The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 2, Part 11

Author: Durant, Pliny A. ed; Beers (W.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : W. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1410

USA > Ohio > Clinton County > The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 2 > Part 11

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Early in 1818, an action of ejectment was brought against Mr. Roberds for the 100 acres of land on which he lived, including the fifty acres purchased in 1805 or 1806, and fifty adjoining, which he had acquired afterward. The same suit embraced several of his neighbors, who, like Mr. Roberds, had pur- chased lands in Survey No. 625, and had paid for them in full, supposing that they had an unimpeachable title. All had purchased their lands of one Sam- uel G. Martin, an early settler in the neighborhood, who had purchased fairly enough, but had not paid the purchase money, and now was wholly unable to pay it. The suit in the Court of Common Pleas went against the tenants at the October term, 1818; it was appealed to the Supreme Court, where it was decided in the same way. In 1822, application was made to the court for pay for the improvements made on the land. The court recognized the validity of the claims and appointed three commissioners to value these improvements.

On the first Monday in April, 1821, he having previously removed from Union Township to Wilson's Branch, north of where Sabina now is, he was elected a Justice of the Peace for Richland Township. At the spring election in 1824, and again in 1827, he was re-elected to the office of Justice of the Peace for Richland Township. At the annual October election in 1822, he was re-elected to the office of County Commissioner, and again re-elected in October, 1826, to the same office. His last term as County Commissioner ex- pired in the fall of 1829, and his last term as Justice of the Peace in the spring of 1850. Esquire Roberds was now old. From this time, it is believed,

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he declined further service. In the fall of 1833, Esquire Roberds removed to Indiana, and settled near Jonesboro, Grant County. In 1850, his wife died. He died in July, 1863, in the ninety-eighth year of his age.

Nathan Van Horn bought of Thomas Posey 125 acres of land in Survey No. 1,057, at $1.50 per acre. Mr. Van Horn was a shoemaker by trade, and made this purchase November 4, 1805 The land is now owned by Isaiah F. Miars, whose father, David, acquired it from Van Horn at an early day. In the year 1805, Azel, son of Mordecai Walker, came to Clinton County and located im- mediately north of the present site of Wilmington, on the land where his chil- dren yet reside .* He was born in Virginia in 1774, and there married to Hannah Jackson, who bore him the following children: William, Josiah J .. Lewis M., Joseph S., Rachel, Ruth, Elijah. Abel, Betsey Ann and Samuel, some of whom are yet living in this township and among its leading citizens. Mr. Walker and family came to Warren County, Ohio, in 1804, and, leaving his wife and two children at Waynesville with some friends, he came to this point, erected a camp as a temporary shelter and lived alone for about three months, while clearing a lot of ground and erecting a cabin for the reception of his family. In the meantime, bears, wolves and other wild animals were thick around him, and often in the night their glistening eyeballs would reflect back upon Azel the light of his shanty fire. Having at length brought his- familyt to his new home in the woods, he soon made a large clearing, and,. with the passing years, came peace and plenty. His third child, Lewis M., was born in this cabin October 10, 1807, at a time when the town of Wilming- ton was unknown, and all this country was covered by a dense forest. At the time of what is known as the Separation in the Friends Church, Azel, with his- father, adhered to the Hicksite branch and remained during life well satisfied with their choice. The year following the settlement of Azel Walker, his brother-in-law, Joseph Smith, came to this township. He had married Lydia Walker in Virginia, who became the mother of twelve children, as follows: Rachel, Mordecai, Samuel, Elizabeth (who married Joseph Painter), Mary (who became the wife of David Butler), Rebecca (who married Jesse Doan), Will- iam, Edwin, Lydia (who married Joseph Anderson), Joseph, Henry and Elijah. Of these but three are now living-Rebecca, William and Elijah.

Henry Babb came to Ohio in 1806, from Frederick County, Va., and set- tled about one and a half miles north of the court house in Wilmington. His- wife's father, Mordecai Walker, early in the year 1805, purchased 1,000 acres of land of Thomas Posey, the owner of the survey on which Wilmington was. laid out, and divided the same into four equal parts, and gave each of his four children, two sons and two daughters, one of these parts, Elizabeth Babb, wife of Henry Babb, receiving her portion in the northeast corner of the 1,000-acre purchase, including the land on which Mr. Babb had settled. At the first election of county officers, Henry Babb was elected County Commissioner, in which office he served two years. He was the father of five sons and four daughters .. The sons were Peter, Thomas, Henry, Azel and Sampson; the- daughters Mary, who married Thomas Babb; Rebecca, who married William Crumly; Rachel, who married John Walters; Hannah, who married Joseph Smith; Lydia married a Smith and Betsey a Wall.

In 1806 or 1807, a settlement was made on Edward Carrington's Survey, No. 986, one of the five surveys which have a corner at the Deserted Camp. Of this party, Martin, David, Abraham and Peter Hester, William Venard and Jonas Vandervort are remembered. Conrad Haws about the same time settled

* Mr. Walker had been given one-fourth of a thousand acres of land previously purchased by his father Mordecai Walker.

t Early in 1805.

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on the White Survey, No. 2,714, of which be was sole owner. The White Survey also corners at the Deserted Camp, and was bounded on the southeast by the Carrington Survey.

William Venard was born, it is believed, in Pennsylvania, but was taken by his parents when a child to Kentucky. He came with his father to Ohio, and, in 1802, was a chain carrier with William Walker, when Capt. John Dun- lap laid out the Old Miami trace from Waynesville to Chillicothe. The trace was run an easterly course and passed near where Harveysburg now is, through what is now the Dover neighborhood, and also what is now called the Hinkson Prairie, near where Amos Wilson and James Mills then lived, leaving Sabina on the left, to the old Indian town on Paint Creek. At the first election held . in the county, in June, 1810, Mr. Venard was elected one of the Justices for Richland Township. He was re-elected in the spring of 1813. In October, 1813, he was elected Justice of the Peace for Union. He was a private in Tupper's Brigade in the war of 1812; was wounded at the siege of Fort Meigs, for which he was allowed a pension by the United States; total sum, $442.32. He died near Kokomo, Ind. He bought of John S. Wills fifty acres in the east corner of Survey No. 961, in the name of N. Anderson. It was run off for him by Nathan Linton November 6, 1811.

Two old men, brothers, by the name of Hester, came to this county. The name of one is not remembered; the other was Martin, the father of Abraham, Peter, David and Martin. . He had daughters married to William Venard, Esq., Jordan Rix, George Bodkin, Richard Bodkin, Absalom Johnson and John Vandervort, son of Jonah. Abraham Hester bought of Wills fifty acres in Survey No. 961. Absalom Johnson also bought fifty acres in 961, beginning at Abraham Hester's north corner.

Moses Frazier was born in Frederick County, Va., August 4, 1791, and, in the fall of 1792, was taken by his parents to Green County, Tenn., where he remained until 1806, at which time the family removed to this county and located in the Dover neighborhood, where the parents subsequently died. In 1813, Moses was married to Lydia Pusey, who died in the fall of 1823, leaving to his care five small children. In 1825, he married Elizabeth Farr, who sur- vived him. Mr. Frazier died January 17, 1874, at his old home, where he had passed nearly seventy years of his life. Being one of the first to locate in Clinton County, he was identified with its interests from its earliest history. Enduring all of the hardships incident to pioneer days, he yet lived to enjoy the triumph of success. He was a Friend in religious belief and practice, and his remains were laid at rest in the burying-ground at Dover belonging to that denomination.

Jacob Haines was born in Pennsylvania February 19, 1778, and . when quite young removed with his parents to Guilford County, N. C., and, in-1800, was married to Mary Leonard. In 1803, he emigrated to Ohio, remaining at Waynesville a short time; he came to Union Township, Clinton County, in the spring of 1804. His family consisted of his wife, Mary, and one child. Here he resided until his death, June 17, 1854. His son, Zimri Haines, is yet a resident of Clinton County, where he has passed his entire life.

Thomas Rich, a native of Virginia, born July 4, 1785, was taken to North Carolina when two years old, where he lived until 1809, when he came to this. county and located on Lytle's Creek, west of Wilmington.

Hezekiah Hiatt, born in Guilford County, N. C., March 23, 1786, came to Union Township, Clinton County, Ohio, in 1808, and, in July, 1810, married Ann Perkins, daughter of Isaac Perkins. Jacob Strickle and William Shields were also early settlers of Union Township.

John Hains came out from North Carolina in 1808; his first residence

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was in a cabin on the south side of Dutch Creek, say 100 yards from the creek, near where several old apple trees still stand, on the farm of Joshua Haines, south of his house. He did not remain there long. His next residence was on the northwest side of the road, from the crossing of Dutch Creek on the Wilmington & Waynesville road, to Gurneyville, on a farm recently owned by Amos Davis, about 200 yards from the road; no house or other building is now there. His next residence was where he died, on the farm now owned by his son, Samuel Haines, near the present residence of Joshua Haines, a few rods from the same, south and west from the house and on the west side, not more, perhaps, than two rods west of the west side of the lane. Joshua Haines now owns nearly all of the farm which his father owned at that place. The only vestige of the residence is the excavation made for a cellar, now partly filled up, which Joshua and Judge Haines concur in saying was under the sleeping apartment of the dwelling.

Job Haines, the elder, first settled on Survey No. 2,279, in the name of Thomas Banks, north and east of the residence of Azariah Wall, Sr., now owned by his son, Azariah L. Wall. The site of his dwelling, now gone, is the same as the present site of Martin Haines', son of Joshua. Job Haines' blacksmith shop was on the south and west side of the branch, between where the dwelling stood and the present road. The farm is now owned by Joshua Haines. This information was communicated on the ground on May 30, 1875, by Joshua Haines and Judge Abner Haines, of Eaton, Ohio. Joseph Haines had a still-house on Dutch Creek, the site of which is in Joshua Haines' pasture, op. posite his house. Vestiges of his cooling-tubs in Dutch Creek, as Joshua Haines says they were, are still visible opposite to a large bowlder in the mar -. gin of the creek. His dwelling, now gone, stood a few rods south of Joshua Haines' present brick house. Joshua pointed out the spot. Their father was Joshua Haines, born in Pennsylvania; his wife was a Rich, aunt to Thomas Rich, late of Clinton County. Jacob Haines and brothers were first cousins of Noah Haines, an early settler at Waynesville; also, it is said, of John Haines, who built the first mill at that point.

Gayer Starbuck was born on the Island of Nantucket in 1777. In 1785, he removed with his parents to Guilford County, N. C. In 1799, he was married to Susannah Dillon, daughter of the elder Jesse Dillon, with whom he lived nearly sixty-two years, up to the time of her death. In 1807, they emi- grated to Ohio, locating in Greene County, and, in 1810, they settled on the farm where they spent the remaining years of their lives. Susannah died in 1861; Gayer in 1866. His farm was the one now occupied by his son, Jesse G. Starbuck, in the Dover neighborhood. They were the parents of five sons and five daughters, all of whom grew to maturity and became the heads of families, excepting one son, who died at the age of twenty-two. Gayer Star- buck learned the blacksmith trade in North Carolina, and for many years fol- lowed that vocation. His father, Hezekiah, was also a native of Nantucket Island, born April 10, 1749; was a seafaring man and Captain of a whaling vessel for some years. He was married in 1771, and, in 1785, he removed with his family to Guilford County, N. C., where his wife, Mary, died in 1806. He subsequently came to Clinton County, where he passed away in 1830.

Latham Starbuck, a brother of Gayer, settled in the extreme northern por- tion of Union Township in 1811. He was accompanied by his wife and one child and had lived a season in Tennessee, where he raised one crop and lost a child by death. They came through from Tennessee in a "Carolina wagon," drawn by one horse, and their prospects on arriving in Clinton were not prom- ising, but with characteristic pioneer energy he leased some land entirely un- improved and began his labors to make a home. Upon that farm his son John

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T. was born, and he is still a resident of the township. Mr. Starbuck subso- quently visited his birthplace, in North Carolina, and, upon his return to Clin- ton County, purchased fifty acres of land in Wilson Township, and four years later traded it for the farm of 100 acres in Union Township, upon which he spent the remainder of his life, dying about 1871.

John Mcwhorter, a native of Wilmington. Del., came from Londonn County, Var, to Ohio in 1800, but remained until the following spring at "High Bank Prairie," on the Scioto River. In the spring of 1810, ho removed to Union Township, Clinton County, and lived in the old schoolhouse on the. Walker place for a short time, while erecting a log cabin for himself on the land now owned by Zimri Dwiggins. Mr. McWhorter was a member of the Society of Friends, and died Docomber 24, 1856.

Joseph Whinery was born in York County, Ponn., February 27, 1787; camo to Ohio about 1810, and, in the spring of 1813, returned to the Keystone Stato. In October, 1813, ho again camo to Ohio, in company with his brother, Thomas Whinory, and Robert Way, the celebrated school-teacher, settling on Dutch Creek in the northwestern part of Union Township. In 1814, ho mar- riod Lydia Perkins, who bore him five sons and five daughters. In 1837, he removed to Indiana, where he died April 24, 1873.

In very early times, Mordecai Walker, a minister of the Society of Friends in Virginia, bought a large tract of land immediately north of the site of Wil- mington, which he divided among his four children -- Lydia, Elizabeth, Azol and William. Although some of the children came to Clinton County as early · as 1805 or 1806, Mordecai did not settle hore until about 1811 or 1812, when he built the log house in which Henry B. Crumly lately lived, and that was his home until near the time of his death, which occurred about 1833. His daughters Lydia and Betsey married Joseph Smith and Henry Babb respec- tively; Azel married Hannah Jackson, and the sketches of all will be found preceding this biography; William married. Martha Faulkner, and their chil- dren were as follows: Mordecai, Azel, David, Phobe, Eli, Asa, Rachel, Lewis and John S.

April 21, 1810, Col. Thomas_Gaddis received from Abraham Pittenger and wife and others, of Shelby County, Ky., a deed in fee for 325 acres of land, part of William S. Hawkins' Survey, No. 2,692; consideration, £280 cur- rent money. The granters derived title direct from William S. Hawkins. Col. Thomas Gaddis was born December 28, 1744, and died June 10, 1834. Han- nah (Rice) Gaddis, his wife, died February 4, 1835, in hor eighty-eighth year. Thomas Gaddis and family came to Clinton County to reside in September, 1814. They desconded the Ohio River in boats, on which the teams, wagons and household goods were embarked. The party, with their effects, were landed at Manchester, Ohio, twelve miles abovo Maysville, Ky. His son, Col. Gaddis, came by Van Meter's to Wilmington, where they remained over night in Warren Sabin's tavern. The next day, Henry Babb, between whom and Col. Gaddis some acquaintance and relationship existed, came and invited Col. Gaddis to take possession of a house belonging to him, saying that it was empty and he had kept it for his use. The offer was accepted and the party moved into it and remained there the following winter .* On the 22d of Feb- ruary, 1815, Nathan Linton surveyed for Col. Gaddis 325 acres of land in Survey No. 2,692. . Col. Gaddis commanded a regiment under Washington throughout the Revolutionary war, and in his later years took great pride in showing his commission and discharge, both signed by his great commander, "the father of his country." He hated and despised the English Government,

* For account of Rice Gaddis, son of the above, and the establishment by him of a newspaper at Wilmington see Chapter XIII.

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and advocated the vigorous prosecution of the war of 1812. It is said that many of the bitterest articles published in the True American against the En- glish were directly inspired by that old Revolutionary hero, who knew well the treachery of his country's would-be oppressors. May his memory long be cher- ished and his name never be forgotten.

From material furnished by Dr. A. Jones, we give the following record of early settlers in Union Township:

The first settler within the present limits of Union Township was Timothy Bennet, who came in 1801, and located about one mile and a half northeast of the site of Wilmington, a short distance from the Deserted Camp, where, with the assistance of his brother-in-law, John Hoblitt, he erected his cabin and be- came monarch of all he surveyed. The next to settle in Union Township be- longed to a colony of emigrants consisting of eighteen families, who came to Ohio about 1802 and settled temporarily at Waynesville, whenco, in the fol- lowing year, came James Moon, George Haworth and John Vestal, who all lo- cated in Union Township, on Todd's Fork. In 1804, Hur Hodgson settled on land close to James Moon; these two pioneere being great lovers of fishing and hunting became warm friends, spending many a happy hour in these amuse- ments.

In the year 1802, James Moon and family emigrated from North Carolina to Waynesville, Warren Co., Ohio, where he made a temporary location while exploring the surrounding country. He made choice of Jand in Gatos' Survey, on Todd's Fork, four miles north of the prosent town of Wilmington, and, in the spring of 1803, erected a three-sided camp in the forest, a rude log struct- ure after the style of sugar camps, with one side open for an entrance. In 1872, Dr. A. Jones interviewed Mr. Moon, and, in telling the Doctor about his pioneer days, he said: "I covered my camp with bark so nicely that it protected me from the rain storms of summer. I went to work and soon cleared out a

place for corn and garden stuff. All the summer and fall of 1803, I was the only inhabitant on the creek. I was not alone, however, for, as was common then, I had my dog and gun. Wild game was very plenty. My gun and fish- ing tackle supplied my wants until my garden stuff and wild fruits were added to the list of edibles. Deer-skins and leaves served for my bed." Mr. Moon was fond of relating his hunting stories, and, like all old pioneers, had many interesting ones to tell. Many a deer and not a few bears and other denizens of the forest fell beneath his unerring aim, supplying his cabin home with plenty of fresh meat. He got his corn from Timothy Bennet, who was his nearest neighbor, and his wheat from Gillespie, who lived about twelve miles away.

In 1804, be erected his cabin and brought his wife from Waynesville, where she had remained up to this time. He says: "During the summer of 1804, several families settled near me. North Carolina and Tennessee seemed to unite in forming a colony; Robert Eachus, Jacob Haines. Joseph Doan, Isaac Perkins, John Stout, Christopher Hiatt, John Vestal, William Jay, Peter Rightman, John Griffith, Mahlon Haworth and others erected cabins. Just below us on the creek, Mendenhalls, Wrights, Farquhars, Nickersons, Hales, Lintons and others settled some time later." Up to 1811, the settlement in- creased rapidly, but the Indian troubles of that year caused a falling off in the flow of emigration. He also says: "I think it was in 1804 that a settlement was formed farther up the creek. The Haworths, Dillons and their relations composed nearly all the settlers. They formed the nucleus for the Society of Friends at Dover, as our settlement did at Centre." Todd's Fork was then much larger than it is now. The forest along its banks was very dense and

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evaporation a slow process. Fish were abundant and easily caught, as they could journey from its mouth to its head-waters."

Mr. Moon says: "In the fall of 1803, I occasionally saw an Indian skulk- ing about through the woods. Since the treaty with Gen. Wayne, at Green- ville, they only occasionally visited Todd's Fork. Whether they did so for the purpose of hunting or to visit the graves of their dead I could not learn. I found many of their vaults or graves on the banks of the creek. They seem to have selected the places where loose flat stones were plenty, and built stone walls about three by six and from one to two feet high, arching them over with flat stones. In some of these vaults I found two or three skeletons, with clay pipes and pans. The ware had been made out of blue clay and broken up shells and dried in the sun. I could not find any implements made out of metal or any metallic substances. Many of the skeletons were in a pretty good state of preservation. The head and bones of the extremities still preserved their form, while the teeth were all perfect. From all the facts that I could gather, I was not able to fix tho time the skeletons had remained in their vaults. I had read that the human hair was almost indestructible. I found a good many of the skulls, but no signs of the hair covering. I never had much veneration for the Indian, dead or alive, and the little that I had was lessened by their treachery and theft. A dirty rascal stole my pony. I pursued him and soon recovered my horse. There are some things in the history of every man that it is best not to publish, but that Indian didn't steal any more horses." The reader can easily see that James Moon was possessed of many characteristics necessary in pioneer life. He was strong, vigorous, cunning and brave; in- dustrious, honest and imbued with that earnest sincerity and determination of purpose for which many of the early settlers were specially noted. He and wife died on the old farm, childless, both living to a ripe old age.

Joseph Doan spent the winter near the Centre Meeting-House, and, in the spring of 1805, bought land and built his cabin, in Posey's survey, now known as the old Doan farm, within the corporate limits of Wilmington. He was in his day a very useful citizen, and filled the office of County Commissioner sev- eral years. It was in 1804 that Robert Eachus built his cabin and the follow- ing year erected a small grist-mill on Todd's Fork, in compliance with the con- tract made with Daniel . Murray, who sold him the land for 75 cents per acre, on condition that he would erect a mill. Mr. Eachus was a valuable acqui- sition to the settlement along Todd's Fork, and before the organization of Clinton County served for several years as Justice of the Peace for Warren County, which then included his settlement. He subsequently held many offices in Clinton.

As mentioned in James Moon's reminiscences, John Stout, Samuel and Nathan Linton came in 1804, locating on Todd's Fork. Nathan Linton made a tour through this country in 1801, coming on horseback from Chillicothe to Waynesville, traversing the territory between the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers. Returning to Bucks County, Penn., in 1802, he induced the whole family to remove to the West, finally locating on and clearing up a large farm in Union Township, Clinton County, Ohio. Nathan Linton was the leading surveyor of Clinton County for many years after the early settlement began, and always took a prominent part in the settlement, growth and development of the county. Many of the persons mentioned in Moon's sketch settled out- side the present limits of Union Township, and therefore do not belong to its history.

In 1804, John Hobson built his cabin near to the site of Centre Meeting- House, but he soon fell a victim to malarial poison and was one of the first burials at Centre Graveyard. During the year 1804, several of the colony of

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The history of Clinton County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its townships, cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest territory, Volume 2, Part 11

Author: Durant, Pliny A. ed; Beers (W.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : W. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1410

Author: Durant, Pliny A. ed; Beers (W.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : W. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1410