USA > Ohio > Noble County > The county of Noble; a history of Noble County, Ohio, from the earliest days, with special chapter on military affairs, and special attention given to resources. > Part 2
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26
1. The settler to furnish lands for public highways when called upon to do so.
2. To build a dwelling-house within five years, of the size of 18 by 24 feet, eight feet between the floors, and a cellar ten feet square ; a chimney of brick or stone.
3. To put out not less than fifty apple trees and twenty peach trees within three years.
4. To clear and put in meadow or pasture fifteen acres, and into tillage not less than five acres, within five years.
5. To be constantly provided with arms and to be subject to the militia law at all times.
6. Proper defenses or blockhouses to be kept upon the donation lands, of such strength as shall be approved by the committee.
In addition to these rules each settler was required to keep upon his land, for the period of five years, a man capable of bearing arms in case of invasion or attack from the Indians. To all who would comply with these requirements the directors obligated themselves to give a deed to their lands. This liberal policy on the part of the Company encouraged immigration and the country northwest of the Ohio began to attract the attention of home seekers in the older States.
In the spring of 1792 the directors of the Ohio Company petitioned Congress for a title to the lands, asking that the 1,500,000 acres be
23
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
deeded to them for the $500,000 already paid, and that a further grant of 100,000 acres be made to reimburse the Company for the donations made to encourage settlers. In April. Congress passed an act providing that a deed for 750,000 acres be made for the $500,- 000 paid ; another for 214,285 acres, to be paid for in land warrants ; and another for 100,000 acres to be held in trust and parceled out in tracts of one hundred acres each to actual settlers. On May 10, 1792, patents were issued by the president for these three separate tracts. They were issued to Rufus Putnam, Manasseh Cutler, Robert Oliver, and Griffin Greene, in trust for the Ohio Company, and were with one exception the first land patents issued by the government of the United States.
When it became known that the Company had a clear title to its grant, immigration received a still greater impetus, and at the close of the year 1793 there were three settlements in the new territory- at Marietta, Belpre, and Waterford-with a population of nearly two hundred men capable of bearing arms .*
* Most of the incidents referred to in this chapter are treated in detail in the first volume of this work. They are mentioned here merely for the purpose of enabling the reader to refresh his memory and form a better conception of the events which led to the early settlement and ultimate formation of Noble county.
Chapter II.
FIRST WHITE MEN IN NOBLE COUNTY-DIFFERENCE OF OPINION- JOSEPH REEVES-JOHN VORHIES-IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY-ON THE EAST FORK OF DUCK CREEK- CONFLICTING STORIES-THE ENOCHS SETTLEMENT-MARTIN CROW-THE DYE SETTLEMENT-SECTION LINES RUN IN BUF- FALO TOWNSHIP-FIRST SETTLEMENT THERE-FIRST SCHOOL HOUSE-LAND ENTRIES NEAR BELLE VALLEY-WHERE CALD- WELL NOW STANDS-IN ELK TOWNSHIP-SALT KETTLES-IN WAYNE TOWNSHIP-EARLY MILLS-AARON HUGHS IN JACKSON TOWNSHIP-HIS STRENUOUS CAREER-REASONER THE TRAPPER A TEMPORARY RESIDENT-ALES' TAVERN-ENGLISH IMMIGRANTS -THE KEITHS-BELL MAKING-THE IRISH SETTLEMENT- HUGH O'NEILL'S SCHOOL-SCOTCH PIONEERS-SQUATTERS' RIGHTS-A LAWSUIT OVER A TITLE-SHARON TOWNSHIP SET- TLED-FIRST GRAVE IN SHARON CEMETERY-GERMAN FAMILIES -PIONEER LIFE-THE LOG CABIN-DESCRIPTION OF ITS CON- STRUCTION-ITS FURNITURE-FRONTIER ADVANTAGES-AMUSE- MENTS-EARLY SCHOOLS-THE ITINERANT PREACHER-NOMEN- CLATURE.
T HERE seems to be some difference of opinion as to when, where, and by whom the first settlement was made in Noble county. It is a matter of record that the lands were sur- veyed as early as 1800 and that numerous hunters and trappers had taken up at least a temporary residence within the pres- ent limits of the county. One of these early adventurers was a man named Joseph Reeves, who built a cabin in what is now Wayne town- ship, as early as 1799, and declared his intention of taking up his permanent abode there. But the lonely life of the wilderness and the hostility of the Indians caused him to change his mind and abandon the home he had established. Later he returned to the county and became a permanent resident. Descendants of John Vorhies claim that he came to Wayne township in 1802, and that he was the first real settler of the county. Three years later it is said that Jacob Yoho settled in the same neighborhood. Descendants of Timothy Bates say he settled in what is now Seneca township in 1805, while
25
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
the Reeds, John and James, claim to have located in Beaver township the previous year. These, and various other claims are made for the early settlers in the northeastern part of the county, within the present townships of Wayne, Seneca and Beaver, along the rich valleys of Will's Creek, the fertility of which was the chief attraction to these dauntless pioneers.
A settlement was established on the east fork of Duck Creek, in what is now Stock township, by the Enochs, Morris, Crow, and Grandon families at an early date. Watkins fixes the date of this settlement as the year 1806. He also says that among the first settlers were Elisha, Henry, Enoch, and Jesse Enochs, and that their father, Enoch Enochs, did not join the colony until some years afterward. Another story, which appears to be equally as well authenticated, places Enoch Enochs, Sr., among the first settlers. According to this story Enoch Enochs, Lewis Wetzel, Martin Crow and Simon Girty were residents of the same neighborhood on Wheel- ing Creek, in Western Pennsylvania, near the Virginia boundary. For the protection of the settlements on Wheeling Creek a company of three hundred men was organized. Under the militia laws of that period each company was given the privilege of electing its own com- missicned officers. Enochs, Crow, Wetzel, and Girty were candi- dates for the captaincy of the company. Enochs was elected captain, Crow and Wetzel were chosen lieutenants, and later were appointed scouts .* After the Ohio Company had succeeded in establishing settlements on their purchase northwest of the Ohio, detachments of this company were employed in piloting and protecting emigrants to the new territory. On these excursions they learned the value of the fertile valleys of Southeastern Ohio and some of them determined to try their fortunes in the new country. Among these were Captain Enochs and Martin Crow. The story goes on to say that their exodus from Wheeling Creek was somewhat hastened by the massacre of Martin Crow's parents and three of his sisters in the spring of 1791, but is not definite as to whether they came directly to the east fork of Duck Creek or whether they spent some time in the other settle- ments before attempting to found one of their own. Some of the descendants of the Enochs and Archer families believe the Duck Creek settlement, in the present township of Stock, was made in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and that it is, therefore, the oldest settle- ment in the county. Martin Crow lived in the county until 1832, when his death occurred, and his remains rest in the Carlisle cemetery near the settlement he helped to plant on the margin of civilization.
* Girty's defeat on this occasion is said to have been the cause of his becom- ing a renegade, and of his hatred of the whites. This statement coincides with that of Simon Kenton, who says that Girty deserted his race because he failed to receive a military promotion.
26
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
Gen. William H. Enochs, a great grandson of Captain Enoch Enochs, was the only one of Noble county's sons to attain the rank of brigadier- general during the Civil war. After the war he established himself in the practice of law at Ironton and for several terms he represented the Eleventh Ohio district in Congress.
In 1804, Ezekiel Dye, a veteran of the Revolution, left Pennsyl- vania and started westward in search of a new location. He followed the old "Federal Trail," which had been made by a part of General St. Clair's army on its way to Fort Washington. This trail left the Ohio river at the mouth of Grave Creek, pursued a westerly course, and crossed Dye's fork of Meigs Creek near the present site of Ren- rock. After proceeding as far west as Chillicothe, Dve returned to Meig's Creek and made a selection of a tract of land. The next year was spent in Pennsylvania, making preparations to emigrate, and in 1806 he sent his six sons, Thomas, Ezekiel, Jr., Vincent, William, John, and Amos, to occupy the land and make the necessary improve- ments for a permanent home. In 1807 he joined his sons and thus was made the first settlement in what is now Brookfield township. Following the Dyes there came a large number of immigrants from New England, chiefly from Massachusetts, and it was not long until the "Dye Settlement" was one of the best known northwest of the Ohio river. These early settlers were men of sturdy character, little given to roaming, and some of the farms they entered are still in the hands of their descendants.
In 1805 the section lines were run in what is now Buffalo township by William R. Putnam. The following year Jacob Gregg came from Pennsylvania and entered a hundred and sixty acres of land there, upon which he settled. Shortly after him came Abraham, John and George Rich, and John and Abraham Miley. These pioneers blazed trees to mark the route to the new settlement, to serve as a guide to their friends in Pennsylvania, several of whom came out a little later. In 1812 a number of families from Virginia joined the settlement. Among them were Levi Lyons, Abraham Booher, John Drake, George R. Johnson, John, Samuel, and Isaac Kackley. One of the first school houses in this part of the State was built on the farm of George R. Johnson. It was of logs, with a bark roof, a puncheon floor, a clapboard door, and a huge fireplace at one end. George Kackley was employed as teacher and in this rude temple of learning was imparted to the children of the hardy pioneers the simplest rudiments of an English education.
A man named Bain made an entry of land not far from the present village of Belle Valley in 1806. Soon afterward he was joined by Richard Fletcher. These two men were the first settlers on the West fork of Duck Creek. For five years they were the only settlers in that part of the county, but in 1811 they were joined by the McKees,
27
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
and the next year John Noble and his brother came to the same locality. Between 1812 and 1815 Charles McCune, John Reed, Benjamin Thorla, John Clowser, Lambert Newton, John and Thomas Davis, Lemuel Fowler, Joseph Lippitt, Solomon Brown, and a num- ber of others settled on the West fork. Joseph Lippitt bought a whole section of land just north of where the Belle Valley railroad station now is, and at that time was considered the wealthiest man in the entire community. Solomon Brown was a blacksmith and when not engaged in working at his trade he made salt from a well on the John Noble farm and sold the product to his neighbors. In 1809 Robert Caldwell came from Washington county and made an entry of land where the city of Caldwell now stands, this being one of the first entries made in what is now Olive township. During the next three years several settlers located in this township. Among them were Simeon Blake, William Free,* Joseph Tilton and his three sons, Charles Davis and four sons, Silas Thorla, James Webber, George Padgett, Sherebiah Clark, and Samuel Allen. Allen erected the first mill on the West fork, at Socum, soon after coming from Marietta. It was probably the first mill in Noble county. Sherebiah Clark came from Kennebec county, Maine, where he had been a member of the State legislature of Massachusetts before the State of Maine was created. Upon the organization of Morgan county in 1819 he was appointed one of the associate judges of the new county.
About the time that Robert Caldwell made his entry of land Samuel Pryor, Jesse Davis, Moses T. Spencer, and a few others founded a settlement in what is now Elk township. The descendants of Matthew Gray claim that he was the pioneer settler in this township, and relate a story to the effect that the day his cabin was raised an elk was killed near the place, from which incident the township afterward took its name. This cabin could be seen for many years after Mr. Gray's death still standing in the village of Harrietsville. Ephraim Bates and James Dye made entries of land in Center township in 1809. Bates was one of the first men in this part of the country to start an orchard. It seems that he was an enterprising individual, for, in addition to his orchard, he built the first mill in Center township, hav- ing it in operation as early as 1814. Other early settlers in this vicinity were the Devollds, the McGarrys, Ambrose Merry, James Lowe, and some of the Archers. Daniel Devolld brought with him the kettles that were afterward used in Thorla & McKee's salt works.
* There is a story told of William Free to the effect that his real name was Hamilton: that for some nettv offense he was publiely whipped at Marietta, and after receiving his punishment and being released from the whipping post he shouted "I'm free! I'm free!" After that he was called Free. He settled in Olive township, near the locality afterward known as Socum, and was one of the first justices of the peace of Olive township.
28
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
Mention has been made of the settlement of John Vorhies and Jacob Yoho in Wayne township. In 1807 Edward Ward and his son John brought their families from Pennsylvania and located in the same neighborhood. Others came within the next three years and by 1812 quite a population had gathered in what is now the northeastern part of Noble county. Some of the early settlers there were Cor- nelius Bryan and his two sons, James and John, Joseph Burson, Robert Carpenter, John Ferris, James Law, John Hague, Thomas Richey, Isaac Mendenhall, William Lowrey, and William Thompson. The last named erected a mill on the Seneca fork of Will's Creek, which was the first structure of its kind in this part of the county. Before the advent of the mills of Allen, Bates, and Thompson, the settlers had to depend upon two horse mills owned by Thomas Barry and Elisha Fogle. These early mills were operated by water power and in a dry season they were frequently rendered useless by a lack of power. In emergencies of this kind a heavy rainfall was looked upon as a Godsend, and after such an event it was no unusual sight to see the settlers coming from all directions, mounted on horseback, bear- ing a "turn of corn" to supply the family with breadstuff until an- other rain should give the mill an opportunity to again become of use. At the mill each one would have to await his turn, and the time was spent in frontier sports, such as wrestling, shooting at a mark, pitching horseshoes, etc., or in discussing the weighty problems of government. Many a heated argument over political questions have occurred at the old country mill, and many a problem of public policy has been set- tled to the entire satisfaction of the rural Solons, who, on such occasions, would resolve themselves into an extempore legislature.
About the year 1811 Aaron Hughs settled in Jackson township. Few of the early settlers had a more strenuous career than he. Hughs was a native of Hardin county, Virginia, but in 1804 came to Guern- sey county, Ohio, locating on Will's Creek. After a year or two there he sold out for $500 and went to what is now Center township in Morgan county. While stopping at a tavern his $500 was stolen and he was compelled to begin life again bare-handed. Nothing daunted, however, he improved a farm in Morgan county, which he sold in 1810 for $150 and with $80 of the money entered the land in Noble county the following year. It is believed that he was the first settler within the present boundaries of Jackson township. Aaron Hughs was a typical backwoodsman. Almost a giant, physically, his courage was equal to his physical strength. With his dog, his rifle, and a pocket compass he would venture alone into the unbroken wilderness on his hunting expeditions, and often days would elapse before his family would hear anything of him. He was an expert marksman and he made more money as a hunter and trapper than he did as a farmer. It is said that he killed the last elk that was ever seen in Noble county.
29
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
Soon after he located in Jackson township he was joined by his brother Jonathan and for some time they were the only residents in that part of the county. Some years before Aaron Hughs became a permanent settler a trapper named Reasoner came from Guernsey county and built a cabin on the little stream that still bears his name. Not far from the Hughs brothers, in what is now Jefferson township, a man named David Ales settled at an early date .* He was a native of New England. When the Barnesville and Marietta State road was built he opened a tavern on the line of the road and for many years his place of entertainment was a popular resort for travelers, being the only tavern for several miles in either direction. The settlements in the southern part of the county made slow progress, when compared with those in the northeastern portion and along the west fork of Duck Creek. It was not until after the war of 1812 that immigration was attracted to them, and as late as 1825 the district was the most sparsely settled in the county. Among those that came after the war were several English families, who came in 1817 and almost doubled , the population. Prominent among these were the Taylor and Cadwell families, Peter Gore and the Keiths, Benjamin and Peter. The Keiths were natives of Pennsylvania but came at the same time as the English. They were both blacksmiths, and after coming to Noble county did a thriving business in the manufacture of cowbells, which they sold to the settlers. John Hall came to this vicinity soon after the war, married a daughter of David Ales, and settled near the Ales tavern.
One of the most prosperous of the early settlements was made be- tween the years 1812 and 1820 in the neighborhood of the present town of Summerfield. The first settler there was David West, who came from Delaware in the spring of 1812. He was followed by Nathaniel Capell, Ananias Banum, William and Archelaus Lingo, James Shankland, Asa Barton, William Burcher and Thomas Cochran, all of whom came from Delaware. In 1817 a number of Irish Prot- estants, fresh from the "Ould Sod," located on the site of Summerfield. They were attracted to that point by its being the crossing of the Sun- fish and Zanesville and the Barnesville and Marietta roads. Moses Horton bought the land near the junction of these two highways and laid out some lots, predicting that in time a city would be built there. Some of the early settlers were inclined to look with disfavor on the coming of this foreign element. Naturally clannish, this opposition cemented them closer together and led them to assist each other more than they might have done under different circumstances. This, with their native thrift and industry, brought them prosperity and the
* The exact date of Ales' coming could not be ascertained but it is believed that he was the first inhabitant of the present township of Jefferson.
30
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
"Irish Settlement" gradually worked its way into popularity. They believed in education, and one of their number, Hugh O'Neill, opened a subscription school soon after the beginning of the settlement. This school-probably the first in what is now Marion township-was lib- erally patronized and was conducted for several years. Among the Irish settlers were a few Scotchmen, foremost among them being Robert and William Calland and Matthew Woods. Descendants of these early pioneers still live in the county and are among the most highly respected citizens, notwithstanding their ancestors were practi- cally ostracized when they first came to the New World in search of liberty and a home.
Friction sometimes occurred between the early purchaser of gov- ernment land and some person who had settled upon the same tract prior to the time of entry. A notable case of this kind happened in 1815 in what is now Sharon township. A year or two before this, Samuel Sailor came from Washington county, Pennsylvania, selected a likely piece of land a little south of where the village of Sharon now stands, built a camp and engaged in hunting. He did not go to the formality of acquiring a title, because he did not think that any one else would want the land bad enough to dispossess him. In this opinion he was mistaken. Early in the year 1815 a man named Archibald entered the land upon which Sailor had attempted to estab- lish "Squatters rights." Sailor made a claim for his improvements, but Archibald considered his demand exorbitant and a lawsuit re- sulted. The case was tried at Cambridge, as the territory was at that time within the jurisdiction of Guernsey county. No road was at the time opened and plaintiff, defendant, and their witnesses walked the thirty miles or more to attend court. Each bore his trusty rifle and it was remarked that the expedition looked more like one of a military character than a civil process. After the adjudication of the dispute, Sailor settled farther west, near the present line of Morgan county. This time he entered his land in the regular way and lived upon the tract thus taken up until his death, which occurred in 1871. James Archibald, who entered the land upon which Sailor had "squatted," was in all probability the first permanent settler in Sharon township. The date of his arrival there is given as April 5, 1815. Other early pioneers in this section were William Boone, Alfred Smoot, James Kyle, Thomas Wiley, Peter Ackley, Thomas Boyd, William Wiley,* John Brownrigg, Lewis Shirley, Robert Lowe, William Bell and Samuel Long. Several German families located in this township at an early date, among them being the Anthonys, the Swanks, the Pick- enpaughs, the Harmons, and the Klingensmiths. The descendants of
* William Wiley's death occurred in 1816 and his remains were the first to be interred in the old cemetery at Sharon.
31
THE COUNTY OF NOBLE.
some of these early families still reside in the county. Sharon town- ship will remain distinguished among her sisters as the home of the first lawyer in Noble county. This was Isaac Parrish, who settled there in 1819, and who afterward occupied a seat in Congress.
During the first quarter of the nineteenth century there was a steady tide of emigration from the older States to the Northwest Terri- tory. By 1830 the region now embraced in the county of Noble con- tained a population of several hundred people, as shown by the tax records of the different counties, to which the territory at that time was subject. The life of the pioneer families of Noble county was not different from that of the people of other frontier settlements. Everybody lived in a log cabin, ate corn bread, and wore homespun clothing. Those who came first tried to find a suitable location con- venient to a spring of living water, and when this was not convenient a well was dug, which was usually furnished with the sweep and the "old oaken bucket" made famous in song. The log cabin of pioneer days is fast passing away. A few remain standing, here and there, like monuments to the memory of a bygone civilization, and these are fast crumbling to decay. Another generation and the log cabin will remain only in the history and traditions of the people. It is purely an American institution and the following description of the manner of its construction may be interesting to the younger readers of this history, who have never had the pleasure of attending a "raising":
"When the settler had found a spot to his liking he began clearing the ground of the trees, reserving the largest and best logs to be used in constructing his cabin. For this, trees of nearly uniform size were selected and cut into suitable lengths, generally fifteen to eighteen feet. On an appointed day as many of the scattered neighbors as could be assembled gathered at the place to assist the newcomer in 'raising' his house. After the ground-logs were laid, the others were raised to their places by the aid of handspikes and 'skidpoles,' and men standing at the corners notched them as fast as they were placed in position. The place of 'cornerman' was one of distinction, and the men chosen for these positions were supposed to be particularly skillful in the use of the axe.
"The cabin was usually raised to a height of seven or eight feet, and then the laying of the gables began. These were formed by short- ening each log successively and giving the ends the right slant. The gables were held in position and the framework of the roof formed by small, straight poles laid about two and a half feet apart, and extending from one gable to the other. These poles supported the shingles or 'clapboards,' as they were called, forming the roof, and the clapboards were held in place by weight poles stretched across the roof in the same manner as the poles beneath the clapboards, and
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.