The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 53

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

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INCIDENTS, ETC.

The first matrimonial alliances were contracted in 1800. On this occasion, Mary Sailor and her sister Rachel were joined in holy wedlock to Joseph Stafford and David Morris, Jr., respectively. The village newspaper was then an institu- tion utterly unknown, and therefore we are unable to give any accurate account of the affair, nor are we able to tell how the brides were dressed. We will venture the assertion, however, that silks, satins, laces and that indispensable article, the " Bloom of Youth," were not in the make-up.

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

The first orchard was planted by Jacob Price. It is not now remembered who was the first person born in the township. J. L. Stockstill, who resides in the northeastern corner of the township, is perhaps the oldest man now living who was born here.

On Tuesday, March 18, 1879, a deplorable accident occurred in this township. Jesse Albaugh, son of N. H. Albaugh, was hauling a load of fruit-trees from the Albaugh nurseries to Tadmor. While going down the hill, the rub-lock of the wagon was broken, and the horses became unmanageable. Young Albaugh was thrown to the ground and dragged some distance. When assistance arrived, life had fied, his neck having been broken.

BRANDT.

This village, of about 250 inhabitants, is situated on the National road, in the eastern part of the township. It was laid out in August, 1839. John Dinsmore erected the first tavern, whose landlord was Thomas Forbes. The next tavern was kept by David Hepner. The present brick building was built by John and David Arnold and sold to Thomas Dover. The Voorhis brothers were the original propri- eton jof the town. Thomas Wilmington (father-in-law of ex-Clerk J. W. Cruik- shanks) and Benjamin King, plow manufacturers, were the first inhabitants. It is stated that, after their business was fairly established, they manufactured 1,500 plows per annum. The first store was kept by Michael Heffner in the property now owned by Jacob Siegman ; the stock of goods was small and unpretentious. The first store of any importance was kept by a man named Bacon, in 1844-45. Brandt owes its existence to the construction of the National road, from Balti- more to Springfield. When this road was first surveyed, there were but few other roads in the township. Travel on this became very general, and Brandt became a favorite resting-place for the weary traveler. Shortly after the completion of the road, however, pikes were being built through all parts of the township, and the number of travelers on the National, were correspondingly less ; and, since the introduction of the "iron-horse," Brandt has lost most of its former greatness.

In 1868, the school-building was erected, a substantial two-story brick edifice. The total cost exceeded $3,000, not including the ground. The educational facili- ties are ample. The youth of the village require but their own industry to obtain a first-class education. The primary department is in charge of Miss Amanda Swallow ; Mr. John W. Black is Principal of the intermediate grade. Spiritual instruction and consolation are offered by the Methodist Episcopal and Lutheran Churches, under the respective ministrations of Revs. N. H. Prince, and J. C. Zim- merman. The industrial and business interests of the little village are well repre- sented as the following will attest :

Hotel, Mrs. Schmidt; dry-goods, groceries, etc., Mrs. Schmidt, Jacob Hawn, B. F. Blessinger ; blacksmithing, Boyd Gowdy, Joseph Bechtold, Martin Gantz ; wagon-making, John Bodiker, J. M. C. Dean ; basket-making, John W. Stremmel ; saw-mill, Black & Hower ; grower of small fruit and flowers, J. D. Tredway ; phy- sician, C. H. Humphreys ; shoemaker, John Motz ; Brandt nurseries, D. and H. Brown. The latter gentlemen enjoy an excellent patronage, employing from fif- teen to twenty men at certain seasons of the year. Hiram Brown is lawyer, Jus- tice of the Peace, Township Clerk, Township Superintendent of the Schools and Census Enumerator, and, although comparatively a young man, has the energy and ability to discharge his duties in a satisfactory manner.

WEST CHARLESTON.

This is the oldest town in the township and one of the oldest in the county. It was laid out by Charles Friend, who settled there in 1807, and called Friend- town after its owner. Some years later the land was purchased by John Newcomb, the first merchant of the village ; his goods were kept in a log-cabin, near the beautiful springs whose refreshing waters supply the entire neighborhood. The town has been built on both sides of the North Miami pike extending from Troy

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

to Dayton. This road was cut out by Mad Anthony Wayne and his men, when on their way to Cincinnati. A number of pioneers from the surrounding country joined the army while they were engaged in cutting out the road at this point. Jake Schlosser kept the first tavern. William Boyer and Lightcap were also early tavern-keepers. There was a constant stream of travel, and hotel-keep- ing was very profitablefor a number of years. As late as 1840, three hotels were required to supply the demands of the traveling public. To-day another state of affairs exists. The building of the canal and railroads has let the ambitious town relapse into a provincial hamlet. For unknown reasons, the name of the town was changed from Friendtown to West Charleston, now taking the Christian name of its founder. About half a century ago, the first frame was built by Caspar Young -at present it is in the possession of. John Baker. Kneisley erected one of the first houses and engaged in blacksmithing. Dr. E. L. Crane, now of Tippecanoe, was one of the first physicians.

Formerly, the people enjoyed a daily mail by stage. Jerry Self, Calvin Adams and Lewis Russell deserve mention as being among the first " engineers " of this ancient traveling conveyance. Now mail is received three times a week from Tip- pecanoe. The following have held the position of Postmaster since 1839 : Samuel Higginson, Andrew Hogland, Jacob Waltz and Joseph Benham, who took charge of the office in 1858 and has continued to this day.

A short distance from West Charleston are located the " Charleston Falls," which for beauty of scenery outrival all similar works of nature in the county. The water is furnished by the numerous springs in this locality. Hundreds of people visit these waters every summer and enjoy the cooling breeze and picturesque scenery.

The schoolhouse was built in 1865, and consisted of one room. In 1871, another story was added and the rooms graded. Here the young idea is " taught how to shoot" during nine months of the year. This spring, there were about sixty-five scholars under the general supervision of William Senseman, a veteran pedagogue of this locality. One church, mentioned in the township history, is sufficient to provide for the spiritual wants of the inhabitants. The total popula- tion is estimated at 150. The following is a showing of the business interests :

General store, Joseph Benham ; blacksmiths, Solomon Funderburg, Martin P. Cushwa ; boots and shoes, Michael Gottschall ; physician, C. C. Cline ; straw- berries and fruits, Hazael Weldy.

CONCLUSION.

We now arrive at the conclusion of the history of Bethel Township. But what a change ! Fourscore of years of its existence have passed away. Could we see the condition of the country eighty years ago, this grand change would be more fully realized. Where once was a continued forest, interpersed here and there with the humble cabins of the few settlers, scarcely a landmark remains. The trees have long ago been extirpated ; in their stead have appeared thousands of acres of golden grain. Cabins have been torn down to make way for handsome edifices of brick, surrounded by beautiful lawns and beds of delicious flowers, whose growth is assisted by water, pumped by a monstrous automatical wind-engine. The apple seeds planted by our fathers have grown into extensive fruit-farms, which are being increased year after year. The blazed road has made way for graveled pike, upon which the heaviest loads are drawn with comparative ease. Verily, this is an age of progression. And the old pioneer, where is he? Under the cool sod he reposes, silent in death. A rough sand-stone marks his resting-place. Many of his children yet remain ; but their hair is white as the driven snow, their step is unsteady, and ere long, they, too, will fall into everlasting slumber.

"They are going, one by one : The young, the old, the fair. the brave. Svou their work ou earth is done ; Soon their rest is in the grave."

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

MONROE TOWNSHIP.

Monroe Township is in the southern tier of townships running east and west, in Miami County, and is bounded on the north by Concord Township, while the Great Miami River separates it from Staunton and Bethel on the east ; Montgom- ery County bounds it on the south, and Union, the southwestern township of Miami County, on the west. It contains thirty-six full and six fractional sections, making, in all, about nineteen thousand three hundred and twenty acres. In the beginning of the present century, when the few hardy men reached here from South Carolina, they found the forest unbroken for miles around ; not a spot of prairie land was in the township, while the only inhabitants of the sylvan solitudes were the untutored Indians, who gained a livelihood by hunting the wild animals that abounded here at that date. The Shawanee tribe had quite a village in the southeastern part of the township, below the present line of Tippecanoe, and here they lived a life of happy contentment, roaming the woods at liberty, and gaining a scanty but satisfactory subsistence from the spontaneous products of the country round about them. Little did they think, living in their grand simplicity and utter ignorance of the rise and fall of nations, which had taken place since the creation of the world, that, ere three-quarters of a century should have passed away, only the memory of their people would be lingering in the minds of the descendants of those whose might alone entitled them to the soil, which, according to the law of original possession, was their own. The appearance of the white man upon the scene caused the spirit of their dream to change. The advent of this iconoclastic creature in their midst put to flight all preconceived notions they may have enter- tained of remaining in undisturbed possession of the soil where for many centu- ries they had pitched their tents unmolested. To us, at present, viewing the productive farms and elegant homes that dot the country in every direction, it seems difficult to realize that here, in a period not very remote, "there lived and loved another race of beings ; " but these have long since passed away ; the leaves of the forest no more feel the impress of their stealthy footsteps ; the smoke from their camp-fires no more rises gracefully from the front of their wigwams, and,

" When asking the question, " Where are they-these red men ?' From the thick wall of years, The echoes bring answer, and say,

' They're gone-gone forever.'"

The metamorphosis in Monroe Township, since the year 1801, has been com- plete, and, although not noticeable to the young, to the few pioneers who still live, the change seems wonderful indeed. The productiveness of her soil is not excelled by that of any other township in the county, while her manufactories compare favorably with those of any of her neighbors, and speak plainer than words of the enterprise and business ability of her citizens. By a free use of the tile manu- factured in the township, the ground has been brought to the highest state of cul- tivation, while the quarries produce an excellent quality of limestone for the con- struction of buildings.

The first white settler in the township was Samuel Freeman, who brought his family to Monroe in 1801; he located about one mile south of where Tippecanoe now is, and built his cabin soon as possible, occupying a bark hut left by the In- dians until he had finished a house of his own. John Freeman, a son of the former, built the first corn-cracker in the township, near the bayou, in 1806.

John Yount came from North Carolina to Monroe Township in 1802, bring- ing his family with him, and making his home for some time right among the In- dians; he entered his farm at $2 per acre, which they " stepped off," thus dispensing with the services of a surveyor.

Michael Fair was probably the next settler in the township ; he brought his family from Frederick County, Md., and settled one mile and a half southwest

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of the present site of Tippecanoe, in 1804. Mr. F. was stepfather to John Clark, who afterward laid out the town. George Fair, a son of M. F.'s, born in Maryland in 1794, has resided in the township seventy-six years, and is the oldest resident in Monroe.

John Clark, a native of Chester County, Md., immigrated to Ohio with his parents in 1804. They located first in Greene County, but, not being satisfied to remain there, removed to Monroe Township in October of the same year, and settled permanently one mile and a half west of Tippecanoe, where they resided till their death. In early life, John was wholly dependent on his own exertions for a livelihood, and, as the sequel shows, proved himself competent for the emer- gency. In after years, he became one of the largest land-holders in the township. Mr. C. was a man of great business. capacity, and, in the course of his business life, made four trips to New Orleans with flat-boats loaded with produce; and, although such a journey was considered very hazardous, under his management they became very successful financially.

David Jenkins, was born in Newberry District, S. C., in 1758, from which place he emigrated, in 1805, reaching this township the same year. He was accompanied West by Elisha Jones. Mr. Jenkins' four sons, viz., Amos, Phineas, Eli and Jesse, came to the township, and settled near their father, between the years 1805 and 1808. The log cabin used by Mr. J. as a residence when he first came to the township still stands on Section 8, and is, without doubt, the oldest dwelling in Monroe Township.

David Jenkins, Esq., commonly distinguished as " Squire " Jenkins, reached Monroe in 1806, and located on part of Section 20. He was a prominent man in the community, and figured conspicuously in all affairs of a public character in his township. Elected Justice of the Peace in 1818, he was continued in office till his death, in 1858.

Thomas Pearson was, at the time of his arrival in the township, the oldest man in the settlement. He immigrated here from Newberry District, S. C., in 1806, at the age of seventy-six years. His sons, Enoch, Jonas, and Thomas, Jr., all of whom had families, came here at the same time, and settled on Section 20. Samuel Pearson came from South Carolina the same year, and the different mem- bers of the Pearson family then entered land on portions of Sections 20, 21, 22 and 29. Thomas, Sr., was a Quaker minister of considerable notoriety, while his son Enoch was the first blacksmith in the township. Samuel P. was accompanied by his nine sons.

John Jay came to Monroe Township in 1803, accompanied by his family of seven sons and three daughters, only one of the sons being married at that time, but the rest took to themselves wives, and the family in a short time became so numerous that they formed quite a settlement by themselves, and were known as the "Jay set." Upon their arrival here they entered portions of Sections 25, 36 and 31, which they soon cleared and brought under a high degree of cultivation. Walter D. Jay was the first man who refused to countenance the use of ardent spirits in the harvest field. He was a man noted for his integrity, a stanch Abo- litionist, and, as far as was in his power to be, a patron of education.

Paul Macy immigrated here with his two married sons, Thomas and Paul, Jr., in 1808 ; the family were natives of Tennessee. Upon arriving in Cincinnati, they entered portions of Sections 31 and 32, where they subsequently built their log cabins, and, by the constancy of their labors as well as the strict integrity of their dealings with their fellows, they made for themselves not only pleasant homes, but sustained the relation of prominent citizens to the community.

George North, accompanied by his three sons, came to Monroe Township from Georgia, after he had passed the age of fourscore years. He had been a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was a great admirer of President Monroe, so, when the right of naming the township was ceded to him, he called it Monroe, in honor of that great and good man. Mr. N. was an influential man in the community, and was more than one hundred years old at the time of his death.

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George Kerr, from Virginia, located in Monroc Township in 1804. Beside those already referred to, the names of Layton, Fergus, Westlake, Puterbaugh, Shafer, Furnas, etc., are familiarly spoken of as having been among the earliest as well as the most prominent persons in the township : and the many advantages now enjoyed by the citizens of the township are due. in a great measure, to the unwearying exertions of these men, who began the work that has been rapidly forwarded by each successive generation.

TIPPECANOE CITY.

Tippecanoe City, the principal village in the township of Monroe, dates its origin from the fall of 1839, when its foundations were laid amid the excitement and tumult attendant upon the war then being waged through the West, by Gen. Harrison, against the Indians. It is situated in a beautiful tract of country, in the eastern part of the township, very near the line, its northeastern boundary being formed by the Great Miami River, which separates Monroe from Bethel and Staunton Townships, which bound it on the east. At a very early day in the history of the town, the Dayton & Erie Canal was completed through the place, thus offering shipping facilities that were great inducements to people desiring homes, to locate themselves in this vicin- ity. The canal passes north and south, just east of the village, but its usefulness, as well as its importance, has, in some measure, been superseded by the construction, in later years, of the Dayton & Michigan Railroad, which passes through the cen- tral part of the town, from northwest to southeast. It will be seen, therefore, that the resources of the place, as regards developing the commercial interests of the town and township, are twofold, viz., by rail and water, and, judging from the large amount of freight imported and the great quantity of articles exported by the numerous manufacturers of the place, we are led to infer that the advantages offered by either of these modes of transit, instead of being neglected and abused, are eagerly seized upon and appreciated by the enterprising citizens, who take pride in developing the sources of wealth found in the productive farms and extensive manufactories of the township.

The land upon which the village stands was first occupied by Robert Evans, who, could he look upon the place as it now is, would probably not recognize, in the streets so beautifully laid out and pleasantly shaded by tall maples, the spot of ground from which he was able, only by extreme manual labor, to produce for himself and family what was, at best, but a scanty livelihood, in the old pioneer days. The land in this vicinity, at that time, was an unbroken forest, but, had the trees been invested with reasoning powers, they might have known, by the echoes made by the resounding ax in other places, that the footpath of American civiliza- tion was rapidly advancing. Add to the drawback of the land being heavily tim- bered the fact of its being rather low, and, for many months, very wet and unfit to be worked each year, and it was not surprising that the proprietor should grow anxious to dispose of the place and seek another, where less difficulties would have to be overcome. Accordingly, Mr. Evans exchanged farms, in the fall of 1839, with his brother-in-law, John Clark, who had emigrated with his parents from Sharpsburg, Chester Co., Md., when he was about nine years of age, which would make the date of his location in Miami County, this township, about the year 1804. Having arrived at the age of manhood, Mr. Clark married a lady whose maiden name was Jenkins, who had immigrated to this township with her parents from South Carolina in the early days of the nineteenth century.

In the fall of 1839, when seeking a permanent home for himself and his growing family, Mr. Clark was so fortunate as to become the possessor of the land on which Tippecanoe City is now located ; we say fortunate, for surely greener fields, trees more umbrageous or waters more refreshing or sparkling never ornamented or made luxurious the dwelling of man, than are to be found here. When Mr. Clark moved here. the place did not present so delightful a prospect to the vision of man as at present. Then but a small plot of ground, in what is now the east- ern part of the town, was cleared, which, probably, had been burned off many

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years before by the Indians, who had a village just south of that place, in the bend of the river. It is likely that they had cultivated on this cleared spot a little corn and the few vegetables they used for food. But the land had lain idle for many years and had grown up full of young oaks and briers, so that the spot came to be spoken of by all who knew it as the " briery fraction."

Our readers will remember that hundreds of years before this, an edict had gone forth from Him who commands worlds to move, which had pronounced man an unworthy creature, and condemned him to a, life of labor ; declaring that he should obtain his bread from the soil, which should henceforth bring forth both thorns and thistles, by the sweat of his brow. Remembering this, they will not wonder that Mr. Clark found his new home by no means a Garden of Eden ; notwithstand- ing this, it is boasted by a resident of the place, a son of Mr. Clark, who has traveled from ocean to ocean, from the Great Lakes to the gulf, and who has also visited the delightful regions of the tropics, that, should search be made for a more beautiful or pleasant place to live in than "Old Tip," failure would be the only result of such labors. This enviable state of affairs must not be accounted for on the principles of spontaneous growth, but rather by the unwearying industry and enterprising spirit of her citizens. When Mr. Clark moved here, the farm contained something more than 100 acres. This, however, was a mere nucleus, to which the enterprising proprietor, by his tact and talent, commingled with his unflagging industry, soon added several hundred acres. Immediately upon his taking possession of his new home, he satisfied the wants of the then sparsely settled neighborhood, which up to that time had no home market nor any other of the many advantages so necessary to the prosperity of any community, by founding the new town. Four blocks on what is now First street, were first laid out, and divided into seventeen lots, which were offered for sale, and for which he received about $100 each. The original lots east of First street, were fifty-two feet in front and 187 feet deep, while west of First street they were only 152 feet deep. No public sale of lots was made, but private enter- prise willingly took hold of the work, and in a short time a number of small dwellings were in a fair way for completion. The ground had been a corn-field that summer, and an orchard had also been planted upon the spot a few years before, but the ax of the woodman, and corn-cutter of the farmer, soon caused these obstructions to vanish, and the vacancy was occupied by a store, blacksmith- shop and tavern, three of the most important factors in the establishment of a country village.

A difference of opinion existed among the inhabitants as to what appellation should be given to the place ; Mr. Jay, the man who purchased the first lot. desiring to call it Jaytown, and thus perpetuate his own name, while Mr. Clark called it Sharpsburg, after his native town in Maryland. It was at this time that Gen. Harrison fought his memorable battle in Indiana, and Mr. Clark, being a , stanch friend and admirer of that General, as well as a firm supporter of his party, decided to name his town for the place where that engagement took place -hence its name of Tippecanoe City.

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 53

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