The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 44

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051

USA > Ohio > Miami County > The History of Miami County, Ohio > Part 44

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In the village of Laura are also two churches, one built by the successors of the church established by A. Snethen, the other by the united efforts and means of the citizens, regardless of denomination and open to all Christian people.

In addition to those already enumerated, there is a church in the eastern part of the township denominated "Second Adventists or Soul Sleepers."

Sabbath Schools .- In connection with the Friends' Church are three flourish- ing Sabbath schools, one of which-located in Milton-continues during the entire year. In addition to these, there are various union schools held during the pleas- ant season, not under the control of any particular denomination, but for the accommodation of the general public, irrespective of creed or sect.

SCHOOLS.

The first schools in this township were taught at West Branch, from 1808 to 1832, in the old Friends' Meeting-House. From the remains of certain manuscript, it appears that one John How, an Englishman, taught as early as 1808, though probably not the first ; he was a very fine penman, and somewhat of a classical scholar. A period of about nine years elapses, during which the teachers are not known. In 1817, Charles Mills taught. In the following year, Daniel H. Jones wielded the rod, and in 1819, Davis W. Thayer held the scepter of studious sway.

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He afterward became magistrate, manufacturer and merchant. In 1820, Charles Mills again ruled the young thoughts. His place was filled in 1821 by David Mote, who took his first steps as instructor here. In 1822, one Thomas Adams, from the East, a superior scholar, and highly recommended, drew many students for miles, and taught the largest school ever collected at this place, but, owing to inefficiency in government, his school was a failure and finally ended in zero.

The following year found Charles Mills in the schoolroom again, who made up his complement by subscription. He was an old veteran in the ranks, having served forty years in the schoolroom.

In 1824, during the summer it was controlled by Jacob Angle, a New Yorker.

During the winter of 1825, the school was taught by Daniel H. Jones, who was said to be rather an extraordinary man, a kind of universal genius, a mechanic. mathematician, surveyor and poet.

In 1826, the school was taught by David Mote, and in 1827 by Gardner Men- denhall, one of West Branch's students. While teaching, five wagons came from Troy, and hauled off nearly all his corn crop to satisfy a paltry muster fine.

The next winter David Mote taught again.

During the autumn of 1828, and winter of 1829, the schools were taught by Alexander L. Wilson. James Hanks, a land surveyor, held the birch during the winter of 1830. During a part of the autumn of 1830, and following winter, the young ideas were directed by W. B. Jones, of South Carolina, who inaugurated the tickets of reward. He continued till 1832. The last winter school was held at West Branch.

In the way of books, Webster's Speller, Murray's Grammar, American Pre- ceptor, Pike's Arithmetic, etc.

The public schools are too well known to need a description here.

NEWTON TOWNSHIP.

Newton Township is situated in the extreme western part of Miami County, belonging to the central tier of townships running east and west, and containing some forty-two sections, eighteen of which belongs to Town 8, Range 4 east, the remaining four-and-twenty belong to Town 7, Range 5 east, embracing in all about forty-two square miles of surface, measuring seven miles from east to west and six miles from north to south, so that within its limits are found 26,880 acres, the most of which is tillable. Its boundaries are Newberry and Washington Townships upon the north, Concord on the east, Union on the south, and Franklin, one of the eastern townships of Darke County, bounds it on the west. Possessing as it does a superior system of drainage, fertile soil, ever-living springs and streams of excellent water, ample railroad and shipping facilities, its citizens at the present time are happy in the possession of a country inferior to none in that which conduces to render prosperity accessible to all within its limits. The town- ship is traversed almost centrally from north to south by the Dayton, Covington & Toledo Railroad, which, though yet in its infancy, is of incalculable benefit to the country through which it passes in affording its citizens traveling and shipping accommodations, thereby greatly enhancing the value of the lands and encourag- ing industrial pursuits in general. In addition to this, the township is intersected by a perfect network of free pikes, excellent county and township roads kept in good condition, her streams are spanned by numerous magnificent bridges, all of which stand as enduring monuments and attest to the industry and progressive spirit of the people by whom they were constructed.

Inasmuch as the Stillwater River has been one of the most important factors in the early settlement of this and all other townships bordering its banks, we think it is well worthy of particularization. We shall not, however, begin at its source, nor carry it to the mouth, but shall endeavor to describe it in sections bounded by the limits of the township lines whose history we are recording. Stillwater enters this township near the division line between Sections 5 and

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6, and flows in a southwesterly course through Sections 5, 8 and 17, when it bends somewhat abruptly in its course, and flows southwest through the southeastern corner of Section 18, thence turning in its course it flows south to the center of Section 18 ; flowing back, it enfolds the southeast corner of the section, after which it assumes a different direction, flowing in a tortuous channel a .south- easterly direction and making its exit from the township at Section 33.

Panther Creek, the northern and most important branch of the Stillwater in this township, has its source in Twin Township, Darke Co., and, flowing east, enters Newton Township, at the southwest corner of Section 10; it then takes a northeasterly course to Section 2, where its waters are increased by the addition of a small stream flowing from the northwest ; it then takes a generally easterly course, and reaches the stream of which it is the principal tributary, in this town- ship, in the southern part of Section 6, Range 4 east. As to how this creek received the appellation by which it is commonly known there are two versions, one of which is, that in earlier times, before the curiosity and enterprise of man had led him to penetrate the wilderness, and establish himself a home in this vicinity, when the howl of the wolf and the whoop of the Indian were the only sounds which struck the tympanum of nature's auditory apparatus, and sent the echoes reverberating through the almost impenetrable forest-at such a time as this, tradition tells us the story of two hunters, Abbott and Jones by name, who, led away by the fascinations of the chase, had penetrated thus far in the sylvan solitudes, when, tired and disappointed with the almost fruitless labors of the day, they were preparing, as the shades of night were fast settling o'er the solemn forests, to recruit their wasted energies by " tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep ;" and, without previous warning, their preconcerted plans were suddenly terminated by the appearance upon the scene of a huge panther, whose domicile, it appears, they had unwittingly invaded, and the animal, not willing to retire from the place without asserting her rights to the use of the same, from the legal stand- point of having been the original possessor of the soil, made a vigorous attack upon the hunters, but, after a brief hand-to-hand conflict, which appeared of great length to the tired men, the battle terminated in perfect accordance with the theory of scientists concerning the survival of the fittest. The victorious hunters throwing the carcass of the brute into the gurgling waters of the little brook, again sought to recuperate their ebbing strength, by passing the remaining hours of darkness in undisturbed repose; and since that time, the stream has been called Panther Creek, in commemoration of their struggle with that animal upon its banks. The other version of the story is that long years after the members of the Caucasian race had sought and made for themselves homes in this vicinity, and the wild children of the forest had retired from the hunting-grounds of their ancestors, and had gone to seek a place nearer the Great Father of Waters, where they might hope for awhile, at least, to free themselves from the encroachments of their white brothers, one among their number, a warrior of the Miamis, whose name was Painter, unwilling to quit in his later years the hunting-grounds and graves of his forefathers, refused to follow his people, and, constructing his lodge on the borders of the stream which bears his name, remained upon the spot, watching with philosophic eye the metamorphosis of his childhood's home ; and, no doubt, as he saw the primeval forests rapidly fading from his view, he wondered if the change was a reality, or mere delusion caused by his failing senses. Well might be say with the poet :

" Is it changed, or am I changed ? Ab, the oaks are just as green, But the friends with whom I ranged beneath their thickets, Are estranged by the years that intervene.

"Bright as ever flows the stream, Bright as ever shines the sun, But alas! It seems to me Not the stream that used to be, Not the sun that used to shine."

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However, as to which of the two stories is the more authentic, it is not possi- ble for us, at a period so remote from the time when these events should have occurred, to determine with absolute certainty ; although for various reasons, which the limited nature of our work does not permit us to chronicle, we are led to think that the former of the two versions is probably the more plausible. Be this as it may, it is a well-known fact that the portion of the township drained by this creek offered the greatest inducements to the earlier settlers, and by no means the least of these advantages was the exceeding fertility of the soil, to which the extreme healthfulness of the climate and bewitching beauty of the location united to make it an extraordinarily desirable place for the heads of families to choose as a permanent home. These advantages, together with that offered by the stream, which was capable of producing power sufficient to run the various mills, which were very essential, and, indeed, almost indispensable factors in the earlier settle- ments, account for the first settlements of the township having been made in this locality ; besides the streams to which reference has already been made, there are several minor ones, two of which flow in an easterly course through the southern tier of sections, and finally empty into the Stillwater, while another flows, a more southerly course and pours its waters into Ludlow Creek, in Union Town- ship. Excellent springs of never-failing water also well up in various localities, than which, water more sparkling or refreshing is not to be found within the limits of our country. As regards the chorography of this portion of the county, it can be said of Newton that it is mostly level ; the township slopes gently from the east of the Stillwater, and no waste land is to be found. The western banks of the river, however, in some places rise abruptly into rather high bluffs, which, in sev- eral places, extend some distance west of the river, but a very small portion of this land cannot be tilled, the most of it at the present time being in a high state of cultivation ; this productive condition of the soil is not a mere matter of chance, but has been brought about only after spending long years of manual labor at agricultural pursuits, assisted in later years by the mechanical arts. In the beginning of the present century, when the first settlements were made, the township was one densely wooded forest, with but two exceptions ; what to-day is the meadow green, with its abundant herbage, was then an unknown forest, fit home for the wild animal and native Indian, who held a joint proprietorship in the land, and each walked unmolested, as was their wont, the "monarchs of all they surveyed." The purity of the atmosphere was then tainted by nothing save the smoke which curled in fantastic wreathings from the wigwam of the red man ; now the air is rendered noxious by the impure vapors rising from the noisy loco- motive, as it rushes through with its load of freight, exchanging the products of other climes for the surplus products in this; then the giant oak reared its lofty head deep into the ethereal depths ; now the monarch of the forest is fallen, and in its place fields of waving corn and wheat, orchards bending beneath their loads of luscious fruits, dot the landscape here and there as far as the eye can reach. Within the memory of the oldest inhabitant of the township the country has been perfectly transformed-much farther back than this we cannot go; but the old trees, could they speak and tell the history of this township as far back as there are circles by which the years of their growth are numbered, would tell a story that now lies locked in the silent bosom of dead centuries, but their dumb tongues refuse to reveal the secret that inquisitive man longs to know ; and, although we have many indications of the existence of a people who toiled and lived upon what is now Newton Township long before the advent of the white man or even Indian, what they were, together with their manners, customs and language, remains too deeply buried in the mold of centuries to be soon unearthed by sci- entific researches. The soil in this section of Miami County is an alluvial deposit of great depth, formed by the slight additions of successive years ; it is remark- able for its continued fertility, inasmuch as the ground which has been tilled three quarters of a century has not the least abated in productiveness; on the contrary, the amount of its products is constantly increasing instead of diminishing.

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The only exception to the universal forest which occupied the township, and, indeed, the whole county, upon the arrival of the oldest settlers, was what is now known as " Williams' Prairie ; " it was a spot of land not encumbered by a single tree, situated east of the Stillwater River, mostly on Section 19. The original tract embraced between sixty and eighty acres ; now, however, it cannot be distin- guished from the adjoining tracts, which have been cleared and form part of the original prairie. How or when this section was cleared, or who was instrumental in its clearing-for it, doubtless, was at one time as densely wooded as the rest- .can only be theorized upon, and there is a theory contended for by some who have examined the location, of which we shall make mention in another connection. Besides this, there was another small prairie in the south part of the township, the main part of which is situated in Union Township. After these, nothing broke the monotony of the wooded depths, which, to the early settler, seemed almost limitless.

This township, as are most of the others in this county, is well provided with numerous excellent roads, offering splendid facilities for traveling or teaming in almost any season of the year; these are, however, comparatively speaking, a modern invention ; the oldest inhabitant of the township remembers well how, in former times, when it became necessary to construct a highway for general utility, the neighbors would collect together with ax and mattock, and persistently chop and grub their way through the forest till they had reached the place for which they started. These roads, if not so smooth and straight as the beautiful drives of to-day, possessed the redeeming feature of being well shaded. Numerous pikes cross the township in various directions ; of these, the Covington and Panther Creek traverse a part of the northern portion of the township, Hogpath Pike runs from Pleasant Hill west through the township, while the Troy & Newton Pike extends from Pleasant Hill to Troy. The Newton & Covington Pike is the oldest in the township, and probably as old as any in the county.

To give the history of Newton Township and not speak of her first white set- tlers, would be as impossible as to demonstrate a mathematical proposition by means of ciphers alone, not taking into consideration the more important digits. We shall, therefore, speak briefly of the sturdy pioneers who left the more hospita- ble East and came to brave the perils of the wilderness in search of homes for themselves and their descendants. Some time between the years 1797 and 1800, Michael Williams, who had removed with his family from North Carolina to Ohio, learned, from Gen. Harrison, with whom he met in Cincinnati, and who had, some time previously, made an expedition through this section of the country, of the ·existence of the prairie of which mention has already been made. He immedi- ately resolved to remove thither, and, like Jacob of old, he collected together his sons, with their wives and all their earthly goods, and started immediately for the land which was to be the heritage of his children for many generations, and which he reached in safety, and located on Section 19, which embraced the prairie, the only oasis in the wilderness of trees that surrounded him. He was the head of a family of four sons, the youngest of whom, John, was the first minister produced by the township. The remaining five children were daughters.

Marmaduke Coate, the second white settler in the township, was born in the year 1738, in South Carolina, from which place he emigrated in his sixty-eighth year. He was the father of seven sons and two daughters, each of whom reared a large family of children. Moses, Marmaduke's second child, and Samuel, the fourth, came to the Miami Valley on a prospecting tour in 1804. Being well pleased with the appearance of things in this locality, they determined to take permanent homes here, and, consequently, were joined by the remaining members of their families in the fall of 1805. . They immediately established themselves upon the southeast quarter of Section 32, in this township. They made themselves as com- fortable as circumstances would permit in their new quarters, and proceeded at ·once to remove the forest, preparatory to planting in the spring, knowing well that unless they sowed they would not reap. They plied their axes vigorously,

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the effects of which soon made themselves apparent in more ways than one. Not only was a spot of ground laid open to the genial influence of the sun, but, one particularly clear morning, when the sounds created by their vigorous strokes sent the echoes rebounding merrily through the surrounding forest. the woodmen were surprised by the appearance upon the scene of Michael Williams, who had been roused from "the even tenor of his way " by the sounds which bespoke the onward move of civilization. Having previously considered himself the only set- tler in the vicinity, he proceeded at once to investigate matters, and, in company with one of his sons, pushed his boat up the Stillwater to the place from where the sounds proceeded, and was not a little surprised at the sight which greeted his eyes. The emotions of gladness which thrilled him at the prospect of establish- ing friendly relations with one of his own kind can better be imagined than described. His desire being fully reciprocated by Mr. Coate, for, in those primeval days, a neighbor was an article not to be lightly estimated, they at once became fast friends, and, probably, the first highway in the township was the simple foot- path that spanned the distance between their dwellings, and which was indicated by the blazed trees that marked its course. Mr. Coate died in the year 1822, at the advanced age of eighty-four years, having been a resident of this township some eighteen years. He lived to see much of the land occupied by the enter- prising white settlers who immigrated here between the war of 1812 and his death, and to see his sons, the most prominent men in the vicinity, happily situated on homes of their own, free from any incumbrance, save the trees, the spontaneous products of the soil.

The wife of Mr. Coate died some time previous to the death of her husband. The life of the lady, could it be written, would make a large and interesting book. She had been captured by the Indians at the age of seven, and, after enduring hardships that but few of her sex could have outlived, finally escaped from her captors after having been in their custody for five long, wearisome years, during which time she became conversant with their customs and language, which accom- plishments, if so we may term them, proved very beneficial to the whites during the time of hostilities.

Thomas Hill was probably the third white man who established himself per- manently in this township ; he came from the East about the year 1805 or 1806, accompanied by his family, which consisted of two sons, viz., Nathan and John, and two daughters, viz., Elizabeth and Sarah. Mr. Hill established himself at once on Section 20, where he resided until his death. He early identified himself with the manufacturing interests of the township, building as soon as practicable after his arrival, the first and only copper still ever erected in this township. This he ran very successfully till the year 1818, when he disposed of the property to Jacob Rench, who operated it till 1831 or 1832, when the whole establishment was destroyed by fire.

Thomas Coppock was probably the fourth white man who conceived and put into execution the idea of making his permanent abiding-place in this township. He was the second son of a family of nine children, consisting of six boys and three girls. South Carolina was his native State, and there he would probably have remained ; but being opposed to slavery in any form in which it might appear, he found it impossible to prevent his opinions from conflicting with those of the great mass of the people in that old Slave State, and he determined at last, if he could not assuage their grief nor loosen the fetters with which they were so firmly bound, he would not, at least, remain to witness the miseries of the colored people engendered by the lash of the most cruel task-masters. He believed these people to be possessed of that spiritual something which philosophers denominate soul ; this, however, was an attribute not coincided by the majority of the people to belong to them. Therefore, not being able to coincide in his views of these things with the people of his State, he resolved to quit it and carry his family away from such dangerous influences ; consequently, with his three sons and five daughters, he left the land of bondage, and, after enduring the hardships consequent upon so long a

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journey through a sparsely settled country, he reached this township in the fall of 1805 or 1806, and located at once on southwest quarter of Section 33. He turned his attention at once to the task of clearing the ground, from which he expected to obtain his sustenance ; by trade, however, he was a blacksmith, the first person of that ancient and honorable profession in the township. A short time after his arrival, he built his shop, but, being, as it was, just across the line in Union Town- ship, it cannot be claimed as being the first smithy built in this township ; it was run by a tilt-hammer, which piece of machinery is by no means complicated, as it con- sisted of a simple beam of wood about six feet long, one end of which was attached to a pivot, and the other, to which a hammer was firmly fastened, extended just over the anvil ; to this wonderful piece of mechanism a treadle was attached, so that when it was necessary to employ both hands in holding the work, the smith, by means of his foot, which worked the tilt-hammer, was enabled to accom- plish the work of two men. Coal was then almost an unknown article here, and Mr. Coppock obtained fuel for his shop by burning charcoal, which answered his purpose very well. At the first election held in the county for Commissioners, in 1808, Mr. Coppock was elected and served in that capacity three years. He was a prominent man in the county, and died at a good old age, mourned not only by his relatives, but by the people of the county in general, who felt that their loss would not soon be replaced. At this period in our history, immigrants began pouring into the township more rapidly than heretofore. The face of a white man, although always beheld with pleasure, was not such a novelty as it had been a few years hitherto, and the sound of an ax did not produce so much astonishment among the settlers as that instrument had been seen to do on a former occasion. In the fall of 1806, the little colony was increased by the addition of three families, originally from South Carolina, but subsequently from Warren County, Ohio, where they had located upon removing from their native State. Upon arriving here, they took immediate possession of three quarter-sections of land, lying in a direct line north and south. The heads of these several families were all brothers-in-law, con- sequently, as far as family ties were concerned, they formed quite a settlement of themselves. Samuel Teague, the elder, located on the middle quarter, Section 28, Benjamin Pearson on the south quarter, Section 33, while William Furnas took the north quarter, Section 33; the latter died the 21st of December, 1835, and is buried in the cemetery at Pleasant Hill. These men were endowed by nature with a reso- lute will, which, added to their thrift and unflagging industry, soon enabled them to change the gloomy aspect of the forest, if not into an Eden, at least into such homes as they learned to love, where they lived happily and prosperously many years with their children, who had located themselves comfortably near them. Jacob Embree was a native of Tennessee, from which State he emigrated at a very early day in the beginning of the present century, and located first in Montgomery County in this State. Not being satisfied here, and hearing the wonderful fertility of the soil in this county commented on in the most favorable terms, he deter- mined to remove thither, and consequently, in the spring of 1807, we find him set- tled on the southeast quarter of Section 29, in this township, on land now owned by J. C. Coppock. Mr. Embree identified himself at once as being an enterpris- ing citizen, and proved a valuable addition to the people among whom he settled. Under his wise supervision, the manufacturing interests soon began to be devel- oped and an important epoch in the history of the township was reached. Mr. E. had resided on his farm many years before he learned that it had not been entered by other parties, and, immediately upon receiving intelligence in regard to this matter, he set off for Cincinnati on horseback, riding all the night and day, when he reached the land office and secured for his own a home such as is calculated to make the heart of man glad.

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 44

Author: W. H. Beers & Co. Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1051

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051