USA > Ohio > Muskingum County > Zanesville > Past and present of the city of Zanesville and Muskingham County, Ohio > Part 43
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United Presbyterian. Forty members were the original congregation that was formed June 8, 1862, and in 1863 a frame building, 40 by 50 feet, was constructed, at a cost of $1,800.00.
SOCIETIES.
New Concord contains New Concord Lodge, No. 761, I. O. O. F., which was instituted June 26, 1888, and Hanson Post, No. 468, G. A. R .; the New Concord Silver Cornet Band was or- ganized in 1888 and became one of the most dis- tinguished musical organizations of the county.
Malta Lodge, No. 118, F. & A. M. A dispen- sation was issued August 19, 1844, to open a lodge at Norwich, and the first meeting was held August 26; a charter was granted October 24th, to Malta Lodge, No. 118, and the first election was held November 2, and on November 20 the lodge was formally constituted by John T. Arthur, of Zanesville, after which Cornelius Moore, the veteran Masonic editor and writer, delivered an address. The charter members were: Thomas Maxfield, W. Findley, Lewis Virden, F. H. Jen- nings, John V. Lemon, John G. F. Holston, G. D. Palmer and Thomas Bell; the three last named were residents of Zanesville and loaned their names to the Masons at Norwich that there might be enough to form a lodge.
Elberta Lodge, No. 643, Knights of Pythias, at Norwich, was chartered May 24, 1893, with forty charter members and was instituted Septem- ber 6, 1893, by Charles Fulkerson, D. D. G. C., of Zanesville. The ceremonies were conducted in the Masonic hall and conventions were held there until the completion of a two-story K. of P. build- ing, with the town hall on the first floor, which was occupied by the lodge June 6, 1894.
Camp No. 3899, Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica, was chartered at Norwich, May 21, 1896, and was instituted May 26th by R. E. Cornelius, with twelve beneficial members, the following being
the officers: W. L. Riddle, venerable consul; L. D. Wilson, worthy advisor ; D. Richardson, clerk ; A. Allen, eminent banker; C. L. Shroyer, escort ; J. W. Logan, watchman; J. M. Swick, sentinel; J. M. Oneal, physician ; S. H. Buchanan, D. O. Handschy and J. R. Hoffman, managers.
The village of New Concord has a handsome town hall, 53 by 104 feet, erected in 1888, with pressed brick front and stone trimmings ; the base- ment is fitted for the use of the fire department ; the ground floor contains two business rooms, and offices for the mayor and justice of the peace ; on the second floor is a large public hall and council chamber; on the third floor is a large banqueting hall, with kitchen and other essential conveniences.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP.
The commissioners' journal of June 5, 1822, states that "a petition having been presented from a number of the inhabitants of Zanesville town- ship, north of the military line, praying that a township may be struck off from the said Zanes- ville township, and the commissioners believing the same necessary for the convenience of the inhabitants and township officers, whereupon the commissioners ordered a new township to be struck off according to the following boundaries, to-wit: (Here follows a lengthy enumeration of courses and distances) which shall constitute a new township to be called Washington township." The boundaries are: North, by Madison town- ship; east, by Salem and Perry townships ; south, by Wayne township and the city of Zanesville ; west, by the city of Zanesville and the Mus- kingum river.
The first election was held at the house of Mathias Colshier, June 22, 1822, the judges being Joseph Evans, Anthony H. Woodruff and George W. Jackson, and the clerks, John Howell and William Evans. The first township officers chosen were: Robert McConnell, Moses Boggs and James Huff, trustees : Samuel Orr, Jr., clerk, who was succeeded, December 28, 1822, by John Howell; William Culbertson, treasurer: George W. Jackson and Moses Boggs, justices of the peace ; George Slack, Leonard Lull and Anthony H. Woodruff, constables : Robert Culbertson and Robert Boggs, overseers of the poor: John Har- ris, Anthony H. Woodruff and Nicholas Closser. supervisors of roads; Nicholas Closser and Ma- thias Colshier, fence viewers.
The pioneer settler was Isaac Prior, from Pennsylvania, who located five miles cast of Zanesville, in the Wheeling road, in 1799; he miade a clearing, planted the first corn in the township and built the first hewed log house, in which he opened the first house of entertainment for travelers, and as he was a noted hunter his table was well supplied with the choicest game.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY.
His first neighbor was Job Dickson, who came shortly after and in 1804 one Bates opened a tavern on Mill Run, but it was not until 1805 that Moses Boggs, Joseph Evans, George Crain, Joseph Vernon, John Eichelberger, Jacob Livin- good and Elijah Hart became settlers; in 1806 John Slack, John Walters and Gen. Robert Mc- Connell were citizens and in 1808 Jacob Gaumer and Jacob Sturtz were residents.
The first marriage was of John Mercer and Elizabeth Vernon, in 1807; the first birth was Rebecca Vernon, daughter of Joseph Vernon, in the same year and the first death was that of Eli- jah Hart, in December, 1807. In 1810 the first saw mill was built by William McConnell ; in 18II John Bates mined coal which he sold at Zanes- ville by the bushel, and in 1814 John Spears opened a mine for personal use ; in 1819 George Jury erected a distillery and Albert Cole a tan- nery, and about 1820 John Price took the distinc- tion of the first blacksmith and Henry Conrad of the first merchant.
The first school house was constructed of logs, with puncheon floor and slab seats and desks, built in 1816, on the Bowers' farm, near its cor- ner with Vernon's, and the teacher was Ellen Spinner ; shortly after Samuel Cassel taught school on the Walton place and in 1826 the town- ship was divided into five school districts. It is now divided into six, with six school buildings containing seven rooms, valued at $3,000.00 and employing five male and two female teachers, the total enumeration being one hundred boys and seventy-six girls.
The first religious society was the Methodists, who formed a class in 1808 and met in dwellings and groves until 1823, when a hewed log meeting house was erected on John Bowers' farm, near the Perry township line and was called the Bowers church ; in 1846 it was replaced by a frame, 40 by 58 feet, on the Border farm, in Perry township. A Sunday school was organized in 1833 but sus- pended after a three months' effort ; in 1851 it was revived and still continues.
A class was formed, in 1842, in the brick school house, on John Orr's farm and shortly after moved to a tobacco barn, where a Sunday school was organized; in 1843 the Pleasant Grove church was erected from the contributions of labor, material and money of the members and dedicated during the fall of 1843.
A society of Methodists held meetings in the Woodruff, or Barstow, school house and in 1848 erected a church on the Thompson Hague farm, one and one-half miles north of Coal Dale, which is known as the Washington chapel.
Baptists who had been affiliated with the church of that denomination in Salem township, formed an organization in 1842 and petitioned for per- mission to organize a congregation to be known as Washington Township Baptist church ; the re-
quest was complied with and a church building was erected in 1843 and a Sunday school formed.
The St. John Union Sunday school was or- ganized in a log house, one mile north of Jack- son and shortly after the St. John's Lutheran church was organized and met in the same build- ing ; in 1863 the building was leased for thirteen years at $1.00 per year and by the time the lease expired the congregation was enabled to construct a frame church upon the original site, which was completed in 1876 at a cost of $650.00, of which sum Samuel Schick contributed $400.00.
WAYNE TOWNSHIP.
March 6, 1826, was marked by the birth of a new township, named in honor of "Mad An- thony Wayne," and the commissioners' record states that "A petition was presented, signed by a number of citizens of Zanesville and Salt Creek townships, setting forth that they labor under many difficulties and disadvantages in conse- quence of the distance they have to go to elec- tions and praying that a township may be struck off from part of Zanesville and Salt Creek town- ships ; and the commissioners believing the same necessary for the convenience of the inhabitants and township officers, do hereby order a new township to be struck off according to the fol- lowing boundaries ( which are omitted on account of verbiage) which shall constitute a new town- ship, to be called Wayne township. Also ordered that an election be held at the home of Joseph Dixon on Monday, the third day of April, 1826, to elect a sufficient number of officers for said township, according to law." The officers chosen were : J. S. Parkinson, Jacob Mercer and Mathias Spangler, trustees ; Samuel Scott, Edwin Smith, David McLean, Daniel Poland and Mathias Spangler, Jr., supervisors; Lemuel Joseph and Benjamin Carter, overseers of the poor ; Richard Brookover, treasurer; Benjamin Barton and Daniel McLean, fence viewers; George W. Gib- bons, clerk ; John Mason and Jacob Spangler, con- stables ; John S. Parkinson and Mathias Spangler, justices of the peace. The township is bounded on the north by the city of Zanesville, and Wash- ington, Perry and Salt Creek townships ; east by Salt Creek township ; south by Blue Rock town- ship and the Muskingum river ; and west by the Muskingum river and the city of Zanesville.
The first settlement was made by James Find- ley, in the spring of 1802 and his immediate suc- cessors were Abraham Mercer, 1803 ; Caleb Dunn and Lewis Carnes, 1804; Nicholas Border, 1805, / and Lemuel Joseph, 1806. The western part of the township was settled by Germans, the family names being Alter, Amburst, Albraith, Bowman, Brookover, Clossman, Corbin, Christ, Deffen- baugh, Delenbeck, Hoosan, Hemmer, Huffman, Haas, Lehman, Pringle, Soller, Swope and Toll.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY.
The first grist mill was erected in 1820 by Samuel Frazie, on Flat Run; in the same year Moses Ayers built salt works near Duncan's Falls, and was fairly successful but abandoned the busi- ness after a few years' experience; John Kepler and Wm. Corbin operated a distillery at an early day ; J. S. Parkinson made brick in 1825 ; the first saw mill was erected in 1834 by Martin Chandler near the mouth of Salt Creek; the first black- smith was W. B. Rose, in 1827, with Alanson Holdridge in 1828, and the first wagon maker was Michael Carnes. . The first store was opened by Byers and Wolf, at the mouth of Salt Creek in 1820-25 and the first postoffice in the township was in their store in the early 'twenties; in 1835 Robert Griffin introduced the threshing machine as an improvement over the primitive method of separating the grain by flail.
DUNCAN'S FALLS
is the site of an "old town" of the once powerful tribe of Shawnee Indians, and the name is founded upon a legend of the neighborhood ante- dating the settlement by the whites. About 1790 a man named Duncan, came from Virginia to hunt wild game with gun and traps; he was disposed to be alone and carried his hermit inclinations so far as to fix an abode in a cave or dugout, on what is now the island at Taylorsville, about half a mile below the rapids or falls; its location was un- known to his savage neighbors, with whom he maintained amicable relations and conducted a limited traffic by barter ; for several years nothing occurred to disturb their friendly intercourse, un- til he discovered that his traps had been meddled with and some game stolen; he was very much enraged and watched for the culprit, and shot to death an Indian whom he had found pilfering his traps; others met a similar fate and the Indians in turn became determined to rid themslves of so dangerous and unrelenting an interloper, but as the arrows they fired at him did not harm him their superstitious fears were aroused and they came to believe him some sort of superhuman creature. This opinion was strengthened by the fact that not only was his abode unknown but he was never seen to use a canoe to cross the river, although he was seen on both sides of it; their awe of the man did not prevent them from watch- ing him and one moonlit night their vigilance was rewarded. Duncan always crossed the stream at the falls, where the proximity of small rocks en- abled him to pass from one to another by means of a long, stout pole which he used to vault the op- cnings he could not leap, and where the distance was too great to vault he placed the pole on the rocks and walked across; this he invariably did at night but on this occasion his enemies in ambush saw him crossing and when he reached the chan-
nel and was midway his bridge a volley, from the two parties in watching struck him and his body dropped into the surging waters below ; next day his remains were found in the gravelly riffles, which have since been termed "Dead man's rif- fles," and the falls were named Duncan's Falls, because he had found in them his death. Years after a gun was uncovered in plowing a field near the cabin of the trapper, and was taken to a gunsmith at Putnam, who cut down the barrel to shorten it and found a charge of powder, doubt- less placed there by Duncan. In contrast with this legend, the statement is made in official records of later years that about 1798, when Gen. St. Clair and the Indians were endeavoring to get together for conference, a colored servant of Col. Duncan at the Falls, was shot by the Indians.
The town of Duncan's Falls was laid out in 1841 by John W. Foster, by order of the court, and James Taylor, proprietor of Taylorsville ; ad- ditions were made by Brush, Buckingham and others, the water power being considered valuable. In 1825 James Taylor opened a store, and 1838 Dugan and Bowen erected a four story frame grist mill, with eight runs of stones, at a cost of $75,000.00, and preparation for the care of trav- elers was made by Jacob Hall, in 1830, in a small cabin.
SCHOOLS.
The first school house was built about the mid- dle of the township in 1812; it was the usual log cabin with puncheon floor, slab seats and desks, and oiled paper windows, and a second house was constructed in 1820. In 1834 the Parkinson school house was erected by subscription, Mr. J. S. Parkinson having donated an acre of ground for the purpose, and the first brick school house in the township was occupied ; this was removed in 1862, and a larger building built. The present Parkinson school constitutes a special school dis- trict, with a two-room building, valued at $2,- 000.00, employing one male and one female teacher, the enrollment being forty-nine boys and thirty-nine girls. The Duncan's Falls special school district has one building with two rooms, valued at $1,500.00, and employs two male teach- ers, the enrollment being forty-one boys and thirt- ty-two girls; the remainder of the township is divided into six districts, each with a one room building, of an aggregate value of $6,000.00, and employing two male and four female teachers, the enrollment being eighty boys and eighty-two girls.
CHURCHES.
Fairview Methodist Episcopal. In 1807 a class of seven was formed at the home of Lemuel Jo- seph, and meetings were held at his house until 1822, when a hewed log house, thirty by thirty-six
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY.
feet, was built and occupied until its destruction by fire in 1846, when a brick church, thirty-eight by forty-eight feet, was built at a cost of $1,000.00. A Sunday school was organized in a school house in 1828, with fifteen pupils, and is now attached to the Fairview church. Religious services, union in character, were held in the Parkinson school house, and in 1841 a Sunday school was organ- ized; in 1862 a Methodist Episcopal church was built at Duncan's Falls, and a Sunday school or- ganized.
Duncan's Falls Baptist church was organized at Taylorsville, October 17, 1840, with seventeen members, and at a later meeting the name of Dun- can's Falls Baptist church was selected ; services were held in a cooper shop and private houses, un- til Alva Buckingham donated a lot upon which a meeting house was built ; the first service being held in it March 9, 1844, and a Sunday school was organized April 12, 1845.
The Presbyterian church was erected in 1855 and a Sunday school organized.
The first cemetery was a half acre, donated by Lemuel Joseph, and the first burial was in 1812; Moses Ayers donated land for cemetery purposes in 1820, and in 1825 James Taylor deeded two acres near Duncan's Falls for similar purposes.
SOCIETIES.
Anchor Lodge, No. 283, Free and Accepted Masons was opened by authority of a dispensa-
tion dated April 24, 1856, and October 22. 1856, a charter was granted with the following officers : James D. Sturges, worshipful master ; John P. Kassell, senior warden; Marquis Williamson, junior warden ; Frederick Young, treasurer ; R. I. Peach, secretary, and Thomas McLees, Joseph Starrett and Philip Doenik. The Lodge owns a commodious two-story frame building in which communications are held.
Dan Brown Post, No. 380, Grand Army Re- public, was chartered September 29, 1883, with thirty-eight members, the following being the first officers : Joseph Peach, post commander ; F. M. Christie, senior vice commander ; H. Hosler, jun- ior vice commander ; S. M. Frickle, adjutant ; J. W. Tigner, quarter master ; Frederick Young, of- ficer of the day ; H. H. Smith, officer of the guard ; O. B. Crumbaker, surgeon; Rev. A. L. Petty, chaplain ; John Roberts, sergeant major; G. B. Howard, quarter master's sergeant.
A Camp of the Patriotic Order of Sons of America was organized in February, 1891, with twenty members, but was discontinued ; the first officers were : John Winefordner, president ; Her- man Petty, vice president; A. S. Messick, past president; Stephen Cross, master of forms and ceremonies ; Andrew Armstrong, secretary ; Rob- ert Peach, treasurer ; G. Davis, financial secretary.
Carlwick Grange, No. 1546, Patrons of Hus- bandry, was organized June 15, 1901, with sixty charter members, and built and furnished a com- fortable Grange hall.
1
Peter Pea 1%
BIOGRAPHICAL.
PETER BLACK.
Peter Black was born October 6, 1819, in Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland, and was second son of a family of ten sons and two daughters. He was educated in the parish schools for eight or ten yers and was a natural student, but his father was exacting and had a private tutor when the school was closed.
Mr. Black came to America in 1840, landing at Philadelphia, and journeyed to Pittsburg by stage and, with an elder brother, clerked and saved money, and in 1843 they decided they could embark in business on personal account. The brother was so favorably impressed with Zanes- ville upon his arrival that he determined to locate here, and a stock of goods was procured and shipped to the "Black Brothers." Peter came as the representative of the firm and rented a small room in a two-story brick on the site of the Equitable Building Company's offices, 508 Main street, where the enterprise prospered and was soon moved to the corner room now occupied by the Commercial National Bank, at Fifth and Main, where it remained a few years. About 1850 the firm purchased a row of small bricks on the north side of Main street, between Sixth street and Sewer alley, as their business place. About two years later the partnership was dis- solved and each operated on personal account, and Peter opened a wholesale department in a room on the site of George R. Fox's store, with the- retail trade in the room on the west, a con- nection being made by arches.
In 1859 a partnership was formed with Alex- ander Grant, a brother-in-law and resident of Springfield, and a retail business opened at the southeast corner of Main and Third streets, un- der the name of Alexander Grant & Company, the upper store being continued under the firm
name of P. Black & Company. In 1861-2 the Music Hall Block was completed and in 1863 P. Black & Company moved the wholesale trade to it, and a partnership with another brother way formed, and a store opened in the Star Block, at northeast corner of Main and Third streets, as P. & J. Black, but soon after was associated with S. S. Black and Alexander Grant, as P. Black & Company in the Music Hall Block.
He formed the First National Bank and was its first president, a position he retained upon the consolidation with it of the Muskingum Na- tional Bank. In 1877, in conjunction with Dr. W. A. Graham, another brother-in-law, he erected the Clarendon Hotel, and his last business ef- forts were in connection with that structure, in which he took great pride. He was around the building Saturday, July 6, 1878, looking into de- tails and seemingly was in his usual good health. and went home about 4 p. m. ; at supper he de- clined to eat, as he was not feeling well and went to his room for rest. Dr. C. C. Hildreth called and prescribed for indigestion and left about II p. m. Mr. Black rested uneasily until 4 a. m .. when he expressed a more satisfactory feeling and the opinion he would be better in the morn- ing At 5 a. m. he slept and when the physician called at 7 a. m. and learned he was asleep, di- rected him to be undisturbed and to be given coffee upon awaking. The wife and daughter soon after entered the room and found that life was extinct.
The funeral was conducted July to, by Dr. Hoge, who had married him in 1851 to Miss Dorothy Van Hamm, daughter of Dr. John Van Hamm and granddaughter of General Isaac Van Hamm. The casket was borne from his late home, at the northwest corner of Seventh and Market, by his brothers and brothers-in-law ; the court house bell was tolled during the period of
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PAST AND PRESENT OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY.
the passage of the cortege through the city, all business houses on Main street and upon the route of the procession to Woodlawn were closed until 6 p. m. and the First National Bank and Clarendon buildings were heavily draped.
SAMUEL SULLIVAN COX.
Samuel Sullivan Cox was the second son and child of Ezekial Taylor and Maria Matilda (Sul- livan) Cox, and was born at Zanesville, Ohio, September 30, 1824. Small of stature, he was all energy, and his boyish pranks extended to his dignified father, Judge Cox, and his elder brother, Thomas J., received the reproofs and punishments due "Sam" rather than betray the real culprit. The local subscription schools and the Howe Academy supplied the education the town af- forded, and at the age of thirteen the son was as- sisting the father, who was then clerk of the com- mon pleas and supreme courts, and the boyish assistant swore jurors and witnesses, issued writs and made up journals. When fourteen years old he was formally appointed deputy clerk. When the juvenile military company, The Zanesville Lancers, was formed Cox became a member and was chosen orderly sergeant. In 1842 he became a student at the Ohio University, at Athens, but soon discovered that the education he desired could be obtained only in the east, and in April, 1844, he entered Brown University, from which he graduated in September, 1846.
He read law in the office of Judge Corrington W. Searle, and later in the office of Judge Con- vers, and was admitted to practice in 1849 at Zanesville. In 1853 he purchased a controlling interest in the Columbus Statesman, assumed ed- itorial charge and removed to that city with his young bride, Miss Julia A. Buckingham, of Zanesville, to whom he had been married in 1851. The sobriquet of "Sunset" was attached to him by reason of an editorial description of a sunset published May 19, 1853; the article gave him wide notice, and his initials suggested the appro- priateness of the appellation, and it became his distinguishing title.
In 1855 he was offered the secretaryship of the legation to the court of St. James, but declined, and selected a similar position to Peru, but at As- pinwall was stricken with an alarming illness, and returned to the United States and resigned. In 1856 he was elected to congress from the Colum- bus district, served four terms, and was defeated for re-election in 1864. In 1866 he moved to New York and engaged in the practice of law, and in 1868 was again sent to congress from an east side district, and served twenty years, except the short time he was minister to Turkey. His only unsat- isfied ambition was the speakership to which he
several times nearly attained. During the enforced absence of Hon. M. C. Kerr, he was speaker pro- tem. In 1885 he was appointed minister to Tur- key by President Cleveland, but after short ser- vice resigned and re-entered congress. During the Civil war he opposed secession as well as the policy of the administration but was a personal friend of President Lincoln. He opposed the in- famous "salary grab" of the forty-second con- gress and returned the four thousand eight hun- dred and twelve dollars sent him by the treas- urer of the United States.
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