The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record;, Part 124

Author: Durant, Pliny A. [from old catalog]; Beers, W. H., & co., Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1254

USA > Ohio > Union County > The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record; > Part 124

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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DOVER TOWNSHIP.

the creek bottoms, the timber consists principally of hickory, oak, elm, sugar tree and beech ; tlie sugar-tree formed in many localities the principal timber, and in that day, as at present, was of great utility and profit by reason of the vast quantities of sugar made. It also then, as now, produced the best of wood for fuel. The country is now nearly destitute of walnut timber, the manufacturers of fine furniture having.demanded and obtained nearly every- thing of the walnut species, but the sugar tree groves have been carefully pre- served for the luxury and profit they yield in sugars and fine syrups.

EARLY SETTLERS.

The first locality in this township where the sound of the woodman's ax broke upon the solitude of the vast forest, was on the south or west bank of Mill Creek, in the southwest part of the township. A few years earlier, Eph- raim Burroughs had settled in the wilderness of Mill Creek Township, near where the village of Watkins now stands, with his family of seven sons and four daughters. Of these children the second son, Jonathan M. Burroughs, was born in New Jersey, September 15, 1794, and married Mercy Bell, a daughter of Daniel Bell, one of the early settlers of Mill Creek Township. In the fall or winter of 1815, Mr. Burroughs located on Mill Creek, in what is now Dover Township, on 400 acres of land which he leased of Thomas C. Geary, of Virginia, 200 acres of which were situated on the south side of Mill Creek, and 200 acres on the north side. Here Mr. Burroughs struck the first blow in opening out the mighty forests of Dover Township, and here he made his first financial start in life, beginning with no capital, not even an outfit for housekeeping. He erected his little log cabin, daubed with mud, and in mid- winter moved into it with his young wife and companion. In one corner of the cabin was erected a frame for a bedstead, consisting of two poles extend- ing from holes bored in the logs of his cabin, and supported by a single cor- ner post, with poles laid across for slats, upon which was laid a straw bed, and for cover they had a feather bed containing about five or six pounds of feath- ers and one blanket ; this was all the bedding they possessed. Their table consisted of a large slab into which were put legs. His wife had a broken skillet, the only cooking utensil she possessed. She had one broken plate, one knife with a part of the handle broken off, and one fork with one tine broken off; these composed their entire outfit of dishes, and served for her use at their meals. Mr. Burroughs made a wooden fork for his own use, and for a knife to eat with he used his pocket knife, partaking of his food from a wooden plate of his own manufacture. These constituted their entire outfit of table ware. Spring and the sugar-making season were near at hand. The forests were abundantly supplied with sugar trees, and their first effort must be to manufacture all the sugar possible. But here again was another diffi- culty ; they had no utensils for making sugar. Mr. Burroughs from some source obtained, by renting, three large kettles, and with his own hands made a large quantity of wooden sugar troughs, and tapped about 200 sugar trees. Now, the work and labor commenced ; day and night, "week in and week out," they toiled, gathering the sugar water, boiling it down and making sugar, till the season for such work was past. Now, they must market their sugar, and purchase some necessary articles for the house. The nearest store was that of James Ewing, near Plain City, about ten miles distant. He had no horse, there were no roads, but mere bridle-paths run by blazed trees. He took upon his back all the sugar he could carry, and traveled the entire dis- tance to the store on foot. In exchange for his sugar, he purchased one-half dozen plates, one-half dozen knives and forks, one-half dozen cups and saucers, one tin teapot, and one-quarter of a pound of tea, and with these on his back, he

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

trudged his way back to his home. His wife unpacked and washed the dishes, while Mr. Burroughs with his ax split out a large slab, and dressed it up as smooth as possible, and upon pins driven into a log in the cabin he placed his slab, to serve as a shelf, upon which was placed this new supply of table-ware. With hearts full of gratitude, and eyes beaming with delight and satisfaction, on the opposite side of the room of that humble cabin, stood the young pio- neer with his trusting and affectionate wife, gazing upon that small, but to them beautiful and bountiful outtit. the result of their first united labors toward obtaining a home and a livelihood. Who can fully realize the rapture that now filled their souls as they there stood and viewed their entire worldly goods, and knew that their own labor had produced them, under the most ad- verse circumstances ! And who would be surprised that Mr. Burroughs says, "I tapped my wife on the shoulder, and said to her, 'we'll make it yet !'" Mr. Burroughs said he felt prouder at that moment, over that success, than in after years he would have done, had he been presented with $10,000 in cash. Mr. Burroughs remained upon this land he had leased about three years, dur- ing which time he had cleared forty acres. At the expiration of seven years, he owned two horses, a good wagon, a yoke of oxen, five milch cows, nine head of two-year-old steers, and forty head of hogs. Truly, his assertion to his wife, " we'll make it yet," was verified; he was now on the sure road to wealth and a fortune. He now purchased 1873 acres of land on Blues or Little Mill Creek-land which is now owned by John Robinson-on Survey No. 5,499, and here commenced to open out a home and a farm for himself ; and here he re- sided for thirty years. In the fall of 1853, he sold his place and removed to Illinois, where he resided till 1875. The success that crowned his first efforts in his start in life was continued in an increased ratio, commensurate with the increase of his property and advantages to accumulate ; and now at this peri- od of his life, after threescore years of diligent toil and labor, he finds him- self in possession of an ample competency ; in amount many thousands of dollars. At the last-mentioned date-1875 -- he removed to La Fayette, Ind., and in July, 1882, he again returned to Union County, Ohio, and now resides with his son in the village of Dover, in the eighty-ninth year of his age. Mr. Burroughs has been four times married, and his last and fourth wife he buried several years since, while a resident of Illinois. His life, while successful financially. has also been characterized by liberality and probity-giving freely of his own means and influence to all worthy objects, improvements and progress of the communities where he has resided.

William Badley, it is said, was the second one to locate in the precinct of Dover Township. He settled on Mill Creek just below Mr. Burroughs, in 1818. He was a native of Maryland, where he married Sarah Hurst, by whom he had the following children: James, Arthur. Tabitha, Mahala, Anna, one daughter who married a Mr. Cook, Mercy, William, Nelson, Sallie and Zach- ariah, most of whom died early in life with consumption. Mr. Badley was honest, upright and a worthy pioneer. The year 1818, in which Mr. Badley settled, was the date of several new settlers coming to Dover Township; in just what order they came is not so certain, but as they all arrived the same season, there could be but a few months' difference between them. We will therefore assume the following order, of settlement: John Hannaman, the third settler, came from near Chillicothe, although probably a native of some Eastern State, and settled on Mill Creek, south of the Marysville & Delaware pike, where he purchased 200 acres, upon which he located in 1818; after sev- eral years' residence he removed to the West. His children were as follows: Mary, who died in the West; Susanna, married Stephen Dysert, and died in this county; Nancy, married Isaac Dodd and resided in this township till

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quite advanced in years, when both removed to the West and died: Rachel, married Joseph Williams, and settled in the West; John, married Jane Maze, and died in this county; Robert, married a Miss Plummer, and settled in the West; Rebecca, Priscilla, Peter and Duncan, all moved to the West with their parents.

Stephen Dysert, mentioned above as marrying Susanna Hannaman, came from Ross County, and settled on the most northerly fifty acres of Mr. Hanna man's land, described above, it is believed at the same date (1818), and re sided here till his death. He and his wife are buried upon the farm where they spent their life. Their children were John, who now resides in Mercer County, Ohio; Mary, deceased; Julia Ann, now residing in Mechanicsburg; Rachel, resides in Illinois; Susanna, deceased; Nancy, deceased; Priscilla, re- moved to Kansas; Joseph, deceased, and Euphemia, who also resides in Mer- cer County, Ohio.

Isaac Dodd, married Nancy Hannaman in Ross County, came to this coun- ty at same date (1818), and settled on the most southerly fifty acres of Mr. Hannaman's tract of land above described, and here resided until advanced in years, when he moved to the West and died. Of his children, Samuel married Mahala Clark, and died in the West; Elizabeth, married William Perry, and settled in the West; and Jamison, married Mary Williams, and moved to Iowa.

Lancelot Maze, who also became a settler here in 1818, located on Mill Creek on land now owned by Mrs. Freshwater, where he died in the fall of 1823. He was a native of Ireland, from which he emigrated to America when sixteen years of age, and, with his wife Mary, to whom he was married in Pennsylvania, removed to Huron County, Ohio; thence to this county, as above stated. It is said by some of the early settlers that he was one of the first Justices of the Peace of Mill Creek Township. Children-John; one daugh- ter, married and resides in Huron County, Ohio; Robert, Sarah, Jane, Joseph, Jesse and Millie, all of whom moved away soon after their father's death.

William Richey, Sr., was born in Cumberland County, Penn. His father was Adam Richey, a native of the North of Ireland, who emigrated to America in 1757. He married Nancy Boulton, of Ireland. They died in Pennsylva- nia. William was twice married. His second wife was Mary Kane, a daugh- ter of James and Martha (Turner) Kane, he a native of Ireland, and she of England. They were married in Ireland, and emigrated to America in 1773, and settled and died in Westmoreland County, Penn. Mr. Richey came to Ohio and settled on the Darby Plains, in Madison County, in 1813. In Feb- ruary, 1819, he removed with his family to this county, and settled on Mill Creek, on land now owned by his son Joseph K., on Survey No. 9,028, and here resided till his death, August 17, 1847. Of his children, William was eight- een years of age when the family came to this county. He married and set- tled here, and became one of the leading, prominent and reliable citizens of the county. Politically, he was originally a Whig, and in the session of 1845 -46, represented the county in the Legislature. He also served as a Justice of the Peace, it is said, twenty-one years. Mr. Richey resided here more than fifty years, and during that time cleared up and improved a fine farm. About 1873, he removed to Franklin County, Kan., where he died March 16, 1882, aged eighty-eight years. His first wife, whom he married in Ohio, died after they settled in Kansas, and he again married, his second wife surviving him. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church for half a century. James, an- other son of William Richey, Sr., also served as a Justice of the Peace several years, and filled other prominent offices of his township and of the county. In 1834, he removed to Delaware County. Three children of the family still survive-James, Joseph K. and Catharine.

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

John Dinwiddie, a native of Virginia, married Sarah Crane, of Green- brier County, Va.,-now West Virginia-and removed first to Ross County, Ohio; thence, in 1823, came to Union County and settled on Mill Creek, where he purchased land which is now owned by A. G. Boring, and resided until his death: his remains were interred upon his own farm. His wife survived him and died in Iowa. Their children were as follows: Robert, Elizabeth, Si- lence, John, Margaret, Mary, William, Andrew, Rebecca, and Priscilla, all of whom moved away and settled in various States of the Union.

Daniel Williams was a son of John Williams, and was born in the State of Maryland. With his father's family he emigrated to Ohio, in 1808, and settled near Chillicothe, Ross County, where his father died. Daniel there grew to manhood and married Christiana Badley, and in January, 1824, he removed to Union County, and settled on the north bank of Mill Creek, in Paris Township, and in February, 1828, settled on land now owned by Michael Cody, residing there four years. He sold the place, to his brother John, and removed to Marysville, where, on March 25, 1860, his wife died, and in the fall of the same year he returned to Dover Township and resided with his son Matthew until his death, March 28, 1866, aged seventy-six years. His chil- dren were as follows: Matthew M., who married Sarah Winfield and now re- sides in Dover; Hester Ann R., married J. W. Landsdown, and died in Marys- ville; and Elias M., who died unmarried.

John Williams, a brother of Daniel Williams, married Anna McGuire, of Ross County, Ohio, and settled on the above mentioned place, which he par- chased of his brother Daniel in 1832-33. There he resided till 1857, when he removed to Oskaloosa, Iowa, where he died; his wife survived him and was still living when last heard from. They had the following children: John M .: , who married Elizabeth Lawraway and died in Iowa; Mary J., mar- ried I. J. Dodd and also died in Iowa; Ellen, married Phineas Phillips and resides in Iowa; Elizabeth, married Samuel Ross and died in Iowa, and Thomas J., who died in Iowa unmarried.

Jonathan Bowen was a native of Virginia. He emigrated with his family to Ross County, Ohio, and about 1825 removed to Union County and here set- tled on the tract of land now owned by Mrs. Jane Bowen; he was twice mar- ried, and on the farm just mentioned he and his last wife both died; his wife, Elsie, died July 6, 1840, aged sixty-six years; he died February 18, 1852, aged ninety-one years. Their children were as follows: Priscilla, married Henry Lease and settled in the West; Jesse, married a Miss Spurgeon and resides in the north part of this county; Jonathan, married Mahala Clark, is deceased, she still survives; Edward, married Julia A. Dysert, is deceased; Abraham, married Miss Sarah Bradley and removed to Kansas; and William, who mar- ried Jane Blue, is deceased.

James B. Clark, a native of Virginia, married Elizabeth Carney, and re- moved to Ross County, Ohio; thence about 1825 settled on Dun's Run, Dover Township, this county, on land now owned by Samuel Gamble, where he died February 19, 1829, aged forty-five years. Their children were Mahala, Di- ana, Theresa, Austin, Eleanor and Maria. Mr. Clark was one of the early teachers of this vicinity, a well-educated man and a good citizen, but was soon removed by death, having been a resident here only four or five years.

David W. Worley, it is believed, was a native of Virginia; he married Nancy Bowen and became an early settler of Ross County, Ohio, removing about 1824 to Union County, and locating on Dun's Run, on land now owned by William Howey, where he resided till his death. His wife died March 25, 1855; he survived her until December 31, 1871, when he died, aged seventy-six years. It does not appear that Mr. Worley ever purchased land, but probably

Shephard lecarte

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DOVER TOWNSHIP.

remained a renter through his life, and was a resident of this township about forty-seven years.

In 1824-25, Coats Thornton settled on Survey No. 5,135, and about the same time George H. Houser settled on Survey No. 9,028. In 1825, William Wilmuth settled on Survey No. 3,348, and perhaps a little earlier Richard Co- lumber settled on land now owned by William Howey, where he resided till his death. John Columber, near the same time, settled in the same neigh- borhood, but never married, and died where he first located, June 7, 1857, aged sixty years.

Amos Spurgeon, a native of Virginia, settled on Blue's Creek, on Survey No. 5,499, on land now owned by Samuel Bowdre, about 1827. He married and settled first in Delaware County, where he resided several years, thence located in this county as above described, and while here his wife, Nancy Wil- son, died. About 1865, he removed to Illinois, where he resided with his daughter until his death. His children were: Jesse (deceased), Anna (de- ceased), James, who was killed in the army in the war of the rebellion; Sarah and Susan, both deceased; George, now resides in Indiana; Nathan, resides in Putnam County, Ohio; and Elias, who died in the army. Mr. Spurgeon was a cooper and shoe-maker by trade. He was also a great hunter and trapper, a good neighbor and worthy citizen, and a Deacon in the New Light Church.

Rev. John Carney was a native of Virginia, but emigrated to Ohio and set- tled in what is now Dover Township, about 1828, residing here till his death. He was quite a noted and earnest Baptist and one of the early preachers throughout this vicinity. Although not an educated man, and never in charge of any church, yet he was a good and devoted man, and an earnest and effi- cient worker in this community in the interests of the church.

John Price settled on land now owned by D. W. Rittenhouse, about 1828, but remained here only a short time and moved away. James Thornton be- came a settler here about the same year.

Abner Liggett moved into this county from Delaware County, about 1829- 30, and settled on the south bank of Blue's Creek, on the east of Mr. Myers. He married Catharine Eubanks, and resided here till the spring of 1882, when he removed to Green Bend and there resides with one of his daughters. Of his children, Susan married William Perkins, Absalom resides in Delaware County, Elizabeth married James Perkins, is deceased, and Jane married N. D. DeGood. Mr. Liggett was a very successful farmer and stock-dealer, and accu- mulated considerable wealth.

Lewis Filler, a native of Virginia, settled northeast of Dover, on land now owned by J. Norris, about 1834; is still living and resides about two miles east of Dover and is one of the surviving pioneers.

Rev. Ebenezer Mathers, one of the early pioneers of Union Township, be- came a resident of this township about 1834, settled on land now owned by B Hanawalt, and died where Jefferson L. Richey now resides. He was a preacher and an earnest worker in the Methodist Church for many years. The first class of the Mount Herman Church was organized at his house about 1838. He became one of its first members, and remained a faithful member and worker as well as an earnest and eloquent preacher until his death, Decem- ber 20, 1852, aged sixty-three years.

Joseph Russell and Elijah Brown settled here about 1831-32 ; Levi and Daniel Longbrake in 1832-33. About 1833 came Mathew Columber and Alexander Ross, the latter settled on Survey No. 5,499, the former died October 29, 1853, aged sixty-seven years. Between 1833 and 1835 were settled here James Mathers, Alexander R. Bowen, Ebenezer Bethard, Samuel H. Dodd,

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

Joseph North and James Buxton, the latter residing on the west bank of Mill Creek, and upon his land is the cemetery known as the Buxton Cemetery.

Michael Myers came here from Licking County, Ohio, about 1834, and settled on Blues or Little Mill Creek, on Survey No. 5,498, where he purchased a track of land and resided until his death. He was buried on his own farm, near his orchard. He was twice married ; his last wife was Catharine John- son. His children were: Adam, deceased; Michael; Lewis, deceased; Mary and William. Mr. Myers was generally known as "Judge Myers," whether from holding office or not we are not informed; but he was a man of marked ability and sound judgment, and a very worthy citizen.

Adam Myers, a brother of Michael, settled here at the same date. He married Miss Nancy Bazzel and resided here through life. He had one child, Lewis, married Rebecca Estep, and died aged twenty-five years; had one child Jane, who married Oscar Gregg.

John Meyers, also brother of Michael and Adam Myers, married and settled here about the same date. His children were: Mary, who married Jesse Colver; William, who served in the army in the war of the rebellion, was taken prisoner and died in a rebel prison; Joseph, also served in the army ; he mar- ried and is now residing in Hardin County, Ohio ; Anna married R. Slack; James resides on the home farm; Samuel, Jehu and Adam. Mr. John Myers died the same day, and within a few hours of his brother Adam, and both were interred at the same time in Mount Herman Cemetery.

Samuel Bowdre, born in Madison County, Ohio, is a son of one of the early pioneers of that county; he settled here about 1835, and married Nancy J. Green; has made a continued residence here for forty-seven years, and has a fine farm and home made by his own industry and labors. He had the fol- lowing children: Benjamin F .; George W., now married and settled in Illinois; Mary Jane, who marriad Ira Brown, and resides in Paulding County, Ohio; Martha Ann, died in childhood; Lucinda; Emily; Almira, who married George Sullivan and resides in Urbana, Ohio: S. Preston; William; Alice; Sarah Bell, who married Chauncy Pyres and resides in Delaware County, Ohio. Romanto Allen, Jesse Carpenter, James Reed, Eli Sheldon, all settled here about 1834-36.

Samuel Beck, a native of Virginia, settled on the north bank of Blues Creek, about 1836, and resided here till his death January 9, 1859, aged eighty-one years; his wife Lydia died November 11, 1857, aged eighty-six years. Their children were James, Isaiah, Aaron, Vivian and Mary.

Roden Huffman, a native of Virginia, married Mary Beck and settled here at the same time with his father-in-law, Samuel Beck, and died here January 8, 1852, aged fifty-eight years. The following persons all settled here from 1835 to 1839, the time of the erection of Dover Township, viz .: James Ryan, Abel Tanner, Hanley Turner, John Cratty, Schuyler Perkins, S. Butz and William Green; the latter was a native of Virginia, and first settled in Wayne County, Ohio, thence came to this county, settling in the northern part of Dover Township. He married Martha Bilderback and resided here till his death. Their children were Riley, Ruhma, Deborah, Sarah, all deceased; Charles, Drusilla, William, the latter died in Illinois; and Martha, who re- sides in Licking County. The above embraces most of the early settlers of Dover Township. There are possible omissions, but they are few, and we feel assured that there cannot be many others who should appear in the foregoing list, as we have given more than fifty heads of families who with their children already arrived at maturity when they settled here will swell the list to proba- bly nearly two hundred persons.

MILLS.

It appears that there have been but few permanent mills in Dover Town- ship. There have doubtless been a number of portable saw mills located at

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DOVER TOWNSHIP.

various points for limited periods of time; but it is evident that much of the lumber used within the township has been sawed by mills elsewhere; also, a great portion of the grain for home consumption has been ground at grist mills in other territories. About 1850, Adam Richey and Beal Selman erected a steam saw mill about three-fourths of a mile west of Dover Village, on the Marysville pike, at the crossing of Mill Creek. They were subsequently suc- ceeded by J. H. Felkner, and after a few years he sold the property to J. D. Burkabill, in whose ownership it still remains. It is a No. 1 mill and has done an extensive business.

About 1871, L. B. Dennis erected a saw-mill and spoke factory in the village of Dover. He carried on an extensive and prosperous business, em- ploying twelve to fifteen men, until about 1874-75 he sold the property to D. F. Dyal, who continued the business about two or three years, but in 1877-78 removed the machinery to the State of Arkansas. These have constituted the principal mills in Dover Township.

SCHOOLS.

The first school in this township was doubtless on Mill Creek, in the neighborhood of the families of Badley, Burroughs, Dysert, Hannaman, etc. And from neighborhood to neighborhood, as the different settlements were es- tablished, the primitive log schoolhouse sprang into existence, and these were supplanted by others with a little more room and comfort, until now the town- ship embraces seven subdistricts, with a like number of good frame school- houses, with the modern improvements and comforts, giving the children the full advantages of the schools of the present age, so in contrast to the rough and imperfect institutions of pioneer days. The following is the enumeration of the seven subdistricts from the last report to the Auditor of the county.

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The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record;, Part 124

Author: Durant, Pliny A. [from old catalog]; Beers, W. H., & co., Chicago, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1254

Author: Durant, Pliny A. [from old catalog]; Beers, W. H., & co., Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, W. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1254