The history of Champaign county, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory etc, Part 43

Author: Ogden, J. W. (John W.); Beers (W.H.) & Co., pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 926

USA > Ohio > Champaign County > The history of Champaign county, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory etc > Part 43

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).

384

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

the Weaver Block, northeast corner of the public square ; has a fair list of good books, which are annually increased. The mistake is that it is not free, and that the city does not provide a library room for the use of the city and for a cabinet for the Scientific Association.

ACCIDENTS BY WIND, FIRE AND FLOOD.

Tornado, 1830 .- From a report of William Patrick, we make the following abstract : Monday, March 22, 1830, in the early morning, was mild and pleas- ant, but at about 10 or 11 o'clock sprang up fitful southwestern breezes, with flitting clouds, until about 2 o'clock, P. M., when a small black, dense cloud was seen low down in the western horizon. Spectators were attracted by its marked singularity in many respects. It moved in quick, darting swoops and zigzag gyrations, up, down and horizontally, with rapid, whirling evolutions, and seemed to emit dazzling electric scintillations, producing a fringe-work of inconceivable splendor. In a few moments, all nature was hushed-not a breath of air stirred. The heavens seemed to hang out a dark pall, and all to be immersed in one general gloom. The deathlike silence and breathless calm suddenly changed to an appalling spectacle. The whole heavens at once were in tumultuous commotion. The storm-king, in awful grandeur, howling, shriek- ing and terrific, carried in its course trees, lumber, roofs, fences, haystacks, everything within its reach, in wild fury. It is impossible to give an adequate conception of the awful sublimity of the scene. In less time than the story can be told, the tornado seemed to dash like the forked lightning on the town, picking up and demolishing a small brick building on the northeast corner of the homestead lot of John A. Mosgrove, occupied by Richard Baker ; unroof- ing the Luce House, on the corner of Miami and Russell streets ; dipped into the Town Branch, in the present foundry yard, cleaning out the water and sediment in its course ; then ascending, whirled and scattered the frame house of J. B. Eaker, near the front yard of the residence of J. M. Gardener, unroof- ing a log house of old James Hulse, in the rear of the present Lutheran Church, and destroying all the stables in the vicinity. The storm then leaped over two or three small frames nearly opposite the present Presbyterian Church, occupied by Jonathan E. Chaplin and others, demolishing in front a pillared market house, then seizing the hip roof and brick steeple of the Presbyterian Church, erected on the site of the present court house, crumbled the brick walls to its foundations, carrying steeple and timbers long distances, hurling portions of them against the Hamilton House, which was partly unroofed and prostrated, and unroofing the brick dwelling just beyond the latter. Here the tornado divided into two currents-one struck and unroofed a log house occu- pied by William Downs, drawing out as by suction the north wall of the old brick Methodist Episcopal Church, which it laid out in a straight line, without even separating the masonry to any extent. The other struck the house of Rollin J. Harvey, which it prostrated, then whirled into fragments a new frame house occupied by George Bell, a little east of the present residence of Dr. Houston. Mrs. Bell was hurled several rods, maiming her for life; four children were killed and their bodies carried a long distance, and a little girl, a daughter of William Smith, who was playing with the Bell children, danger- ously injured by the splintered timbers.

Here the two currents again united, leaving the residence of Jerry Mathis, which stood in the front part of the lot of Jerry Denets, untouched, picked up

385

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

the brick residence of Charles Mathis, which was on the spot where Mrs. West now lives, and crumbled it to the lower floor, leaving Mrs. Mathis sitting with a small child in her arms, unhurt. The storm then wheeled to the north and demolished the oil-mill of John Mathis, leaving not a vestige of his stock of castor beans. Here the tornado left the town, pursuing its devastating course through the Ryan woods, on a line a little north of the old burial-ground, across the rising ground where the public high school buildings are, twisting, uprooting and hurling headlong the largest trees ; yet onward it sped, ascend- ing and descending, touching the earth here and there, at unequal distances, in a track from four to six rods wide, when it came in contact with the earth, across the State of Ohio, nearly destroying a small town in Richland County and reaching a town in northeastern Pennsylvania at about 5 o'clock the same day, at the speed of about 150 miles an hour.

Immediately after the storm had passed, the citizens of the town, with the assistance of many from the country, met, and inaugurated measures of relief for the suffering, and on the following morning began the reconstruction of the buildings. Men of all trades became carpenters, brick masons and plasterers ; some furnished shingles, glass, nails and other material, and in the course of a month all of the unfortunate families were provided with homes.

The terror inspired by the tornado of 1830 left a permanent impression on the minds of the then residents of the town, and for many years the gathering storm prompted an early retreat to the cellar, as the place of safety.

For many years the county has escaped the ravages of the storm. The years 1879 and 1880 have been more marked by violent wind-storms than any period since that above named. In November of 1879, a whirlwind passed over the eastern portion of the body of the county, inflicting material damage and loss, but without loss of life. In the spring of 1880, several heavy storms passed over the same general route, one of which, with the force and violence of a tornado, did much damage in its course, and particularly in the village of Cable. And afterward, in June, during the afternoon, a funnel-shaped cloud drove over the same route, high in the air, revolving as it went, like a huge monster, dipping down to the earth for an instant and darting back again, fortunately carried on the fierce war of the elements beyond the reach of human habitations. Those who witnessed the dark and driving mass, and heard the rush and noise of the mighty wind, were terrified lest it strike the earth in its onward sweep. When it had passed, dark and gloomy clouds cov- ered the sky, and, though scarcely 4 o'clock, many outside the track of the storm-cloud lighted lamps for half an hour.

Fire .- Loss and damage by fire in Urbana have been unusually small. At a rough estimate, $5,000 would pay the entire loss from this cause, from the first settlement of the town until the date of the fire on Miami street. The last-named fire occurred in the winter of 1876-77, and spread from the north- west angle of the public square-the first building being occupied by Decatur Talbott, as a hat store-thence to the south corner of the block, and passed down the street to the brick house on the southwest corner of the block, which stopped further progress. The house on the corner of the square was not ma- terially damaged. One or two old " landmarks " of town were destroyed. The fire began about the middle of the block, and was suspected to be the work of an incendiary, and threatened to become a general conflagration. The loss was covered mainly by insurance. While the owners suffered a considerable loss, the improvements which followed added materially to the value of the property and the general appearance of the street.

386

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

Water .- Located away from a stream of any magnitude, and washed only by a "pleasant run," scarcely ten feet wide, accidents by flood might be sup- posed to be the one item which should be omitted. But the "Town Branch " has on several occasions become a resistless torrent, once about the year 1842, once in 1847, and once in 1868. The increased volume of water was caused by the breaking of the embankment of the factory pond or reservoir, from which the creek is in a measure supplied, which, together with heavy and continued rains, made the little stream for the time overspread its banks. On one occa- sion, Lewis Hunter was standing on the bridge, near the tannery, looking at the surging waters whirl beneath the bridge. The arch was too small, and the pressure of the pent-up stream was too great for the structure, and, as he was looking, the whole concern was swept away, and he was carried down the tor- rent with the floating timber, but, at the bend of the stream at the foot of the block, he was thrown out on the land, without material injury.

FIRST ELECTION.

The election of Urbana Township, given as the first election held in the township, was held in Urbana October 8, 1811. Zephaniah Luce, William Stevens and William Glenn were Judges, and Joseph Hedges and Daniel Helmick, Clerks of the election. At this election, eighty- seven votes were cast, the names being, Lawrence White, Joseph Gordon, W. H. Fyffe, Samuel McCord, George Hunter, James Robinson, Benjamin Doo- little, Nathaniel Pinkard, Daniel Helmick, George Fithian, Joseph Hedges, Zephaniah Luce, William Glenn, Nathaniel Morrow, John Rigdon, John Hus- ton, Alexander Allen, Joseph Ford, John Williams, Britton Lovett, James Askin, James McGill, Jacob Arney, Hugh Gibbs, James Dallas, Samuel Hoge, James Elmore, John McCord, William Stevens, Anthony Patrick, Henry Ba- con, Simon Kenton, David W. Parkison, Nathan Fitch, Frederic Ambrose, William Powell, Jacob Slagel, James Fithian, David Moody, Daniel Harr, Isaac Robinson, Edward W. Pierce, John Thompson, John Thomas, John Shryock, James Wilkison, Enos Thomas, Isaac Shockey, William Bridge, John Reynolds, John A. Ward, John Trewitt, William Sargent, William Rhodes, Joseph Ayer, Sr., Allen Oliver, Thomas Wert, Nicholas Carpenter, John White, John Glenn, John Sargent, Daniel Sargent, Jacob Pence, Curtis M. Thompson, Andrew Richards, Job Clemons, Timothy Giffert, Sanford Ed- monds, Thomas Moore, John Rhodes, Alexander McCompsey, Robert Noe, John Ford, Francis Stevenson, Robert Tabor, John Frazell, Tolson Ford, Thomas Ford, Job Gard, James Davison, Samuel Clifton, John Stewart, Thomas Trewitt, Benjamin Nichols, John Fitcher, Joseph Pence and Nelson Sargent.

The election of 1811 shows the choice of Zephaniah Luce, William Glenn and William Stevens, Trustees ; Treasurer, Joseph Hedges ; Overseers of the Poor, John Reynolds and Charles Stewart ; Fence Viewers, William Bridge and William Powell ; House Appraiser and Lister, D. Vance and Daniel Helmick ; Supervisors, William Rhodes and William Parkison.

For the next four years we find the same names, but few occupying the same office longer than two years, Daniel Helmick being Clerk.

In 1815, John Rhodes was Township Clerk ; John Reynolds, Treasurer ; Samuel McCord, C. H. Case and Benjamin Doolittle, Trustees ; Daniel Hel- mick, Fence Viewer. For the next four years Daniel Helmick was Clerk, and John Reynolds, Treasurer.

387

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

1820-William Patrick, Clerk ; John: Wallace, Treasurer ; John Hamilton, Frederic Ambrose and William H. Fyffe, Trustees; George Hite and E. C. Berry, Overseers of the Poor; John Hamilton and John McCord, Fence View- ers. For the next five years the same Clerk, Trustees and Treasurer.

1825-Township Clerk, William Patrick ; Treasurer, E. B. Cavilier ; Trust- ees, James Smith, William H. Fyffe and Andrew Kirkpatrick ; Fence Viewers, Thomas Gwynne and Edmund Conner; Appraisers, John Goddard and Enos Thomas.

1830-Township Clerk, William Patrick; Trustees, Fyffe, Smith and Kirk- patrsck ; Overseers of the Poor, Matthew Magrew and George Hite ; Treas- urer, John Wallace; Fence Viewers, Joseph S. Carter and John H. James.

From 1825 to 1851, William Patrick was chosen clerk.

1852-53-S. V. Baldwin.

1854-Levi Geiger.

1855-60-Decatur Talbott.

1863-64-Decatur Talbott.

1865-74-D. W. Todd.

1875-80-R. C. Horr.

1825-35-Trustees, Smith, Fyffe and Kirkpatrick.

1840-F. Ambrose, W. H. Fyffe and James Dunlap.

1845-W. H. Fyffe, John Hamilton, Joseph White.

1850-J. H. Patrick, Joseph White and William Sampson.

1855-J. H. Patrick and H. Chew.

1860-William McDonald, R. R. Colwell and William Sampson.

1865-Patrick Colwell and James P. Pindar.

1870-R. H. Cheatham, C. F. Colwell and T. M. Todd,

1875-J. H. Patrick, J. A. Mosgrove and John G. Logan.

1880-J. A. Mosgrove, Ed A. Hill and James W. Fulton.

Under another paragraph is given the aggregate number of enlistments and deaths of those who enlisted in the Federal forces in the civil war. Herewith are published the names of the enlisted men from Urbana City and Township : [KEY .- T Colonel, § Lieutenant Colonel, * Major, į Captain, + First Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant, (ov) Com. U. S. N.]

Ambrose, James,į Bartlett, Edward B., Barnes, Henry,

Armstrong, Jacob H.,

Benjamin, Horatio N.,|

Bennett, John F. S., ||

Armstrong, Robert W.,

Brosman, Charles D.,

Brush, Reed,

Anderson, John J.,-

Branstetter, Adam,

Brand, Joseph C., t

Anderson, Norval W., Armstrong, James, § Allen, George,

Baldwin, Frank,

Broughey, Bennet,

Baird, I. L., ±

Baldwin, John R.,

Baldwin, William,±

Barchus, Levi,

Ambrose, Frank,

Bowe, James C.,

Baylen, Moses C.,

Ackerman, Charles,

Bowe, John,

Brace, James,

Ayres, Lemuel M.,

Bell, William,

Boyer, Andrew, Bush, John,

Atchison, C. W., Anthony, James, Athey, James, Allen, Ezra I.,

Buckels, Archibald,

Burns, James,

Armstrong, James W. M., Banes, James F.,

Condiff, John M.,

Armstrong, W.,

Campbell, Stephen M.,

Bennett, Joseph W.,

Banes, William L., Bennett, P. S. H.,

Corwin, William,

Allen, William,

Brush, Stephen,

Brand, William A., t

Berryhill, A. S.,}

Brand, Thomas F.,

Brown, Samuel,

Barr, James N.,

Brown, Elijah P.,

388

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

Clary, William, Chatfield, David H., Collins, George A.,

Collins, Frank, Collins, Charles E., Condiff, Edmund B., Colwell, Ress, Clark, Amos,

Elberts, W. T.,

Eawright, Michael,

Fyffe, Joseph P., (ov)

Febiger, John, (ov)

Fisher, Alexander,

Fost, James,

Fennesay, Thomas,

Clary, Patrick,

Fissler, Israel,

Candy, Charles,

Flago, Thomas B.,

Clark, Samuel H.,

Flago, William C.,

Coughlin, Martin,

Fisher, William,

Clagman, John,

Clapsaddle, Jacob, Chapman, Calvin,

Fulton, Joseph,||

Cline, Isaiah,

Francis, Eli C.,±

Cline, Moses,

Coughlin, James L. W.,

Clark, John,

Grove, Shepherd B.,

Hunter, William O., Hartshorn, D. W.,*

Castle, Orlando,

Gearhart, John N.,

Carter, James,

Gearhart, Charles E.,

Johnson, John,

Coulter, James R.,

Cowan, Alexander,

Gingery, Samuel, Grove, John B., Ganson, Benjamin F., t Goudy, William, Green, Isaac,

Green, William,

Corwin, Harvey B., Chatfield, John,

Gearhart, H. T.,

Cleveland, Albert,

Gearhart, Joseph M.,

Colwell, William V.,

Gumper, John,

Gadskesen, Nysemas,

King, James L.,

Keller, Theodore G.,

Kernery, Peter,

Delany, Thomas,

Dolbo, George, Daffy, George,

Harlay, James K.,||

Kelch, David B.,

Darkin, Michael,

Davies, E. C.,

Durnett, Augustus, Darrow, Nathaniel, Durye, Thomas, Delany, John,

Dolson, Isaac H., Doty, Stephen J., Daly, William,

Edmunson, John C.,|| Eccles, Thomas G., Elbin, John,

Hitchburn, Henry, t Hoover, George, Hitt, Daniel W., Hollingsworth, Charles, Hitchburn, Charles, Hitt, Joseph W., Hamilton, William, t Hill, Joseph,* Houston, Archibald, || Happersett, D. W., Houtz, Jacob B., Houtz, John W., Hoss, George,

Henderson, Samuel,ţ Houston, William M., } Heller, Andrew, Heller, Henry, Heller, Amos, Hamilton, Samuel H., t Hedges, Samuel H.,

Hefflebower, John S., Humphreys, Thomas H., Hunter, George B., Hefflebower, Abram, Hefflebower, Adam, t Hamilton, Alanson, Hopkins, Chauncey, Hovey, Edward H., Hodges, Jonas, Jr., Hill, Patrick, Horr, Benjamin,

Jamison, Samuel S., Johnson, Rufus, Johnson, E. C., Jackson, Osker, Johnson, W. B., Jones, John, James, John Henry,}

Casky, James, Crabb, William H., Coleman, Thomas, Chinty, Hugh,

Goudy, James H.,

Kearney, John, Keith, Henry, Kimber, George E.,

Curns, Thomas A., Cassil, John, Connel, Patrick,

Gruber, William S., Gowdy, Harper, Gurnea, John B.,

Gregg, Cyrus,

Kenaga, P. B., Knight, John P., Kenaga, O. B.,

Duffy, James,

Kimber, Emmor, Lynch, Martin, Lowe, Joseph, Leutz, John, Landes, B. H., Luce, D., Jr.,± Lamar, Frank, Logan, Samuel P.,

Light, J. C., Lee, Levi, Lemon, O. T., Long, L. H.,¿

Fyffe, E. P., T Fitz, George, Gurnea, John,

Clark, William H.,

Funk, Henry C., Fulton, Charles E.,*

Faulkner, Charles W.,

Hennesy, Patrick,

389

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

McGill, James, Mathis, William, McDarrh, Barney, Mulchay, Jerry, Murphey, Cornelius, Montoney, Eli, McQuirk, Michael, Mc Clelland, William,

McDarrh, Henry, Monzer, Thomas K., McConnell, Thomas, McNally, Patrick,

McDermott, John, McDermott, Thomas, Mooney, Martin,

Maher, Michael,

McRoberts, W. C., McRoberts, Uriah S., Maloney, John, McCoy, James, Minturn, John O., Minturn, Charles, Minturn, Smith E., Miller, Lewis H., McGill, Conrad, Marks, Patrick,

Merrill, James H., Mooney, William, McCrea, Tully, (ov) Miles, Christopher, Miles, Benjamin K., Murdoch, Robert N., Maddock, John, Moore, Augustus E., Martin, Henry F., Mast, Elhanan N., Muldowny, Richard, Mathis, James, Madigan, Patrick, McComsey, William, McFerridge, Michael, Mayse, William, || Mahan, William N., McDonald, D. A., McDarrh, Charles D., Marquet, David, Murray, William, McCormick, Lawrence, Morrow, Isaac L., Mitchell, James M., McGown, John B.,

McNemar, Richard R., Mayse, Jacob,

Mayse, Andrew,

Maxwell, Peter,

Snyder, Jacob,

Smith, Charles H.,

Stone, Thomas, Snoffer, Jacob, Snoffer, John,

Stump, Adolphus,

Stump, Harvey,

Sampson, William A.,

Shanley, Henry,

Stewart, Daniel W., Sears, C. B.,

Sears, C. W.,

Stansberry, Marcus L., f

Singer, Frederick,

Stansberry, Theodore,

Sweet, James C., Smith, William F.,

Scudder, Thomas,

Sigman, Thomas,

Pangle, James F.,

Purcell, George W.,

Porter, William,

Shyrigh, Burdett C.,

Poffenbarger, Ira M.,

Powell, Jepha H.,}

Pence, John D.,

Poorman, George H.,

Price, David S.,

Prettyman, S. P.,

Poland, Jacob,

Patrick, William M.,

Pearson, John S.,

Poysell, William W., Quine, Franklin,

Richard, Edwards,

Ryan, Christopher,

Tucket, Robert,

Redback, William,

Thoma, Richard C.,

Richards, Charles W.,

Ulrick, John,

Ryan, Simon, Riley, Philip,

Vinyard, Harvey, Voke, Ambrose,

Vance, William W.,

Vance, Joseph C., (a)

Reynolds, Joseph L., Ross, William R., Renkle, Ben P., T

Ramsbottom, Howard, Rhodes, Charles H., Rawlings, D. W., Richardson, Amos, Rickets, William A., Russell, John M.,

Rhodes, William,} Rees, John W.,

Steven, Allen C.,

McCue, Terrell,

Mc Cafferty, Couda, Morrison, Thomas,

Newcombe, Charles W.,

Newcomb, John G.,

Newcomb, Asa B.,

Nagh, Ernst, Nagle, Charles, Northcutt, Joseph P.,

O'Briant, Isaiah,

O'Haver, Harvey, O'Brian, Patrick,

Organ, B. S., Outram, Timothy, Oakly, Francis,

O'Brian, Edward,

Poffenborger, C. A.,

Palmer, I. G.,Į

Sigman, John, Shephart, Gandolph,

Shellhone, Edward,

Shyrigh, William B.,

Tough, David, Talbott, John H.,

Thompson, Albert, Taylor, John, Travis, Ezra D., Terrey, Michael, Thompson, John, Teester, George, Tabor, Harrison, Tritt, John H.,

Way, George B.,* Warnock, Robert, White, Norman, t Ward, William A., Wallace, Squire H., Winn, Martin, Whalen, Michael,

390

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

Willis, Charles P.,

Wright, Moses B.,*

White, Edward,

Wilkins, Ridgley P.,

Wolfkill, W. R.,

Young, Robert,

Wentworth, Frank,

Wolfkill, Robert F.,

Young, William N.,

Whalen, Patrick,

Ward, Cyrus T.,

Yeazel, James W.,

Whalen, Thomas,

Weaver, Charles,

Yeazel, Samuel,

Wooley, James J.,

Willshire, Joseph W.,

Zombro, William H.,

Wooley, John C.,

Wiley, Harrison,

Zombro, Abraham.

Wright, Martin, t

Wade, George B.,

Warnock, William R., Ward, William J.,

We had hoped to give a list of the merchants and professional men who have resided in Urbana, together with the changes which have taken place. Several lists have been made at various times, but they have been inaccurate, and any attempt to make a full list now would be equally imperfect. Until 1840, and perhaps later, many, or perhaps all, the stores were of the character of " all sorts stores," carrying miscellaneous stocks of dry goods, groceries, hard- ware, school-books and notions. In more recent years, the various depart- ments of mercantile trade have been subdivided, and the tendency is to make specialties of certain classes of merchandise. As town and city, there has never been any lack of dry-goods dealers and grocers. In addition to these, shops and stores abound for the sale of merchandise, which formerly was sold in the "all sorts store," as boots and shoes, clothing, hats and caps, furniture, clocks and jewelry, hardware, glass and queensware, agricultural implements, drugs and paints, books and stationery, stoves and hollow-ware, meat-shops and green-grocers. No class of men in the community are more public-spirited, or contribute more to the advancement of the public good. To enumerate the names of a portion might appear invidious ; to mention all would be the equiv- alent of a directory.

There has been no time in the history of the town when there were not suf- ficient physicians to " doctor " the sick. These represent the various schools and modes of practice, and the most fastidious may make his choice. We are indebted to Dr. James M. Mosgrove, now the oldest practicing physician in the city, for a paper, which is believed to be the most complete list to be made of the physicians of the county, and which will be found in the general notes on the county.

On another page, will be found the names of the members of the legal pro- fession, and a list of the citizens of the city and township of Urbana who en- listed in the late war. Those who survive of these are the industrious, busy men of to-day. In the foregoing pages, as well as throughout the entire vol- ume, will be found scattered names and lists. The descendants of these are the active, earnest men of the present, as intent on making money, acquiring knowledge, developing the resources of the country and holding office, as their forefathers were.

In closing these pages, the names and faces of many of the old citizens come up unbidden, whose virtues and good deeds live after them, who played their little part on the stage of life, and the world was made the better that they lived in it. We cannot omit the name of one, Judge William Patrick, who still lingers among us, older than the century, whom the city has delighted to honor, and who, in the varied career of his life, has won the highest praise of men, that of " the man of integrity." The friends who know him will heartily respond to the sentiment of Horace, Redeat sero in Colum, and when the change shall come, that he walk forth from the winter of life into the everlasting morning.

Me. Arrowsmith (DECEASED)

393

HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.

The sketch we have undertaken to write, we are aware is both rude and imperfect. As the work progressed and the story of the times that tried and made men was unraveled, we were the more convinced that the narrative demanded, not the pleasurable occupation of a few months, but the labor of years. The captions and critical may recall much that should have been recorded, but it may be well to remember the vastness of the work which shall include the whole. The scandal-monger who shall hunt for a story of wrongs and crime will be disappointed. Not that these things have not been, for recent years have shown too clearly how the confidence of men may be betrayed, and home and honor lost. Over these we would drop the veil, and with the more pleasure record that during a period of almost eighty years the annals of the county have been singularly free from the stain of great crimes. In look- ing over the past, we may reasonably conclude that Urbana will never be a city of great circumference, but a home where culture and taste may delight to dwell ; and that the county of which it is the center will, in the coming cen- tury, become the garden of the State.

UNION TOWNSHIP.

This township is situated in the southeastern part of the county, being Town- ship 4, in Range 11, including one tier of sections in Range 10. It is bounded on the north by Wayne Township, on the east by Goshen Township, on the south by a portion of Clark County, and on the west by Urbana Township. About two-thirds of the township is military land, and the remainder Congress. It is drained by Dry Run and Buck Creek, the former stream watering the northern part of the township, and the latter running diagonally across the township from the northeastern to the south western corner, passing through the little village of Mutual, lending unto the inhabitants thereof the murmur of its ripple as it gently wends its steady course toward the waters of the deep.

It is principally an agricultural district, there being but one village in the township.

The soil is fertile and the lands well improved. The Urbana and Mechan- ichsburg pike runs east and west through the center of the township, the Urbana and North Lewisburg pike running northeast and southwest through the northern part of the township, and the Catawba pike passing east and west through over one-half of the southern part of the township. These pikes are intersected by others of not so much importance, and by numerous dirt roads.

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The history of Champaign county, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory etc, Part 43

Author: Ogden, J. W. (John W.); Beers (W.H.) & Co., pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 926

Author: Ogden, J. W. (John W.); Beers (W.H.) & Co., pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : W.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 926