The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record;, Part 96

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 96

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).

Mary Smyth Irwin, eldest daughter of John and Anna Irwin, was born in Ohio County, Va., about 1798. As soon as old enough, she commenced teach- ing school, which occupation she followed many years. She married Cyprian Lee, a merchant of Marysville, this county, but had no issue. She died of consumption in 1857.

Cynthia Ann Irwin, the second daughter of John and Anna Irwin, was born in Ohio County, Va., about 1800. She married Calvin Winget about 1821, by whom she had six sons and two daughters. Her youngest son, Cal- vin, died in the army in the late rebellion; she died of consumption about 1844.

James Hughs Irwin, third son of John and Anna Irwin, was born in Ross County, Ohio, about 1802. He was married to Polly Reynolds, daugh- ter of Elisha and Mary Reynolds, of Union Township. Mr. Irwin was a prominent farmer, and in politics a Whig. He was an acceptable church officer, and led the congregation in singing. His wife was a member of the Christian Church, with which he also united. They had four sons and three daughters. Two of the sons were in the army of the late rebellion; Gwynn,

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the third son, was severely wounded, and returned from the army with shat- tered health; Duane, the fourth son, died in the hospital from diseases con- tracted in the service. Mr. James H. Irwin settled on a farm in Union Town- ship, where he died in June, 1841, with consumption.

Isaac Newton Irwin, fourth son of John and Anna Irwin, was born in Ross County, Ohio, about 1804, and died at about four years of age. He was a child of remarkable sprightliness of intellect, and the day before his death gave his mother directions what to do with his playthings, and told her he was going to die. She thought it his childish talk. Early in the evening, he complained of being tired, and his mother put him to bed, and then went out to milk the cows. When she returned, she asked the family where Isaac was, and was told that he was in bed; she replied. no, he was not, for she heard him out singing while she was milking. They went to his bed, and there he was-fast asleep. During the night, some of the family heard hard breathing; they arose and obtained a light, and found Isaac dying of croup; he lived but a short time.

Nancy Milton Irwin, youngest child of John and Anna Irwin, was born in Greene County, Ohio, in 1806, and in 1831 married Thomas Twiford, and set- tled on the farm in Union County, where her parents first located. She had one son and three daughters. Her son, Smyth, served in the army three years in the late rebellion. She died in Liberty Township, this county, of consump- tion, in 1871.

William B. Irwin resided over fifty years in this county, and forty-three years of that time on the farm where his father, John, first settled when he was in his eleventh year. He erected the first frame house that was built in Marysville, which was for Stephen McLain.

Joseph Stewart, a native of Maryland, settled in this township in 1807. John Stokes (father of Hiram Stokes), a native of Virginia, settled in 1809, and died October 8, 1817, aged thirty-four years. Samuel Colver, a native of New England, married Miss Curry, daughter of a former Treasurer of the State; settled near Irwin Station about 1808, and became one of the most enterprising and wealthy farmers of this vicinity, and at the age of seventy years, about 1851-52, emigrated to Oregon, where he died. Thomas Mc- Donald, a native of Tennessee, settled on Darby Creek, on Survey 6,602; he married a Miss Teeters, and remained a resident here through life. Their children were John, who married Philomelia Miller, and removed to Cham- paign County, where he died; Betsy, married David Burnham, both died in Milford; Polly, married James Biggs, and died near Milford; Susan, married a Mr. Davis and removed to Dayton, Ohio, where they died; Nancy, married William Howard, and died in this township; Samuel, married Rachel Comer, and resided here till his death; James, married Adaline Stewart, he subse- quently emigrated to California; Charity, unmarried; George, married Roxie Fairfield, she died and he married Mrs. McDonald, nee Comer, and now resides in Woodstock; Julia, married James Biggs; and Duncan moved West. Mr. McDonald was an excellent neighbor and citizen, and possessed great honor and integrity throughout his business life.

J. R. McDowell, a native of Pennsylvania, settled here about 1808-10. James Cochran, a native of Pennsylvania, settled in 1811, and died Septem- ber 28, 1822, aged fifty-seven years. . His wife, Mary, died July 28, 1822, aged fifty-one years. John Crawford, a native of Pennsylvania, and his wife, Margaret, with their family, came to Ohio and settled in this township in 1811. Their daughter, Hannah H., on the 12th of February, 1829, became the wife of William M. Robinson, now of Marysville, and lived to celebrate her golden wedding. Her death occurred in June, 1881, when she had reached

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the age of seventy-six years. She was the mother of ten children. Her hus- band has been President of the Union County Pioneer Association since its organization. They settled in Marysville in 1844.

Charles Colver, a native of New York, settled in this township in 1812, on Treacle Creek. Of his children, Standish Colver was born in New York in 1797, and was about fifteen years old when brought to this county. He was twice married; first, to Betsey Lockwood, in 1820; she died, and he married Lois M. Smith in 1840. By his first wife he had the following children:

Salome, who moved West; Andrew, never married; Cynthia, married William Winget and lived in Marysville; Harriet, married Mr. Kyle, and resides near Greenfield, Ohio; Abi, deceased: Jerome, died young; and Cyrus, it is be- lieved, also died young. By his last wife he had four children-Horace: Josephine, married William Snodgrass and resides near Woodstock; Abi; and Emma, who married a Mr. Goldsmith. Standish Colver was a millwright by trade, and erected several mills during his life. He died November 15, 1882, aged eighty-five years, having resided in this township threescore and ten years-more than the allotted period of man's life. Religiously, he was a Universalist; as a neighbor, kind and generous, and as a citizen, worthy of and possessing the confidence of his entire community.

John Parthemore, a native of Pennsylvania, came to this township and settled in 1812. Andrew Gill, from near Cincinnati, located about 1812. He came here a single man, married the Widow Cary, and settled on the Cary farm, where they remained residents till their death. Their children were as fol- lows: John, died unmarried; Margaret, died unmarried; David, deceased, married Eleanor Piper; Jesse, married Jane Cochran, is deceased; James, be- came a minister of the Presbyterian Church, and married a Miss McLain (he served as Clerk of the Court of this county several years; finally entered the ministry, laboring in that cause for many years; he died in Cincinnati in 1880-81); Israel, is deceased. The above were his chldren by his previous wife. By his last wife, Mrs. Cary. he had two children; Mason, who married and resided on the home place till his death, about middle age, and one daughter. Mr. Andrew Gill died September 18, 1829, aged sixty-two years. Warren Rose, a native of New York. settled here about 1812-14; he married Lucy Hibbard. They had several children; some died here and some moved away; one son died in the army in the war of the rebellion. Mr. Rose was a tanner by trade, which business he followed through life, and was the second tanner in the township. Mr. Frankelberger, of whom he learned his trade, at Milford, and then became his successor in the business, was the first.

Levi Phelps became a settler here about 1812-14; was one of the early teachers of this township, and a surveyor.

Hugh and John Porter, natives of Pennsylvania, became early settlers of this township; the former about 1813, and the latter in 1817. The latter be- came Associate Judge of the county, and both were prominent, active and use- ful citizens. William Porter, now a resident of the north part of Union Township, so well and favorably known, is a son of Judge John Porter, who died October 31. 1838, aged sixty-one years. His wife, Susanna, died August 14, 1824, aged forty-three years.

Judge Robert Nelson, a native of Pennsylvania, came to this township in 1813, and settled on a large tract of land which he purchased on Survey 6.602. He married Martha Mitchell. daughter of David Mitchell, one of the early pioneers. They had no issue. Mr. Nelson was one of the first Commissioners of Union County; was a thorough, energetic, business man, and became quite wealthy; was an Associate Judge several years, a most excellent man and a worthy citizen. In religion, a Seceder, or member of the United Presbyterian

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Church. In the latter part of his life, he retired from all active business, and died in Darby Township.

William C. Piper was a native of Washington County, Penn., of Scotch- Irish parentage. His father was Robert Piper, who emigrated, with his brother James, from Ireland when both were single men. William C. was the only son of a family of six children, and when eight years old-in 1814- emigrated with the family, and came down the Ohio River to Portsmouth, Ohio, and from there traveled northward, through the then dense wilderness, in a wagon, finally reaching the southern boundary of what is now Union County, and set- tled on a farm on the south side of Big Darby Creek, near the east line of what is now Union Township. As soon as the family was settled, Robert Piper, in company with Joseph Dodds, who in after years became a resident of Marysville, returned to Portsmouth after the goods. On the homeward trip, Mr. Piper was taken sick and suddenly died. It was a great blow to the fam- ily, but they found friends, and the future brought them prosperity. William C. took care of the family until he arrived at manhood. In 1835, he married Hannah P. Gabriel, eldest daughter of Richard Gabriel, and became the father of seven children, of whom six survived their father, the mother alone being left to mourn his loss. Mr. Piper was for thirty-four years a Trustee of Union Township, and then refused to serve longer. He lived, during the whole of his married life, on a farm on the west side of Buck Creek, at its junction with Big Darby Creek, nearly opposite the first location of his father in 1814. William C. Piper was an honored, respected, intelligent and worthy citizen. He died May 29, 1876, aged seventy years.

This brings us in the history of the early settlers of Union Township to the period of the " Post Road Settlement," between Pleasant Valley and Irwin Station, which was made in 1813-14. Concerning this settlement, in April, 1882, was published an article written by John F. Sabine, of Marysville, in the Marysville Tribune, from which we extract the following: "In giving a history of the first settlement of the southern portion of Union County, I will have to go back to the beginning of this century. At this time great inducements were held out to the people of the States to form settle- inents in Canada East. Consequently, many persons from the neighboring State of Vermont went over the line, and very soon built up a flourishing and prosperous settlement. They remained there, prosperous and happy, until the year 1812, when the difficulties between the United States and Great Britain terminated in a war. These people, being Revolutionary soldiers, or their descendants, had too much of the spirit of '76 in them to take up arms against their countrymen, or even remain quiet spectators of the conflict; so they re- solved to leave the Dominion of His Majesty George III. Accordingly, on the 20th of September of that year, the first installment took up their line of march for the far West. They were composed of the following families: Russell Bigelow (father of the celebrated Rev. Russell Bigelow), Moses Pat- rick, Asa Plummer, Joab Hoyt, Amos Hawley, Dr. Gideon Hawley, Peris and Joseph Walton and Nehemiah Sabine. After a tedious journey of more than six weeks, they arrived at Worthington. Ohio. The next summer, 1813, in looking for a place of permanent residence, they made choice of the Darby Plains, until then a barren waste, made purchases and built their cabins, which most of them were able to occupy late in that year or early in the next. One, Joseph Green, from the State of New York, was the first man to occupy his cabin; and for a long time it was known as the Green settlement.

" The following year, 1814, another installment from the same place fol- lowed in the wake of their predecessors, and settled with us, to wit: Israel Lockwood, James Dockum and Stephen Jackson; also, Ephraim Keyes, Oba-

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diah Janes, from Vermont; Uriah Wood and Col. Jacob Fairfield, from the State of New York. These families constituted what was then known as the ' Green settlement,' on the Post road in what is now known as Union Town- ship. Another, east of this, on the same road, in Darby Township, was formed at the same time, and was known as the 'McCloud settlement,' the two extend- ing from Irwin Station to Plain City, a distance of eleven miles. This Post road was established during the war, for the purpose of conveying the mail from Worthington to Urbana, then very important towns in Central Ohio. There were but two intermediate post offices, Darby Creek and Dublin. The former was kept by James Ewing, one of the first sett ers, and was for a long time the only office in what is now Union County. Most of the families com- posing the Green settlement were very large, many of them numbering from ten to twelve souls. By this it can be seen that we were not destitute of ma- terial to receive the benefits of free schools, which were soon put into operation, my father being the first teacher. But sickness soon made its appearance among us to an alarming extent, in a short time decimating the inhabitants by death. This state of affairs continued for a long time, until the country became rid of its poisonous malaria. It is now one of the healthiest portions of Central Ohio. About the year 1817, another colony, from the State of Connecticut, settled in our immediate neighborhood, known as the 'Burnham and Howard settlement.' They, together with the first settlers, helped very materially in forming the future character of the people of this portion of the county. The habits and customs of our earliest settlers differed very much from the latter. Intercourse and association had a powerful tendency to smooth down the rough points of both, and produce a similarity of character, so that at this day it is impossible to distinguish any difference from their language or address."

Having thus given the general circumstances of the above settlement, as described by the pen of Mr. Sabine, we will now try to give some particulars of each of the above families.

Russell Bigelow and wife had the following children: Lucy, never mar- ried, and died at the old homestead; Irena, married Joseph Mitchell, and died in Madison County; Rev. Russell, the third child, early prepared for the min- istry, married a Kentucky lady of name of Erwin (he became a very prominent, popular and eloquent minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and died at Columbus, Ohio); Alpheus, studied medicine and spent his life as a physician, he married a Miss Case, of Worthington, Ohio, and died in Delaware County; Dimis. Grata. Polly, Abigail and Benjamin, all died unmarried, when quite young. with milk sickness and malarial diseases; Anna, married Gen. William. B. Irwin, and died at Milford of consumption, and Eliphas, who married Miriam McCloud and remained a resident of this county through life; he died in Michigan while there on a visit, but his body was brought back and interred in Union Township.

Nehemiah Sabine, married Susanna Hawkins, of Coventry, Connecticut. Their children were as follows: Hiram, the eldest, died of milk sickness in 1814, Hylas, married Hannah Balderston, and died in New Orleans of con- sumption in 1834; Roswell, became a prominent and popular physician at Troy, Ohio, and practiced over fifty years; he married twice, his first wife was Mary Robinson, his second Caroline Connable; he died at Troy, of pneumonia, in 1875; Laura, never married, and died at Marysville in 1880, aged eighty years: John F., married Euphemia Clement, and resides at Marysville; he has now been a resident of this county a period of seventy years, and has been intimately connected with the events, growth and progress of the county from its early settlement to the present time; has held many important offices and

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positions of trust, which will be fully mentioned in the biographical sketch of Dr. Andrew Sabine in this volume; Phobe, died at the age of eleven years; Asbury, married Sophia Janes; he died in 1835; his widow still survives; Rebecca T., married Andrew Keyes and they now reside in Marysville; Charles W. also became a practicing physician, and settled in Miami County, Ohio, where he died of consumption; and William R., who died of consumption at twenty-one years of age.

Asa Plummer, Sr., was the father of the following children: Joseph, who married Eunice Cummings, and both died in Champaign County, Ohio; Asa, Jr., married Malinda Buckman, and died in Delaware County, Ohio; Alvin, re- turned to Canada and married, and subsequently removed to Illinois; Horace did likewise; Hannah married a Mr. Hanniman, a lawyer by profession, who removed to Illinois, and served his county in the Legislature several years; Reuben. married the youngest daughter of John Erwin, and removed to Texas, where they both died; Wiley, married a Miss Randall, and settled in Illinois: Clarinda, married Hyal Buckman, and both are residing in Illinois: Calista and Tallman died young, and Nelson, who removed to Illinois. Israel Lock- wood, Sr., was the father of the following children: Oliver, married Miss Maynard, who died on the Darby Plains; subsequently he removed West; Polly, married Benjamin Lyon, and died in Union Township; David, married Hannah Hand, and resided in this county till his death in the spring of 1882, aged ninety years; Israel, Jr., married Sally McCloud, she died and he mar- ried Miss Colver, he died in this county; Sallie, died young; Betsey, married David McCloud, he died, and she married Standish Colver, with whom she lived till her death; Walter, returned to Canada, married, and brought his wife to this county, but subsequently removed to Illinois; Rebecca, married a resident of Worthington, Ohio, and subsequently removed West, and Frederick, who died young.

Moses Patrick married Clarissa Geer, and had the following children: Harriet, married Samuel Rice, Jr .; he subsequently united with the Shakers, but she remained a resident of this county most of the time till her death; John, inarried Lydia Geer, of Canada, and remained a resident of this county till his death; Ira, married Laura Tarpenning, and died in this county; he was a man of fine intellect, and more than ordinary ability; Levi, married a Miss Tucker, and subsequently removed West. Moses Patrick and wife remained residents here till their death.

Dr. Gideon Hawley was, perhaps, the first physician in Union County; he married Rebecca Townsend, and subsequently moved West, where he died, and his widow returned to her friends in Canada. They had two sons; the youngest was named Micajah; both removed to the West.

Peris Walton married Miss Hannah Glazier; he died in this county; she subsequently died in Allen County, Ohio. Their children were as follows: Hannah, who died unmarried; John, married and moved West; Sallie, married Mr. Patterson; she died in this county, and he moved away a few years after- ward; Maria, the youngest, removed with her mother to Allen County, Ohio.

James Dockum, Sr., was the father of the following children: William, married Miss Nancy Jones. and settled on Barron Run, Madison County, where he died; Sallie, married Mason Jones, and removed to Madison County, where she died; James, Jr., was twice married, first to Phebe Jones, second to Betsey Clement, and died in this township; Elijah, died young, unmarried; John, died young; Boardman, married a Miss Wallace, and died in Madison County; Ira, died young; Polly, married Allen Jones and moved West, and Arvilla, who died young.

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Stephen Jackson, Sr., a Revolutionary soldier, was one of the " minute- men " at the battle of Lexington, Mass., and one who followed the British in Boston. He continued in the service of the Colonies through the war, and was a man of more than ordinary energy, ability and attainments, for that early day. He married Hannah Hawley. Their children were as follows: Stephen, Jr., married a Miss Atsit, and removed to Cincinnati, where they died; James married Margaret Whelpley; he now resides near Elyria, Ohio, aged ninety years; Amos was pressed into the British service in Canada, was taken prisoner by the Americans, and soon after came to his parents in this county, where he married Rachel Goodenough, and now lives at West Liberty, aged eighty eight years; Hiram, married Abbey Cooley, she died and he went to the Mormons; Truman, married a lady from near Elyria, Ohio; she died, and he subsequently married a Mormon lady, and made his home with that people; and Sophronia removed to Logan County, Ohio, where she married.

Joseph Walton married a Miss Gilbert. His children were Olive and Rebecca. The family early removed to Allen County, Ohio.

Joseph Green, a native of New York, married the widow Hamond, and settled as stated above, being the first settler to enter his cabin. He died the next year after locating here. His children were James, Samuel and Phœbe.

Uriah Wood, a native of Vermont or New Hampshire, married Dimis Bigelow, and died in the settlement. Their children were Ira, who became a practicing physician, and married Margaret Hawley, at New Philadelphia, Ohio, and finally settled at Marysville, where he practiced till his death; he died of milk sickness. Their children were Michael S., who married Eliza Thayer and died in Marysville; Polly, married Prince Alden; she is deceased; he now resides at Mechanicsburg.

Obadiah James, a native of Vermont, was the father of the following chil- diren: Jabez, died, unmarried, during the first year of their settlement; Oliver, married Hannah Clement, and subsequently removed to Cleveland, where he dealt largely in real estate and died quite wealthy, possessed of at least half a million; Naomi, married William Mitchell and removed to the Western Re- serve, where she died; Laura, who died at Cleveland, unmarried; Alonzo, re- moved to Cleveland. and there married and resided till his death; John, died young; Sophia, married Asbury Sabine, and is now residing in Portage County with her daughter, the only surviving one of the family; Lucretia, married Solomon Dunton, who was a Methodist minister, and removed to Iowa, where she died, and Harris, married a lady of Portage County, and died in this town- ship.

Ephraim Keyes was a native of New Hampshire; his father was a native of Connecticut. He married Esther Rogers, and was the father of the follow- ing children: Loren, married Lydia Morse and died near Chuckery; Daniel, married Miss Betsey Carr; she died near Chuckery, and he married again and removed to Marion County, Ohio, where he died; Andrew, married Rebecca T. Sabine, and now resides in Marysville; Elias, married Mary Neal and sub- sequently removed to Mechanicsburg, where he died; Harriet died young, and William and John removed to the South, where they died. Ephraim Keyes died in 1822.

George Brown, a native of Rhode Island, settled at Milford about 1820, while a young, single man, and opened a general store. Soon after, he re- turned to his native State, and married a Miss Carpenter and brought her to his new home in Union County. He was a man of energy and good business ability, and without doubt would have become a leading man of this commun- ity, but he was early cut off by death. His store was the first of any impor-

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tance in Milford. They had one child, which died in early childhood. Sub- sequently, his widow married Harvey Hovey. He was killed by being thrown from a horse, and she then married Harvey Burnham. By her last husband she had four children-Mary, George B., Henry and Martha.

Joseph Kennedy, a native of Pennsylvania, emigrated to Ohio with his wife and three sons-Hezekiah, Jobn and Oliver-in 1805, and settled on the present site of Milford Center, Union County. John, the second son, was the father of Joseph M. Kennedy, now of Marysville. He was married in 1828, and moved immediately to Pike Township, Madison County, where his death occurred June 4, 1864. Joseph Kennedy, Sr., died at his home in Milford about 1831-32. His children born in Ohio were James, Ellen, Eliza, Othias. Joseph and William-all in Union Township. Most of them spent their lives in this county, and but one-Othias-is now known to be living, his residence being at Collingwood, Cuyahoga Co .. Ohio. William died at Bellefontaine in 1862, having been for many years a resident of Logan County. He was the father of Hon. Robert P. Kennedy, now of Bellefontaine.

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The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, towns military record;, Part 96

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