USA > Ohio > Champaign County > The history of Champaign and Logan counties : from their first settlement > Part 21
USA > Ohio > Logan County > The history of Champaign and Logan counties : from their first settlement > Part 21
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 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
Another practice, which was still more ridiculous, was nicking, which was done by cutting the tendons on the under part of the tail, and turning it up and fastening it in that position until the wound would heal up. Young men thought they made a grand
239
LOGAN COUNTIES.
display when they rode by with a nick-tailed horse ; not more ridiculous, however, than the women of to-day, with their high- heeled shoes, their camels hump, or piles of bark or hemp on their heads.
But we had some noble boys among us in early times-young men who could cut and split two or three hundred rails in a day, pile and burn brush at night, or shell their sack of corn, and ride on it on horseback to mill. The giris could milk the cows, churn the butter, make the cheese, pull the flax, spin, weave and bleach it, and then make it up for the boys. They could help sheer the sheep, then card and spin the wool, color it and weave it, and then make dresses of it. Such was frontier life, fifty or sixty years ago. Where we now have beautiful green fields, was then a howling wilderness.
Meanwhile, heralds of the Cross were not idle. Father Joseph Stephenson, than whom few could boast a finer physical organiza- tion, tall, erect and well proportioned, he stood forth, a giant- for the cause of religion and morality-and as the good Master, "went about doing good," and like the Apostles, "preached from house to house ;" for there were no church buildings here then, no Bellefontaine, with its church bells to call the worshipers together at certain hours ; no railroad, to carry the ministering brethren to their appointments ; but their zeal would prompt them to face the storms of winter, and ride for miles on horseback, to fill their ap- pointments.
Camp-meetings were quite common. One year there was one held on the place of Lodman E. Spry, at which there were a large crowd of Shawnee and Delaware Indians-some all the way from Sandusky. Their encampment was back of the preacher's stund. They seemed to enjoy the meeting as well as the whites, and wore quite asorderly. Some of them were beautiful singers, and would get very happy at the night meetings.
But times and customs have changed since the days. Who can tell what may be the changes of the next half century? Echo answers-Who? Let us all watch and wait, and try to fulfill our mission.
ESSAY, WRITTEN BY MRS. SARAH M. MOORE, AND READ BEFOREI THE PIONEER MEETING, IN DEGRAFF, ON THURSDAY, JUNE. 1, 1871.
Among the first settlers in Union and Pleasant townships, in
240
CHAMPAIGN AND
Logan county, were Robert Moore, and John and Thomas Makem- son, John and Benjamin Schooler, Phillip Matthews, Sen., and his sons David, Henry, Phillip and Alfred ; James Shaw, Jeremiah Stanbery, John Provolt and Samuel Mellvain.
About the year 1810 or 11, there was felt a shock of earthquake, which caused a distinct vibration of some three inches, of skeins of yarn, that were suspended from the joist of our log cabin. Well do I remember how frightened I was when my father told us what it was.
Indians were plenty about here at that time, and often came into the settlement to trade their split baskets (which were very pretty, being colored black and red, and striped with the natural color of ash wood), dressed deer-skins and moccasins, for flour, a little corn- meal, or a piece of meit. They were very friendly with the whites, generally, if they were well treated. Of game there was plenty ; deer was often seen in herds, six, eight or ten together. How beautiful they were, leaping over hills or across the prairies, with their white flags waving. But the poor creatures were hunted and slaughtered without mercy, by both white and In- dian hunters. The sly, and sneaking wolf, too, was often seen skulking through the brush, and wo betide the poor sheep that wasn't housed up at night. These depredators were often caught in traps, the price of a wolf-scalp being four dollars. Occasionally a bear was killed.
A little son of Wm. Moore, living on Mckees' creek, near where the Bellefontaine and West Liberty turnpike crosses it, was sent after the cows one evening, (he always carried his trusty rifle on such occasions, ) and in passing through the woods, he espied a huge black bear standing with its paws on a large log close by, ap- parently watching him. Without waiting to think of the conse- quences, should he miss his aim, he blazed away, and down came bruin - the ball entering his forehead, and away ran Billy home to tell his father, who would scarcely believe his story. "But, fath- er, just come and see," said Billy. He went; and there sure enough. was the bear, a very large animal, weighing nearly 400 pounds, ly- ing dead beside the log.
BLACKBIRDS AND PIGEONS.
It would be almost impossible to make the young folks of to-day have an adequate idea of the immense swarms of blackbirds that
241
LOGAN COUNTIES.
used to collect about our cornfields. They could be seen coming in flocks, by the thousands, and alighting on the corn, about the time it was in good order for roasting, tearing open the husk, and feast- ing on the soft corn. Then there was work for the boys, with the horse-rattler, old tin pails, or anything to scare off the birds. And, after all, they would destroy some fields of corn dreadfully.
Pigeons, though more plentiful still than blackbirds, were not so mischievous. At certain seasons of the year (or some years) they might be seen flying in such crowds overhead as alnost to darken the air, and in continuous lines for miles in length. One season the pigeon-roost was at a place called the Beaver dam, in Union town- ship, where they would collect in such vast numbers as to break down the timber. Large limbs would be broken off trees, and saplings bent to the ground.
Rattlesnakes were also plenty. Well do I remember the time when quite a large one got into our house, and was found coiled up at the foot of the bed where my brothers were sleeping. Feeling something at their feet, they called father, and he grasped a large iron poker and dexterously pitched it into the fire. Shortly after, the dog was making a great ado outside the house; father went out, and there was another snake, no doubt mate to the one in the house, which he also killed.
MAKING HOMINY.
In making hominy, the first thing was to prepare the mortar to pound it in, which was done by sawing off a log about two feet in diameter and three feet long, then chop it in from one end, leaving a rim for the bottom, then dress it off smooth in the shape of a gob- let, set it up on the bottom and pile chips or bark on the top and burn it out, on the inside, taking care to leave a rim at the outer edge. When this was done it was dressed out smooth and clean. Then shell about half a bushel of corn, pour boiling water on it in some vessel and let it stand a spell, then pour the water off and turn it in the hominy block. The pestle for pounding it was made by taking a stout stick about like a handspike, shaving it smooth, splitting one end, and inserting an iron wedge, (such as is used in splitting rails) taking care to have an iron ring on the stick to keep it from splitting with the wedge while pounding the corn. The chaff, or husk, would part from the grain, and leave it clean and
1
249
CHAMPAIGN AND
cracked, fit for cooking, then put on the big kettle and boil the hominy.
FROLICKS.
We used to have spinning bees (as the yankees would say.) A neighbor would send flax enough around the neighborhood tospin twelve cuts for each one, and send an invitation for us to come on a certain day, and bring our dozen of thread, and partake of a good dinner, and a good time in general. The men would have log-roll- ings, and house-raisings, and corn-huskings. We would have our wool-pickings, and quiltings. We could, and did ride on horse- back, for miles to meeting or to market or visiting, and thought it only a pleasant recreation. We could pull flax, scutch it, spin it, weave it, bleach it, and make it up into shirts for the men.
THE WAR OF 1812.
How many of us can remember the demonstrations of joy and rejoicing there were among us, at the news of Perry's victory on Lake Erie. Well do I remember hearing the shooting and shout- ing. I have a knapsack in my possession that was in the army, under General Brown, at Sackett Harbor, in 1813 or 14, made of tow linen with leather straps.
My aged friends, we who have borne the burden and heat of the day are now walking or wading along the banks of the river. Some of us with our feet in the water waiting to be launched over. We have seen our friends, one by one, passing over before us. Have we all got our lamps trimmed, and oil in our vessels? Did we all go to work in the Master's vineyard at the eleventh hour, or are we still standing idle, making the excuse that no man hath hired us? Let us not murmur because those that came in at the eleventh hour receive as much as we. Let us rather rejoice that they came in, even late, and receive the same wages. "Let not our eye be evil because God is good."
243
LOGAN COUNTIES.
WILLIAM BOGGS,
Eldest son of Maj. William Boggs, aged 18 years, of Westmore- land county, Virginia, was taken prisoner by the Indians, about the year 1770, and remained a prisoner with them two years. He spent a considerable part of that time at the Mac-a-cheek towns, on Mad river, near the present town of West Liberty. He was sick much of the time he was a prisoner, and at times reduced so low that he was scarcely able to walk. A young squaw was very kind to him, and probably saved his life on several occasions. At one time the Indians had a drunken frolic, when he was so weak he could not walk. This Indian woman carried him in her arms, probably in the night time, and hid him in the tall grass, on Mac- a-cheek, covered him over with the grass and set up the grass on her trail so that that the Indians could not find him, fearing the drunken Indians would kill him. He laid in that place two days, and had nothing toeat except once, this young woman carried him some pole-cat brains, which was the best she had to give. After he was released, and returned home, he described that country so well along Mad river, from the head of that stream down south of West Liberty, that persons afterward came from his neighborhood, and had no difficulty in finding the exact localities he had described, especially about the present site of West Liberty, and along Mac-a- cheek, about the Piatt estate. He described a mound, which is, no doubt, the mound situated in John Enoch's field, where the In- dians had a track to run their horses, and the judges would sit on this mound and view the races, but he gave no account of seeing any prisoner run the gauntlet, and he never had to run the gaunt- let as my informant is aware of. At the end of two years he was exchanged at Detroit, and returned to his native home. He sub- sequently removed to Indiana, where he died, many years since, at an advanced age. William Boggs was a relation to Hiram, Nel- son and Alfred Johnson of Champaign county.
WILLIAM JOHNSON
Removed from Pennsylvania in the year 1804, and settled on
244
CHAMPAIGN AND
King's Creek, near where Judge E. L. Morgan now lives. Two years afterward he removed to Mingo Valley, where he died in the year 1818, at an advanced age.
JACOB JOHNSON
Settled on the farm now owned by his son, Alfred JJohnson, in Mingo Valley, in the spring of 1805. He lived on King's Creek one or two years previous. The first time he ever viewed this farm he was in company with James Denny, the original proprie- tor, and the noted original proprietor of much military land. They were looking over the land, and came to a field that the In- dians had cleared and cultivated, and found twelve or thirteen squaws in the field hoeing corn on a very warm day. The squaws were attired to suit the weather. This field is very near the village of Mingo. Jacob Johnson died in the year 1844, and was regarded as a very worthy man. He was father of the well-known Johnson Brothers - Hiram, Nelson and Alfred.
WILLIAM H. BALDWIN
Was a native of Guilford county, North Carolina. He emigrated to Ohio, in 1811, and settled in Champaign county, where he lived until his decease in 1863, aged seventy-five years. He was one of the excellent men of the earth.
HENRY COWGILL
Was a native of Columbiana county, Ohio. He lived in Cham- paign county from 1817 until his decease in 1870, aged 67 years. He was steady, quiet, industrious, benevolent and economical. He lived a religious life, and was looked upon by all as a good man.
245
LOGAN COUNTIES.
THOMAS COWGILL, Senior,
Was a native of Virginia, and emigrated to the Northwestern Ter- ritory, and settled in what is now Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1800. In 1817 he removed to Champaign county, where he lived eight miles Northeast of Urbana, until his decease in 1846. He was industrious, liberal and kind, and was regarded as a good and useful man.
ARCHIBALD STEWART
Was a native of Pennsylvania. Emigrated to Ohio in 1805, and lived in Champaign county until his decease, about the year 1860. He was Commissioner of the county twelve years, and filled many offices of trust. He was a kind and benevolent man, and for his many good qualities, will long be remembered by his neighbors and fellow-citizens.
SIMEON MORECRAFT
Lived in Champaign county at an early day, and is still living on his fine farm at Cable. He is nature's nobleman ; may his shadow never grow less.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
BY F. M. THOMAS.
Colonel John Thomas,
One of the earliest settlers of Champaign county, was a native of Charles county, Maryland, where he had his birth, June 7, 1779. When about eighteen years of age, he left his home and emigra- ted to the wilderness of Ohio, stopping first in Ross county, near Chillicothe. After a few years he went into Pickaway county, where he married Ann Morris. About the year 1809, he removed to Champaign county, settling on the north fork of Kingscreek in Salem township. At that period, but few white people were in this county. The pioneers were far apart, and in a poor condition for defense against the inroads of the savages, by whom they were frequently threatened during the war. For their better defense, they erected blockhouses, one of which stood on Col. Thomas's farm. Here the families were collected when the alarm of hostile Indians spread dismay and terror among the settlers, whilst the men with their rifles marched to the frontier to search for and drive back the savages. Col. Thomas accompanied these expedi- tions and belonged to the same company with Captain Arthur Thomas and son, who were murdered by the Indians near Solo- mons town, Logan county. The subject of this sketch was pecul- iarly fitted for the pioneer life, having a strong and vigorous con- stitution, and always enjoying good health. He was endowed with a large measure of patience and fortitude, that enabled him to successfully battle with the perils and discouragements incident to
247
LOGAN COUNTIES.
backwoods life. He was quiet and unassuming in his manners ; possessed a warm, social nature, and was noted for his propriety of conduct, and his kindness and benevolence to the poor and desti- tute.
When there were no churches in the county, Col. Thomas invi- ted the clergy to hold service at his house, and the pioneer mis- sionary of the gospel always met a cordial welcome at his door. He was held in the highest esteem by his fellow-citizens, and was honored by them with many positions of trust and usefulness ; being chosen as Captain, Major and Colonel in the militia service, and serving as Justice of the Peace for thirty-three years, receiv- ing his first commission from Gov. Othniel Looker, in 1814. Some years after his settlement here, sickness carried off his wife and several of his family. He subsequently married Mary Blair, widowed daughter of Jacob Johnson, of Mingo Village, also a pioneer. His widow still survives him, living with her two sons on the farm where her husband originally settled. Some time pre- vious to his decease, Col. Thomas united with the M. P. Church in his neighborhood, and continued an exemplary follower of the Sa- vior until his death, which occurred January 20, 1851, in the 72d year of his age.
SALEM TOWNSHIP, CHAMPAIGN COUN- TY, OHIO.
BY EDWARD L. MORGAN.
This township is situated immediately north of Urbana. Its south- ern boundary at the centre is the northern limit of the the city cor- poration. The township is eight miles long, from south to north, and six miles wide, front east to west. It is bounded on the north by Logan county, on the east by Union and Wayne townships, and on the west by Concord and Harrison townships. It contains forty-eight (48) square miles, equal to thirty thousand seven hun- dred and twenty (30,720) acres of land ; about four thousand acres of this land lies east of Ludlow's line, and is in the Virginia Military District ; the balance is Congress land, and is lai l off in sections of one mile square, containing six hundred and forty acres each, ex- cept some fractional sections on the west side of, and adjoining Ludlow's line, which are of various sizes. Mad river runs south, and passes through the north-west and south-west parts of the township. King's creek has its source in Wayne township, and runs westwardly across Salem, and enters Mad river near the west- ern boundary of the township. Mack-a-cheek, a tributary of Mad river, passes through the northern part of the township. All these are permanent, never-failing streams, of pure, clear water. They have never been known to go dry in summer, and always furnish an ample supply of water for milling purposes throughout the year. The land is mostly level, or "rolling" dry prairie, and "barrens," as it was once called, and the ridges dividing the streams and prairie, are covered with timber, mostly oak and hickory. In the south-east corner of the township there is a large, low, and once wet
249
LOGAN COUNTIES.
prairie known by the name of Dugan's Prairie ; it contains several thousand acres of land, and receives the drainage of the country surrounding it, equal to an area of six miles square. When the country was first settled by the whites, this prairie was mostly covered with water the greatest part of the year, having the ap- pearance of a lake, with here and there a small island thickly cov- ered with timber, mostly oak and hickory. The "barrens" and dry prairies were covered with wild grass, which in summer grew to an incredible height, and furnished fine pasture for thousands of buffalo, elk and deer, before the intrusion of the white man upon their rich domain. After this grass became dead ripe, or was killed by the frost in the fall of the year, and became dry enough to burn, the Indians, at times agreed upon by their chiefs, would place themselves with their guns upon the high timbered land adjoining that upon which the grass grew, and at a signal given by the "captain," the squaws would set fire to the grass, and the wild an- imals of all kinds which lay there concealed, would be suddenly aroused from their quiet slumbers, and run for safety to the high ground, and there meet death by the rifle of the red man. Great numbers of deer were killed in this way by the Indians, even after the commencement of the settlement of the country by the whites. The Indians would invariably give the white settlers at least a week's notice of their intention to burn the grass at a certain time. so they could protect their fences and cabins by plowing a few fresh furrows around them.
According to the best information, and that which is entirely re- liable, (for I intend to give no other,) the settlement of that part of the township which lies in the Kings-creek valley, was commenced in the year 1802, or 1803. Samuel and William Stewart, from whom I have received the main part of my information on the subject. and whose statements can be fully relied on, came to this towl - ship with their father, Matthew Stewart who settled on King -- creek in the spring of 1804. At that time William Powell was living near the place where Mr. Albert Jackson now fives, havin_ settled there about a year before. Wm. Wood, a Baptist preacher from Kentucky, and father of Christopher Wood, whodistinguished himself in the war of 1812, and is remembered by all the old sit- tlers, then lived where the Kingston mills now are, having . ettled there about a year before. Arthur Thomas, who was aftern al
250
CHAMPAIGN AND
killed by the Indians, then lived at the mouth of Kings-creek, where he soon after built a grist mill, which was probably the first mill of the kind ever erected in this county. Joseph Petty then lived on Kings-creek on the place where his grand son, Hiram Petty now lives, where he built a water mill soon after.
The following named persons came to this township about the same time, or soon after : David Parkison, James Turner, John Gutridge, Abner Barret, William Johnson, George and Jacob Leonard. A majority of the first settlers came from Kentucky and Virginia. Matthew Stewart and John McAdams came from Penn- sylvania at an early day, and lived a short time at Columbia, on the Ohio river, above Cincinnati; from there they came to this place and settled on Kingscreek, in 1804. John Taylor came from Virginia and settled on Kingycreek in 1806, at the place where the village of Kingston now is. He purchased 640 acres of land from Issac Zane, for which he paid four dollars per acre. This land, to- gether with two other sections of the same size, was given to Mr. Eane by the United States Government, in consideration of ser- vices rendered the army under the command of General Wayne in 1794. In 1810 Mr. Taylor erected a grist and saw mill, now (1872) owned by Beatty and Willis. In the same year the citizens, who then lived in the vicinity, erected two blockhouses near the mill, as a protection against the attacks of the Indians. To these houses, which were enclosed by tall piekets, the settlers would flee in times of danger ; but the Indians never disturbed them there; great numbers of them, mostly squaws, were every day to be seen coming to, and returning from the mill, with their little buekskin sacks filled with corn, and thrown across the naked backs of their bob-tailed ponies, upon which the squaws rode astride, some of them with their "pappooses" fastened to a board and strapped npon their back. On dismounting, the squaw would place the board to which the baby was tied against the wall of the mill, in an erect position, then take off and carry in her sack of corn, and immediately return and nurse her pappoose. The writer once saw an Indian squaw, in a great hurry, accidentally place her child upon the board wrong end up. The youngster soon discov- ered the mistake, and although a wild savage, its eries and screams precisely resembled those of a white child.
Salem township was organized in 1805, the same year that the
251
LOGAN COUNTIES.
county was created. The civil jurisdiction of the township then extended from the southern boundary of the tenth range near Springfield, to the shore of Lake Erie on the north, including a territory almost as large as some of the old States. If the census had been taken at that tune, it would have shown that for every white person within its bounds there was at least one hundred In- dians. I will give some extracts from the township records of early times, which will show the nature of the business then transacted, and the manner of doing it.
"Record Book for Salem township: Chapter I, for the year 1805. May 10, 1805, Chris. Wood, Trustee, duly sworn in for Salem town- ship ; Daniel MeKinney, Trustee, duly sworn in that office for Sa- lem township." "May 15, 1805: William Davis came before me and was qualified to his office of Constable for Salem township be- fore A. Barritt." May 18, 1805 : Daniel Jones was also qualified as above mentioned .- A. Barritt." "May 24, 1805: Champaign county recorded as per certificate, rendered from under the hand of John Runyon, Associate Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, that George Jemison was legally qualified to the office of house appraiser and lister of taxable property." "June 5th, 1805 : There is a bond in this office giving Daniel Jones for behavior for one year as a constable. Justus Jones, Barton Minturn surety to Win. Johnson, Treasurer for said township .- A. Barritt."
It appears from this record that William Johnson was the first Treasurer, and Abner Barritt the first Clerk of this township. By the record of 1806, it appears that Joseph Petty, Thomas Pearce and William Parkison were elected Trustees, and David Parkison Clerk for that year. The following appears upon the record of that year :
"August 15, 1806 : A memorandum of the business transacted by William Moore and Matthew Stewart, overseers of the poor, in the township of Salem, and county of Champaign, for the year 18 06 :
October 18, 1806. To one order for clothing for one child $1 00
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.