Nancy. In 1812 there were nine log houses and one frame building, and these cabins were doubtless occupied by Willis Speakman, Rachel Richardson, John Garrison, W. Y. Farquhar, John Kerr, John Vennum and the Ayers families.
The first store was opened in 1812 by Mr. Garrison, who owned the only frame building in the village. It stood where later was built the Metho- dist Episcopal church. The second man to enter merchandising there was Nicholas McCarty, who came up from Mt. Vernon and with others consti- tuted the firm of Nicholas McCarty & Company. Of McCarty, historian Norton wrote many years ago: "This firm closed up their business in July, 1817, and left their notes and accounts, with a quantity of lake fish, in the hands of Abner Ayers, for sale and adjustment. The mother of Mr. Mc- Carty died and was buried in Fredericktown, but he went to Indianapolis, where he became well-to-do and returned to erect a monument to the mem- ory of his mother. Two years later, in 1855, he died. He was an ardent Whig and was a member of the Indiana legislature. He was known as 'Honest Nic McCarty.'"
FIRST EVENTS IN THE VILLAGE.
At Fredericktown the first boarding house was conducted by Mrs. Wolf, whose eldest son lived on a farm.
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The first preaching service was at the school house, which was con- verted into a fort. The earliest church edifice was built by the then quite strong denomination in these parts, the Universalists.
Thomas Ayers was the first "village blacksmith," he kindling the glow- ing fire on his forge in 1808, continuing many years.
The first hatter was Celestial Le Blond, a Frenchman. Cloth shoes for ladies' wear were made here by a cobbler named McCoy. Another early shoemaker was Ebenezer Taylor, who became infatuated with a minister who chanced to come through the village, and left all and followed him off and never was afterwards heard of. Jedediah Peck, the third to work at bootmaking, tried to invent a last and boot-tree all in one, but failed, as he could not get the boot off from the device after the boot had been made on it! The house he occupied was a rare curiosity, as it was built around a large tree and the appearance of a tree growing out of the top of a residence was indeed unique. He seemed to be either ignorant or fearless concerning the great danger he was in from lightning striking his tree-house.
Capt. John Williams, who bought out Kerr's mill property, came on from Maryland, started a store and had with him forty thousand dollars which was soon distributed out over this county. He arrived with his family in 1814. He was not really a level-headed man, but good for the community, for the time being, as he spent money freely.
In 1840 Fredericktown had a population of 500 inhabitants; in 1850 it had 712; in 1860 it had 790; in 1880 it had 850; in 1890 it had but 762; in 1900 it had 795, and in 1910, according to the last federal census, it had a population of 925, with enough outside the plattings to make about a thousand population. In 1816 the entire township of Wayne cast only eighty-one votes.
Uncle Abner Ayers conducted a hotel in the place and was a character in real pioneer life, such as one frequently reads of in books. He was fond of relating how Gen. William Henry Harrison stopped over night at his tavern and discussed war problems at great length.
In 1850 when the village was incorporated, it bethought itself to get rid of its "doggeries." Mayor Woodcock and Recorder T. A. Reed carried on a sharp crusade against the saloons and won out against them. Later, they came back again to debauch the villagers. In 1873 another warfare was made against the saloons and they were all compelled to close up again, but subsequently they were reopened. Today they stand closed under the county local option law, which two years ago voted the entire county "dry."
After the murder of the Zimmer and Copus families by the Indians on the Blackfork, and Jones was ambushed and shot near Mansfield by the same
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foe, the few settlers at Fredericktown, as well as along the entire frontier, became much alarmed and immediately provided three block-houses in Wayne township, the Lewis blockhouse on South fork, the William Mitch- ell blockhouse and the one situated at Fredericktown. Mr. Mitchell pre- pared his cabin for a siege by making heavy batton doors, with iron bars, port holes for guns, etc .; one of the boys rode the express; another kept out with scouting parties, and the old man, with two workmen, were constantly on the lookout for an attack. The girls practiced shooting at a target with rifles, so as to be ready for a large force of Indians at any time. Two dogs, named Gunner and Rover, were also on the alert for troublesome times and were ready to do all they might be commanded to.
At Fredericktown the blockhouse was a light frame building, enclosed within a heavy stockade, and was located on the bluff overlooking the spot where now stands the railroad depot. It was constructed on the square, under direction of Captain Ayers. The building was made almost abso- lutely bullet proof, and was moved on wheels to its position, a commanding one and overlooking the valley of Owl creek. Years later it was used for school and church purposes. Their fears were but natural, but nothing ever came of the supposed Indian uprising. Several times the settlers had been alarmed and fled to the blockhouse. When Jones was killed, Captain Doug- las followed the Indians in the direction of Upper Sandusky, but not finding them, and thinking it unsafe to return by the way they went, came back by the way of Fredericktown. His men, fifteen in number, were roughly dressed and wore their handkerchiefs about their heads instead of wearing their hats. They thus resembled Indians, and upon going into Fredericktown they fired off the guns they carried by way of a salute, but this greatly frightened the people there. Two women fainted in the street, and there was a general stampede for the blockhouse. "Johnny Appleseed" had carried the news of the killing of Jones to the people at Fredericktown, he being one of the vol- unteers himself up at Mansfield. Johnny ran all night barefooted, through the woods, stopping at the cabin of each settler, arriving at Fredericktown early in the morning. By reason of this, great was the excitement. Samuel Wilson, who resided near the Quaker meeting house within what is now Berlin township, was so badly frightened that he sprang out of his bed and into his overcoat, snatching his pantaloons and flinging them over his arm, ran in the direction of Fredericktown for safety in the blockhouse.
These things all had to be gone through with, at an early day, in order to gain the peace and plenty now seen on every hand in Wayne township and the handsome little village of Fredericktown.
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The Kerr mill property was sold about 1850 to Mr. Struble, who in about 1873 sold to Cuykendall & Seiler, and soon afterwards it was burned. The owners, however, at once rebuilt it, assisted by others. They operated it a few years longer, but could not make it pay, then sold to S. S. Tuttle and others, who were running it in the eighties with much profit. It is now propelled by natural gas and has a fair custom.
Fredericktown was without railroad facilities for more than forty years, but finally the road now called the Baltimore & Ohio was completed and a new life and activity obtained there, which has kept up ever since. John D. Struble built the first warehouse and bought large quantities of grain. This building later served as a warehouse and depot for the railroad company.
Other early grain dealers were Peter Boyce and Charles Strong & Sons.
After the Civil war a bank was started by Daniel Struble and William Merrin. This concern did a good business a number of years, but it is stated in a former historical account that Merrin went wrong and this ended the banking business of the firm. However, Mr. Struble, being a man of honor and uprightness, engaged again in the banking business, in which he is still engaged, as one of the firm of Daniel Struble & Son, private bankers.
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